Digital Commons Network^™

How Can Dei Training Change The Culture Of An Organization To Achieve Belonging And Retain Diverse Employees?, Kaisa S. Holt

University Honors Theses

Studies show the need for innovation and higher productivity yields can be best achieved through workforce heterogeneity. Creating effective DEI training frameworks is crucial for belonging, sustainable social well-being and enacting real change. This is key to proactively shifting our current system from one that responds to the need for DEI on a surface level to something that is regenerative. The aim of this review is to evaluate characteristics and enhancements added to evidence-based DEI training between 2020 and 2024. Studies were identified using the Portland State advanced database of academic journals on the DEI training and impacts of the …

Promoting Cultural Humility, Belonging, And Inclusion To Improve Well-Being Among Direct Care Staff In Oregon Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care Communities, 2024, Jacklyn Kohon, Dani Himes, Laura Rodriguez, Sarah Dys, Paula Carder, Diana Jacoby, Madeline Fox

Institute on Aging Publications

The voices and experiences of those working and living in assisted living, residential care, and memory care (AL/RC) settings in Oregon are highlighted in this study to understand cultural humility, belonging, inclusion, and intersectional experiences related to sustaining the workforce and promoting quality care. This qualitative study collected data through individual and focus group interviews with a total of 68 people, including 25 direct care staff, voice memos or interviews with 9 former direct care staff, interviews with 9 administrators, interviews with 7 management representatives (owner/operators, human resources specialists, directors of operations, among other titles), and interviews with 18 current …

Climate And Extreme Weather Event Impacts On Administrators, Direct Care Staff, And Residents In Oregon Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care Communities, 2024, Dani Himes, Jacklyn Kohon, Madeline Fox, Laura Rodriguez, Sarah Dys, Diana Jacoby, Paula Carder

Institute on Aging Publications

This brief report on AL/RC staff and resident experiences with climate events highlights the voices of AL/RC direct care staff, former direct care staff, residents, administrators, and management representatives to promote well-being in these care settings. This study can inform Oregon’s efforts to support long-term care workforce readiness for future climate emergencies and inform future quantitative data collection on AL/RC and other long-term care workers, including those employed in home health agencies, nursing facilities, and adult foster homes.

Five Pivotal Practices For Leaders To Cultivate Empathy Within Virtual Scrum Teams, Dahm Mongkol Hongchai, Charles M. Weber

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the digital and global economy, business leaders need more than just business and technology competencies; they also require empathy. However, there is a notable scarcity of research on empathy in Scrum for product development. This study aims to uncover critical insights into how leaders can foster empathy within virtual Scrum teams. Accordingly, this paper proposes five pivotal themes leaders can employ: Scrum fundamentals, meditation, self- and other-analysis, healthy interactions, and informal connections. These vital strategies offer actionable methods for leaders seeking to enhance empathy within their virtual Scrum teams.

A Response To “The Danger Of Ideology”, Amie Thurber, Ericka Kimball

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

On January 9, 2024, Social Work journal published in advance access a commentary by Farber and Fram titled “The Danger of Ideology: Social Work, Israel, and Anti-Semitism” (Farber & Fram, 2024). Writing following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the authors lay out their central thesis in the opening paragraph: “We watch in horror and stand in support of Israel. As social work educators and scholars, we must also speak about the complicity of our profession in nurturing anti-Semitism and the ideology that undergirds Hamas and other terrorist organizations” (p. 1). This is a serious claim, and one that …

Latinos' Intimate Partner Violence, Abuse, And Interventions: Developing A Latcrit Analysis And Critique, Adrian Luis Manriquez, Eric S. Mankowski

