Digital Commons Network^™

The Mirror Project: Reflections On The Experiences Of African-American Female Adolescents Experiencing Foster Care, Bahia Anise-Cross Degruy Overton

Dissertations and Theses

As the author Zora Neale Hurston says, "If you're silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it." The Mirror Project (MP) aims to break this silence by giving voice to Black women who have experienced foster care in Portland, Oregon during their adolescence. In focus groups and interviews, participants shared their stories. Racial identity development theory, phenomenology and Afrocentric feminist epistemology provided lenses for gaining insight into their experiences in a predominantly white city. The MP revealed six themes: lack of youth engagement in foster care decisions, the need for a cultural lens in social work, …

“Do The Right Thing”: Immigrant Perspectives Of Social Worker Support In The United States, Abha Rai, Mary Lehman Held, Melody Huslage, Eliza Galvez, Yigermal Demissie Ayalew, Leia Siksay

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

Social workers play a distinctive role in serving all communities, especially immigrants. Heightened immigrant stress and deteriorating well-being have been reported amid recent anti-immigrant socio-political climate. Given the unique challenges of immigrants, they have distinct needs. In our study, we utilize data from a larger study including a sample of first- and second-generation immigrants, to understand “How can social workers support immigrant communities?” In total, N = 265 participants responded to this prompt. We employed a content analysis approach to analyze participant responses. Our analysis yielded four main themes: (1) Resources for immigrants, (2) Doing right by immigrants, (3) Advocacy, …

“There’S A Connection That Is Just Beyond Words”: A Qualitative Study Of Therapy Dogs In A Child Trauma Assessment Center, Angela M. Moe

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

The utilization of animal-assisted interventions with trauma survivors is a growing field of practice and research. This study explored staff perceptions of the impact of therapy dogs in comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessments of children who have experienced significant maltreatment. Such victimization causes devastating and long-term consequences across physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains. Trauma assessments have been used as a means of understanding the impacts of maltreatment and in guiding treatment. Following a go-along qualitative approach, the study occurred over 16 months wherein experienced therapy dogs were incorporated into assessments of 323 children. Data were collected through field interviews and participant …

Animal Assisted Play Therapy® For Childhood Animal Abuse Following Exposure To Family Violence: A Case Example, Katharine Wenocur, Rise Vanfleet

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Intentional harm to nonhuman animals in childhood often correlates with histories of witnessing, experiencing, or perpetrating violence. Without appropriate intervention, children and adolescents who abuse animals following exposure to family violence risk long-term behavioral health challenges. While some treatment models have been specifically designed to reduce the risk of future violence among children displaying this behavior, interventions involving nonhuman animals represent a novel approach and show promise in addressing behavioral challenges associated with this behavior. Framed through the lens of a clinical case study, this article presents the potential benefits of implementing Animal Assisted Play Therapy® to treat symptoms of …

Lived Experiences Of Young Adults Raised With A Sibling With Autism, Lamika Demitris Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the family structure is affected. Although researchers have documented increased stress and depression among parents of children with ASD, they have not adequately explored siblings’ perspectives on the emotional, physical, and/or psychological implications of having a brother or sister with ASD. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore siblings’ lived experiences of growing up in a household with a sibling with ASD. The conceptual framework for this study was grounded in the siblings embedded systems framework (SESF), which helps contextualize siblings’ experiences, including interacting factors, and how these experiences …

A Phenomenological Study On The Contributors Of Compassion Fatigue With Substance Use Disorder Counselors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer A. Galvano

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study aimed to understand the experience of compassion fatigue in substance use counselors in Western New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies have reviewed burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma and have discussed the outcomes of their unmanaged effects on healthcare professionals. Few have focused directly on the impact that key contributors of compassion fatigue have on substance abuse disorder (SUD) counselors. This qualitative study is designed to support substance abuse counselors’ mental health and well-being. Counselors are exposed to clashing situations such as turnover, larger caseloads, client trauma, regulations, lack of training, lack of understanding of …

Can I Leave The Past Behind? Associations Between Childhood Abuse And Adult Psychopathology, Maayan Nagar, Ora Nakash

