Social Work Commons^™

No Child Left Behind: Barriers For Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care, Wanda D. Davidson, Alphonso Underwood

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation will explore the effects of foster care on the attainment of education for youth aging out of foster. There are studies that suggest that older youth and youth of color, are particularly vulnerable to systemic issues which may hinder educational success. The presentation will review research that seek to identify specific barriers to educational success and the role of children services, social workers, teachers and the department of education.

Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality, William Elliott Iii, Julia R. Henly, Susan J. Lambert, Laura Lein, Jennifer L. Romich, Trina R. Shanks, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs.

Does It Take A Village To Teach A Child? Lessons From Experiments In Education, Piyush Kuthethoor

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Why should we and how do we incorporate a community-based development model into the design, implementation and targeting of experimental programs? This project is motivated to create a useful theoretical framework or “lens” for development that reflects social reality, one which sees communities, the space of patterned, meaningful interpersonal relationships, as a locus of development. It is interested in ways that such a framework can help design adaptable policy innovations/developmental programs and come up with successful and sustained solutions to pressing human needs. First, a “lens” of community is developed for analysis using findings from behavioral studies, historic observations, philosophy, …

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 …

Therapeutic Alliance And Adherence To A Plant-Based Eating Plan To Treat Chronic Disease, Michiel A. Zyl, Lesley M. Harris, Rachel Hale

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Systematic reviews show that a plant-based diet offers many benefits to patients with a variety of chronic illnesses. However, more research is needed to show how plant-based diets are successfully prescribed by physicians and what supports are essential for adherence. The primary research questions in this study were: Is therapeutic alliance correlated with adherence to the eating plan?; Does a change in therapeutic alliance result in a change in adherence?; and How do patients view the doctor-patient relationship and adherence? Methods: This multiple methods feasibility study combined cross-sectional pre-post and six-month follow-up survey, a focus group and case study …

Community Partnerships For The Prevention Of The Worst Forms Of Child Labor Among Migrant Children In Samut Sakhon, Thailand, Tsz Ki K. Tang, David Engstrom, Sompong Srakaew

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This policy note examined the child labor prevention model employed in Samut Sakhon, Thailand, which aims to prevent migrant children from entering the worst forms of child labor in the seafood processing industry. The model consists of transitional education and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The analysis examines the context of child labor and explores the challenges and opportunities to make anti-child labor efforts more effective.

Nasty People: An Illustrated Guide To Understanding Sex, Sophia Weaver

Senior Honors Projects

Sex made me and it probably made you too, but for many of us sex remains a mystery for our entire lives. I see sexual images every day, but I rarely hear it discussed openly or factually. This is problematic. If most people are having sex and most people have a lot of misinformation about it, STDs, unwanted pregnancies and even sexual assaults are much more likely. Research suggests that increased (and well developed) sex ed. can reduce all of the possible negative outcomes of sexual misinformation. My observations of everyday life and my research in academia have given me …

A Mother's Spiritual Journey With Her Disabled Son: An Autoethnography, Margaret C. Higgins Edd

Dissertations

Abstract

This autoethnographic research delves into a mother’s experiences with her disabled son over thirty-five years. Beginning with a thick description of the crib accident that resulted in physical and cognitive disabilities that profoundly change the course of both mother and son’s life, this research chronicles the search for meaning, community, and healing as they negotiate the realms of medicine, education, career, family, and spirituality. Models of disability that seek to explain various ways in which society often views disability are examined, but none resonate with the researcher’s intimate experiences nor satisfies her deepest needs for insight and healing. Making …

What Is Love? A Needs Assessment To Identify A Relevant Teen Dating Violence Education Curriculum For A High School, Nicole Pina

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Education On Poverty Reduction In Costa Rica: A Regional And Urban-Rural Analysis, Rafael Arias, Gregorio Giménez, Leonardo Sánchez

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In this article, we analyze the relationship between levels of education and poverty for the different planning regions and also according to urban and rural areas. For the purposes of the study, we use the methodology of Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN) to measure poverty in a multidimensional way: access to decent shelter, access to health, access to knowledge, and access to other goods and services (consumption capacity). Based on empirical evidence that uses data from the Population Census of 2011, we conclude that achieving greater levels of education helps people from rural and urban areas and people living in the …

