Social Work Commons^™

Perceived Life Satisfaction Among Gay Males: The Coming-Out Process, Kimberly D. Carter

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project was a mixed method of both a quantitative and qualitative design to examine the perception of 38 gay male’s life satisfaction post coming out. In the past few years, laws affecting the gay community have been at the forefront of policies and debates, given all communities an insight into the specific challenges that are endured. As the gay community starts to openly live their lives as a gay man, there has been a need to accept and understand not only the challenges, but to give acceptance.

Additionally, this project sought out to determine if the gay community …

Beliefs About Respite Among Caregivers, Guero Nunez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The emphasis of this research was to evaluate the beliefs about respite among caregivers of the clients associated with Inland Caregiver Resource Center. The caregivers of the elderly and those who suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia, or suffer from traumatic brain injury that was organic in nature were the population of interest. These caregivers were unpaid persons who help to keep those with such conditions at home as long as possible. This study used an exploratory pilot survey instrument to assess the perception of benefit of respite used as seen from the view of the caregiver. The primary theory used …

Do Holistic Practices As An Adjunct To Traditional Psychotherapy Affect Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (Gad-7) Scores?, Samantha Suyon Woo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effect of holistic practices on anxiety. The study used a pre-experimental design and measured any differences in outcomes in Generalized Anxiety Disorder clients as measured by General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) between the two following groups: 1) the experimental group who received holistic services in addition to traditional treatment such as psychotherapy and/or medication as compared to 2) the control group who received psychotherapy and/or medication alone. Pretest of GAD-7 at intake and post-tests at about 4 months into treatment were measured along with a holistic practice survey and analyzed post-hoc through SPSS data analysis. This …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Amongst Pakistani-Americans, Arifa K. Ashraf

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Out of 14.4% of Asian Americans in the state of California, and 5.4% in the United States, Pakistani-Americans are one sub-group, out of ten. Pakistani- Americans are either born in, or have familial ties back to the country of Pakistan. This research emphasizes on the lack of knowledge or awareness of mental health, and more importantly, the perceptions of mental health amongst Pakistani-Americans. The topic of mental illness within the Pakistani community is almost taboo and never spoken about with individuals outside of the family. With Islamic laws having a huge a huge influence on the Pakistani culture, people tend …

Identification Of Relapse Factors Of Alcoholics After Their First Twelve Step Program, Mirna V. Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project is intended to assist with the identification of relapse factors for alcoholics who have relapsed after their twelve‑step program. It is beneficial to understand relapse factors for alcoholics in order to provide effective treatment plans, services, and goals that will assist in attaining sobriety from alcohol. The research study used a qualitative approach; the data was collected through interviews from participants at the Cedar House agency in Bloomington, CA. The data was collected and then analyzed for possible themes of relapse factors. Themes that developed from interviews conducted with alcoholics that had relapsed after their twelve‑step programs …

The Beliefs Of Self-Esteem Among Biracial Individuals, Rebekah Brittany Harmon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

With the increase in interracial marriage researchers have begun to thoroughly assess how self-esteem and racial identity are affected. Recent studies have revealed that the construct of biracial identity is complex in forming a sense of self and racial identity. This inability to identify with a specific race is not only an issue to our entire population but especially to the biracial community. The social work profession has an array fields and services that become flexible to diverse populations; yet, the biracial population has not be explored in depth which may result in not fully understanding the dynamics of the …

Beliefs About Religion And Spirituality Among Social Workers, Aida Araceli Pelayo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study focused on the social workers perspectives regarding the integration of religion and spirituality in therapy. Understanding these components will expand the knowledge of social workers and it will enhance the therapeutic relationship among clients and clinicians. It also allows social workers to provide a comprehensive service to a multicultural and diverse population. In order to provide a holistic approach, social workers need to address the issues of clients through a biopsychosocial perspective that includes religion and spirituality. For the most part, religious and spiritual people use these components in their daily lives to cope with unanswerable questions …

Examining Perceived Outcomes Of Foster Youth, Lakenya Cerraine Jones, Sneshia Mekeda Stribling

