Social Work Commons^™

Success Over Stress Support Group, Sophia Pescador-Torrance

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Harden Wellness Center is located in Salinas, California on the campus of Harden Middle School. After surveying and interviewing eighth-grade students at Harden Middle School, it was determined that there was a need to provide healthy coping skills for stress and anxiety. The project provided students a place to learn healthy coping skills along with normalizing mental health services among adolescents. In order to engage students and keep them interested each week, focus on a new skill with an activity attached to reinforce the coping skill. By the end of the six weeks, the group started to talk about …

First-Generation Social Work Latinas Balancing Life And Career, Angelica Venegas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study focused on learning about the successes and challenges first-generation social work Latinas face in the labor sector. The research project shows how Latino cultural values, beliefs, customs, and educational attainment impact Latinas’ careers and overall well-being. The research utilized a post-positivist approach and qualitatively gathered data through interviews with first-generation Latina social workers in Southern California. The study presents qualitative research project results, with quantitative demographics, of first-generation post-graduate Latinas balancing life and career. Themes from the findings include job satisfaction/dissatisfaction, assimilation and enculturation, labor sector discrimination and oppression, familismo and marianismo projection toward individualization, feeling balanced or …

Impact Of Industrial Disasters On The Mental Health Of Vietnamese Americans On The Gulf Coast, Vivian L. Duong

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused 200 million gallons of crude oil to spill on the Gulf Coast over a five-month span. About 16,000 miles of coastline, ecosystem and marine life along Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were contaminated. This disaster and the recovery process caused social, financial, and ecological shocks, resulting in adverse psychosocial and physical health outcomes, health disparities, and socioeconomic inequality. Among the oil spill's most affected and vulnerable populations are the Vietnamese American communities that settled on the Gulf Coast after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. The plight of …

Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Supported Families Raising Children With Disabilities, Allyson Baughman, Laura Brugger, Meg Comeau, Leah Hamilton, Candace Jarzombek, Caroline Parker, Stephen Roll

Social Policy Institute Research

The 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) provided temporary enhancements to the existing CTC for the tax years 2021 and 2022. Under the expanded credit, families with children under the age of 18 were eligible to receive a credit of up to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under the age of 6).

In addition, half the credit was paid out on a monthly basis rather than as a one-time payment at tax time. This provision was designed to provide more immediate financial support to families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it also supported families who were at …

“It Helped Us More Than I Could Have Imagined”: How The 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit Supported Families Raising Children With Disabilities, Laura Brugger, Stephen Roll, Leah Hamilton, Allyson Baughman, Meg Comeau, Candace Jarzombeck, Caroline Parker

Social Policy Institute Research

The 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) provided temporary enhancements to the existing CTC for the tax years 2021 and 2022. Under the expanded credit, families with children under the age of 18 were eligible to receive a credit of up to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under the age of 6). In addition, half the credit was paid out on a monthly basis rather than as a one-time payment at tax time. This provision was designed to provide more immediate financial support to families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it also supported families who were at …

Linkage Fees: A Vehicle For Financing Affordable Housing, Lillian Murphy, Stanford Cooper, Russell Beckham

Center for Social Development Research

A linkage fee is a policy instrument for capturing resources to fund affordable housing development and other public services. This brief describes the instrument and offers recommendations on implementing linkage-fee policies.

The contents of this brief evolved from a presentation given in the Colloquium on Inclusive Housing Policy for the St. Louis Region. Held in the Brown School at Washington University on December 15, 2022, the event was organized by the Center for Social Development in partnership with Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice and the Alliance for Interracial Dignity. The contents may also be found in Welcome Home: A …

Racially Restrictive Covenants: A Story Of Segregation, Disinvestment, And Lingering Implications, Fadya Al Hammam, Janeka Haden, Livi Logan-Wood, Joseph Roeder

Center for Social Development Research

Racially restrictive covenants are agreements, typically embedded in property deeds, that limit the transfer of property to non-white people. The covenants remain common features of property deeds in the St. Louis region, though enforcement of them was outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelley v. Kraemer decision in 1948. This brief discusses the covenants and identifies strategies for communities to deploy in addressing them.

The contents of this brief evolved from a presentation given in the Colloquium on Inclusive Housing Policy for the St. Louis Region. Held in the Brown School at Washington University on December 15, 2022, the event …

Zoning: Issues And Reform, Olivia Borland, Casey Kohlstruk, Lindsay Owens

Center for Social Development Research

What steps can communities take to broaden equitable access to housing and prevent residential displacement? This brief identifies strategies for reforming zoning policy to advance those goals.

