Digital Commons Network^™

A Systematic Assessment For Potential Compassion Fatigue Among Cps Workers In West Texas, Angela Nicole Derrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Working in child welfare is a career that frequently exposes staff to trauma. Child welfare staff routinely witness the worst types of harm to children including extreme physical abuse, drug exposed children, children who have been repeatedly sexually abused, and even child fatalities. The impact of these repeated exposures is an emerging area of study. The effect of witnessing trauma is often referred to as compassion fatigue or secondary trauma. The focus of this study is to review current literature that deals with the issues of compassion fatigue in child welfare staff and compare the findings in hopes of identifying …

School Based Mental Health As It Relates To Student Outcomes, Kathleen Kelly Vierod

Dissertations

Over twenty percent of youth have a major mental illness, yet only approximately one third of these children receive treatment. Many students struggle with social emotional learning deficits, mental health concerns, chronic poverty and trauma, which significantly impacts their ability to learn. These concerns affect academic achievement as demonstrated by lower graduation rates, higher suspension rates, higher absenteeism, and lower grade point averages. School-based mental health practices are a proactive measure to improve student outcomes for all students. The Every Student Succeeds Act provides increased opportunity for schools to implement evidence-based programs to address these concerns.

Recommendations To Practitioners For Adolescent Clients With A History Of Trauma, Keiko L. Heitman

Counselor Education Capstones

Children and adolescents who are exposed to traumatic events are at higher risk for developing mental health disorders over their lifetime. Therefore, this paper explores the effects of abuse and trauma in children and youth and aims to promote implementation of trauma-informed care principles with practitioners who work with at-risk youth. Specifically, this paper identifies the barriers that affect clients with a history of trauma and provides recommendations such as Positive Youth Development, Mentoring, and Day Treatment to practitioners who work with this population. In addition, the impact that day treatment programs have on degree of impairment and functioning for …

Stepped Care Versus Standard Trauma‐Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Young Children, Alison Salloum, Wei Wang, John Robst, Tanya K. Murphy, Michael S. Scheeringa, Judith A. Cohen, Eric A. Storch

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background

To compare the effectiveness and cost of stepped care trauma‐focused cognitive behavioral therapy (SC‐TF‐CBT), a new service delivery method designed to address treatment barriers, to standard TF‐CBT among young children who were experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS).

Methods

A total of 53 children (ages 3–7 years) who were experiencing PTSS were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive SC‐TF‐CBT or TF‐CBT. Assessments by a blinded evaluator occurred at screening/baseline, after Step One for SC‐TF‐CBT, posttreatment, and 3‐month follow‐up. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01603563.

Results

There were comparable improvements over time in PTSS and secondary outcomes in both conditions. Noninferiority of SC‐TF‐CBT …

Walking On Eggshells: The Lived Experience Of Partners Of Veterans With Ptsd, Tiffany A. Beks

The Qualitative Report

This phenomenological study examined the descriptions of lived experience among female partners of veteran men with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) via internet discussion forums. Personal, self-initiated written accounts of 30 partners were analyzed with respect to meaning, challenges, coping responses, and role in veterans’ healing and rehabilitation. Following data analysis, five descriptive themes emerged: all-consuming effect of the illness, walking on eggshells, ambiguous loss, alone, and facing PTSD as a unit. The central meaning of these themes describes the widespread priority of the veterans’ illness, and the resulting isolation, grief, and apprehension experienced by intimate partners as they assume …

Symptom Patterns Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Deaf Trauma Survivors, Melissa L. Anderson, Amanda Sortwell, Kelly S. Wolf Craig, Douglas M. Ziedonis

JADARA

Details about Deaf people’s pattern of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms remain relatively unknown due to inaccessible methods used in most epidemiological research. We conducted semi-structured American Sign Language interviews with 16 trauma-exposed Deaf individuals to explore their PTSD symptom patterns. Half met criteria for current PTSD, a rate higher than the general population. Underlying this disparity may be heightened rates of dissociation and psychogenic amnesia reported by many Deaf trauma survivors. Future research with large samples of Deaf survivors is needed to clarify this hypothesis, and to inform interventions that more accurately target Deaf people’s pattern of trauma symptoms.

