Digital Commons Network^™

When Families, Organizational Culture, And Policy Collide: A Mixed Method Study Of Alternative Response, Stacey L. Shipe, Mathew C. Uretsky, Catherine A. Labrenz, Corey S. Shdaimah, Christian M. Connell

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective Alternative response (AR) is a family-centered, preventative approach for child protection systems. This study first examined what family and case factors predicted re-investigation and then explored which organizational factors influence caseworker and agency implementation of AR. Method Using administrative data from child protection reports, AR families (N = 9,959) and traditional response (TR) families (N = 13,974) were followed for 18 months to determine re-investigation rates using multilevel modeling where families were nested in county of residence. Four focus groups with 14 participants were conducted to discuss the quantitative findings, organizational culture, and implementation of AR. Results AR families …

Examining Demographic And Environmental Factors In Predicting The Perceived Impact Of Cancer On Childhood And Adolescent Cancer Survivors, Nazan Cetin

Dissertations and Theses

Cancer survivors' perceptions on how cancer has impacted their lives has been identified as a "critical predictor" of psychosocial well-being and quality of life outcomes. Given the dramatic increase in survival rates and the long-term health and psychosocial challenges, as well as survivorship care barriers, this study focuses special attention on childhood and adolescent cancer survivors and is guided by Tedeschi and Calhoun's theory of posttraumatic growth and Hammond's theory of distinctiveness. This study aims to examine the influence of demographic (i.e., age at diagnosis, biological sex, race/ethnicity, type of cancer) and environmental factors (i.e., geographical location and insurance type), …

High School Persisters And Alternative Schools, Hyuny Clark-Shim

Dissertations and Theses

In response to a "dropout crisis," over the past decade much effort was made to retain high school students. Recent years' trends indicated an overall increased level of graduation rates; however, there has been a largely overlooked student population, persisters, who did not earn a high school diploma by the expected graduation date but remain engaged and continue to work towards graduation into their fifth or even sixth year of high school.

Using exploratory CART analysis, this study examined what individual-level and school-level factors were most effective in distinguishing students who were persisters versus on-time graduates. Given that persisters …

The Case For Mandatory Reporting As An Ethical Dilemma For Social Workers, Sam Harrell, Stéphanie Wahab

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mandatory reporting of child abuse is a part of the civil legal system that can activate a policy cascade disproportionately criminalizing racialized and marginalized communities. While social work scholarship has explored ways to increase provider compliance with mandatory reporting laws, there is a dearth of research focused on how social work education guides future providers towards the praxis of mandatory reporting discourses. This article presents findings from a content analysis of social work textbook excerpts focused on mandatory reporting of child abuse in the U.S. We found that textbooks affirm social work’s loyalty to the State by approaching mandatory reporting …

Ssita: Seal Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment: Excelencia In Education & Portland State University, Cynthia Carmina Gómez, Oscar Fernandez, Cristina Herrera, Emanuel Magaña, Allyson Meyers, Perla Pinedo, Rebecca Rodas, Tanya Sanchez

Global Diversity and Inclusion Publications and Presentations

In the Spring of 2022, Portland State University was invited to participate in Excelencia in Education’s pilot Seal Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment or SSITA. This SSITA report is a preliminary institutional assessment of Portland State University’s (PSU) efforts to intentionally serve Latiné students and advance degree completion. Between now and June 2023, a committee of faculty, staff, and students will lead the effort to complete a Seal of Excelencia application. We will reach out to all parts of the institution to gather additional information, data, and stories about how units serve our growing Latiné student population. The next round of …

Efficacy Of The Project Futures Self-Determination Coaching Model For College Students With Foster Care Backgrounds And Mental Health Challenges, Jennifer Blakeslee, Rebecca A. Miller, Mathew C. Uretsky

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Post-secondary students transitioning from foster care face a range of unique challenges to academic engagement and success, and the typical mental health stressors experienced by college-age young adults are exacerbated by experiences of trauma common to those with foster care experience. Many campuses have introduced specialized support programs for these students, but few have been rigorously tested. This study is the first identified randomized experiment to evaluate a post-secondary support program for enrolled college students with foster care backgrounds and mental health challenges. We report findings from a pilot intervention study testing the Project Futures model, which includes one-on-one coaching …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of How Youth In Care Describe Social Support, Jared Israel Best