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the perceptions of former foster youth as a means to analyze the factors that contribute to the positive and negative outcomes of foster youth once aging out of the foster care system. Ten former foster youth were identified for the purposes of understanding how prepared foster youth feel towards aging out and transitioning into adulthood. The study utilized qualitative interviewing for data collection in efforts to gather the information about the experiences of each foster youth. Participants were recruited through San Bernardino County Children and Family Services Extended Foster Care (EFC) unit, as well as the local …

How Does Social Media Impact The Postpartum Depression Experience, Connie Marie Stringfellow

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the impact Social media has on the postpartum depression experience. To date, no work has examined the association between social media and postpartum depression. This research is an exploration into the use and impact of social media on individuals with postpartum depression. One hundred and three participants provided information about their demographics, experience with depression, treatment options, use of social media and preferred method of support. This information was gathered and analyzed via a web-based survey instrument. Descriptive statistics was used to compare responses on the internet based questionnaire. The study findings show that Social Media has …

Law Enforcements Perceptions Regarding Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking And The Involvement Of Social Workers In These Cases, Adriana Lopez Baca, Melissa Marie Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is a significant issue that affects children, families, and communities throughout the United States. Due to the illegal nature of the problem, it is difficult for law enforcement to identify victims of DMST and when they are identified it is challenging to provide them with services. Because law enforcement often encounter DMST victims through first response calls or within juvenile hall, it is important to understand the collaboration efforts between social workers and law enforcement in order to provide effective services for this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain an understanding …

The Perception Of Vicarious Trauma Among Master Of Social Work Students, Breyana De Sha Jackson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers are being sought out more often to treat traumatized individuals. In turn, social workers are at risk of vicarious traumatization. Vicarious trauma is a form of indirect trauma that may occur by working with traumatized clients. Master of Social Work (MSW) students should be educated on vicarious trauma as they will have many responsibilities when they begin their work in the field; including treating traumatized individuals. Education on vicarious trauma could lessen the risks of experiencing the pathology. The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of vicarious trauma among MSW students. Sixty-seven students from the …

Exploring The Experiences Of Same-Sex Foster And Adoptive Parents, Richard Christopher Meza, Cynthia Anna Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster and adoptive parents are crucial in the child welfare system, with the large number of foster children in the system at any time. Same-sex foster and adoptive homes are underrepresented in the child welfare system, despite the shortage and need for more certified foster and adoptive homes. There are limited studies documenting the experiences of gay and lesbian foster and adoptive parents. Some research has demonstrated that "non-traditional," or same-sex couples are met with more obstacles to become certified foster and adoptive parents, in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. This qualitative study explores the experiences of same-sex foster and …

A Glimpse Into The Experience Of Family Reunion In The Lives Of Immigrants From El Salvador, Ana Cristina Diaz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the impact family separation had on both the child and the parent after reunification. Semi-Structured qualitative interviews were conducted. One participant was left behind by parents while they immigrated without proper documentation and eventually reunited with them. There was one mother who immigrated to reunite with her children. There were also four parent participants who left their children behind while immigrating into the United States. This study provides a glimpse of what an undocumented family reunification looks like

Minorities' Perceptions Of Child Protective Services, Vernae Elaine Hicks

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study examined minority persons’ views and experiences with Child Protective Services (CPS) in the community. This study used a qualitative design with face‑to‑face interviews with 12 participants in the community. This study used the “Post‑Positivist” data analysis, which is qualitative in evaluation and explained each participant’s subjective reality.

The study found that most participants were satisfied with the results and were dissatisfied with the process in and of itself. Overall the study found that most participants felt that there was some sort of a disconnect with social workers in reference to cultural competency. Miscommunication between the social workers at …

Understanding Service Utilization Within Co-Occurring Population, Ildelisa M. Zapata

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A specialized system of care for co-occurring clients can be an asset to this population, if the services offered deliver adequate results that contribute to the overall wellbeing of this community. Therefore, providers, including social workers and other professionals to determine the effectiveness of these programs, should routinely assess established programs that are design to meet the most basic needs of co-occurring populations. This will permit an increase the knowledge and understanding of outcomes and perhaps develop alternative resources to connect gaps in the delivery of services. This research evaluated the effectiveness of services that co-occurring clients received from Cedar …

Child Welfare Social Workers' Knowledge And Comfort Level In Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Questioning Foster Youth, Deanne Gay Mccollum

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine child welfare social workers’ attitudes, awareness, and understanding of the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth while in out-of-home placement. This study used quantitative data collection methods of social workers in three Southern California counties regarding these issues, and 27 such workers participated.