Understanding And Treating Shame: The Role Of The Clinician, Jennifer Perez

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Shame is a powerful emotion and experience that impacts how individuals interpret a situation, and often their behavior. It correlates with a number of mental health conditions that are commonly treated by psychotherapists, and yet the explicit or implicit treatment of shame directly or simultaneous to the disorder is less common. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in an attempt to gather insight regarding the conceptualization, observation, and treatment of shame in the context of psychotherapy by both generalists and specialists (those with and without explicit training in relation to shame and its treatment). Themes that emerged from the data …

The Burden Of Student Debt: Findings From A Survey Of Low- And Moderate-Income Households, Mathieu R. Despard, Samuel H. Taylor, Dana C. Perantie, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

Completing a college degree continues to offer a pathway for enjoying greater earnings. Yet tuition has risen sharply and state higher-education funding has declined in recent years, shifting the burden of paying for college to students and their families. As a result, most students (70%) depend on loans to help pay for college and student debt is now greater than credit card debt in the United States. Student debt is increasingly difficult to manage, as debt-to-income ratios, loan default rates, and delinquency rates are on the rise. This brief utilizes data from the 2014 Refund to Savings study to examine …

Analysis Of African American And White American Cognitive Profiles For Language And Cultural Influences, Nicole Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract

One of the most concerning aspects of special education is the overrepresentation of African American minority youth receiving special education services. Samuel Ortiz and colleagues considered the issue of the representation of the Latino, English Language Learner (ELL) population in special education services based on cognitive performance in relation to the mainstream population. To target this concern they determined an estimated level of expected cognitive performance of ELL’s and impact of language and cultural differences to help eligibility teams more appropriately interpret and place students with the aid of the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrix (C-LIM) model they developed. The current …

Social Workers Treating The Whole Person: The Need For Holistic Therapy Coursework, Tracy A. Toner

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Holistic therapies have become an integral part of everyday life in the US. We use holistic therapies for many reasons, for exercising, relaxing, and healing alternatives to the traditional. This research survey explored the use of holistic therapies by social workers who are providing clinical social work to their clients primarily in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. Using a quantitative design, the research measured the number of clinical social workers who are now or have previously provided mental health counseling services and are using holistic therapies in addition to standard interventions. This exploratory research additionally hoped to identify the …

Medical Social Worker’S Understandings Of Spirituality In Patient Care, Sarah Huiskes

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Spirituality is defined as “an individual’s connection or relationship with God or with some other kind of transcendent being or dimension (Hodge & Horvath, 2011, p. 307).” Based on past literature, a patient’s spiritual or faith belief has the potential to influence their healthcare outcomes, coping ability, decision-making surrounding their healthcare, as well as their quality of life (Puchalski, Ferrell, Otis-Green, & Handzo, 2015). As social workers in the medical setting aim to provide psychosocial support, the inclusion of a spiritual assessment to determine the spiritual and faith needs of each patient in order to deliver individual patient care seems …

Evaluating Interprofessional Fast Forward Rounds For Transition Of Care Education, Laura Cummings, Ashley J. Smith, Mike Pelyhes, Zachary Jenkins, Phillip L. Thornton, Maurice Lee, William Matcham

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Background: Interprofessional Education is gaining recognition by key pharmacy organizations for its value in healthcare education, producing various models for implementation among healthcare students and professionals. Unfolding cases incorporating transitions of care may improve student skills and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.

Objectives: This project assessed the efficacy of unfolding cases in improving interprofessional skills and attitudes among pharmacy, nursing, and social work students. The ultimate goal is to integrate this model, if proven effective, into the curricula of multiple health science centers.

