Social Work Commons^™

Mitigating Intimate Partner Violence To Promote Safe Linkage To Care For South African Women Who Test Hiv+ During Mobile Counseling And Testing., Leslie Lauren Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sources warn the global HIV/AIDS epidemic will not be halted without significant reductions in Intimate partner violence (IPV). South African women have been hardest hit by the HIV-IPV link, suffering deleterious health outcomes as sequelae of significant barriers to HIV care. Extant literature focuses on HIV prevention, and there is a paucity of effective methods for mitigating IPV-related barriers among women living with HIV. This study was a Phase II trial testing the effectiveness and safety of the HIV IPV Risk and Safety (HIRS) protocol administered to women experiencing IPV and testing HIV+ during mobile HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT). …

A Case Study: The Factors Associated With Student Homelessness, Brittani Hudspeth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study is to identify the factors associated with student homelessness. There are currently more than 1.5 million children who are living in a homeless family (National Center for Family Homelessness, 2009), and a percentage of that number are homeless students living on their own. This study engages existing literature to identify the causes of student homelessness and the impacts it has on the lives of those students. The study was conducted by using quantitative research through a Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) and qualitative research by utilizing a psychosocial assessment called the home, education and …

Interaction With Water: Water-Based Outdoor Recreation And Water Quality Perception And Concern Among Residents Of Utah, Matthew J. Barnett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There are a large number of impaired water bodies in Utah, and population trends indicate that water quality impairment will become an increasingly important issue in the future. Because of education and management implications, an understanding of the social processes that drive water quality perception and concern is a matter of interest and importance. Sociodemographic characteristics and outdoor recreational activity have both been associated with environmental concern in the past. Using a Generalized Linear Modeling approach, this study explores the relationship between water-based outdoor recreation and water quality perception and concern. It is found that participation in water-based outdoor recreation …

Perception Of Real And Perceived Anger In Various Races, Mikelle Hymas

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Research of emotional expressions has suggested that facial expressions of emotions are universal between cultures (Ekman, 1989). However, because of in-group biases, misidentification of emotions in other races can predictably occur. The misidentification of facial expressions of emotions can lead to predictable and specific racial biases. One important instance of this is that groups of White individuals often make the error of perceiving anger in an African American who is actually experiencing fear. This has important implications of accidental discrimination. The current study aimed to determine whether a brief training in accurate identification of various facial expressions would improve accuracy …

Qualities That Influence Guardian Ad Litem Effectiveness, Ilana Kornfeld

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The use of Guardians ad Litem (GALs) in child abuse and neglect cases has become increasingly common throughout the world. It has, in fact, become standard procedure in child welfare proceedings in the United States. GALs are charged with presenting children's best interests in court and ensuring that each child has a voice in the process. Ideally, GALs are consistently effective in doing so. However, GALs have extremely high caseloads that potentially limit the time they can spend with their children. In addition, little research has been done on what qualities make an effective GAL. Knowing what qualities increase GAL …

Americans’ Attitudes About Changing Current Prescription Drug And Medical Device Regulation, R. J. Blendon, J. M. Benson, Caitlin L. Mcmurtry, J. M. Sayde

Brown School Faculty Publications

A new poll of adults in the United States by Stat and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examines public opinion on provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act and a similar package in the Senate, which aim to speed up the process for developing new prescription drugs and medical devices. A majority of Americans do not favor these measures, after being told that changing government regulations could help make new drugs and devices available faster to patients, but could also increase the risk that therapies with harmful side effects or ones that are less effective could be approved …

Middle School And Community Rockford, Illinios, Katera B. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study of 99 middle school students in an urban area examined the relationship between community factors and student outcomes. The community factors that were examined were school violence based on if a student was a victim or witness and also if the student was an offender of school violence, violence and substance use exposure based on student’s home location, and socioeconomic status were also examined. Student outcomes were examined based on academic testing (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers or PARCC), grade point average (GPA), and school suspension (both Out-of-School Suspension or OSS and in-school-suspension/Alternative Learning …

