Social Work Commons^™

Mediation And Moderation Of Intergenerational Epigenetic Effects Of Trauma, Stefanie Renee Pilkay

Doctoral Dissertations

Trauma and early-life stress have been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes. In fact, research has identified trauma and stress can influence epigenetic marks on genes that can alter gene activity. It is suspected that epigenetically altered gene activity is involved in behavior and mental health. This may help explain why some individuals don’t experience great benefit from treatment for the effects of stress, and severe mental health symptoms can be chronic for decades or a lifetime. Moreover, some trauma-related mental health symptoms have shown generational patterns that appear linked to epigenetic marks. Therefore, this study sought to …

Building Blocks: A Multi-Theoretical Preventative Model To Promote Post-Traumatic Growth, Jared S. Becknell

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

The following is an exploratory model to understand the factors that promote growth after traumatic events, also known as post-traumatic growth (PTG). Additionally, the hope is to inspire further research and create quantitative data regarding the effectiveness of these factors, add additional interventions and integrate into crisis/trauma paradigms during recovery. Therefore, clients would be more equipped to handle the possibility of another event. When PTG occurs, victims of trauma experience increased positive well-being, life satisfaction and regain a new compassion for meaning or purpose in their life. By utilizing the following interventions, victims of past traumatic events can live a …

Restorative Justice: A Look At Victim Offender Mediation Programs, Katie L. Moran

21st Century Social Justice

This report conceptualizes the effectiveness and benefits of utilizing the restorative justice model of Victim Offender Mediation (VOM) within the criminal and juvenile justice systems to serve the rights of victims, offenders, and society more justly. Victim Offender Mediation is discussed as a possible alternative justice model which reframes the victim-offender relationship to foster and respect the dignity and worth of each participant. This restorative justice model combats victims’ feelings of helplessness by giving them back their voice, while having the potential to specifically offer relief to those secondarily victimized by the legal system in cases of simple rape. Offenders …

Mental Health And Academic Outcomes Among Adolescents In South Korean Orphanages, Hollee Ann Mcginnis

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research conducted over the past 100 years in Western nations support the adverse effects of orphanages on children’s emotional, developmental, and social well-being as well as economic costs to society (Save the Children UK, 2009; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Van IJzendoorn & Juffer, 2008; Williams & Greenberg, 2010). Globally, the number of orphaned and abandoned children is conservatively estimated to be around 143 million, of whom the majority reside in Asia, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (UNICEF, UNAIDS, & USAID, 2004). South Korea (hereafter “Korea”) is an exemplary nation for study because it has a well-established child welfare system, including family-based alternatives (domestic and …

Two Questions, The Same Answer: The Role Of Demand In Prostitution And Sex Trafficking, Shamere Mckenzie

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Trigger Warnings: From Panic To Data, Francesca Laguardia, Venezia Michalsen, Holly Rider-Milkovich

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Following a practice that originated online, university faculty and staff have increasingly used “trigger warnings” to alert students to the possibility that they might be affected or even harmed by potentially traumatic material. This practice has led to a passionate debate about whether such warnings stifle or encourage student expression and academic freedom, and whether they are beneficial or detrimental to learning. In this article, we illustrate the history and current state of this debate and examine the scientific support for the arguments for and against the use of such warnings. Specifically, we question the scientific basis for the suggestion …

How Do I Fit? Understanding Barriers And Facilitators To Social Services Among Women Involved In Commercial Sexual Exploitation Through Identities, Traumas, And Substance Use, Lara B. Gerassi

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation can lead to devastating health and mental health consequences for women, such as elevated rates of substance use, trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression, as well as sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Consequently, access to and engagement with services that address addiction, mental health, housing, and provide general advocacy are critically important to women's increased safety, stabilization, and quality of life. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to 1) understand self-identities (with regard to sex trading) and the role of substance use among women involved in CSE and 2) identify perceived barriers …

Spiritually Integrated Care For Veteran Trauma Survivors: A Quantitative Analysis, Krystle Englund

