Social Work Commons^™

Obstacles And Aspirations Amongst Hispanics And African Americans In Pursuing A College Education, Monica Avina

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to identify the obstacles faced by African American and Hispanic students as well as the motivations that help them thrive in today's society through a college education. This is important for social workers who work with ethnic minorities because by learning about ways in which these two groups are still being oppressed, they can find ways of empowering them to overcome barriers to accessing higher education. 85 students from Hispanic and African American descent at California State University San Bernardino were surveyed.

Perceived Social Support Among Adult Alcoholics, Alexander Rand Macadam

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to measure the amount of perceived social support that is present among adult alcoholics that are in treatment programs. The research dealt specifically with perceived social support among adult alcoholics that are undergoing treatment through mutual aid/self help Alcoholics Anonymous group meetings. To do this, research was gathered from numerous meetings within the San Bernardino and Riverside County areas.

Attitudes And Views Of Older Gays And Lesbians, Neil Mikel Lomeli

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to understand the views and attitudes of aging gay men and lesbian women 60 years old and greater toward receving services from social welfare agencies. The hope is to give social and welfare agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties a better understanding and awareness in the needs of older gay men and lesbian women that could result in better programs for them.

Exploring The Perceptions Of Child Welfare Social Worker's Retention Rates For Five Years Or More Of Employment In San Bernardino County Department Of Children's Services Child Protection Units, Victoria Loren Hill, Kimberly Ann Kalloo-Violante

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to explore the reasons why child welfare social workers choose to stay working in child protection as their long-term professional career. Twenty-two career child welfare social workers' perceptions of their long-term employment were examined. If these reasons can be identified, child welfare agencies could possibly develop hiring processes, training systems, and other organizational processes that would target and nurture the right social worker for the job. Monies will be saved and families will be serviced by qualified social workers. The results of this study indicated the primary reason workers stayed in child welfare was …

Social Workers' Views About Disproportionality Among African American Children In Child Welfare, Hortense Granderson

Theses Digitization Project

This study explored social workers' views (attitudes and perceptions) on reasons and causes for disproportionality among African American children in the child welfare system. This study contributed to social work practice, policy, and research because it is the first study of its kind for Riverside County where information is readily available to understand the reasons and causes for disproportionality among these children according to social workers.

The Life Experiences Of Women Ex-Offenders Of Domestic Violence, Hope Hermosillo Mora

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the life experiences of women ex-offenders in treatment programs for domestic violence. This study provided this population the opportunity to tell their stories, their perspectives about domestic violence, their concerns, and their perceived needs, if any. The study aimed to understand women's subjective experiences with domestic violence, the various forms it took, and the content to which it was expressed. Overall, the findings from this study indicated that women did not perceive mutual violence as symmetrical; the violence perpetrated by the participants towards their spouse or partner was less severe than the …

The Relationship Between Law Enforcement Officers And Child Welfare Social Workers, Cheryl Denise Gonzales, Aida Velia QuiñOnez

Theses Digitization Project

There has been a long established relationship problem between Child Protective Services (CPS) social workers and Law Enforcement (LE) officers. It is an issue of which both sides are aware, but neither has addressed this discord in an effort to improve collaboration between the two agencies. The purpose of this study is to help both Law Enforcement officers and Children Protection Services workers build a strong interdisciplinary relationship in child abuse cases.

The Effects Of Stigma Perpetuated By Substance Abusers On Mentally Ill Substance Abusers In Residential Treatment, Mark Eugene Barnstable

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine mentally ill substance abusers (MISA's) perception of stigma, and stigma experiences perpetuated by non-mentally ill substance abusers in residential treatment and its association with MISA's level of well being. Stigma related to mental illness has been explored and conceptualized by researchers as having various constructs that affect individuals in diverse ways.

Aging With Dementia And An Intellectual Disability: A Case Study Of Supported Empowerment In A Community Living Home, Shehenaz Manji

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This case study explores the qualitative experience of 4 consumers with a dual disability living in a home specializing in dementia support. Drawing insights from participant observation, daily living log notes, and interviews with 4 each of family/friend caregivers, direct-care staff, and administrators, the study has 3 main goals: (i) to understand how the onset of dementia in people with an intellectual disability changes their needs, what adjustments have to be made in the support practices, and what service barriers and successes are experienced; (ii) to understand how people with dual disabilities experience living in a home specializing in dementia …

Understanding Indigenous Canadian Traditional Health And Healing, (Gus) Louis Paul Hill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research study is situated within an Indigenous research methodology. The goal of the research was to develop an in-depth understanding of traditional healing from the perspectives of practitioners of traditional healing. It was important to explore the experiences of practitioners of traditional healing because there continues to be a lack of literature on this subject, as well as a significant lack of understanding and awareness about traditional healing and Indigenous Canadian people in mainstream society. The theoretical underpinnings of this research are holism and the four aspects of the self, visually represented in the Anishnaabe medicine wheel.

