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Common Law, Charity, And Human Rights As Responses To The Socio-Economic Crisis In Galicia, Spain, Francisco Xabier Aguiar Fernández, Santiago Prado Conde Universidad Internacional De La Rioja, Carmen Verde Diego

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article presents the findings of a research project analyzing the effects of the Spanish socio-economic crisis on rural areas. It describes the perceptions of social workers in the public sector engaged in community practice and the perceptions of social leaders working for public and private human service organizations within the province of Ourense, Spain. It explores how the current economic crisis has affected people, health care units and the social workers’ scope of action. The study relied on secondary data, surveys and qualitative interviews. Study findings suggest that the adopted measures for responding to the effects of the crisis …

Social Work Education And Mental Health Stigma, Dana K. Prisloe

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Muslim Veiled Women And Religious Discrimination: A Strength Perspective, Aishath Shizleen

Theses : Honours

The word ‘Islamophobia’ has gained and continues to gain wider currency in both the academic and public sphere. In the recent years, there has been an increase in literature focusing on Muslims and their experiences living in Western societies. It has been established that religious discrimination impacts negatively on self-esteem, mental wellbeing and one’s sense of identity. However, there is little research focusing on Muslim veiled women in particular even though it has been established that people who are visibly Muslim are more vulnerable to religious discrimination. This phenomenological study explored the lived experience of Muslim veiled women from South …

Exploring Patient Satisfaction Among Transgender And Non-Binary Identified Healthcare Users: The Role Of Microaggressions And Inclusive Healthcare Settings, Stevie Forbes-Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality of healthcare delivery. Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) people regularly report experiencing discrimination when in healthcare settings and few TGNB-inclusive services are available. Researchers have not examined how discrimination and access to TGNB-inclusive services are associated with patient satisfaction among TGNB healthcare users. Among a convenience sample of TGNB people (n = 146) from Canada and the United States, I examined the relationship between patient satisfaction, experiencing microaggressions from primary healthcare providers, and receiving care in a TGNB-inclusive healthcare setting.

The results from a multivariable linear regression suggest that experiencing microaggressions is …

Gasping For Breath: Women’S Concerns And The Politics Of Community Development In Rural Ghana, Charles Gyan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This transnational feminist study described and interpreted the experiences of women within the context of community development in rural Ghana. The purpose of this study was to empirically ascertain the barriers faced by women within the community development processes in rural Ghana. With this goal, women from three randomly selected rural communities in Ghana were sampled and interviewed. A concurrent triangulation mixed method research design was adopted. The main instruments used were a questionnaire and an in-depth interview for the collection of the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. A total of two hundred women participated in the study.

The findings …

The Debate On Minimum Income In Spain: Charity, Development Or Citizen Right, Arantxa Hernández-Echegaray, Javier Pacheco-Mangas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current retrenchment of social protection in capitalist welfare economies has triggered the expansion of aid-based practices in response to vulnerability, far removed from the ideals of social work. This study analyzes the practices and strategies of social workers that take part in regional minimum income systems (MIS) in Spain, using a qualitative approach that makes it possible to demonstrate leading professional discourses. Findings show a limited consolidation of regional policies on minimum income in Spain, resulting in significant regional disparities. Authors emphasize the need to increase social work’s participation in formulating policies aimed at inclusion and consolidation of local …

Assisting The Most Vulnerable Populations In The Regions Of La Rioja And The Maghreb: The Human Rights-Based Approach And Social Work, Neus Caparrós Civera, Domingo Carbonero Muñoz, Esther Raya Díez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the evolution of social assistance provided to the most disadvantaged populations in La Rioja, Spain and the Maghreb, going from charity to the human rights-based approach (HRBA). A case-analysis methodology was applied to two social interventions: the ABDEM project, which is part of the EU Tempus program, and the UNICEF program to combat poverty in the Spanish region of La Rioja. In these two cases, the HRBA represents a conceptual leap in the promotion of people’s autonomy and an effective means for sustainable progress in response to the inequality, discrimination and unjust power relations negatively affecting the …

Social Worker Engagement Of Substance Abusing Rural Young Adults: An Action Research Study, Samantha L. Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a dramatic increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths that have had extensive health impacts in Delaware County, New York. Social workers play a crucial role in working with individuals who have substance use and co-occurring disorders. The study was guided by ecological systems theory and the generalist intervention model focused on the engagement process between social workers and local young people. The current action research study explored the social work practice problem of challenges encountered by clinical social workers who engage in services with young adults ages 18-25 who have or are at risk for substance use …