The contents of this brief evolved from a presentation given in the Colloquium on Inclusive Housing Policy for the St. Louis Region. Held in the Brown School at Washington University on December 15, 2022, the event was organized by the Center for Social Development in partnership with Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice and the Alliance for Interracial Dignity. The contents may also be found in Welcome Home: A Policy Briefing Book for …

Advancing Racial Equity Through Community Land Trusts, Amal Alzhrani, Brittany Kiefer, Da-Yup Kim, Gabby Eissner

Center for Social Development Research

Community land trusts are nonprofit organizations designed to preserve housing affordability. This brief describes the design and operation of such trusts, illustrating the concept by spotlighting the Columbia Community Land Trust of Columbia, Missouri.

The contents of this brief evolved from a presentation given in the Colloquium on Inclusive Housing Policy for the St. Louis Region. Held in the Brown School at Washington University on December 15, 2022, the event was organized by the Center for Social Development in partnership with Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice and the Alliance for Interracial Dignity. The contents may also be found in …

Welcome Home: A Policy Briefing Book For Housing Opportunity In St. Louis County, Molly W. Metzger

Center for Social Development Research

“Equality of opportunity” is a beautiful American ideal, but it stands in stark relief to the history of racist policies in the United States—including policies in the St. Louis region. Edited by Molly Metzger, this briefing book aims to broaden opportunity by offering ideas for housing policy change in the majority-white, inner-ring suburbs of St. Louis. The policy works in this collection were written by masters of social work students at Washington University’s Brown School as part of a social-policy course taught by Metzger in partnership with Mayor Laura Arnold of Webster Groves, Missouri, Webster Groves’ Alliance for Interracial Dignity, …

Internalized Homonegativity And The Mental Health Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Individuals: An Integrative Treatment Approach, David Kearby

DSW Capstone Projects

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals (LGBI) have a higher rate of mental health disorders than the general population. The mental health disparities experienced by LGBI are positively correlated with higher internalized homonegativity (IH) levels, which impacts their functioning at the unconscious, cognitive, and interpersonal levels. Thus, effective interventions targeting the mental health of LGBI must consider IH's intrapsychic, cognitive, and interpersonal nature. An integrative psychotherapy approach addressing the mental health and IH of LGBI is needed to address the intrapsychic, cognitive, and interpersonal factors at play.

Product one of this capstone is a systematic literature review that identified psychotherapeutic interventions …

Double Burden Of Malnutrition Workshop Facilitation Manual: Lima, Peru, Carmen Quinteros-Reyes, Pavarskevi Seferidi, Laura Guzman-Abello, Christopher Millett, Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz, Lindsey Pawlowski, Ellis Ballard

Social System Design Lab

This is a facilitation manual for workshops in Lima, Peru as part of the project “Addressing the double burden of malnutrition in Peru: using a community-based system dynamics approach to improve food systems”. The project is a collaboration between investigators at the Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases (CRONICAS) at the University of Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Peru, the Social System Design Lab at Washington University in St. Louis, USA and Imperial College London funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (Grant Ref: BB/T009004/1). It is a supplemental document associated with the paper …

Double Burden Of Malnutrition Workshop Facilitation Manual: Iquitos, Peru, Carmen Quinteros-Reyes, Paraskevi Seferidi, Laura Guzman-Abello, Christopher Millett, Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz, Lindsey Pawloski, Ellis Ballard

Social System Design Lab

This is a facilitation manual for workshops in Lima, Peru as part of the project “Addressing the double burden of malnutrition in Peru: using a community-based system dynamics approach to improve food systems”. The project is a collaboration between investigators at the Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases (CRONICAS) at the University of Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Peru, the Social System Design Lab at Washington University in St. Louis, USA and Imperial College London funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (Grant Ref: BB/T009004/1). It is a supplemental document associated with the paper …

Disparities In Mental Health Technology Among African Americans: Breaking Cultural Inclusion Barriers, Nyoki Cosey-Brown

DSW Capstone Projects

Mental health technology is a healthcare delivery model of the future. The engagement in virtual healthcare was intensified when traditional healthcare methods were inaccessible during the federal restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing digital apparatuses for healthcare improved the convenience, efficiency, and accessibility of various mental health services that were inoperable in past healthcare models. However, the historical constructs of stigma, discrimination, inequity, exclusion, and structural racism in mental healthcare were prevalent problems that remained present in virtual mental health platforms concerning the experiences of African-American patients and professionals who utilized the spaces.

