Social Work Commons^™

Examining The Narratives Of Military Sexual Trauma Survivors, Maria Carolina GonzáLez-Prats

Dissertations and Theses

Background: The return of military sexual trauma (MST) to the national spotlight has been fueled by a combination of continued reports of sexual assaults across the various military branches, increased visibility of sexual abuse scandals in the media, and mounting calls for accountability from veteran advocacy groups and legislators. Although there have been numerous reforms implemented by the military, there still exists a significant gap between the military's official efforts and the reality of the survivors' experiences. Consequently, more research is needed to understand how survivors perceive the military's efforts, how these efforts affect their experiences, and how future …

Social Saints In The City: Race, Space, And Religion In Chicago Women's Settlement Work, 1890-1935, Johanna Katherine Murphy

Dissertations and Theses

Many scholars on the settlement movement have mentioned Hull-House's interactions with the Catholic Church and/or the surrounding immigrant communities, but have failed to fully examine the dynamic between Hull-House women, Catholic laywomen who took up settlement work, and the various Catholic immigrant groups of Chicago. This research seeks to place these relationships within the context of space -- meaning physical space in the neighborhood, access to spaces, and space as influence. This lens acts as a thread connecting the tangled and fluctuating dynamics of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender surrounding the settlement house movement.

Hull-House residents and Catholic laywomen contended …

The Economically Disadvantaged Speak: Exploring The Intersection Of Poverty, Race, Child Neglect And Racial Disproportionality In The Child Welfare System, Angela Gail Cause

Dissertations and Theses

The relationship between poverty and child maltreatment has long been addressed in the literature. Disproportionally, children, especially those of color, are more likely to live in poverty than adults. It has been established that the risk of child maltreatment increases the longer impoverishment is experienced. Thus, the likelihood that racial disproportionality may have negative impact upon the child welfare system is potentially increased. Much attention has been given to the overrepresentation of certain children of color within the child welfare system when cared to their representation within the general population. This study explores the intersection of poverty and race upon …

Telehealth For Transition Age Youth And Young Adults: Privacy, Emotional Safety And Welfare During Covid-19 And Beyond, Maria Hermsen-Kritz

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The past few months have seen a boom in the use of telehealth for providing mental health services as agencies and providers rapidly adapt to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with this has come a proliferation of guidance documents and tip sheets on responsibly engaging clients in telehealth.

The tips that follow provide options for protecting the emotional safety, privacy and welfare of transition-age youth and young adults while they are participating in virtual mental health care. These were compiled over the course of several conversations with providers currently working with this population, including youth peer support …

A Colorless Nature: Exploring The Mental Health (Help-Seeking) Experiences Of Pre-Adolescent Black American Children, Christopher Ashley Burkett

Dissertations and Theses

Black American children and adults seeking help for mental health concerns face countless obstacles rooted in systematic oppression, institutional inequalities, and structural disparities; consequently, accessing essential services at much lower rates than their White American counterparts. The unidentified and untreated mental health issues of Black American children and youth can have catastrophic life outcomes for them. Some researchers cite barriers such as stigmatization, negative attitudes toward mental health services, and a lack of culturally relevant treatment models as explanations for these impediments to mental health (help-seeking). It is my contention that these analyses are arguably incomplete, despite having accurate elements. …

Organizational Risk In Multi-Sector Health Partnerships: A Case Study Of Oregon's Accountable Health Communities, Shauna Jean Nicole Petchel

Dissertations and Theses

The literature on collective action has documented that the perception of organizational risk -- both the uncertainty of potential outcomes and the meaning attached to them -- is an important factor in whether and how organizations engage in cross-sector collaborations. Yet there are few examples to date that document how health and social service leaders perceive organizational risks in cross-sector health partnerships focused on social determinants of health, or how their perceptions influence organizational commitment and willingness to engage in these partnerships over time.

