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Resilience As A Protective Factor Against Compassion Fatigue In Trauma Therapists, Daniel P. David

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many adults in the United States experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within their lifetimes. Researchers have identified compassion fatigue (CF), which debilitates mental health providers as a result of being exposed to their clients' traumatic experiences, as an occupational hazard. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a correlation exists between the presence of CF and the level of resilience. A confidential survey using the Connors-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5, and a demographic questionnaire were given to graduate-level mental health clinicians who self-identified as routinely working with and/or treating trauma victims in …

The Relationship Of Self-Care To Burnout Among Social Workers In Health Care Settings, Jennifer D. Weekes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-care is critical in minimizing the symptoms of burnout among human services professionals, but specific information on the role of self-care among social workers in healthcare settings is limited. This correlational study was designed provide a fuller understanding of this relationship. Orem's theory of self-care and the theory of reasoned action and planned behavior served as the theoretical foundations of this study. The sample included 185 members of the National Association of Social Workers, who volunteered to participate in this study. Participants completed online versions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Self-Care Assessment Work Sheet. Correlation and analysis of variance …

A Phenomenological Study Of Workplace Empowerment And Self-Efficacy Of School Social Workers, Kathy J. Minnich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The divergent goals of educational institutions versus those of school social workers can lead to school social workers feeling disenfranchised. A major premise in the profession of social work is empowerment; yet, practitioners of school social work report feeling marginalized, misunderstood, underappreciated, and at-risk for elimination, common expressions of a lack of empowerment and self-efficacy. The experiences of school social workers with empowerment and self-efficacy within the workplace have been overlooked as a potential factor in the ability of these workers to empower and serve their clients. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived and share experience …

The Influence Of Military Culture And Veteran Worldviews On Mental Health Treatment: Practice Implications For Combat Veteran Help-Seeking And Wellness, Eugenia Weiss, Jose E. Coll

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The influence of military cultural values consisting of unit cohesion (or the subordination of individual needs over the needs of the collective)the devotion to duty and to the mission,stoicism (emotional restraint)and the importance of adhering to the chain of command become guiding belief systems for military personnel.In fact,military culture has been recognized as a distinct sub-culture of American civilian society.

Veterans In Higher Education: What Every Adviser May Want To Know, Jose Coll, Hans Oh, Craig Joyce, Lazara C. Coll

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the current influx of soldiers returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the newly revised Post-9/11 GI Bill affords veterans the opportunity to attend state colleges free of charge, which may result in a dramatic increase in enrollment of veterans in colleges across the country. However, most learning institutions are ill-equipped to accommodate the special needs of those veteran students who may experience adjustment problems when reintegrating into a civilian setting. Veterans return with a newly acquired value system shaped by military service that can create dissonance when interacting with non-military people. Moreover, veterans may suffer from complex physical …

Sibling Suicide In Indo-American Families: Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, And Family Relationships, Suresh Unni

Dissertations

This study investigated suicide in Indo-American families. Relationships between acculturation, acculturative stress, and family relationships in completed suicides of Indo-American youth were examined. Snowball sampling procedures were used to find six adult sibling survivors of suicide as participants. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted by the researcher. Grounded theory strategies were used to analyze data and generate theory. Analysis of results yielded both protective and risk factors for suicide. Acculturation risk factors resulted from homogeneous populations lacking in diversity while protective factors were progressive and integrated neighborhood and schools. Integration was the preferred mode of acculturation by participants and suicide victims. …

Factors Contributing To The Increase In Hiv/Aids And Late Diagnoses Of The Virus Among Older Adults, Lorraine C. Barnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that the incidence of HIV/AIDS among the American population aged 50 years and over would account for 50% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the United States by 2015. Yet there is little research available about the reason for the high prevalence or the availability of interventions available for this population. The purpose of this study was to explore factors related to HIV/AIDS awareness in a group of older recipients of health care and their health care providers. This study was intended to help fill the information gaps in this area by using …

Measuring A Community-Based Mental Health Organization’S Culture And Climate Scores Stability, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Eugene Maguin Phd, Catherine N. Dulmus Phd, Bruce C. Nisbet

Brown School Faculty Publications

This project builds on the work of Glisson et al., (2008) and the knowledge learned from community-based mental health organization’s internal structures (e.g., culture and climate), which possibly impede the implantation and adoption of new technologies. The Organizational Social Context (OSC) Model measurement system is guided by a model of social context that composes both organizational and individual level constructs, including individual and shared perceptions that are believed to mediate the impact of the organization on the individual. Although the OSC has been developed and validated over time, the literature does not provide guidance on test-retest reliability of the scale.