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if spiritually integrated care positively changed symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and spiritual distress in veterans. This quantitative study used secondary data (n = 138) from a sample of veterans identified by the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Health Care System. Instruments used in the study were the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist and the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale. The findings from this study included a decrease in spiritual distress following a spiritually integrated intervention. Veterans who participated in an 8-session group intervention known as Building Spiritual Strength self-reported less distress with a Higher …

The Body Recovers: Practitioner Perspective On Somatic Experiencing, Saoirse Mcmahon

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Most individuals are exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime, but not all go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by symptoms of intrusion and avoidance of stimuli related to the traumatic event, as well as dissociation. PTSD has been linked to a number of somatic syndromes including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), chronic lower back pain, hypertension, and hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction resulting in hormonal imbalance. Several evidence-based interventions for PTSD exist, including prolonged exposure therapy (PE), eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and cognitive processing therapy (CPT), however many of these approaches address trauma …

Treating Trauma Among Veterans Using Complementary And Alternative Medicine: A Systematic Review, Brianne Wallgren

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

In this systematic review, literature and empirical intervention studies pertaining to the treatment of trauma among veterans using a Complementary and Alternative Medicine was analyzed. Using two databases, PsycINFO and PILOTS, 10 studies were located and key data was identified on theoretical foundations, therapy components, populations being served, as well as outcomes of interventions treating trauma among veterans via Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Each study was analyzed in full, to determine types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine interventions as well as results of the interventions utilized. The findings produced two major themes of Complementary and Alternative Medicine research treating trauma …

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 …

Trauma In Schools: Identifying And Working With Students Who Have Experienced Trauma, Amanda E. Berg

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Schools have academic and behavioral expectations that can be extremely challenging if not impossible for children who have experienced trauma. With approximately 25%-50% of children nationwide having experienced trauma, this is a widespread issue and major concern. Challenges in school for these children include learning difficulties, attention difficulties, struggle to regulate emotions, difficulty with peer relationships, and reactivity. This qualitative study investigates the question; how do social workers identify and work with students in a school setting who have experienced trauma? The researcher interviewed six licensed clinical social workers in the Twin Cities metro area who are working in schools. …

Mindfulness Practice With Children Who Have Experienced Trauma, Margaret Fischer

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study examined how mindfulness practice is used with children who have experienced trauma or currently living in traumatic situations through a systematic review of the literature. Protocols and inclusion and exclusion criteria were set to ensure that only the most fitting articles were selected. Through the research two main categories emerged: 1) childhood and adolescent intervention, and 2) adulthood intervention. Within those two main categories three themes emerged: 1) MBSR Intervention, 2) Mind Body Skills Group Intervention, and 3) Other Mindfulness Practice Interventions. Mindfulness practice interventions in their various forms were found to have positive outcomes when addressing trauma …

Best Practices For School-Based Mentoring Programs: A Systematic Review, Rebecca Mccoy

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The latest research indicates that children experience traumatic events more frequently than ever expected. As a result, many youth carry symptoms of their trauma that put them at risk for diminished academic and social success. School-based mentoring programs (SBMPs) are one support that has historically been utilized as an intervention for at-risk youth, but that has not specifically targeted children who have experienced trauma. Unfortunately, the literature available on SBMPs is neither comprehensive nor uniform, which prevents cross-comparison between interventions to determine best practice methods for SBMPs supporting youth who have experienced trauma. This research used a systematic review to …

Urban Youth Homelessness: The Role That Past Trauma Has Upon Housing Instability, Jacqueline Thompson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

A homeless teen or unaccompanied youth that has no permanent place of shelter will be in need of having basic needs met. Thier needs will include food, shelter, connecting with educational services, clothing, skills for job seeking and supervision and care. As homelessness persist in their lives, the youth will face unintended consequences that contribute to thier homelessness like vicitimization. Data available about homeless youth discusses poor home dynamics that lead the child to feeling unwanted and seeking other places to live, being kicked out due to low income or poverty within the household, volatile home dynamics that force the …

Working With Refugees In The U.S.: Trauma-Informed And Structurally Competent Social Work Approaches, Jason Ostrander, Alysse Melville, S. Megan Berthold

