Social Work Commons^™

Exploring The Reintegration Process For Child Soldiers: A Case Study Of Young Women And Their Children In Northern Uganda, Allison N. Martin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Child soldiering has occurred throughout history in the never-ending battle over land, resources and human rights. The earliest mention of minors in war comes from antiquity however it was not until the 1970s that the first international convention came into effect in an attempt to limit the participation of children in armed conflict (Wikipedia, 2009b). Unfortunately, children remain active in armed conflicts around the world as combatants, porters, spies, messengers, sex slaves and human shields. Human Rights Watch (2007) estimates that 200,000 to 300,000 children are currently serving in rebel and government forces in over 20 countries around the world. …

Exploring The Experience Of University Students Coping With Acquired Or Traumatic Brain Injury, Halina Kay Lin Haag

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mild to moderate brain injury (MBI) can be a complex condition resulting in diffuse impairments that require flexible and creative supportive interventions for university students living with MBI. This study sought to increase awareness and understanding of MBI, enrich the body of lived experience research, amplify the voices of the participants and create a catalyst for change. The participants’ lived experience of the role of the negative social perception of impairment within an organizational context and the individual’s internalization of this social construct into chronic shame are critically examined. The study utilizes a multimethod approach that is influenced by the …

A Systems Theory Examination Of Factors Related To Inclusive Attitudes Towards Newcomers And Racial Minorities, Shannon A. Veurink

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between certain social aspects of education and community experiences and how they relate to inclusive attitudes towards ethnic and racial minorities. A self-report, internet hosted survey was administered (N=672) in order to assess participants’ Attitudese Towards Immigration and Tolerance, as well as their educational and community-based experiences. Correlation and regression testing was completed to examine the relationships between education and community system experiences and inclusiveness. The findings of this study support the notio that experiences occurring within various social systems relate differently with inclusive attitudes. Implications and future research directions …

Voices Of Anorexia Uncovered: The Healing Journey Unveiled, Elisha Van Harte

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. The current rate of anorexia nervosa is 1% in North America, representing approximately three million cases. Consequently, this illness has attracted a growing body of research and treatment. Current research in the field has focused primarily on the etiology of the illness. Furthermore, outcome studies are primarily quantitative in nature and have indicated that there is no treatment modality that consistently results in longitudinal recovery. What appears to be absent from the literature is the exploration of the recovery process from the perspective of those who have recovered. The …

Exploring Newcomer Settlement And Integration Supports In Brantford, And Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk Counties: Community-Based Participatory Research, Bharati Sethi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Much of the literature on recent immigrants focuses on a needs analysis from a deficit model where primarily formal services and programs related to employment issues are analyzed from a post-positivist or interpretivist framework. Using a strength-based approach this study examined other settlement issues including employment that are vital to the long-term viability of newcomers and the host society such as access to education, training (language and/or vocational), health care, and social network. Using Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) philosophical framework and methodology, data were generated from various sources—quantitative and qualitative text in the survey questionnaire (service providers and newcomers), …

Non-Biological Caregivers’ Experiences Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Fasd) Support Groups, Sharon Porty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Caregivers of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are an extremely valuable resource, and supporting a stable and nurturing home environment may be the most achievable intervention to improve the child’s prognosis. Very little research has been done to explore effective interventions that focus on the FASD caregiver, rather than the child, for the purposes of preventing caregiver burnout and placement breakdown. The central purpose of this study is to explore non-biological parent caregivers’ experiences of FASD caregiver support groups in order to capture a better understanding of the value of this resource as one part of a continuum …

The Sexual Health Education Experiences And Needs Of Immigrant Women In Kitchener-Waterloo, Stefani Burosch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Canada, the sexual health education needs of individuals beyond their adolescent years are often overlooked. For immigrant women, silences around issues of adult sexual health are compounded by the perception of mystery and taboos surrounding minority women and sexuality. In exploring the experiences and needs of adult immigrant women related to sexuality and sexual health education in Kitchener-Waterloo—two mid-size cities located within the Waterloo Region in southern Ontario—this study sought to create space for dialogue and to bridge the perceived cultural divide on issues of sexual health that often arises between individuals from different cultural backgrounds.

