Social Work Commons^™

Social Worker Awarness Of Sex Trafficking Victims, Latasha Eleanor Howard

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Sex-trafficking has been known as an international crime of violence against women and children. Social work professionals unknowingly encounter sex trafficking victims among their clients for potential identification and intervention. In a crisis setting, social workers play a fundamental role in assessing and providing treatment services to the victims of sex-trafficking that range in age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Victim identification presents a challenge for social workers because victims are a part of a hidden population. Although the sex-trafficked individuals can be reported to authorities if identified, attention needs to be focused as to how social worker professionals identify the …

An Exploration Of Barriers Among Gamblers Who Seek Recovery Programs In Spanish, Alicia Rodriguez Marenco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Gambling in the United States has been in existence since the 1800’s. For over two hundred years, gambling has brought in revenue and entertainment for consumers in the United States. As the population has diversified and the technology has advanced, the access to gambling has grown to be convenient and accessible for the consumer to enjoy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the barriers and motivators from gamblers who sought recovery programs in Spanish. Fourteen current members of Spanish Gamblers Anonymous group were interviewed in small focus groups. The findings indicated that those who sought Spanish recovery …

Beliefs About Children Who Have Been Incarcerated: What Do Parents Know?, Aryriana Alexander

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between traditional African-American American parenting and the overrepresentation of African-Americans in America’s jails and prisons. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews of twelve parents who have had a child incarcerated in their adult life to gather data. Study participants were asked their experiences with several traditional happenings, supported by research, in some traditional African-American households. Topics discussed included religion, spanking, and single parenthood. The study found that many of the traditional happenings of African-American parenting occurred within the homes of parents with children who were incarcerated, which supports previous research. …

Overcoming Barriers To Mental Health Service Utilization Among Justice Involved Youth, Susan Y. Vanallen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers to and facilitators of mental health services utilization among youth in the justice setting, and to explore ways to overcome these barriers and expand these facilitators. This qualitative study utilized focus groups as a means to extract themes among the perceptions of social workers on this topic. Results were transcribed to written form. Qualitative analysis procedures were followed to identify and label themes. A total of 473 statements are organized into 26 major themes with 18 sub‑themes. Suggestions for change under the agency/organizational category of domain three received the most …

Utilization Of Specialized Camp Services Among Parents Of A Child With A Disability, Heather Ann Wroten

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the utilization of specialized camp services among parents of a child with a disability. This study sought to investigate specialized camp services as respite for families. The data was gathered utilizing a mixed method survey approach. The surveys were distributed to primary caregivers of a child with a disability who have attended Camp Paivika within the past three years. The sample size of this study was 69 respondents. The results show that the family unit benefits by way of de-isolation. The camper increases social skills, confidence, and independence. The caregivers experience emotional …

The Relationship Between Self-Determination And Client Outcomes Among The Homeless, Samuel M. Hanna

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper has attempted to determine if there is a significant relationship between self-determination and client outcomes among the homeless. The study has been based upon the conceptual framework set forth in Self-Determination Theory. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between self-determination and client outcomes among the homeless. Using a data collection instrument, based on empirically validated instrumentation, clients from several homeless service providers in the City of San Bernardino were assessed for the level of self-determination and autonomy support they experience within these agencies. Outcome measures included such things as whether the client was going …

Custodial Grandmothers Raising Children With Disabilities And The Stressors They Face, Kanika Oni Kisero

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Stressors that custodial grandmothers face while raising children with disabilities can be more overwhelming compared to stressors experienced by grandmothers of non-disabled children. Strategies and various supports were looked into in order to determine how custodial grandmothers practice self-care so they may experience positive mental health outcomes. A purposive sample of custodial grandmothers was surveyed and the results obtained provided some support on how self-care is and is not practiced in order to manage stress. This study resulted in non-significant findings, which did not support the hypotheses. Additional analysis was used to gauge levels of stress, but could not …

Alcohol Use And The Older Adult: Addressing Older Adults’ Perceptions, Megan R. Grisso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In order to create more efficient, useful alcohol treatment and intervention methods tailored specifically for the older population, it is important to understand the reasons that older adults perceive that they consume alcohol. For this reason, this study explored older adults’ perceptions regarding why they use alcohol. Older adults, age 60 and older, were surveyed through questionnaires completed at senior community centers within San Bernardino County. This was a mixed method design that used qualitative and quantitative analysis for the purpose of exploring the most frequently reported reasons for why older adults use alcohol. The main finding of the study …

Substance Abuse Among The Elderly: What Works In Treatment, Sophia Morelli

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers are trained during the course of their education to work with the elderly and to understand the various dynamics of aging. These professionals also receive education on substance abuse and how to assess clients as well as link them to appropriate supportive services. How can social workers be more inclined to effectively treat the elderly substance abuser? What are, if any, special considerations a social worker should be aware of when working with the geriatric population? What treatment modalities seem to be more effective with the elderly client? This study utilized a qualitative analysis consisting of interviews with …

Hispanics' Under-Utilization Of Hospice Care Services, Ian M. Montoya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to learn about Hispanics’ utilization of hospice care and to increase knowledge about under-utilization of hospice services by the Hispanic community. Research in hospice services indicates that the Hispanic community underutilizes end-of-life resources when compared to their majority counterparts, European Americans. Research that has controlled for variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, prognosis, and access to health care demonstrate Hispanics significantly under-utilizing hospice services. This project was conducted within Southern California in the cities of Riverside and Anaheim which are predominantly Hispanic communities. A quantitative design was used to explore the perspectives of …