Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Expert Discussion On Structural Racism In Autism Research And Practice, Desiree R. Jones, Christina Nicolaidis, Lisa J. Ellwood, Arianne Garcia, Khalilah R. Johnson, Kristina Lopez, T. C. Waisman

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autism research has a race problem. Despite improvements in screening and diagnosis, autism continues to be underdiagnosed in Black and Hispanic children , and those who obtain a diagnosis often have limited access to support services. Racial disparities persist during the transition to adulthood, with autistic adults from racial and ethnic minority groups experiencing a number of challenges, including lower rates of employment, social participation, and postsecondary education compared to White autistic adults. While these studies highlight the important intersection between race, ethnicity and autism, people of color remain consistently under-represented in autism research , and dialogues regarding the impact …

Determinants Of Motivation For Mentoring Among Adults Volunteering To Mentor Youth, Miriam Miranda-Díaz, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Thomas E. Keller, Renee Spencer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most youth mentoring programs rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to youth. This study investigates factors associated with motivations for volunteering in this capacity, specifically altruistic and self-oriented reasons for becoming a mentor. Because adults who volunteer as mentors and youth mentees typically come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, the study examines demographic characteristics associated with these different motivations. In addition, the study addresses the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggesting that individuals with higher levels of empathy exhibit greater altruistic tendencies. For this analysis, the focus is on ethnocultural empathy and its association with volunteer motivations. The sample consisted of 1,000 volunteers …

Exploring Fit For The Cultural Adaptation Of A Self-Determination Model For Youth Transitioning From Out-Of-Home Care: A Comparison Of A Sample Of Swedish Youth With Two Samples Of American Youth In Out-Of-Home Care, Tina M. Olsson, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Martin Bergström, Therése Skoog

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Prior research has established evidence for self-determination enhancement as a promising intervention for youth transitioning from out-of-home care. Understanding how participants in these prior trials compare to adolescents in target contexts may inform practice by highlighting the extent to which such models are expected to benefit young people.

Objective

To assess the extent to which self-determination enhancement is a promising strategy for the Swedish context.

Design

Cross-sectional study comparing a sample of Swedish youth (n = 104) in out-of-home care aged 15+ on a range of outcomes with two archival data sets (My Life; Better Futures) of youth …

Learned Lessons: Growing Social Workers’ Preparation For Upstream Policy Practice, Ann Curry-Stevens, Lisa Hawash, Sarah Bradley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last 10 years, the MSW program at Portland State University has gone from graduating 15% of its students in the macro concentration, to 32%, while the national average remains under 9%. This article traces that experience through a historically-grounded narrative line, and extracts learnings that are potentially relevant for the profession. Curricular practices include reviewing the content for horizontal and vertical integration, introducing macro content early in the first year of the program with sufficient time to inform students’ choice of concentrations, and providing students influence to shape content in the advanced year. Faculty specializations and community reputation …

Assessing Refugees' Multidimensional Poverty In The United States, Mitra Naseh, Miriam Potocky, Shanna L. L. Burke, Paul H. Stuart, Fatma Huffman

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: This study is among the first to calculate refugee poverty using the capability approach in the United States. The concept is novel as it avoids limitations of the monetary approach to poverty and provides a more comprehensive perspective on multiple deprivations that refugees might experience within their first five years of arrival to the United States. As the majority of refugees flee war or conflict-affected areas, they frequently escape with limited assets (Jacobsen, 2005; Potocky & Naseh, 2019). Often they spend their last resources on paying the smugglers to reach safety (Jacobsen, 2005) and arrive to host countries with …

Easa Connections: Community-Based Participatory Research To Develop A Peer-Based Early Psychosis Web Resource With Young Adults, Dora Raymaker, Tamara G. Sale, Mariam Rija, Nicholas Buekea, Nybelle Caruso, Ryan P. Melton, Natalie Cohrs, Veronica Gould, Christina Wall, Mirah L. Scharer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Young adults (YA) who have experienced early psychosis (EP) have valuable information about their recovery process yet are often left out of research. We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach in partnership with the Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA) EP program and Portland State University to develop a peer-driven, web-based, recovery resource.We used our CBPR process to collaboratively develop the resource and conducted an iterative usability study to test and refine it. The resource was well-received and accessible. YA partners emphasize the importance of being prepared to learn about research and one’s self, being open to new experiences, …

Shadow Women: Wives Betrayed By Sex Buyers, Ingeborg Kraus

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Shadow women are women whose husbands betray them by using prostituted women. Until now, there has been almost no attention paid to the harm to the wives or partners of men who use prostituted women. In this interview, Dr. Ingeborg Kraus talks to the former wife of a sex buyer. She describes the impact of her husband’s betrayal on her and her family. This type of harm needs to be taken seriously and more research done on it.

