Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Strengths And Resiliencies Of Black Msm In New York City Who Maintain Hiv-Seronegativity, Jagadisa-Devasri Dacus

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) carry the greatest burden of the HIV epidemic in the United States. Because Black MSM’s identities lie at the intersection of race and sexual orientation, they are more likely to experience negative social determinants of health, which have been associated with greater HIV acquisition. However, the majority of Black MSM maintain seronegativity, but few public health studies have identified what contributes to their seronegativity maintenance. In order to address this gap in knowledge, I explored maintained HIV-seronegativity among a cohort of Black MSM in New York City (NYC). …

A Toolkit For Expanding Financial Capability At Tax Time, Genevieve Davison, Merideth Covington, Olga Kondratjeva, Stephen P. Roll, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

This work expands upon The Volunteer Income Tax Preparer’s Toolkit: Showing Clients Why Tax Time is the Right Time to Save, a 2015 Toolkit by the Center for Social Development. This new offering presents the current evidence underpinning various tax-time efforts to expand financial capability among low- and moderate-income households. It includes sections on creating a VITA program and on several financial-capability products and services that organizations can offer alongside free tax-preparation services. The evidence comes from a variety of sources, but we highlight findings from research conducted by CSD, particularly that conducted as part of the Refund to Savings …

The Reality Of The Refugee Crisis In Italy: A Look Into The Lives Of Illegitimate Refugees And The Unofficial Organizations That Support Them, Cole Mcquirk

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The words written on the United States of America’s famous Statue of Liberty, written by poet Emma Lazarus over a century ago:

Give me your tired, your poor,

your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. . . .

America and Europe alike have forgotten the sacred words that gave hope to so many 100 years ago. Many use phrases like “floods of people” or “swarms” to describe those who leave their countries for a life in the Western world. Which of the refugees welcomed into the most powerful country in the world were …

Pornography As A Public Health Issue: Promoting Violence And Exploitation Of Children, Youth, And Adults, Elisabeth Taylor

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The pornography industry is expanding exponentially as a result of ongoing technological advances. The ability to stream videos over the internet and the ubiquity of the smart phone have meant that pornography producers are able to use algorithms to target potential consumers, to cultivate new sexual tastes and to deliver content to a more diverse audience over mobile devices. The advent of virtual reality pornography with interactive sex toys and sex robots imbued with artificial intelligence promises to unleash a further step-change in the extent to which pornography influences ‘real-world’ sexual culture. The critical analysis of pornography undertaken over decades …

Oak Avenue Elementary: Attendance Awareness Project, Liliana Uribe

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Oak Avenue Elementary school is in Greenfield, California and serves students from grades kindergarten to sixth grade. The broader social problem within Greenfield is too few students graduating from high school. The agency problem is there are too many elementary school children absent from school. This was an educational intervention implemented at the school where information was provided to parents and students about the importance of school attendance. Posters were created to promote good attendance habits within the school and presentations were provided for parents and students. The presentations helped parents and students develop a better understanding of the importance …

Addiction Treatment Outcomes And Religiosity: What Is The Relationship?, Sidney Harrington Smith Iii

Honors Theses

This study examines how religiosity, specifically, church attendance, prior to admission into an addictions treatment facility (Teen Challenge) is related to the treatment outcomes of completing the program and the participants’ length of stay in treatment. Additionally, the study investigates how other factors such as marital status, ethnicity, alcohol and drug use, and level of education may be related to treatment outcomes. Using archival data of 388 enrollees in a Teen Challenge program in southern United States, the results show that religiosity prior to treatment admission is significantly related to program completion. However, the second outcome variable, length of time …

Social Network And Black Students: Relative Effects Of Member Expectations On Academic Achievement, Lester Robert Collins Jr

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between social network member college expectations of Black students and the college expectations and college attendance of the students. Methods: This study conducted secondary analysis of the nationally representative data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Selected variables were recoded into binary variables and binary logistic regression was conducted on the independent and control variables and the dependent variables of student college expectations and student college attendance. Results: Some of the independent variables were found to be predictors of student college expectations and college attendance. Conclusions: Members of …

