Social Work Commons^™

How Language, Healthcare Insurance Status, Stigma, Age, And Educational Attainment Influenced The Utilization Of Mental Health Services Among The Latino Male Population, Esmeralda Solis, Annika Coe

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Latinx individuals comprise the largest ethnic minority group in the US but are the least likely to use mental health treatments despite experiencing increased mental health difficulties. This study conducted a secondary data analysis of the 2020 and 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) by UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research. This study tested whether mental health service use among Latino males could be predicted based on language, healthcare insurance status, stigma, age, and educational attainment. The logistic regression analysis results explained that of the predictor variables, two, age and healthcare insurance status, were statistically significant. Our research aims to …

Social Justice Theatre And The Impact On Theatre Artists, Stevie Taken

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Theatre as an agent for social change has significantly impacted communities and entire countries. Examining how subversive theatre impacts those who engage with it to affect positive social change is a worthwhile endeavor. Theatre possesses the power to inspire empathy in people, which leads to progressive political action. This study explores the impact of participating in social justice theatre has on the artists who engage in it.

The literature reviewed in this study examines the impact attending subversive theatre has on audience members, its aim is to inspire empathy as a tool to create progressive social change. This study expands …

How Are Medical Social Workers Equipped With Adequate Training To Detect And Report Elder Abuse In Hospice, Crystal Garcia, Katherine Barba

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose: This study explored how equipped medical social workers are with adequate training to detect and report elder abuse in hospice.

This study was carried out in Southern California with the help of participants who currently or have previously worked as medical social workers in hospice. The eleven participants are all women of varying backgrounds in age, ethnicity, cultures, work experience, and licensures.

In the United States, elder abuse is known to affect approximately one out of ten Americans aged sixty and over. However, there are ways we can combat elder abuse. One of the major ways is by properly …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Child Abuse Investigation Outcomes, Kelly Gasso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic essentially changed every system in America. In particular, it has created many unfamiliar challenges for child welfare agencies because they had to make immense changes to how they conducted their established practice. These changes aimed to keep the safety of children at the forefront, and simultaneously integrate higher safety protocols for social workers without putting children at risk. In response, the focus of this research proposal was to understand the effect COVID-19 had on child abuse investigations.

This research project utilized qualitative data in the form of interviews from a convenience sample of child welfare emergency response …

Chronic Sorrow And The Impact On Parents Of Children With Disabilities, Rhianna Mayra Nordlund

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose: Chronic sorrow was assumed to be a common feeling experienced by parents of children with disabilities, and if not supported properly it would impede a parent’s ability to support their child through the treatment of a disability and other life stressors that come with a lifetime diagnosis. This research looked to see how family type, the child’s diagnosis, feelings of support expressed by the parent, societal stigma about disability, and coping abilities impacted the parents’ experiences of chronic sorrow and who is was most at risk of chronic sorrow.

Methods: Through a positivist research design, the researcher addressed the …

Residential Care Staff Views On The Training That They Receive And Their Perceptions On Preparedness In Regard To Working With Residents, Deziray Sorieya Marroquin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze residential care staff’s views on the training that they have received at residential group care facilities. Training is an important component of preparing staff to work with children within the child-welfare system. The literature review suggested that there were various factors that hindered residential care staff from being able to provide the necessary care for the residents. Such factors included inadequate training, supervision, burnout, and high turnover rates within residential group care facilities.

The study used a qualitative, exploratory design. The data was collected from in depth interviews with six participants who …

Staff Turnover In Child Welfare, Maleena Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The turnover rate amongst child welfare workers is an ongoing problem that has yet to find a durable solution. Past studies have examined factors that contribute to workers’ intention to leave and factors that may impact that decision. Purpose: This study explored this issue from the perspective of present and former child welfare workers in southern California counties by examining the relationship between turnover intention and psychological safety. Methods: This observational study used a cross sectional design to gather quantitative data via self-report through an online survey. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses were performed to examine the relationships between psychological …