Using a qualitative …

Personal Growth In Couples Caring For A Child With A Life-Threatening Illness, Kimberly Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Little is known about the potential for positive outcomes in couples who have a child with a life-threatening illness. The current study was a secondary analysis of demographics and personal growth data of 34 couples actively caring for children with various life-threatening conditions. There were three overarching goals in this research: (a) to examine differences in Posttraumatic Growth Inventory scores (PTGI) of mothers and fathers, (b) to examine the relationship between demographic variables and PTGI scores of mothers and fathers, and (c) to measure level of congruency in couple-dyad scores and test if partners’ growth scores are predictive of one …

Assessing Tangible Support Efforts In English Canadian Christian Church Communities, Dana M. Friesen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis was inspired by one family’s need for support and how it came to be expressed and negotiated within their faith community. The purpose of this study was to survey English-speaking, Christian congregations across Canada in order to discover the range of tangible social supports available to congregants. Tangible supports were defined as practical (i.e. acts of service), material, and social/emotional support. An important component in this study was to identify strengths and gaps in the development and mobilization of congregational supports, as expressed by church leaders. Another important aspect included the exploration of church leaders’ and their congregations’ …

Mothers’ Experiences Of The Care Provided To Their Child With A Life-Limiting Illness, Carolyn Miguelle Ouellet

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was to examine mothers’ experiences of the care provided to their child with a life-limiting illness. This study explored mothers’ experiences in finding, accessing, and providing care for their children and their perceptions of gaps, barriers, and strengths in care for their children. As a secondary focus, this study looked at how these mothers understand pediatric palliative care. A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the experiences of six mothers caring for children with life-limiting illnesses in urban areas of Ontario and Quebec. Mothers shared their experiences through in-person interviews.

Findings revealed that the …

The Paradox Of Exclusion Within Equity: Interrogating Discourse At The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, Delores V. Mullings

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Employment discrimination has been a challenge in Canada for many groups and for government agencies who propose to adhere to a human rights agenda. To address this concern, the federal government initiated various anti-discriminatory policies and programs to counteract employment discrimination for four designated groups: Aboriginal people, “visible minorities,” women, and people with disabilities. The Employment Equity Act and the Canadian Human Rights Act were the legislation, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal the institutions designed to deal with employment discrimination for federal employees. When employees file a claim, it is initially processed at …

Moving Beyond The Surface: Ethics Education In Canadian Social Work Bachelor Programs, Susan Lynn Hardie

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an exploratory analysis of: “How Canadian schools offering bachelor programs attend to social work ethics education in the 21st century?” A concurrent triangulation mixed method research design was chosen to draw upon the strengths of quantitative and qualitative analysis, and minimize the limitations of each method. Deans and Directors at the thirty-two Faculties, Schools and Departments of Social Work with bachelor social work programs in Canada were contacted and requested to identify an expert in social work ethics education to partake in this research. Fifty-three (53%) of the schools had educators either complete the survey and/or engage …

Constructed Identity, Subjective Identity And Inter-Subjective Transformation: An Exploration By Way Of Motherhood And Canadian Maternity Benefits, Patricia Van Katwyk

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

When identity is conceptualized as a fluid and ongoing process that is mutually influenced by subjective and constructed experience, an interplay can occur that engenders and signifies collective life. With an acknowledgement of motherhood as a politically and emotionally charged identity experience, and asserting the capacity of social policy to sustain a constructed ideology, this paper explores a conversation that occurred between 28 mothers in Canada. The site of this conversation was an on-line journal (blog). Using a participatory narrative action method of research, the mothers participated as co-researchers, conducting a narrative analysis of one another’s narratives and a policy …

Institutional Analysis Of Integrated Treatment For Co-Occurring Mental Health, Substance Use And Gambling Problems In Ontario: A Case Study, Gabriela Novotná

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation explores the institutionalized response of the mental health and addiction sectors in Ontario to the pervasive demand for integrated services for people with concurrent disorders. Building on neo-institutional theory, I argue that despite the fact that different stakeholders on multiple levels—provincial governments, service providers, and clients—have called for the integration of treatment for concurrent disorders, this integrated treatment is implemented as a rationalized myth and adopted only ceremonially.

This is demonstrated through a case study of two treatment programs that provide services to populations with concurrent mental health and substance use problems and gambling problems. Both programs are …

Learning Through Life: A Study Of Older People With Literacy Difficulties In Ireland: Executive Summary, Tanya Lalor, Gerard Doyle, Adele Mckenna, Aoife Fitzsimons

Reports

There has been limited research conducted with older people with literacy difficulties in the past. Hence, there is little known about the factors that could affect older people’s decisions about learning in later life, about what and how they choose to learn, and about what role learning plays in their life as they grow older. NALA sought to address this gap in the literature when it undertook a study in 2008 entitled ‘It’s never too late to learn’.1 The primary objective of the research was the systematic investigation of the coping strategies that older literacy learners identify as most effective …