Acculturative Stress, English Proficiency, Social Support, And Coping Strategies Among Chinese International Students, Jiabao Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Drawing on data from 137 Chinese students who enrolled in a large research university in the Southwest of the United States, this quantitative study examined the relationships between Chinese students’ acculturative stress, English proficiency, social support, and coping strategies. This study utilized a survey method and employed four previously established questionnaires; moreover, the use of these questionnaires was to examine students’ acculturative stress, as it is the dependent variable of this study.

In data analysis, t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare means and standard deviations of Chinese students’ acculturative stress through students’ demographics and characteristics. …

Restorative Justice And Social Justice, John M. Winslade

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This paper explains the connections between restorative justice and social justice. Specifically it argues that restorative practices in schools fit with a social justice agenda. It defines both terms and then outlines how restorative practices work to address the pipeline to prison and against retributive justice and zero tolerance policies. It also outlines the use of narrative questions designed to enhance restorative practices.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, And Coping Of Foster Parents, Jacqueline Rush

Honors Theses

Foster parents are people who are caregivers for children in foster care. Resilience is a trait that is developed by the exposure of stress, and adversity (Cicchetti & Garmezy, 1993). Some foster parents remain resilient and others do not. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has any impact on foster parents’ resilience, coping, satisfaction, and intent to continue fostering. This study included 114 current foster parents from across the United States. The study at hand found that 59.6% of foster parents experienced one ACEs or more, which is lower than the …

Foster Parent Disciplinary Strategies And Child Behaviors, Tamarah Taylor

Honors Theses

Foster parents are tasked with creating a safe and stable environment for the youth while also trying to parent and address challenging behaviors (Elgar, Mills, McGrath, Waschbusch, & Brownridge, 2007). Although these behaviors can also be found in youth in the general population, they are more common among foster youth (Van Holen & Vanschoonlandt, 2017). This mixed-methods study involved using an Internet questionnaire to measure influential factors of parenting (i.e. stress, satisfaction, involvement) and the qualitative questions explored foster parents’ experiences with behaviors and which parenting strategies have been helpful and non-helpful. The quantitative results of this study concluded that …

Improving No-Show Rates In A Community Health Center, Erin Boshers

Honors Theses

Community health clinics have surfaced to provide primary care to low-income individuals, but they are currently hurting due to an overwhelmingly high no-show rate. (Population Reference Bureau, 2016; Nowacki, 2013). While there is extensive research on how to overcome no-show appointments in private medical clinics, clinics that serve a low-income clientele cannot succumb to the same methods of intervention due to the financial and physical barriers community health centers face (Nowacki, 2013). The purpose of this project was to extend upon previous studies on strategies to improve the no-show rate at a local community health center by doing a mixed-method, …

Educational, Financial, And Social Needs Of Families Of Children With Multiple Disabilities In Saudi Arabia., Mohammed Abdulrahman Alkohaiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies on the needs of families of children with multiple disabilities are few and limited, and none of these studies have been conducted in the Arab world, in general, nor in Saudi Arabia, in particular. Even though many families suffer from problems that affect their needs and the needs of their children with disabilities, social work research in the Arab world have not focused on the families and their needs. The information collected from such research can help in developing new and superior services to help children with multiple disabilities and their families. Thus, the present study will contribute to …

Exploring The Role Of United States Legal Discourse In Creating, Sustaining, And Disrupting Vestiges Of Slavery, Hanif M. Bey

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

This exploratory study starts from the proposition that the use of the racialized names “negro,” “colored,” “black,” and “white” represent vestiges of slavery that were socially and legally constructed, maintained, and perpetuated to validate a superior position for descendants of Europe in the United States, while assigning an inferior status to descendants of Africa in the United States. I further suggest that the use of these racialized names appear to resemble what Noonan (1976) described as a legal mask: a legal construct that veils the humanity of participants in the legal process. Informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Post-Colonialist …