This research explored mental health …

Triumph After Trauma: A Phenomenological Exploration Into Women Survivor’S Perceptions Of The Influence Of Trauma On Their Leadership, Natalya R. Bannister Roby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most research around trauma is focused on negative life consequences. Although limited, there is research that explores the influence of resilience and how some survivors may experience growth after trauma (Kirschman, 2004). Furthermore, research is limited on how trauma influences the leadership style and career trajectories of women who have overcome trauma. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used as the methodological framework to explore the perspectives of women leaders who identify as survivors or overcomers of trauma. The study participants are women leaders in middle management positions to senior-level executives in educational organizations serving middle and high school students.

In-depth …

Financial Well-Being Of Frontline Healthcare Workers: The Importance Of Employer Benefits, Mathieu Despard, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Haotian Zheng, Grace Anderson, Olivia Borland, Kourtney Gilbert

Social Policy Institute Research

Frontline healthcare workers – especially direct care workers (DCWs), such as home health aides, struggle due to low pay, lack of benefits, and difficult working conditions. The need for these workers is growing. Unless frontline healthcare jobs improve, positions may be difficult to fill, and care for vulnerable members of society may be compromised.

In this study, we surveyed 2,321 frontline healthcare workers and conducted in-depth interviews with 30 of these workers concerning pay, benefits, work conditions, and financial well-being. Key survey findings included:

• Only 39% of workers were eligible for at least four out of five major benefits (e.g., …

Global Child Development Accounts: A “Moon Shot” To Develop Every Child And The Planet, Michael Sherraden, Li Zou

Center for Social Development Research

The early 21st century has been marked by several global stresses. Effective responses, note Michael Sherraden and Li Zou, require large, bold solutions. In this concept note, they propose a global Child Development Account initiative, a global project for building assets for all children to invest in their full development. The times require audacity, Sherraden and Zou assert, but big changes are possible.

Democratizing The Economy Or Introducing Economic Risk? Gig Work During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Daniel Auguste, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard

Social Policy Institute Research

Though the growth of the gig economy has coincided with increased economic precarity in the new economy, we know less about the extent to which gig work (compared with other self-employment arrangements and non-gig work) may fuel economic insecurity among American households. We fill this gap in the literature drawing on a sample of 4,756 workers from a unique national survey capturing economic hardships among non-standard workers like app-and platform-based gig and other self-employed workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from generalized boosted regression modeling, utilizing machine learning to account for potential endogeneity, demonstrated that gig workers experienced significantly greater …

Usage And Impact Of Benefits Among Frontline Healthcare Workers, Mathieu Despard

Social Policy Institute Research

We completed a study about frontline healthcare workers – the benefits they get through work and how they are doing financially. This brief provides highlights from our survey to 2,321 workers and interviews with 30 workers.

Exploring Front Line Ambulance Staff Perspectives Of The Hospital Transfer Pathway, Yitka N H Graham Dr, Matthew Limmer, Michelle Jackson, Dawn Ridgway, Barry Evans, Catherine Hayes Dr

Journal of Social Care

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK was introduced in 2015 to improve the quality of the care pathway of transfers of care home residents to hospital when needed. The Red Bag scheme was developed by Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group in 2016 as a means of improving communication between organisations involved in the process by ensuring residents’ notes and other personal belongings were easily identifiable and kept in one place. The Red Bag was implemented in the North East of England in 2018. The aim of this study was to understand the knowledge of …

Combatting Rising Healthcare Costs For Healthier Adults, Alejandra Muñoz-Rivera

Social Policy Institute Research

In 2020, healthcare expenditures averaged $12,530 per person, up 9.7% from 2019. In 2018, 19% of U.S. households had medical debt with $2,000 being the median amount owed. Over half of adults between 18 to 64 years of age are estimated to experience some form of medical financial hardship including medical bills or debt, stress about medical bills, and delaying or forgoing treatment specifically due to cost. In a 2022 survey of 140 Medicaid and Marketplace members by researchers from the Social Policy Institute (SPI) and the Centene Center of Health Transformation, one-third of respondents reported having unpaid medical bills. …

The Effectiveness Of Administrative Practices In Security Teams Work (Survey Study On Sharjah Police General Directorate), Khalifa Alhemeiri