In-depth …

Evidence-Based Or Biased? The Quality Of Published Reviews Of Evidence-Based Practices, Julia H. Littell

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective

To assess methods used to identify, analyze, and synthesize results of empirical research on intervention effects, and determine whether published reviews are vulnerable to various sources and types of bias.

Methods

Study 1 examined the methods, sources, and conclusions of 37 published reviews of research on effects of a model program. Study 2 compared findings of one published trial with summaries of results of that trial that appeared in published reviews.

Results

Study 1: Published reviews varied in terms of the transparency of inclusion criteria, strategies for locating relevant published and unpublished data, standards used to evaluate evidence, and …

Distance As A Barrier To Child And Adolescent Mental Health Service Access In Post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Rob Harrison

LSU Master's Theses

Socially vulnerable populations are more susceptible to the impacts of natural disasters than other groups. An aspect of social vulnerability is lack of access to resources following a disaster. Distance is one barrier that prevents socially vulnerable populations from accessing services. Using 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data and current outpatient child and adolescent mental health facilities in post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Louisiana, this thesis seek to understand if those facilities are located farther from block groups with higher percentages of demographically disadvantaged residents than from block groups with lower percentages of demographically disadvantaged residents. Block group demographic disadvantage is defined in …

Let The Church Rise: The Acceptance Of Government Funding By The Religious Community In New Orleans Post-Katrina, Jaime Collins Hilton

LSU Master's Theses

This research presents themes which generate insight about why religious organizations in New Orleans accept or decline government funding for disaster relief and rebuilding. A total of eight in-depth interviews were conducted with church representatives to explore opinions regarding churches’ stance on obtaining federal funding for emergency aid provided to survivors of Hurricane Katrina and also for rebuilding purposes. Furthermore, quantitative results were obtained in collaboration with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab as part of a cross-sectional, exploratory study. The Public Policy Research Lab contacted an additional total of 54 churches (N=62) in the New Orleans metropolitan area were …

The Giving Landscape In Singapore, Halimah Chew

Social Space

Halimah Chew provides a summary of the giving landscape in Singapore.

What We Believe: A History Of The George Warren Brown School Of Social Work, 1909-2007, Candace O'Connor, George Warren Brown School Of Social Work, Washington University In St. Louis

Books and Monographs

A history of the George Warren Brown school of social work, 1909-2007. The St. Louis School of Economy: brightening "shadowed lives" -- "The Enlightenment is here": Frank J. Bruno -- "Unanimous approval": Benjamin E. Youngdahl -- Breaking "the bonds of the institutional habit": Wayne Vasey and Ralph Garber -- "An inspiring academic leader": Shanti K. Khinduka -- "Social impact": Edward F. Lawlor. Print copy also available through the library at http://catalog.wustl.edu:80/record=b3649614~S2, Call #HV11.7 .O27 2009

Employees Raising Children With Disabilities: Work-Life Experiences And Strategies For Success, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch, Lisa Maureen Stewart, John Conley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the Annual Conference of the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology at Oregon Health and Sciences University: Work-Family Stress: Implications for Safety and Health, Portland, OR., November 2008.

Bridging The Gap: Gerontology And Social Work Education, Cindy Snyder, Susan Wesley, Muh Bi Lin, J Dean May

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

The following study was implemented to explore the potential for a four-week curriculum module in gerontological social work education to positively impact students’ practice-related knowledge concerning older adults, as well as their attitudes toward elderly persons and interest in working with them. Pertinent literature was reviewed to conceptualize the building of a gerontology curriculum module that could be integrated into a pre-existing social work course. The module’s design and content were reflective of its primary goal, which was to educate students about salient aspects of social work knowledge, skill, and practice with older adults utilizing experiential methods. Data analysis revealed …

Social Impact: Social Work Reaches Out To Returning Veterans, Researches Ways To Help., Susan Thompson

Social Impact

It has become a truism that this new global war on terror is a different kind of war, open-ended in time and place. But all wars are different, and as this snapshot of today's returnees from Afghanistan and Iraq shows, so are the men and women who come home from them.

