Social Work Commons^™

Plastic Bags And Bamboo Stools, Grace R. Bithell

Marriott Student Review

This paper conducts a critical analyses of microfinance institutions. It gives an overview of the complexities of credit in developing countries and shows how microfinance fits into the equations. It discussed the successes and failures of microenterprises in trying to alleviate poverty. It also delves into best practices pertaining to lending to the poor and how microfinance is impacted by culture in developing nations.

Determinants Of Hiv-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among Zambian Adolescents: The Role Of Gendered Power, Sherinah K. Saasa, Orion Mowbray

Faculty Publications

Sub-Saharan African adolescents account for a disproportionate share of the global HIV infection rates with adolescent females carrying the heavy burden. Vulnerability to negative sexual health outcomes have been attributed to varying life contexts and power differentials influencing adolescent sexual behaviors. Using social dominance theory and the four bases of gendered power, this study examines the relationship between gender based power and adolescent HIV-risk sexual behavior. Data was derived from the 2013‐14 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS). We utilize gender stratified multivariate logistic regression to determine whether the four bases of gendered power are predictive of condom use and multiple …

Proving Their Love: Violence And Gender Norms In Descriptions Of Relationships Among Rural Mexican Adolescents, Heidi Adams Rueda, Steven Hoffman, Kaitlin Grytza

Faculty Publications

Mexican youth from impoverished areas are at increased risk for experiencing relationship violence. Research in the United States has suggested that perpetration may be contextualized by culturally-influenced gender values, specifically performance of negative aspects of male masculinity (i.e., machismo) and its female counterpart (i.e., marianismo). This study utilized focus group methods to explore how middle school adolescents (N = 98) from a rural area of Central Mexico differentiate between healthy and unhealthy dating relationships.

We evoked a feminist developmental lens to interpret themes which centralized males as physical and sexual aggressors and to offer culturally-relevant program and practice recommendations.

Pathways To Success: Refugee Families Define Successful Resettlement Outcomes, Stacey Shaw

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Successful refugee adaptation to life in the United States (U.S.) has traditionally been measured in terms of economic self-sufficiency and English language acquisition. While these indicators may relate to independence and acculturation, major questions remain about how refugees fare in the U.S. Recent programmatic efforts incorporate attention to integration, wellbeing, empowerment, and mental health, but these concepts are not consistently defined or measured. This mixed methods study involved interviews with refugees who have been in the U.S. for at least 5 years, to examine which outcomes they consider key to their family’s successful adaptation to life in the U.S. BYU …

Discrimination, Coping, And Social Exclusion Among African Immigrants In The United States: A Moderation Analysis, Sherinah K. Saasa

Faculty Publications

This cross-sectional study examined coping strategies as moderators of the relationship between perceived discrimination and social exclusion among African immigrants in the United States (N = 409). Moderation models using path analyses were conducted to examine the moderating effects of three coping strategies (active coping, use of instrumental support, and religious coping) on the relationship between discrimination and four dimensions of social exclusion: (1) material deprivation, (2) limited access to basic social rights, (3) limited social participation, and (4) insufficient cultural integration. Increases in perceived discrimination were associated with increased social exclusion on all four dimensions. Increased use of active …

Youth Perspectives Of Healthcare In Central Mexico: An Application Of Massey’S Critical Health Literacy Framework, Steven Hoffman, Heidi Adams Rueda, Lauren Beasley

Faculty Publications

Attention to health literacy is essential more now than ever given the recognition, attention, and resources being dedicated to addressing health disparities throughout the world. Unfortunately, health literacy research is scarce in many parts of the world, particularly among youth. Using focus group discussions with junior high school students (N = 98) in a rural town of Central Mexico, we sought to learn about their experiences utilizing healthcare services at a local health clinic. The themes that naturally emerged from focus group discussions aligned with Massey’s framework on critical health literacy among US youth, and included problems navigating the health …

How Radical Are The Implications Of Properzi’S Christ-Centered Perspective On Emotion For Psychology And Psychotherapy?, Jeffrey S. Reber

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Properzi offers a perspective on emotion that is radically different from traditional secular theories of emotion and the psychotherapy approaches associated with those theories, but perhaps his Christ- centered perspective is even more radical than he perceives it. If it is strongly theistic and strongly relational, as it appears to be, then its implications would significantly alter the psychology of emotion and psychotherapy. These implications need to be explicated so it is clear what a Christ-centered per- spective on emotion would mean to the discipline. I have fleshed out three radical implications regarding scope, relational ontology, and mastery discourse to …

A Brief Response To “Between Identity And Truth”, Terryl Givens

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.