Social Work Commons^™

¿Déjalo Descansar? The Parental Bereavement Experience Of Mexican Migrant Mothers, Illeana Gomez

Dissertations

"Déjalo descansar, no le llores" - "Let them rest, don't cry for them" is an expression Mexican mothers often hear after the death of a child. While accepted as a culturally polite means of expressing condolence, the phrase nonetheless can have a detrimental effect on the parental bereavement experience of these mothers. Through the use of focus groups, 22 Mexican migrant mothers were interviewed to better understand the role that imperatives such as "Déjalo descansar" and other prescribed beliefs, rituals, and customs play in their bereavement experience. From the five focus groups conducted in this qualitative study, participants reported that …

Preserving The Bond: Child Welfare Professionals' Perspectives On The Opportunities And Challenges Of Parent-Child Visitation, Lina M. Munoz

Dissertations

The foster care system was designed to be a temporary placement for children when their parents are unable or unwilling to provide proper care and supervision. A permanency plan must be established for all children in care, stating clear goals for a permanent living arrangement to facilitate the child's reunification with his/her family. The current Illinois Child Welfare Practice Model promotes a family-centered, trauma-informed, and strength-based practice approach when providing child welfare services to families in foster care with the caseworker serving as the primary vehicle for facilitating change.

This study explored how this child welfare practice model is reflected …

Organizational Constraints And Supports For Psychosocial Care Of Ethiopian Children At Risk: The Case Of Services In Addis Ababa, Daniel Hailu

Dissertations

The dissertation describes from an institutional perspective psychosocial support services being provided to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. Despite the presence of sufficient but fragmented legal, policy and strategic framework, Ethiopia's social protection landscape has suffered from a historic dearth of interventions that address psychosocial risks and vulnerabilities. Over the past decade and half, however, psychosocial support services to OVC have been slowly defused into the Ethiopian society as elements of programming for care and support to the population. Consequently, there currently exists diversity in the types of psychosocial risks and vulnerabilities that interventions prioritize …

Psychotherapist Understanding Of Genital Self-Mutilation Amongst Male To Female Transsexuals, Michael Robert Kenney

Dissertations

Self-mutilation of the genitals is a complex phenomenon that can provoke strong countertransference reactions amongst mental health clinician. Transsexuals who engage in self-inflicted mutilation of the genitals face a potentially increased risk of alienation from healthcare providers due to marginalization and lack of understanding by treating clinicians. Frequently, assumptions are made regarding the motivation for the behavior that fails to take into account the complex interplay between contributing psychological, social, and environmental forces.

This qualitative study explored the experience of four psychotherapists who had encountered the behavior in their work with transsexual clients in order to gain a more accurate …

Identity Negotiation Of Young Arab Muslim Women Attending College In The United States And France, Danielle Dunand Zimmerman

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how young Arab Muslim women attending college, in the United States and France, negotiate their identity vis-à-vis multiple contexts of citizenship in secular state, gender, religion, culture, and race. Sixteen interviews were conducted, eight in Paris and eight in Chicago. Using the theoretical frameworks of social identity, cultural studies, and critical race feminism, this study approached identity negotiation in terms of integration and differentiation from others; influence of dominant culture and attempt to redefine identity; gender and specificity of the experience of women of color as well as interrelation of multiple …

Professional Preparation And Practices Of Child Custody Evaluators: A Comparative Study Of Masters-Level And Doctoral-Level Practitioners, Aaron Robb

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

While a substantial amount of the research on child custody evaluation practices has focused on psychologists and psychiatrists, virtually none of the existing research has addressed child custody evaluation practices of social workers or other mental health professionals. This study explores and describes the training and practice differences between doctoral-level child custody evaluators, primarily psychologists, and their masters-level counterparts, who are drawn from a much wider professional background. The exact population of evaluators in the community is unknown, thus a snowball sampling method was utilized for outreach to evaluators who then provided responses to a survey instrument. Statistical comparisons of …

Bystander Sexual Violence Prevention Program: Implementation And Evaluation With High-Risk University Males, Nada Elias-Lambert

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This research reports the findings of an evaluation of a theoretically-based, peer-facilitated, bystander sexual violence prevention program to determine its effectiveness at changing attitudes and behaviors related to sexual violence with university males who are at low- and high-risk of using sexually coercive behavior. Bystander interventions focus on men and women as bystanders to change social norms in a peer culture that supports abusive behaviors. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of these interventions with high-risk populations, which is the focus of this study. A bystander sexual violence prevention program was presented to 142 fraternity members in 2012. A quasi-experimental …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of Wraparound Services From Caregivers' Perspective, Misty R. England

