Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Health Care Professionals’ Stigma Toward People With An Opioid Use Disorder: Preliminary Findings On The Effect Of Amount Of Contact Has On Stigma, Gabriela Murza, Cris Meier, Lily Ward, Sydney O'Shay, Rachel Myrer

Transforming Communities

Opioid-related deaths are the leading cause of injury deaths in Utah. Individuals who seek treatment for opioid misuse report stigma from healthcare professionals as the leading barrier to accessing treatment. Health professionals provide a variety of treatment options in efforts of combating high rates of opioid misuse. However, these professionals may not be properly trained in stigma reduction strategies, thus leading to poor client care and outcomes. The current study examined the association between contact with individuals who misuse opioids and stigma perceptions among healthcare professionals. A one-time survey was administered to healthcare professionals who practice in Utah using convenience …

Acknowledgments, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Advancing Strength-Based Inclusive Mental Health Research In Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Luther Kalb, Joan B. Beasley

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Utahns See Air Quality As A Problem, But Don't Feel They Can Do Much About It, Sydney O'Shay, Cris Meier, Bailey Hughlett

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Air pollution is associated with 6.7 million premature deaths worldwide each year. Air pollution shortens Utahns’ life expectancy by two years, costs Utah’s economy $1.8 billion annually, and can cause and worsen many illnesses and conditions. Several factors play a role in people’s decisions or ability to act to reduce the harms of air pollution. This study investigated Utahns’ perception of risk around air pollution, confidence to enact behaviors to protect themselves against the effects of air pollution, and the actual protective behaviors in which they are engaging. Understanding how Utahn’s think about these factors is key for developing strategic …

Assessing Capacity In Rural Nonprofits, Jayme Walters, Aaron R. Brown, Dorothy Wallis, Janice Snow

Social Work Faculty Publications

Organizational capacity is necessary for nonprofits to meet their missions and contribute to society. Less is known about rural nonprofits’ organizational capacity and characteristics, as most research focuses on urban nonprofits. The present study first considers the utility of an organizational capacity assessment and identifies pertinent areas of organizational capacity in rural nonprofits. The second objective of the study is to examine relationships between areas of organizational capacity and organizational-level characteristics. In May 2019, nonprofits (n = 290) from persistently poor, rural counties in 14 southern states participated in a survey providing organizational characteristics and assessing organizational capacity. An …

Differences Among Family And Professional Guardians: A Statewide Survey Of Characteristics, Training, And Practices Related To Decision-Making, Kristin Hamre, Derek Nord

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

This cross-sectional study sought to examine the differences between family and professional guardians across personal and role characteristics, training received, and their inclusion of people they serve in decision making. A total of 237 subjects serving as guardian to adults in the state of Indiana completed an online survey. Results showed group differences across race, education, as well as diagnosis and age of those served. Overall, training was limited across both groups, and family guardians received significantly less training across several topics. Finally, family and professional guardians were found to significantly differ in their willingness to allow people they serve …

Parents’ Perceptions Of The Philly Goat Project’S All Abilities Ramble: A Qualitative Study Of Animal-Assisted Intervention For Intellectual And Developmental Disorders, Patricia Flaherty-Fischette, Jenée Lee, Yvonne D'Uva-Howard, Elizabeth P. Cramer, Karen Krivit, Sarah Meehan

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a growing population. Considering the wide diversity in IDD and the financial burden of traditional treatment modalities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) has emerged as an innovative and non-traditional treatment for individuals with a range of disabilities, including individuals with IDD. To the authors’ knowledge, the present study was one of the first to explore a goat-assisted therapy experience for children with IDD. This study explored the experiences of 23 children with the All Abilities RAMble – a goat-assisted therapeutic activity offered by the Philly Goat Project (PGP). Key themes in our study included …

Caregiver Health: Having A Child With Asd And The Impact Of Child Health Insurance Status, Kristin Hamre, Derek Nord, John Andresen

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

This study aims to understand the health outcomes of parents with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the interactive effect of child health insurance status. The study utilized 2014-2018 pooled National Health Interview Survey data to construct weighted national estimates and construct main and interaction effect logistic regression models. Findings show parents of children with ASD experienced significantly poorer health compared to parents of children without autism. Insurance status was found to significantly interact with child ASD status. Compared to parents of children without ASD that used private insurance, parents with a child with ASD who used private insurance, …