Understanding College Students With Physical Disabilities, Kimberly L. Hardner

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore what it means to be a college student with a physical disability. The visibility of a physical disability a is distinct characteristic, even within the disability community, which often results in discrimination, oppression, and marginalization that influence both the identity and experiences of the individual. Through the research method of Photovoice, important considerations related to the identity and experiences of college students with physical disabilities were revealed in this study including: visibility (of a physical disability which leads to stigma and stereotypes); independence (ability to do things for oneself); membership …

Intimate Partner Violence: A Narrative Analysis Of The Jamaican Women Experience, Sonia M. Brown

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the nature and scope of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) experience by Jamaican women. In Jamaica, IPV cases are not documented under appropriate indices and as a result there is a lack of studies with qualitative and quantitative data. Jamaica has serious safety concerns; the majority of murders occur due to domestic violence. Sexual assault is a significant predictor and contributor to IPV, and it is the second most common cause of injury for women on the island. Women attending a religious institution located within the northeastern corridor of the United States were …

Family–School Partnerships And The Missing Voice Of Parents, Laura R. Stein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Educators, researchers, advocates, and others agree that effective family-school partnership is an important component in best supporting the academic outcomes and future success of students. However, schools and educators struggle in forming constructive partnerships with racially and economically marginalized and oppressed parents and families, particularly low-income Black parents and families. This compromises support for low-income Black students that are already served in underfunded and under-resourced schools compared to their White middleclass counterparts. Further, this phenomenon exacerbates a widely understood academic achievement gap between low-income Black students and White middleclass students. In seeking to unearth and better understand effective strategies and …

Allocating Interventions Based On Counterfactual Predictions: A Case Study On Homelessness Services, Amanda R. Kube

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Modern statistical and machine learning methods are increasingly capable of modeling individual or personalized treatment effects by predicting counterfactual outcomes. These counterfactual predictions could be used to allocate different interventions across populations based on individual characteristics. In many domains, like social services, the availability of possible interventions can be severely resource limited. This thesis considers possible improvements to the allocation of such services in the context of homelessness service provision in a major metropolitan area. Using data from the homeless system, I show potential for substantial predicted benefits in terms of reducing the number of families who experience repeat episodes …

Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Sheela Saravanan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Mothers' Perceptions Of Educational Access And Engagement In A Context Of Urban Austerity, Amy Krings, Hillary Thomas, Shawna J. Lee, Aayat Ali, Ladonna Miller

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study sheds light upon mothers' perceptions of educational justice in a context of austerity-based educational reforms. Focus group participants (n = 64) described local schools as lacking resources, a shortcoming that contributed to overcrowded classrooms, inadequate transportation, and safety concerns. They were skeptical of elected and appointed state and district officials, who were viewed as misrepresenting the degree of financial strain in the district in order to prioritize financial profit above education services for children. Additionally, respondents struggled to identify opportunities for parent involvement in educational policy making at a state, district, or school level. The shortage of …

Drug Use During Pregnancy: The Impact Of Maternal Drug Addiction On Infants, Eduwem Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug abuse during pregnancy is a universal problem. The recent work sought to identify the extent of the problem in West Texas. Although the available data was limited, the age of use is younger than other comparable areas; drugs of choice were similar to existing report from the literature. Generalizability was insufficient to develop recommendations for intervention.