Rebuilding Lives Post-Disaster, By Julie L. Drolet, Lucas Prieto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Julie L. Drolet, Rebuilding Lives Post-Disaster. Oxford University Press (2019). 258 pages, $39.95 (Paperback).

Examining The Experiences Of Homicide Co-Victims To Inform A Survivor’S Guide To Healing, Grae Pollard

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The traumatic and unexpected death of a loved one, such as suicides, homicides, and traffic fatalities, is one of the most difficult experiences a person may go through. In Summit County, Ohio, bereaved families are served by Victim Assistance Program (VAP), who help promote the healing process through education, advocacy, and crisis intervention. VAP identified a need for a workbook to assist families with navigating the days and weeks that follow the death of their loved one. In order to create a brochure considerate of the possible needs of families grieving the tragedy, various aspects of their experience were researched. …

Home Health Care Resource Binder: A User-Friendly Guide For Crossroads Hospice And Palliative Care, Deanna Eder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Patients and families searching for home health care need accurate information regarding the community resources available to them to promote aging in place and to maintain their quality of life. In connection to the social workers at Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care, the researcher identified a need for a centralized source of up-to-date information regarding local home health care agencies due to the current resource deficit. Social workers and other health care professionals are expected to benefit from a concise list of resources readily available to provide their patients and families with adequate support to make informed decisions about a …

Harm Reduction Through Effective Volunteer Training, Rebecca Hohman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Through a combination of business education and social work competencies, an in-depth analysis of volunteer training was created from existing data and applied to qualitative survey data of nonprofit leaders in the local city of Akron, Ohio. The overall aim of the project was to base volunteer training on evidence, as evidence-based practice is a hallmark of social work practice. In doing so, the training would also aim to build connections among volunteers and between volunteers and the organization to retain the volunteers who were trained and increase the efficiency of the training. Thus, the project sought to reduce two …

Heart Work: A Phenomenological Analysis Of School-Embedded Program Facilitators In High-Need South Florida Schools, Takia Bullock

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Student misconduct leading to youth violence has been recognized as a major public health problem requiring intervention. To reduce antisocial behaviors, school districts and non-profit organizations promote prosocial behaviors and problem-solving skills. Positive youth development, social emotional learning, positive behavioral intervention support, and conflict resolution programs have been implemented in many school districts; yet problems associated with aggression, poor decision-making, and low student achievement still occur. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study explored the lived experiences of seven school-embedded positive intervention program facilitators implementing programs with conflict management components for at-risk students in high need South Florida schools. Semi-structured interviews were …

Understanding Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorders In Adolescents: A Literature Review, Megan Talbot

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Parent Health Beliefs, Social Determinants Of Health, And Child Health Services Utilization Among Us School-Age Children With Autism, Katharine Zuckerman, Olivia J. Lindly, Brianna Sinche, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective—Substantial variation exists in ASD care by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; however, the role of parent health beliefs in this variation is poorly understood. Study goals were to (1) examine variation in parent beliefs about ASD prognosis and treatment according to social determinants of health (SDH) and (2) assess whether this variation was associated with variable health services utilization, among 1420 children with special health care needs (CSHCN) having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods—We used linked data from the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Treatment and the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. …

Development And Preliminary Psychometric Testing Of The Aaspire Adult Autism Healthcare Provider Self-Efficacy Scale, Christina Nicolaidis, Gavin Schnider, Junghee Lee, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Lisa A. Croen, Anna Urbanowicz, Joelle Maslak

