Social Work Commons^™

The Experience Of Alcohol Use In Adolescence: A Hermeneutic Study, Stacy O. Swenson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Alcohol use among adolescents has been a long-standing problem in the United States. This study was undertaken to gain a better understanding of what the experience of using alcohol as a teenager is like. For this hermeneutic study, three participants took part in an in-depth interview that focused on their experiences with alcohol. The main theme that emerged from the experiences was Maturing. This theme and two subthemes, Peer Influence and Risk Taking, were examined for deeper meaning. These findings suggest that professionals working with adolescents can further help their clients by keeping the door open for discussion of …

The School Experience Of Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual Students, Lisa Stromquist

Theses and Graduate Projects

A content analysis was conducted on of the public school experience of 3 youth from gay-straight alliance groups, who self identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. The major themes found are the importance of caring and involved teachers, the positive experience of gay-straight alliance groups, and the affects of peer harassment. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.

Social Support And Depressive Symptoms Of Older Adults Residing In An Age Segregated Housing Complex, Erica M. Doyen

Theses and Graduate Projects

Research regarding social supports and depression has been extensive with the older adult population except for areas of mid-stzed communities ranging between 25,000 to 75,000. This was an exploratory, cross-sectional study examining the social supports and depressive symptoms of older adults residing in an age segregated housing complex in a Midwest city with a population under 35,000. The participants (N:8), were residents of an age segregated public housing complex. Through the completion of a scheduled stzurdardized interview, the participants answered forty-two questions from the Duke Social Support Index and the Geriatric Depression Scale. The questions were based on current mood …

Challenging Assumptions: A Social Worker's View Of Future Of The Field, Lori Messinger

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

It was a pleasure to gather with other LGBT scholars from across the country, including some of the biggest names in the field, at the conference, "Futures of the Field: Building LGBT Studies into the 21 st Century." That said, I came away with some serious reservations about the state of our field, where we will be going, and who is leading us there. I spoke a few times at the conference, but I wanted to offer my thoughts in a more coherent and comprehensive manner.

Hybrid Organizations And The Alignment Of Interests: The Case Of Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac, Jonathan G.S. Koppell

Publications from President Jonathan G.S. Koppell

This article explores the political influence of government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Using Congress's overhaul of the regulatory infrastructure for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a case study, the article presents two principal findings: (1) The characteristics that distinguish government-sponsored enterprises from traditional government agencies and private companies endow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with unique political resources; and (2) the alignment of interest groups around Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is subject to strategic manipulation by the GSEs. A triangular model of this alignment is proposed and employed to analyze the legislative outcome. The case has implications for students of …

Stress And Coping Experiences Of Women In Transition: From Welfare To Work, William Jesse Gill

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Welfare reform and the consequent emphasis on employment represent a stressful sequence of events in the lives of women who are already facing the chronic stressors associated with single parenting and poverty. The current study assessed the levels of distress, factors contributing to distress, and coping resources utilized among a sample of 60 mothers who were making the transition from welfare to work. Ninety percent of the women were single or separated, and 71 percent were African American. All were receiving public assistance from two neighboring social services agencies in Virginia.

Psychological distress was measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory …

Advancing Community Development And Public Policy Through An Mis-Enhanced Network, Elizabeth Johnson, James Hinterlong, Michael Sherraden, Amanda Moore

Center for Social Development Research

Effective community development requires the establishment of links among multiple organizations and institutions. How well the network functions depend on the specificity and accuracy of the information exchanged. In this paper, we illustrate how the introduction of a management information system (MIS) to a network of economic development programs across the United States meets the diverse information needs of the multiple members and standardizes their communication. We discuss how the MIS, as a tool for community development, supports the collection and flow of information among network members, leading to expansion of the network. The success of this MIS-enhanced network is …

Creating Community In A United States City: Bangladeshi Women Share Their Immigrant Experiences, Lisa Young Larance, Rubena Malik

Center for Social Development Research

Creating Community in a United States City: Bangladeshi Women Share Their Immigrant Experiences

Savings And Asset Accumulation In Individual Development Accounts, Mark Schreiner, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Clancy, Lissa Johnson, Jami Curley, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Min Zhan, Sondra Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

Savings and Asset Accumulation in Individual Development Accounts

Financial Education And Savings Outcomes In Individual Development Accounts, Margaret Clancy, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Mark Schreiner

Center for Social Development Research

This study is the first quantitative look at the effects of financial education on savings outcomes for the poor in Individual Development Accounts. The findings suggest that financial education has sizeable effects, and that courses need not be long to take advantage of them. Marketing and public-policy implications are noted.