The Re-Certification Barriers In The United States: Comparing Refugee Professional Credentials To Texas Standards, Mary Beth Shelton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the re-certification process for college- educated immigrants in the United States, Canada, and Texas. Underemployment is a problem among foreign trained professionals in the United States. Additionally, this study serves as a guide for the International Rescue Committee to assist future clients. The guide provides a general outline for the licensure process within three professions in Texas. A sample of 192 participants was collected from existing client files from a resettlement agency in Texas. The researcher found approximately 24% of participants were college-educated. An advanced level of English proficiency did not correlate …

A Systematic Review Of Rural Veteran Homelessness, Jonathan Fasse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a systematic review to examine homeless veterans identified to be most at risk of unsuccessfully completing the VA’s housing program (HUD-VASH), which promotes the use of Housing First (HF) as it’s model for treating homelessness. The literature review identified those who were rural and experiencing comorbid substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health issues to likely be those who were most at risk. There were multiple reasons why this subgroup was most vulnerable including limited access to resources, higher levels of substance use and more serious mental health diagnoses, and chronic health needs. Both the literature review …

Adult Maltreatment In The United States Military, Gordon E. Storey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The scope of sustained military operations has placed incredible stressors on the men and women of our United States Armed Forces; consequently, this strain has encroached on and impeded their relationships at home and after their military service. Adult maltreatment in the United States military is a serious concern that negatively impacts military members, their partners, their families and subsequently can prove detrimental to the mission of the military. In order to effectively address this growing concern, it is imperative that mental health practitioners understand the military culture and utilize the best interventions in their treatment. This research conducted …

Perceived Maternal Invalidation And Drinking Behavior: The Role Of Action Control, Elise Ann Warner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is one of the most prevalent disorders worldwide. As such, researchers have examined factors contributing to alcohol use. Perception of emotional experiences in childhood as invalidating by parents is one factor that has been found to predict later alcohol use, though less is known about maternal invalidation specifically. Parental invalidation has also been found to predict difficulty regulating affective states (i.e., negative and positive affect), which is also a determinant of alcohol use. Further, researchers have studied temptation to drink and restraint from drinking as related to alcohol use to better understand drinking behavior. Though there appears …

Covered International: A Proposal For Growth, Sarah Shumaker

Honors Projects

The following proposal examines the operation of Covered International, a nonprofit organization committed to helping women who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and trafficking, Contemporary ideas and suggested changes are detailed that will foster the growth of the organization through education and awareness, funding, and expansion.

A Workable Balance: Maternity Leave And Female Success In The Workplace In Finland And The United States, Karey J. Murphy

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

The Family and Medical Leave Act was signed into law in 1993. FMLA, allowing for a few exceptions and criteria, provides unpaid leave for certain health conditions or for the birth or adoption of a child. While the United States offers a gender-neutral policy unlike most other nations, the leave is not required to be paid. This can have enormous impacts on not only a female’s decision to return to work after the birth of a child but her continued decision to pursue leadership roles within the workforce. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between female …

Should Children Have A Voice In Custodial Placement?, Emily Moore

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

The aim of this paper is to bring to attention the custodial placement of children with divorced parents. Essentially, this paper looks at the importance of involving the child in the process of deciding on a parenting schedule. This is done by examining how children are personally affected by this decision and arguments made to not involve children. Upon examination of these ideas, it becomes clear that during a divorce case children should be given the opportunity to share their opinion on the parenting schedule.

Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities As Advocates For Immigrants, Lindsey Moore

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

the past decade, immigration policy has become the subject of a fiery nationwide debate, with policymakers and lobbyists going head-to-head as policy reform is discussed. As a worrisome trend has emerged in which national security concerns are being prioritized over human rights concerns, it has become necessary that social workers get involved, as well. Due to the professional values and ethical standards laid out in the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics, social workers are ethically obligated to engage in this discussion and advocate for fair and just policies on behalf of immigrants. Based off an understanding of …

Giving Voice To The Voiceless, Victoria L. Palmer

Social Work Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of matriculated, full time college students from a medium-sized Catholic, Liberal Arts College in the Northeast who identify as multi-racial or multi-ethnic, specifically identifying as coming from a white and non-white mixed background. In the ever-changing political climate in the United States, those who identify as mixed white and non-white backgrounds feel conflicted in how they ethnically or racially identify. Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25), and college experiences, are important years for identity development. This study tells the untold narratives of mixed non-white and white multi-racial, multi-ethnic individuals.