Barriers To Relative Caregivers' Participation In The Subsidized Guardianship Program In Arkansas, Amanda Breanne Krotke-Crandall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Only 12 children of the 45,000 of children being raised by guardians in Arkansas have become participants in the Arkansas Subsidized Guardianship Program. The program, enacted by the Arkansas Legislature in 2011, could potentially help low-income grandparents meet the financial burdens of raising a child, thus creating another avenue of permanency for children within the Arkansas Department of Family Services (DCFS). This research sought to identify what barriers may exist to dissuade participation in the subsidized guardianship program in Arkansas using the theoretical base of Intersectionality. To answer this question the investigator conducted in person interviews with DCFS administrators, and …

Problem Analysis In Community Violence Assessments: Reavealing Early Childhood Trauma As A Driver Of Youth And Gang Violence, Laurie Ross Phd, Samantha Arsenault, Sergeant Miguel Lopez

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Problem analysis conducted by a university-based research partner can provide communities with data-driven options to address the local drivers of serious youth and gang violence. Situated in Worcester, Massachusetts, this article describes how after early childhood trauma was identified as a potential driver of adolescent and young adult violence, problem analysis using local data confirmed that being the victim or witness of a traumatic incident before the age of 12 was significantly correlated with involvement in violence in adolescence or young adulthood. While there is a robust literature on the relationship between early childhood trauma and later delinquency, local decision-makers …

The Association Between Depression, Spirituality And Religiosity, And Alcohol Use In College Students At A Faith Based University, Kylee M. Craggett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use is a prevalent concern on college campuses. There are a number of factors that may place students at a high risk for developing alcohol dependency. Similarly, protective factors have been identified as a means to keep drinking levels in the low-risk range. In a sample of 581 students from Abilene Christian University, researchers sought to better understand the association between depression, spirituality, religiosity, and alcohol use in college students at a faith based university. Results indicated that students who were most at risk for high levels of drinking were those who identified as the male gender, those who …

Elaine Parsons Interview, Jennifer Thomson

Bucknell: Occupied

Jennifer Thomson, assistant professor of History at Bucknell University, interviews Elaine Parsons, assistant professor of History at Duquesne University. Thomson and Parsons discuss Parsons' work with the Elsinore-Bennu Think Tank for Restorative Justice at the State Correctional Institute in Pittsburgh. Parsons describes inmate involvement with the think tank, courses the group designed, essays written by the men imprisoned, and she defines restorative justice.

Transition To Independence: Supportive Relationships With Care Takers And Its Role On Success And Independence With Former Foster Care Youth, Jasmin Vasconcelos

Honors Program Theses and Projects

According to Geenen & Powers (2007), youth transition into adulthood from foster care with little to no assistance from support systems, including family. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, this study explores the experiences and insights of young adults, ages 18-25 years old, previously in the care of the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF). The primary goal of this research is to determine the importance of building supportive relationships between social workers and youth in foster care to better equip youth for independence and success after care. The findings revealed five major themes: care takers as support systems, preparedness for …

A Population-Based Analysis Of Increasing Rates Of Suicide Mortality In Japan And South Korea, 1985–2010, Eric N. Reither, Sun Jeon, Ryan K. Masters

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background: In the past two decades, rates of suicide mortality have declined among most OECD member states. Two notable exceptions are Japan and South Korea, where suicide mortality has increased by 20 % and 280 %, respectively.

Methods: Population and suicide mortality data were collected through national statistics organizations in Japan and South Korea for the period 1985 to 2010. Age, period of observation, and birth cohort membership were divided into five-year increments. We fitted a series of intrinsic estimator age-period-cohort models to estimate the effects of age-related processes, secular changes, and birth cohort dynamics on the rising …

Frequently Asked Questions About The Features Of Child Development Accounts In Israel, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Meredith Covington, Megan Brewster, Jane E. Oliphant

Center for Social Development Research

In November 2015, Israel enacted legislation to create and fund a Child Development Account program. Beginning in 2017, every baby born to an insured Israeli resident will receive a Child Development Account in his or her name. This Fact Sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions about the policy, which was developed in collaboration with researchers at the Center for Social Development.

A Savings Account For Every Child Born In Israel: Recommendations For Program Implementation, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Meredith Covington, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In November 2015, Israel enacted legislation to create and fund a Child Development Account program. Beginning in 2017, every baby born to an insured Israeli resident will receive a Child Development Account in his or her name. This brief details the policy, which was developed in collaboration with researchers at the Center for Social Development, and offers recommendations to guide its implementation.

