Digital Commons Network^™

Cross - Professional Comparison Of Social Work Burnout, Heather Lynn Schaal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Burnout in the social work field is becoming increasingly common due to the emotional intensity of the client-social worker relationship and job demands. Research has shown that burnout has detrimental effects not only on the social worker themselves but on clients and agencies as well. Limited research exists examining which professional setting of social work experiences the highest level of burnout. This study used secondary data collected by, Dr. Lizano in 2016 from the 4^thAnnual California State University, San Bernardino BASW and MSW Field Instructor Training. A quantitative method was used to analyze which setting of social work …

San Bernardino And Riverside County Foster Family Agency Social Workers' Awareness Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Cristin Elizabeth Campbell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking is a crime happening right in our own backyards. Social Workers are seeing this vulnerable population fall through the fingers of social services and into the clutches of traffickers at alarming rates. This research project analyzed San Bernardino and Riverside County Foster Family Agency Social Workers' Awareness of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. This project was a quantitative exploratory research design. A paper survey was distributed to Foster Family Agency Social Workers within San Bernardino and Riverside County, California using a snowball sampling. A bivariate analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship that social work experience in …

Informal Art Therapy Group Among Minority Seniors In Independent Living Communities, Jennifer Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The elderly population have developed some resistance toward accepting community-based social services. Such resistance could be detrimental to the well-being of low-income seniors by hindering their chance of accessing services intended for them in the first place. Art therapy is seen as a promising intervention against client resistance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of art therapy on reducing resistance to services among low-income seniors living in independent living communities. Through a pre-experimental design, this study analyzed administrative data for a sample of 37 participants from a social service agency in Southern California. Results from two non-parametric tests (WilcoxonSigned-Rank and Mann-Whitney-U) …

Attitudes And Experiences Of Undocumented Latino Immigrants When Seeking Medical Services, Susana Michelle De Leon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Undocumented immigrants have historically been excluded from the medical care system. This study explored the attitudes and experiences of undocumented Latino immigrants when seeking medical services in the San Bernardino County. It aimed to share the stories of undocumented immigrants that often go untold and provide valuable insight into the needs and concerns of this population. The exploratory study utilized a qualitative approach through interviews. Data was collected through in person and over the phone interviews, which were then transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparative method. The findings of this study identified barriers and challenges faced by undocumented immigrants …

Child Welfare Workers’ Perspectives On Placement Instability And The Impacts On Foster Youth, Steven Joseph Delgado, Amanda Marie Fuerte

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this study, the researchers explored child welfare workers’ perceptions on placement changes for youth in foster care and the impact these changes had on youths’ overall outcomes. Using a Post Positivist paradigm, qualitative research was completed using snowball-sampling procedures. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with sixteen members from their personal networks of child welfare social workers that have direct contact with foster youth. The research participants included current child welfare social workers from two counties in Southern California. The study’s findings suggest that children’s behaviors and foster parents’ reactions to those behaviors impacted placement changes. Further, participants felt that …

Recovery Support Services For Young Adults: A Needs Assessment For A Collegiate Recovery Program At A Midsized Public University Located In Southern California, Micah Carlson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Substance use and substance use disorders continue to impact the health and safety of people across the United States. A population in which substance use and substance use disorders tend to be the highest being with college-age populations. In response to this growing public health concern, Recovery Support Services (RSS) are being implemented across colleges and universities nationwide. With each college or university being diverse based on its location, size, and demographics RSS resources do not look the same as they spread from campus to campus. This research project analyzed the current resources, how they are implemented, and how they …

Social Work Students' Perception Of Intimate Partner Violence Victims Who Stay With Their Abuser, Andrea Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Intimate partner violence is a widely recognized problem in today’s society and in the social work field. It is also often considered one of the most complicated issues to adequately address and prevent. There are many challenges in understanding how IPV can occur and worsen over time, as well as why some victims choose to stay with their abusers. Intervening in relationships and families that are experiencing IPV is not an easy task, especially if the social worker who is dealing with the issue is not knowledgeable or has pre-conceived biases about domestic violence. In this study, the terms …

Planning For A Future: A Developmental Blueprint Towards Success Among Current And Former Foster Youth, John Devine