This research aimed to fill this gap through a mixed methods case study of health and …

What Makes Inclusion Work: An Autoethnography On Coordinating An Inclusive Youth Advocacy Program, Megan Price

University Honors Theses

In this autoethnographic thesis, I analyze my observations as the co-coordinator of an inclusive youth advocacy program (YAP) to detail what made inclusion successful, and what was ineffective. I had the unique position of facilitating conversations and workshops around social justice issues and how to advocate using self-expression and art. In this thesis, I will reflect on the Inclusive Education Conference (IEC) in Spring of 2019, and the Summer Summit in the summer of 2019, both in Portland, Oregon. At the IEC some of the observations noted as harmful to inclusion included: people wanting to silence the youth, inclusion being …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Impacts Of A Strength-Based And Youth-Driven Approach To Suicide Prevention In Rural And Minority Communities In Hawai‘I, Mapuana C.K. Antonio, Jane J. Chung-Do, Deborah A. Goebert, Kris Bifulco, Antonia R.G. Alvarez

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Suicide is a serious public health issue, particularly for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islander youth living in rural communities in Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i’s Caring Communities Initiative (HCCI) for Youth Suicide Prevention was implemented to address these concerns and used a strength-based, youthleadership approach to suicide prevention. A qualitative study was completed with youth leaders and adult community coordinators to evaluate the impacts of participating in HCCI. Participants included 9 adult community coordinators and 17 youth leaders ages 13-18 years. Coordinator interviews took place at a location of the interviewee’s convenience, and youth leader focus groups were conducted at 1 …

Zero Suicide As A Statewide Initiative: The Oregon Approach, Meghan Crane, Karen Cellarius, Susan G. Keys

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

Aims: This session has three primary aims: (1) to inform state public health and behavioral health leaders of the state of Oregon’s plan for supporting local Zero Suicide infrastructure development; (2) to educate state and local leaders about the different approaches local jurisdictions have taken in their ZS efforts; and (3) to introduce leaders and practitioners to an online firearm safety toolkit that incorporates research-based skills for addressing firearm safety in a culturally competent manner with rural suicidal patients.

Methods - Content/ Knowledge/ Skills: The session will enhance participants’ knowledge of state and local models for implementing Zero Suicide. …

Having All Of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure And Being Left With No Clean-Up Crew’’: Defining Autistic Burnout, Dora Raymaker, Alan R. Teo, Nicole A. Steckler, Brandy Lentz, Mirah L. Scharer, Austin Delos Santos, Steven K. Kapp, Morrigan Hunter, Andee Joyce, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Although autistic adults often discuss experiencing ‘‘autistic burnout’’ and attribute serious negative outcomes to it, the concept is almost completely absent from the academic and clinical literature.

Methods: We used a community-based participatory research approach to conduct a thematic analysis of 19 interviews and 19 public Internet sources to understand and characterize autistic burnout. Interview participants were autistic adults who identified as having been professionally diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition. We conducted a thematic analysis, using a hybrid inductive–deductive approach, at semantic and latent levels, through a critical paradigm. We addressed trustworthiness through multiple coders, peer debriefing, …

Investigating A Multiple Mentor Model In Research Training For Undergraduates Traditionally Underrepresented In Biomedical Sciences, Thomas E. Keller, Jennifer Lindwall

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Models of persistence and success in undergraduate research training emphasize the importance of engagement and integration across social, educational, research, and career settings. Students are likely to benefit from multiple sources of mentoring to meet their multidimensional needs for support across these domains. As part of a comprehensive training initiative for traditionally underrepresented students aspiring to careers in biomedical research, BUILD EXITO implemented a multiple mentoring model matching each undergraduate scholar with a research mentor, a faculty mentor, and a peer mentor. By design, each mentor has a different functional role. This study investigates whether the nature of support scholars …

Study Guide: How Youth Partners Can Collaborate With Family Partners In Wraparound, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures, Portland State University

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is our hope that this study guide can be a helpful training, coaching, and conversational tool to help supervisors and staff think through the nuances of this particular working relationship. It can be used when onboarding new staff, when a family partner is working alongside a youth partner for the first time (or vice versa), when addressing challenges that come up, or simply to check in on and refresh staff skills. In addition, it can be used during one-on-one supervision as well as in a group training or coaching session. This tool also may be useful for colleagues who …

La Cultura Cura: An Exploration Of Enculturation In A Community-Based Culture-Centered Hiv Prevention Curriculum For Indigenous Youth, Ramona Beltrán, Antonia R.G. Alvarez, Lisa Colon, Xochilt Alamillo, Annie Zean Dunbar

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Community based participatory research and attention to cultural resilience is recommended in HIV prevention research with Indigenous communities. This paper presents qualitative findings from evaluation of a culture-centered HIV prevention curriculum for Indigenous youth that was developed using a community based participatory research approach. Specifically, the authors focus on youth descriptions of cultural resilience and enculturation factors after participating in the curriculum. Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 23 youth participants yields three salient themes associated with cultural resilience and enculturation factors including: Development of cultural pride, honoring ancestors through traditional cultural practices, and acknowledging resilience and resistance within Indigenous …

