Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Tarascan (Purépecha) Empire, Anna S. Cohen, Christopher T. Fisher

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

At the time of European contact, western Mexico was dominated by the Tarascos, who spoke a language called Purépecha. Never defeated by the bordering Aztec Empire, the Purépecha Empire instituted a bureaucratic system that was designed to extract tribute from subjects and to control political, economic, and social life throughout their territory. Archaeological research shows that existing societies in west Mexico were quickly co-opted by Purépecha tribute-based and ideological systems. This chapter reviews the traditional model of Purépecha development by incorporating archaeological research from both the Pátzcuaro Basin imperial core region and elsewhere in the empire. Recent work indicates that …

Nasty People: An Illustrated Guide To Understanding Sex, Sophia Weaver

Senior Honors Projects

Sex made me and it probably made you too, but for many of us sex remains a mystery for our entire lives. I see sexual images every day, but I rarely hear it discussed openly or factually. This is problematic. If most people are having sex and most people have a lot of misinformation about it, STDs, unwanted pregnancies and even sexual assaults are much more likely. Research suggests that increased (and well developed) sex ed. can reduce all of the possible negative outcomes of sexual misinformation. My observations of everyday life and my research in academia have given me …

African And Afro-Caribbean Immigrant And Diaspora Perspectives Of Police Violence “It’S About Culture, Not Race”, Bemnet Tadesse Meshesha

Social Work Theses - Archive

Police violence with minority communities in the U.S. is a growing problem and has gained a lot of national attention in recent years. While the issue seems to be prevalent in the country, the current means to track the data on excessive use of force or deadly encounters by police is lacking because police departments report voluntarily. The Justice Department has announced recent initiatives to better track this information but news agencies like The Guardian and The Washington Post have taken on the role of documenting these encounters and keeping the public and even federal agencies informed thus far. While …

Assessing Moral Injury And Existential Well-Being In Returning Servicemembers Using The Spiritual Attitudes Inventory - Revised (2010)., Leann E. Armes-Bruce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Military personnel returning from deployment often report a variety of distressing symptoms stemming from exposure to prolonged, extreme deployment stress, and traumatic experiences. In addition to reporting symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, they are also known to report struggling with existential angst often leading to great despair and a sense of profound changes in the core of their being. While this phenomenon, referred to herein as Moral Injury, has traditionally received little attention, it is beginning to emerge as a potentially viable construct in practice and research and may assist in explaining the effects of war …

Diabetes, Depression And Syndemic Suffering Among African American Patients: The Intersectionality Of Race, Gender And Class, Pamela Lorraine Fox

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This research study illustrates the overarching syndemic theory, which was used to explain the interconnections of type 2 diabetes, clinical depression, and human suffering among low-income African American outpatients in the southern sector of Dallas TX, USA. The intersections of race, gender, and class were additional variables that were included in this research. Furthermore, this research indicated how poverty, social relationships and other conditions stressed individuals and populations, weakened their natural defenses and caused exposure to disease clusters. I have coined the term D2 S2 to deconstruct the social/syndemic interconnections that interface with diabetes, depression and human suffering. The first …

Are Colleges And Universities Failing To Meet The Needs Of The Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Community By Failing To Meet The Needs Of Social Work Students?, Constance D. Siegel

Social Work Theses - Archive

With the notable trend for recognition of the transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) Community, as well as their having issues that are separate and distinct from the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community, the need for social workers specifically trained to meet the needs of this population has become apparent. An absence of qualified social workers in both macro and micro fields has necessitated a review of all Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited programs to ascertain if education on TGNC individuals is being included in curriculum as is outlined in the CSWE diversity and accreditation standards. Currently, both …

Sustainable Gender Equality Framework: A Justice Perspective, Bonita Bhattarai Sharma

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The current study emphasizes gender equality discourse within the frame of overarching sustainable development goals and proposes a shift in attention to the sustainability of components of a larger holistic social system that is built on moral imperatives of intra and intergenerational justice. The continued and building importance of the holistic and transferability of a just and inclusive system is indicative of the new global policy shift in addressing the lessons learned from past developmental approaches and the urgent need to protect the earth system. There are three key related issues that stand out within the broad context of Our …

The Inaugural Issue Of Dignity, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Heroin Addiction And Recovery: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Julia C. Rossini

