Social Work Commons^™

The Impact Of Dysfunctional Families And Sexual Abuse On The Psychological Well-Being Of Adolescent Females In Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Research Note, Jabulani G. Kheswa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Owing to fear to report abuse to significant others (e.g. educators), research highlighted that abused female youth tend to be submissive and experience impaired self- acceptance and negative relationships with others. The aim of the study was to investigate the circumstances under which sexually abused adolescent females engage in risk-taking activities. The research used a qualitative method to collect data from 8 purposively sampled participants (aged 15-18 years) from one secondary school in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Results indicated that sexually abused youth are susceptible to neuroticism and substance abuse. In recommendation, the community should be pro-active in ending abuse.

Review Of Barriers And Belonging: Personal Narratives Of Disability.Michelle Jarman, Leila Monaghan And Alison Quaggin Harkin. Reviewed By Iain Hutchinson., Iain Hutchison

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Michelle Jarman, Leila Monaghan and Alison Quaggin Harkin, Barriers and Belonging: Personal Narratives of Disability. Temple University Press (2017), 296 pages, $39.95 (paperback and e-book), $94.50 (hardcover).

Review Of Good Guys With Guns: The Appeal And Consequences Of Concealed Carry. Angela Stroud. Reviewed By Yanqin Liu., Yanqin Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Angela Stroud, Good Guys with Guns: The Appeal and Consequences of Concealed Carry. The University of North Carolina Press (2016), 159 pages, $24.95 (paperback).

Review Of Exiled In America: Life On The Margins In A Residential Motel. Christopher P. Dum. Reviewed By Qianwei Zhao., Qianwei Zhao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Christopher P. Dum,Exiled in America: Life on the Margins in a Residential Motel. Columbia University Press (2016), 320 pages, $34.99 (hardcover).

Experiences And Responses To Microaggressions On Historically White Campuses: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis, Y. Kafi Moragne-Patterson, Tracey M. Barnett

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2011), only 59% of students who sought bachelors’ degrees from four-year postsecondary institutions in 2006 completed the degree within six years, and among African American/Black students, only 40% finished college within six years. Despite efforts to quantify factors that contribute to low retention rates among African American students, less is known about the qualitative experiences of students who remain on campuses across the United States. This qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis examines the microaggressive encounters experienced by African American undergraduate college students (ages 17-22) at historically White, fouryear colleges and universities to better understand how …

Civic Engagement And Institutional Trust Among South Africans, Yoosun Chu, Ce Shen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The importance of institutional trust and its key determinants have been widely acknowledged in developed countries. However, in developing countries, where institutional trust has not been well established, its structural causes have not received adequate research emphasis. The aims of our study are: (1) to examine the direct effect of civic engagement on institutional trust; and (2) to examine the mediating effects of government dysfunction and government performance on the relationship between civic engagement and institutional trust. We conducted a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis using data from the 2004 Afrobarometer Round 2.5 survey in South Africa (N = 2,400). …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 44 No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Experiences and Responses to Microaggressions on Historically White Campuses: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis- Y. Kafi Moragne-Patterson and Tracey M. Barnett

Civic Engagement and Institutional Trust among South Africans- Yoosun Chu and Ce Shen

How the Immigration and Deportation Systems Work: A Social Worker’s Guide- Carol Cleaveland

Immigrant Health Disparities: Does Neighborliness Improve Health?- Kofi Danso

Are Older Adults Who Participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Healthier Than Eligible Nonparticipants? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study -Jin Kim

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening the Scope of Relational Approaches to Promoting Aging-In-Place -Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. …

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening The Scope Of Relational Approaches To Promoting Aging-In-Place, Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. Adams, Melanie J. Rock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aging-in-place is a well-established concept, but discussions rarely consider that many older adults live with pets. In a ‘pet-friendly’ city, we conducted semi-structured interviews to explore perspectives of community-based social support agencies that promote aging-in-place, and those of animal welfare agencies. Applying a relational ecology theoretical framework, we found that pets may contribute to feeling socially- situated, yet may also exacerbate constraints on autonomy experienced by some older adults. Pet-related considerations at times led to discretionary acts of more-than-human solidarity, but also created paradoxical situations for service-providers, impacting their efforts to assist older adults. A shortage of pet-friendly affordable housing …

Explaining Support For Structural Attribution Of Poverty In Post-Communist Countries: Multilevel Analysis Of Repeated Cross-Sectional Data, Nazim Habibov, Alex Cheung, Alena Auchynnikava, Lida Fan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We examine support for the structural attribution of poverty in 24 post-communist countries (N = 37,307) for the period from 2006 to 2010 by considering: (1) individual-level characteristics, (2) country- level characteristics, and (3) interactions between individual- and country-level characteristics. At the individual-level, adherence to the norms of equity, the market economy, and work ethics all significantly weaken structural attribution of poverty. In contrast, support for the norms of equality, and personal experience with poverty significantly strengthen structural attribution of poverty. At the country-level, GDP growth significantly reduces structural attribution of poverty, while the GDP per capita and poverty rates …

Review Of The Welfare State: A Very Short Introduction. David Garland. Reviewed By Huibing Ke., Huibing Ke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

David Garland, The Welfare State: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press (2016), 144 pages, $11.95 (paperback).