School Standpoint': Understanding Effects Of Personal Experiences Within School-Based Social Work Practice, Emily Shayman

Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study used Standpoint Theory combined with Positionality theories as a lens to understand the data and an analytical tool to determine how school-based social workers consider their general 'sense of self' within their professional decisions and practice approaches. Findings included three main themes that emerged from the data regarding participants' overall 'sense of self' within school-based social work practices: social structure, personal identity, and professional role. Participants described these influences in fluid, flexible, and dynamic ways, and as having both positive and negative impact on their professional practices. These three components of school-based social work practice came …

Shortage Of Licensed Independent Social Workers With The Training Supervision Designation, Justa Link

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a shortage of Licensed Independent Social Workers with the Training Supervision Designation (LISW-S) in a county in rural Ohio. If there are not enough LISW-Ss, social workers may not have the ability or opportunity to work independently or gain the supervision needed to become more competent in specific areas of practice. The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of why some social workers in rural Ohio decide not to pursue an LISW-S credential, as well as whether there are resources or incentives that might prompt individuals to pursue this credential. This action research project …

Solution Focused Creativity In Social Work, Emilie R. Kenneally

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Solution Focused Brief Therapy is a well-known method of therapy used by many clinicians and social workers. There are similarities between this therapy and the creative problem solving process. Creating a workbook that adapts creative problem solving tools to include solution focused language and concepts can make social workers’ jobs easier and also help them work more effectively. When social workers are able to do their jobs in a more creative way, they will have less stress and create better outcomes for their clients. Using a framework that already exists (i.e. Solution Focused Brief Therapy) and comparing it to creative …

Teaching Students To Be Spiritually Sensitive: Learning From A Spirituality Course Evaluation, Ann M. Callahan, Kalea Benner

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Rationale

The way educators address spirituality can create a sense of community or social isolation. This necessitates a spiritually sensitive approach that enables students to build spiritual competence. Spiritual competence reflects an understanding of how spirituality shapes human behavior, how spiritual diversity manifests and can lead to risk for discrimination, and how to communicate spiritual sensitivity in professional relationships (NASW, 2008, 2007). Research shows that educators have helped students explore themselves and others spiritually (Barker & Floersch, 2010; Johnston, Mamier, Bahjri, Anton, & Petersen; 2008), but more research is needed on how self-reflection informs spiritual competence (Hodge & Derezotes, 2008). …

Profesional Ethics In Rural Social Work Practice, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

1. Describe differences between values, morals, and ethics from a rural practice perspective
   
   
2. List at least 3 common ethical issues identified in rural social service practice that challenges service delivery
   
   
3. Identify 3 rural practice considerations that complicate rural practice from an ethical perspective.

Connecting Individuals With Social Services: The Academic Library's Role, Samantha G. Hines

Collaborative Librarianship

As socioeconomically-disadvantaged people become a core user base for libraries, some libraries have collaborated with non-library workers to connect their user communities with beneficial social services, which ties in with librarianship’s values of promoting social justice and providing for the common good. As public libraries earn attention and kudos for connecting their communities to social services, the question arises as to the role of the academic library in connecting our campus community with resources on services for societal needs. Working with existing campus and community organizations can create many positive networks for our library users, our institutions and our larger …

Rural Social Work: Recruitment, Job Satisfaction, Burnout, And Turnover, Aaron Raymond Brown, Jayme Walters, Aubrey Jones, Omotola Akinsola

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural agencies have unique challenges related to recruitment and retention of social workers. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine job satisfaction, burnout and turnover among rural social workers. Based on 28 included articles, results indicate: (a) rural social workers tend to be from rural areas or have completed training in rural settings; (b) poor job satisfaction predicts turnover among rural social workers; (c) rural vs. urban differences for satisfaction, burnout, intention to leave, and turnover are mixed; and (d) greater work-life balance and supervisory support increase retention among rural social workers. This study provides recommendations for informing education, …

Rural Social Work: Recruitment, Job Satisfaction, Burnout, And Turnover, Aaron R. Brown, Jayme E. Walters, Aubrey E. Jones, Omotola Akinsola