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The paper utilizes LatCrit and critical psychology perspectives in order to review and critique the literature on Latinos' intimate partner violence and abuse and intervention programs. LatCrit theories are described and reviewed, and then applied to the literature on IPV predictors among Latinos. The review demonstrates that the research literature on the predictors, correlates, and antecedents of Latino males' IPV behaviors focuses largely on the individual level of analysis, and consequently suffers from three main limitations: use of deficit models in research; decontextualized assessment and evaluations of IPV; neglect of higher levels of analysis influencing IPV in Latinx communities. Implications …

A Place To Rest My Soul: How A Doctoral Student Of Color Group Utilized A Healing-Centered Space To Navigate Higher Education, Jessica I. Ramirez

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Students of Color have historically faced explicit and implicit forms of discrimination and oppression in educational settings. Unfortunately, not much has changed over the decades as Students of Color continue to experience white supremacy and other systems of oppression. As Students of Color enter graduate school, there are often fewer Students of Color, making these educational settings isolating and hostile. These experiences often encompass white supremacist policies, practices, and remarks that negatively impact Students of Color. With this in mind and as someone who identifies as a Chicana who was once in a doctoral program, I questioned how doctoral Students …

Toward Queer Potentialities In Child And Youth Care, Bobbi Ali Zaman, Ben Anderson-Nathe

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Arguably, from the invention of adolescence at the beginning of the 20th century, developmental theory has served as the foundation of disciplinary study and professional practice with children and youth across the global West. Despite their founders’ assertions that development is culturally constructed, in educational and youth work practice contexts stage-based trajectories of normative human growth are largely erroneously accepted as ahistorical, apolitical, naturally occurring, and universally applicable. This paper presents critiques of developmentalism from historical, reconceptualist, and queer perspectives, calling into question the underlying principles of normalcy and abnormality that run through the developmental project. We pay particular attention …

The Integration Of Social Work Values And Principles In Police Work, Dasha Rhodes, Taylor Geyton, Jam Ost

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Persisting social inequities and injustices were spotlighted in the United States in 2020 after the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. A particular focus on the interactions of police officers and non-violent community members rallied a call to reallocate funds to social services better equipped to handle such situations, aptly named #defundthepolice. Many called for the need and placement of social workers in police agencies to curtail the negative interactions witnessed between police officers and communities of color, specifically with Black Americans. Across the nation, social workers are not always employed or readily available in police organizations. Therefore, instilling …

Supporting Resource Equity For Oregon’S Home Visiting Workforce: Exploring Program Model And Regional Differences, Nicole M. Lauzus, Yumi Lee, Beth L. Green, Erin Gaines, Ron Joseph

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prenatal and early childhood home visiting is an effective strategy for promoting positive birth outcomes, improving family well-being and preventing child abuse and neglect. One key to successful services is having a strong, well-supported home visiting workforce. In Oregon and nationally, this critical workforce is facing a crisis as programs struggle to hire and retain skilled home visitors, and workers face low pay, difficult working conditions and high job stress.

This learning brief is the second in a series to share findings from a 2023 survey of Oregon’s home visiting workforce, which provides a wealth of information about how to …

“I Was Determined To Fulfill This Image Of Myself That I Wanted Of A ‘Good Asian Student’”: A Photovoice Study Of Asian American College Student Mental Health, Lalaine Sevillano, Joanna C. La Torre, Taylor A. Geyton

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Asian American (AsA) youth and emerging adults are growing at a faster rate than all other racial and ethnic populations in the United States. Burgeoning empirical evidence shows that they are experiencing increased adverse mental health outcomes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, trends in AsA youth and emerging adults’ utilization and help-seeking behaviors remain low. Health equity scholars posit that the model minority stereotype continues to obscure and minimize these mental health disparities. The current study aims to contribute to this vital research through a Photovoice study with AsA emerging adults. Fourteen AsA undergraduate students (M age …