Supporting Families Including Children With Disabilities: A Curriculum Module On Community Integration, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Lisa Maureen Stewart

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Philadelphia, PA, Oct. 2008.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A Developing Profession, Mary Dallas Allen, Eileen M. Brennan, Beth L. Green, Kathy S. Hepburn, Roxane K. Kaufmann

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a career path, early childhood mental health consultation MHC is an emerging and growing work force opportunity. In keeping with the vision of an effective transformed service system expressed in the final report of the Presidents' New Freedom Commission, and communities are expanding capacity to meet the mental health needs of young children and caregivers through mental health sultation. ECMHC supports children in naturalistic community and avoids the excessively ^"expert^" tude⁹ and works through collaboration with families and other providers who care for them. In addition, is growing experience and research evidence to suggest that ECMHC …

Increased Hiv Risk Associated With Criminal Justice Involvement Among Men On Methadone, Matthew Epperson, Nabila El-Bassel, Louisa Gilbert, E. Roberto Orellana, Mingway Chang

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines the relationship between HIV risk and criminal justice involvement among a random sample of 356 men enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment programs in New York City. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the associations between measures of criminal justice involvement and participant HIV risk, controlling for socio-demographic variables. A lifetime history of incarceration was significantly associated with being HIV positive (Adjusted OR = 5.08). Recent arrest was associated with unprotected vaginal sex and having multiple female sexual partners. Sex trading was associated with both arrest and incarceration, and the strongest association was found between …

Informal Caregivers Of Advanced Cancer Patients: The Impact Of Geographic Proximity On Social Support And Bereavement Adjustment, John Garland Cagle

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the social and psychological needs of caregivers of advanced cancer patients, and their subsequent bereavement adjustment. The study focuses exclusively on informal caregivers who provide assistance to patients receiving hospice care for end-stage cancer. Those individuals living furthest from the dying care recipient, the long distance caregivers, were of particular interest. This study used a prospective design to explore how a caregiver's geographic proximity impacted their social support and bereavement adjustment. A 2 x 3 repeated measures design was used to gather data from caregivers before a patient's death (using a pre-death questionnaire) as well as after …

The Effects Of Family, School And Peer Support On The Achievement Outcomes Of African American Adolescents, M. Annette Clayton

Theses and Dissertations

This study used survey design to explore the relationship between protective influences (support from parents, teachers and peers, social capital assets, and social support use), contextual risks, and two achievement outcomes in a representative sample of male and female African American high school seniors (N=317). Responses to two questionnaires, weighted cumulative grade point averages, and eleventh grade Virginia English Reading Standards of Learning test scores were analyzed. Multiple regression analysis revealed that some support variables were predictive of better achievement outcomes and others were associated with poorer outcomes. Three of the parent support predictors were associated with poorer achievement outcomes, …

Rewards And Concerns: Marital Role Quality And Child Mental Health Disorders, Anna M. Malsch, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Eileen M. Brennan, Lisa Maureen Stewart, John Conley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the 88th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association. Irvine, CA, April 2008.

The Role Of Interagency Collaboration For Substance- Abusing Families Involved With Child Welfare, Beth L. Green, Anna Rockhill, Scott Burns

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Meeting the needs of families involved with the child welfare system because of a substance abuse issue remains a challenge for child welfare practitioners. In order to improve services to these families, there has been an increasing focus on improving collaboration between child welfare, treatment providers, and the court systems. This paper presents the results from qualitative interviews with 104 representatives of these three systems that explore how the collaborative process works to benefit families, as well as the barriers and supports for building successful collaborations. Results indicate that collaboration has at least three major functions: building shared value systems, …

Grandparents Who Care For Their Grandchildren, Alzira Murphy

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Elementary School Children At Risk For Truancy: Exploring Gender Differences, Services Offered, And Other Factors Related To Truancy, Alice Joseph

LSU Master's Theses

This cross sectional, exploratory study examined the characteristics of elementary school children at risk for truancy. Furthermore, the study explored if there were any significant gender differences in the number of children referred to the TASC program. The current study also sought to answer if there were any gender differences in common problem areas reported to have an impact on truancy. Finally, any differences between children identified as low risk and high risk were also investigated. This study used secondary data analysis. Elementary school children (N = 23,459), grades Kindergarten through 4th grade who participated in the TASC program of …

Life Before Legal Status: The Experiences Of Undocumented Immigrants, Latoya Staine Carriker

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

Alzheimer's Caregiving Appraisal, Andre' Fortier

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge base of AD caregiving appraisal by understanding a connection of factors that influence caregiving appraisal. It is important for the profession of social work to understand the complexities which may impact the level of care and/or appraisal. A combination of research questions and hypotheses were devised to determine the influence of each factor and/or a combination of factors on caregiving appraisal. The survey comprises of six sections: demographics and stage of AD, burden, resilience, family strengths, ethnic awareness, and caregiving appraisal. The overall survey was designed by the researcher; …

An Exploratory Study Of Social Work Supervisors' Supervisory Styles, Motivations, And Evaluative Processes, Michelle Elise Chevallier

LSU Master's Theses

While many factors influence the quality of social work supervision, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore social work supervisors’ supervisory styles, motivations, and evaluative processes and its impact on the social work profession. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 10 Board Approved Clinical Supervisors (BACSs) during a one-time session in which a questionnaire on supervisory styles was administered and an interview covering supervisory styles, motivations, and evaluative processes was conducted. This project was undertaken to better understand some of the perceptions, values, beliefs, and problems involved in the supervisory process and its impact on the profession. …