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Rural agencies have unique challenges related to recruitment and retention of social workers. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine job satisfaction, burnout and turnover among rural social workers. Based on 28 included articles, results indicate: (a) rural social workers tend to be from rural areas or have completed training in rural settings; (b) poor job satisfaction predicts turnover among rural social workers; (c) rural vs. urban differences for satisfaction, burnout, intention to leave, and turnover are mixed; and (d) greater work-life balance and supervisory support increase retention among rural social workers. This study provides recommendations for informing education, …

Multiculturalism And Social Work: A Content Analysis Of The Past 25 Years Of Research, Lauren Christine Smithee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this content analysis was to analyze the past 25 years of research in two major social work journals, Social Work and Research on Social Work Practice, to provide a status update on the amount of ethnic-focused research being published within the discipline. This analysis examined trends in ethnic-focused publications, the change across time in percent of focused articles, the top topics studied, per ethnic group, the top funded topics, most and least involved funding agencies, geographical groupings of focused samples, the setting of the samples, measures used, and the percentage of samples based in a clinical …

Measuring Rights-Based Perspectives: A Validation Of The Human Rights Lens In Social Work Scale, Jane Mcpherson, Carl F. Siebert, Darcy Clay Siebert

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: This article reports the initial validation of the Human Rights Lens in Social Work (HRLSW) scale, a tool designed to measure a social worker’s ability to see individual and social problems as resulting from human rights violations. The purpose of the research was to gather evidence regarding the validity of this multidimensional measure of a new construct, i.e., human rights lens. Method: Data from a convenience sample of 1,014 licensed clinical social workers were collected by electronic survey, and the sample was split to conduct discrete exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The exploratory factor analysis was performed on …

Fostering Forever Families: Implementing Trauma-Based Interventions In Diverse Settings, Natalie Higgs

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Within the past few decades, there has been a concern for adoptive parents to be able to attach and connect with their adoptive children. For many adoptive or foster families, behavioral issues arise that can disrupt placements. Also, a lack of attachment between adoptive parents and their adopted children can lead to a dissolution of adoption and can also traumatize the child even more than he/she might already be. Attachment and behavioral problems are not just with adoptive families either; the problems are also with foster families and children who have experienced trauma. To help correct behavioral issues and prevent …

Cal State San Bernardino Social Work Students' Attitudes Toward Domestic Minor Sex-Trafficked (Dmst) Youth, Crystal Lorraine Marinelli, Andrea Sara Hunt

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) affects hundreds of thousands of youth every year. In the past, DMST youth were often viewed by law enforcement and the criminal justice system as "offenders" and were usually arrested for solicitation even though they were minors. While new laws have begun to identify youth as victims, it has not yet been ensured that social workers have adopted this perspective. This quantitative study's purpose was to examine Cal State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) Bachelor of Social Work (BASW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) students' attitudes toward DMST youth. Participants completed an online questionnaire using …

Underlying Causes Of Burnout For Practitioners Who Intervene With Persons Living With Substance Use, Michelle Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Professors repeatedly warn students against burnout throughout the years of schooling that is required to earn a credential or license to work with persons who suffer from a substance use disorder. Despite these many warnings, burnout amongst practitioners continues to occur. There has been considerable research done over the years on the phenomenon of practitioner burnout, its causes and how to prevent it. Substance use disorder practitioners’ challenges often include high caseloads, difficult cases and lack of self-care. The data collected through an electronic server Survey Monkey allowed for a quantitative cross-sectional analysis which focused on participants’ perceptions of …

Strategies And Coping Mechanisms Utilized By Nicu And Picu Social Workers To Prevent Primary Trauma, Secondary Trauma Stress, Compassion Fatigue And Burnout, Amy Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit social workers are a particularly vulnerable group of professionals due to their chronic exposure to trauma. Current research has overlooked how social workers specifically can adopt certain strategies and coping mechanisms to prevent the symptoms associated with primary trauma, secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Thus, the study that follows was designed to explore the strategies and coping mechanisms utilized by NICU and PICU social workers. Data for this project was collected through the use of open-ended questions in an electronic survey format and analyzed through a conventional content analysis …

Comorbidity Of Alcohol And Mental Health: Addressing Access To Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers And The Perceived Effectiveness, Annmarie M. Scott