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Social workers, government, and non-governmental organizations in the United States have been inadequately prepared to address the impact of trauma faced by refugees fleeing persecution. Compounding their initial trauma experiences, refugees often undergo further traumatic migration experiences and challenges after resettlement that can have long-lasting effects on their health and mental health. Micro and macro social work practitioners must understand the impact of these experiences in order to promote policies, social work training, and clinical practice that further the health and well-being of refugees and society. Social workers are in a unique position to provide multi-dimensional, structurally competent care and …

{Ace}Ing Early Childhood In Minnesota, Bailey Alston, Casie Devos, Alisha Field, Renee Gasner

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Too many young children are facing ACEs that are detrimentally impacting their development and contributing to negative outcomes that persist into adulthood. There are no current policies using the ACE questions to drive mental health interventions. The Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health made nine recommendations that, if implemented, will greatly improve the mental health and well-being of children and their parents. Improving early childhood prevention and intervention programs helps ALL Minnesota’s families build healthy and rich experiences for their children.

1. Expand the Early Childhood Mental Health Grant program statewide to increase early childhood mental health specialists.
2. Create a Governor’s …

A Visit To The Doctor: Preparation For Activism, Simone Watson

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of The Relationship Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms And Traumatic Experiences In Adult Clients, Sasha Pansovoy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative research study explored clinicians’ perspectives on the association between Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and trauma in the treatment of adult clients. Using both content and narrative analysis, the study examined whether OCD symptoms are reminiscent of the clients’ traumas. Nine clinicians were interviewed and presented narratives of clients who have experienced traumatic events and OCD. Key findings revealed that (1) 10 out of the 12 clients presented were abused as children; (2) OCD symptoms were perceived as coping strategies; (3) the majority of discussed clients were cisgender males; and (4) OCD symptoms of the clients reflected past traumas. Treatment …

Looking Through A Trauma Lens: A Caregiver's Perspective Of Child Welfare Involvement, Erin Ruth Boyce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The majority of maltreatment perpetrated against children is at the hand of their primary caregiver, most often their mother. The reasons why caregivers maltreat their children are still being investigated. However, the caregiver's history of trauma, in particular cumulative trauma that leads to trauma symptomology is emerging as an explanation for maltreatment. Popular theory describes the coercive and oppressive nature of child welfare system policy and practices, as a source of re-traumatization for caregivers with a trauma history (Harris & Fallot, 2001). Currently, the field of child welfare practice is largely guided by the use of trauma-informed practices, which are …

Understanding The Mental Health Needs Of Immigrant Women With A History Of Trauma, Shalunda D. Allen Sherrod

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant percentage of undocumented immigrants who come to the United States include women suffering from trauma and abuse. In Southwest Texas, many immigrant women begin their stay in the United States, as residents of an immigration Residential Detainment Center (RDC). Social workers in RDCs are challenged to understand their roles and responsibilities in treating the mental health need of these women. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of social workers, in RDCs, regarding their roles and responsibilities in meeting the mental health needs of immigrant women with a history of personal trauma. Using action research …

A Mixed-Method Study Examining The Intersection Of Race And Sexual Violence Among Lgbtq Prisoners, Sarah J. Aftab

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The current mixed-method study examined the intersection of race and sexual violence among LGBTQ prisoners while incarcerated. The study used secondary data from a survey of LGBTQ prisoners collected by an organization in 2014 (N=1093). Historically, the criminal justice system has criminalized and discriminated against LGBTQ persons, and reports show a prevalence of abuse occurs during incarceration. Quantitatively, the study aimed to determine a relationship between race and sexual violence; qualitatively, it aimed to understand how prisoners in this study experienced sexual violence. Findings suggested: Black, Latinx/Hispanic, and Mixed race prisoners had significantly lower likelihood of unwanted touching …

Barriers To Mental Health Treatment For Refugees In Maine : An Exploratory Study, Hayley Fitzgerald

