Social Work Commons^™

Effects Of Prenatal Stress And Poverty On Fetal Growth, Teresa Anne Lefmann

Doctoral Dissertations

Background. Prenatal stress has negative effects on the developing fetus through the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Programming of the stress response system during gestation has lifelong effects that put the infant at risk for multiple stress-related pathologies. Populations most vulnerable to prenatal stress are African-Americans and individuals of low socioeconomic status.

Methods. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) research project, a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and individual state health departments, was utilized for this study. Tennessee data from 2009 were compiled from individual birth certificates and PRAMS questionnaire responses to examine three …

Ending Poverty In Mongolia: From Socialism To Social Development, Richard J. Smith

Social Work Faculty Publications

While recent literature on social welfare has included Asian countries, less is known about low-income and former socialist countries in Central Asia. This article combines a documentary-historical method with a value-critical approach to analyze Mongolia’s social policy response to poverty. Mongolia is unique in Asia because it transformed from nomadic pastoralism to socialism without a phase of capitalist industrial development. The case study found that Mongolia lost social welfare when it transitioned from socialism, a statist model, to market liberalism and multiparty democracy. In the 21st century, Mongolia has been aspiring to promote social development by redirecting mining revenues to …

Seek Justice, Encourage The Oppressed, Abby M. Foreman

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Many of us can easily be convicted to be compassionate in these ways; to give food, money, clothing and even our time. We know that we are doing what God calls us to. But is this all that God is calling us to in our response to the poor and vulnerable?"

Posting about poverty and justice from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/seek-justice-encourage-the-oppressed/

A Bottom-Up Definition Of Self-Sufficiency: Voices From Low-Income Jobseekers., Philip Young P. Hong, Vamadu A. Sheriff, Sandra R. Naeger

Philip Hong

Self-sufficiency (SS) is the epitome of America’s ‘reluctant’welfare state. It is generally accepted in social welfare policycircles as a concept related to independence and financialstability. Nevertheless, SS is not a term agreed upon inpractice by policymakers, researchers, or service providersand is frequently used without a clear common definition.In this sense, the purpose of this study is to explore the extentto which the top-down definition of ‘economic’ SS as thesocial policy goal is consistent with how the clients of job training programs perceive the term. Using a groundedtheory approach, a bottom-up definition of SS was derivedfrom a focus group of low-income …

Discovering Compassion: A SchoolʼS Guide To Working With Difficult Children, Youth And Teens, Allyson Land

MSW Capstones

On a daily basis school teachers, administrators, counselors, and social workers deal with students who present inappropriate classroom behaviors. These behaviors can create barriers for their future success. Mental illness, poor discipline, violence in the community, and the inability to understand cause and effect can all be contributing factors influencing poor behavior. Each of these lead to poor coping skills, little respect for authority, desensitization to violence, and lack of remorse for their actions in childhood and adulthood. Typically these children come from single, low-income families and spend more time in school and daycare than with their families. For this …

These Kids Today, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

National Volunteer Week, an annual challenge and opportunity for all of us to engage with our communities, is April 6-12 this year, and recent data suggest that this could be a good opportunity to re-commit ourselves to rising to the many challenges these communities currently face. [excerpt]

Individual And Country-Level Institutional Trust And Public Attitude To Welfare Expenditures In 24 Transitional Countries, Nazim Habibov

Social Work Publications

Does institutional trust on the individual and on the countrylevel influence public attitudes to state social welfare expenditures in transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia? To answer this question, this study draws on a comparative survey conducted in 24 countries. Multilevel binomial logit regression was used to allow for the simultaneous inclusion of variables at the individual- and country-levels of analysis. Institutional trust is associated with positive attitudes to welfare expenditures on the individual level, but not on the country level. Women, older individuals, those who are less educated, and those of low-income are …

Poverty Knowledge, Coercion, And Social Rights: A Discourse Ethical Contribution To Social Epistemology, David Ingram

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In today’s America the persistence of crushing poverty in the midst of staggering affluence no longer incites the righteous jeremiads it once did. Resigned acceptance of this paradox is fueled by a sense that poverty lies beyond the moral and technical scope of government remediation. The failure of experts to reach agreement on the causes of poverty merely exacerbates our despair. Are the causes internal to the poor – reflecting their more or less voluntary choices? Or do they emanate from structures beyond their control (but perhaps amenable to government remediation)? If both of these explanations are true (as I …

“They Can Only Do So Much:” Use Of Family While Coping With Rural Homelessness, Deanna L. Trella, Timothy P. Hilton

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This research explores individual and family reliance on non-homeless family members in coping with homelessness in a rural area. Drawing on 114 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with homeless adults and families in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we found that almost all participants relied on non-homeless family members for assistance, but with variation in the amount of help sought and received. Some participants displayed high thresholds for help-seeking, only relying on family under extreme circumstances and generally asking for modest assistance. This was common among childless single homeless adults who often had different support. Other participants displayed low thresholds for help-seeking, frequently asking …

Weathering The Storm: Botswana's Culture Of Care, Lengwe-Katembula Mwansa, Gloria Jacques

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Botswana, a semi-desert southern African state ranked among the poorest in the world in the 1960s and 1970s, has emerged as an upper middle income country in the new millennium and a beacon of democracy and good governance on the continent and in the world. Since the discovery of diamonds, Botswana has prudently utilized the ensuing wealth to improve the lives of her citizens. Through a succession of National Development Plans the state has provided social services that have addressed many of the needs of the population. This trend has continued into the challenging era of the world economic crisis …

The Impact Of Gender And Social Networks On Microenterprise Business Performance, Seon-Mi Kim, Margaret Sherraden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Why are some people more successful than others in starting new businesses? Are women more or less successful than men? This study investigates relationships among gender, social networks, and microenterprise business performance. It examines existing theories and research on gender differences in social networks and whether gender differences affect female micro-entrepreneurs’ business performance. The purpose of this study is to help U.S. Microenterprise Development Programs create strategies to enhance the ability of female micro-entrepreneurs to gain economic benefits from their social networks. The paper identifies key gaps in theory, proposes an alternative research framework, and suggests directions for future research …

Conceptualizing Social Determinants Of Maternal And Infant Health Disparities, Susanne Klawetter

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research demonstrates that women and children within marginalized ethnic and racial groups and those living in poverty experience disparate health outcomes. These disparities have immediate and long-term consequences. Exploring two theories used to examine social determinants of health— life course perspective and historical trauma response, this article will explain the major premises of each, provide application examples, compare and examine utility for practice, and highlight areas for future research. A theoretical critique will be included, as well as insight into how these theories together might address gaps as an approach to maternal and infant health research and practice.

Individual And Country-Level Institutional Trust And Public Attitude To Welfare Expenditures In 24 Transitional Countries, Nazim Habibov

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Does institutional trust on the individual and on the country level influence public attitudes to state social welfare expenditures in transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia? To answer this question, this study draws on a comparative survey conducted in 24 countries. Multilevel binomial logit regression was used to allow for the simultaneous inclusion of variables at the individual- and country-levels of analysis. Institutional trust is associated with positive attitudes to welfare expenditures on the individual level, but not on the country level. Women, older individuals, those who are less educated, and those of low-income …