Social Work Commons^™

Measuring Organizational Climate At The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, Sarah E.A. Floyd

School of Social Work

The aim of this study was to answer the question, according to the Competing Values Framework, what is the organizational climate of the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District (ATCPHD)? Organizational climate for this study refers to the collective perceptions of employees on their interactions with their peers, management, and the organization. This study surveyed the 64 employees at the ATCPHD with the Organizational Climate Measure (OCM). Forty employees participated in the study. The study determined that the climate of the ATCPHD, according to Competing Values Framework (CVF), was the Human Relations organizational climate with a secondary climate of Relational Goals. …

Mexican American Adolescent Couples' Vulnerability For Observed Negativity And Physical Violence: Pregnancy And Acculturation Mismatch, Lela Rankin Williams, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Stress and vulnerability for dating violence may be heightened among acculturating Mexican American (MA) adolescents, and MA adolescent parents, because of differing cultural values and norms within romantic relationships. We hypothesized, in a sample of MA heterosexual couples (N = 30, 15–17 years), that: 1) within-couple level acculturation discrepancies, and pregnancy/parenting, would predict physical violence perpetration, and 2) that this association would have an indirect effect through couple-level negativity during an observed dyadic video-taped discussion of conflict. Using a path model we found that pregnant/parenting adolescents (B = .37, SE = .16, p = .002), and couples with …

Identifying Ancient Settlement Patterns Through Lidar In The Mosquitia Region Of Honduras, Christopher T. Fisher, Juan Carlos Fernández-Diaz, Anna S. Cohen, Oscar Neil Cruz, Alicia M. Gonzáles, Stephen J. Leisz, Florencia Pezzutti, Ramesh Shrestha, William Carter

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Mosquitia ecosystem of Honduras occupies the fulcrum between the American continents and as such constitutes a critical region for understanding past patterns of socio-political development and interaction. Heavy vegetation, rugged topography, and remoteness have limited scientific investigation. This paper presents prehistoric patterns of settlement and landuse for a critical valley within the Mosquitia derived from airborne LiDAR scanning and field investigation. We show that (i) though today the valley is a wilderness it was densely inhabited in the past; (ii) that this population was organized into a three-tiered system composed of 19 settlements dominated by a city; and, (iii) …

The Beliefs Of Self-Esteem Among Biracial Individuals, Rebekah Brittany Harmon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

With the increase in interracial marriage researchers have begun to thoroughly assess how self-esteem and racial identity are affected. Recent studies have revealed that the construct of biracial identity is complex in forming a sense of self and racial identity. This inability to identify with a specific race is not only an issue to our entire population but especially to the biracial community. The social work profession has an array fields and services that become flexible to diverse populations; yet, the biracial population has not be explored in depth which may result in not fully understanding the dynamics of the …

Beliefs About Social Workers Among Black Males, Tavon Antonio Harris

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

It’s been more than a decade since the National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI) initiated its public campaign, ‘Real Men Real Depression.’ Despite increased awareness, research and relevant studies indicate that African American / Black men continue to underutilize mental health treatment while still having the highest all-cause mortality rates of any racial/ ethnic group in the United States. When reading this statement, one must question what impact that the beliefs about ‘social workers’ through the lens of Black males in the United States, may play. This very simply, yet flammable, question not only seems pertinent but also seems to …

Moving Past The Culture Bound Syndrome : Looking For Acute Social Withdrawal Outside Japan, Evan W. Correy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The aim of this study was to determine whether acute social withdrawal (also known as hikikomori) is a culture bound syndrome, or if it exists in cultures outside Japan.

Surveys in both online and paper form were made available on Internet forums and were sent to Internet addiction clinics and private therapists across country. Questions on the survey assessed demographic information and included exploratory questions on treatment for hikikomori, a place for participants to provide information to the mental health community at large, and feedback from hikikomori participants regarding their lived experiences.

The demographic data indicated that acute social withdrawal …

Self-Shock : The Experience Of Individuals Relocating Within The United States, Michelle Mieko Kaiulani Daggett

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the experience of relocation on self-identity. More specifically, this study focused on the concept of self-shock, the idea that being in a foreign environment impacts an individual’s ability to maintain a consistent identity. This research was based on 12 interviews that were conducted via video-conferencing call or in-person with individuals who have relocated domestically for the first time within the United States. The findings of this study suggest that individuals relocating domestically within the United States can and do experience self-shock. One reason for conducting this study is because relocating is commonplace within the United States …