Social Work Commons^™

Decision-Making And Christianity: Black Queer Women's Mental Health, Deborah Coffy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigated how Christianity affects Black queer women's decision-making regarding seeking mental health services. Those who felt they met the inclusion criteria completed a Basic Demographic Survey. After vetting these individuals, eleven female participants—who are both Black and queer—were asked to participate in an individual semi-structured qualitative interview. The interview focused on one's journey with mental health, societal and relationship influences, Black and LGBTQ+ identity, influences from conservative, traditional, or mainstream Christianity, and sense of self. Although Christianity may not have directly impacted most of the women in this study to seek mental health services, Christianity did have an …

Analyzing Help-Seeking Behaviors And Barriers Among Hispanic Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Emely Mejia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is experienced by millions of women in the U.S. every year. As the population of Hispanic women continues to grow, there is more attention to the unique experience of these women and the factors that disproportionately affect this population when they experience IPV. The objective of this study was to identify the help-seeking behaviors and barriers to help-seeking in Hispanic survivors of IPV. The last published systematic review on this topic was in 2011, showing a gap in our understanding of the prevalent barriers affecting these Hispanic women over the last decade. To assess the current …

Fetishization Of Asian American Women: A Discourse Analysis On The Media Portrayal Of The Victims Of The 2021 Atlanta Spa Shootings, Caitlyn Pham

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Asian American women have an intersectional identity that creates unique experiences, including discrimination and violence with a history of fetishization. In 2021, eight people were shot and killed in three spas in Atlanta, Georgia. Seven of the eight victims were women, six of whom were of Asian descent. While the shooter stated his actions were the results of sex addiction, and not racially motivated, the shootings occurred during a rise in attacks against Asian Americans amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. The Atlanta Spa Shootings provide a unique case where we can apply an intersectional lens to determine how …

Examining The Association Between Exposure To Suicide-Related Content And Suicide Ideation And Attempts Among College Students And Their Peers, Cleopatra Elshiekh

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For the last decade, suicide has been the second leading cause of death among college- aged adults (18-25), which coincides with the widespread proliferation of social media. The aim of this study was to identify if there was a correlation between exposure to suicide-related content via differing media outlets (e.g., social media, television, newspapers, music, and movies) and suicide ideation and attempts among college students and peer groups (i.e., participants’ friends or acquaintances). A convenience sampling method using social media, flyers, and the university’s experiment management system (i.e., SONA) was used to recruit 97 undergraduate students from the University of …

Access Barriers To Long-Term Healthcare For Female Sexual Assault Survivors, Mary E. Farley

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Approximately one in five women in the United States experience childhood sexual abuse or rape as an adult. Healthcare providers are often not equipped to address the long-term effects of sexual trauma and its impact on one's health. Research Question: How can healthcare providers lessen service barriers for SA survivors? Method: This qualitative study employed convenience sampling from clinics that offered family medicine, urgent care, gynecology, or obstetrics. Participants included 11 physicians, physician assistants, and nurses. A semi-structured interview guide was used to explore health providers' perspectives and current practice procedures regarding treatment for sexual assault survivors and the …

The Influence Of Intersecting Identities On Chronic Stress In College Students, Heather E. Meyer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study explores the influence of chronic stress in college students. It focuses on the broader chronic stressors that college students experience related to physical and mental health, financial health and wellbeing, and presence of social supports, then addresses the more specific chronic stressors related to intersecting identities of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. This phenomenon is analyzed under the theoretical frameworks of social determinants of health, intersectionality, and systems theory. An online survey with both open and closed-ended questions was conducted with undergraduate social work students from the Bachelors of Social Work program at the University of Central …

The American Dream And The Filipino College Student, Angelo Gabriel G. Baldado

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The American Dream Ideology is defined by Sociologist, Jennifer Hochschild as, "All persons in the United States can achieve the American Dream, which is defined as the achievement of success however that is defined to oneself, through hard work and one's own efforts." Filipino Americans have a unique history with the United States and much of Filipino culture has roots within its history of colonization by Spain and the United States. Previous research has shown a high consistent rate of immigration into the United States, and high rates of social mobility among second-generation Asian immigrants compared to first-generation Asian immigrants. …

Use Of A Music And Memory Program By Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia, Barbara Mendez Campos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Although use of personal music devices by persons with dementia and their caregivers is now widespread, there is limited literature concerning music and memory’s effects on caregivers for persons with dementia. Caregivers were provided an iPod by two respite agencies and were encouraged to use it with their care recipient. A mailed survey of 50 caregivers who received an IPod explored: (a) associations between use of an iPod and caregiver self-efficacy, burden, and care recipient functional abilities, and; (b) if the method of presenting the music playlist was associated with use of the iPod. Associations were examined for 10 complete …

The Usage Of Young Adult Literature As A Vehicle To Teach Cultural Empathy, Samuelle Voltaire

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Social Work education is focused on helping students identify triggers and biases prior to entering the workforce, with an aim towards cultural competence. Class discussions and homework assignments are particularly intentional: through various assignments, students are urged to work on those issues before entering clinical practice. Young Adult (YA) literature has been successfully used in the field of Education to teach empathy and reflectivity regarding diversity to preservice teachers. The use of YA literature may hold promise for Social Work education as a teaching tool, but the extent of current use in Social Work education is unknown. An anonymous survey …

Intensive Care In Oncology: Admission And Outcomes In Adult Patients With Cancer, Surya John

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Historically, patients with cancer have been perceived as poor candidates for ICU admission. General ICU admission criteria lists cancer patients as low priority in ICU admission depriving them of the care they rightfully deserve. The purpose of this literary synthesis was to examine ICU admission criteria, risk factors, and outcomes of ICU admission in relation to hematological and solid tumor cancers and discuss ways that practitioners and nurses can educate patients with cancer and their families on appropriateness of ICU care.

Methods: A total of 768 articles were found in a literature search including all literature from 2005 to …