"It Feels Like I'M A Step Closer To My Ultimate Goal Of Stable Housing:" A Qualitative Study Of Unhoused People's Experiences In Alternative Shelters In Portland, Emily Leickly, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, alternatives to congregate shelters have emerged, including tiny home villages and motel conversions. Existing research indicates that these alternative shelter modalities are associated with positive outcomes for shelter guests. This qualitative study was conducted with 11 participants staying in three alternative shelters tailored to support specific groups: lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, women, and medically vulnerable people. Participants reported a number of facilitators and barriers to meeting their personal goals (e.g., permanent housing, medical care). Key facilitators included the relative privacy, autonomy, and safety of alternative shelters, and support for guests with …

The Health Risks Of Deportation: Impacts Of Family Separation On Relationships And Wellbeing In Latinx Communities, Shantay Rhea Rocha

University Honors Theses

Anti-immigration policy and deportation practices create multifaceted implications for Latinx communities in the United States. A comprehensive literature review drawing from public health and immigration studies was used to examine the direct and indirect implications of separation of families due to deportation. This thesis synthesizes existing research to illuminate the health threats pertaining to Latinx wellbeing in the context of being undocumented and fearing being separated from their family. Addressing the dimensions of deportation-related health risks, policy makers, health care professionals, and community organizations can work towards promoting Latinx health and well-being in the U.S. to mitigate the health consequences …

American Evangelicalism And The Status Of Women: Biblical Interpretation, Politicization, And A Future For Secularism, Ivy Macneil Blackwood

University Honors Theses

American evangelicalism has positioned itself as a dominant force in social policy since the 1970s and has continued to grow over time. During Carter's presidency, the Religious Right, a neoconservative political identity of fundamentalist beliefs, emerged with the intention to homogenize American culture by infusing literal interpretations of biblical Scripture with American exceptionalism. With the help of charismatic leaders like Billy Graham, the political manifestations of American evangelicalism's fundamentalist beliefs have been solidified through conservative legislation and Christian demographic dominance in Congress and the Supreme Court. Women have been particularly burdened by evangelical institutionalization, as access to socioeconomic and political …

Admission And Discharge Practices Among Assisted Living Communities: The Role Of State Regulations And Organizational Characteristics, Cassandra L. Hua, Lindsey Smith, Sheryl Zimmerman, Gauri Gadkari, Paula Carder, Philip D. Sloane, Christopher J. Wretman, Kali S. Thomas

Institute on Aging Publications

A better understanding of factors associated with assisted living admission and discharge practices can help identify communities that are more likely to allow residents to age in place. This study examined how state regulations and assisted living organizational characteristics relate to community admission and discharge practices for bathing, getting out of bed, and feeding.

Building Climate Resilience: How Climate Groups Can Channel Anxiety And Grief Into Action, Martin J. Lemke

University Honors Theses

As the impacts of climate change increasingly stress the ecological and social systems of the planet there is also a greater incidence of psychological struggles related to climate instability. Climate change is a significant source of psychological distress for many individuals, often manifesting as climate anxiety and grief. This thesis explores research and therapeutic experience that has been generated as the discipline of psychology seeks to meet this rising challenge. In particular, the fields of ecopsychology, psychodynamic therapy, existential psychology and Indigenous knowledge contributed the majority of the insight to the conclusions drawn along with contributions from potentially applicable emotions …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Antipsychotic Medication Use In Oregon Assisted Living, Sarah Dys, Ozcan Tunalilar, Paula Carder

Institute on Aging Publications

Objective

Investigate how assisted living and residential care (AL/RC) and memory care (MC) contexts are associated with the 90-day prevalence of antipsychotic medication use (APU), considered a quality measure in long-term care.

Design

All licensed AL/RC settings in Oregon received an annual mailed questionnaire to provide aggregate resident demographics, health acuity, health service use, payment type, and organizational policies. Organizational measures were collected from state websites.

Methods

Random intercepts regression models were estimated to assess organizational and resident population characteristics associated with 90-day APU prevalence over 3 study waves (2017-2019).