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our objective was to develop a measure of healthcare providers’ self-efficacy in providing healthcare to autistic adults and to better understand their training needs. We used a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach with academic researchers, autistic adults, supporters, and healthcare providers. We developed a 1-page questionnaire which included the new 6-item self-efficacy scale, two items on how challenging and rewarding it is to provide care to autistic adults, and seven items on provider characteristics. We surveyed 143 healthcare providers from eight primary care clinics in Oregon and California, USA. Preliminary psychometric testing found the AASPIRE Adult Autism Healthcare Provider …

Psychometric Testing Of Patient-Reported Instruments To Assess Healthcare Interventions For Autistic Adults, Christina Nicolaidis, Kelly Zhen, Junghee Lee, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Lisa A. Croen, Anna Urbanowicz, Joelle Maslak, Mirah L. Scharer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a growing recognition of the need for interventions to improve the healthcare of autistic adults. However, there is a dearth of validated measures to evaluate such interventions. Our objectives were to use a community based participatory research approach to create an accessible set of patient- and proxy-reported instruments to measure healthcare outcomes and potential intervention targets in autistic adults and to assess the instruments’ psychometric characteristics, including content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability. We administered a survey to 244 autistic adults recruited from 12 primary care clinics in Oregon and California, USA (194 participating directly, and …

Domestic Violence In Culturally And Linguistically Diverse (Cald) Communities: Perceptions, Therapeutic Approaches And Responses Of Frontline Workers In New South Wales (Nsw), Oluwatoyin A. Dedeigbo

Theses

Domestic violence is a universal public health concern (VicHealth, 2011; World Health Organisation [WHO], 2013). Domestic violence cuts across all countries, regardless of economic, social, cultural or religious differences (Ali et al., 2020; VicHealth, 2011; WHO 2013). Men are often responsible for perpetrating domestic violence against women (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2019; Australia Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2018).

The effects of domestic violence on victims can be serious and long-term; affecting their physical and mental wellbeing, and lingering even after the exposure to violence has ended (Mitchell, 2011). That is, the effect on victims’ mental health is …

Help-Seeking Stigma And Attitudes In College Students And Parents, Samantha Sperling

Senior Honors Theses

Help-seeking stigma is a hindrance to obtaining treatment for mental illness and is related to people’s attitudes toward seeking help. Therefore, learning about the various types of stigma and gaining predictive knowledge of the constructs has value. Self-stigma and perceived stigma of others, as well as the attitudes people hold towards seeking help, were compared in college students and their parents. A sample of college students at a private Christian university and their parents were surveyed using the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale, the Perception of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH) scale, and a short form of …

“Borikén Libre”: Spaces Of Resistance In Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Substance Use In Pender County, North Carolina., Khristine Winstead

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

This portfolio explores substance use in Pender County, NC. Recent data from the community health opinion survey indicates that substance use in Pender County is the number one community issue (Pender County Health Department, 2018). From 2012 through 2016, the number of Pender County resident babies hospitalized with drug withdrawal syndrome per 1,000 was 20. To contrast, as a whole, the state of North Carolina recorded 9 per 1,000 (Pender County Health Department, 2018). To date, the local management entity (LME) in Pender County responsible for managing state and federally funded services, including substance use disorders, is Trillium Health Resources. …

Feminist Action Against Pornography In Japan: Unexpected Success In An Unlikely Place, Caroline Norma, Seiya Morita

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In late 2016 a feminist movement against problems of commercial sexual exploitation, and especially issues of coerced pornography filming, arose in Japan. This article describes the history of this movement as it mobilized to combat human rights violations perpetrated by the country’s pornographers. The movement’s success came not spontaneously or haphazardly; in fact, it was orchestrated earlier over a full decade-and-a-half by activists who persevered in researching and highlighting pornography’s harms in a civil environment of hostility, isolation and social derision, even among progressive groups and individuals. The Anti-Pornography and Prostitution Research Group (APP) was particularly prominent in this history. …

Addressing And Educating Northwestern Students On White Privilege And Systemic Racism, Bailey Banwart, Hannah Johnson, Calli Shaw, Rachel Wyborny

