Digital Commons Network^™

Social Inclusion Outcomes For An Organization's Adolescent Parent Intervention, Anayra Ivette Tua

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study institution is a non-profit organization with a model developed from the continuous implementation of needs assessments of the families of adolescent parents in Puerto Rico, with the purpose of increasing their social inclusion potential. Addressing social exclusion and stigmatization of adolescent parents is vital because it generates a dual benefit for social interactions and growth. The social inclusion concept used and further elaborated for adolescent mothers is described by researchers as the level of access to engaging with institutions and societal relationships. This program evaluation was developed to understand the outcomes and effectiveness of the organization's social inclusion …

Black Males, Trauma, And Mental Health Service Use: A Systematic Review., Robert Motley, Andrae Banks

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: To systematically review the evidence of and synthesize results from relevant studies that have examined barriers and facilitators to professional mental health service use for Black male trauma survivors ages 18 and older.

Methods: A thorough search of selected databases that included EBSCO, ProQuest, and Web of Science Core Collection and careful consideration of inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a final six studies for detailed review.

Results: Black male trauma survivors were significantly less likely to be utilizing mental health services than other sex-ethnic groups. High levels of daily crises, a lack of knowledge of steps to …

Policy Mediation And Curricular Integration In A Texas Charter School, Brian Diedrich

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this study are the processes of curricular integration in a Texas charter school. At the campus level, vertical and horizontal curricular integration requires attentive teacher and administrative observations, effective collaboration, and the experience to mediate how these components affect classroom instruction. Teacher observations are the first step in the process of differentiation and intervention that keeps students from falling behind. Administrative observations direct the activities of teachers as defined by state and institutional documents. The institutional emphasis on cultural preservation makes this charter school beneficial as a research site because the curricular focus and overall mission of …

The Imprint Of Childhood Abuse On Trauma-Related Shame In Adulthood, Joan A. Reid

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Research has consistently linked residual trauma-related shame among child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors to sexual revictimization, health risk behaviors, and poorer response to mental health treatment. However, questions remain regarding the imprint of childhood maltreatment on trauma-related shame including which CSA characteristics or types of childhood maltreatment contribute to residual shame in adulthood. Using data drawn from a prospective study of 174 primarily African American women with histories of CSA and a matched comparison group, this study explores whether specific characteristics of CSA (familial CSA, CSA with penetration, force used by CSA perpetrator), repeat sexual victimization in adolescence, childhood physical …

Museum Of Modern-Day Slavery: A Photo Essay, Micah Gamboa

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

A photo essay from the Museum of Modern-Day Slavery in Houston, Texas, with photographs of rooms, entrances, and storage spaces in brothels following raids, including artifacts of the trade found at the scenes are documented. Photographs include brothels, bars, and strip clubs where Korean women and Mexican women were exploited. Photographs from the Mexican-American border document the violence the victims are subjected to during their journey.

Exploring Relational Ethics And Care: A Longitudinal Study Of A Hong Kong Cellist's Marriage Disintegration And Identity Change, Annabella S K Fung Ms

The Qualitative Report

I am a survivor of divorce. When I visited Hong Kong, a mutual friend introduced me to a cellist going through a divorce as a participant for my research which investigates music learning and identity of Chinese musicians. My research took a different path because I decided to explore how she constructed meaning through divorce, leading to her identity change. I referred her to counselling and supported her through regular messaging. Research is more than just data collection; the wounded-healer standing by the wounded is therapeutic for both of us. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study reports our conversations, …

Sympathetic Symbols, Social Movements, And School Desegregation, Marisela Martinez-Cola

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

An important theoretical contribution to the study of social movements involving legal mobilization is framing theory. Framing encourages an analysis of the parties involved and the tools used to make meaning of their cause. A scholarly gap emerges, however, when considering the race, gender, and class of the litigants and the social challenges they face. In this article, the author blends framing theory with controlling‐images theory to provide a conceptual tool of ‘the sympathetic symbol’ to analyse the effects of race, gender, and class. Next, the author introduces the legal and social histories of two school desegregation cases involving Chinese‐American …