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Background: Research consistently shows that abuse during childhood is related to adult psychopathology. Information regarding childhood abuse is frequently collected from either previous documentation or from participants’ self-reports. Objective: In the current study, we combined information on reports of childhood abuse from several informants (patients, treating clinicians, and independent interviewer), as well as diagnostic assessments of adult patients based on independent interviewer assessments based on structured diagnostic interviews (SCID) and clinician judgments, to better examine the association between exposure to abuse during childhood and adult psychopathology. Participants and Setting: A convenience sample of patients in community mental health and hospital-based …

Visual Methods For Qualitative Research With Older Refugees: Reflection On Strengths And Drawbacks, Prince Chiagozie Ekoh, Christine A. Walsh

The Qualitative Report

Although older refugees have similar characteristics and vulnerabilities as other populations that have benefited from visual research methods, there is scarce evidence of these methods being used for qualitative social work studies with older refugees. In this article, we discuss the application of visual methods for social work research with older refugees for a better understanding of their experiences and challenges, highlighting how it can be evocative, improve discussions by reaching senses that ordinary interviews cannot grasp, avoid re-traumatisation during research, and build resilience and coping in older refugees. We propose that visual methods could address power dynamics that privilege …

Human Rights Organizations In Palestine: Scope, Opportunities And Challenges, Qusai A. Ibrahim, Salwa Ramadan

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study was designed to understand the scope, opportunites and challenges of human rights organizations (HROs) from the point of view of managers in the State of Palestine. The study adopted the quantitative method, using a probability sample of 39 managers in the HROs. A social survey, developed by the researchers, was used to collect the data after ensuring its reliability and validity. The data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and are discussed with descriptive statistics. Against the background of the pervasive attacks by Israel on Palestine, the study revealed that HROs engage in a …

Development Of Interprofessional Socialization In A Multifaceted Live Action Clinical Role-Play Simulation For Speech-Language Pathology And Social Work Students, Cody Marie Busch, Jennifer Anderson, Lynn Gilbertson, Sarah Hessenauer

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Live action clinical role-plays are one of many types of simulated learning experiences that can be crafted for undergraduate and graduate students alike when learning to collaborate interprofessionally. This mixed methods exploratory research project partnered four academic instructors from the disciplines of speech-language pathology and social work, with several additional community members adding their expertise to enrich the experience of a live-action clinical role-play. Students (N = 32) participated in a two-part multifaceted interprofessional education (IPE) experience with the first part consisting of eight hours of online asynchronous training and the second part consisting of eight hours of a multifaceted …

Immigrant Women From Iran And Afghanistan In Sweden: Experiences Of Domestic Violence During The Covid Pandemic, Fatemeh Hamedanian

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This paper explores the firsthand experiences of immigrant women victims of domestic violence amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Sixteen Iranian and Afghan women residing in Sweden were interviewed. Their responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. An intersectional perspective was used to understand domestic violence among the immigrant women. The study found high levels of psychological violence and controlling behavior by the women’s partners. The harm was compounded by economic instability, the temporality of residency permits, and the limited access to support services. The intersectional analysis suggests that multiple factors in the midst of the pandemic increase the vulnerability of abused …

The Black Map Project: A Black People’S Epistemology Of Healing, Britton Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work is a love letter to Mary Turner and her descendants, by which I mean all Black people, that lifts recipes and roadmaps of Black creative healing and liberatory praxes. It is a freedom dream (Kelley, 2002) that dares to (re)imagine mental health care by holding Black healing and liberation centrally in mind. I do not seek to prove through this work but rather to provoke [thought|action|repair]. In this work, I unsettle prescribed notions of therapy that have long dismissed/erased/ignored the needs and [therapeutic] practices of Black people. The Black MAP Project resists epistemologies of ignorance (Mills, 2022)—born in …

Provision And Long-Term Assessment Of A Specialized Clinical Evidence-Based Practice Curriculum For Master Of Social Work Students, Susan Reay