Social Work Theses - Archive

Wraparound services are becoming a prominent form of service delivery for system of care for Mental Health services for children. This study examined the benefits, limitations, obstacles and any other themes reported by caregivers with children aged 0-6 with a Severe Emotional Disorder (SED) receiving wraparound service from a Community Based Mental Health agency. Responses of 24 caregivers to qualitative questionnaires were analyzed. Seven themes were identified: 1) program benefits; 2) facilitator characteristics; 3) wrap team implementation; 4) implementation barriers; 5) program limitations; 6) juxtaposition of program appreciation despite lack of perceived effectiveness; and 7) other desired resources. Caregivers' responses …

Deterrent Effects Of Reliable Structured Decision-Making Protocols On Spouse Abuse Perpetration And Re-Offense In The U.S. Army, Tyler Dumars

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Since the early 1980s, victims' rights advocates, law enforcement officials, health care practitioners, and policymakers have all worked diligently to reduce or arrest the high levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) in military communities. Despite increased awareness and funding, new treatment approaches, and numerous policy changes, IPV in the military continues to be a deeply entrenched and recalcitrant problem. In January 2008, the Army began using a structured decision-making protocol (the Decision Tree Algorithm) that requires users to assess whether alleged incidents of intimate partner abuse coincide with evidence-based maltreatment definitions, and indicate that actual harm (or the potential for …

Development Of An Adaptation Model For Health Interventions For Sexual And Gender Minorities: A Grounded Theory Study, Pamela Hancock Bowers

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

A dearth of literature exists on health issues impacting sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. SGM face health disparities linked to stigma, discrimination, and denial of their civil and human rights. Albeit limited in scope and depth, available data suggests sexual orientation and gender identity have been an important demographic factor associated with higher risk for several negative health outcomes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Some of the major inequities affecting SGM include tobacco use, alcohol and illicit drug abuse, being overweight/obese, psychiatric disorders, and violence. The SGM who face health disparities created by the use of various …

A Case Study Of North Texas Area Community Health Centers, Inc. And The Implementation Of Integrated Health Care, Brittany H. Eghaneyan

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this case study was to examine the implementation process of an integrated health care model in a primary care setting that serves a primarily low-income, Latino population. The main unit of analysis was semi-structured interviews that were conducted with seven clinical and administrative staff members. Additional units of analysis included direct observations, the grant application for the program, clinic reports and other related documents. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the interviews. The results indicated that adequate training and preparation, buy-in from key personnel, possible communication barriers, tools for systematic follow-up and measurement, and organizational …

Survivors Of Suicide: What Are Their Struggles And How Do They Heal?, Amy Crow

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this study was to answer five questions: 1) what are the coping strategies of suicide survivors?; 2) what percentage of survivors have post-traumatic stress?; 3) what percentage of survivors are at risk of suicide?; 4) what percentage of survivors experience post-traumatic growth?; and 5) what are the relationships among these variables? Four standardized assessments on suicide risk, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth were administered along with a questionnaire covering demographics and coping strategies. Results provided support that survivors do experience post-traumatic stress and that they are at risk of suicide. The findings suggest that survivors need help …

Strategies For Success In A Residential Program, Madison Kaye

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The question that this researcher sought to answer is the reasons for success of the Cedar Crest residential program. Hopefully, this information would help aid the program director and program manager with continuing the success of the program as well as to train incoming staff. In addition, it was the goal of this researcher to provide information to the program director that may help aid with success at other programs run by Thomas Allen, Inc. (TAI).

Residents Of A Domestic Violence Shelter: A Needs Assessment For Post-Shelter Living, Amber Smith

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The project goal was to conduct a needs assessment concerning what factors were most important to survivors of domestic violence in terms of post-shelter living. A review of the literature on domestic violence research indicated a lack of studies focusing on long term stability planning. A survey was developed to be distributed among survivors living in a domestic violence shelter. The survey asked the survivors to rate how imp01iant different categories of services of post-shelter living were to them. These categories were: Housing, Education/Employment, Access to Community Services, Services for Children, and Healthcare. The survivors were then asked how important …

Materials And Environments That Promote Learning In The Primary Years .G2199, Jennifer Gerdes, Tonia Renee Durden, Leanne Manning

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Teachers can use multiple strategies to create a stimulating and responsive environment for children in the primary years. These strategies can lead to children’s overall social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.

To promote optimal development of the whole child, children need a variety of materials available to them daily that provide both challenge and success. They also need daily exposure to music, art, and movement activities.