Job Demands, Social Support, And Work-Family Conflict: A Comparative Study Of Immigrant And Native Workers In The United States, Mamta U. Ojha

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last five decades, there has been an increase in the number of immigrants coming to and settling in the United States (U.S.). Limited research has explored the job and workplace characteristics that contribute to work-family conflict among immigrant workers. To fill this gap in knowledge this study examines the relationship of job demands, social support and worker characteristics to work-family conflict among immigrant and native workers in the U.S.

Using the 2002 National Study of Changing Workforce (NSCW), this exploratory study identifies the job demands, social support and socio-demographic factors related with time-based, and strain-based, work-family conflict among …

Prisoners Serving Sentences Of Life Without Parole: A Qualitative Study And Survey, Glenn J. Abraham

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods exploratory study examined how adult male prisoners serving sentences of life without parole adapt to the probability that they will be incarcerated for the remainder of their lives. As a second element, state prison wardens were surveyed about their support for the provision of certain amenities to those serving life without parole and the extent to which they believed those prisoners presented a risk of future dangerousness. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 inmates serving sentences of life without parole at a high security prison in Ohio. Informants identified factors that made adjustment more difficult or which …

Housing For People With Serious Mental Illness: Approaches, Evidence, And Transformative Change, Geoffrey Nelson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The evolution of housing approaches for people with serious mental illness is described and analyzed. A distinction is made between three different approaches to housing: (a) custodial, (b) supportive, and (c) supported. Research evidence is reviewed that suggests the promise of supported housing, but more research is needed that compares supported housing with different supportive housing approaches. It is argued that the current move to a supported housing approach represents a fundamental shift or transformative change in mental health policy and practice. Strategies to facilitate this shift are discussed.

Criminal Offending Among Respondents To Protective Orders: Crime Types And Patterns That Predict Victim Risk, Carol E. Jordan, Adam J. Pritchard, Danielle Duckett, Richard Charnigo

Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women Publications

Research has shown that respondents to protective orders have robust criminal histories and that criminal offending behavior often follows issuance of a protective order. Nonetheless, the specific nature of the association between protective orders and criminal offending remains unclear. This study uses two classes of statistical models to more clearly delineate that relationship. The models reveal factors and characteristics that appear to be associated with offending and protective order issuance and provide indications about when a victim is most at risk and when the justice system should be most ready to provide immediate protection.

Early Childhood Abuse And Neglect: Exploring The Consequences, Effects, And Treatment, Kimberly Friedman

Psychology and Child Development

With the prevalence of child abuse and neglect in our nation and around the world, the theories of why these types of maltreatment occur are a relevant topic for all to explore. Researchers are interested in how child abuse and neglect affect the individuals who were victims as well as the use and efficacy of treatment procedures. In this project, significant research is examined, detailing the various models of abuse and neglect and how the models are perpetuated through development, as a result of exposure to various environments or social relationships. The consequences of experiencing these forms of maltreatment are …

Development Of The Trauma Informed System Change Instrument: Evaluation Of Factorial Validity And Implications For Use, Margaret M. Richardson

Dissertations

This paper outlines the process of developing and evaluating an instrument measuring the extent to which a complex community system has changed as a result of a community initiative, and for purposes of this research, doing this within the content area of developing local trauma informed child welfare systems in specific communities in Michigan. The instrument was designed for the Southwest Michigan Children's Trauma Assessment Center's (CTAC) SAMHSA-funded initiative to bring a trauma informed perspective to professionals working with children in child welfare. Because there is not a standard set to define what constitutes trauma informed treatment of children in …

Perspectives Of Employed People Experiencing Homelessness Of Self And Being Homeless: Challenging Socially Constructed Perceptions And Stereotypes, Micheal L. Shier, Marion E. Jones, John R. Graham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a study that sought to identify the multiple factors resulting in homelessness from the perspective of 65 individuals in Calgary, Alberta, Canada who were both employed and homeless, we found that participants' perceptions of being homeless emerged as a major theme which impacts their entry to and exit from homelessness. Four sub-themes related to these perceptions were identified: (1) perceptions of self and situation; (2) impact of being homeless on self-reflection; (3) aspects of hope to consider; and (4) perspectives on having a permanent residence. Analytically, these findings help challenge present stereotypes about homelessness and usefully inform social service …