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers refugees face when it comes to accessing mental health treatment in Maine. Research suggests that refugees underutilize mental health services throughout the United States, despite equal to higher rates of mental health symptoms when compared to the general population. To acquire data, eight refugees were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants were asked to share about their perceptions of mental illness and mental health treatment, discuss coping mechanisms that they find useful, and offer suggestions for providers working with refugees. Major findings included that stigma, fear, language, and cultural …

Unequal Treatment : Sociocultural Identities And Their Effects On Eating Diorder Treatment Access And Efficacy, Hannah NoëL Smith

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore ways in which eating disorder treatment can be made not only more accessible, but more effective for clients who identify as people of color, lower-socioeconomic status (SES), trans and gender nonconforming, and people whose Body Mass Index (BMI) normal or higher at the time of treatment.

Data was collected using a survey, which was completed by 28 participants recruited through Facebook eating disorder recovery groups and Instagram. Participants were asked to describe their racial identity, gender identity, SES, and BMI, then reflect on the experience of seeking eating disorder treatment.

The findings …

Working With Trauma : A Qualitative And Retrospective Exploration Of The Experiences Of Clinicians Who Work With Trauma, Allyson Rebecca Lent

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The current study explored the gap in understanding the experiences of clinicians who work with trauma given the interesting intersection of high prevalence of trauma and demonstrated lack of training in working with trauma survivors. To this end, this qualitative and exploratory study sought to gain a retrospective understanding of clinicians’ training and career experiences in an effort to glean what has worked well in preparing skilled clinicians to work with trauma. Findings confirmed that clinicians do not feel prepared to do trauma work upon graduating from their degree programs and that they must seek out training opportunities in order …

"A Whole Lot Of Conscious Effort" : Exploring How Protective Factors Contribute To Resiliency In Parents Who Have Experienced Traumatic Events In Childhood, Annelies J. Spykman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this research project is to address the multiple variables that contribute to trauma exposure in childhood and how it manifests in the traumatized person’s later parenting styles. The over-arching research question is: do protective factors provide sufficient supports to parents who were subjected to traumatic experiences in childhood in order to lessen the transmission of trauma to their own children? This qualitative study is an assessment of interviews with 18 participants who identify as parents who have experienced at least one traumatic event in childhood. Findings of this study implicate a high level of resilience that has …

Exploring Clinical Best Practices For Working With The Co-Occurrence Of Psychosis And A Trauma History, Sierra Leah Black

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative research study explored clinical practices most effective in helping people who experience co-occurring psychosis and a trauma history. The research was conducted through interviews with nine mental health professionals, who reported they created their own skill base in working with clients with a co-occurrence of psychosis and trauma. Although every respondent reported this co-occurrence as common, they all expressed a lack of confidence and expertise in treating the population. Best practices for treatment were found to be a combination of psychiatric medication, psychotherapy, and community support. Themes of treatment included the need to establish trusting relationships, appreciate client …

Gender Identity And Childhood Experiences : An Introductory Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Gender Identity And Adverse Childhood Experiences, Liam P. Malone

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

It has been established that individuals with transgender* identities experience abuse and trauma at higher frequencies than individuals with non-transgender identities (Mascis, 2011). Gender dysphoria currently exists as a mental health diagnosis, perpetuating stigma as well as pathologizing gender variance. Clinical social workers have preserved a harmful formulation that gender dysphoria is a disorder caused by trauma. There has been scarce quantitative research to date exploring a relationship between transgender identities and adverse childhood experiences. This study aims to: (1) contribute to a foundation of introductory quantitative research on how childhood experiences interact with gender identity, (2) examine the frequency …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Vicarious Racism, Police Videos, And Their Impact On The Facebook Consumer, Daniel Segundo

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative exploratory study used conflictual police videos on Facebook as a marker for vicarious racial trauma on social media to investigate its correlation with trauma symptoms. The literature has yet to examine the impact of vicarious trauma experienced on social media. This study collected data from participants who completed an anonymous online questionnaire reflecting on previous experiences watching conflictual police videos. The findings suggest: a positive correlation between vicarious racial trauma experienced on Facebook with trauma symptoms; that police shooting videos had a stronger correlation to trauma symptoms compared to police arrest videos; and a moderate relationship between negative …