Family Assets For Independence In Minnesota, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Mark Schreiner, Margaret Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota

Women, Microfinance, And Savings: Lessons And Proposals, Rebecca Vonderlack, Mark Schreiner

Center for Social Development Research

Microfinance—both credit and savings—has potential to improve the well-being of poor women in developing countries. This paper explores practical ways to achieve that potential. Based on lessons from informal saving mechanisms that women already use, the paper proposes two savings services designed to address the development issues that confront women. The proposals call for safe-deposit boxes and for matched savings accounts for health care or education.

Strategies For Creating Mis Technology To Improve Social Work Practice And Research, Elizabeth Johnson, James Hinterlong, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This paper illustrates the potential for management information system (MIS) technology to integrate information collection, management and reporting within a single program or network of organizations. Properly devised and created, MIS applications improve administration, service delivery and practice evaluation. Three strategies are offered to guide the design and development of MIS software. This paper is based on lessons from the production and implementation of MIS software that serves as a management and evaluation tool for a nationwide policy demonstration. Data from the MIS have helped to shape state and federal policy.

Experience In The American Dream Demonstration: Lessons For Monitoring In A Children And Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration, Margaret Clancy, Lissa Johnson, Mark Schreiner

Center for Social Development Research

Experience in the American Dream Demonstration: Lessons for Monitoring in a Children and Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration

Saving, Ida Programs, And Effects Of Idas: A Survey Of Participants, Amanda Moore, Sondra Beverly, Mark Schreiner, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Lombe, Esther Y. N. Cho, Lissa Johnson, Rebecca Vonderlack

Center for Social Development Research

Saving, IDA Programs, and Effects of IDAs: A Survey of Participants

Assets, Health, And Well Being: Neighborhoods, Families, Children And Youth, Deborah Page-Adams, Edward Scanlon, Sondra Beverly, Tom Mcdonald

Center for Social Development Research

Assets, Health, and Well Being: Neighborhoods, Families, Children and Youth

Depression And Poverty Among African-American Women At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Mary De Groot, Wendy Auslander, James Herbert Williams, Michael Sherraden, Debra Haire-Joshu

Center for Social Development Research

Poverty is associated with negative health outcomes, including depression. Little is known about the specific elements of poverty that contribute to depression, particularly among African- American women at risk for type 2 diabetes. This study examined the relationships of economic and social resources to depression among African-American women at high risk for the development of type 2 diabetes (N=181) using the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory as a conceptual framework. Women were assessed at three time points in conjunction with a dietary change intervention. At baseline, 40% of women reported clinically significant depression and 43.3% were below the poverty line. …

Financial Education In A Children And Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration: Issues And Options, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

Financial Education in a Children and Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration: Issues and Options

Maximizing Internal And External Validity: Recommendations For A Children And Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration, Sondra Beverly, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Maximizing Internal and External Validity: Recommendations for a Children and Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration

A Framework Of Asset-Accumulation Stages And Strategies, Sondra Beverly, Amanda Moore, Mark Schreiner

Center for Social Development Research

We propose that asset accumulation occurs in three stages. In the first stage (reallocation), current resource inflows must exceed current outflows. To meet this objective, people reallocate resources from current consumption, current leisure, or future consumption or leisure. In the second stage (conversion), people may convert resources from liquid to illiquid forms. In the third stage (maintenance), individuals resist temptations to dissave. We suggest that people adopt psychological and behavioral strategies to achieve each of these objectives. Putting the two types of strategies together with the three stages of asset accumulation results in six strategy groups. We provide examples of …

Savings Deposits, Incentive Structure, And Management Information Systems: Implications For Research On A Children And Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration, Margaret Clancy, Lissa Johnson, Mark Schreiner

Center for Social Development Research

Savings Deposits, Incentive Structure, and Management Information Systems: Implications for Research on a Children and Youth Savings Account Policy Demonstration

Disruptive Behavior Disorders And School Based Intervention Services, Peggy S. Swenson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This explorative quantitative study investigates the perceptions and knowledge of elementary school teachers in regard to the disruptive behaviors displayed by an increasing number of students. This study also addresses the methods of intervention teachers find to be effective in reducing disruptive behaviors in the classroom. A Likert-scale survey was used to gather information from seventy-six teachers of students in first through fifth grade. Survey questions focused on factors that can contribute to disruptive behaviors as well as several methods of interventions utilized in the five schools located in the four school districts surveyed.

Is The Overrepresentation Of Minorities In Special Education An Undesirable Consequence Of The 1975 Education For Aii Handicapped Children Act (P.L. # 94-142) And Its Amendments?, Eve M. Toomey

Theses and Graduate Projects

Research studies have shown that there is a disproportionate number of minority students being identified as needing special education services. This research study examined special education policy as it has evolved overtime, beginning with the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act through the 1997 amendments to this Act to determine if special education law has contributed to the over representation of minorities in special education.

