Social Work Commons^™

The Obstacles Facing Homeless Veterans With Mental Illness When Obtaining Housing, Melissa Miro

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study explored the barriers that homeless veterans face when seeking housing. The study adopted a post-positivist paradigm, and the data was collected through virtual interviews conducted on Zoom who are in contact with veterans through their employment or personal lives. The barriers mentioned in this study are the type of individual struggles that each veteran faces, the lack of communication between programs assisting veterans, veterans unaware of their services, veterans who have been incarcerated, the type of discharge the service member obtained, and programs being shorthanded. Additionally, the researcher included preferable options for veterans that included The Housing …

The Effect Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On The Self-Esteem Of College Students, Maggie J. Van Heemst

ELAIA

Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known to predict negative health and mental health effects later in life. One in two Americans has experienced at least one ACE. This issue is prevalent across class, race, and ethnicity. However, little is known about ACEs and the young adult population. Methods A survey was conducted to measure ACEs and self-esteem in fifty college students. The hypothesis was a negative correlation between ACE and self-esteem scores. Results A small negative correlation was found between ACEs and self-esteem in college students. The average ACE score was 3.9 and the average self-esteem score was 16.78. …

The Effect Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On The Self-Esteem Of College Students, Maggie Van Heemst

Honors Program Projects

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known to predict negative health and mental health effects later in life. One in two Americans has experienced at least one ACE. This issue is prevalent across class, race, and ethnicity. However, little is known about ACEs and the young adult population.

Methods: A survey was conducted to measure ACEs and self-esteem in fifty college students. The hypothesis was a negative correlation between ACE and self-esteem scores.

Results: A small negative correlation was found between ACEs and self-esteem in college students. The average ACE score was 3.9 and the average self-esteem score was 16.78. …

Older Adults In Action: Using Action Research To Address Neighborhood Change, Amie Thurber

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Older adults face distinct challenges amidst changing neighborhood conditions, yet also bring distinct resources to aid their communities. After considering the literature related to well-being in older adulthood, the effects of neighborhood change on older adults, and older adults and social action, this paper explores the experiences of older adults in the Neighborhood Story Project. This action research project engages a group of neighbors to identify a set of research questions about their community, conduct place-based inquiry, and take action based on their learning. This study considers the degree to which the Neighborhood Story Project constitutes a macro therapeutic intervention. …

Combating Domestic Violence: Understanding Military Ipv And The Available Military And Civilian Ipv Interventions, Taylor Coutts

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Intimate relationships within the U.S. military community face domestic violence perpetration at rates three times higher than the civilian population. Currently, both military and civilian agencies work to combat this domestic violence in military relationships. However, delivery of service and intervention techniques are not universal among these providers, and because of this, gaps have been identified. This research, comprised of the nine 45-minute interviews of military agency and civilian non-profit service providers, highlighted four major themes impacting the prevention and intervention of domestic violence in military populations including prevention limitations, conflicting approaches to the truth in a case, lack of …

Fidelity Monitoring In The Solution Focused Wellness For Hiv (Sfwh) Intervention For Women, Helen Taylor Yates, Spencer Elise Lee

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Solution Focused methods are often interpreted by different practitioners with a degree of flexibility and adaptation to specific practice settings (Lehmann & Patton, 2012). This flexibility is one of the features that makes SFBT a very client-centered approach and has been highlighted as one of the key aspects of successful co-construction of desired outcomes with clients (Franklin et al., 2017). This collaborative approach is possible due to SFBT’s utilization of social constructionist principals in the solution-building process (Blundo & Simon, 2015). While encouraging flexibility of implementation of SFBT, identifying the main tenets of the therapy, including specific techniques and mindsets …

Common Presenting Problems Among Youth Exposed To Substance Abuse In Their Household, Amalia Gamboa

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

This is an Evidence-Based guide for practitioners who are looking for ways to understand common presenting problems among youth exposed to substance abuse in their household