Foster Care Experiences And Correlated Outcomes, Courtney Ocasio

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

The current study sought to expand the knowledge base on the relationship between foster care experiences and the outcomes associated with these experiences. The different reported experiences in foster care were assessed using safety, power/control, esteem, and intimacy/trust themes. Foster care experiences were first identified and then compared to subsequent positive or negative outcomes. It was hypothesized that when subjects were reporting on their positive experiences in foster care, there would be positive correlations between intimacy/trust and positive outcomes, as well as safety and positive outcomes. In addition, with subjects reporting on their negative foster care experiences, there would be …

Preparing For Domestic Violence And Associated Trauma: Are We Ready?, Melissa Rodas

Undergraduate Research Projects

Domestic violence is an important problem to consider amongst societal issues today. Statistics have consistently shown high rates of violence across the country, and many cases go unreported. Even if survivors are able to escape their situations, trauma often casts a long shadow after the abuse is gone. A best practice model that has been utilized in Tennessee is that of Family Justice Centers. These centers utilize a co-located model to give survivors multiple services in a centralized location. As these organizations find their beginnings, attention is being noted to how social work students are being prepared for such settings. …

Coping With Trauma: Reflections From Angolan Refugee Returnees, Michael Robert Milco

Dissertations

Millions of refugee families experience multiple migrations resulting in various degrees of trauma and stress. Each reacts to these challenges and hardships in unique ways. This dissertation research was designed to investigate the various coping strategies Angolan refugee returnees used in dealing with the traumas they experienced as a result of their various migrations. Through the lens of an ecosystem theory, the author developed research questions designed to learn “How Angolan Refugee Returnees Cope with Trauma?” Sixteen Angolan refugee returnees were interviewed in this qualitative phenomenological study. The results of the study narrowed down the most specific themes refugees used …

Embodied Creative Arts Therapy Interventions With Trauma: A Qualitative Study, Brian Timothy Harris

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

With the primary purpose to extend therapists’ knowledge base, open dialogue on treatment efficacy, and stimulate creative yet effective interventions, this two-phase qualitative study pursued the guiding research question, How do creative arts therapists use embodied interventions in the treatment of psychological trauma? Phase One of the study was conducted with music therapists who had extensive experience with trauma and reported on their experiences with and awareness of embodied trauma treatment through a broad spectrum of creative modalities. Phase Two was grounded in theories of body awareness and creative arts therapy applications and included therapists specializing in music, dance/movement, art, …

Identifying The Trauma Recovery Needs Of Maltreated Children: An Examination Of Child Welfare Workers' Effectiveness In Screening For Traumatic Stress, Adrienne Whitt-Woosley

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Children in the child welfare system comprise a group characterized by their exposure to trauma via experiences of maltreatment, under circumstances presenting multiple risk factors for traumatic stress. High rates of posttraumatic stress have been observed in this population. However, there is currently no standard for the universal screening of children in child welfare for trauma exposure and traumatic stress. The purpose of this study was to analyze the trauma experiences of a sample of maltreated children and examine whether child welfare workers are effective screeners of traumatic stress symptoms with children from their caseloads. Method: A sample of children …

How Therapists Use And Choose Mindfulness To Treat Trauma, Jessica M. King

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This qualitative study used the phenomenological method to examine how therapists use mindfulness therapies and interventions to address trauma-salient issues with their clients. Specifically, it explored therapists’ use of and choices about mindfulness-based treatments when addressing post-traumatic stress symptoms, and trauma-relevant emotion dysregulation and attachment injury. Informants were associate and fully-licensed local therapists, recruited using convenience sampling and snowball sampling by word-of-mouth referrals. Data was collected by semi-structured interviewing. Interview data was analyzed with Moustakas’ (1994) recommended procedures for analysis of phenomenological data. Results, Discussion, Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research are described at the end.

Exploration Of Intergenerational Transmission Of Trauma In Holocaust Survivors, Lisa S. Guthery

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to help resolve current debate in the field as to whether or not the traumatic effects of the Holocaust are transmitted intergenerationally. What was preventing or, conversely, enabling the passage of symptomatology from one generation to the next, thereby accounting for the contradiction in research, and clinicians’ observations during their work with Holocaust families? Over 200 people received the study through social media and snowball sampling requesting participation in a Qualtrics survey consisting of 3 screening questions, 5 demographic questions, 4 sections of multiple-choice questions, and 2 open-ended questions. The four sections assessed parental PTSD symptomatology, …

Cultivating Resilience : Antidotes To White Fragility In Racial Justice Education, Katherine E. Roubos

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores what skills, tools and approaches may be helpful antidotes to white fragility in racial justice education. This study is in response to the challenge posed by white fragility, as defined by Robin DiAngelo (2011) in which white people experience such extreme emotions in response to learning about racism in the USA that they become either defensive such that they are unable to engage in a learning experience, or so swept up in guilt or shame that they require substantial emotional tending in order to continue to engage in the educational experience. Robin DiAngelo frames this phenomenon …

Decision-Making Process : A Mixed Methods Study Of Somatic Awareness Use By Psychodynamic Clinicians In The Treatment Of Trauma-Related Disorders, Mary P. Curry