Trauma-Informed Care As A Service Approach For Youth Experiencing Houselessness: A Scoping Review Of The Literature, Crystal Wink

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this systematic scoping review was to find what the current literature includes regarding the topic of Trauma-informed Care (TIC) as a service approach to serve youth who are experiencing houselessness. The review was guided by the research question, ‘How might Trauma-informed Care be practiced within houseless youth organizations?’ A comprehensive search of the databases PsycINFO and Academic Search Premier, as well as the grey literature database, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE) were performed to locate articles and readings relevant to the topic. To further increase the breadth of the scope, publications were located and selected from a …

Practice Brief: Supporting The Youth Peer Workforce, Maria Hermsen-Kritz

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Peer support is fast emerging as a promising and widely endorsed addition to the array of mental health services available to young people experiencing serious mental health conditions, yet very little is known about the peer support workforce in general, and even less about the peer workforce engaged specifically in providing services to youth and young adults. While the need for more research into this developing professional population is evident, what data we do have available indicates several challenges that have frequently shown up in implementing the youth peer role, as well as several common themes around what youth peer …

Realist Evaluation: A Systems Approach For Understanding And Assessing Complex Social Programs, Dora Raymaker

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Realist evaluation, a theory-driven approach to program evaluation grounded in realist philosophy, is designed to address the question: What works for whom, to what extent, in what circumstances, and why? It is emerging as a powerful alternative to traditional approaches to intervention evaluation, such as randomized control trials, particularly in settings of high complexity and/or high stakeholder heterogeneity. Realist evaluation takes a holistic, non-linear, systems approach, and can support any research methodologies. This seminar provides an overview of realist evaluation and discussion of potential applications with programs targeting social change.

Brain Health Innovation Diplomacy: A Model Binding Diverse Disciplines To Manage The Promise And Perils Of Technological Innovation, Kylie Ternes, Vijeth Iyengar, Helen Lavretsky, Walter D. Dawson, Laura Booi, Agustin Ibanez, Ipsit Vahia, Charles Reynolds, Steven Dekosky, Jeffrey Cummings, Bruce Miller, Carla Perissinotto, Jeffrey Kaye, Harris A. Eyre

Institute on Aging Publications

Background: Brain health diplomacy aims to influence the global policy environment for brain health (i.e. dementia, depression, and other mind/brain disorders) and bridges the disciplines of global brain health, international affairs, management, law, and economics. Determinants of brain health include educational attainment, diet, access to health care, physical activity, social support, and environmental exposures, as well as chronic brain disorders and treatment. Global challenges associated with these determinants include large-scale conflicts and consequent mass migration, chemical contaminants, air quality, socioeconomic status, climate change, and global population aging. Given the rapidly advancing technological innovations impacting brain health, it is paramount to …

2020 Adult Foster Home Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Adult Foster Homes, Paula Carder, Sheryl Elliott, Ozcan Tunalilar, Sarah Dys, Portland State University Institute On Aging

Institute on Aging Publications

This report is the sixth in a series prepared by the Institute on Aging at Portland State University for Oregon’s Department of Human Services (ODHS) and examines a sample of Adult Foster Homes (AFHs) throughout the state. This study has four objectives: 1. Describe AFH characteristics, including staffing types, policies and monthly charges and fees. 2. Describe current residents’ health-related needs, service use and demographic characteristics. 3. Compare current results with prior Oregon surveys to identify changes and current trends. 4. Describe characteristics that might affect access, quality, or cost. Oregon has licensed adult foster homes (AFHs) as a type …

2020 Community-Based Care Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care Communities, Paula Carder, Ozcan Tunalilar, Sheryl Elliott, Sarah Dys, Portland State University Institute On Aging

Institute on Aging Publications

This report summarizes findings from the 6th annual study of Oregon community-based care settings, including assisted living and residential care facilities, and memory care communities. This study was conducted during fall 2019 and winter 2020.

