Social Work Commons^™

Anxiety, A Growing Social Problem: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Adela Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders as a stand-alone diagnosis are not recognized as a treatable mental health issue within the social services mental health realm. There are mixed results regarding if anxiety disorders are linked to suicide ideation and suicide attempts. The aim of this systematic review was to discover if there is a link between anxiety disorders and suicide ideation and suicide attempts within the current literature. All anxiety disorders were looked at, except for selective mutism and separation anxiety disorder due to these both typically only affecting those in very young childhood. The rest of the anxiety disorders affect those from …

The Buffering Effect Of Mindfulness Between The Stressors And Perceived Stress In Faith-Based University Students, Amber Glantz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of study was to research the buffering effect of mindfulness between the stressors and perceived stress in faith-based university students. Literature suggests that as mindfulness increases, stress decreases. This study attempts to provide information on college students’ perceived stress levels, stressors they face, and mindfulness awareness. A multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the association between perceived stress, stressors, and mindfulness levels. A sample of 91 students in the Spring of 2018 at a faith-based university in Texas were asked to participate in an online survey. Some findings were not congruent with the literature. The results of …

Texas Foster Care Service Providers’ Awareness And Perceptions Of Human Trafficking And Related Risk Factors Among Child Welfare Involved Youth, Kennedy Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to explore foster care service providers’ levels of awareness of human trafficking, exploitation, and related risk factors as experienced by foster youth, and to explore what factors influence those levels of awareness. The study entailed distributing a digital survey to foster care service providers in a snowballing method and encouraging them to send the survey to others. The survey found a statistically significant relationship between awareness/identification of risk factors and identification of exploitation, and the respondent’s previous human trafficking training. This supports the literature which indicates trafficking specific training is necessary to identify trafficking …

A Study Of The Effect On Organizational Factors On Job Satisfaction Of Geriatric Practitioners Between Millennials And Older Generations, Peter (Minsuk) Jang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to recognize and improve the understanding of social workers’ job satisfaction in the geriatric area. Low job satisfaction makes social workers want to move their field and change their career. The research is the conceptual model of the moderating effect of patient engagement. The hypothesis is that the organizational factors of this model (climate, workplace, pay, supervision) lead to low job satisfaction for social workers and the generation gap between Millennials and older generations will result in different job satisfaction. The assumption was that among the factors (climate, workplace, pay, supervision), salary has the …

An Examination Of The Impact That Communities In Schools' Interventions Make On High School Academic Performance, Coleton Cooper Dean Spruill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study seeks to answer the question: What impact does a local Communities In Schools (CIS), a nationwide dropout prevention program, affiliate's interventions have on a high school student's academic performance, absenteeism, and completion rates? To do this, the study examines the grade point average, absenteeism rate, and completion rate of 1298 students across four years of existing data from a local school district. For comparison purposes, the study uses a quasi-experimental approach and breaks the data into four groups: two experimental groups (At-Risk CIS students and Not-At-Risk CIS students) and two control groups (At-Risk students and Not-At-Risk students). …

Improving Integrated Care For Medically Underserved Patients At A Texas Fqhc Using Sbirt And Phq-9, Irene Fuentes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Integrated Care, under provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aimed to reduce fragmented care for Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) who depend on community-based centers for their health care needs. Well-defined by the World Health Organization, social determinants of health such as low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, and housing instability often contribute to health disparities, making it difficult for MUPs to achieve optimal health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to gather preliminary data indicating the need to integrate a social work program at a Texas Federally Qualified Health Center using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to …

A Sexual Assault Prevention Program Proposal For Abilene Christian University, Ammie Brooks, Ammie Kae Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to develop the most effective sexual assault prevention

program for Abilene Christian University. The program will meet the federal regulation requiring Universities to participate in sexual assault prevention and education. Additionally, the program will be made to fit the audience at Abilene Christian University. The proposed program is designed to encompass all undergraduate students at Abilene Christian University and use a pretest and posttest to measure the effectives of the program to meet its eight predetermined goals. The following paper presents the program proposal, methodology and evaluation tools needed for its future implementation.

Prevention Of Child Maltreatment In U.S. Air Force Families, Amber Ester Coody

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense created the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) to provide primary and secondary intervention and prevention services to military families to decrease the risks of family maltreatment. This review synthesized literature to reveal how deployment, domestic abuse, mental health, and substance abuse relate to adult and child maltreatment in the armed forces. Systematic review procedures are used to evaluate nine studies meeting inclusion criteria to correlate factors significant in the increased risk of child maltreatment. Based on results, this paper discusses how FAP can effectively provide primary and secondary services by transitioning from a traditional medical model to …

The Relationship Between Loneliness, Stress, And Alcohol Consumption Among College Students, I'Esha Baber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the misuse of alcohol among college students remains a public health concern in the United States, students are participating in problematic drinking for various reasons. Loneliness and stress have both been associated with the reasoning behind why some college students participate in heavy drinking. Studies show that students who perceive themselves as under a lot of stress tend to drink more and that students who feel they need to overcome structural and emotional barriers such as loneliness and shyness, use alcohol as a resource. This paper examines the relationship between alcohol consumption, loneliness, and stress. Sixteen students, who attended …

The Re-Certification Barriers In The United States: Comparing Refugee Professional Credentials To Texas Standards, Mary Beth Shelton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the re-certification process for college- educated immigrants in the United States, Canada, and Texas. Underemployment is a problem among foreign trained professionals in the United States. Additionally, this study serves as a guide for the International Rescue Committee to assist future clients. The guide provides a general outline for the licensure process within three professions in Texas. A sample of 192 participants was collected from existing client files from a resettlement agency in Texas. The researcher found approximately 24% of participants were college-educated. An advanced level of English proficiency did not correlate …

Adult Maltreatment In The United States Military, Gordon E. Storey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The scope of sustained military operations has placed incredible stressors on the men and women of our United States Armed Forces; consequently, this strain has encroached on and impeded their relationships at home and after their military service. Adult maltreatment in the United States military is a serious concern that negatively impacts military members, their partners, their families and subsequently can prove detrimental to the mission of the military. In order to effectively address this growing concern, it is imperative that mental health practitioners understand the military culture and utilize the best interventions in their treatment. This research conducted …

Drug Use During Pregnancy: The Impact Of Maternal Drug Addiction On Infants, Eduwem Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug abuse during pregnancy is a universal problem. The recent work sought to identify the extent of the problem in West Texas. Although the available data was limited, the age of use is younger than other comparable areas; drugs of choice were similar to existing report from the literature. Generalizability was insufficient to develop recommendations for intervention.

A Systematic Review Of Rural Veteran Homelessness, Jonathan Fasse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a systematic review to examine homeless veterans identified to be most at risk of unsuccessfully completing the VA’s housing program (HUD-VASH), which promotes the use of Housing First (HF) as it’s model for treating homelessness. The literature review identified those who were rural and experiencing comorbid substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health issues to likely be those who were most at risk. There were multiple reasons why this subgroup was most vulnerable including limited access to resources, higher levels of substance use and more serious mental health diagnoses, and chronic health needs. Both the literature review …