Setting and Participants

We examine 932 observations in 463 AL/RC …

Breaking The Barriers: Enhancing Mental Health Care For Muslim Communities Through Cultural Proficiency And Community Awareness, Rashid Muse

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the multifaceted mental health care needs of the Muslim community, emphasizing the importance of cultural competence and community outreach. The inquiry delves into the unique challenges faced by Muslims in accessing mental health services amidst a backdrop of heightened Islamophobia in the United States. Central to this discourse is the pervasive stigma associated with mental health discussions within Muslim communities, which significantly hinders individuals from seeking professional help. This stigma is further exacerbated by cultural norms and societal expectations that view mental health struggles as personal failures. The thesis examines various approaches to providing culturally sensitive mental …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2024, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 3, 2024 monthly packet includes the June agenda, appendices, and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held June 3, 2024.

Addressing Barriers To Research-Informed Practice: A Library And Social Work Collaboration To Empower Future Practitioners, Amanda Dinscore, Debbie Gonzalez

Communications in Information Literacy

Social work education prioritizes the use of research to inform practice. As university students, prospective social workers have a wealth of research available to them as well as librarians to help them find, evaluate, and use that information. However, access to much of this research ends once the student graduates—at a time when it is most needed to inform their professional practice. To address this challenge, a librarian and a social work faculty member worked with one class of students in their final semester of a bachelor’s degree in social work program to promote awareness of information privilege and barriers …

Once, I Was Very Very Scared And More: An Exploration Into Depictions Of Interpersonal Trauma In Children's Literature, Emma K. Siepmann

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ways in which experiences of interpersonal trauma are depicted in English-language contemporary literature for elementary-aged children (6-11 years). A review of academic literature suggests that interpersonal trauma can have devastating and ongoing repercussions for individuals and their communities, although establishing a sense of relational safety can help mitigate these effects and facilitate healing after a traumatic experience. This research explores age-appropriate literature as a therapeutic tool for developing relational safety and providing critical skills to children at risk for and recovering from interpersonal trauma. This study analyzes the depictions of interpersonal trauma found in 11 picture …

Towards A New Discourse On Success In Alternative Education, Samuel Thomas Settelmeyer

Dissertations and Theses

Although researchers agree that Alternative Education (AE) within the United States is an essential set of schools and programs that do things beyond traditional education, they do not agree on the purpose for these efforts. To understand how researchers can connect between existing perspectives and consider new ways that they can discuss success in the future, I interviewed 16 students and 15 staff from three different AE schools within the same state. Through thematic analysis, I found students and staff to describe success as an amalgamation of individual and common conceptions, requiring individual effort and support, a commitment to daily …

Training Social Work Master's Students For Integrated Health Care Settings: The Importance Of Specialized Education, Passion Ilea, Ericka L. Kimball

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Integrated health care poses a unique opportunity for social workers to deliver person-centered, empowering, and collaborative care addressing all aspects of patient health. This study analyzed four years of data from a project designed to train social work master’s students to be effective members on integrated teams. Students that participated in the project achieved statistically significant levels of improvement from pre- to posttests with large effect sizes on the Behavioral Health Consultant Core Competency Tool skills (n = 93, Cohen’s d = -1.752, t(92) = -16.894, p < .001) and the Team Skills Scale (n = 94, Cohen’s d = -1.558, t(93) = -15.101, p < .001). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests confirmed improvements. No existing evaluations of integrated training for social work students capture behavioral health competencies data. Offering specialized training in integrated behavioral health work to students has immense potential benefit for outgoing social workers seeking to support patients.