This historical policy analysis was performed by utilizing congressional logs between 1974 and 1997 as well as examining copies of the pertinent policies themselves. The study has found that special education policies have adequate …

Family Preservation And Reunification : Do Our Nations Laws Support This Concept?, Bekah Saliterman Bauer

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory study was undertaken to expand the knowledge of service providers working with children and families involved in child protection that are currently or have the possibility of developing a permanency plan for children in placement. The study intends to discover the effectiveness of concurrent planning as it pertains to family preservation. Six child protection social workers were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. The qualitative data was then examined to identify any prevailing similarities or themes that were identified between social workers employed in a county social service child protection setting. The interview focused on several aspects including …

Volunteer Motivations For College Students: Reasons For Initial And Continued Involvement In Voluntary Community Service Organizations, Tanya K. Refshauge

Theses and Graduate Projects

This descriptive study explores the motivations of college students for initial and continued involvement in community service organizations. Subjects held leadership positions in a specific collegiate volunteer organization and responded to a survey designed to elicit motivations for initial and continued involvement with voluntary service organizations. The survey also collected demographic characteristics of the sample population. Results indicate altruistic motivations are most important followed closely by egoistic motivations. This study distinguished between "ego affiliation motives" and "ego enrichment motives" and found them both to be important factors. No significant difference was shown between initial and continued motivations, although a change …

Crow Wing County Family Services Collaborative Service Worker Program Evaluation - A Parent's Perspective, Sandra Olson Larson

Theses and Graduate Projects

An evaluation of the Collaborative Service Worker Program from

the parent’s perspective was completed using a mixed method survey

design. A sample of 202 families was drawn from referrals made to the

Collaborative Service Worker Program in the past 18 months to receive a

self-administered questionnaire. Results show that parents see this early

intervention in a respectful, non-governmental based manner as

beneficial to both the child and their families. The evaluation of the

effectiveness of the Collaborative Service Worker Program added to the

body of knowledge supporting the success of early intervention with "at

risk" children and families and provided, …

A Hermeneutic Study Of Individuals With Ptsd And Their Experiences With Bodywork, Linnea L. Buffie

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study was undertaken to gain a better understanding of how bodywork can facilitate in the healing process of those who have suffered an emotionally traumatic experience(s), and how bodywork affects Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. An individual with PTSD who has received Rolfing (a type of bodywork) took part in an unstructured interview with an emphasis on her life experiences. The interview was then transcribed and interpreted. She reported many benefits as a result of the Rolfing including being present in the moment and being able to see more options in stressful situations. These findings suggest that professionals …

Public And Private Responses To Infant Abandonment, Jo C. Bauer

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study seeks to review America's response to infant abandonment by using an historical analysis and a social policy framework to analyze the state and federal laws that are attempting to curtail abandonment. It surveyed 120 upper mid-west college students to learn their responses to unplanned pregnancy and their familiarity with the state's infant abandonment laws.

The results of historical analysis of infant abandonment provides an overview of mankind's social, economic, and political motivations. The second source of research data is a survey using a quantitative approach with 120 self-selected college dorm students who answered a 15-point survey which (1) …

The Experience Of Family Adaptation Of Hypertechnical Communications As It Relates To Normative Parent-Adolescent Conflict, Robert M. Lawlor

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory qualitative study examines the impact of hypertechnical communications on parent-adolescent relations. Five families with adolescents responded with their stories regarding hypertechnical communications. A degree of parent-adolescent conflict is considered normative as it relates to adolescent autonomy development. This study sought to understand the impact of hypertechnical communications on the freedom of adolescents and any resulting conflict. Family systems and parenting have changed with the adaptation of hypertechnical communications. Adolescents have been given the power, through hypertechnical communications, to have more divergent agendas from those of the family at large. Adding the power of instant communication and information to …

Elementary Teachers' Knowledge Of Minnesota's Mandatory Reporting Law Of Child Maltreatment, Kara Jean Rogers

Theses and Graduate Projects

Although teachers in all 50 states are designated as mandated reporters of child maltreatment, concerns have been expressed regarding their overall knowledge for reporting child abuse and neglect. The purpose of the study is to explore elementary teachers' knowledge regarding Minnesota's mandatory reporting law, the Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors, Minnesota Statute 626.556. All full-time and part-time public school elementary teachers from a school district in Central Minnesota were surveyed (N=383). Of those surveyed, 225 (59%) agreed to participate in the study. The data was analyzed by univariate and bivariate analysis. The results indicate that almost all participants who perceived …