Dissertations and Theses

There are nearly 422,000 youth in foster care in the United States with 20,000 aging out each year. Youth who age out of care demonstrate worse outcomes in all areas (education, employment, homelessness, justice system involvement, and social support) compared to the general population. These outcomes represent an ideological production, or a production of knowledge regarding the discursive youth in care. Thus, dominant discourses of youth are informed and constitutive of these problematic outcomes. Similarly, youthhood is dominantly defined by risk and informed by peer groups and social relationships. This study presents findings from interviews with 22 youth preparing to …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2022 (Special Meeting), Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

This is the agenda for a special senate meeting to complete unfinished business from the June 6, 2022 meeting.

Lgbtq+ Congregants Navigating Identity In The Context Of "Welcoming But Not Affirming" Evangelical, Pentecostal, And Non-Denominational Religious Institutions: A Queer Narrative Analysis, Sarah E. Rasmussen

University Honors Theses

Welcoming but not affirming Evangelical, Pentecostal, and non-denominational churches invite LGBTQ+ people to attend their church, but do not affirm their identity as a gender and/or sexual minority. Because of this, they restrict LGBTQ+ attendees from participating in leadership, paid staff positions, and ministry work. LGBTQ+ attendees are often not aware of these restrictive policies initially. The current study aims to examine how LGBTQ+ people navigate their faith and identity within welcoming but not affirming church spaces through narrative analysis. Fifteen participants engaged in an interview, where they were asked about their experience within welcoming but not affirming church spaces. …

Gender Inequality And The Division Of Labor In The Home During Covid-19: A Literature Review, Ella F. Jackson

University Honors Theses

The current Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted families in the United States as working parents face increased demand for domestic labor at home while losing community and institutional support through pandemic closures. By integrating emerging research on gender norms and expectations regarding the division of household labor for working parents, the impact of Covid-19 on working mothers, and the gendered impact of infrastructure and the pandemic response in the United States, I aim to provide a holistic conceptualization and analysis of gender inequality and the division of labor in the home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through summarizing and analyzing current …

Situated Agency: How Lgbtq Youth Navigate And Create Queer(Ed) Space, Anita R. Gooding, Bobbi Ali Zaman, Sam J. Harrell, Sam Collins, Miriam J. Abelson, Ben Anderson-Nathe

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research on LGBTQ + youth often portrays them as either as victims whose lives are defined by violence and discrimination, or as inspirational success stories whose ability to thrive is attributable to external interventions and policies. Drawing on theories of situated agency, minority stress, and queer monstrosity, this participatory qualitative interview project with LGBTQ + young adults illustrates instead how LGBTQ + youth actively shape their coming-of-age experiences and develop unique strategies to survive and thrive in the spaces they occupy. Rather than wholly traumatic or ecstatic, most participants reported mixed experiences with varying support from the people and spaces …

"I'M Very Enlightened:" Assisting Black Males Involved In The Criminal Justice System To Deal With And Heal From Racism, Darnell Jackie Strong

Dissertations and Theses

Black Males who have offended face major challenges stemming from their involvement in the Criminal Justice System. Once involved it is hard to get out, as exhibited by high recidivism rates and mass incarceration, issues that have plagued Black Males since slavery. There is little research on interventions to ameliorate the effects of racism on this population.

The aim of this research was to: a) create a training to help Black Males who have been involved in the Criminal Justice System deal with racism and b) evaluate the intervention. This mixed methods research utilized Constructivist Grounded Theory and Afrocentric theory …

Transforming Learning Communities, Transforming Ourselves: A Qualitative Investigation Of Identity Processes In A Participatory Action Research-Themed Undergraduate Course, Julia Sara Dancis

Dissertations and Theses

In contrast to the dominant, post-positivist approaches to research in psychology, participatory action research (PAR) programs aim to democratize knowledge production and participate in social action through explicitly value-based and politicized agendas. Despite the inclusive nature of this work, college students are often left out of PAR collaborations and rarely even exposed to this frame of research. The handful of researcher-educators who have conducted participatory and action-oriented research with undergraduate students report a range of benefits for students, their universities, and the surrounding communities, confirming its importance. Left unaddressed are the key identity processes that unfold during knowledge production and …