Campus Based Sexual Assault And Dating Violence: A Review Of Study Contexts And Participants, Rachel Voth Schrag

Social Work Faculty Publications & Presentations-Archive

Colleges are working to study and address sexual assault (SA) and dating violence (DV) on campus. This quantitative systematic review assessed 196 studies of SA and DV to evaluate if the literature fully reflects the demographics of American higher education. Results show disproportionate representation in the populations and settings in which research is occurring. No studies occurred at associates/2-year institutions, and participants are substantially younger and whiter than American college students overall. Education and prevention efforts that do not take into account the bias in these studies may exacerbate intersectional barriers for students. [The published Version of this work, published …

Human Trafficking: Exploration Of Best Practices For Restoration And Integration For Survivors In Southeastern United States, Joel D. Shafer Mr.

Honors College Theses

Domestic human trafficking, especially of minors, has become a serious though largely

invisible issue in the United States. There are, however, organizations and policies in place that

have become active in caring for, restoring and reintegrating those survivors who have been able

to escape. Through the perspectives of service providers, this exploratory qualitative study

examines the factors of vulnerability of victims, the issues that support reintegration for

survivors and the best practices as well as indicators of success when caring for survivors. This

was accomplished through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with representatives from

various social service agencies in Georgia that are …

The State Of The American Veteran: The Chicagoland Veterans Study, Sara Kintzle, Janice M. Rasheed, Carl A. Castro

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The State of the American Veteran: The Chicagoland Veterans Study, conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) and in partnership with Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, is an effort to provide data-driven recommendations for serving the large population of veterans residing in Chicago and the surrounding area. Service members encounter a series of needs as they transition out of the military. These include securing employment and housing, addressing physical or mental health issues and adjusting to civilian culture. The ease through which …

The Use Of Cohort Facebook Pages In Mft Training Programs, Alisha Abramson, Taryn Kalagian, Carissa A. Daniello-Heyda, Katherine M. Hertlein

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

The current study explores how private cohort Facebook pages impact a MFT students’ training experience. Limited research has been conducted regarding social media and clinical training programs. Students from national MFT master’s and doctoral programs will be interviewed about their experience with private cohort Facebook pages. Students will participate in focus groups lead by student-researchers in order to increase participation and anonymity. Data will be analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’ s (1990) grounded theory. This research is essential because of the increase of usage of Social Media in today’s society. Graduate programs are implementing the use of Facebook pages for …

Doctor, Lawyer, Social Worker?: Exploring The Experiences Of Asian American Pacific Islander (Apia) Social Work Students, Jiabao Zhang, Kathleen J. Bergquist, Arthur Tabrizi

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

This study examined preliminary result using a snowball sample of 121 APIA social work students from accredited institutions that offer social work programs. The purpose of this study was to explore APIA social work students’ perceptions and experiences in the program and their expectations from classmates, APIA faculty, field liaison, and agencies. A 44-item survey was sent through an online survey site to APIA students. The results indicated that while most participants reported that family do not have a strong influence on their profession, 39% out of 83 respondents reported positive experiences with social workers drove them to pursue this …

Youth Savings Patterns And Performance In Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, And Nepal, Lissa Johnson, Yungsoo Lee, David Ansong, Margaret S. Sherraden, Gina Chowa, Fred Ssewamala, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden, Moses Njenga, Joseph Kieyah, Issac Osei-Akoto, Sharad Sharma, Jyoti Manandhar, Catherine Rodriguez Orgales, Frederico Merchán, Juan Saavedra

Center for Social Development Research

Youth Savings Patterns and Performance in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, and Nepal

Annual Report On The Asset Project's Head Start Family Financial Capability Pilot: 2014–2015, Anne S. Robertson, Jami Curley

Center for Social Development Research

Since the Great Recession (December 2007–2009 in the United States), poverty has compromised many families and increased the prevalence of young children living in neighborhoods of concentrated, deep poverty. However, financial literacy interventions have reported promising outcomes for influencing financial choices and financial knowledge, highlighting the potential of such programs for improving the economic positions of families and children. This report presents results from a mixed-methods evaluation of a financial literacy intervention with Head Start families in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The intervention combines savings incentives and one-on-one coaching with 10 hours of financial education on debt management, banking, …