Indigenous Women And Traditional Paths To Healing, Lisa Mariano-Grise

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored Indigenous women’s perspectives about and applications of Traditional healing practices. As Indigenous women experience a disproportionate amount of trauma compared to other populations, this study sought to understand the preferred methods of healing among Indigenous women. Taking a qualitative approach, this study involved semi-structed interviews with five Indigenous women in California (N=5). Results from thematic analysis yielded five different themes: 1) Indigenous women use a variety of Traditional ceremonies and practices for healing, 2) Loss and grief are some of the motivational factors for Indigenous women to pursue healing through Traditional means, 3) Collective healing is important …

Factors That Increase Social Worker Longevity In Child Welfare Services, Heather Lovejoy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

High social worker turnover rates have impacted Child Welfare Services (CWS) for many years and remains a consistent issue. Retaining child welfare social workers is important to effectively serve clientele involved with CWS. This study sought to identify factors that increase social worker longevity in CWS. Using a post-positivist approach, the researcher gathered qualitative data from employees who previously and currently work for CWS in southern California through interviews. The researcher interviewed ten participants. Of those participants, four are no longer employed with a CWS agency and six remained employed with CWS, all with different lengths of employment and came …

Promoting Resilience For Children In Foster Care, Brenda Lara

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Many children enter the child welfare foster system every year and spend a significant amount of time in this system. While in foster care, many children experience stress and trauma. Trauma and adversity have been found to have a significant negative impact on children’s future success and well-being. Resiliency becomes important when combatting trauma experiences. This study looked at how child welfare social workers play a role in promoting resilience for children in foster care. The purpose of this study was to explore and highlight positively impactful resilience building child welfare social work practices from the perspective of former foster …

Increasing Teacher Awareness Of Mental Health In Children, Sarah Alexis Cortes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health issues in school-aged children have become a larger issue especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Because children spend a large amount of time in a school setting, it is important to utilize teachers to assist in preventing, recognizing, and supporting mental health issues in their students. This can be difficult however, when many states throughout the United States of America, have little to no requirements for mental health training in both their credential programs and their school districts. This can leave teachers feeling less comfortable and lack an understanding of how to prevent, recognize, and support, student mental health …

Foster Parent Training, Retention, And Satisfaction: An Exploratory Study, Dennisse Moreno Romo, Dulcinea Catota

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that foster parents who experience high levels of stress and frustration with the foster care agency are more likely to consider terminating their participation in foster care agencies. This quantitative study's purpose was to explore the relationship between training and foster parents’ satisfaction in their foster care agency, and between training and foster parent retention in their foster care agency. Participants completed an online questionnaire using Qualtrics software. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, using statistical tests including frequencies and Pearson's R. The hypothesis that training would correlate positively with satisfaction and retention of foster parents …

How Stigma Impacts The Utilization Of Mental Health Services Among Young Adults' Within Three Different Ethnic Minority Communities, Ivette Garcia, Melissa E. Gomez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health is an important aspect of every individual’s life. However, regardless of its importance, mental health is a topic that does not get much recognition. It is often simply brushed under the rug and ignored. Consequently, individuals who have mental health diagnoses may or may not choose to seek the necessary assistance. This specifically seems to be the case among adolescents and young adults within various ethnic communities, which may be due to the stigma surrounding mental health in their communities. To illustrate, regardless of the high prevalence rate of mental health issues among the minority youth, many of …

Interventions Available To Children And Adolescents With Oppositional Difiant Disorder: A Scoping Review, Megan George, Jacqueline Laitano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project aims to explore and identify empirical evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). This study will highlight evidence-based, non-pharmaceutical type interventions discussed in current research, the significance and potential impact it has on the field of social work, and the way in which this scoping review will be conducted.

ODD is a type of childhood disruptive behavior disorder in which children show ongoing patterns of uncooperative, defiant, argumentative, and hostile behaviors. ODD is among the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions in children. Early intervention and treatment are important since various risk factors …

The Challenges Homeless Men With Hiv/Aids Face When Seeking Housing, Rosey Yvette Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study sought to understand the challenges homeless men with HIV/AIDS face when seeking housing. The research used a post-positivist paradigm. The study included interviews with housing specialists who work with homeless men with HIV/AIDS. The housing specialists work at a non-profit agency serving a large urban county in Southern California. Information obtained from this research allowed the agency to provide better support and services to homeless HIV/AIDS men in the future.