The Mechanisms Connecting State Marijuana Policies To Parent, Peer, And Youth Drug Perception Leading To Youth Marijuana Use, Eunbyeor Sophie Yang

Dissertations and Theses

Youth marijuana use, which can lead to numerous health problems, is significantly associated with youth drug perception, which is greatly influenced by state marijuana laws such as medical marijuana legalization and penalty severity. The mediating impact of social drug perceptions on the association between state marijuana laws and youth drug disapproval is not well known. Based on theory of change and primary socialization theory, this study examined the impact of state marijuana laws on youth drug disapproval, the mediating factors of parent and peer drug disapproval, the direct effect of youth drug disapproval on youth marijuana use, and the moderating …

2022 Adult Foster Home Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Adult Foster Homes, Ozcan Tunalilar, Paula C. Carder, Jaclyn Winfree, Sheryl Elliott, Minju Kim, Diana Jacoby, Wafi Albalawi

Institute on Aging Publications

This report describes results from a study of Oregon adult foster homes (AFH), including home and owner characteristics; monthly charges and payment sources; resident characteristics, personal and health-related needs; and owners’ experiences with supports and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study’s purpose was to collect and report data that can inform and advise policymakers, state and county agency staff, aging advocates and AFH owners about the status of AFHs in Oregon. The report includes information collected between December 2021 and March 2022 and, where possible, compares it to findings from prior years of this study and to other …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2022, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 2022 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 5, 2022.

Higher Education Futures: The Transformative Potential Of Using Critical Foresights Practices & Arts Based Research In Our Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear, And Incomprehensible (Bani) World, Sheila Christine Mullooly

Dissertations and Theses

Our institutional approaches to problems in the changing global landscape of internationalized higher education are being challenged, and many scholars call for new approaches for understanding and addressing the complex problems we face (e.g., la paperson). The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the need to make changes in how we approach our evolving problems and possibilities for human-centric transformation. This multi-paper dissertation is a call to action and proposes the use of new approaches to research and educational practice--specifically, critical futures studies and arts-based research. Design justice principles and participatory action approaches frame and motivate these possibilities. First, "A Public …

Augmentative And Alternative Communication Use, Service Delivery Experiences, And Communicative Participation For People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Betts Peters

Dissertations and Theses

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) often experience changes to their speech, and may use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and techniques to maintain the ability to communicate. The use of AAC may facilitate the participation of people with ALS in various life situations involving communication. There is limited data in the literature about the AAC approaches currently used by people with ALS, the professional services they receive to support communication, or the effects of AAC on their communicative participation. This dissertation involved a nationwide online survey of people with ALS, and comprises three papers intended to add to …

Lgbtq+ Social Services And Needs In Portland Oregon, Jay M. Tomlinson

University Honors Theses

Research shows a significant link between being LGBTQ+ and living in poverty, but little research has been done on what services are available to providers and individuals in need. This study was conducted to discover what types of social services are available to low-income LGBTQ+ people living in Portland, Oregon, and what services providers identify as unmet needs. This study consisted of a series of interviews with service providers to find out what services they offer and what they feel is still missing. Data was analyzed following a qualitative data analysis method. Data showed that housing was the largest unmet …

Multiple Identities, Colorblind White Parents, And Persisting Adoption Stigma: Toward An Intersectional Perspective Of Asian American Transracial Adoption, Michelle Y. Leipzig

University Honors Theses

Asian TRAs' experiences are continually shaped by United States policies that were installed to safeguard the current White dominant power structure. The existential threat of COVID-19 imitates the fear-based conditions that historically galvanized the White dominant majority to execute sinophobic immigration laws, imprison hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II, and overturn federal abortion rights for women - in a striking display of relevance, the last example occurred during the development of this thesis. Asian TRAs' proximity to Whiteness through their adoption into White families can prevent them from garnering the tools necessary to navigate a racist …

Measuring Success In First Episode Psychosis, Eric M. Mckinley

University Honors Theses

The first experience of psychosis can be hugely disruptive to a person’s life. If left untreated, psychosis can gravely impact the long-term wellbeing and functioning of the person. In the last ten years in the U.S., the rise of the Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) model for treating First Episode Psychosis is a hopeful development for addressing the unique challenges of those experiencing psychosis. The CSC model can potentially improve long term quality of life outcomes amongst people experiencing psychosis. There have been a range of empirical studies typically conducted at the state level that show a positive range of outcomes …