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

This research aims to identify the effectiveness of administrative practices in security work teams, an exploratory study on the General Command of Sharjah Police, and accordingly the researcher used the descriptive analytical approach, and the total number of members of the completely random sample reached (30) employees, which represents (11%) of the total employees Fieldworkers in the Department of Criminal Investigation and Investigation at the Sharjah Police General Command, as it is the most dependent on security teams in carrying out work directly related to the functions of the General Command of Sharjah Police, which is to combat and reduce …

Child Development Accounts Reach Over 15 Million Children Globally, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

First proposed in 1991, inclusive asset-building policy for each child, policy that begins at birth, has now been tested and implemented in settings across the globe. This brief documents the emergence of Child Development Accounts and estimates their scope, focusing on policies in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Korea, Canada, Israel, and the United States.

Experimental Evidence On Consumption, Saving, And Family Formation Responses To Student Debt Forgiveness, Jason Jabarri, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, Leah Hamilton

Social Policy Institute Research

As policy-makers grapple with whether or not to forgive student debt, for who, and how much, it is important to explore how student debt forgiveness would relate to intended household decisions and behaviors. We conducted a survey experiment that asked participants with student debt to imagine a scenario in which the federal government forgave a certain amount of student debt. We then had these participants report on how this would affect their decisions and behaviors. 1,053 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions that offered $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, and complete debt forgiveness. Our results indicate that student debt …

Financial Facts: Seed Ok Child Development Accounts At Age 14, Margaret M. Clancy, Sondra G. Beverly, Mark Schreiner, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This Fact Sheet presents financial outcomes as of December 31, 2021, when children in the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment were about 14 years old. SEED OK is a large-scale policy test of universal, automatic, and progressive Child Development Accounts (CDAs). The essential feature of the CDA in SEED OK is a state-owned Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan (OK 529) account, which was automatically opened for newborns in late 2007 with an initial deposit of $1,000 and which has now grown to about $2,300.

Economic Security From An Asset Perspective, William Elliott Iii

Center for Social Development Research

hat is economic security, and what policies can help more families achieve it?

In talking about the New Deal, President Franklin Roosevelt provided a vision for what economic security should look like in America, a vision that CSD Faculty Director William Elliott III elaborates in this essay. To be secure, Elliott notes, families require enough to live by and something to live for; that is, they require income and assets. Elliott makes the case that policy has a vital role to play in creating and sustaining this security.

This Perspective presents remarks given by CSD Faculty Director William Elliott III …

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …

Spiritual Outcomes Of A Faith-Based Camp Program For Children Of Incarcerated Parents, Raquel T. Ellis, Krystal Hays, Jeff Hamilton, Lemesis J. Reyes

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

Children of incarcerated parents are likely to experience a number of adverse outcomes including poverty, substance abuse, community violence, multiple caregivers, school failure, and justice system involvement (Hairston, 2007; Martin, 2017; Murphey & Cooper, 2015). The experience of having a parent incarcerated, and the negative outcomes associated with it, disproportionately expose these children to adverse childhood events (ACE’s) known to result in higher morbidity and mortality (Turney, 2018). However, spiritual resources, along with engagement with caring adults, can increase a child’s resilience and buffer the impact of these negative outcomes. This exploratory study describes Camp Agape California (CAC), a faith-based …

Understanding The Relationship Between Black Chicago Youth And Chicago Drill Music Culture, Dan'iel Tamirra Kendricks

Dissertations

Chicago is most noted as a beautiful, Midwestern city, set to the backdrop of Lake Michigan, with skyscrapers and the bustling energy of the downtown Magnificent Mile. The “Tale of Two Cities,” Chicago is a city full of hope, opportunity, and potential for some, but a city plagued with poverty, violence, disinvestment, and hopelessness for others. There has been a significant increase in the awareness of the violence happening across Chicago. The emergence of social media has provided a direct and unfiltered view of the reality of violence the city has faced on an ongoing basis. Crimes such as shootings, …

The Development Of The Police Department Wellness Survey (Pdws), Tia White

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Police officers dedicate their careers to serving and protecting the communities they work in. Research is finding that the intensity of demands put on their mental health has turned suicide rates amongst police officers is at critical levels and has been declared by experts to be a ‘pandemic’ in the population (Wylie, 2020). There are very few researchers who broach police officers’ mental health. Social workers’ education and values make them uniquely qualified to engage in this study. The literature in policing supports that there are no assessments designed specifically for police and there are no known measures that provide …