Social Work Theses - Archive

This study is an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the human experience of heroin addiction and recovery. Literature on heroin addiction suggests that those who struggle with addiction are likely to also struggle with impulsivity, self-efficacy, and mood. The literature also finds that group membership is a common factor in recovering from addiction, whether that be in an Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous group or harm-reduction community. Two theories were explored, the social learning theory and self- medication theory. The study was shaped by the ideas and findings of previous literature and theories and narrowed down to one specific research question not yet …

Resilience In Seeking Refuge: Religious Coping Strategies In Muslim Refugees From Syria, Nabiha Hasan

Social Work Theses - Archive

The recent shift of attention onto Syrian refugees has resulted in much media coverage and discussion regarding this population. This study delved into the religious coping strategies of Muslim refugees from Syria. Participants were derived through a DFW-based nonprofit organization. Questions asked of participants were including but not limited to resiliency and religious coping mechanisms. Major themes developed from this study included: religious ideologies, challenges as new religious minorities in the United States, resettlement issues, and benefits of resettlement. Results showed high correlation between resilience and religious beliefs.

African And Afro-Caribbean Immigrant And Diaspora Perspectives Of Police Violence “It’S About Culture, Not Race”, Bemnet Tadesse Meshesha

Social Work Theses - Archive

Police violence with minority communities in the U.S. is a growing problem and has gained a lot of national attention in recent years. While the issue seems to be prevalent in the country, the current means to track the data on excessive use of force or deadly encounters by police is lacking because police departments report voluntarily. The Justice Department has announced recent initiatives to better track this information but news agencies like The Guardian and The Washington Post have taken on the role of documenting these encounters and keeping the public and even federal agencies informed thus far. While …

A Mother's Spiritual Journey With Her Disabled Son: An Autoethnography, Margaret C. Higgins Edd

Dissertations

Abstract

This autoethnographic research delves into a mother’s experiences with her disabled son over thirty-five years. Beginning with a thick description of the crib accident that resulted in physical and cognitive disabilities that profoundly change the course of both mother and son’s life, this research chronicles the search for meaning, community, and healing as they negotiate the realms of medicine, education, career, family, and spirituality. Models of disability that seek to explain various ways in which society often views disability are examined, but none resonate with the researcher’s intimate experiences nor satisfies her deepest needs for insight and healing. Making …

Achieving Cross-System Collaboration To Support Young People In The Transition Years: A Tip Sheet For Service Providers, Pauline Jivanjee, Eileen Brennan, Claudia Sellmaier, Maria Carolina Gonzalez-Prats, Pathways Transition Training Collaborative

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This tip sheet advises service providers on how to reach across fragmented services and systems to assist young people to achieve their goals.

The Social Work Librarian And Information Literacy Instruction: A Report On A National Survey In The United States, Margaret Bausman, Sarah Laleman Ward

Publications and Research

As an interdisciplinary profession encompassing macro, mezzo, and micro fields of praxis, well-informed and ethical social work practice necessitates the continual utilization of information literacy skills across a wide and ever-evolving range of information sources and access points. In response to a dearth of scholarship concerning information literacy instruction in social work education, this article reports on an initial endeavor to quantify and describe the nature of information literacy instruction in social work education on a national level in the United States. In addition to a review and discussion of the National Social Work Librarians Survey's descriptive data, this article …

Measuring Organizational Climate At The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, Sarah Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to answer the question, according to the Competing Values Framework, what is the organizational climate of the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District (ATCPHD)? Organizational climate for this study refers to the collective perceptions of employees on their interactions with their peers, management, and the organization. This study surveyed the 64 employees at the ATCPHD with the Organizational Climate Measure (OCM). Forty employees participated in the study. The study determined that the climate of the ATCPHD, according to Competing Values Framework (CVF), was the Human Relations organizational climate with a secondary climate of Relational Goals. …

Social Interaction In Mixed-Income Developments: Relational Expectations And Emerging Reality, Mark L. Joseph

Faculty Scholarship

In many cities, public housing has come to exemplify concentrated urban poverty and the social problems associated with it. One major policy response to addressing these problems is the demolition and redevelopment of public housing complexes as mixed-income communities. Several theoretical propositions that lie behind this policy are based on assumptions about the ways in which living among higher-income residents can lead to relationships and interactions that may benefit poor people. Based on in-depth qualitative research in two mixed-income developments in Chicago, this paper explores the dynamics of social interaction in an effort to better understand the processes and factors …

Ethics At The End Of Life: A Teaching Tool, Cara L. Wallace, Kara J. Thielman, Andrea N. Cimino, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Social workers rarely receive education and training in the areas of grief, bereavement, and death and dying, which may lead to difficulties in compassionately and ethically addressing concerns in end-of-life or grief-related contexts. This article presents actual and potential outcomes from three challenging end-of-life case studies using Mattison’s ethical decision-making model as a framework. The case studies were drawn from student interviews with experienced master’s-level social workers. This pedagogical article helps to promote self-reflection and consideration of ethical issues in grief and death-related situations as well as supplement death education and ethics curricula to include end-of-life content.