Data Collection & Aba Therapy With Disability & Child Welfare, Elizabeth Hamre

MSW Capstones

This proposed intervention explains the need for both data collection on children with developmental disabilities in child welfare and how it will benefit future work, as well as a proposal of an evidence-based intervention using Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy for children with developmental disabilities. The goal is to work towards improved outcomes for children with developmental disabilities and to create equity for these children in the child welfare system. The population focus of this project are children with developmental disabilities, specifically, children who are involved with the child welfare system. This will also include biological family and foster family …

Bullying Hurts, Katrina Marie Gonzalez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research projects purpose was to research the prevalence of bullying/harassment in schools in a city within the Inland Empire. The city is left confidential to protect the confidentiality of study participants. The researcher utilized the post positivist approach to guide the research processes. The study was completed through interviews with parents which contained qualitative questions. The researcher will create a webpage that’s link was posted to Facebook city sites. This website lead to a more private location where research participants were able to gather more information about the study and sign up to participate.

The research participants needed to …

Court Intervention And Recurrence Of Child Maltreatment, Steven Wayne Luke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of child maltreatment recurrence is both complex and pervasive, affecting nearly every nationality and culture worldwide. The current body of research consistently contains reports of a gap due to the lack of input from the families served that may be resolved through the application of intergroup contact theory. The purpose of this study was to determine if the presence of an attorney representing parents in child maltreatment intervention predicted lower recurrence in child maltreatment as opposed to when those attorneys are absent from the process. While much of the practice of social work is based on ecological systems …

Predictors Of Empirically-Supported Interventions Following Structured Functional Assessment., Alton Nathaniel Verbist

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessment is foundational to the process of evidence-based practice yet has received little research attention. Project SAFESPACE has recently initiated screening and assessment for all children entering out of home care in Kentucky with the goal of providing assessment-driven, evidence-based treatment. The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment—the instrument adopted in this service system—is designed to link the assessment process with the selection of appropriate interventions. Informed by naturalistic decision making, this dissertation sought to investigate the relationship between responses on the CANS assessment and the empirically supported interventions subsequently prescribed by the assessing clinician. Using secondary data …

Intervention Best Practices, Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Intervention Best Practices

The Intervention Best Practices resource summarizes some of the best practices being used in programs and initiatives designed to address social isolation and/or loneliness. The various case studies included display innovative thinking and ideas from around the world. This resource can be used to inform program planning and implementation.

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring …

Social Work Services: How Can Social Workers Improve The Healthcare Experience For People Who Are Homeless?, Mckinsey Kemp

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project focuses on how social workers can improve the healthcare experience for people who are homeless. The twelve participants in this study were recruited from a homeless shelter located in Southern California. Data was collected for this study using qualitative methods by means of interviews. Interviews were conducted in person, audio recorded, and then transcribed for data analysis. Findings from this study indicated that the concepts of time, perception of needs being met, service connection, staff interaction, social work intervention, and potential social work intervention were all connected to whether participants viewed their healthcare visit as a negative …

Understanding The Practitioner’S Role In The Therapeutic Setting: Working With Youth That Identify As Black Or African American And Lgbt, Katie L. Ubl

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This systematic review aimed to find responses for practitioners to better engage in the therapeutic setting with multiple minority youth that identify as LGBT Black or African American. These multiple minority populations are at high risk for mental health. A systematic review analyzed data using grounded theory. Twelve articles categorized data within the ecological framework: micro, mezzo, and macro levels. For practitioners to better engage with LGBT Black or African American youth in the therapeutic setting, responses were found in all three levels of the ecological framework. Dominant responses for social work practitioners to better engage in the therapeutic setting …

Examining Services Effective At Preventing Domestic Homicide: Interviewing Relevant Stakeholders About Their Perceptions Regarding Their Role In Reducing The Recurrence Of Domestic Violence, Katlin Morse

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to recognize possible barriers in the prevention of domestic homicide and further incidents of domestic violence. Respondents were chosen based on their professional role in responding to domestic violence incidents and expertise in domestic violence intervention. Respondents were asked about specific methods of intervention that would be helpful in preventing domestic homicide, how barriers to effective prevention could be removed or improved, and to what extent domestic violence court would assist in preventing domestic homicide if it was implemented in their respective county. Respondents offered various suggestions as to what might constitute effective domestic …

