Social Work Commons^™

A Mixed-Method Study Examining The Intersection Of Race And Sexual Violence Among Lgbtq Prisoners, Sarah J. Aftab

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The current mixed-method study examined the intersection of race and sexual violence among LGBTQ prisoners while incarcerated. The study used secondary data from a survey of LGBTQ prisoners collected by an organization in 2014 (N=1093). Historically, the criminal justice system has criminalized and discriminated against LGBTQ persons, and reports show a prevalence of abuse occurs during incarceration. Quantitatively, the study aimed to determine a relationship between race and sexual violence; qualitatively, it aimed to understand how prisoners in this study experienced sexual violence. Findings suggested: Black, Latinx/Hispanic, and Mixed race prisoners had significantly lower likelihood of unwanted touching …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Religion And Spirituality And Acculturation Stress Among International Students In The Western Massachusetts, Mun Ying Kennis Cheng

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative study examined the relationship between religion and spirituality and acculturative stress among international students (n=38) in two colleges in Western Massachusetts. This study utilized three well-validated tools to measure acculturative stress for international students, religion and spirituality, and intrinsic religious motivation to test the hypothesis that religion and spirituality can help international students lessen their acculturative stress. The findings suggested no significant correlation between the variables, possibly due to a small sample size. The results showed that over 55% of students had some type of religious affiliation, and over 63% indicated they either attended churches or practiced meditation …

Do Characteristics Of Children And Families Influence Reported Caregiver Burden? : A Secondary Data Analysis Of The 2009-2010 National Survey Of Children With Special Health Care Needs, Chelsea Davies

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) make up 15% of U.S. children 18 and under. They require increased specialized care, which may pose unique challenges to families. Prior research suggests families from historically disenfranchised groups may experience greater burden due to systems of structural oppression. This quantitative secondary data analysis of the 2009-2010 National Survey of CSHCN (N=40,242) uses a cross-sectional design, testing whether family characteristics (race/ethnicity, caregiver’s gender or education level, and number of CSHCN in the home) or a child’s functional difficulty (chronic pain, behavior, anxiety/depression) are significantly associated with caregiver burden. Results suggest significantly greater time, …

Kinship Diversion : Exploring Experiences Of Relative Probate Guardianship In Los Angeles, Ca., Alison Davies

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the characteristics and experiences of relative caregivers in Los Angeles County who were involved in a child welfare practice called “kinship diversion.” It specifically examined cases in which caregivers were diverted to probate court to obtain legal guardianship of their relatives' children as an alternative to opening a case with the child welfare system due to allegations of abuse or neglect against the biological parents. Five kinship caregivers were interviewed with a focus on answering the questions of who is diverted to legal guardianship, and why?

The findings of this study showed that diversion occurred …

Perinatal Depression Screening : Using Antenatal Depression Screens And Patient Demographics To Predict Risk For Postpartum Depression :, Jackson Doyle

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study examined the relationship between antenatal depression and postpartum depression in pregnant women at a family health clinic. The aim was to determine whether antenatal depression screens predicted postpartum depression. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen (EPDS) was used to screen for depression in 411 pregnant women during the first trimester, third trimester and postpartum phases of pregnancy. Risk factors including patient body mass index, socioeconomic status and marital status were considered predictors of perinataldepression. EPDS scores were analyzed over the three time periods and were compared to body mass index, socioeconomic status and marital status. Results indicated that third …

Found In Translation : How Social Work Education Can Support Student Practice With Language-Discordant Client Systems, Martha Ann Early

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study’s research question was "How can schools of social work support their students to work with language-discordant client systems (LDCS)?" In addition to the need for general support, social work students are preparing to enter a field where the patient population is growing increasingly diverse in terms of ethnicity, culture and language ability. Participants in the study described herein were current and recent social works students who were recruited for sample membership via broad social media outreach, supplemented with outreach to the researcher's professional network