Methodology: First, pharmacy, nursing, and social work students completed a pre-intervention survey regarding interprofessional skills and attitudes before …

Educating And Raising Awareness Of Opioid Addiction, Nhan P. Cao

MSW Capstones

Opioid Addiction is an epidemic in America. The information report found that there are thousands of deaths and emergency visits due to opioids-related each year. Emergency Department [ED] visits and physician services cost millions of tax payers’ money. The cost of health care in 2006 was 2.6 trillion dollars and expected to increase every year. Many individuals who misuse opioids oftentimes seek heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get on the street. Four out of five people who are addicted to heroin have used opioids first. Many patients are not aware of the risks and benefits of using …

Preparing For Domestic Violence And Associated Trauma: Are We Ready?, Melissa Rodas

Undergraduate Research Projects

Domestic violence is an important problem to consider amongst societal issues today. Statistics have consistently shown high rates of violence across the country, and many cases go unreported. Even if survivors are able to escape their situations, trauma often casts a long shadow after the abuse is gone. A best practice model that has been utilized in Tennessee is that of Family Justice Centers. These centers utilize a co-located model to give survivors multiple services in a centralized location. As these organizations find their beginnings, attention is being noted to how social work students are being prepared for such settings. …

Gender Creative Parenting: An Educational Curriculum For Parents Of Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Youth, Kathleen Murphy Pantoja

MSW Capstones

Parental acceptance is a protective factor against negative health outcomes for transgender and gender nonconforming young people. Qualitative research suggests parents just learning of their child’s gender variance have a need for education, peer support, and access to culturally responsive care providers in order to accept and affirm their trans* child. Gender Creative Parenting, an educational group curriculum firmly grounded in social work values, addresses these needs. A thorough literature review and findings from key informant interviews led to the selection of chaos theory as a guiding framework for intervention development. Emerging best practices for working with trans* youth within …

Improving Children's Academic Performance Through Parent Engagement: Development And Initial Findings From The Your Family, Your Neighborhood Intervention, Stephanie Lechuga Peña

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Your Family, Your Neighborhood (YFYN) is an educational intervention with families in low-income and subsidized housing communities. YFYN supports households facing issues associated with poverty. These include supporting low-income families as they navigate their children's experience in poor performing schools, barriers and access to healthcare and role in addressing the challenges of living distressed neighborhoods they live in. Through the 10-week manualized curriculum, families work on connections that affect multiple systems in their lives with a focus on the family, school and neighborhood. This mixed methods study describes the development and provides results of the YFYN intervention on parental involvement …

2016 Proceedings: Religious Values, Southern Adventist University School Of Education And Psychology, John W. Mccoy, Cornel Rusu, Carolita Claus, Thomas Eidell, Thiffany Rambana, Kristie Wilder, Tron Wilder, Ruth Williams, Doug Tilstra

Reynolds' Chair Symposium Proceedings

Paving the Way to Global Christian Citizenship

First-Generation College Students And Class Consciousness : Exploring How Social Class Influences College Adjustment, Rachel L. Redd

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

First-generation college students (FGCS), defined as students whose parents have not obtained a bachelor’s degree, is a new identity constructed primarily over the past decade. Utilizing the umbrella term of FGCS is problematic as it places a heavy concentration on parental education and lack of cultural capital, ignoring how current class experiences in the context of other identities, such as race and gender, shape adjustment to college. The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold: (a) to examine whether class consciousness affects first-generation students’ adjustment to elite, non-profit private undergraduate institutions, and (b) to examine how the intersectionality of race, …

Does Degree Matter? : An Exploration Into The Stigmatization Of Mental Illness By Social Workers And Other Mental Health Professionals, Alexandria R. Huber

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative descriptive study sought to explore any differences in stigmatization by social workers and other mental health professionals. The second research question explored whether mental health professionals felt their degree program actively challenged them to explore stigma towards those with mental illness. Fifty participants completed an anonymous online survey that included the Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness scale, measuring stigma of mental illness. There were an additional four Likert scale questions exploring stigma of mental illness, and the participants perspectives of their education about stigma. The findings indicated that social workers had a lower mean score on the subscale …

Interprofessional Collaboration For Children With Special Healthcare Needs: A Review Of Effective Education Integration, Catherine Giroux, Julie Corkett