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Over 425,000 youth currently reside in the U.S. foster care system. Youth enter the foster care system for the many reasons, including but not limited to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, incarceration of a parent, abandonment, and death of a family member. Once in the foster care system, many youth remain until they reach adulthood. The purpose of this study is to examine the perspectives of current and former foster youth who remained in foster care into their adulthood and who participated in the Independent Living Program (ILP), a program designed to help foster youth transition to adulthood and …

Spirituality Of Substance Abuse Counselors, Matthew Sasso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of spirituality among substance abuse counselors for those who in the recovery process. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of how personal beliefs of substance abuse counselors influence the treatment experience. This study uses a qualitative post positivist paradigm to study the impact of practitioners’ personal beliefs towards spirituality in the treatment of clients. It addresses essential factors from a spiritual and religious framework and reveals the consideration of personal beliefs of substance abuse counselors and its impact on the treatment experience of an individual’s recovery. The content of the research …

The Effects Of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations On Social-Behavioral-Functioning And Mental Status: Perceptions Among Mental Health Social Workers, Zachary Robert Eckert

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (AVH) are a generally distressing phenomena that can have a negative impact on the quality of life of the experiencer. Furthermore, individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders often display deficits in social/cognitive domains. Despite this, little is known about how AVHs directly affect social functioning and mental status. Because of this dearth of information, exploratory research is needed to generate potential avenues for future experimental research. Qualitative themes about how AVHs influence behavior were derived from interviews with mental health social workers. Eight primary domains were identified: Behavior, social ability, observable traits, voice plasticity, life difficulty, beneficial auditory …

Effects Of Autism Spectrum Disorder On Mothers, Angelica Del Villar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As time keeps on passing, diagnosing a child with Autism keeps on expanding. The research study focuses on gathering data on the impact of mothers that have a child diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The members chose were from an online all mothers support group. The study was gathered utilizing the post positive approach. After fulfillment of the research the members will be able to view the results of this study by going to the California State University San Bernardino scholar works website. This research was conducted to share information to clinicians and any reader on the day …

Low-Income Older Adults Preparedness For Long-Term Care: In-Home Supportive Services, Zina Basom

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As older adults live longer, demand for supportive care will increase. Older adults will need a form of long-term care to manage their health and quality of life. As older adults age, they’re susceptible to having one or more chronic conditions. In taking measures to manage the chronic conditions of many older adults, in-home supportive services is a supportive program that provides non-medical personal and instrumental services to help older adults with their activities of daily living. An in-home supportive service allows an older adult to receive assistance and remain comfortably living in his or her home. However, an older …

Social Work Perceptions Of Pedophiles: Opening The Dialogue, Dana Rose Montes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Pedophiles are the most stigmatized population in society (Jahnke, Imhoff, & Hoyer, 2015; Sanghara & Wilson, 2006). Social worker’s responsibility is to maintain standards and treat individuals with dignity and respect (NASW, 2017). It is important to explore bias against pedophiles because studies have shown bias is linked to offender recidivism rates (Jahnke, Schmidt, Geradt, & Hoyer, 2015). Social workers may unintentionally inhibit pedophiles from seeking treatment if they hold strong biases against them which could potentially negatively impact child abuse rates. The purpose of this study was to identify bias reduction techniques so that they could possibly be implemented …

Exploring The Effects Of Community Resources On Client Progress In Case Planning As Assessed By Social Workers In Children And Family Services, Mary Carmen Perez, Desiree Violet Prendergast

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The research study explored the impact of community resources has on client progress in their case plans as assessed by social workers in Child Welfare Services. The study site was at the Children and Family Services Agency in Central California. The data was gathered using face-to-face interviews with social workers by using a prepared interview guide, which was later transcribed for data analysis utilizing axial, and selective coding. During the Data analysis the researchers found two major themes that have an influence in the clients’ case progression and they include the following: 1.) barriers towards case plan progression and 2.) …

Work With Elders Experiencing Cognitive Impairment: Exploring The Interest Of Social Work Students, Cindy Avelar, Gabriela Maria Cantu-Reyna

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The aging population in the United States will increase drastically in the next decades. Consequently, the field of aging will need more social workers. Beyond the usual cognitive decline of this stage in life, older adults may face conditions that include cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This research studied the extent to which personal experience and previous work exposure influences social work students’ interest in working with the elderly with cognitive impairment. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and collected the participants’ answers using a survey which was sent out through classroom visits and online …