The Economics Of Being Young And Poor: How Homeless Youth Survive In Neo-Liberal Times, Jeff Karabanow, Jean Hughes, Jann Ticknor, Sean Kidd, Dorothy Patterson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based upon in-depth interviews with 34 youth in Halifax and seven service providers in St. John's, Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary, the findings of this study suggest that labor occurs within a particular street context and street culture. Formal and informal work can be inter-related, and despite the hardships they experience, young people who are homeless or who are at-risk of homelessness can respond to their circumstances with ingenuity, resilience and hope. Often street-involved and homeless young people are straddling formal and informal work economies while mediating layers of external and internal motivations and tensions. The reality is that …

Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire: Trauma In The Lives Of Homeless Youth Prior To And During Homelessness, John Coates, Sue Mckenzie-Mohr

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anecdotal evidence from those who work with homeless youth indicates that trauma permeates these young people's lives. This paper presents the findings from a study of 100 homeless youth regarding the presence of trauma in their lives, both before and during homelessness. Participants living in the Maritime Provinces volunteered to take part in a semi-structured interview lasting one to two hours. The interview questionnaire was conducted by a trained interviewer, and was composed of standardized and adapted survey instruments, as well as questions regarding demographics, experiences prior to becoming homeless, assistance received while dealing with stressors, and current needs. The …

The Limits Of Social Capital: An Examination Of Immigrants' Housing Challenges In Calgary, Alina Tanasescu, Alan Smart

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A common explanation of immigrants' under-representation among the homeless population in Canada is that kinship and community networks act as a buffer to absolute homelessness. There are indications that immigrant homelessness is, however, increasing, suggesting that the buffering capacity of social networks reaches a limit. Further, evidence of precarious housing situations indicates that we should approach this form of housing provision with some caution. This paper draws on a larger study of housing difficulties among immigrants in Calgary to address the ways in which social capital serves a buffering role, and under what conditions it loses its ability to prevent …

Representations Of Homelessness In Four Canadian Newspapers: Regulation, Control, And Social Order, Barbara Schneider, Kerry Chamberlain, Darrin Hodgetts

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on a content analysis of homelessness representations in four Canadian newspapers: two city broadsheets, one city tabloid, and one national newspaper. Clear differences between the papers emerged showing that in general coverage of homelessness in Calgary was much more positive than coverage in Vancouver. It conveyed a stronger sense of crisis or urgency and a stronger sense of optimism that the problem should and can be solved. Experts dominate public discourse about homelessness, with people who experience homelessness themselves marginalized as speakers. Despite these differences, the four papers present a unified narrative of homelessness in which readers …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 37, No. 4 (December 2010)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE ON HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA

• INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA - John R. Graham and Jeannette Waegemakers Schiff, Special Editors
• PERSPECTIVES OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OF SELF AND BEING HOMELESS: CHALLENGING SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED PERCEPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES - Micheal L. Shier, Marion E. Jones, and John R. Graham
• THE ECONOMICS OF BEING YOUNG AND POOR: HOW HOMELESS YOUTH SURVIVE IN NEOLIBERAL TIMES - Jeff Karabanow, Jean Hughes, Jann Ticknor, Sean Kidd, and Dorothy Patterson
• OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, INTO THE FIRE: TRAUMA IN THE LIVES OF HOMELESS YOUTH PRIOR TO AND DURING HOMELESSNESS - John …

Agreement Between Clinician And Patient Ratings Of Adaptive Functioning And Developmental History, Jared A. Defife, Rebecca Drill, Ora Nakash, Drew Westen

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Objective: Psychiatric researchers rely heavily on patient report data for clinical research. However, patient reports are prone to defensive and self-presentation biases. Recent research using practice networks has relied on clinician reports, and both forensic and personality disorder researchers have recently turned to quantified data from clinically expert observers as well. However, critics have raised legitimate concerns about the reliability and validity of data from clinician informants. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and diagnostic efficiency of clinician reports of their patients' adaptive functioning and developmental histories, using patient reports as the comparative standard traditionally used …

Patients Reasons For Choosing Office-Based Buprenorphine: Preference For Patient-Centered Care, P. Todd Korthuis, Jessica Gregg, Wendy E. Rogers, Dennis Mccarty, Christina Nicolaidis, Joshua Boverman

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives - To explore HIV-infected patients' attitudes about buprenorphine treatment in office-based and opioid treatment program (OTP) settings.