The Relationship Between Black And Gay Community Involvement And Hiv-Related Risk Behaviors Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Black gay men must navigate identities and stigmas related to being gay and Black, and report higher HIV incidence relative to their White male counterparts although they report lower rates of drug use and risky sexual behaviors. This study examined whether closeness to the gay or Black community correlated with HIV-related risk and protective behaviors. Data were drawn from uConnect, a population-based cohort study of young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) on Chicago's South Side. The sample consists of 618 Black MSM ranging in age from 16 to 29. Cross-sectional measures for this study include Black and …

Mystory: Scary Head…, Gonca Soyer, Mehmet Soyer

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This work is an example of critical autoethnographic study of the writer’s personal experiences. In this particular study, I share my experiences while wearing a headscarf in Turkey, and my desire to settle down in United States in order to pursue my academic career. Due to the political changes in Turkey and United States, my experiences while wearing a headscarf in academia and social environments triggered me to write a reflection about them. In this article, my goal is to deconstruct the symbolic meanings of the Muslim headscarf in social spaces. In addition, the piece will show my “double consciousness" …

Lived Experiences Of Battered Women In Ozamiz City, Philippines, Cynthia S. Superable

The Qualitative Report

Domestic violence is prevalent not only in the Philippines but also in other countries. This study explored how battered women viewed their experiences as victims using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach (van Manen, 2016). Using purposive sampling and snowball technique, the study identified six battered women who were interviewed using researcher-made guide questions. The responses generated from the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology which aimed to understand the lived experiences of the participants. Four central themes were identified, namely recurrence of physical abuse, endurance to pain, disempowerment of women, and love for family. Battered women prefer to …

An Expose Of The Relationship Between Paradigm, Method And Design In Research, Godswill Makombe Prof

The Qualitative Report

It is crucial that any research inquiry be guided by a paradigm. However, many early career researchers do not mention the research paradigm guiding their inquiry. Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative methods are sometimes erroneously referred to as research paradigms or research designs. Experienced researchers often use the terms research paradigm, research methods and research design in a loose and confusing manner. Although it is reasonable to assume that experienced researchers do understand the distinction and relationship between the three concepts, the loose use of the concepts leads to confusion among early career researchers, especially Master’s and PhD students. By using …

Including Rigor And Artistry In Case Study As A Strategic Qualitative Methodology, Prema Gaikwad

The Qualitative Report

Case study has emerged as a popular research design among the other variations of qualitative designs. This theoretical research study presents the nature of case study as a stand-alone qualitative research methodology, which has an in-built flexibility that is unique among the other qualitative approaches. Literature points to two approaches of case study within which criteria for rigor through clear and complete description of the research design can be applied. A qualitative case study also lends itself to creativity or artistry with a freedom to be multi-method in nature. Being simultaneously rigorous and artistic is possible in case study through …

Homicide And The World Religions, Allen Shamow

Dissertations

Cross-national studies seeking to explain the variation in rates of homicide have examined a multitude of factors including religion, but fewer studies have examined how religion may influence homicide through a society’s institutional structure. Social institutions include entities such as the economy, the family, the political structure, and educational system; and these institutions serve as guides for human action and behavior. Through its emphasis on values, religion may influence the interests and legitimize the functioning within societal institutions. In the present study, I examine how the major world religions of Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism may …

Researcher Emotions As Data, A Tool And A Factor In Professional Development, Liora Nutov

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to explore and reflect on my own emotions while carrying out a research process and on their effect on the research and on myself as a researcher. After a brief literature review of the ways in which researcher emotions are perceived in qualitative research in the field of social sciences, I offer a reflective account of my own experience and suggest that researcher emotions can serve both as additional data and as an analyzing tool, as well as being a factor in the professional development of researchers.

Facing Obstacles As A Senior, Catherine Mccarthy

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Seniors are individuals who need the most assistance because they are a growing population in our society. It is estimated that by the year 2020, those 65 years and over will reach 55 million and those 85 years and over will number 7.3 million. Seniors need the most attention because daily items such as personal care, preparing a meal, going to the grocery store or housework become very challenging. This is when you need to acquire services that can help daily for these tasks. The Department of Aging plays a vital role when becoming a senior over the age of …

Super-Diversity As A Methodological Approach: Re-Centering Power And Inequality, Sofya Aptekar