A Participatory Exercise In Developing Syllabi With Adult Learners, Laneshia Conner, V. Nikki Jones, Jason P. Johnston

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Transformative participatory approaches in education are positioned to challenge traditional models where instructors bear all responsibility for knowledge creation and learners are passive recipients of knowledge. The promotion of participatory learning and critical pedagogy is essential to helping professionals seeking to understand oppressive structural barriers and employing strategies to dismantle these structures. This article describes a participatory approach undertaken to guide learners through an exercise to co-create syllabus content in a graduate social work course. Learners identified three themes, concerns, fears, and problems, related to the course material. Learners were also …

Affected Family Members' Communicative Management Of Opioid Misuse Stigma: Applying And Rethinking The Stigma Management Communication Typology, Sydney O'Shay, Emily Pasman, Danielle L. Hicks, Suzanne Brown, Elizabeth Aguis, Stella M. Resko

Communication Studies and Philosophy Faculty Publications

Opioid misuse is a prevalent health problem in the United States with consequences extending past the person who misuses opioids to affected family members (AFM) through courtesy stigma. The goals of this study were to understand the stigma management communication (SMC) strategies employed by AFMs when they experience courtesy stigma and changes in strategies used over time. The findings from interviews with 34 AFMs suggest the SMC strategies they employ range from those that indicate acceptance of stigma and avoidance of stigma situations to strategies where AFMs actively challenge opioid misuse stigma. However, strategy use depended on the social context …

Paths To Equity: Parents In Partnership With Ucedds Fostering Black Family Advocacy For Children On The Autism Spectrum, Elizabeth H. Morgan, Benita D. Shaw, Ida Winters, Chiffon King, Jazmin Burns, Aubyn Stahmer, Gail Chodron

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Racism and ableism have doubly affected Black families of children with developmental disabilities in their interactions with disability systems of supports and services (e.g., early intervention, mental health, education, medical systems). On average, Black autistic children are diagnosed three years later and are up to three times more likely to be misdiagnosed than their non-Hispanic White peers. Qualitative research provides evidence that systemic oppression, often attributed to intersectionality, can cause circumstances where Black disabled youth are doubly marginalized by policy and practice that perpetuates inequality. School discipline policies that criminalize Black students and inadequate medical assessments that improperly support Black …

An Effective Nonprofit Board-Executive Relationship Starts With Defined Roles, Jaxon Didericksen

Research on Capitol Hill

Nonprofit executive directors have three, seven, and sometimes over 15 bosses. Their relationship with the board is complex to navigate, but it is crucial to organizational success.

How Is Covid-19 Impacting Student Mental Health And Academic Outcomes A Year Later: A Follow Up Study, Janice Snow

Student Research Symposium

In April 2020, we examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduates, mental health distress, and decreases in grades during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic via a national online survey. The current study is a follow-up to this survey a year later in April 2021. Undergraduate students were recruited for a survey both years (two independent random samples) via instructor announcements, email, listserv, or social media. In spring 2020, higher depressive symptoms, general anxiety, and academic distress were associated with a reported decline in grades. Perceived grade declines were also correlated with higher financial concerns and risk for …

Examining The Impact Of Community Racism And Classism On Human Service Organizations, Nadene Kimball, Erin Nielsen

Student Research Symposium

Racism and classism have been substantial social problems across history and are still prevalent today. Human service nonprofit organizations (HSOs) play an important role in helping people who are affected by racism and classism and are often the most marginalized, oppressed, and vulnerable in communities. A recent study encountered rural nonprofits in the South region of the U.S. that indicated racism and downward classism negatively affected their ability to provide services in their communities (Walters, 2020). To our knowledge, no studies have examined the impact of racism and downward classism on human service organizations and their operations. Thus, the current …

Adapting To Survive, Building To Thrive: A Single Case Study Of A Housing Nonprofit In Rural Kentucky, Amber Post

Student Research Symposium

Rural nonprofits work to combat social and economic challenges their communities face by providing vital support and resources. Rural nonprofits provide jobs, support local businesses, help meet the basic needs of individuals, and advocate for vulnerable populations. Organizations face challenges when operating in rural areas including difficulty finding funding, retaining qualified employees, lack of resources, and limited opportunities for forming partnerships. In this single qualitative case study, the HOMES, a housing nonprofit, impact on social and economic development of Letcher County, Kentucky was examined. HOMES has utilized creative methods to bolster the economy of Letcher County including providing energy-efficient rental …