Ideal Elves? Expressing A 3-Dimensional Personality In A 2-Dimensional Space, David Tauber, Joshua Wanner

Student Research Symposium

Published in 2007, the Ideal Elf is a classic article studying character creation in Online Games. It used quantitative methods to address the difference between the idealize self of individuals surveyed, and the online characters they create. In their survey they found the difference between an individuals ideal self and the traits of the character they created was considerably smaller than the difference between the difference between the individual’s ideal self and their actual self. From this they suggested the creation of characters in game is partially a way for individuals to express their ideal selves. Our research attempted to …

The Perception Of Children In Chile: Burden Or Joy?, Christine W. Black, Renata Forste

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Globally, family values and behaviors have been shifting. This can be seen through a decrease in the universality of marriage, increased individualism, higher prevalence of divorce, older age at marriage and low birthrates with an increase in planned and controlled fertility. In Latin America, and specifically in Chile, these types of changes have been the most drastic. Data come from the ISSP where about 1,500 Chilean participants were asked a series of questions regarding family and gender attitudes as well as multiple demographic questions. This study looked at how these attitudes contributed to the perceived burden or joy of children. …

The Role Of Social Dominance Orientation And Patriotism In The Evaluation Of Minority And Female Leaders, Crystal L. Hoyt, Stefanie Simon

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

This research broadens our understanding of racial and gender bias in leader evaluations by merging implicit leadership theory and social dominance perspectives. Across two experimental studies (291 participants), we tested the prediction that bias in leader evaluations stemming from White and masculine leader standards depends on the extent to which people favor hierarchical group relationships (social dominance orientation) and their level of patriotism. Employing the Goldberg paradigm, participants read identical leadership speeches attributed to either a woman or a man described as either a minority (Black or Latino/a) or a majority (White) group member. Results show social dominance orientation negatively …

Nature Connection: Theory, Evidence And Practice, Matt V. Bukowski

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

This presentation explores scholarly work at the intersection of mental health and the natural world in a variety of disciplines. My intent is to provide an overview of theoretical perspectives, research-based evidence, and clinical practices that support the idea that experiencing the natural world can improve human mental health outcomes.

Exploring Service Provider Perceptions Of Treatment Barriers Facing Black, Non-Gay-Identified Msmw, Bradley Forenza, Ellen Benoit

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Non-gay-identified men who have sex with men and women and who use alcohol and other drugs are a vulnerable population. Little is known about health and medical service provider interaction with these underserved clients. This article presents a thematic analysis of two focus groups undertaken with social and medical service providers regarding the needs of non-gay-identified men who have sex with men and women. Four emergent themes (labeling, constructions of masculinity, HIV/AIDS awareness, and treatment success) illustrate perceived barriers to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, as well as treatment success. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

Black Women Matter: Assessing Scales To Examine Minority Stress And Intersectional Microaggression, Vanessa N. Jones

SEWSA 2016 Intersectionality in the New Millennium: An Assessment of Culture, Power, and Society

Greater understanding of minority stress and intersectional microaggression in African American women’s lived experience may contribute to improved health outcomes. To date, there is a scarcity of research exploring intersectionality and psychometric instruments. This review examines purpose, format, psychometric properties, and cultural applicability of seven measurement scales that assess gendered racism and sexual identity. Future research should include diverse samples of African American women to improve external validity. In clinical practice, measurement scales provide an objective tool to evaluate and differentiate minority stress.

Nurses’ Perceptions Of Parents Staying During Chronically Ill Child’S Hospitalization: Learning To Speak The Same Language, Nicole Toscano

Social Work Theses

Since parents and nurses are at the forefront of a hospitalized child’s care, it is crucial to understand the views of parents and nurses to provide the best care for the patient. Parental views have been examined by previous research; thus, this qualitative research study assesses nurses’ perceptions concerning the parental role during a child’s hospitalization. Assessing where nurses’ place parents in the medical world will help the overall care of the patient. The results of the semi-structured interviews of two nurses corresponds with the hypothesis that nurses’ view parents as integral to the care of the patient, even if …

Managing Microaggressions In The College Classroom, Gayle Mallinger, Jay Gabbard, Saundra Starks

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.