It was found that only half of the child welfare social workers had received training on issues involving LGBTQ foster youth, but that the majority of those workers who received training were interested in learning more about the topic. It was also found that many …

Social And Psychological Implications Of Placement Instability Among Former Foster Youth, Myra D. Lopez-Brock, Carolina F. Morales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the social and psychological implications created by unstable placements and trauma experienced by former foster youth. The participants of the study were recruited from college campuses via Extended Opportunity Program and Services liaisons as well as the Guardian Scholar Program liaisons. The sample included individuals that identified as former foster youth and individuals that identified as never being in foster care. The findings indicated the social and psychological differences among former foster youth that resided in unstable living arrangements as compared to youth that were not in foster care.

Exploring Future Planning Support For Parents Of Adult Children With Intellectual/ Developmental Disabilities, Patricia A. Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

For parents caring for an intellectually or developmentally disabled child (I/DD), there can be many challenges throughout various life stages. While research has been shown to emphasize an abundance of services for parents of young children and adolescents with I/DD, there has been a lack of services for later life transitions within adulthood. Within this research, a brief literature review of what preparation and services have been provided to parents of adult children with I/DD in regard to non-parental care placement is provided. The following research discusses the various perspectives of the future planning process through interviews from participants who …

Foster Parenting...Why Not?, Michelle Y. Marley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Every day, children are removed from their homes of origin by Children & Family Services and placed into foster care. When the county foster homes become full, private foster family agencies are relied upon to take in the overflow. For a variety of reasons, private agencies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of foster parents to house all of these children. This is a pressing problem in the social work field as, without proper placement options, many children will simply fall through the cracks in the system. The purpose of this research was to explore …

Practitioners Views On Effective Interventions For Victims Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Tracy Nibo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to explore methods of effective treatment interventions for victims of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) from the viewpoint of practitioners. Although risk factors are present the secretive nature of the DMST population make victims difficult to identify. The sensitivity of the trauma victims experience also make it difficult to determine effective interventions to utilize for treatment of this population. This study seeks to gain the perspectives of practitioners who work with the DMST population in order to overcome these barriers. This study utilizes a qualitative design in which 10 practitioners were interviewed …

The Impact Of Incentive-Based Education On Mothers’ Understanding And Preparedness For Their Prenatal And Postpartum Experiences: A Reflective Study, Aubrey Nocito

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Incentive-based education has a clear purpose and vision for the populations served. It is important for these organizations to demonstrate that their impact is positive, and that resources from the community are utilized efficiently. The purpose of this study is to identify the impacts of incentive-based education on the understanding and preparedness of a mother’s prenatal and postpartum experiences. Baby Steps, a non-profit incentive-based education program, was used as the research site. Clients of Baby Steps who have been involved in the program since a time during their pregnancy and who have had their baby between 3-12 months ago participated …

The Effects Of Forgiveness On Sustaining Sobriety In 12 Step Group Attendees, Rebecca Cornelius

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

There has been an increase of research in the area of forgiveness, particularly since the early 1980’s; however, there has been far less research done in the field of addiction and how forgiveness or the lack of forgiveness impact’s a person’s recovery. The profession of social work has a wide array of fields and services, and it is not uncommon for a social worker to work with a person abusing substances at some point in his or her career. While there are many aspects of treating and assisting client’s in their recovery, one topic that may not be discussed with …

Resettlement Challenges For Refugees In The United States, Rebecca Joie Habeeb-Silva

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the resettlement-related challenges that refugees encounter in the United States (U.S.). It utilized a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews with three refugee families from different countries of origin: Afghanistan, Burma, and Iraq. The interviews were analyzed through a system of coding and categorization in order to develop themes of commonly reported challenges across participants. Six dominant themes of resettlement‑related challenges were identified: employment, financial insecurities, bureaucracy, English language competency, family separation, and unfulfilled expectations and hope. The participants also reported that these challenges had negative effects on their mental health and described feeling worried and depressed. …

