Social Work Commons^™

Cultural Stressors, Identity Development, And Substance Use Attitudes Among Hispanic Immigrant Adolescents, Timothy J. Grigsby, Myriam Forster, Alan Meca, Byron L. Zamboanga, Seth J. Schwartz, Jennifer B. Unger

Psychology Faculty Publications

The goal of this investigation was to determine whether various cultural stressors (bicultural stress, perceived discrimination, and perceived negative context of reception [PNCR]) predict positive and negative substance use attitudes, directly and indirectly through personal identity, in a sample of immigrant Hispanic adolescents. Data on cultural stressors, substance use attitudes, and covariates were collected from 302 Hispanic immigrant adolescents (152 from Miami [61% Cuban] and 150 from Los Angeles [70% Mexican]) at 3 time points. PNCR was associated with identity confusion (𝛽=.175, p=.033). Identity confusion significantly predicted higher positive attitudes toward alcohol and other drug (AOD; 𝛽 =.216, p<.001) and cigarette use (𝛽=.191, p=.015) and mediated the relationship between PNCR with unfavorable AOD attitudes (𝛽 =-.019, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.052,-0.001]) and favorable AOD attitudes (𝛽=0.038, 95% CI [0.003, 0.086]). Perceptions of a negative context of reception may hinder successful personal identity formation and impact health outcomes for immigrant youth.

Exploring Religiosity And Spirituality On The Meaning Of Hiv/Aids And Service Provision In Malawi, Sung Ah Choi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Almost two-thirds of the total HIV/AIDS infected populations in the world

In Their Own Voices : A Mixed Methodology Study Of An Independent Living Program For Foster And Homeless Youth, Emily Elizabeth Delorenzo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of an Independent Living Program in upstate New York on foster and homeless youths’ ability to successfully transition to independence. The quantitative portion of this mixed methodology study examines whether or not the program as a whole had any effect on the progress of youth in the domains of employment, housing and education. The results indicate that greater number of days in the program and a thorough discharge plan were associated with positive outcomes for youth. The qualitative portion of this study provides much needed descriptive data on youths’ attitudes …

An Exploration Of Caregiver Engagement In Residential Treatment For Youth, Raquel Moriarty Derrick

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Support for caregiver engagement in their child’s residential treatment is widespread and growing because of the benefits of caregiver engagement to a youth’s treatment process. This dissertation explores the construct of caregiver engagement, defined as caregiver motivation and expectation for their child’s treatment, caregiver bond with staff and caregiver collaboration on treatment goals and tasks among a cohort of 101 caregivers with a child in a Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Mixed methods were used to qualitatively and quantitatively explore caregiver perspectives and experiences that contribute to or detract from their level of engagement in their child’s treatment process. Findings reveal …

A Later Life Without Children In China : A Cross-Sectional Examination Of Moderators And Mediators Of The Effects Of Childlessness On The Well-Being Of Elders, Junrong Shi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Adult children played a primary role in support and caregiving for the fast-growing older population in China because of the core value of “filial piety” and underdeveloped formal services in the country. However, an increasing amount of Chinese people will end up with having no children in their later years, either nonparental or no children survived. It is important to understand that how the absence of children affects the health and well-being of older adults to better serve this growing vulnerable population. Limited previous studies focused on the childless older people in China, and little is known about the mechanisms …

Social Positioning In Social Work Practice: Stories Of Hopes And Struggles Among Racialized Minority Workers, Utamika Cummings

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The primary purpose of this qualitative research is to understand the experiences of racialized social workers and social services workers and how social positioning plays out in their practice. What are the experiences of racialized workers in their work places? How do they position themselves in terms of their age, gender, race and professional identity in the various contexts of their practice? Do they experience self-doubt? How are they recognized or misrecognized for how they position themselves? How do they deal with these experiences? What are their stories? These were the main questions that this narrative research sought to capture …

Exploring Patient Satisfaction Among Transgender And Non-Binary Identified Healthcare Users: The Role Of Microaggressions And Inclusive Healthcare Settings, Stevie Forbes-Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality of healthcare delivery. Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) people regularly report experiencing discrimination when in healthcare settings and few TGNB-inclusive services are available. Researchers have not examined how discrimination and access to TGNB-inclusive services are associated with patient satisfaction among TGNB healthcare users. Among a convenience sample of TGNB people (n = 146) from Canada and the United States, I examined the relationship between patient satisfaction, experiencing microaggressions from primary healthcare providers, and receiving care in a TGNB-inclusive healthcare setting.