Social Workers As Senior Executives: Does Academic Training Dictate Leadership Style?, Lauri Goldkind, Manoj G. Pardasani

Social Service Faculty Publications

The range and patterns of leadership styles in human service organizations are important for social work educators and their students to understand if social work administrators are to compete successfully in the marketplace for executive director and other top management roles. Using a sample of executive directors of human service organizations located in a state in the Northeast section of the U.S., the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to explore their leadership style. The authors compare various elements of leadership style (charisma, inter-personal transactions, reactions to work issues, etc.) as well as perceptions of effectiveness and satisfaction with leadership …

The Enduring Influence Of School Size And School Climate On Parents’ Engagement In The School Community, Lauri Goldkind, G. Lawrence Farmer

Social Service Faculty Publications

his study sought to examine the direct and indirect associations between school size and parents perceptions of the invitations for involvement provided by their childrens school in a school system that has actively attempted to reduce the negative effects of school size. Using data from the New York Public Schools; annual Learning Environment Survey, path analysis was used to examine the role that school climate plays in mediating the relationship between school size and parents perceptions of invitations for involvement. Results from an analysis of middle and high school parents who participated in the annual school survey provided evidence that …

Merging For Survival: An Innovative Collaboration Effort, One Year Later, Lauri Goldkind, Manoj G. Pardasani

Social Service Faculty Publications

Noprofit human services providers are struggling to meet increasing demands for services with diminished budgetary resources. This study returns to a unique collaborative fundraising model one year later in order to assess the progress toward successful joint fundraising a year after an initial study of the partnership was completed. Key stakeholders from the two remaining partner agencies were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Two major themes arose from examining the data: the primacy of relationships in building a successful collaboration and the importance of sustainability and accountability to the well-being of the new organization. The authors discuss practice implications …

Religious Acculturation And Spirituality In Latter-Day Saint Committed Converts, Kristin L. Hansen, Laurie Page, Lane Fischer, Marleen Williams

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

This study examines religious acculturation and spirituality in committed Latter-day Saint (LDS) converts living in Utah. We conducted a qualitative analysis using interviews from a sample of 20 North American and 20 International Latter-day Saint converts attending or working at Brigham Young University (BYU)—a western LDS private university—of varying age, time since baptism, and country of origin. Of the 40 converts, 39 were classified as committed in their LDS religious affiliation using Henri Gooren’s (2007) Conversion Career Model. Based on our analysis of the interviews, several pertinent themes emerged: converts (1) recognize and choose to acculturate; (2) report positive changes …

Bench Book For Assessing Parental Gatekeeping In Parenting Disputes: Understanding The Dynamics Of Gate Closing And Opening For The Best Interests Of Children, William G. Austin, Linda Fieldstone, Marsha Kline Pruett

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

This Bench Book summarizes theory, research, and a forensic assessment model of parental gatekeeping relevant for understanding and resolving child custody disputes. This concise format is geared primarily as a resource for judges, though it may be equally valuable to evaluators, parenting coordinators, and others. Gatekeeping encompasses a common statutory factor of support for the other parent-child relationship. The gatekeeping model includes a continuum ranging from facilitative to restrictive gatekeeping. Behavioral examples are presented. Implications of a gatekeeping analysis for crafting parenting plans are described, including in relocation cases and when there has been a history of intimate partner violence.

Building Full-Service Schools: Lessons Learned In The Development Of Interagency Collaboratives, Thomas J. Mcmahon, Nadia L. Ward, Marsha Kline Pruett, Larry Davidson, Ezra E.H. Griffith

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Although the history of clinical-school-eommunity collaboration can be traced back to the end of the 19th century, the full-service school movement represents a new era in the quest for more effective ways to deliver human services to children. As awareness that school systems alone cannot address the social problems affecting millions of children, the concept of full-service schools has been embraced as a potential solution to service delivery problems affecting children living in high-risk environments. Built on shared commitment to positive child development, full-service schools represent an effort to make human service systems partners in the educational process, while simultaneously …

Comparison Of Healthcare Experiences In Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey Facilitated By An Academic-Community Partnership, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Sebastian Dern, Cody Boisclair, Elesia Ashkenazy, Amelia E.V. Baggs

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the healthcare experiences of adults on the autism spectrum. Moreover, autistic adults have rarely been included as partners in autism research.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic adults via an online survey.

METHODS

We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt survey instruments to be accessible to autistic adults and to conduct an online cross-sectional survey. We assessed preliminary psychometric data on the adapted scales. We used multivariate analyses to compare healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic participants.

RESULTS

Four hundred and thirty-seven participants completed the survey (209 autistic, …

Youth Advocate To Advocate For Youth: The Next Transition, Lacy Kendrick Burk, Johanna Bergan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

A growing youth movement across the country has developed a vast number of youth and young adult leaders who are passionate and experienced in sharing their stories to create positive systems change. Many strong youth groups and organizations, authentic youth/adult partnerships, federal grant programs, and research and training centers across the country support this movement. Even more importantly, the movement is sustained by the energy and passion of the young leaders and those who support youth voice.

