Social Work Commons^™

360º Videos Of Natural Scenery Delivered Via Virtual Reality Devices And Its Effect On Mood, Joseph Strong

Doctoral Dissertations

Nature has long been touted as a method to alleviate the symptoms of stressful modern life and introduce some aesthetic novelty. For those individuals for whom access to nature is in some way limited, especially older adults facing poor physical or mental health, novel approaches to bring the outside world in are necessary to help enhance quality of life. This pilot study endeavors to help improve the mood of a sample of 43 older adults by testing a new intervention – using smart phones to deliver 360-degree videos of nature. Results of the study provide evidence that the intervention may …

Mental Health Issues Among The Elderly Population, Katrina Johnson, Mi Young Son

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The aging population has experienced a steady growth over the past several decades not only in the United States but also worldwide. This growth comes with increased needs for mental health services. The American Psychological Association (2019) estimated that the number of senior citizens in the United States with mental health and behavioral problems could reach 15 million in 2030. This study explored social workers’ perceptions of the apparatus of mental health services that target older adults. Using a snowball sampling, this study drew nine social workers, mostly Asian-Americans (N = 9). The findings generated four major themes, which were …

Psychological Sense Of Community Among Older Adults In Puerto Rico Two Years After Hurricane María, Thomas D. Buckley

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in adverse long-term outcomes. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) may serve as a protective factor against the effects of Hurricane María for older adults in Puerto Rico. Using a three-paper format, this dissertation draws on a resilience framework and theories of PSOC and the Ecological Theory of Aging to examine the role of PSOC among older adults in Puerto Rico two years after Hurricane María.

Paper one is a scoping review of the concept of PSOC in research with community dwelling older adults. I begin by presenting findings on study characteristics …

Perceptions On The Aging Population: Disparities Among Graduate Social Work Students, Ashlee Taylor Crosson, Kelsey Marie Goodwin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers are needed to meet the needs of the growing aging population. Yet, there is a shortage of social work students entering the field of gerontology as opposed to child welfare, school social work, or family services. The proposed study used a qualitative research design to explore why social work students are underrepresented in areas that serve older people. A sample of 58 graduate social work students from several universities in Southern California completed open-ended questions on a scale (N = 58). Thematic analysis of the data revealed four major factors that account for the underrepresentation of social work …

Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Aging Veterans: What Works?, Heather Renee O'Dell Lewis

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition with debilitating symptoms which affects military veterans and has been understudied in the older population. Aside from treating the veterans of the Vietnam War and World War II, as service members from more recent conflicts age, the mental healthcare system needs to be able to treat them with empathy and effective therapies. As there is a need for future research focusing on this population, this paper reviews the current literature and utilizes Grounded theory to further the research related to PTSD in aging veterans. A selection of mental health clinicians with experience …

The Online Dating Preferences Of Chinese American Older Adults, Lin Jiang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recently years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of online dating websites among adults over age 50. Nevertheless, samples collected in existing literature are mainly centered on White/Caucasian Americans. Furthermore, the only theoretical guide has been sexual strategies theory. This study fills the gap by using sexual strategies theory and acculturation theory to test Chinese American older adults dating preferences.

The sexual strategies theory discusses how males and females use different mating strategies in short-term and long-term contexts. Acculturation theory describes changes in which individuals or groups adopt another culture when it makes contact with their …

Wisdom In The Trees : A Research Project On How Elders Living In The Treehouse Community Together With Foster Children And Their Families Continue Or Expand The Quality Of Meaning Making In Their Everyday Lives, Elizabeth Hinze

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examined the oldest members of The Treehouse Community in western Massachusetts which is an intentional intergenerational community. Within this study 10 older adults living in the community participated in either a community held event or one-on-one interviews describing their felt life experiences before and after moving to Treehouse. Most of the participants made it clear that they did not show up at Treehouse looking for something to occupy their time. Rather this model which supports foster families and their children through an intergenerational lens corresponds with their life work, whether it be they had worked in child …

Substance Abuse Among The Elderly: What Works In Treatment, Sophia Morelli

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers are trained during the course of their education to work with the elderly and to understand the various dynamics of aging. These professionals also receive education on substance abuse and how to assess clients as well as link them to appropriate supportive services. How can social workers be more inclined to effectively treat the elderly substance abuser? What are, if any, special considerations a social worker should be aware of when working with the geriatric population? What treatment modalities seem to be more effective with the elderly client? This study utilized a qualitative analysis consisting of interviews with …

Organizational Strategies For Addressing Disparities Among Marginalized Older Adults, Jennifer L. Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the United States older adult population expands, it is also becoming more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). This increased diversity necessitates that social workers research issues of cultural competency at the organizational level to ensure that community based organizations are able to meet the unique needs of a heterogeneous population of American elders. This qualitative study utilized a modified grounded theory approach to conduct individual interviews and focus groups with over 25 community based organizations serving diverse elders. This study also included analysis of over 100 agency documents, such as mission …

Gerotranscendence And Successful Aging: The Lived Experience, Allyson R. Rempel

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

With the impending explosion in the number of older adults in this country, new ways of understanding and serving this population are vital to success in clinical social work practice. This study explored the lived aging experience from the perspective of older adults in the context of gerotranscendence and successful aging. Nine older adults over the age of 80 were interviewed by the researcher. The findings of the study indicate the presence of gerotranscendence, and confirmed that it coincided with the concept of successful aging in all nine participants. Implications include the need for a more holistic understanding of older …

Spiritual Life Review With Older Adults: Finding Meaning In Late Life Development, Alicia Margaret Stinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Spirituality has been recognized as a positive factor in the lives of older adults, especially as it influences their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. This convenience sample study included 17 older adults residing at a faith based continuing care retirement community in Florida. The sample was represented by Caucasian older adults with an average age of 84 years, highly educated, majority Protestant and mostly female. Spiritual life reviews were conducted using spiritual life maps (Hodge, 2005) and semi-structured interview questions. Erikson's epigenetic stage of ego-integrity was used along with Butler's life review process and Tornstam's gerotranscendence as a conceptual …