Correlates Of Satisfaction With Life For People Who Identify As Transgender And Sexual Minority, Christopher C. Bober, Kristen L. Suing, Dustin K. Shepler

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Researchers have focused on understanding factors such as resiliency, medical concerns, and coping skills in the lives of transgender and gender-nonconforming people. However, little research has examined how transgender and gender-nonconforming people cognitively evaluate their own lives. Furthermore, many people who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming also report a sexual minority identity status. In this study, we sought to understand how aspects of sexual self-concept (i.e., sexual esteem and sexual anxiety), internalized homonegativity, and level of outness about sexual identity correlated to self-appraisals of satisfaction with life (SWL) in a sample of transgender and gender-nonconforming people who identified as sexual …

Psychiatric Clinicians’ Perspectives On Continuing Education (Ce) Programming In Rural Maine, Charles Michael Wakeling

All Theses And Dissertations

There are a variety of barriers that psychiatric clinicians face when attempting to attend continuing education programming. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to explore continuing education practices within the health care industry, specifically mental health care, with a focus on psychiatric clinicians’ perspectives on continuing education programming in rural Maine. For the purposes of this research study, mental health care was inclusive of behavioral health care and substance abuse treatment. This study defined the term “psychiatric clinician” to be inclusive of social workers, counselors, and therapists. The participant pool was comprised of 37 psychiatric clinicians employed …

Black Women's Search For Meaning: An Existential Portraiture Study On How Black Women Experience The 4 Existential Givens, Tamiko Lemberger-Truelove

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The purpose of the phenomenological, qualitative study was to explore how select Black women experience the four ultimate concerns of existence, including freedom, isolation, meaninglessness, and death. Existential psychology, from which the four existential givens emerge, is deeply grounded in existential philosophy, which rarely connects key principles and tenets of existentialism to the experiences of Black women. The existential givens have been posited as a universal framework and yet because Black women are faced with multiple forms of marginalization the current study operates from the assumption that universal experiences are filtered through patently Black experiences. To explore how the existential …

2016 Evaluation Report, Department Of Social Work, Kutztown University Of Pennsylvania

Annual Conference on Social Work in the Global Environment

The Theme of the 5th Annual Conference on Social Work in the Global Environment was: "Environmental and Ecological Justice, Human RIghts, and Socio-Economic Justice: Local and Global Response."

Sharing Our Blessings With Those In Need, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

Each year, National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week asks us to think about our most challenged neighbors during the days before Thanksgiving. As we consider our own reasons to be thankful, let us ask ourselves how we may share our blessings with those around us in need of food and shelter. [excerpt]

A Mixed Methods Inquiry Of Caregivers Of Veterans With Sustained Serious "Invisible" Injuries In Iraq And/Or Afghanistan, Bina Ranjit Patel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there are approximately 1.1 million caregivers who are caring for veterans who have served in the military following September 11 (9/11), 2001 (Ramchand et al., 2014). In this study, a mixed methods analysis of post 9/11 caregivers enrolled in the North Florida South Georgia Caregiver Support Program was completed with a convenience sample of 172 participants for quantitative analysis which included 16 participants for the phenomenological query. Correlations, t-tests, and ANOVAs were used to determine the associations among race, gender, age, caregiver type, diagnosis, tier level, and the presence of children in the home with caregiver burden as measured …

Social Workers’ Roles In Supporting The Sexual And Relational Health Of Children With Disabilities, Heidi Adams Rueda, Sharon J. Bolin, Kristen Faye Linton, Lela Rankin Williams, Eva Pesta

Social Work Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to understand social workers’ roles in meeting the sexual and relational health needs of children (aged 3–11) with disabilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 social workers from a range of practice settings. A phenomenological lens privileged the perspectives of social workers in their definitions of disability and sought to convey the meaning they assigned to their experiences of working with children in practice concerning matters related to sexual and relational health. Social workers enacted a broad definition of disability and often came to work with youth in contexts labeled as sexually problematic. In …