The study uncovered the following challenges homeless men with HIV/AIDS face when seeking housing: affordable housing in safe areas, substance abuse in the homeless population, individuals with mental …

Attitudes Of Social Work Students On The Use Of Psychedelics As A Mental Health Treatment In Clinical Settings, Amanda Nickles

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Although psychedelic substances are currently categorized under federal law as a Schedule I controlled substance, there has recently been a renewed interest in the use of psychedelics to treat a number of mental health and substance use disorders. Research is garnering positive results in clinical trials, although much fear and stigma still surrounds psychedelic use. Future social workers’ presence in both macro level practices, advocating for mental health treatments and access to care, as well as their work in micro level clinically focused practices adds to their relevancy and legitimacy in advocating for potential policy changes on therapeutic psychedelic usage …

Social Work’S Role In Addressing Police Oppression: Social Workers’ Perspectives, Jess Husband

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and other marginalized identities experience constant oppression by the systems of policing. Based on the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers have an ethical responsibility to challenge social injustices. Because of the interactions between the two professions, social workers are in a unique position to engage in this social justice issue. Objective: This research study explored social workers’ perceptions of their ethical responsibilities in responding to oppressive policing. Methods: This concurrent nested mixed-method study gathered data from 12 participants. Participants were social workers within the state of Texas, recruited through …

Program Evaluation Of Teen Parent Support Group, Brianne Yvonne Irene Brophy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study used qualitative methods to identify the specific components of a teen mother support group that participants found most helpful. The purpose of this research was to highlight the support group's unique traits that attribute to their success in aiding teen mothers in graduating from high school, obtaining higher education, obtaining stable employment, and achieving their parenting goals. The study is composed of one-on-one interviews with three teen mothers who have been connected to the support group for over eight years. The responses suggest that four components of the support group help teen mothers in achieving success in …

You Call Us Treatment Resistant: The Effects Of Biases On Women With Borderline Personality Disorder, Cassidy Acosta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored how negative attitudes toward and discriminatory practices against women with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affect them and impact their treatment. The study adopted a constructivist paradigm, and data was collected via virtual interviews with research partners (i.e., women with BPD) who use online mental health forums. A final construction was established after the data was interpreted. Ultimately, it was determined that women with BPD face stigma and are described as treatment resistant; however, by providing a supportive treatment environment, women with this diagnosis see positive outcomes. The results of the study are intended to support women with …

Understanding Victims Of Human Trafficking: Identifying Macro And Micro-Level Mental Health Implications, Abbigail Pereyra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the mental health implications for adolescent victims of human traffic. This will be explored on both a micro and macro-level through the perspective of mental health professionals who have experience working with this unique population. It is important to better understand the multi-faceted impact of service delivery and barriers which victims of human trafficking often face. Equally important is how services and resources can be tailored to meet the needs of this population. This exploratory study utilized qualitative methods for data collection. Data was collected by facilitating interviews and a focus group with mental health …

Barriers And Challenges That Lgbtq+ Individuals Face When Acquiring Mental Health Care Services., Stephanie Nunez-Rivera

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to address the challenges and barriers that LGBTQ+ individuals face when accessing mental health care services. This research is significant because though LGBTQ+ community faces many challenges such as discrimination and trauma, which greatly affect their mental health, yet LGBTQ+ specific mental health care is not widely available. This unavailability has resulted in only 12.6% of mental health care institutions having LGBTQ+ specific mental health care services. In addition, the small percentage of LGBTQ+ programs that are available in mental health institutions are not available in every city or region, which has resulted in …

Asian Discrimination: In The Field Of Social Work, Sunghay Cho

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research explored how anti-Asian rhetoric influences the work experiences and lives of Asian American (A.A.) social workers. This is a qualitive, exploratory study that used a non-probability, convenience sample, and snowball technique for sampling, and interviews with participants via Zoom who identified as Asian American and who had completed their master’s degree in social work. It was found that different types of anti-Asian rhetoric influence Asian American social workers’ own expectations of themselves, their mindset, creates fear, and even sets limitations. It was also found that immigration status/generation (first/second generation) has an influence on their experiences as well. This …

The Benefits Of Support Groups For Individuals Who Experience Auditory And Visual Hallucinations, Joseph Stewart