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 …

Preparing To Launch The ‘Thinking Healthy Programme’ Perinatal Depression Intervention In Urban Lima, Peru: Experiences From The Field, B. S. Eappen, M. Aguilar, K. Ramos, C. Contreras, M. C. Prom, P. Scorza, B. Gelaye, M. Rondon, G. Raviola, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background. An estimated 19–25% of perinatal women in low- and middle-income countries are affected by depression which, untreated, is associated with multiple health problems for mothers and children. Nonetheless, few perinatal women have access to depression care. The Thinking Healthy Programme (THP), promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), is an evidence-based, non-specialist delivered depression intervention that addresses this care gap. However, the WHO THP manual explains intervention delivery but not the antecedents to implementation. Here, we describe a principled, planned approach leading to the implementation of THP in Lima, Peru by the non-profit organization Socios En Salud with community …

Employee Financial Wellness Programs: A Review Of The Literature And Directions For Future Research, Geraldine Hannon, Meredith Covington, Mat Despard, Ellen Frank-Miller, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

This is a literature review of studies that have examined the implementation of financial wellness programs in the workplace. The review suggests that employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) have drawn on both existing and new methods to improve the financial security of employees. Although a number of studies have been conducted on employer-based financial education and retirement planning, evidence concerning the efficacy of EFWPs is limited. Moreover, the methodological shortcomings of studies in the workplace financial wellness field have limited evidence concerning returns on investment and impeded efforts to make best-practice recommendations. Thus, researchers should consider strengthening the evidence base …

Addressing Needs Of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors In The Emergency Department, Claudia F. Schenk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence is a global epidemic and public health concern, including in the United States. The purpose of this descriptive, exploratory, nonexperimental, quantitative study was to determine to what extent intimate partner violence survivors avail themselves of offered resources and interventions in health care settings. The general systems foundation was used for the study's theoretical foundation. The research questions ascertained the proportion of intimate partner violence survivors who accepted mental health, law enforcement, and community outreach resources; the level of comprehensive intervention they received; and the associations, if any, between types of services. Retrospective data were collected from121 medical …

Motivations To Return To A Gang After Severe Physical Victimization, Nora Vlaszof

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Gang violence is a social concern because of the risks of victimization among gang members and their communities. Many gang members have been victims of gang violence, and some choose to remain involved with their gang even after being victimized. Researchers have explored why people join gangs, but less is known regarding the gang-victimization link, which is the focus of this study. Social bond theory guided the study's research question on the motivation of gang members to rejoin their gang after severe physical victimization. A multiple case study design was employed with a purposeful sample of six English-speaking men, …

Attune With Baby: An Innovative Attunement Program For Parents And Families With Integrated Evaluation, Sara Beth Lohre

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Infants speak in their own language; sounds, screeches, cries, and howls that help them to communicate their caregiving needs. Unaware, parents may develop a checklist of caregiving approaches to the baby. The infant tells the adult directly what they need, and waits for the parent to respond. Infant talk may change from soft and quiet to loud and aggressive; coos and cries become crying and screams as the infant’s caregiver—communicating the intensity of emotion, urgency of their request, or their frustration with varied and sometimes inadequate, failed, or missing caregiving patterns the infant has no choice but to accept. When …

Support For Mental Health Workers After Client Suicide: A Systematic Review, Nicole Arndt-Wenger

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Often, a person who has committed suicide had suffered from some sort of mental illness. Mental health workers are at risk for experiencing a client death by suicide at some point in their career. This systematic review was designed to explore what supports are available for mental health workers after a client suicide, and how effective those supports are. The review used peer-reviewed articles from databases Social Work Abstracts, PsycNet, SocIndex and GoogleScholar. These databases were systematically searched and 10 articles met criteria. From these articles, seven themes …

The Relationship Between Life Stressors And Drug And Sexual Behaviors Among A Population-Based Sample Of Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men In Chicago, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Younger Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) have the highest rates of HIV incidence in the U.S. and are also exposed to high life stressors (e.g., unemployment, incarceration, and exposure to communality). This study assessed whether life stressors were related to drug use and sexual risk behaviors among a representative sample of YBMSM. The South Side of Chicago and selected adjacent suburbs represents the most populous contiguous Black community in the U.S. Over 10% of the estimated YBMSM population in this geographic region were sampled. Major findings indicated that higher life stress was significantly associated with greater odds …

