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An Investigation Into Associations With Attachment, Companion Pet Attachment, Empathy, And Prosocial Behaviors In 18–20 Year Old College Students, Christian Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines empathy, parental attachment, companion pet attachment and social behaviors in a sample of 120 students between the ages of 18-20 enrolled at Front Range Community College in Westminster CO during the fall semester 2008. The study is based on the research questions posed by Thompson and Gullone (2008) but pays particular attention to the relationships between and among variables measured in that study as well as their association with variables indicating companion pet companionship. The research questions are: (1) does parental empathic attachment predict prosocial and antisocial behaviors during older adolescence or young adulthood? And (2) does …

Liminal Living At An Extended Stay Hotel: Feeling "Stuck" In A Housing Solution, Terri Wingate-Lewinson, June Gary Hopps, Patricia Reeves

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As a result of unaffordable housing, many of America's working poor are forced to seek shelter in hotels to avoid homelessness. The concept of liminality has been used in discussions of place to describe the subjective experience of feeling in-between two states of being. Research is scant on the liminal experiences of low-income hotel residents, who are culturally invisible in society. This paper draws from data qualitatively collected via semi-structured interviews from ten low-income residents living in an extended-stay hotel. Descriptions of these residential experiences are presented along with recommendations for social workers practicing with families in this liminal situation.

Women's Rights=Human Rights: Pakistani Women Against Gender Violence, Filomena M. Critelli

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Gender-based violence constitutes a major public health risk and is a serious violation of basic human rights throughout the world. Counter to many Western images of Muslim women as passive victims, women's groups in Pakistan have begun to organize to respond to these conditions. This study is based upon in-depth interviews conducted with the founders and senior staff of Dastak (Knock on the Door), a shelter for women in Lahore, Pakistan that uses a human rights framework to provide services and advocate for public support for women's rights to safety and security. The study explores how Pakistani women are taking …

Preventing Violence In Low-Income Communities: Facilitating Residents' Ability To Intervene In Neighborhood Problems, Mary L. Ohmer, Barbara D. Warner, Elizabeth Beck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The violence found in low-income communities, including areas of concentrated poverty, is often extensive and can involve illegal drugs, juvenile delinquency, and even homicide. A large body of research has emerged which points to the positive effects of informal social control and social capital in preventing violence in lowincome communities, including neighbors taking leadership roles by intervening themselves. This article contains a description of an exploratory study ofa pilot training program the authors developed to facilitate residents' ability to intervene in neighborhood problems in a low-income community in Atlanta, Georgia. The training incorporated concepts from restorative justice, peacemaking criminology, and …

Review Of Children Families And Social Exclusion: New Approaches To Prevention. Kate Morris, Marian Barnes, And Paul Mason. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Kate Morris, Marian Barnes and Paul Mason, Children, Families and Social Exclusion: New Approaches to Prevention. Bristol: Policy Press, 2009. $36.95 papercover.

Review Of Childhood, Youth And Social Work In Transformation: Implications For Policy And Practice. Lynne M. Nebell, Jeffrey J. Shook, And Janet L. Finn. Reviewed By Ann Reyes Robbins., Ann Reyes Robbins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Lynn M. Nybell, Jeffrey J. Shook, and Janet L. Finn (Eds.), Childhood, Youth and Social Work in Transformation: Implications for Policy and Practice. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. $60.00 hardcover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 37, No. 2 (June 2010)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• LIMINAL LIVING AT AN EXTENDED STAY HOTEL: FEELING "STUCK" IN A HOUSING SOLUTION - Terri Wingate-Lewinson, June Gary Hopps, and Patricia Reeves
• FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS, PUBLIC PROGRAM PARTICIPATION, & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT - Richard K. Caputo
• RECONSTRUCTING CITIZENSHIP IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY: HOW RESTRICTING IMMIGRANTS FROM WELFARE UNDERMINES SOCIAL RIGHTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS - Rupaleem Bhuyan
• WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE THREATENED MIDDLE CLASS - Jill Littrell, Fred Brooks, Jan Ivery, and Mary L. Ohmer
• SKEW SELECTION THEORY APPLIED TO THE WEALTH AND WELFARE OF NATIONS - Susan F. Allen and Deby L. Cassill
• WOMEN'S RIGHTS=HUMAN RIGHTS: PAKISTANI …

Relationship And Injury Trends In The Homicide Of Women Across The Lifespan: A Research Note, Carol E. Jordan, Adam J. Pritchard, Danielle Duckett, Pamela Wilcox, Tracey Corey, Mandy Combest

Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women Publications

In 2006, more than 3,600 women in the United States lost their lives to homicide. Descriptive data regarding homicides of women are beginning to reveal important complexities regarding victim–offender relationships, severity of injury, and age of female homicide victim. More specifically, there is some indication that the correlation between victim–offender relationship and injury severity may be conditional, depending on victim age. This retrospective review accessed medical examiner records of female homicide victims from 2002 through 2004, and its findings offer additional illumination on the trends in associations of injury and relationship variables in the homicide of women over their life …

The Lived Experience Of Empowered Volunteers: A Study Of Christian Church Volunteers, Adam K. Peters

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Psychological empowerment has been thoroughly studied in the workplace context. Volunteerism has also been thoroughly studied through a multitude of different facets. However, little research could be found bridging the empowerment construct into volunteerism. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experience of empowerment among volunteers. Volunteer empowerment was discovered through four primary themes, make a difference, rewarding, lifestyle of service, and passion, and three secondary themes, autonomy, awareness, and ability. Other relevant findings included and revolved around volunteer time and balance, challenges, propelling forces, and getting started. Current …

A Comparison Of Course Completion, Satisfaction, Achievement, And Performance Among Non-Profit Professionals Who Complete Andragogical Or Pedagogical Online Learning Modules On Grant Writing, Joe Bernard Bradley Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes among staff members of nonprofit social service agencies who participated in or completed an andragogicallyfacilitated or a pedagogically-conducted online learning module on foundation grant writing. The efficacy of andragogical methods is unknown and often debated due to scarce empirical research on the topic. Though most prior empirical studies revealed no significant differences in outcomes between the two methods, this is the first study of its kind to address each of the assumptions of andragogy in an online non-formal learning environment. Effectiveness was measured based on participants’ self-reported reaction to learning …

Family Preservation In Families’ Ecological Systems: Factors That Predict Out-Of-Home Placement And Maltreatment For Service Recipients In Richmond City, Jody Hearn

Theses and Dissertations

Family preservation services are intended to prevent the out-of-home placement (into foster care or some other alternative arrangement) of children and youth in families at risk of maltreating them. An Ecological Systems perspective of these families might suggest that a family’s context (represented by the variables of poverty, agency services, family history, and individual/caretaker characteristics) must be considered as an over-arching influence in families’ risk and outcomes. The purpose of this cross-sectional secondary data analysis study was to identify layered factors that distinguish family preservation cases in Richmond, VA that experience removal or subsequent abuse or neglect from those that …

Job And Personal Resources And Demands: The Effects On Job Satisfaction And Job Search Behavior Of Certified Nursing Assistants (Cnas) Working In Nursing Homes, Natsuko Ryosho

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine how job resources, job demands, personal resource, personal demands, and demographic characteristics predict job satisfaction and job search behavior of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working in nursing homes. The study used data from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS). The job demands-resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) provided the basis for the conceptual framework of the study. First, a series of multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to determine how the five categories of predictor variables predicted the levels of job satisfaction among CNAs. Next, a series …

Aps: Neglected Agency In Feed Of Transformation, Suncica Sue Vilic

Theses & Honors Papers

Approximately 3 million elders are mistreated annually in the United States. Due to factors such as increase in life expectancy, this number is likely to amplify. Adult Protective Services agencies across the nation have been established by The Social Security Act, with purpose and goal of providing services to stop elder mistreatment and prevent it from occurring further. Although program was created over 40 years ago, APS agencies continue to make little progress and are publicly and legislatively neglected when compared to child welfare programs and domestic violence programs.

This thesis presents overview of APS problems on local, state, and …

Faculty Perceptions Of Differences Between Teaching Rural Appalachian And Urban Social Work Students, Lonnie R. Helton Lisw-S, Acsw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Faculty who teach social work students in both rural Appalachian colleges and urban settings often notice differences in how these students approach learning and respond to the classroom environment and university setting. There is limited research on how Appalachian college students experience higher education and how they perceive the benefits of a college degree. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of social work faculty members at three Appalachian and three Midwestern universities, who have taught rural Appalachian students, as well as students from urban areas. Findings indicated that faculty mostly viewed Appalachian students as being different from urban students. Appalachian …

Parents Describe Finding Income And Resources For Their Medicaid-Eligible Children With Disabilities, Joanne Riebschleger, Marya Sosulski, Angelique Day