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Four members of a peer-support group that focuses on experiences of auditory and visual hallucinations participated in interviews to explore ways that support groups benefit this population. The researcher had special interest in the domains of reduction of discomfort, reduction of stigma, and increase of functioning. This qualitative study used thematic coding to analyze interview data. Regarding the ways that participation in the support group benefits members, eight themes were identified: the group providing a safe space, growth in communication skills, meeting belongingness needs, participation increasing euthymia, increased ability to cope with symptoms, normalization of people experiencing hallucinations, addressing stigma …

Students' Educational Outcomes For Hybrid Msw Program, Carolina Profeta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed post-secondary social work program mode of learning throughout the nation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social work program transitioned from in-person to hybrid a modality. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of the social work program’s hybrid modality on students’ learning outcomes. Specifically, this study will examine participants’ cognitive presence, perceived effectiveness, and student perceptions. This study is important, as there is no research on social work program’s hybrid modality on students’ learning outcomes. This is a quantitative study and uses online surveys to gather results. The ANOVA and chi …

School-Based Suicide Prevention Program For Lgbtq Students, Ching Lok Tse

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose: The study focused on the school-based suicide prevention program for LGBTQ students. It aimed to identify risk factors facing LGBTQ students and examine the areas for improvements on the current suicide prevention program to better support LGBTQ students.

Methods: The study was conducted with the support of mental health professionals serving high school students. The study adopted post-positivism and utilized ecological systems theory as the theoretical orientation. Qualitative research instruments including one-on-one interviews were employed for data collection.

Results: Seven themes emerged from this study, including the lack of social support and acceptance, internal struggles with identity in heteronormative …

Examining Social Determinants Of Health Of Formerly Incarcerated California Students Who Graduated From Project Rebound, Ashley C. Adams

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Project Rebound is an educational based program that supports justice impacted individuals in obtaining higher education. The purpose of this study is to explore specific social determinants of health for these justice impacted students, and how these social determinants may improve after graduation. Specifically, this study will examine participants’ housing, mental health, substance use, employment, and finances during and after their participation in Project Rebound. This study is important, as there is little research on Project Rebound, their alumni, and how social determinants of health may be impacted by enrollment. This study is quantitative, and uses online surveys to gather …

Mental Health Literacy And Attitudes Toward Mental Health Help-Seeking Among College Students Of Non-Mental Health Professions, Hannah Metz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

College students who do not study mental health-related topics are a population that are particularly susceptible to mental health problems due to the stress of higher education and potential lack of mental health literacy. If this population has low levels of mental health literacy, they may not recognize a need to seek help and may be influenced against seeking help due to perceived negative stigma. This study sought to measure the level of mental health literacy among this subpopulation, as well as their attitudes toward seeking help for mental health issues by using a survey questionnaire which included two instruments …

Incarceration Effects On Children And Families, Sharon Rose

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Children of incarcerated parents have been found to experience long-term trauma as an effect of parental incarceration. There is little information regarding resources and programs available to these children to mitigate these issues. This study aims to identify recurring themes experienced by children and families separated by incarceration which cause negative long-term issues. The study will identify these overlaps and identify plans that can be implemented by social service agencies to alleviate and diminish the rates at which children are affected by incarceration. The researcher will conduct individual interviews with participants to complete an exploratory cross-sectional study. Data gathered from …

Support For Social Workers Treating Adolescent Substance Abusers, Monica Delucia, Kethura Solano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the barriers social workers experience when working with adolescent substance users. Research has not fully explored if intervention techniques are effective or suggest other approaches that may support substance use disorder professionals including supervisor support, training, and intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if social workers who provide interventions to adolescent substance users have the adequate resources to be successful in their field. The literature review provides a better understanding of the common themes social workers experience when working with adolescent substance users.

This study used a qualitative design and interviewed 8 professional social …

Minoritized Groups And Social Integration And Recovery Capital Development In Mutual Aid Fellowships, Kaelyn Doyle, Benjamin Wahl

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the level of engagement in recovery oriented mutual aid self-help groups one has, and the development of Recovery Capital (RC), an important variable in the recovery process from substance use disorders (SUDs). This study further assessed the correlation between self-help engagement and RC development for persons from minoritized groups. Results of this study can help social workers understand the efficacy of referrals to free, community-based mutual aid recovery programs for individuals from different demographic backgrounds, particularly those from minoritized groups, who often face barriers to treatment. A survey of …