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study examined clinical experiences and perspectives of psychodynamic clinicians on assimilative integration of neurobiologically informed somatic awareness and somatic interventions for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma related disorders. Using an online mixed-methods study survey, quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. The primary study cohort respondents (N=156) met all study inclusion criteria and an excluded study sub-cohort respondents (N=56) met partial criteria. Psychodynamic relational practice and neurobiological concepts are formulated from the perspective of assimilative integration. The results, derived from integrating both data sets, reveal clinically relevant elements of the decision-making processes …

From Entrenched To Empowered : The Factors Promoting Resiliency And Healing For Lgbtqia Identified Adult Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Assault, Hal Brown

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The objective of this study was to examine the experiences of adults, who as a result of their incidents of childhood sexual abuse were predisposed to present with a variety of negative outcomes, in pursuit of identifiable interventions, practices, and supportive factors effective in mitigating the negative outcomes and promoting survivor resiliency. The bulk of the previous studies of the critical elements for survivor resiliency had been conducted in religious communities. Ensuring a sample composed of individuals with access to an identity-based community, noting that community and connectedness had frequently been considered significant, this study was limited to LGBTQIA identified …

Welcome Home: A Manual For The Loved Ones Of Returned Combat Veterans, Corrine Barner

Theses and Dissertations

Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom are the first long-term wars fought with an all-volunteer army. This has led to fewer available soldiers who are deployed more frequently and for longer periods of time. The impact of these deployments is significant and has been found to increase likelihood for substance abuse, mental health disorders, and concerns in the veteran, or service member’s, social functioning and overall adjustment upon returning to civilian life. There have been significant developments in our understanding of these issues, as well as effective interventions and treatment. However, many veterans still do not seek or …

Anti-Rape Culture, Aya Gruber

Publications

This essay, written for the Kansas Law Review Symposium on Campus Sexual Assault, critically analyzes “anti-rape culture” ― a set of empirical claims about rape’s prevalence, causes, and effects and a set of normative ideas about sex, gender, and institutional authority ― which has heralded a new era of discipline, in all senses of the word, on college campuses. In the past few years, publicity about the campus rape crisis has created widespread anxiety, despite the fact that incidents of sexual assault have generally declined and one-in-four-type statistics have been around for decades. The recent surge of interest is due …

Wreading, Performing, And Reflecting: The Application Of Narrative Hypertext And Virtual World Experiences To Social Work Education, Linda Ayscue Gupta Phd

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I propose the use of a new media composition of narrative hypertext, performances in a virtual world, and a dialogic process of writing to provide a continuum of learning opportunities in social work education. I suggest that the structure of the hypertext narrative, embedded with hypermedia, mirrors the dissociative aspects of traumatic memory. I argue that work with the multivocality and multisequentiality of narrative hypertext emulates the process of discovery in the clinical interview. The immersive component of work in a virtual world deepens the realism and affective impact of simulations and creates opportunities to practice and …

Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue, And Burnout: How Working In Correctional Settings Affects Mental Health Providers, Nykia S. Johnson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Over the last three decades, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people incarcerated within the United States. A significant number of those incarcerated have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Subsequently, as the incarceration rate rises, so does the need for qualified mental health professionals who are able to treat mentally ill prisoners. Correctional mental health providers work in very dangerous, oppressive, and often-chaotic settings, with very little control over their environment. They must address daily episodes of violence and threats from inmates with histories of murder, rape, and assault, while still maintaining their ability …

The Role Of Trauma And Mental Health Problems In The Perpetration Of Intimate Partner Violence In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Sarah Myers Tlapek

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to political violence or war is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in post-conflict settings (Clark et al., 2010; Gupta, Reed, Kelly, Stein, & Williams, 2012), and civilians and veterans who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to combat or violence are more likely to perpetrate violence against an intimate partner (Taft, Watkins, Stafford, Street, & Monson, 2011). Rwandan health professionals estimate that after the 1994 genocide more than one-quarter of the country’s population now suffers from PTSD (Munyandamutsa, Nkubamugisha, Gex-Fabry, & Eytan, 2012). Although the majority of Rwandan women (56%) have experienced IPV in their lifetime (National …

Tinnitus And Trauma, Marc A. Fagelson

ETSU Faculty Works

Trauma-provoked tinnitus challenges patients and clinicians. Effects of trauma may exacerbate tinnitus, and patients with both tinnitus and posttraumatic stress disorder rate distress levels as higher than patients who experience only one or the other. This presentation will highlight links between tinnitus and trauma histories relevant to clinical audiologists.