The findings of this study indicate that the role of schools of social work …

Working With Trauma : A Qualitative And Retrospective Exploration Of The Experiences Of Clinicians Who Work With Trauma, Allyson Rebecca Lent

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The current study explored the gap in understanding the experiences of clinicians who work with trauma given the interesting intersection of high prevalence of trauma and demonstrated lack of training in working with trauma survivors. To this end, this qualitative and exploratory study sought to gain a retrospective understanding of clinicians’ training and career experiences in an effort to glean what has worked well in preparing skilled clinicians to work with trauma. Findings confirmed that clinicians do not feel prepared to do trauma work upon graduating from their degree programs and that they must seek out training opportunities in order …

Classism In The Therapeutic Alliance : Implications For Clinical Social Work Practice, Taylor Millard

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was an exploration of the impact of classism in the therapeutic alliance, specifically from a power, privilege, and oppression framework, and with attention to participants’ salient intersecting identities. Twelve clinicians, who identified with working class backgrounds and who had engaged in therapy as both clinicians and clients, engaged in semistructured qualitative interviews. The findings indicated that classism was salient to participants’ intersectional subjectivities and to their experiences in the field. Significantly, participants all named experiences in which a systemic lack of attention to classism and/or social class identities led them to feel alienated and silenced as students, …

A Correlative Analysis Of Mystical Experiences And Lasting Symptom Improvement From Mdma-Assisted Psychotherapy For Treatment-Resistant Ptsd : A Project Based Upon An Investigation Sponsored By Multidisciplinary Association For Psychedelic Studies (Maps), Michiko A. Mitsunaga-Whitten

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Before the Controlled Substance Act of 1985 categorized psychedelic substances as criminalized schedule I drugs, psychiatrists used ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as a catalyst to psychotherapy. Over two decades later, this project seeks to contribute to the renaissance of psychedelic research. Specifically, this study focuses on participants’ experience of treatment in the recent FDA approved Phase 2 clinical study, “A Randomized, Triple-Blind Phase 2 Pilot Study Comparing 3 Different Doses of MDMA in conjunction with manualized psychotherapy in 24 Veterans, Firefighters, and Police Officers with Chronic, Treatment-resistant PTSD.” The current study presents results from correlation analyses of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire …

Exploring Experiences Of, And Responses To, Microaggressions As Disrespect From Teachers In High School Classrooms : A Person-Centered Approach, Emily Ann Peck

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The present study examined the relationship among high school students’ experiences of microaggressions and disrespect perpetrated by teachers and their perceptions of school connectedness and projections of their own bystander intervention behaviors. There is reason to believe that peer bystanding behavior, defined as either intervention in the moment, or active supporting after the event, are protective in terms of the otherwise cumulative impact of microaggressions. Using interviews from seventeen high school students, and quantitative data from nine participants, this research prioritized the voices of students, their narratives, and their meaning making process after such events occur. Findings suggest that participants …

Unequal Treatment : Sociocultural Identities And Their Effects On Eating Diorder Treatment Access And Efficacy, Hannah NoëL Smith

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore ways in which eating disorder treatment can be made not only more accessible, but more effective for clients who identify as people of color, lower-socioeconomic status (SES), trans and gender nonconforming, and people whose Body Mass Index (BMI) normal or higher at the time of treatment.

Data was collected using a survey, which was completed by 28 participants recruited through Facebook eating disorder recovery groups and Instagram. Participants were asked to describe their racial identity, gender identity, SES, and BMI, then reflect on the experience of seeking eating disorder treatment.