Social Work Faculty Publications

This study investigated social workers’ knowledge of the common elements in evidence-based practice to treat youth mental health conditions following a specialized curriculum during their Master of Social Work (MSW) education. Participants’ knowledge was measured during their MSW education and in their first 5 years of social work practice after graduation. The quantitative study measured participants’ knowledge of common elements three times; 86 social workers participated in the study with 67 sets of scores at three data points. Study results showed that participants knew more after completing the curriculum but knew less one to five years after graduation. Overall, however, …

Public Benefits Access And Use Among Low-Income Individuals In Dover, Delaware, Kofoworola Lawal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Traffic Congestion And Quality Of Life, Amer Alhusinan

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

The problem of traffic congestion is one of the most serious problems that affect people because of the many negative effects it has on the quality of life and well-being of people, which include health, environmental, psychological and aesthetic aspects. With the increase in the number of vehicles and means of transportation, especially in large, densely populated cities, the problem of traffic congestion is exacerbated, which results in many negative effects, such as air pollution resulting from vehicle exhausts, which leads to chest diseases and suffocation, as well as the transfer of toxic substances present in fuel such as lead …

Social Workers’ Education In Identifying Victims Of Human Trafficking, Simmone Lafette Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

“It’S Not That We Care Less”: Insights Into Health Care Utilization For Comorbid Diabetes And Depression Among Latinos, Sharon Borja, Miriam G. Valdovinos, Kenia M. Rivera, Natalia Giraldo-Santiago, Robin Gearing, Luis R. Torres-Hostos

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Despite robust knowledge regarding the socio-economic and cultural factors affecting Latino* access to healthcare, limited research has explored service utilization in the context of comorbid conditions like diabetes and depression. This qualitative study, embedded in a larger mixed-methods project, aimed to investigate perceptions held by Latinos and their social support systems (i.e., family members) regarding comorbid diabetes and depression and to identify barriers and facilitators to their help-seeking behaviors and treatment engagement. Bilingual and bicultural researchers conducted eight focus groups with 94 participants in a large U.S. metropolitan area and were primarily conducted in Spanish. The participants either had a …

Human Services Professionals’ Perceptions Of Messaging From Administration About Serving Diverse Clients, Tina Cheree Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Reflections, Accomplishments, And Opportunities: The Csd Annual Letter, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In this annual letter to mark the start of the Center's for Social Development's 30th year, Founding Director Michael Sherraden shares reflections on some recent accomplishments and discusses the opportunities ahead.

Intimate Partner Relationships And Infidelity Among Female Adult Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse, Kellyanne Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

“There’S So Much History”: Shared Parenting Dynamics In Kinship Families, Amanda Klein-Cox, Angela Tobin, Ramona Denby

Social Work Faculty Research

Shared parenting, when adults collaborate in childrearing, is a practice of interest for children in out-of-home care. Yet, little is known about its feasibility and outcomes for kinship families who have preexisting relationships with birth parents. This article shares qualitative results from focus groups that explored participants’ experiences and attitudes toward shared parenting. The sample comprised 25 kinship caregivers and 34 child welfare professionals. Findings revealed that shared parenting within kinship families is often less feasible than desired. This article identifies barriers and facilitators of shared parenting, offers a shared parenting typology, and explores implications for policy and practice.

Optimal Dosage And Session Structure Of Mindfulness-Based Programming For Youth Across Developmental Periods: Delphi Approach Outcomes, Joshua Felver, Emily C. Helminen, Mary Katherine A. Schutt, Emily L. Cary, Deborah L. Schussler, Rebecca N. Baelen, Laura F. Gould, Robert W. Roeser

Social Work Faculty Scholarship

Purpose: Research of mindfulness-based programming/interventions (MBP) for youth has proliferated in recent years; however, heterogeneity of MBP for youth impede determination of optimal programmatic structure across developmental periods. Design/Approach/Methods: Expert MBP scientists and instructors were iteratively surveyed using the Delphi method to assess optimal MBP session structure across developmental periods. Findings: Survey Round 1 defined the participants’ perspective of ideal structure across early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. In Survey Rounds 2 and 3, participants considered the preceding Round’s results (means and SDs) and indicated what they believed the ideal structure of a single MBP class. Final results following the …

Graying Incarcerated Persons And Education Programs In Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ijeoma B. Uche Phd, Agnes E. Okafor Phd, Okala A. Uche Phd *Corresponding Author