This guide is intended for young people who have chosen to utilize their lived experience as a mechanism to advocate for positive change. …

Victimization, Urbanicity, And The Relevance Of Context: School Routines, Race And Ethnicity, And Adolescent Violence, Anthony A. Peguero, Edwardo L. Portillos, Jun Sung Hong, Juan Carlos GonzáLez, Lindsay L. Kahle, Zahra Shekarkhar

Social Work Faculty Publications

The United States is undergoing a historical racial and ethnic demographic shift. There is limited criminological research exploring if and how these changes influence variation in the relationship between routine activity theory and adolescent violence. Although the link between routine activities and victimization has been tested and well established, criminologists have questioned if routine activities can explain adolescent violence across different social contexts. Prior research demonstrates that there are potential nuances in the theoretical connections between routine activities and victimization, particularly when considering race and ethnicity. This study builds on previous research by questioning if the elements of routine activities …

Conceptualizing Age-Friendly Community Characteristics In A Sample Of Urban Elders: An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Richard J. Smith, Amanda J. Lehning, Ruth E. Dunkle

Social Work Faculty Publications

Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n =1,376), we identified six factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: Access to Business and Leisure, Social Interaction, Access to Health Care, Neighborhood Problems, Social Support, and Community Engagement. Future research should explore the effects of …

Impact Of Dual Disorders, Trauma, And Social Support On Quality Of Life Among Women In Treatment For Substance Dependence, Suzanne Brown, Min Kyoung Jun, Meeyoung Oh Min, Elizabeth M. Tracy

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective Women with dual disorders report lower levels of social support than women with substance dependence alone, and lower levels of social support have been associated with lower quality of life among individuals with substance use disorders. However, little is known about the impact of trauma symptoms and violence exposure on quality of life for women with dual disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dual disorders, trauma, and social support related to recovery on various domains of quality of life among women in substance abuse treatment.

Methods This study utilized multiple standardized measures and …

Political Violence, Collective Functioning And Health: A Review Of The Literature, Cindy A. Sousa

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

Political violence is implicated in a range of mental health outcomes, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The social and political contexts of people’s lives, however, offer considerable protection from the mental health effects of political violence. In spite of the importance of people’s social and political environments for health, there is limited scholarship on how political violence compromises necessary social and political systems and inhibits individuals from participating in social and political life. Drawing on literature from multiple disciplines, including public health, anthropology, and psychology, this narrative review uses a multi-level, social ecological framework to enhance current knowledge about the …

Aspirations Of Latina Adolescent Suicide Attempters, Carolina Hausmann-Stabile, Lauren Gulbas, Luis H. Zayas

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

Parents’ aspirations and expectations are communicated to their offspring. Children internalize their parents’ aspirations and accept some of the expectations while rejecting others, all part of the developmental process and identity-consolidation. When the aspirations and expectations of youth and parents are incongruent, the outcomes in youths’ behavior can be deleterious, such as when adolescents manifest suicidal behaviors. We examined aspirations expressed by 12 Latina adolescent suicide attempters and their parents and compared them to 12 non-suicidal Latinas and parents. Qualitative analyses revealed that incongruence of aspirations between girls and their parents were greater among suicidal teens. Suicidal and non-suicidal Latinas …

Latino Academic Achievement: Impact Of Individual, Family, School, Community And Immigration Factors, Jessica Catharine Martone

Dissertations

The dissertation increases our understanding of the influence of multiple social systems on the academic achievement of Latino students. More specifically, this study examines the influence and dynamic interaction of individual, family, school, community, and immigration factors on the academic achievement of Latino students through a secondary data analysis of the ELS: 2002 dataset utilizing hierarchical linear modeling. Academic achievement is measured with a dichotomous variable: high achieving and low achieving. "High achieving" students are those that have an on-time transition to higher education and "low achieving" students are those that have a delayed or no transition to higher education. …

Understanding The Behaviors And Beliefs Of African-American/Black Fathers: A Qualitative Examination, Nicholas James Gomulinski

Wayne State University Theses

UNDERSTANDING THE BEHAVIORS AND BELIEFS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN/BLACK FATHERS: A QUALITATIVE EXAMINATION

by

NICHOLAS J. GOMULINSKI

May 2013

Advisor: Dr. Stella M. Resko

Major: Social Work

Degree: Master of Social Work

The positive influence father involvement has on children has been widely examined and embraced. Despite this, examination of men's beliefs on parenting and where they learn their parenting practices has only recently received attention. This study surveyed African-American/Black fathers in five focus groups (N=26) regarding where they felt they learned how to be a father, and what parenting behaviors they use or believe in. The responses from the participants were …