Social Work Commons^™

Working Towards More Effective Sexual Violence Prevention Programming For Young Men In Canada, Aadhiya Vasudeva

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although extant literature underscores the importance of addressing men’s risk for sexual violence perpetration, there is limited research examining sexual violence prevention programs for young men in Canada. Using community-based, mixed-method research and a clinical logic model, this study involved the development and application of an evaluation mechanism for a sexual violence prevention program for young men, Man|Made. Triangulation of survey data (n = 43 pre-program and n = 21 post-program) and qualitative interviews of program participants (n = 5) and facilitators (n = 6) highlighted some promising findings related to changes in men’s consent knowledge, acknowledgement of past harm, …

Toward A Co-Working Posture In Global Mental Health: A Literature Review On The Use Of Photovoice In Partnership With Forcibly Displaced Populations, Bethany Randolph

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

As of 2020, the number of forcibly displaced people in the world numbered 82.4 million. This radically diverse population, approximately one in every 95 people, only continues to burgeon as wars and conflicts send millions fleeing for their lives. Sadly, on top of the massive allostatic load endured by the forcibly displaced, many are then doubly harmed by global mental health professionals who lack insight into the culture and worldview of the fellow humans they serve. In an effort to support meaningful therapeutic work in the cross-cultural milieu, this paper presents a literature review inquiry into the purpose and …

Engaging With A Prevention Approach: System Supports Needed In Child Abuse And Neglect Prevention, Silvia L. Vilches, Beth S. Mcdaniel, Haley Sherman, Brianna Burks, Allie Merritt, Terra Jackson, Synithia W. Flowers

Southeastern Council on Family Relations Conference

Public policy has been shifting from child abuse and neglect (CAN) intervention toward prevention, using public health style frameworks, which emphasize shared community and legislative responsibilities to support families (Browne, 2014; CDC, 2014). Analysis of qualitative data from statewide focus groups held in 2019 in Alabama with 99 community-based CAN prevention workers shows strengths in community collaboration, but also, struggles to help families meet basic needs because of lack of community resources, such as transportation and quality child care, and other barriers, including stigma. The results demonstrate confusion between prevention, which is intended to build family resilience to avert crisis, …

Countering The Norm, (Re)Authoring Our Lives: The Promise Counterstorytelling Holds As A Research Methodology With Lgbtq Youth And Beyond, M. Alex Wagaman, Rae Caballero Obejero, James S. Gregory

Social Work Publications

Counterstorytelling, a methodology that is rooted in critical race theory, is undergirded by principles that are beneficial to understanding the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) young people from an intersectional perspective. Counterstorytelling holds promise as a method that creates opportunities for individual transformation and resistance to dominant narratives among young people facing systemic oppression. This article outlines the design and implementation of a counterstorytelling study with LGBTQ youth and reflects on the value and associated challenges of counterstorytelling as a participatory research method.

Supporting Recruitment And Retention Of Young African-American And Hispanic Fathers In Community-Based Parenting Interventions Research, Cristina Mogro-Wilson, Crystal M. Hayes, Alysse Melville Loomis, Aubri Drake, Melanie Martin-Peele, Judith Fifield

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Few studies to date have provided strategies for maintaining low rates of attrition when conducting longitudinal, epidemiological, or community-based research with young, minority, urban fathers. This paper highlights lessons learned from a 5-year randomized controlled trial of a fatherhood intervention that designed and implemented state-of-the-art and culturally relevant recruitment and retention methods with 348 young fathers ages 15 to 25. Qualitative findings are drawn from interviews with fathers who had been enrolled in the fatherhood intervention (n=10). While traditional recruitment and retention methods, such as incentives, were employed in this study, non-traditional methods were used as well, such as intensive …

Using Community-Based Research To Improve Bsw Students’ Learning In Community Practice: Bringing The Macro Into Focus For Traditional And Distance Learners, Jessica Lee Lucero, Jen Evers, Jennifer Roark

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This article describes community–university partnership building, course development/management, and evaluation outcomes related to an intensive community-based research project that was integrated in two sections of an undergraduate course on community practice. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 60 BSW students who were enrolled in community practice and who participated in a community-based research project with their state’s fair housing office. The evaluation outcomes focus on changes in professional interest in macro practice, students’ self-efficacy, and differences in students’ learning experiences, based on traditional bricks-and-mortar or distance learning contexts. Results show that students experience increases in self-efficacy related to community …

The Slow Violence Of Climate Change In Poor Rural Kenyan Communities: “Water Is Life. Water Is Everything.”, Jennifer L. Willett

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Climate change is the most pressing global environmental problem and the most unyielding worldwide environmental injustice of our time. Although some social workers have begun to address climate change, this literature is centered on its generalized impact, rather than its specific effects on vulnerable populations. As a concept, slow violence offers a frame to understand the slow occurring effects of climate change on the global poor. This study used an ethnographic approach to examine the effects of climate change on two poor rural Kenyan communities. Findings discussed include the consequences of droughts, the connection between droughts and deforestation, failed governmental …

Building University-Community Partnerships In Rural Settings Through A Community-Based Learning Assignment, Karen Rice Phd, Lsw, Acsw, Kathleen Walsh

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Universities located in or near rural settings are uniquely positioned to partner with their community to offer invaluable resources often lacking within rural social service agencies. This teaching note describes a community-based research assignment implemented within an MSW advanced research methods course. The goal of this class was to teach students, through service learning, each phase of the evaluation process, and strategies to build and sustain rural community partnerships. Lessons learned and implications for social work practice and education are discussed.

The Community Assessment:Students Discovering Strengths And Needs In Small Towns And Rural Areas, Kristina M. Hash Ph.D., Patricia A. Chase Ed.D., Carrie W. Rishel Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This article highlights an evolving assignment given in BSW and MSW Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) courses. The community assessment assignment provides students with the opportunity to become immersed in small towns and rural areas and discover strengths and needs through observation, analysis of census data, interviews with key informants, and giving back. Components of the assignment are discussed as well as keys to success for facilitating the assignment. Common themes discovered across these communities are integrated throughout.

Misbehaviors Of Front-Line Research Personnel And The Integrity Of Community-Based Research, Gala True, Leslie B. Alexander, Kenneth A. Richman

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

There has been little empirical research into misconduct and misbehavior among community research workers who recruit and collect data in vulnerable and marginalized health populations and are also members of those same communities. We conducted qualitative interviews with community research workers and traditional research assistants to understand the context and consequences of misbehaviors that pose a threat to research ethics and data integrity. In our sample, more community research workers acknowledged engaging in research wrongdoing than did traditional research assistants. These behaviors were most prevalent among community research workers who were not well-integrated into the research team. We suggest best …

Family Preservation In Families’ Ecological Systems: Factors That Predict Out-Of-Home Placement And Maltreatment For Service Recipients In Richmond City, Jody Hearn

Theses and Dissertations

Family preservation services are intended to prevent the out-of-home placement (into foster care or some other alternative arrangement) of children and youth in families at risk of maltreating them. An Ecological Systems perspective of these families might suggest that a family’s context (represented by the variables of poverty, agency services, family history, and individual/caretaker characteristics) must be considered as an over-arching influence in families’ risk and outcomes. The purpose of this cross-sectional secondary data analysis study was to identify layered factors that distinguish family preservation cases in Richmond, VA that experience removal or subsequent abuse or neglect from those that …