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the comorbidity of substance

use disorders and mental illness: Addressing access to dual diagnosis treatment centers and the correlation of perceived effectiveness. The research project was conducted in collaboration with California State University, San Bernardino, (CSUSB) and the Master in Social Work Program. The study used a survey designed with items that measured the participant’s perception of availability and effectiveness of dual diagnosis treatment centers. A quantitative study was conducted using a fixed choice response and data was analyzed on an interval measurement scale. Frequencies and cross tabulations were used to present …

Student Censorship In The Social Work Classrooms, Lisa Kozlowski

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Through the evolution of the field of social work, a divide in its ideologies has emerged and certain political and ideological groups such as the religious and conservatives have become underrepresented. As a result, over the years the liberal philosophies have emerged as the dominant group. This has led to a decrease in diversity within the field. Recognition of biases in the field of social work is difficult. Through a qualitative analysis method, this study was meant to explore if social work students feel they are free to share openly in the classroom, and if they are accepting of all …

Investigating The Attitudes Of Graduate Social Work Students Toward Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Jennifer Nicole Thompson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Stigma is one of the foremost barriers to effective mental health treatment of consumers. Social workers currently provide the majority of mental health treatment in the United States. Examining levels of stigma present in social work students would be valuable in providing future interventions. A quantitative study was conducted utilizing an online questionnaire. The survey was distributed by the CSUSB Department of Social Work to graduate social work students. Statistical analysis utilizing SPSS software was conducted following data collection. Data analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in the attitudes regardless of exposure to severe mental illness. The findings …

Structural Factors And Voting Decisions By Recipients Of Means -Tested Government Assistance Programs, Who Are Enrolled In Community Colleges, Adelaide K. Sandler

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study explored how recipients of means-tested government assistance programs, who are enrolled in community colleges, make decisions about voting, and how structural factors affect their decision to vote. It used a grounded theory approach to generate knowledge about why some recipients of means-tested assistance vote and others choose not to vote. The qualitative design provided the framework to unpack motivations for voting or not. There have been no social work studies on this topic, and few political science studies have been conducted using qualitative data.

Several major findings were discovered in this study. Distinct voter types emerged of …

Effectiveness Of Suicide Prevention Programs To Reduce Suicide Ideation And Behavior In Older Adults: A Systematic Review Of The Literature From 2009-2016, Marissa Steen Wallace

Social Work Theses - Archive

A systematic review was conducted to replicate a previous systematic review and to examine the effectiveness of various suicide prevention interventions for the older adult population. A search through 6 databases presented 7 articles that met all elibility criteria. All included articles presented interventions for adults age 60 and over that resulted in a statistically significant reduction in suicide ideation or behavior. The programs were reviewed with the GRADE protocol, which measured the quality of methods and results, and included strengths and limitations of the studies. The discussion provided implications of intervention settings and suggestions for future directions for social …

Understanding Mental Health Literacy Of Hispanic Patients In Primary Care Settings: Examining The Relationship Between Depression Stigma, Depression Knowledge, And Education Level, Veronica Lopez

Social Work Theses - Archive

Hispanics are less likely to access mental health care services due to stigma related to depression and lack of cultural effective education, along with other socioeconomic factors. Hispanics are more likely to access care through a primary care provider, making a primary care setting with an integrative behavioral health program an ideal place for early mental health interventions. Understanding the mental health literacy of patients in a healthcare setting may improve quality of care, that can lead to early detection of mental illness and can help engage a patient into treatment. The present study seeks to add to the research …

From The Father’S Heart To Our Hands: Christian Responsibility In The U.S. Foster System, Amelia Tam

Selected Honors Theses

Nearly half a million children are currently served by the child welfare system in the United States. This overwhelming strain on state departments and non-profit placement agencies is compounded by the fact that there are not enough available homes. There appears to be a shortage of capable and resilient foster and adoptive parents. Thousands of children who are ready to be adopted do not have anyone to take them in, and thousands more float in the system until new families agree to foster. This seeming shortage of homes is absurd considering the wealth of compassion and capability within the American …

Nutrition And The Person-In-Environment Perspective: Implications For Social Work, Kayla Harter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between nutrition and social work education, practice, and perceptions on nutrition. Licensed master’s level social workers in the state of Michigan (n=45) were recruited online through Grand Valley State University’s School of Social Work listserv, social media, social work professors and colleagues. Participants completed an anonymous online survey through Google Forms which included 18 questions. The online survey involved open and closed-ended questions focusing on 1) integration of nutrition in practice; 2) perceptions on the value of nutrition in social work; and 3) nutrition training during and after graduate …