The results from a multivariable linear regression suggest that experiencing microaggressions is …

Gasping For Breath: Women’S Concerns And The Politics Of Community Development In Rural Ghana, Charles Gyan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This transnational feminist study described and interpreted the experiences of women within the context of community development in rural Ghana. The purpose of this study was to empirically ascertain the barriers faced by women within the community development processes in rural Ghana. With this goal, women from three randomly selected rural communities in Ghana were sampled and interviewed. A concurrent triangulation mixed method research design was adopted. The main instruments used were a questionnaire and an in-depth interview for the collection of the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. A total of two hundred women participated in the study.

The findings …

Good Works And The Great Commission: An Exploration Of Religious Influence In Evangelical Faith-Based Organisations In Canada And India, Ravi Gokani

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

By the mid-1990s, the post-war, Keynesian welfare state that had typified much the landscape of service provision in North America had already begun seriously to corrode in the presence of a resurgent classical liberalism. This meant, among other things, an increased role for civil society organisations in the provision of social welfare to citizens in need. As part of this restructuring of the welfare state, faith-based organisations found a renewed place, bolstered in part by favourable legislation, political support, and the revival of a once-recluse evangelicalism. Today, with decades of maturity and the aide of technology, evangelical faith-based organisations are …

Ecological Ethics And Social Work Therapy Practice, Karma Guindon

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study sheds light on the meaning of ecological ethics from the perspectives of ecologically-informed therapy professionals. A qualitative methodology was used to explore the perspectives of therapists from Canada, England, and the United States. Thirteen professionals were interviewed and feedback on these interviews was obtained utilizing focus groups. The findings include themes of relational assumptions, ecological values and principles, practice ecologies, and challenges and solutions to embracing ecological ethics. The findings suggest ways social work therapists can integrate ecological ethics into their everyday practice and point to changes that can be made in the profession more broadly, including changes …

A Qualitative Study Of Families’ Experiences With Food Insecurity In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Elias Omer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ethiopia has shown considerable progress in alleviating the decades-long food insecurity problem, but still, in the context of urban areas such as Addis Ababa families continue to struggle to make ends meet. The overall purpose of this research is to explore families’ lived experiences and coping mechanisms with food insecurity. Framed with the narrative-empowerment theoretical framework this ethnographic study outlines the findings of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion of 35 adults and children and observational notes. Participants were able to tell their perception, causes, and impacts of food insecurity in their families. They outlined the daily strategies they employ …

Stories As Sites Of Resistance: Reclaiming Men’S Narratives Of Concurrent Substance Use And Intimate Partner Violence, Stephanie Baker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examines men’s experiences and perceptions of concurrent substance use and intimate partner violence using qualitative methodology. Previous research on the relationship between these concerns has been primarily quantitative in nature and situated within two dominant perspectives (the medical model and feminism). The aim of this study was to explore men’s stories within social constructionist and postmodern frameworks to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their lived experiences with concurrent substance use and intimate partner violence.