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

With the innovation of technology, increased medical knowledge, and improved treatment techniques, the education of children with special healthcare needs is no longer restricted to hospitals. The current paper examines issues surrounding interprofessional collaboration (IPC) between educators, medical professionals, and allied health professionals in the school setting. Specifically, this paper disseminates the literature on interprofessional collaboration through the examination of the current state of IPC between the health and education sectors when accommodating students with complex medical needs. The aspects of IPC that are in need of improvement are identified along with recommendations for the improvement of IPC in the …

It's Time To Talk About Sex And Social Work : Why Human Sexuality Education Matters For Social Work Practice, Sophia R. Glass

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This researched investigated human sexuality training received in social work programs and its impact on clinical practice. Specifically, it examined clinicians’ comfort and competency addressing sex and sexuality related topics with clients. 67 participants were recruited via a nonprobability snowball sampling technique, and data was gathered anonymously through a secure web-based survey instrument. The findings supported the author’s hypothesis that there is a substantial lack of human sexuality training in social work programs despite the finding that sexuality is highly relevant to clinical work. Barriers to social workers effectively addressing these topics with clients were identified as inadequate education and …

How I Got Over : Young African American Men Tell The Story Of How They Achieved Academic Success : A Descriptive Study, Rebecca M.C. Ramer

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

African American males fall behind their White counterparts in almost every measure of academic success. College completion rates for Black males are the lowest among all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. This exploratory study interviewed 13 African American men who were currently enrolled in college or who had graduated college. The goal of the study was to identify factors that these successful men identified as having contributed to their academic achievement. Thirteen men between the ages of 18 and 40 who identify as African American participated in semi-structured interviews that were recorded and then analyzed using a grounded theory …

Residential Mobility During Adolescence: Even "Upward" Moves Predict High School Dropout, Molly W. Metzger, Patrick J. Fowler, Bennett Kelberman

Center for Social Development Research

Racial and economic segregation have long endured as systemic challenges in U.S. metropolitan areas. To combat the inequalities of segregation, two broad policy approaches have emerged: (1) preservation stresses investment in low-income neighborhoods, and (2) mobility stresses moving households in low-income areas to more affluent areas. Our recent study reveals some possible unintended consequences of the latter approach, particularly for adolescents. We find that moving during adolescence is associated with decreased odds of graduating from high school, even when moving to significantly higher income neighborhoods.

Practice Matters: Screening And Monitoring Hyperlipidemia, M. Laurie Branstetter Dnp, Maria E. Main, Tonya Bragg-Underwood Dnp

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide Faith Community Nurses with current information on hyperlipidemia, a chronic disease responsible for the leading cause of death worldwide. Current guidelines for cholesterol screening and a risk calculator resource for estimating cardiovascular risk are provided. Myths and truths are presented for review with patients. Suggestions and resources for lifestyle modifications and patient education are included. Faith Community Nurses are at the center of community health and actively involved with improving health outcomes related to chronic disease.

Voices Of Youth, Parents, And Stakeholders: Findings From Case Studies In The Youthsave Project, Li Zou, Sarah Myers Tlapek, Margaret S. Sherraden, John W. Gabbert, Amy Ritterbusch, Ernest Appiah, Dorcas Opai-Tetteh, Githinji Njenga, Joseph Kieyah, Sharad K. Sharma, Jyoti Manandhar, Manik Maharjan

Center for Social Development Research

Voices of Youth, Parents, and Stakeholders: Findings From Case Studies in the YouthSave Project

Beliefs About The Lgbtq Community Among Social Work Graduate Students, Gina V. Florez, Guillermina Hall

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project was a quantitative survey study design to examine the attitudes of 49 Master of Social Work students attending California State University, San Bernardino. Recently, laws regarding same-sex marriage have been rapidly changing. As of this project completion, 37 states have legalized same-sex marriage. Therefore, now more than ever before, it is imperative that social work graduate students feel prepared to adequately provide services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) populations.

Additionally, and of primary concern to the researchers, this project sought to determine whether graduate students felt that they had received adequate training and …