Publications and Research

Super-diversity as a methodological lens calls for a study of dynamics of new and diversified social groups that moves away from more traditional approaches focused on ethnicity. In examining the potential of super-diversity as a methodological lens, I identify a risk of downplaying the effect of “old” categories of difference that are likely to continue to shape social structures as well as space. I propose a re-centering of power and inequality in the study of super-diversity by situating its study within an urban culturalist approach, with sociological tools borrowed from ethnomethodology and symbolic interactionism. This proposal is illustrated through the …

Hiv In The Heartland: Experiences Of Living With Hiv In Urban And Rural Areas Of The Midwest, Sarah B. Donley, C. Patrice Lockett

The Qualitative Report

Scholarly research on HIV/AIDS and stigma has largely demonstrated a different experience for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) who inhabit urban and rural areas. Largely missing from this scholarship are experiences in low prevalence areas. Low prevalence areas typically have fewer resources, social networks, and HIV infection and prevalence is less common. In this paper, we examine the challenges PLWHAs in rural and urban areas of the Midwest face and how these individuals manage, respond, and combat HIV/AIDS related stigmas in their communities. This paper utilizes interview data to understand the lived experiences of 18 persons living with …

Ua45/6 Commencement Program, Wku Registrar

WKU Administration Documents

Commencement program listing graduates.

An Exploration Of Dementia Friendly Communities From The Perspective Of Persons Living With Dementia, Catherine Hebert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing global prevalence of dementia coupled with a shift in public perception from a hopeless disease to the possibility of living well with dementia has led to the formation of dementia friendly communities (DFC). DFCs are a new phenomenon in the United States, with a gap in knowledge on input from people living with dementia (PLWD). This study investigated DFCs from the perspective of PLWD in Western North Carolina, with the following research questions:

1. How are interactions and relationships experienced by persons living with dementia in the community?
2. How is community engagement experienced by PLWD?
3. To what extent and …

Preschoolers And Pandas Making Friends: A Journey About Healing From Brain Injury, Barbara Anne Doucette

Museum Studies Projects

Preschoolers that have obtained Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) from familial child abuse are in need of having a unique place for neurorehabilitation in correlation with traditional therapies. My thesis project suggests adding an exhibit annex to an existing giant panda exhibit that will give preschoolers an opportunity to help develop new neuropathways when exposed to mediation and creative activities. Meditation and creative activities are being examined by neuroscientists as an aid in neuroplasticity after brain injury. This thesis reviews the neurotypical preschooler’s milestones and the playful means by which they are achieved. Conjoining the contemporary museums’ and zoological gardens’ outreach to …

Almost Home: An Interim Solution To Homelessness, Daleen M. Pearse

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In 2015 there were 4,627 homeless individuals unsheltered in Santa Clara County (Home Not Found, 2015). With very few housing options available many homeless individuals are forced to camp illegally in conditions that are unsafe and inhumane. The Gilroy Compassion Center has addressed the need for an interim solution to homelessness with its Almost Home Camping Program. This program provides stability to individuals who participate by providing transitional housing in a campground setting as an alternative to camping illegally. Participants address their own personal barriers whether it is substance abuse, mental or physical health, as well as other barriers identified …

Does A Criminal Justice Degree Produce Law Enforcement Officers?, Bryan Keith Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Police departments are being asked to diversify their ranks in a job field dominated by White males. Hispanics are predicted to be the majority-minority by 2043, few studies were conducted to explore whether Hispanic students majoring in criminal justice will pursue a career in law enforcement agencies upon graduation. Therefore, it is necessary and important to investigate the willingness of Hispanic students perusing a career in law enforcement agencies and what kind of factors behind this pursuit. This research anonymously surveyed 203 students currently enrolled in a four-year Hispanic university. Gender and the liberalizing effect served as the independent variables. …

Addressing Social Issues Affecting Vulnerable Populations In San Benito County Through Community Events, Lucila Alvarez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In San Benito County there is a high concentration of Triqui community members. They originate from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico and flee their homeland due to political prosecution and violence. Many times, Triqui community members arrive in the United States speaking and understanding only their native Triqui language. Their customs and traditions clash with those of the United States and due to fear they isolate themselves and do not seek any community services. Community Solutions addressed these issues by organizing the first ever Indigenous Cultures Day in Hollister, CA on May 21, 2017. The event consisted of a …

Suicide Prevention: Do San Francisco Afsp Community Walks Reduce Hopelessness?, Tyson Peltz