Journal of Prison Education Research

Correctional education programs are rehabilitation programs designed for incarcerated persons in Nigerian correctional institutions. However, getting the graying incarcerated persons to participate in education programs becomes quite challenging. This study investigates graying incarcerated persons and education programs in one correctional centre. Data were collected qualitatively from fifteen (15) incarcerated individuals aged 60 years and above using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed in analyzing the data generated for the study. Findings show that there are no available education programs for graying incarcerated individuals. The study also revealed that designing education programs in such a way that it will accommodate the …

A Culturally Grounded Approach To Nepalese Grandmothers’ Caring Work: Developing Dohori As A Narrative Methodology, Kusum Bhatta

The Qualitative Report

The social sciences have a growing seismic shift from prioritising positivist, objective, and generalizable knowledge to accepting subjective qualitative knowledge. This has given rise to various art-based methods that leverage multi-sensory storytelling/narrative. To further advance innovation in qualitative narrative methods, I will present the Dohori narrative, an indigenous Nepali poetic storytelling method for narrative research with older grandmothers doing care work. I start by presenting a discourse on Dohori to understand better the history and traditional and cultural underpinning of the method. Provided a brief background to Nepali grandmother immigrants and then discussed the promise of Dohori as a form …

Perceptions Of Competence Development In The Field Of Gerontology And Dementia, Janice Braxton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Acculturation And Immigrant Parental Perceptions Concerning Sexual Communication, Kwame Owura Frimpong

Journal of Human Services Scholarship and Interprofessional Collaboration

Abstract:

Acculturation presents challenges to many immigrant parents that are adjusting to new lives in the United States. The rationale for conducting this study stemmed from the effects that acculturation can have on the wellbeing of immigrants, adversely affecting their health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of Sub-Saharan African immigrant parents concerning having a conversation with their pre-adolescent children about sexuality and sexual practices. Findings revealed communication barriers due to cultural beliefs, cultural taboos, and shame. The findings from this study are beneficial to behavioral healthcare providers that work with immigrant families, parents, and …

The Contribution Of Mindfulness Practice To Supporting Children And Their Families’ Challenges Among School Social Workers: A Qualitative Multicase Study Of School Social Workers In California, Catalina Andrade

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to describe the challenges school social workers experience when supporting students and their families in their schools. Additionally, the purpose of this study was to understand how school social workers use mindfulness practices to help them respond to the challenges of working with the students and their families in their school based on Lesser’s mindfulness model (2019): love the work, do the work, don’t be an expert, connect to your pain, connect to the pain of others, depend on others, and keep making it simpler. Methodology: In this multicase study, the …

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Site Intervention Logic Model, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Intervention Summaries

Each QIC-WD site developed a logic model to serve as a visual representation of their selected intervention. All logic models included four main components: inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Collectively, these demonstrate the resources and actions required to implement the program, as well as the associated result or changes anticipated through implementation of the program. The hypothesized relationships are represented by the pathways connecting the listed activities and anticipated outcomes. For more information see Site Overview.

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Evaluation Overview, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Intervention Summaries

The QIC-WD evaluation was conducted with the support of the Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) to determine if a Competency-based Personnel Selection process was effective in improving workforce and child welfare outcomes.

Research Questions

The primary research questions concerned the ability of the structured hiring tools to predict job performance, tenure, and turnover. It was hypothesized that the use of the standardized hiring process would result in the selection of candidates who performed better and had lower rates of turnover and longer tenure than candidates hired using existing selection processes, see Logic Model. Intermediate outcomes examined included employee feelings of …

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Theory Of Change, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Intervention Summaries

During the needs assessment process three areas of opportunity were discussed for possible intervention at the Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Division of Child Welfare Services:

1. hiring of new workers,
2. promotion decisions for lead worker and supervisor positions, and
3. staff recognition and rewards.

Ultimately, one theory of change was developed to step through the “if, then” logic for implementation of a standardized hiring process to improve worker retention and performance.

The theory of change development process was informed by various data examined throughout the needs assessment, input from the Oklahoma QIC-WD Steering Committee, and relevant research and best practice for …