The findings …

Predicting Dialectic Behavioral Treatment Outcomes In Veterans At High Risk For Suicide, Courtney Stich

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Numerous studies have shown that veterans are at higher risk for suicide compared to the U.S. general population. Despite significant effort, awareness amongst clinicians and policymakers, these rates continue to increase. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy has shown great success in treating suicidality and emotional dysregulation due to mental illness such as Borderline Personality Disorder, yet has never been studied in the veteran population. The initial study found that veterans responded equally to DBT and TAU. This study looked at what clinical and demographic characteristics could predict DBT treatment success. Veterans who identified as women, with higher education, and more suicide attempts …

"Without Roofs Are The Houses" : An Exploration Of Ceremonies In Indigenous Communities, A Pathway To Healing And To The Forgotten, Denis C. Vidal

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Settler colonialism is often cited as the foundation for a myriad of social problems such as psychopathological stress in Indigenous communities. This research study explores how culturally syntonic interventions such as sacred ancestral ceremonies can alleviate acute symptoms of anxiety and depression. The experiences of eleven people of Indigenous heritage who live in the Southwest and had participated in sacred ancestral ceremonies were interviewed in an attempt to better understand the potential healing properties of these ceremonies. The participants all self-reported a reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms as measured before and after participating in the ceremonies.

Mind, Body, & Spirit : An Ecological Community-Based Approach To Healthy Aging, Emily Widra

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Based on the biopsychosocial approach of the ecological theory of aging, the present study examined the health status and social engagement of participants in an osteoporosis-prevention exercise class for adults over the age of 65 in two counties in Western Massachusetts. A self-rated health survey was developed and administered in each of the Healthy Bones & Balance classes with 226 responses in total.

Participants in this study had higher self-rated health scores than have been found in a national epidemiological study. In particular, participants who live alone were engaging in more social activities – at senior centers and places of …

Race And The Internet : Social Media And Multiracial Identity Development, Pilar Hailé-Damato

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand how, if at all, social media impacts racial identity development for mixed race undergraduates; and if so, whether or not that impact is unique to them or applicable to students with monoracial identities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at a large southern California public university. 11 undergraduate (3 multiracial) between the ages of 18-22 were interviewed about their social media usage, their racial identities, their process of identification, and how race is discussed online. Through the data collected in this study, we observe that social media is a digital space where notions of …

Psychedelic Psychotherapy : Existential And Neuroscience Perspectives On The Therapeutic Journey, Arthur W. Seelig

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Psychotherapy with the use of high-dose psychedelic drugs shows immense promise in treating a myriad of debilitating psychiatric conditions. After a three-decade long suspension, regulators have allowed for new studies and re-awakened interest in the potential of psychedelics. However, while research on the topic has quickly progressed, little has been done to reinvigorate our clinical understanding of the psychedelic healing process. This thesis interprets the psychedelic state through the twin perspectives of existentialism and neuroscience with the goal of starting to develop a theoretical language.

The subjective experience of high-dose psychedelics under therapeutic conditions often results in a loss-of-self referred …

Mental Disorders And Drug/Alcohol Use In Patients Commencing Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment, J. Scuffell, D. Boccia, F. Garcia Velarde, Segundo R. Leon, G. Raviola, Leonid Lecca, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Mental disorders and alcohol/drug use worsen treatment outcomes for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), but data are lacking for extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB. We investigated the association of baseline mental disorders and alcohol/drug use on XDR-TB treatment outcomes in a retrospective study of 53 XDR-TB Peruvian patients during 2010–2012. Logistic regression estimated the odds ratios for unfavourable XDR-TB treatment outcomes. Overall treatment success was 25%. Mental disorders and drug/alcohol use were found in respectively 22.4% and 20.4% of patients; neither were associated with unfavourable treatment outcomes. Future research should explore the relationship between mental health and drug/alcohol use in XDR-TB treatment outcomes.