Evaluation Of Trauma Informed Care For Indigenous Victims Of Human Trafficking: A Qualitative Discussion Of Best Practice, Nina Munson

University Honors Theses

Human trafficking is a major issue that every community and nation faces. Within the United States, Indigenous communities are especially at risk of victimization in relation to a history of systemic violence and consequent neglect. Therefore, the need for culturally competent care is crucial. This study seeks to address how culturally sensitive approaches to trauma-informed care can be developed and implemented by various providers to effectively support Native American victims of human trafficking in accessing assistance services. In order to evaluate the problem, a literature review was conducted, paired with qualitative interviews from relevant stakeholders. The findings demonstrated a significant …

Feeling Otherwise: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Queer And Trans Youth Of Color Who Create And Embody Fursonas, Hazel Ali Zaman

Dissertations and Theses

Queer and trans youth of color are often the target of surveillance, bullying, discrimination, and abuse. However, in an attempt to navigate such violent and discriminatory circumstances, the queer and trans youth of color in this dissertation found refuge in furry art and performances, both online and offline, where they were able to express themselves freely and thus acquire a sense of belonging among others with similar experiences. In this dissertation, "a furry" is used to refer to an individual who self-identifies as one who has an affinity for anthropomorphic animal characters. A common practice among furries is creating a …

Social Justice In Social Work: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Erica Fonseca

Dissertations and Theses

Social justice is central to social work and guides the profession's ethics, educational standards, and practices. It is aspirational and actionable, ideological and practical, and is simultaneously shaped by, and shapes in turn, social work. Consequently, this study understands social justice to be a discourse. Despite its ubiquity throughout the profession, what constitutes social justice, how it should (or could) be practiced, and what epistemologies orient social work to the concept continue to be debated. Given social work's express promotion of social justice and the myriad ideas and practices that follow from this critical value, the concept and the foundational …

Contested Places: A Typology For Responding To Place-Based Harms, Amie Thurber, Amy Krings, Mónica Gutiérrrez, Jason Sawyer, Greer A. Hamilton

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to historic and ongoing devaluation of certain people, and concurrently, the places they live, many communities are grappling with how to respond to place-based harms. This has produced a wide range of responses, such as calls for “Land Back,” reparations programs, arts-based neighborhood regeneration, and local history initiatives. This paper explores the potential roles community practitioners can play in these contested places. Drawing on a review of the literature, this paper offers an emerging typology for responding to place-based harms.

Living On The Outskirts Of Things: Women And Nonbinary People Of Color With Cognitive Disabilities Describe Their Employment Experiences, Laura Spura Rodriguez

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the experiences of discrimination and the strategies used to navigate employment for women of color and nonbinary people of color (POC) with cognitive disabilities (CD) through their own narratives. Using Dis/ability Critical Race Theory and an interpretive description methodology, this study engaged 10 women of color and/or nonbinary POC with CD in semi-structured interviews in order to answer the following research questions: 1) What stories do women of color and nonbinary POC with CD tell about their experiences seeking employment? 2) What are the narratives of women and nonbinary POC with CD about their experiences of racism, …

Differences In Ninth Graders’ Attitudes Towards Math Depending On Immigrant-Generation Status, Karla V. Santana Martinez, Dara Shifrer

Student Research Symposium

Introduction

Math is a subject that is often perceived as challenging and sometimes referred to as a universal language because the symbols and organization are the same from country to country. However, immigrant students can face obstacles such as language barriers that can make math even more challenging regardless of the universal language belief.

Methods

This research integrates the data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 on 20,000 ninth graders. The ninth graders were asked questions about math and their feelings on the subject.

Results

Among students with the highest scores on the standardized math test, the math …

Activism And Stress, Ashanti Laine T. Peredo, Taylor Gayton, Lalaine Sevillano

Student Research Symposium

Black women often shoulder a heavier burden of financial, social, and physical responsibilities within their families compared to non-Black individuals who do not identify as women. This increased load contributes significantly to mental health disorders and psychological distress and well as physical disparities. When compounded with experiences of racism and sexism, these responsibilities can lead to a sense of social invisibility and foster a tendency towards stoicism. This study is a mixed method study as it aims to quantitatively examine the relationship between activism, physical wellbeing measured by the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA), and psychological wellbeing among Black …