Digital Commons Network^™

A Case Example Of The Acyf’S Well-Being Framework: The Kansas Intensive Permanency Project, Becci A. Akin, Stephanie A. Bryson, Thomas P. Mcdonald, Charles Wilson

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This series of papers, Integrating Safety, Permanency and Well-Being in Child Welfare, describes how a more fully integrated and developmentally specific approach in child welfare could improve both child and system level outcomes. The papers were developed to further the national dialogue on how to more effectively integrate an emphasis on well-being into the goal of achieving safety, permanency and well-being for every child.

The third paper, A Case Example of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families’ Well-Being Framework: KIPP (Akin, Bryson, McDonald, and Wilson), presents a case study of the Kansas Intensive Permanency Project and describes how it …

How Disparities Research Can Influence Public Policy, Ann Curry-Stevens

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presentation providing a overview of the partnered research between the Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University.

Conceptualizing Social Determinants Of Maternal And Infant Health Disparities, Susanne Klawetter

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research demonstrates that women and children within marginalized ethnic and racial groups and those living in poverty experience disparate health outcomes. These disparities have immediate and long-term consequences. Exploring two theories used to examine social determinants of health— life course perspective and historical trauma response, this article will explain the major premises of each, provide application examples, compare and examine utility for practice, and highlight areas for future research. A theoretical critique will be included, as well as insight into how these theories together might address gaps as an approach to maternal and infant health research and practice.

The African American Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Lisa K. Bates, Ann Curry-Stevens, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report covers topics of importance for the African-American community, highlighting critical areas of disparity and disproportionate representation. The areas of analysis include: economic opportunity, housing and neighborhoods, education, health, child welfare, the criminal justice system, and civic engagement. In each area, we provide history and context, followed by data analysis that demonstrates the extent of racial disparity.

Taken together, the data on inequities show a community facing real and persistent challenges. These data point to a need for fundamental change and help to focus attention on some key drivers of that change. The depth and breadth of disparities profiled …

Expanding The Circle: People Who Care About Ending Racism. We Need Your Help, Ann Curry-Stevens

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This 24-page booklet is a collection of tools and resources that are designed to assist white learners understand our racist history and the details of 21st century racism in Canada.

Drawing often from tools of educators in Canada and in the USA, the booklet is designed to take learners through a journey of self-discovery, gently asking probing questions and helping white learners come to understand the ways in which they both gain and lose through racism.

It concludes with several sections on taking action – learning ways in which white people can stand in solidarity with people of colour and …

The Slavic Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the experiences of the Slavic community in Multnomah County. The Slavic community is defined as those from the former Soviet Union. It is the largest refugee-based community in Oregon, with most arriving in the decade from 1990 to 2000. Conventional definitions of the Slavic community are to define them as White. In the vast majority of datasets, it is not possible to extract the Slavic community as ancestry or language data have not been collected. To address the shortage of data on the community, we included a qualitative research study to extend our understanding of the community’s …

Primary Care For Adults On The Autism Spectrum, Christina Nicolaidis, Clarissa Kripke, Dora Raymaker

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The autistic population is very heterogeneous; individuals’ skills or challenges fall along spectra on multiple axes (spoken language, written communication, ability to perform activities of daily living, need for consistency, sensory sensitivity, emotional regulation, and so forth) and can change depending on environmental stimuli, supports, and stressors. Autistic adults have increased rates of chronic medical illnesses, including epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, feeding and nutritional problems, metabolic syndrome, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, and greater exposure to violence and abuse. Clinicians may improve quality of life by recommending accommodations, assistive technologies, therapies to improve adaptive function or communication, and caregiver training, and …

Latino Parents' Perspectives On Barriers To Autism Diagnosis, Katharine Zuckerman, Brianna Sinche, Angie Pamela Mejia, Martiza Cobian, Thomas Becker, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent estimates suggest that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) affect more than 1% of U.S. children over age 3, and rates ASD diagnosis may be increasing.1 ASDs can be reliably diagnosed,2 and early diagnosis is associated with improved long-term developmental and family outcomes.3 However, many children meeting ASD diagnostic criteria are never diagnosed4 or are diagnosed years after onset of symptoms.4,5 Delayed diagnosis is a particular problem among Latino children:6,7 Latino children receive a diagnosis of an ASD 2.5 years later than white non-Latino children.8 Latino children are also less likely to carry an ASD diagnosis; however, when diagnosed, they are …

