Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Best Practices For Teaching Effective Social Work Writing Skills Online, Patricia Desrosiers, W. Gabbard, Emily Funk

Social Work Faculty Publications

A number of research studies have documented problematic issues with student writing inundergraduate and graduate programs in the United States. Some discipline-specific writing courseshave been developed to address these deficiencies, including some all online offerings. This papercritically synthesizes the latest available research on best practices in teaching effective writing in anonline format, with a focus on social work graduate students. However, the teaching modalitiesexamined herein can be applied in online writing courses in all human services professions and at alllevels.

Reproductive And Sexual Healthcare Needs Among Adults With Disabilities As Perceived By Social Workers, Kristen Faye Linton, Heidi Adams Rueda, Lela Rankin Williams, Alex Sandoval, Sharon J. Bolin

Social Work Faculty Publications

People with disabilities often experience unique gynecological and reproductive healthcare needs, which may be exacerbated by their experience of sexual victimization. Previous research on adolescents with disabilities found that social workers held beneficial roles in supporting their clients to make empowered decisions concerning sexual healthcare, pregnancy, and parenting. This study aimed to assess the reproductive and sexual health needs of adults with various disabilities from the perspectives of their social workers. Eleven social workers working primarily with adults with various disabilities were interviewed using a phenomenological study design to offer their perspectives of the sexual and reproductive health needs of …

Feasibility Of Recruiting Peer Educators To Promote Hiv Testing Using Facebook Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Peru, Luis A. Menacho, Jerome T. Galea, Sean D. Young

Social Work Faculty Publications

Abstract: A peer leader-based intervention using social media can be an effective means to encourage Peruvian gay men to test for HIV. The objective was to explore the feasibility of recruiting and training leaders to deliver a peer intervention via Facebook to promote HIV testing. Training consisted of three sessions focused on HIV epidemiology, consequences of stigma associated with HIV, and ways to use Facebook. We performed pre- and post-training evaluations to assess HIV knowledge and comfort using Facebook. We trained 34 peer leaders. At baseline, the majority of peer leaders were already qualified and knowledgeable about HIV prevention …

Mexican American Adolescent Couples Communicating About Conflict: An Integrated Developmental And Cultural Perspective, Heidi Adams Rueda, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

Using observational methods on a small sample of committed Mexican American couples (N=10, ages 15-17, M length of relationship = 26.5 months), we describe and categorize developmental and cultural communication patterns concerning the negotiation of conflict issues. Videotaped dyadic interactions were transcribed and qualitatively coded using iterative confirmatory and exploratory approaches. Quantitative indicators confirmed the categorization of couples into discourse styles, as well as elucidated the contexts and extent of overlap of developmental and cultural themes. Nine of ten couples had a serious discussion of relational conflict issues, lasting a majority of the time allotted (14 minutes). Five …

Risk Factors For Social Isolation In Older Korean Americans, Yuri Jang, Nan Sook Park, David A. Chiriboga, Hyungwoo Yoon, Jisook Ko, Juyoung Lee, Miyong T. Kim

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: Given the importance of social ties and connectedness in the lives of older ethnic immigrants, the present study examined the prevalence of social isolation and its risk factors in older Korean Americans.

Method: Using survey data from 1,301 participants (M_age = 70.5, SD = 7.24), risk groups for marginal social ties with family and friends were identified and predictors of each type of social isolation explored.

Results: Male gender and poorer rating of health were identified as common risk factors for marginal ties to both family and friends. Findings also present specific risk factors for each type …

United Way Of Southern Kentucky's Dolly Parton Imagination Library: A Program Evaluation, Simon Funge, Dana Sullivan

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Help-Seeking And Help-Offering For Teen Dating Violence Among Acculturating Mexican American Adolescents, Heidi Adams Rueda, Lela Rankin Williams, Julie L. Nagoshi

Social Work Faculty Publications

Help-seeking sources, motivations, and barriers concerning teen dating violence are rarely co-examined alongside help-offering processes and messages, and both are understudied among minority youth populations. This study sought the perspectives of Mexican American adolescents (ages 15 to 17) concerning their preferences and experiences with both help-seeking and help-offering. Twenty focus groups (N = 64 adolescents) were divided by gender and by acculturation level to allow for group comparisons. Friends and supportive family members were primary sources of help, although adolescents voiced a number of barriers to help-seeking. The most prominent barrier was fear they would be told to leave …

Sociodemographic And Behavioral Correlates Of Anogenital Warts And Human Papillomavirus-Related Knowledge Among Men Who Have Sex With Men And Transwomen In Lima, Peru, Brandon Brown, Emmi Monsour, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally, with a high burden of anogenital warts (AGW) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transwomen (TW).