Purity Culture And Its Effects On Women, Faith Beasterfield

Student Research Symposium

The purity movement, which stems from evangelical circles in the 1980s, is dedicated to keeping teens and unmarried adults from becoming sexually active before marriage. Although this message is encouraged for both men and women, this research project seeks to investigate the specific impact that purity culture has had on the lives of women. The research was done using online materials, which include primary and secondary sources, with an emphasis on first-hand accounts of women within the movement. The results indicate that purity culture has had a major impact on how society views the worth of women who do not …

Attribution Of Discrimination To The Self In Racial Minorities And Adolescent Females, Natalie Rust

Student Research Symposium

Discrimination among marginalized groups has been shown to affect individuals’ view of themselves (Yang & Gao, 2019; Strehlow et al., 2021; Rivera, 2021). This study seeks to observe self-attribution rates in minoritized groups, specifically in people of color and adolescent females. From a Qualtrics survey, researchers observed adolescents’ experiences with and attributions of discrimination. Respondents had the opportunity to attribute discrimination as resulting from race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, weight, immigration status, or “other”. For adolescents who chose “other”, they were allowed to describe an additional attribution in their own words. Specifically for this study, only participants who chose “other” as …

Rural Nonprofit Fundraising Capacity: What Can We Learn From Current Practices?, Janice Snow

Student Research Symposium

Rural nonprofits in the U.S. strive to maintain and improve the quality of life in rural communities, but in many cases are lacking the resources to be effective. Rural nonprofits often have larger services areas while operating with less funding. Little is known about rural nonprofit fundraising and grant writing capacity because previous research has focused on nonprofits in general or urban nonprofits. With differences in organization size, community demographics, and geographical contextual issues, rural nonprofits may need to use different strategies to achieve financial health and stability. Further, rural communities in the U.S. were differentially affected by the COVID-19 …

Rural Funding Bias: What Do Foundation Decision-Makers Think About Rural Nonprofits?, Janice Snow

Student Research Symposium

Background: Typically, rural NPOs receive less funding per capita than urban NPOs in the U.S. (2,1). Private foundation funding is one of the largest sources of revenue for NPOs, but only 6.8% of funding from private foundations is allocated to rural NPOs (2). Many rural NPOs are smaller and lack grant writing or fundraising training, technology, and leadership experience (3). Recent literature focuses on building nonprofit capacity to become competitive for funding. This perspective does not consider bias as playing a role in this funding gap (4,5,6). For example, foundations may seek out urban nonprofits because they have greater potential …

Oral Histories Help Document The Impact Of Covid-19 On Cache Valley's Latinx Community, Virginia Hernandez, Jasmine Morales

Research on Capitol Hill

Sophomore Jasmine, of Box Elder, is president of the USU LatinX Creative Society, the Parent Committee for Centro de la Familia in Box Elder, and the Region Policy Council for the Migrant Program. She studies social work and Spanish. Junior Virginia is a Spanish teaching major and recipient of an Institute for Mexicans Abroad scholarship for her studies in Mexican language and culture. Jasmine led this project to interview a dozen Cache Valley families about their personal experiences during the pandemic as members of the Latinx community. The documentary these students are producing will discuss the ways that their culture …

Parent Perspectives On Preparing Students With Intellectual Disabilities For Inclusive Postsecondary Education, Jefferson Clark Sheen, Ty Aller, Robert L. Morgan, Kayla Currier Kipping

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Using a three-round Delphi survey, researchers explored parent perspectives regarding the personal competencies students with intellectual disabilities (ID) needed to be better prepared for participation in an Inclusive Postsecondary Education program (IPSE). An expert panel comprised of parents of students with ID in IPSE programs participated. Three Delphi rounds consisted of open-ended questions and cycles of subsequent rating scales on identified perspectives to establish a quantitative basis for consensus. The parent panel reached consensus on a list of 30 personal competencies that support student preparation for IPSE. A description of the methodology, results, and implications for practice are discussed.