Methods - We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 29 patients with co-existing HIV infection and opioid dependence seeking buprenorphine maintenance therapy in office-based and OTP settings. We used thematic analysis of transcribed audiorecorded interviews to identify themes.

Results - Patients voiced a strong preference for office-based treatment. Four themes emerged to explain this preference. First, patients perceived the greater convenience of office-based treatment as improving their ability to address HIV and other healthcare issues. Second, they perceived a strong patient-focused orientation in …

The Impact Of Deployment And Psychological Well-Being On Family Relationships: A Secondary Analysis Of Air Force Community Assessment Data, Keita Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

Airmen serving in the U.S. Air Force have made significant contributions to the overall war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Deployment, combat exposure, and subsequent combat-related mental health issues can have effects that extended beyond the airmen to the family. The primary aim of this study was to determine the path through which such effects occur within the context of risk and protective factors. The risk factors identified in this study were: deployment length and frequency and psychological symptomology. The construct of social support was also examined as an identified protective factor. This study examined the relationships between all of …

The Seed For Oklahoma Kids Experiment: Initial Account Opening And Savings, Robert Zager, Youngmi Kim, Yunju Nam, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The SEED for Oklahoma Kids Experiment: Initial Account Opening and Savings

The Seed For Oklahoma Kids Experiment: Initial Account Opening And Savings, Robert Zager, Youngmi Kim, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The SEED for Oklahoma Kids Experiment: Initial Account Opening and Savings

From Helena To Harlem: Experiences Of Lower-Income Rural And Urban Parents In Childrens Savings Account Programs, Edward Scalon, Leann Wittman

Center for Social Development Research

This report focuses on a qualitative study of parents and other parents who were involved in the SEED program at the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City and the Southern Good Faith Fund in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. In-depth interviews with the caregivers of child participants were designed to help provide a richer understanding of perceived facilitators and obstacles to saving, perceived effects of saving, and participants’ experiences of various program features. This report focus on three of our primary research concerns: perceived saving facilitators, perceived saving barriers, and perceived impacts of SEED participation.

Back Where They Once Belonged? Local Response To Afforestation In County Kerry, Ireland, Matthew S. Carroll, Áine Ní Dhubháin, Courtney G. Flint

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Afforestation has many benefits at the local regional and global scale. The local social impacts of planting new forests, however, depend on a variety of contextual factors and other details including who is doing the planting, which species are being planted, the location of the planting and, perhaps most importantly, existing land uses and their linkage to social and economic circumstances. This article presents case study research into these issues in two places in County Kerry Ireland. Utilising the concept of the differentiated landscape, we examine the somewhat varying social responses to afforestation in the two study sites in light …

Do Parental Assets Matter For Children's Educational Attainment?: Evidence From Mediation Tests, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This study investigates (1) the effects of parental assets on children’s educational attainment from high school completion to college degree attainment, and (2) mediating roles played by parental involvement, child’s educational expectations, and child’s self-esteem. The study sample (N=632) is drawn from the Child and Young Adult data supplement to the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979. Results indicate that parental assets are associated with children’s later educational attainment. Financial assets and home-ownership are significantly associated with high school completion and college attendance. In addition, family income becomes non-significant when specific measures of assets and liabilities are taken into account. …

Defining A Foster Care Placement Move: The Perspective Of Adults Who Formerly Lived In Multiple Out-Of-Home Placements, Yvonne Unrau

Social Work Faculty Publications

Several studies have demonstrated that children who experience multiple placements are more likely to experience behavioral problems and are less likely to achieve reunification. However, little is known about how move transitions— from one foster home to another, from foster care to birth family home, or between family placements and group care facilities—are perceived or experienced by children in foster care, or those formerly in foster care. This qualitative study examines the definition of foster care placement moves from the perspective of adults formerly in foster care. Participants identify both physical and psychological shifts as key dimensions of the placement …

Microfinance Dan Pemberdayaan: Suatu Upaya Penanganan Kemiskinan Yang Berkelanjutan, Bagus Aryo

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This study is aimed to answer the challenges faced by the microfinance sector in Indonesia in regards to poverty reduction. Besides economic deprivation, deprivation to access to economic activities such as isolation from reproduction of social capital, social network, family, and business network, are faced by the poor. Microfinance could be utilized as a tool to reduce poverty through social and financial intermediation process within. This study presented a case study of LKM Kube Sejahtera in Sleman, Yogyakarta that transformed the poor to become micro-entrepreneur through the financial and social intermediation process. The first process was a character building process …