Analyzing Perceptions And Outcomes Of Intimate Partner Violence Within Muslim Communities, Areebah Zaidi

University Honors Theses

Intimate partner violence is a complex issue that involves gender, race, sexuality, religion, and culture. Muslim communities are a combination of many identities and to be able to support the community, there needs to be a better understanding of how IPV is expressed within this population. This thesis reports findings from a survey distributed throughout Muslim networks and IPV organizations in the US. The results are based on 200 responses and demonstrate that individuals with a history of IPV have worse social and health outcomes. In addition, the source of IPV disclosure (e.g., healthcare provider, religious leader) depended on whether …

Behind Closed Doors, Kaylee Inloes

University Honors Theses

Child sex trafficking is an increasing problem among Black, Indigenous, and girls of color and the media is ignoring them. Most child sex trafficking victims are girls and women of color. Minority women and children are being sold like they are property and used for sexual activities. Using content analysis, I analyzed three different forms of media, including Willamette Weekly article Portland Police's "Human Trafficking" Arrests Aren't What They Seem, the film Cuties (2020) and a young adult fiction book, The Life I'm in (2021). Through a critical race feminist lens, I analyzed the connections between race, gender, and …

Surveying The Landscape Of Post-Secondary Options And Support For Undocumented Students In The Pacific Northwest: A View From One State’S School Counselors, Danielle Torres, Alejandra Favela

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Now more than ever, supportive practices and policies are needed to bolster the opportunities, safety, and future of undocumented students. K-12 school counselors and educators who aim to support the college and career readiness of undocumented youth need to be well informed and prepared to adequately address requests for guidance by students and families. This article seeks to uncover the primary areas of need, support, and resources identified by school counselors in one Pacific Northwest state in order to optimize post-secondary options and success.

Trauma And Academic Impact: Stories From At-Risk Youth, Brenda M. Morton, Edd.

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Youth continue to leave school prior to earning a high school diploma, despite focused attention and resources on this population of students (Porche, et al., 2011), leaving unanswered questions as to what support this group of students need. Researchers identified attendance, disciplinary issues, and low grade point average, as prevalent in dropouts, but few have explored the story behind the statistics. This study sought to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the role of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the lives of students at risk for academic failure, by examining their lived experiences. To that end, …

Addressing Domestic Violence As A Wicked Problem With Ericka Kimball, Ericka Kimball

PDXPLORES Podcast

Ericka Kimball is an associate professor at the School of Social Work at Portland State University. Kimball's research focuses on domestic violence and healthcare domains to understand and develop alternatives to current practices. This work is informed by a "wicked problems" framework that addresses the complexity of interactions between systems at the intersection of domestic violence and healthcare.

Click on the "Download" button to access the audio transcript.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2022, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 2, 2022 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held April 4, 2022.

Webinar: The Impact Of Decentralizing Homeless Services On Transportation And Mobility, Sarah Canham, Ivis Garcia, Shannon Jones, Jeff Rose

TREC Webinar Series

With findings from a mixed methods research study, this interdisciplinary webinar will present results from a historical public document analysis, a GIS spatial analyses, client surveys and interviews, and interviews with professionals and service providers. In 2019, the delivery of homeless sheltering services in Salt Lake County transitioned from a centralized emergency shelter to a scattered site model with multiple resource center locations, operated by multiple service providers. To understand the degree to which “proximity” to public transportation and other needed services was achieved, this study examined: how the decentralization of homeless services influenced transportation demand and mobility patterns for …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet April 2022, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The April 4, 2022 Monthly packet includes the April agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held March 7, 2022.

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Portland State mobilizes for the next era of climate action; with perseverance and a little help, it’s never too late to graduate; three scientists answer the question: How do you stay hopeful and motivated to make a difference with climate change?; Portland State researchers are investigating how to help the most vulnerable parents; opera retakes the stage with the “Merry Wives of Windsor”; a record-breaking steeplechase runner finds his way; remembering Charles Moose, Portland's first Black police chief, and more.