Mountains Of Our Future Earth: Defining Priorities For Mountain Research, Erin H. Gleeson, Susanne Wymann Von Dach, Courtney G. Flint, Gregory B. Greenwood, Martin F. Price, Jörg Balsiger, Anne Nolin, Veerle Vanacker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Perth conferences, held every 5 years in Perth, Scotland, bring together people who identify as mountain researchers and who are interested in issues related to global change in mountain social-ecological systems. These conferences provide an opportunity to evaluate the evolution of research directions within the mountain research community, as well as to identify research priorities. The Future Earth Strategic Research Agenda provides a useful framework for evaluating the mountain research community's progress toward addressing global change and sustainability challenges. Using a process originally set up to analyze contributions to the 2010 conference, the abstracts accepted for the 2015 conference …

Framing The Human Dimensions Of Mountain Systems: Integrating Social Science Paradigms For A Global Network Of Mountain Observatories, Courtney G. Flint

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Global Network of Mountain Observatories (GNOMO) is an international initiative seeking to increase communication and collaboration and align methodologies to assess commonalities and differences across the world's mountain landscapes. Oriented toward sustainable mountain development, GNOMO requires the integration of social and natural sciences, as well as a diverse array of stakeholder perspectives. This paper highlights challenges associated with integrating social sciences because of the inherent paradigmatic differences within the social sciences. The value orientations of mountain researchers, as well as the divergent societal and institutional values regarding mountains, create a need for new approaches to observing mountain landscapes. A …

Lgbtq Topics And Christianity In Social Work: Tackling The Tough Questions, Laura E. Kaplan, Jeanna Jacobsen, David Mccarty-Caplan

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2014 the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) convention offered a workshop whose abstract stated coverage of controversies, ethics, governmental policies, and faith related to reparative therapy. In this workshop, presenters expressed support for using reparative therapy at clients’ requests. In response to this, a member of the Caucus of LGBT Faculty and Doctoral Students in Social Work (LGBT Caucus) organized a letter with over 120 social work faculty and practitioner signatures and submitted it to NACSW expressing concern that reparative/conversion therapy was offered as a viable mental health treatment at a professional social work conference, …

"He Told Me That My Waist And Private Parts Have Been Ravaged By Demons:" Sexual Exploitation Of Female Church Members By "Prophets" In Nigeria, Chima Agazue

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In urban southern Nigeria there is a widespread spiritual revival pioneered by Pentecostal pastors who claim to deliver prophecies, miracles, and healings. In many places, multiple churches can be seen within a few hundred yards of each other, while in other places, different floors of multistory buildings are occupied by different church denominations. There is competition among the pastors to present themselves as spiritually powerful and financially favored by God. Some of the pastors, calling themselves “prophets,” engage in immoral and fraudulent activities. Women are the predominant followers of these male religious leaders, and sexual exploitation of vulnerable women by …

Multnomah County Project Launch Evaluation, Jessica Auerbach, Elana S. Emlen, Danielle C. Garcia, Noelle Hause, Callie H. Lambarth, Mhora Lorentson, Isabel M. Rife, Kathleen J. Zavela, Yumiko Aratani, Jeana R. Bracey, Mercedes Ekono, Beth L. Green, Rachel Kryah, Melissa Mendez, Sheila Smith, Lily Tom

Early Childhood

Early childhood is a critical time in human development. Any experience, positive or negative, can influence long-term outcomes for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2010). To ensure a strong foundation for success in school and in life, efforts designed to promote wellness and identify early learning or mental health challenges must begin well before kindergarten. Strong evidence shows that investing in early childhood can yield large dividends for children. Additionally, the ability of our systems to provide positive outcomes for children can be enhanced through strategic planning, well-developed partnerships, and coordinated …

Quality Rating Improvement System (Qris), Shannon T. Lipscomb, Roberta B. Weber, Beth L. Green, Lindsey Brianna Patterson

Early Childhood

With funding from the Race-to-the-Top grant, we are working with Oregon State University researchers to conduct a validation study to support the state’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). The QRIS provides technical assistance to child care facilities to improve quality, as well as ratings for child care facilities to help parents in decision-making. Center staff are collecting standardized observational measures of child care quality statewide to assess the extent to which QRIS ratings correspond to observed quality.