Social Work Faculty Publications

In the U.S. social system, the roles of work and parenthood are often in conflict, and this conflict is especially problematic for parents of children with special needs. This study was designed to give parents an opportunity to describe their experiences in finding income and resources while caring for a Medicaid-eligible child with a chronic illness or disability. Three themes emerged: work and parenting responsibilities constantly intersected; resources for families were often insufficient or unavailable; and when parents received help, the helpers took extraordinary measures. Findings were compared to those of emerging literature; in addition, parents offered many practice and …

The Use Of Prescription Drugs For Academic Performance Enhancement In College Aged Students, Sarah Sweeney

Social Work Theses

100 students between the ages of 18-22 were surveyed at a small, private New England college in an effort to develop a better understanding of the use of stimulant medications by this population and to evaluate existing and potential policies surrounding such use. Finding revealed high rates of illicit use of such medications with 56% of the surveyed sample reporting to use during their college career and 94% responding that they were aware of such use on campus. A statistically significant relationship was identified between students that illicitly used the medications and students that believe the drugs were harmless. In …

The Relationship Between Individualistic Attitudes And Attitudes Towards Traditional Marriage In Contemporary American Society, Mary Sarah Harper

Social Work Theses

This report examines attitudes of a sample of 100 individuals from the ‘marriage-eligible population’ regarding the Institution of Marriage in relation to the rising prevalence of Individualistic attitudes in contemporary American society. This study found the rise of individualistic attitudes to have a statistically significant positive correlation to the rise in negative attitudes towards traditional marriage. It is argued in this study that the increase in individualistic attitudes is the primary contributing factor to the three trends of marital decline; the increasing divorce rate, the decreasing marriage rate, and the increasing number of alternatives to traditional marriage. This study attempts …

Hippotherapy And Therapeutic Riding: Practicing Social Workers And Undergraduate Social Work Students, Devin Smith

Social Work Theses

This study attempted to explore, through the use of surveys, what practicing social workers and undergraduate student social workers know about hippotherapy and therapuetic riding. In addition, this study made an effort to examine what the key means of learning participants had when it came to these alternative methods of therapy. The hypothesis that undergraduate social work students would collectively not be familiar with hippotherapy or therapuetic riding and that practicing social workers would have a better knowledge base in this area, was tested through the use of surveys. These surveys were distributed in a handful of undergraduate social work …

Cultural Differences: Their Effect On Social Skill Development, Ashley Jay

Social Work Theses

The level of social skill that is acquired by a child can be determined by the culture in which they are brought up. The culture of a country provides certain “guidelines” for the upbringing of children and, most importantly, the structure of their schooling. Within this schooling, children are taught the proper social behaviors. The external environment competes with natural born, biological tendencies of a child along with their home/family influences. The potential connection between culture and social skill development was examined through daycare surveys in which teachers from two countries answered questions regarding the social skill level of their …

Father Absence And Self-Esteem Amongst Economically Disadvantaged Children, Casey Kevorkian

Social Work Theses

Children begin to build self-esteem in early childhood based on social and emotional development. Previous research has shown that children inhabiting homes where the biological, adoptive, or step father are present have shown to exhibit higher levels of self esteem and social functioning. However, further information regarding the positive male influence, lesbian parenting, or the absence of “paternal absence” stigmas have show to contradict the previous research. This study investigated the self-esteem of economically disadvantaged children using results from the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment as it relates to the levels of father involvement. 115 children ages 3-5 involved in a …

The Advantages Of Single-Sex Vs.Coeducational Environments For High School Girls, Kristen Hartman

Social Work Theses

100 female college students attending a small Catholic college in the Northeast were surveyed in order to find the relationship between attending single-sex high school and the females’ level of self esteem, motivation in the academic and career life, and gender role beliefs. Of the 100 female college students surveyed sixty attended coeducational high schools and forty attended single-sex schools. The survey questions were organized in a way which would ultimately help decide whether attending single-sex high school was more beneficial for high school girls than attending coeducational schools. The findings revealed that girls who attended single-sex high school have …

Sex Education: The Effectiveness Of Comprehensive-Based Compared To The Effectiveness Of Abstinence-Only, Caitlin Motherway

Social Work Theses

Sex education has the potential to be a powerful way to educate children and adolescents about the risks and implications of sex. There currently is a debate about what type of information should be appropriately delivered to students in school; supporters of Comprehensive-Based sex education argue that information regarding Sexually Transmitted Diseases and contraceptives should be delivered to students, while supporters of Abstinence-Only sex education hold that the only method of safe sex that should be taught to students is abstinence. There are an alarming number of children and adolescents dealing with the consequences of unprotected sex, so sex education …

Working Report #8: Services And Supports (Parent Perspectives), Lirondel Hazineh, Gary Cameron, Karen Frensch

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

In this study, differences between accessible settings and centralized settings in terms of the range of services and supports that were reported to be available to clients were investigated. The numbers, types and variety of services described differed, as did the amount of advocacy and support in connecting with services. Also, client satisfaction with the services provided appeared to be somewhat different across models.

