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Full-Text Articles in Social Work

Social Work Experiences Of Moral Distress Amid Covid-19, Megan Tritt Apr 2022

Social Work Experiences Of Moral Distress Amid Covid-19, Megan Tritt

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Social work professionals often experience stressful and emotional situations while also facing organizational barriers. The social work profession is empowered by an ethical commitment to diffuse tensions that emerge between competing values in conflict. Many of these situations are complicated by ethical concerns and constraints related to the very institutions that are designed to help. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has transformed the framework through which we view ethical dilemmas and presented morally challenging dilemmas out of the control of any professional in service to people during this time. The term moral distress was popularized in the field of …


Who Do We Think We Are? A Qualitative Exploration Of Social Work Identity, Michael W. Hassler May 2021

Who Do We Think We Are? A Qualitative Exploration Of Social Work Identity, Michael W. Hassler

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Since the inception of the profession, social workers have struggled to identify a common understanding of social work, its fundamental activity, and the role of the worker. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study explored the following questions: 1) What is the participant’s lived experience of social work identity? and 2) How is this understanding of identity similar to or different from that of other helping professionals who perform similar activities? Semi-structured interviews, conducted with 22 social workers in the field, diverse in education, practice area, and experience, highlighted parallels among the various experiences, and advanced the exploration of the …


"We Are Forgotten." Framing Disaster Via Twitter In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Maria: Implications For Social Work Policy Practice, Barbe A. Fogarty May 2020

"We Are Forgotten." Framing Disaster Via Twitter In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Maria: Implications For Social Work Policy Practice, Barbe A. Fogarty

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

This work presents a comprehensive study of the disaster discourses generated by key social media user groups in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria, the third most destructive hurricane in American history, resulted in billions of dollars in damage and the loss of nearly 3,000 lives. Disasters result in widespread geophysical impacts as well as social, political, and economic upheavals for individuals, families, communities, and nation-states in the storm’s wake. The discourses that emerge on social media are significant in how they frame public narratives in the aftermath of disaster. The social construction of disaster points …


Social Work’S Contribution To Research Regarding Suicide Among African Americans, Darius Reed May 2019

Social Work’S Contribution To Research Regarding Suicide Among African Americans, Darius Reed

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Suicide among African Americans has increased significantly in the past 15 years, yet it remains a neglected topic in social work research. Social workers are the largest direct provider of mental health services in the United States. However their valuable person-in-environment perspective has not been incorporated into research to provide insight on ways to decrease incidents of suicide among African Americans. This systematic review examines social work’s contribution to suicide research while focusing on the social context in which African Americans live. The systematic review also examines protective factors specific to African Americans that can be used to mitigate suicide …


Understanding College Students With Physical Disabilities, Kimberly L. Hardner May 2018

Understanding College Students With Physical Disabilities, Kimberly L. Hardner

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore what it means to be a college student with a physical disability. The visibility of a physical disability a is distinct characteristic, even within the disability community, which often results in discrimination, oppression, and marginalization that influence both the identity and experiences of the individual. Through the research method of Photovoice, important considerations related to the identity and experiences of college students with physical disabilities were revealed in this study including: visibility (of a physical disability which leads to stigma and stereotypes); independence (ability to do things for oneself); membership …