Therapeutic Alliance And Adherence To A Plant-Based Eating Plan To Treat Chronic Disease, Michiel A. Zyl, Lesley M. Harris, Rachel Hale

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Systematic reviews show that a plant-based diet offers many benefits to patients with a variety of chronic illnesses. However, more research is needed to show how plant-based diets are successfully prescribed by physicians and what supports are essential for adherence. The primary research questions in this study were: Is therapeutic alliance correlated with adherence to the eating plan?; Does a change in therapeutic alliance result in a change in adherence?; and How do patients view the doctor-patient relationship and adherence? Methods: This multiple methods feasibility study combined cross-sectional pre-post and six-month follow-up survey, a focus group and case study …

Treatment Narratives Of Suicidal Latina Teens, Carolina Hausmann-Stabile, Lauren Gulbas, Luis H. Zayas

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

In this article, we examine the treatment narratives of Latina adolescent suicide attempters to understand their experiences undergoing care. For this study, we conducted content and thematic analysis of 68 interviews with Latina adolescent suicide attempters. Most teens who described positive experiences undergoing treatment (n = 39, 44.1%) did so when discussing outpatient mental health services (n = 30, 72.9%). Latinas felt that the providers who fostered their autonomy and connectedness helped them become active agents in their recovery. Clinicians serving suicidal Latinas must allow them to exercise agency while feeling emotionally connected to providers. To help Latinas manage their …

Will I Be Able To Understand My Mentee? Examining The Potential Risk Of The Dominant Culture Mentoring Marginalized Youth, Jennifer Lindwall

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most people would agree they want to live in a world where every child has what he or she needs to thrive and grow into a healthy and productive adult. It is estimated that 5,000 mentoring programs serve 3,000,000 youth in the United States alone (DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn, & Valentine, 2011). In many of these programs, a majority of the mentors are matched with a mentee who comes from a culture and community they know very little about. Many of the youth development programs that were founded and implemented by people of the perceived dominant culture represent their values …

Financial Capability And Asset Building In The Curricula: Student Perceptions, Vernon Loke, Julie Birkenmaier, Sally A. Hageman

Social Work Faculty Publications

Although social work education competencies include economic justice, and practice includes addressing client finances and assets, social work curricula lack an emphasis on these topics. Little is known about students’ perceptions of the relevancy of this information or how well their program is preparing them for contemporary practice. This study explores the perceptions of 643 BSW and MSW students and finds a general consensus that social workers have an important role in addressing client economic issues. However, respondents perceive limited use of client financial information in practice and limited coverage of the topic in curriculum areas. Results indicate respondents’ perceptions …

Practice And Practitioner Correlates Of Psychotherapists’ Self-Perceived Clinical Wisdom, Shveta Kumaria

Dissertations

Wisdom is seen as quality that makes the navigation of the complex issues of human existence easier. A role that wise individuals often perform is that of problem-solver, advisor, and mentor. Therapist factors have been found to account for a greater role in treatment effectiveness than the choice of treatment modality; therefore, this study attempts to find parallels between the fields of psychotherapy research (therapist factors) and self-perceived wisdom by examining the practice and practitioner correlates of therapists who feel wise with their clients.

This study analyzed data collected over the past two decades by members of the Society for …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 44 No. 4

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

“Children Can’t Learn on an Empty Stomach”: The Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program - Husain Lateef and David Androff

Do We Know What We Think We Know About Payday Loan Borrowers? Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances - Mary Caplan, Peter A. Kindle, and Robert B. Nielsen

“I Play Golf With My Kids, Not My Colleagues:” Politicians, Parenting, and Unpaid Work as a Choice? - Cheryl Najarian Souza

The Influence of Socio-cultural Factors on College Students’ Attitudes toward Sexual Minorities - Mark D. Olson and Eros DeSouza

Habitus, Symbolic Violence, and Reflexivity: Applying Bourdieu’s Theories to Social Work …

The Effects Of Social Support And Working Alliance On Latino-American Male Combat Veterans, Lloyd Duran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The negative effects of traumatic combat experiences on combatants' psychological functioning is well documented in the literature. The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has resulted in many veterans returning from deployments with mental health conditions related to trauma exposure, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, general anxiety, and suicidality. Past researchers found significant ethnic differences in psychological functioning, with Latino-American veterans reporting more symptoms of PTSD. Furthermore, Latino-American cultural values place importance on collective orientation and secrecy of mental health concerns which may affect treatment. Thus, this study built on limited research about Latino-American male combat veterans by focusing on …