Re-Envisioning Transforming Communities Initiative, Alyssa Cronin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Have you ever seen a large problem you wished we could just solve already? There are many: poverty, homelessness, racism, hunter. The list goes on. Huge issues like these require people to step up to the plate and dismantle oppressive systems and construct better ones. Social workers have been doing this since their conception; however, engagement in these areas have been dwindling over the past decades. TCI was born in 2014 to help combat this by training the next generation of civically engaged social workers while conducting research and working with communities in Utah to create change. It is now …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Students At Usu Eastern, Marcos Suarez, Brielle Mccourt, Aurelio Rodriguez, Jessica Hansen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of people throughout the world in numerous ways. The ramifications of the pandemic will be studied for years to come. We are interested in the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on college students, specifically those at Utah State University Eastern (USUE). We will be conducting an exploratory quantitative survey, in conjunction with the Student Counseling Center, for current students enrolled at USUE, ages 18 and above and will be asking questions about their mental, educational, financial, and social wellbeing. The survey will be distributed by email and will be available through the …

Testing A Wellness Indicators Measure For People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Matthew Bogenschutz, Michael Broda, Sarah Lineberry, Parthenia Dinora, Seb Prohn

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Background and Purpose: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often have health and wellness issues that are not as good as people without disabilities. States are required to monitor health and wellness for people with IDD who use many disability services. However, there are few ways to monitor wellness between states or at different points in time. In this study, we share a new model that states may use to monitor wellness of people with IDD.

Methods: We used data from a survey called the National Core Indicators (NCI) to develop this model. First, we developed the model using …

Advance Care Planning Within Individualized Care Plans: A Component Of Emergency Preparedness, Heather L. Church, Christina Marsack-Topolewski, Jacqueline M. Mcginley, Victoria Knoke

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Federally-legislated Medicaid requirements for recipients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) to have a person-centered plan (PCP) do not specifically require that advanced care plans (ACP) be a component of the plan. However, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has provided a salient reminder of the importance of incorporating ACP within the PCP for people who have IDD. As demonstrated by situations arising from COVID-19, emergencies and crises can dramatically alter access to care for people with IDD. This paper synthesizes results from an environmental scan related to ACP for adults with IDD. Findings suggest that the use of ACP, particularly when …

A Hybrid Peer Support Training Model For Mental Health And Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Maren Wright Voss, Amy Campbell, Amelia Van Komen

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah State University (USU) Extension created a hybrid educational program to address barriers to participation of the Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) trainings before and during COVID 19. This article provides an overview of the CPSS pilot program and discusses early program outcomes.

Supporting Those With Mental Health Diagnoses: An Evidence-Based Practice Guide For Social Work Practitioners, Kimberlie Lassen-Johnson

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

An evidence-based practice guide that explores 5 ways for the general public to support those with mental health and mental health diagnoses. These 5 topics consist of getting to know people with mental health diagnoses, practicing wise mind, re-evaluating your values, establishing boundaries, and challenging your negative thinking.

Trauma-Informed Practice In K-12 Schools: An Evidence-Based Practice Guide For School Administrators, Emily A. Ross

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

This guide will assist K-12 school administrators in implementing better trauma-informed practices in their schools. School administrators consist of leaders and decision-makers in a school system. Specifically, this information is directed toward principals, vice principals, and any other key personnel. Of course, administrators should direct trauma-informed practices with the guidance of school counselors who have the proper training regarding trauma-informed interventions. School counselors’ efforts to promote positive mental health outcomes and social emotional learning will be significantly more impactful with the support of school administrators. The following recommendations are not all inclusive but will lay the groundwork for implementing trauma-informed …

Suicide On College Campus: An Evidence-Based Practice Guide For College Professors Of Emerging Adults, Tyler Richardson

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

This guide is geared to educate college professors on how to recognize the signs and risks of suicide in their students, and to know specific steps that they can take to help students who may be at risk. There are five suggestions in the guide, that are taken from current research on protective measures that help prevent suicide in at risk populations.

An Evidence Based Practice Guide For Parents And Schools: Supporting Kids And Adolescents' Mental Health During And After Covid-19 Pandemic, Ivanna M. Fuentes Javier

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

Adolescent mental health is important to consider by parents and schools. Parents need to build a strengthened mentality in their children and with the school support, the results would be greater. The active participation of schools is needed in order to support kids' and adolescents' mental health and create parent awareness about mental health. Also, when parents are able to identify early signs of mental health problems, they can prevent it from becoming greater and the school can help parents learn about these early signs. In addition, parents play a fundamental role in identifying symptoms of mental health problems in …