Methods Six-hundred HIV negative MSM and TW (300 with AGW, 300 without) were recruited for a prospective cohort study to examine HPV outcomes and HPV vaccine knowledge. Participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics with HPV vaccine knowledge.

Results The average participant age was 25.5 years. Most (67%) were single and 41.2% self-reported STI symptoms. …

Show Me: Effectively Collaborating With Community Partners To Develop Students' Macro-Practice Skills, Rashida Crutchfield, Simon Funge

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dating And Sexuality Among Minority Adolescents With Disabilities: An Application Of Sociocultural Theory, Kristen Faye Linton, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescents with disabilities, American Indians, Hispanics, and African Americans are more likely to experience victimization and pregnancy as teens. This study explored ethnic and racial minority youth with disabilities’ dating and sexual experiences from the perspectives of social workers using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted with master’s degree–holding high school social work practitioners. Social workers described family beliefs and practices, socioeconomic status, special education, historical influences, and resiliency as aspects of adolescents’ lives that impacted their dating and sexuality. Social workers’ dialogue concerning family beliefs and attitudes toward abusive relationships were interpreted as internally oriented signs used …

Citations And Convictions: One Community’S Coordinated Response To Intimate Partner Violence & Efforts Toward Offender Accountability, Kerry Beldin, Allison Lauritsen, Henry J. D'Souza, Bob Moyer

Social Work Faculty Publications

In 1996, a coordinated community response (CCR) was formally established in a mid-sized Midwestern city to improve the criminal justice response to intimate partner violence (IPV). Data for this study included all IPV-related incidents to which the local police department responded since the establishment of the CCR for a fourteen year period. Effective CCRs provide for IPV offender accountability through citation and prosecution of IPV-related crimes. Concerns about demographic variables affecting citation and prosecution rates have been identified in the literature. Compared to national statistics, gender differences were consistent but higher citation and conviction rates were identified in this community. …

The Bes Model: Student Support And Gatekeeping Tool, Patricia Desrosiers, Amy Cappiccie

Social Work Faculty Publications

Universities are ill equipped to handle the specialized nature of students with psychiatric disabilities. Dueto the increasing numbers of students with both identified and unidentified psychiatric disabilities, thiscase study provides guidance through a description and application of the Behavioral EcologicalStrengths-Focused (BES) Model. Use of the BES Model assists administrators and faculty tosimultaneously support students with psychiatric disabilities while maintaining standards for gatekeepingrequired in master’s level programs.

Judges’ Perceptions Of The Nebraska Casa Program, A. C. West, J. L. O'Gara, Jeanette Harder

Social Work Faculty Publications

This article discusses judges’ perceptions of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) programs in the rural state of Nebraska, as reported in two online surveys. The goal of CASA is “to train and support volunteers in advocating for safe and permanent homes for abused and neglected children” (CASA for Children, 2013). One survey investigated the opinions of judges presiding in Nebraska counties that did not yet have a local CASA program; another was administered to judges in counties that did have a CASA program. Data from both surveys were analyzed separately and then compared to provide information regarding judges’ satisfaction with …

The Hope Social Media Intervention For Global Hiv Prevention In Peru: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial, Sean D. Young, William G. Cumberland, Roch Nianogo, Luis A. Menacho, Jerome T. Galea, Thomas Coates

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Social media technologies offer new approaches to HIV prevention and promotion of testing. We examined the efficacy of the Harnessing Online Peer Education (HOPE) social media intervention to increase HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Peru.

Methods: In this cluster randomised controlled trial, Peruvian MSM from Greater Lima (including Callao) who had sex with a man in the past 12 months, were 18 years of age or older, were HIV negative or serostatus unknown, and had a Facebook account or were willing to create one (N=556) were randomly assigned (1:1) by concealed allocation to …