Number, Types and Variety of Services In accessible settings families were being connected with at least twice as many different services and supports as in the centralized sites. There were a few exceptions to this trend …

Athletics And Violence Against Women: A Study Of Relationship, Meeghan Mercurio

Social Work Theses

This study looked to explore the correlation of violence and being a student athlete. The study was conducted at a small, private, Catholic college in the Northeastern part of the United States. There were 18 female participants and 24 male participants. The participants completed a 27 question survey pertaining to attitudes about violence against women. An independent T –test and a Pearson correlation was used. However, both tests proved the null hypothesis and the data proved not to be statistically significant. Yet, the negative reactions of the participants were significant. Research determined that more data and research is needed.

Gender Specific Skills Promote Female Adolescent Well-Being, Jessica Jones

Social Work Theses

The literature on the middle school years for girls has indicated that it is both a critical and arduous developmental period. This is important to social work practitioners because middle school‐aged girls are an at‐risk population that needs to be helped in a unique way. One preventative method that is often extremely beneficial to this population are small, gender‐specific, skills groups which openly discuss issues in a safe, informative, and therapeutic way. More specifically, an agency in Rhode Island that serves at‐risk girls conducts a community‐based mentor program. The program meets with the same small cohort of girls over approximately …

An Assessment Of Social Worker Attitudes Regarding The Domestic Sex Trafficking Of Children In America, Becky Bergeron

Social Work Theses

Human sex trafficking, defined as a “modern-day form of slavery in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years” (USDHHS, 2009) is a problem that many people do not think is issue in America, but in fact is. This study investigated the attitudes of social workers towards domestically sex trafficked children in the United States, as well as towards pimps and johns, and federal and state policies regarding the safety of sex trafficked children. It was hypothesized that …

A Comparative Study Of Academic Achievement, Social Skills, Autonomy: College-Aged Males With Or Without Their Biological Fathers, Peter Baron

Social Work Theses

There is a growing problem in today’s society of children growing up in father-less households. One demographic at risk is young developing males who grow up without their biological father due to incarceration, divorce, separation, and death. This can affect the cognitive development of child which can lead to the decline of social, academic, and self regulation capacities. Once this young man enters college, he must exercise these capacities to the best of his abilities in order to succeed. This research study provided an overview of the issue of absent fathers on their sons and their long-term effect on their …

Transitioning The Needs Of Children With Chronic Illness: Exploring Communication Between Hospitals And School Settings, Christina Marchitto

Social Work Theses

Chronic illnesses like cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV, hemophilia, and metabolic disorders are on the rise. Chronic illness can be defined as an ongoing health condition that requires specialized treatments and may cause limitations in functions, activities or social roles. There are multiple phases that individuals with chronic illness progress through while learning to cope with their condition. Children with chronic illness are likely to spend a great deal of time in doctor’s offices and in the hospital. This study hypothesized that there is limited support for and understanding of the needs of children with chronic illness once they leave …

Healthy And Affordable Food In Low-Income Neighborhoods: A Community Food Security Assessment Of Smith Hill, Kelly Bevis

Social Work Theses

Community food security refers to a situation where all residents in a community can access affordable and nutritionally adequate foods. When a community has difficultly accessing healthy and affordable food, it is an issue of community food insecurity; low-income and urban communities experience this problem greatly. Key indicators of food insecurity include households with incomes below the poverty line, minority households, female-headed households, households with children, a lack of a supermarket and lack of adequate transportation. This study examined the issue of community food security in the Smith Hill neighborhood of Providence, RI. It was hypothesized that the Smith Hill …

Predicting Secure Detention Placement For African-American Juvenile Offenders: Addressing The Disproportionate Minority Confinement Problem, Christopher A. Mallett, Patricia A. Stoddard Dare

Social Work Faculty Publications

Disproportionate minority contact and confinement (DMC) are significant problems within the juvenile justice system in the United States. Minority youth are more often arrested, court referred, placed in locked facilities, and transferred to adult criminal courts. In fact, African American youth are 6 times more likely than White youth to experience a secure facility placement. Standardized risk assessments have been used, in part, to reduce these biased placement outcomes. The purpose of this article is to determine if DMC impacts secure detention placement even when a standardized risk assessment is used to determine youths' risks and needs in 1 Midwest …