Gender Maneuvering Over Coffee: Doing Gender Through Displays Of Hegemonic Masculinity And Alternative Femininity, Jedidiah Mcclean

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research examines how individuals “do gender” in an urban coffee shop by performing gender maneuvering strategies in order to gain masculine cultural capital typically accessed through displays of hegemonic masculinity. This participant ethnography was conducted in a corporate coffee franchise over the course of eight weeks, to observe gendered interactions in a public space. Observations were made of customer and barista socialization in the store, where gender displays were maneuvered through social artifacts such as clothing and hairstyles; as well as gendered social transactions such as conversational styles and heteronormative social customs. Research findings suggest that both masculine and …

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?, Adrienne Scavera, Jo-Ann Sowers

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

What do you want to be when you grown up? This is a question most of us heard more than once when we were kids and even more when we were in high school. When we got to be in our 20s the question may have changed to something like, “What are you going to do when you finish college?” or “Now that you are an adult what kind of job or career do you want to do?” After working as a barista, receptionist, and other minimum wage jobs, one young woman in the Career Visions project said, “I am …

Implementing The Peer Support Specialist Role: Peer Support In A Youth-Led Drop-In Center, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures, Youth Move Oregon

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This information brief gives an overview of Youth MOVE Oregon, an innovator in peer-led services for youth. The role and development of Peer Support Providers is discussed in some detail along with organizational challenges that need to be addressed.

Global Efforts To Engage Men In Preventing Violence Against Women: An International Survey, Ericka Kimball, Jeffrey L. Edleson, Richard M. Tolman, Tova Neugut, Juliana Carlson

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research note expands on the limited body of knowledge about men’s engagement in preventing violence against women. One hundred and sixty-five individuals representing organizations from around the world participated in a brief online survey about their efforts to engage men in violence prevention. This study reveals a large and diverse global community working to engage men in preventing violence against women. The level of involvement is broad, from locally contained organizations to global collaborations. This study is a first step toward building a comparative knowledge base to inform program design and implementation.

Patients’ Perception Of Patient–Provider Communication In Fertility Preservation Decision Making Among Young Women With Cancer, Aakrati Mathur, E. Roberto Orellana, Amy Frohnmayer, Pauline Jivanjee, Lillian Nail, Brandon Hayes-Lattin, Rebecca G. Block

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fertility preservation (FP) for patients with cancer is an emerging field. With the advancement of technology, patients may face a complex decision-making process about whether to preserve fertility. The purpose of this article is to explore how young women with cancer perceive patient–provider communication in FP decision making. In this study, 25 women between the ages of 18 and 39 were interviewed retrospectively. They were interviewed one time to learn about their decision-making process related to FP. Results of this analysis indicate that patients seek support and involvement from providers throughout the process of decision making. They prefer providers to …

Is Supported Employment Effective For Youth And Young Adults?, L. Kris Gowen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Supported Employment (SE) is an evidence-based practice to assist people with disabilities in finding and maintaining employment. The types of services provided by SE include job coaching and training, resume development, and transportation. More recently, proof of the effectiveness of this approach for those with mental health challenges has been documented.1 The purpose of this research was to determine whether SE proved to be effective among persons with mental health challenges across different age groups.

Education & Employment, L. Kris Gowen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The author provides an introduction to this issue of Focal Point, which focuses on the problems faced by youth with mental health challenges when attempting to choose a career. She also provides brief overviews of the articles contained in this issue, and recounts her own experiences as she embarked on her career.

Faq: Defining, Supporting, And Sustaining The Peer Support Specialist Role, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pathways RTC, together with staff from the Technical Assistance Partnership and the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, decided to interview agencies that were developing peer support specialist (PSS) roles. The goal was to find out what these agencies were learning about defining, supporting, and sustaining the PSS role. This FAQ summarizes some of the main things that were learned.