Narrative methods were employed to collect and analyze the data. Purposive sampling located twelve men living in the Niagara Region, St. Mary’s, and …

Living Well In The Lives Of African American Women With Chronic Illness, Gabrilla Ballard

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Finding support for African American women with chronic illnesses is challenging. It often requires these women to identify, cultivate, and nurture practice structures that go beyond medical structures already in place to aid in the maintenance of their health conditions. Outside of these structures, the resources needed to support the women are limited. They do not include the scope of modalities necessary to address their unique health presentations and holistic need for medical, emotional and spiritual health. Additionally, intersecting systems of oppression pose challenges to African American women when trying to access resources that could support their overall well-being. This …

Caregiver Experiences Of A Therapeutic Nursery Program : An Exploratory Study, Jaimie Tyler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to increase our understanding of caregiver experiences whose children use the services of early-intervention programs. The primary value of this study is a better understanding of caregiver perceptions of program aims (how they understand the program), program impact (what they feel or believe it has done/ is doing for them), and program relationships (how they view their family’s relationships with staff). The goal was to add to the limited body of literature on the therapeutic nursery programs by seeking to better understand overall caregiver perceptions and experiences of one such program located …

Socioeconomic Status And Autism Spectrum Disorder : Caregivers' Solutions To Overcoming Service Barriers, Rachel Rodriguez

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study attempted to remedy the existing research gaps by asking: How does SES of caregivers for children with ASD influence their ideas of service barrier solutions? The purpose of this study was to examine caregivers’ perspectives of service barrier solutions and how SES influences their ideas of solutions. It was hypothesized that high SES caregivers would report experiencing less service barriers than low SES caregivers; therefore, there would be a difference in their ideas of solutions. This study explored sources of information, service barriers, ideas of solutions to barriers, and how solutions may improve caregivers’ abilities to care for …

The Ethics Of Dying : An Exploration Of The Right To Suicide And Clinician Response To Self-Determination And Suicidal Ideation Among Adults Who Struggle With Mental Illness, Shelley Bair

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This paper explores the question: What beliefs, values and assumptions do social workers hold when assessing whether or not a person who is a mental health client has the right to suicide? The current literature reveals that individuals struggling with physical disorders deemed extreme and untreatable are likely to be accepted as rational grounds for suicide. Underrepresented in extant research is the critical examination of the desire to die as a rational versus pathological and treatable response to mental health concerns. The study question is examined, in part, through the lens of the Code of Ethics presented by the National …

Family And School Impact On Psychological Functioning From Childhood To Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study Of Rural Chinese Youth, Yang Yue

Theses and Dissertations

The transition from childhood to adolescence can be a significant stressor for youth, leading to increases in internalizing problems for those who are vulnerable. Compared to the mounting research conducted on U.S. youth, children and adolescents in China have received less attention on their psychological adjustment. As Chinese youth constitute roughly 15% of the world’s population (World Health Organization, 2010), and the disproportionate quantity of longitudinal investigation on Chinese youth psychological functioning, understanding the influence of risk and protective factors, and their interactive effects on internalizing problems among Chinese youth is critical.

According to Life Course Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, …

Combat-Related Reproductive Trauma: Implications For Quality Of Life And The Reproductive Narrative, Laura S. Covington

Bryn Mawr College Dissertations and Theses

Little research exists on the experiences of a combat-related injury that impairs fertility. This dissertation is a qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of military members after a genitourinary (GU) injury. It addresses the biological, psychological, and social impact on quality of life during recovery and subsequent attitudes about family development and sexual functioning. Building on both the life course perspective and the reproductive story model, this dissertation reviews literature on military culture, GU injury, and infertility to give a context to further analyze the essences of the phenomenon (Elder & Giele, 2009; Jaffe & Diamond, 2011).

This study is …

Recapturing The Power Of Ritual To Enhance Community In Aging, Holly Nelson-Becker, Kimberly Sangster

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Ritual returns us to the center of who we are. In times of transition, loss, disconnection, and loneliness, ritual offers transformative power. It can provide a language for expression, stability, serve an integrating force in community, mediate tradition, and offer emotional support. This article explores the need for ritual in coping with late life changes, the relationship of ritual to suffering, value of ritual in storytelling and mourning, and explains the role of witness facilitated through community. Therapeutic functions of ritual are addressed and a framework for ritual design is suggested.

Integrating Green Social Work And The U.S. Environmental Justice Movement: An Introduction To Community Benefits Agreements, Amy Krings, Hillary Thomas

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.