Challenges Medical Social Workers Face That Lead To Burnout, Emilee Limon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explored the challenges medical social workers face that lead to burnout. Currently, there is literature on burnout among health care providers and social workers, but not specifically on social workers in the medical field. The current study aimed to fill this gap in literature. Due to the lack of literature, the study used an exploratory, qualitative design. The study utilized individual interviews with a non-random purposive sample of nine medical social workers currently employed at Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana/Ontario Social Services Department. Interviews with participants were recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Major themes that …

Master Of Social Work Student Competency In Spanish Skills And The Support They Receive, Giselle Sanchez, Shizatiz Gioconda Guerrero

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

With the growth of the Latino population in the United States on the rise and the limited number of bilingual Spanish social workers, it is critical to explore the Master of Social Work student’s self-perceived competency in Spanish skills and the support they receive. These are the emerging professionals that will be interacting and providing services for Latinos in our communities. Exploring and understanding the challenges students encounter, their self-perceived competency, and how students can be supported, will be beneficial not only to them but also to Latino clients seeking services in Spanish. Providing appropriate services in Spanish may alleviate …

African American Perceptions And Experiences On Preventive Family Therapy And Help-Seeking Behaviors In The Inland Empire, Nathnael Estifanos, Brandon Daniel Farmer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the perceptions of African American parents on preventive family therapy and their help-seeking behaviors. Specifically, this study aims to identify the factors that influence African American families in engaging in preventive family therapy and the barriers to accessing treatment. The data was collected through two group interviews that consisted of a total of 11 African American parents residing in Riverside County and San Bernardino County. The findings indicate that: (a) African American parents sought therapy primarily for crisis; (b) Alternatives to therapy were viewed as being just as effective; (c) Barriers to treatment include institutional …

Residential Counselors And Dual-Status Youth Challenges And Resiliency, Kenny Gallegos, Leslie Stephanie Romero-Gallegos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the common challenges that residential counselors face when working with dual-status youth, which we defined as any youth with at least one open case with the child welfare system or juvenile justice system (or both) and who have previously had a case with the latter in their lifetime. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with their residential counselors across five different residential treatment centers in southern California.

The most common challenges reported by the residential treatment counselors included multiple roles, role limitation, dual-status youth behaviors, deficiency in training, management, and preparation when working with dual-status youth in …

Knowledge Of School Resource Officer's Roles And Their Perceptions On School Social Worker's Roles, Cynthia Crystal Cervantes, Vanessa Vazquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study examined the perception of school resource officers (SROs) role in a school setting, the training they received prior to working in a school setting, their interaction with students, and their relationship with school administration, staff, and school social workers. Previous studies discussed SROs’ roles to be ambiguous and their primary focus of a school resource officer to maintain school safety, while other studies discussed the criminalization in schools due to the placement of law enforcement in the school settings.

The study employed a qualitative design with face-to-face interviews with seven participants who serve or have served as a …

The Self-Percieved Grief Competency Of Masters Level Therapists, Emily Rae Devries

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Bereavement is an experience that most people will encounter multiple times across their lifetime. Some people who experience grief are going to seek support in this process from a therapist. The NASW Code of Ethics suggests that social workers only practice in fields in which they are competent. This study will look at the self-perceived grief competency of master’s level therapists. Demographic data and a survey designed to measure the competency of a master’s level therapist was utilized to collect data to measure the self-perceived grief competency. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way between groups ANOVA, and correlation …

What Does An Effective Reentry Program Look Like At A University Campus?, Paul Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In 2016, University X was awarded a grant to pilot Project Rebound. Project Rebound assist people who are formerly incarcerated navigate the admissions process and graduate from University X with bachelors or master’s degrees. The purpose of this research is to investigate the difficulty that the formerly incarcerated face when assimilating into a new environment far removed from the confines of prison. The current study will answer the questions: what does an effective reentry program look like at University X, and what interventions are most correlated with success? University X’s Project Rebound uses risk assessment instruments and focuses on behavioral …

Burnout Among Bilingual Social Service Providers, Marlene Reyes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study focuses on burnout among bilingual Social Service Providers (BSSPs) and examines their thoughts and beliefs on the interconnection of their bilingual/bicultural skills and higher risk of burnout. The findings from this study have significant ramifications for the social service field on both Macro and Micro levels. At a Micro scale, the data validates the additional responsibilities of BSSP’s, while bringing more awareness to this group of professionals. Additional findings contribute to new policies regarding BSSPs job responsibilities; for example, accurate job descriptions and training for positions that require translation and interpretation. An exploratory study using qualitative data was …