Student Projects

Systemic racism has been a part of American Culture for hundreds of generations, and while the United States has come a long way since the 17th century, there is still an overwhelming number of racial injustices happening today which go unaddressed. Due to a lack of diverse education, common misconceptions regarding white privilege, systemic racism, and racial injustice are taken as truth. To address these misconceptions and educate individuals, the organizers of this project researched, collaborated, and then hosted a Racial Injustice Prayer Vigil at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. This Racial Injustice Prayer Vigil had six different stations: …

The Racist Impact Of Redistributive Public Policies: Handout Versus Hand-Up, Mittie Davis Jones

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

Federal government policies, while benefitting some urban areas, have historically been detrimental to African-American people. Years of welfare and housing policies have placed central city residents, especially African-Americans, at a disadvantage which they have not overcome. Policies that once denied benefits to Black people, such as public welfare and federally-insured mortgages, morphed into stigmatized policies which, when available to Blacks, became obstacles to their advancement. These same policies enabled the majority White population to do what they were initially designed to do – provide a toehold during a period of temporary economic decline after which personal advancement was possible.

The …

Review Of Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents By Isabel Wilkerson, Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Applying Transformative Organizing Theory To White Antiracist Organizing, Josal Diebold

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

White antiracist organizing is a type of community organizing that works to build a movement that challenges the political, social, economic, and cultural manifestations of white supremacy, especially in white communities. In striving to harness strategic white antiracist organizing, an applicable theoretical lens is needed to guide both scholarship and practice. Transformative organizing theory, predicated on the need to organize and work for change on multiple levels at once, is particularly salient. This paper highlights how transformative organizing theory can anchor and cultivate white antiracist organizing through the application of key theoretical concepts, such as suffering and oppression; self-awareness and …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 47 No. 1

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

A Legal Analysis: The Transgender Bathroom Debate, Josselyn Sheer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the current legal battles over transgender bathroom, locker room, and employment rights. In the recent years, there has been a major uproar surrounding the rights of transgender individuals; concurrently, our country is witnessing a shift in the ways in which individuals understand their gender outside of the binary male and female classification. While the word transgender can serve as an “umbrella term encompassing a wide array of identifies,” transgender rights have steadily grown across numerous areas (Buck, 2016, p. 465). However, there have been contentious legal issues that have put transgender individuals rights in the spotlight.

The …

Etiology Of Poverty: A Critical Evaluation Of Two Major Theories, Stephen W. Stoeffler, Rigaud Joseph

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this article is to appraise two competing frameworks related to poverty attribution: individualistic theories and structural theories. Using the Theory Evaluation Scale (TES)—an empirically validated nine-criterion measure—this paper scrutinizes the aforementioned theories for coherence, conceptual clarity, philosophical assumptions, connection with previous research, testability, empiricism, limitations, client context, and human agency. Results revealed that, at the scale level, both perspectives are of excellent quality. However, at the item-level, the structural perspective was found to be significantly stronger than the individual perspective. Therefore, the structural perspective is an epistemologically sounder framework for informing antipoverty interventions.

"We're Not The Enemy And We're Not Asking For The World": Low-Wage Hospital Service Workers' Advocacy For Fair Wages, Sandra Wexler, Rafael J. Engel, Tal Laufer, Elizabeth Steiner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A number of states and localities have increased the minimum wage beyond that set by the federal government in recognition of the material and health challenges faced by low-wage earners. Academics, economists, and activists have offered microeconomic, economic justice, and moral rationales to support increasing the minimum wage. These justifications can be understood from the vantage of claims-making, that is, the ways individuals and groups attempt to define and shape a social problem to influence policy. This paper examines the wage-related claims-making of low-wage hospital service workers. These workers (N=156) testified to a City Council-created Wage Review Committee, which posted …

System Of Structural Dependency In The Sudanese Refugee Women Of Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, Jessica Gladden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many countries facing an influx of refugees have established refugee camps to provide temporary housing. Lacking a solution for the refugee crisis, these temporary facilities become long-term housing for many refugees. As a result, many refugees spend years or even decades in refugee camps. The refugees often are legally prohibited from obtaining employment. They must rely on aid from the United Nations and other organizations for their survival. This study considers some of the impacts of living in a refugee camp and surviving solely on humanitarian aid. In particular, this study examines the structural dependency observed in the Sudanese refugee …