Empowerment In Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (Pcit), Marlena M. Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore empowerment in Parent‑Child Interaction therapy (PCIT). Research has shown that attachment issues and child maltreatment are serious social problems that may lead to risks of child abuse and children developing mental illnesses. Interventions, like PCIT have shown to decrease these risks by improving the parent‑child interactions by enhancing parent skill levels and by decreasing parent stress levels and child behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine whether enhancing parent skills and decreasing parent stress levels would therefore increase parent empowerment. This study utilized a quantitative method to examine potential growth …

Distracted Parenting: How Social Media Affects Parent-Child Attachment, Denise Ante-Contreras

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social media usage for parents has become ubiquitous, as either a form of entertainment or communication with other individuals. However, excessive use of social media has also shown to have effects on parenting; causing parental distraction, decreasing the level of everyday parental engagement, and making a child more likely to be at risk for injury. Studies have shown that frequent eye contact, one on one time, and undivided attention are necessary in building a secure attachment between a parent and child. The research study in question hoped to understand whether there was a correlation between the amount of hours a …

Challenges Of Social Workers Giving Mental Health Services To Juveniles Who Have Been Incarcerated For Drug Use, Nathalie Marie Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research examined challenges social workers face when delivering mental health services to juveniles who have been incarcerated due to drug use. Through the use of a web-based survey program a total of ten research questions were examined statistically. The research questions discussed what challenges social workers face when trying to administer services to juveniles who have been incarcerated for drug use and also what services are available to juveniles with or without a mental health problem who have been incarcerated for drug use. Questionnaires were sent out electronically, with a response rate of twenty-seven participants. SurveyMonkey® was used to …

Effects Of On-Call Work On Professional Social Workers, Evelyn Ocampo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis attempted to examine the effects of on-call work schedules on professional social workers. This was achieved through the use of a demographic survey and qualitative face-to-face and phone interviews. A total of 15 interview questions were explored, the subjects included: the impacts of on-call work on psychological, physiological, emotional well-being and work family balance of professional social workers. Participants were recruited using availability sampling and the sample size consisted of nine participants. The nine interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The researcher identified common themes related to on-call work schedules. Results found that participants suffered familial …

Mental Health Practitioner Stigma, Attitude, And Belief: A Multidimensional Study On Marriage And Family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers, And Clinical Psychologists, Jessica Ann De La Rosa, Ruxandra Elena Tanase

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Existing stigma in the form of negative attitudes towards individuals with severe mental illness by mental health practitioners, has the potential to set barriers towards recovery. A survey of 72 mental health practitioners from three disciplines were surveyed, in an attempt to measure mental health practitioner attitudes towards individuals with severe mental illness, and how their attitudes impact their belief in client recovery. This was a quantitative study, based on two Likert Scale surveys and distributed both in paper form and using Survey Monkey. Participants were gathered through a snowball effect, and consisted of 42 social workers, 18 marriage and …

Impact Of Reactive Attachment Disorder Training On Perceived Preparedness Of Master Of Social Work Students To Serve Individuals With Reactive Attachment Disorders, Margaret Elizbeth Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Common diagnoses have greater emphasis in the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program, yet there is an oversight on other disorders that are just as important to address, such as Reactive Attachment Disorders (RAD). Although researchers have determined a need for additional training and education on RAD, none have measured MSW students’ level of knowledge on RAD and whether or not it influences their perceived preparedness. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceived preparedness of MSW students to serve children with RAD before and after participating in an educational training. The study consisted of an explanatory quantitative …

Impact Of Assembly Bill 12 On Emancipated Foster Youth, Amber E. King

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Assembly Bill 12 was passed into law for the purpose of preparing foster youth for the transition into adulthood and provided extended support services and transitional support up to the age of 21. This qualitative study focuses on the experiences and outcome of foster youth who are participating in extended care services. Key findings were identified in the areas of education, social and emotional support, and living arrangements. These key findings provide the social workers with a better understanding of the difficulties associated with the complexity involving the transition to young adulthood. The implications of key findings have resulted in …