Discussing Sexual Health Topics With Severely Mentally Ill Clients: An Exploration Of Social Work Practitioners’ Preparedness, Priscilla Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health professionals have an important role to play in assessing and addressing the needs of their clients, including those with severe mental illness. Research, however, has demonstrated a reluctance toward discussing sexual health topics with severely mentally ill clients. The purpose of this study was to explore social work practitioners’ attitudes and preparedness toward addressing the sexual health need of clients who are mentally challenged to a great extent. Under the qualitative research paradigm, this study sampled 8 licensed clinical social workers who currently work in the United States. Thematic analysis of interview data generated four major themes. First, …

Resilience And Resistance: How The Inland Empire Transgender Community Thrives, Raul Angel Maldonado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Society’s current focus on the transgender community is complicated, and further heightened by the lack of protections for the transgender community. Current studies only assess the hardships transgender individuals face and the impact they have on their well-being. This study sought to explore what effects the lack of resources and support have on the transgender community in the Inland Empire. This study utilized a qualitative approach incorporating semi-structured interviews of participants. The author also sought to explore how the transgender community in this area are able to mitigate any negative experiences. The qualitative data provided rich grounding in understanding the …

Social Work Students’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Mental Health Courts, Nicholas Bettosini, Conrad Paul Akins-Johnson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental Health Courts (MHCs) are a diversion program for mentally ill offenders in lieu of incarceration. The Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA) developed these specialized court programs in the 1990’s to assist mentally ill offenders in overcoming barriers to treatment. While new laws have begun to change the way mentally ill offenders are viewed from a law enforcement standpoint, social workers’ attitudes and beliefs about these programs have not been studied. This quantitative study’s purpose was to examine Master of Social Work (MSW) Graduate students’ attitudes and beliefs of mentally ill offenders and MHCs. Social work student participants …

The Systemic Issues Associated With Violent Crime In Predominantly African American Communities, Abraham Coles

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the issues associated with violent crime in African American communities. The study discusses the theory of racism as a key factor in the societal conditions African Americans live in the United States. The researcher explains the methodology used. The study is a qualitative study, based on interviews of eight participants answers to twenty questions. The study discusses the research sites, who participated in the research study, and how the participants were selected. The study outlines the sampling method and why this method was chosen. The descriptive statistics of participants in the study …

Parental Influence On Risk Factors For Obesity In African American School Aged Children, Brittney Joy Parish

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The growing childhood obesity epidemic and its association with adverse health outcomes have prompted increasing research in the recent past. Researchers have examined numerous aspects of the obesity epidemic. For example, the impact of parent behavior on child behavior has been considered. Likewise, researchers have examined the connection between parent perceptions of obesity and concern regarding a child’s weight status. Still other research has focused on the influence of a child’s behavior on weight status.

Existing research has reported that within the African American community there is an apparent inaccuracy in perceptions regarding weight. Children who would be classified as …

The Link Between Foster Youth And Teachers Using Empowerment: Do Trusting Relationships Improve Outcomes?, Rosio Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study presents findings on elementary teacher’s relationship with foster youth, whether teachers are able to use an empowerment approach to build trust and improve outcomes. This study was quantitative and measured the key variables through a descriptive design. Specifically using Qualtrics which tested the key variables of empowerment, trust, and improved outcomes. Also, Qualtrics described the findings through bar graphs and the researcher interpreted this through univariate statistics specifically. Significant findings were found towards teachers making a positive impact on foster youth.

Factors To Consider In Working With Depressed Pregnant Latina Women: As Perceived By Social Workers, Brenda Velasquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A study in a multiethnic, urban population found that being of Hispanic ethnicity more than doubled the odds of depression during pregnancy. Given that Latinas make up such a significant and sizable population, mental health professionals must work towards learning to serve them more appropriately and effectively. The following research is of significance to intervention and treatment of depressed Latina women. The study was conducted utilizing a qualitative phenomenology method. Five social workers with past or current experience in working with the topic population were recruited and in-depth interviews were audio-recorded. Information gathered was broken into major themes and subthemes …