Native American Young People In The Transition To Adulthood: Perceptions Of Challenges And Supports, Terry L. Cross, Pauline Jivanjee, Abby Bandurraga, Barbara J. Friesen, L. Kris Gowen, Cori Matthew

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on native American youth and how work with this population can be improved by following the Relational World View as a theoretical framework. Discusses practice-based evidence findings and development of the NAYA Assessment Tool, and the Finding Our Way study methods. Findings of the study explore young people's perceptions of challenges, needs and supports. Finally, the presenters discuss expansion of the assessment tool to address transition domains.

The Organizational Context Of Research-Minded Practitioners: Challenges And Opportunities, Bowen Mcbeath, Michael J. Austin

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

If some practitioners are more research minded than others, then promising approaches for bridging the research to practice gap may be developed by describing research-minded practitioners and examining how to locate and support them. This article follows this basic logic in providing an overview of organizational development and practitioner support models for increasing knowledge use in human service organizations. The article begins with a conceptual profile of research-minded practi- tioners—individuals with an affinity for empirical inquiry, critical thinking, and reflection allied with a commitment to data- driven organizational improvement—and the organizational settings needed to host research-minded practice. This is followed …

Negotiating Accommodations At The Workplace: Perspectives Of Human Resource Professionals And Parents Of Children With Mental Health Disorders, Katherine J. Huffstutter, Jennifer R. Bradley, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the 11th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries, San Francisco, CA., Jan. 2007.

Youth Advocate To Advocate For Youth: The Next Transition, Lacy Kendrick Burk, Johanna Bergan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

A growing youth movement across the country has developed a vast number of youth and young adult leaders who are passionate and experienced in sharing their stories to create positive systems change. Many strong youth groups and organizations, authentic youth/adult partnerships, federal grant programs, and research and training centers across the country support this movement. Even more importantly, the movement is sustained by the energy and passion of the young leaders and those who support youth voice.

This guide is intended for young people who have chosen to utilize their lived experience as a mechanism to advocate for positive change. …

Pathways To Positive Futures: State-Of-The-Science Conference Proceedings, Janet Walker, Kris Gowen, Pauline Jivanjee, Celeste Laurana Moser, Claudia Sellmaier, Nancy Koroloff, Eileen Brennan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last decade, evidence has mounted showing that young people with serious mental health conditions experience a variety of challenges as they mature into adulthood. On average, their educational, economic and vocational outcomes are distinctly worse than their peers’, and they are more likely to experience homelessness, to struggle with substance use, and to be involved with corrections systems. In 2009, researchers at the Regional Research Institute at Portland State University applied for and received a grant from the National Institute for Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR, US Department of Education) and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS, US …

Sex Differences In The Medical Care Of Va Patients With Chronic Non-Cancer Pain, Melissa B. Weimer, Tara Macey, Christina Nicolaidis, Steven K. Dobscha, Jonathan P. Duckart, Benjamin J. Morasco

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective

Despite a growing number of women seeking medical care in the veterans affairs (VA) system, little is known about the characteristics of their chronic pain or the pain care they receive. This study sought to determine if sex differences are present in the medical care veterans received for chronic pain.

Design

Retrospective cohort study using VA administrative data.

Subjects

The subjects were 17,583 veteran patients with moderate to severe chronic non-cancer pain treated in the Pacific Northwest during 2008.

Methods

Multivariate logistic regression assessed for sex differences in primary care utilization, prescription of chronic opioid therapy, visits to emergency …

Motivating Men Who Have Sex With Men To Get Tested For Hiv Through The Internet And Mobile Phones: A Qualitative Study, Magaly M. Blas, Luis A. Menacho, Isaac E. Alva, Robinson Cabello, Edwin Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) have the highest HIV prevalence in Peru, yet they are underserved by traditional preventive programs. In Peru, the Internet and mobile phones have emerged as an effective and convenient tool to reach this population.