Kids In Transition To School (Kits), Beth L. Green, Lorelei Mitchell, Lindsey Brianna Patterson

Early Childhood

During the summer and fall of 2016, children and families in 16 schools in Lane County participated in the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) Program. KITS includes 16 weeks of group-based child classes and 12 weeks of parenting workshops, using an evidence-based curriculum designed to improve school readiness skills and parenting. To learn more about the KITS program from the perspective of participating families, four focus groups were held with parents who participated in KITS. A total of 44 parents participated in the groups, which were located in four different schools (two small, rural locations and two larger more …

Active Bystander Behaviors Among High School Students: The Role Of Co-Occurrence Of Violence Victimization And Perpetration In Personal Violence Prevention, Reiko Ozaki

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Bystander programs aim to prevent personal violence, such as dating violence, sexual violence, sexual harassment, and stalking. They equip community members with skills to stop the violence before it happens by engaging in active bystander behaviors such as speaking up in potentially risky situations or supporting victims. Given that victimization and perpetration of personal violence, including co-occurrence, are common among youth, high schools have begun implementing bystander programs in recent years. This study examined the relationship between high school students’ experience of personal violence and their active bystander behaviors.

Using the social identity approach as a theoretical foundation, this study …

The Effects Of Idea Part C Early Intervention Services On The Well-Being Of Children And Families In Child Welfare, Ching-Shu J. Fang

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

There is ample evidence indicating that maltreatment has deleterious effects on the development of infants and toddlers. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2003 requires referrals from child welfare (CW) to IDEA Part C Early Intervention services to provide developmental assessments and services for children younger than three with substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect. Thus, this study aims to examine the effects of Part C services on the well-being of young children and their families in CW.

This study used a secondary dataset, the National Survey of Children and Adolescent Well-Being II, to examine the research …

An Exploratory Study Of Incapacitated Persons With Criminal Behaviors Served By Kentucky’S Public Guardianship Program, Karen Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

State run public guardianship programs are legally mandated to provide custodial care for persons deemed incapacitated by the courts. Historically, the majority of state wards were elderly women residing in skilled nursing facilities. Today, those demographics are rapidly changing. This new incapacitated cohort has become less institutionalized, with a rising number of persons who have entered the program with criminal records and who continue to commit crimes. This exploratory study focuses on incapacitated persons (IP) with criminal behaviors in order to seek what intervention(s) might reduce their criminal activity. Relying on routine activity theory, differing levels of supervision were compared …

Service Before Self: The Health Consequences Of Working In Public Child Welfare, Austin Garrett Griffiths

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Child welfare workers respond to human tragedy and the job stresses associated with their positions that may result in their own trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. Workers continue to leave their positions at alarming rates, influencing service quality and the ability to meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Decades of research have attempted to solve this national crisis by identifying salient factors found to influence the child welfare worker's experience and intention to leave their position. However, the problem prevails.

Addressing a major gap in the literature, this mixed methods study took a unique approach …

Workplace Bullying In Kuwait, Hamad A. Alaslawi

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Workplace bullying (WPB) is a pervasive problem in contemporary society, inflicting detrimental repercussions upon employees, employers, and organizations alike. It affects the physical, psychological, and financial wellbeing not only of its victims, but also their families, their communities, and society as a whole.

Research into this phenomenon has evolved significantly over the past two decades. While related to the physically violent phenomenon of schoolyard bullying, WPB is primarily a psychological phenomenon, manifesting as abusive power in workplace relationships, rather than as interpersonal conflict. Bullying at work comes in many forms, has many faces, and occurs in many places. It ranges …