It’S About Time: Staff Support Contacts And Mentor Volunteer Experiences, Thomas E. Keller, Alison Drew, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Renee Spencer, Carla Herrera

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Formal youth mentoring programs typically rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to young people, with training and guidance from agency staff. A fundamental program practice is to provide ongoing support and supervision to volunteer mentors by engaging in regular contact to monitor the progress of the mentoring relationship and offer guidance and encouragement. Using data from mentors (n = 504) in multiple mentoring programs (n = 55), the current study investigated how the amount of time devoted to these match support contacts was associated with mentor perceptions regarding the nature of their volunteer experience, specifically: the quality of supervision …

Creating Accessible Survey Instruments For Use With Autistic Adults And People With Intellectual Disability: Lessons Learned And Recommendations, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Emily M. Lund, Sandra Marie Leotti, Steven K. Kapp, Marsha Katz, Leanne Beers, Clarissa Kripke, Joelle Maslak, Multiple Additional Authors

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite growing appreciation of the need for research on autism in adulthood, few survey instruments have been validated for use with autistic adults. We conducted an institutional ethnography of two related partnerships that used participatory approaches to conduct research in collaboration with autistic people and people with intellectual disability. In this article, we focus on lessons learned from adapting survey instruments for use in six separate studies. Community partners identified several common problems that made original instruments inaccessible. Examples included: (1) the use of difficult vocabulary, confusing terms, or figures of speech; (2) complex sentence structure, confusing grammar, or incomplete …

Childhood Abuse And Early Menarche Among Peruvian Women, Yasmin V. Barrios, Sixto E. Sanchez, Christina Nicolaidis, Pedro Garcia, Bizu Gelaye, Qiuyue Zhong, Michelle A. Williams

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

Childhood abuse has been associated with age of menarche in some studies, but not all, and few have assessed the independent associations of sexual and physical abuse with early menarche. We examined the association between childhood abuse and early menarche among pregnant women in Lima, Peru.

Methods

Multinomial logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for early menarche (≤11 years) in relation to any physical or sexual childhood abuse, physical abuse only, sexual abuse only, and both physical and sexual abuse in a cohort of 1,499 pregnant (first trimester) women.

Results …

Peer Practice Brief: How Youth Partners Can Collaborate With Family Partners In Wraparound, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Youth partners and family partners each have key roles on Wraparound teams, and they work with each other as well as with care coordinators, other team members, and, of course, family members and young people. Their roles are similar in function but separate in practice, as the family partner is a designated peer support specialist for the family member and the youth partner is a designated peer support specialist for the youth participating in the Wraparound process. It is crucial that these supports work with each other — as well as with the other members of the team, the youth, …

Exploring College Student Identity Among Young People With Foster Care Histories And Mental Health Challenges, Rebecca Miller, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Chanel Ison

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

For this study, researchers from Pathways Research and Training Center at Portland State University explored the perspectives of college students with foster care histories and self-identified mental health conditions. Researchers aimed to better understand how the relationship between students’ foster care identity and their newly forming student identities might impact academic success. We conducted interviews with students participating in the FUTURES intervention efficacy study, which evaluated the impact of a 9-month self-determination coaching program for students enrolled in their first two years of college at Portland State University, Portland Community College, or Mt. Hood Community College. Interview participants (N=18) were …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Transactional Sex Among Women Of Low Socioeconomic Status In Portland, Or, Timothy Menza, Lauren Lipira, Amisha Bhattarai, Victoria Cali-De Leon, E. Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Women who report transactional sex are at increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, in the United States, social, behavioral, and trauma-related vulnerabilities associated with transactional sex are understudied and data on access to biomedical HIV prevention among women who report transactional sex are limited.

Methods: In 2016, we conducted a population-based, cross-sectional survey of women of low socioeconomic status recruited via respondent-driven sampling in Portland, Oregon. We calculated the prevalence and, assessed the correlates of, transactional sex using generalized linear models accounting for sampling design. We also compared health outcomes, HIV screening, and knowledge …

Patterns Of Substance Use Before And After Hospitalization Among Patients Seen By An Inpatient Addiction Consult Service: A Latent Transition Analysis, Caroline King, Christina Nicolaidis, P. Todd Korthuis, Kelsey C. Priest, Honora Englander

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background and aims: Polysubstance use is common and contributes to morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients, and yet little is known about patterns of substance use among hospitalized patients, or how an addiction consult service (ACS) might impact polysubstance use after discharge. The objective of this study was to identify patterns of substance use at admission and after discharge among hospitalized patients with substance use disorders who saw an ACS.

Design: Prospective cohort study. We used latent transition analysis of substance use scores at the time of hospital admission and 30 to 90 days posthospitalization.

Setting: Single, …

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 …