Methods and Findings: From October 2010 to February 2011, we conducted eight focus groups with gay identified MSM (closeted and out-of-the-closet) and with self-identified heterosexual MSM in order to identify key features and preferences to be used to tailor culturally-appropriate messages that could be delivered through Internet and mobile phones to motivate MSM to get tested …

Short Text Messages To Motivate Hiv Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Qualitative Study In Lima, Peru, Luis A. Menacho, Magaly M. Blas, Isaac E. Alva, Edwin Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify features and content that short message service (SMS) should have in order to motivate HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima, Peru.

Methods: From October, 2010 to February, 2011, we conducted focus groups at two stages; six focus groups were conducted to explore and identify SMS content and features and two additional focus groups were conducted to tailor SMS content. The text messages were elaborated within the theoretical framework of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model and the Social Support Theory.

Results: A total of …

Effective Single-Parent Training Group Program: Three System Studies, Harold E. Briggs, Keva M. Miller, Edwin Roberto Orellana, Adam C. Briggs, Wendell H. Cox

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: This study highlights Dr. Elsie Pinkston and colleagues’ research on the effectiveness of behavior parent training and examines the application of single-parent training group (SPG) programs to three parent–child dyads exposed to distressed family circumstances. Methods: Single-system evaluation designs were conducted with two single birth parents, one single foster parent, and each parent’s three respective children, in an effort to appraise the results of a SPG program.

Results: Two of the three parent–child dyads benefited from the SPG. Results suggested that there were changes in parent reinforcement and attention behaviors and children’s noncompliance behaviors.

Conclusion: Behavioral improvements in …

Policies To Eliminate Racial Disparities In Education: A Literature Review, Ann Curry-Stevens, Analucia Lopezrevoredo, Dana Peters

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to an increasing need to understand the reach of the literature and the research undertaken on initiatives to eliminate racial disparities, a literature review was initiated in 2012 for the Eliminating Racial Disparities Collaborative within the All Hands Raised initiative to improve academic outcomes for students in Multnomah County. This was an expansive undertaking – and at the end, we have drawn upon about 160 different articles, some of which were meta-analyses of an array of publications in a particular field.

The first section in this report is a summary document that details each policy-based recommendation in this …

The African Immigrant And Refugee Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since 1975, African immigrants, refugees and secondary migrants have been relocating to Multnomah County and now represent the fourth largest immigrant community after Latino, Asian, and Slavic immigrants. The African community here is incredibly diverse in its make-up, with over 28 different African countries and numerous ethnic groups represented. Estimates from 2003 suggest that African immigrants make up 2% of the foreign-born population in the Portland Metro (tri-county) area. Nearly half (45%) of the tri-county area’s African foreign-born population is from eastern Africa, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Other countries of origin include Sudan, Sierra …

Comparison Of Healthcare Experiences In Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey Facilitated By An Academic-Community Partnership, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Sebastian Dern, Cody Boisclair, Elesia Ashkenazy, Amelia E.V. Baggs

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the healthcare experiences of adults on the autism spectrum. Moreover, autistic adults have rarely been included as partners in autism research.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic adults via an online survey.

METHODS

We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt survey instruments to be accessible to autistic adults and to conduct an online cross-sectional survey. We assessed preliminary psychometric data on the adapted scales. We used multivariate analyses to compare healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic participants.

RESULTS

Four hundred and thirty-seven participants completed the survey (209 autistic, …

Implementing The Peer Support Specialist Role: Providing Direct, Individualized Support In A Local Program, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures, Youth Empowerment Support Program

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This information brief provides an example of how one locally-initiated program has implemented the Peer Support Specialist role for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. The brief covers aspects of training, coaching, supervision, role definition and financing; and describes challenges and solutions.

Implementing The Peer Support Specialist Role: Youth Peer Support In Wraparound, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures, Youth And Family Training Institute

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This information brief provides an example of how one state has implemented and supported the Peer Support Specialist role for youth with serious mental health conditions. The brief covers aspects of training, coaching, supervision, role definition and financing; and describes a series of challenges and solutions.