Social Support And Survival Strategies Of Older African American Grandmother Caregivers, Gaynell M. Simpson, Tracy D. Pressley, Dana L. Carthron, Kim Stansbury

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

The effects of caring for grandchildren on grandparents’ emotional and physical well-being have become a significant area of focus in behavioral and medical research. Research suggests that African American grandmothers may experience increased mental and physical health challenges due to their caregiving stressors. To buffer the adverse influence of stress, caregivers often rely on informal social support from family and/or community members. In this study we explored older, African American caregivers’ management of their emotional well-being within the context and circumstances of available to minimal social support from family and community. During an 18-month period, seven caregiving grandmothers participated in …

The Imagine Project: Inspiring Vulnerable Adults Through Art And Mindfulness, Janelle Defiesta

Master's Projects and Capstones

The IMAGINE Project tackles the issue of stress reduction for a population that faces high stress levels due to environmental instability with co-morbidities of prior physical, cognitive, and social issues. Despite the need of stress reduction approaches in a population under these circumstances, external factors make it difficult to reduce the problem. Consequently, the lack of stress reduction skills can lead to the exacerbation of existing problems and the onset of many others. However, until basic needs such as housing and sustenance are met, stress reduction cannot be attempted effectively. Thus, the target population for this project focused on people …

Factors Which Put Social Workers At A Greater Risk For Burnout, Brittney Wacek

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This systematic review was designed to answer the following research question: What factors put social workers at risk for experiencing burnout. Databases searched were SocINDEX and Social Work Abstracts. Articles pertaining to professional burnout involving social workers were selected based on information gathered in peer-reviewed articles from the database search. Articles were systematically searched using the keywords and phrases secondary trauma, interventions, mental health professions, vicarious trauma, and clinical social workers. Out of the available articles, 14 were selected to be included in this review. Through review 2 primary themes emerged 1) occupational environment and 2) personal factors. Occupational environment …

Effects Of Yoga And Mindfulness-Based Practices On Stress And Anxiety In Children And Adolescents, Amanda Geldert

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study focused on yoga, and other mindfulness-based practices and how they impact children and adolescents who are dealing with stress and anxiety. Three interviews were conducted with Yoga Calm certified instructors who work with children and adolescents, and how they view the impacts of Yoga Calm on the population they work with. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Once analyzed, nine themes were found: Children use tools they are taught to cope with stress and anxiety, practicing mindfulness allows one to better listen to their bodies, lack of time, resistance from children, children teaching others, adaptation for developmental differences, …

How Do Money, Sex, And Stress Influence Marital Instability?, E. Jeffrey Hill, David B. Allsop, Ashley B. Lebaron, Roy A. Bean

Journal of Financial Therapy

This study explored how money and sex simultaneously predicted marital instability, and what financial therapists might focus on with clients to address problems in these areas. Specifically, this paper concurrently examined the relationship of marital instability to financial and family stressors (financial stressors, work-family conflict, and parenting stressors); financial and sexual resources (couple income and couple sexual frequency); and financial and sexual perceptions (financial dissatisfaction and sexual dissatisfaction). Couple financial communication and couple relational communication were explored as intervention points for financial therapists. Data came from Wave 2 of the Flourishing Families data set (N = 301). Data were organized …

Examining The Role Of Emotional Intelligence In The Work And Life Balance Of Foster Care Workers, Pamela Applewhite Applewhite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foster care workers are an important part of the social service system, as they are the first line of support for children without families or who have been subjected to tragic events leading to their need for foster care. Foster care workers often experience work-life boundary issues due to the emotional nature of their work. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between (a) emotional intelligence and absenteeism and (b) emotional intelligence and work-life balance with foster care workers. Data was collected from foster care workers in the state of South Carolina employed with the Department …

Preparing To Parent: Mindfulness In Expectant Parents Exposed To Adversity, Laurel Marie Hicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

Expectant parents who have been exposed to psychosocial risk encounter deleterious psychological (Ashley et al., 2016), and physiological (V. H. Pereira, Campos, & Sousa, 2017) effects. This not only affects the parent-to-be, but also may affect the developing fetus (E. P. Davis et al., 2011) and is linked to poorer infant development (Lefmann & Combs-Orme, 2014). However, not all risk-exposed individuals experience this, many are resilient and still thrive in the face of adversity. Understanding potential risk and resiliency factors in expectant parents is advantageous, so tailored interventions can be devised to improve outcomes. One potential resiliency factor, mindfulness, is …

Patients' Perceptions Of Stressors In The Intensive Care Unit : A Meta-Analysis, Nancy Sohier Welch

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study reveals what intensive care unit (ICU) patients from different countries consider most stressful about the ICU experience. A review of 16 independent studies on patients’ perceptions of ICU stressors yielded 10 data sets from seven countries that met criteria for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Stressors were categorized according to three types – bodily, psychological, and physical environmental – and were selected for comparison based on their frequent appearance among the top 20 stressors in each study selected. Findings showed considerable agreement between studies. Being in pain, Having tubes in the nose and mouth, and Being thirsty were …