Master's Projects

Community-based outreach programs have been found to be effective, helping to educate people, and reduce suicide through outreach and peer group support. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has been at the forefront of the battle to reduce suicide through education, fund raising, lobbing, and support efforts to those in need of suicide prevention services, as well as those who have lost someone. One of the ways they have done this is through community walks and fundraising throughout the nation for anyone affected by suicide. These events are called Out of the Darkness Walks, which allow the community to …

Monterey County Behavioral Health - "Transition To Integrated Care", Jose Francisco Barajas Chavez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The rate of clients discharging from acute mental health services in Monterey County is low. According to Monterey County Behavioral Health Services Act (2017), “the demand for services has greatly increased with the ACCESS programs serving 90% more individuals in the past two years [2015-2016], and a 168% increase in the last 5 years [2011-2016].” The increase in demand for services has impacted staff psychiatrist and social workers in providing quality treatment services.

The Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau (MCBH), a division of Monterey County Health Department, has identified clients who’ve shown improvement in their mental health recovery and are …

Aggregate-Level Lead Exposure, Gun Violence, Homicide, And Rape, Brian Boutwell, Erik Nelson, Zhengmin Qian, Michael Vaughn, John Wright, John Wright, Kevin Beaver, Kevin Beaver, J. Barnes, Melissa Petkovsek, Roger Lewis, Mario Schootman, Richard Rosenfeld

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Works

Context An increasing body of research has linked the geographic distribution of lead with various indicators of criminal and antisocial behavior. Objective The current study, using data from an ongoing project related to lead exposure in St. Louis City, MO, analyzed the association between aggregate blood lead levels and specific indicators violent crime within the city. Design Ecological study. Setting St. Louis, Missouri. Exposure measure Blood lead levels. Main outcome measure Official reports of violent crimes were categorized as 1) crimes involving a firearm (yes/no), 2) assault crimes (with or without a firearm), 3) robbery crimes (with or without a …

My Dissertation Healed Me: A Retrospective Analysis Through Heuristic Inquiry, Smita Kumar

The Qualitative Report

It was my personal experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) that motivated me to undertake my dissertation, but during the process I was haunted by my “IPV survivor” identity. Little did I know that my intellectual pursuit was an invitation into personal healing through heuristic inquiry. During the data collection phase of my dissertation, I unconsciously embarked on the initial engagement phase of heuristic inquiry, but only 2 years after completing my dissertation did I realize I experienced six phases of Moustakas’s (1990) heuristic inquiry. In this article, I share how my dissertation healed me through a retrospective analysis using …

Using Narratives In Creativity Research: Handling The Subjective Nature Of Creative Process, Saikat Chakraborty

The Qualitative Report

For most of us, creative processes are those which can produce outcomes that are capable of being judged as creative. The outcome-centric recognition of creativity has heavily downplayed the process-perspective of creativity in organizations. Influenced significantly by individual and social subjectivities, creative processes are difficult to enquire on the basis of positivist approaches presently dominating creativity research. Use of narrative methodology in creativity research is proposed as a strategy for not just handling the subjectivities but also for making meaning from them as well as from participants' emotions. Antenarratives can help to enrich the narrated storyline, and personal narratives of …

Overcoming Barriers To Implementing Electronic Health Records In Rural Primary Care Clinics, Patricia Mason, Roger Mayer, Wen-Wen Chien, Judith P. Monestime

The Qualitative Report

Medicare-eligible physicians at primary care practices (PCP) that did not implement an electronic health record (EHR) system by the end of 2015 face stiff penalties. One year prior to the 2015 deadline, approximately half of all primary clinics have not implemented a basic EHR system. The purpose of this phenomenology study was to explore rural primary care physicians and physician assistants’ experiences regarding overcoming barriers to implementing EHRs. Complex adaptive systems formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 21 physicians and physician assistants across 2 rural PCPs in the …

We Have A Sacred Duty To House All Homeless Veterans, Christopher R. Fee, Joshua L. Stewart

English Faculty Publications

In a letter to Congress urging the nation to pay what it owed to veterans of the Continental Army, George Washington voiced his firm conviction that we as honorable Americans would “never leave unpaid the debt of gratitude” to those brave souls who “rescued by their arms from impending ruin” the fledgling United States. (excerpt)