Home-Based, Self-Administered Dyadic Cognitive Training For Healthy Older Adults: Feasibility Study, Natalia Shtompel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The negative effects of cognitive decline and impairment can be devastating for older adults and their families, and extremely costly for the healthcare system and the society. Cognitive training aims to maintain or improve cognition by utilizing repetitive tasks that target specific cognitive skills. The majority of cognitive training studies in healthy older adults involved home-based, individual, computerized approach or onsite, group, paper-and-pencil format. These approaches may not be suitable for individuals with serious health or mobility issues, caregiving responsibilities, limited transportation, or limited computer or internet access. A novel, home-based, self-administered cognitive training intervention was developed to address these …

Most Effective Intervention For Adolescent Substance Use Disorder, Nichole Anderson

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Substance use disorder affects numerous adolescents and researching the most effective intervention is crucial to the rehabilitation of these individuals. This purpose of this study is to offer information about the prevalence of substance use in adolescents as well as the interventions that are available to them and to outline the most effective methods of these interventions. This paper includes a review of evidence based interventions of multiple interventions that are currently used to treat adolescents with substance use disorder and a qualitative study of five individuals who work in social service agencies that offer treatment and interventions to adolescents …

Interventions That Address Safety Concerns Among Youth Experiencing, Katrina Mateski

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

In this systematic review, literature regarding youth experiencing homelessness and the clinical interventions focused on safety towards youth experiencing homelessness were synthesized. Using two databases SocINDEX, and PsychINFO; 10 studies regarding clinical interventions met criteria for the review. Each study was analyzed in population, intervention, and findings; while contrasting and comparing the definition of safety and the safety concerns between the clinical interventions. The findings identified focus areas of safety which include chemical health reduction, promoting harm reduction, psychological health, resilience, and service utilization. The primary safety focus areas were reduced to chemical health reduction, promoting harm reduction, and psychological …

Clinicians Perspective On Interventions Most Effective In Working With Selectively Mute Children, Melissa A. Raatz

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Children with selective mutism (SM) within the school setting bring forth a unique and challenging set of characteristics and issues for teachers and support staff. Children with selective mutism have an overwhelming fear of being seen or heard speaking, which presents as a challenge in assessing students for knowledge and content within the school setting (Perednik 2011.) There are many different causes for general mutism such as trauma, severe neglect, foster placement, etc. However for the purposes of this paper, selective mutism is the sole focus which effects young people. Selective mutism is categorized as an anxiety disorder and a …

Interventions For Children With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Systematic Review, Hallie Bergeson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a term used to describe lifelong effects that can occur when an unborn baby is exposed to alcohol (Wilson, 2013). FASD is a worldwide issue and affects individuals of all races and socioeconomic statues. It is irreversible, however, if diagnosed early, individuals can receive interventions to help improve their quality of life. A systematic literature review was conducted to address the research question, what research-based interventions are available for children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, thirteen articles were analyzed. The articles included in the study address interventions in areas …

Systematic Review: Social Work School Interventions For Food Accessibility Among Impoverished Children, Rebecca Christensen

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Mothers and children from impoverished families discuss the continuous sacrifices related to food insecurity. Sacrifices like trade-offs can lead to attention of a family’s immediate needs like food but these often come with the cost or sacrifice of other long term needs such as a means of income. Working with children and their families in attending to the underlying causes for their food insecurity may not only help to alleviate their immediate but also their long term needs in maintaining a standard of living. This systematic literature review was designed to investigate the research question: What interventions are being taken …

Truancy In The Eyes Of The Stakeholders, Lindsay Hjermastad

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The intent of this qualitative study was to examine what relevant stakeholders believe serve as significant causes of truancy and what can be done to reduce or eliminate it. This study utilized a qualitative, exploratory research design to better understand what a sample of stakeholders believed would help reduce truancy rates in youth ages 13-­‐17. The sample of this study was made up of five professionals who currently work or have worked with families and youth involved with truancy related issues. Two of the participants were high school counselors, two were community outreach workers, and one participant was a county …