Experiences Of Multilingual Social Workers : Trauma Therapy In Spanish And English, Emily H. Aviles

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study examines the experiences of social workers engaging in multilingual—Spanish and English—therapy with individuals who speak both Spanish and English, identify as Latino/a, have a history of trauma, and identify as having a history (personal, familial) of immigration to the U.S. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 10 social workers to gather qualitative data about their experiences engaging in trauma therapy with individuals who identify as multilingual as well as Latino/a immigrants to the U.S. The project examines ways that multilingual clinicians process trauma with individuals in more than one language; paying attention to the ways clinicians think …

Moving Thru: Dance/Movement Therapy Based Program For Direct Caregivers Of Childhood Survivors Of Human Trafficking And Commercial Sexual Exploitation In Belize, Amy Vanbecelaere

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this project was to; identify the biopsychosocial needs of child survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in Belize and to develop a dance/movement therapy based program that Belizean caregivers can utilize to better serve the children they work with. The Moving THRU (Trauma Healing, Recovery + Understanding) program was developed based on current literature regarding post-trafficking mental health care and information provided in interviews by Belizean direct caregivers currently working with youth who have been trafficked and exploited in the Cayo District of central Belize. The curriculum is designed to help direct caregivers utilize techniques …

The Effect Of Education On Compassion Fatigue As Experienced By Staff Nurses, Kathryn L. Zehr

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Historically, nursing has been perceived as a highly rewarding profession. Yet, due to the increasing complexity of today’s healthcare, nurses are faced with greater challenges in their work environments. Registered nurses who work in tertiary care settings are exposed to disturbing patient situations including trauma, death, abuse, or chronic disease. Joinson (1992) described this experience as compassion fatigue and symptoms include headaches, short attention span, or fatigue. A review of literature has identified that nurses should be educated about risk factors and coping strategies to combat compassion fatigue. Guided by the Model for Evidence-Based Practice Change and Jean Watson’s Theory …

Understanding Victim Resistance: An Exploratory Study Of The Experiences Of Service Providers Working With Victims Of Child Trafficking, Amanda West, Phd, Lcsw, Diane N. Loeffler

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of service providers working with victims of child trafficking.

Methods: A grounded theory, qualitative methodology was employed for the study in which fifteen providers working with the child trafficking population were interviewed at length. Interviews were then transcribed, coded for themes using Atlas, t.i. data management software, and interpreted.

Results: As a result of the interviews conducted with providers, a specific theme related the resistance of victims to participate in services was consistently observed throughout the data. Five specific areas of victim resistance were discussed including; “good” and “bad” …

Lost In Incarceration: An Ethnographic Study Of Three Women Discovering Their Path Through Structural Violence And The United States Justice System, Paige Bluejacket

Collection of Engaged Learning

The United States has incarcerated more of its citizens than any other progressive nation worldwide. The female population of prisoners has dramatically risen over the past thirty years. Structural violence, childhood trauma, socioeconomic factors, education, and healthcare are all reasons for the rise in numbers of female inmates. I conducted an ethnographic study, collecting life histories of three women who have recently been released from Dallas County Jail. These women have also participated in a program provided through the jail called Resolana. I examine the circumstances that place these women in each major life situation and analyze how change can …

People With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Heal With Story, Donald M. Twist

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation claims there is a growing inability within American culture, due to continuous technological connectedness and lack of physical community, to move beyond treating the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to actually healing it. I assert that by reestablishing community through storytelling, sufferers can experience deeper healing. Section One defines the nature of PTSD and its symptoms, while incorporating various academic and ministry-related viewpoints. Section Two delineates what has been done to treat PTSD and why simply treating symptoms is not enough. Section Three is the heart of this dissertation and discusses how our current communities and technology …

To Those Who Know A Hurting Child, Tara Boer

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Current research tells us that kids who witness or experience hard things actually lose some ability to make good choices. It’s not that they won’t or don’t want to make the good choice…sometimes they just can’t. When kids are chronically exposed to trauma the part of their brain that helps them with language, flexibility, and mood regulation actually shrinks. ... The good news is that God made our brains so thoughtfully that they can actually grow and change."

Posting about children and trauma and what we can do about it from In All Things - an online hub committed to …

Notes On The Practice Of Food Justice In The U.S.: Understanding And Confronting Trauma And Inequity, Rachel Slocum, Kirsten Valentine Cadieux

College of Liberal Arts All Faculty Scholarship

In this article, we focus on one of the four nodes (trauma/inequity, exchange, land and labor) around which food justice organizing appears to occur: acknowledging and confronting historical, collective trauma and persistent race, gender, and class inequality. We apply what we have learned from our research in U.S. and Canadian agri-food systems to suggest working methods that might guide practitioners as they work toward food justice, and scholars as they seek to study it. In the interests of ensuring accountability to socially just research and action, we suggest that scholars and practitioners need to be more clear on what it …