Review Of The Politics Of Resentment: Rural Consciousness In Wisconsin And The Rise Of Scott Walker. Katherine J. Cramer. Reviewed By Edward U. Murphy., Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Katherine J. Cramer, The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. University of Chicago Press (2016), 256 pages, $30.00 (paperback).

Review Of The Slow Professor: Challenging The Culture Of Speed In The Academy.Maggie Berg And Barbara K. Seeber. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty., Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber, The Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy. University of Toronto Press (2017), 115 pages, $19.95 (paperback).

“Children Can’T Learn On An Empty Stomach”: The Black Panther Party’S Free Breakfast Program, Husain Lateef, David Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The year 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party and their revolutionary approach to urban Black suffering in America. However, like many other social welfare contributions of the Black American community, the Black Panther Party’s social programs remain largely unexamined within the social work literature. To reclaim the social welfare contribution of the Black Panther Party, this paper examines the Free Breakfast for Schoolchildren Program and discusses its relevance to contemporary social work. Key aspects of the Free Breakfast Program are reviewed, including the historical context of the formation of the Black Panther Party …

Do We Know What We Think We Know About Payday Loan Borrowers? Evidence From The Survey Of Consumer Finances, Mary Caplan, Peter A. Kindle, Robert B. Nielsen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The field of social work is becoming increasingly savvy regarding the financial lives of people, but despite seeming conclusive and resolved, knowledge about payday loan borrowing is still nascent. To understand it more thoroughly, this study employed descriptive and inferential multivariate quantitative methods using cross-sectional secondary data from the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances (n = 6015). Results revealed that many of the simple differences found in descriptive analyses of demographic characteristics no longer predict differential payday loan borrowing when controlling for other characteristics. Contrary to prior research, results showed that payday loan borrowers are not more likely to be …

Habitus, Symbolic Violence, And Reflexivity: Applying Bourdieu’S Theories To Social Work, Wendy L. Wiegmann

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

During the mid- to late-twentieth century, Pierre Bourdieu crated a conceptual framework that describes how underclass status becomes embodied in individuals, and the ways that personal, professional, and political fields perpetuate this oppression. Bourdieu’s theories also outline the role of the “critical intellectual” in undermining oppression and fighting for social justice. Using key terms from Bourdieu’s explanatory framework, this article examines the power relations and symbolic violence built into the interactions between social workers and clients, and offers suggestions as to how reflexive and relational social work can help workers reduce this impact. This paper also explores the role of …

Who Defines Need?: Low-Income Individuals’ Interpretations Of Need And The Implications For Participation In Public Assistance Programs, Kerri Leyda Nicoll

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Existing research into participation and nonparticipation in U.S. public assistance programs is nearly all rooted in the assumption that people who meet a program’s eligibility criteria are in need of that program’s assistance. Based on in-depth interviews with members of 75 low-income households, this study argues that the failure to give low-income individuals a voice in defining their own need prevents researchers from understanding how and why these individuals choose to participate, or not participate, in public programs. The disconnect between individual interpretations of need and program eligibility standards pushes us to rethink the design of participation research and program …

A Right To Motherhood? Race, Class, And Reproductive Services In The Jim Crow South, Cynthia Edmonds-Cady

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research examines birth control and sterilization practices aimed at low-income black women in the United States from 1939-1950, within the framework of specific race- and class-based constructions of motherhood in the Jim Crow South. How these social services aimed at reproductive health were grounded within differential ideals about family, childbirth, and motherhood for White versus African American women is explored. Evidence is presented from archival collections containing records for Planned Parenthood’s Negro Project, The Association for Voluntary Sterilization’s programs, and The American Social Health Association’s public health programs. Birth control services in the South were delivered within a framework …

Review Of Dream Hoarders: How The American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else In The Dust, Why That Is A Problem, And What To Do About It. Richard V. Reeves. Reviewed By Tara Bruno., Tara Bruno

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Richard V. Reeves, Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It. Brookings Institution Press (2017). 186 pages, $24.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Fragile Families: Foster Care, Immigration, And Citizenship. Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez. Reviewed By Molly Cook., Molly Cook

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez, Fragile Families: Foster Care, Immigration, and Citizenship. University of Pennsylvania Press (2017). 232 pages, $49.50 (hardcover).

Review Of Social Welfare For A Global Era: International Perspectives On Policy And Practice. James Midgley. Reviewed By Fei Sun., Fei Sun

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

James Midgley, Social Welfare for a Global Era: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice. Sage Publication (2017), 243 pages, $81.00 (paperback).

Action Research Toward Improved Treatment Services For Substance-Abusing Veterans In Central Texas, Sharla Nicole Peterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military-based social workers working with veterans with substance use disorders face many challenges to providing effective treatment services. Understanding environmental, organizational, and client-based factors that affect the provision of substance abuse treatment to veterans is critical for clinical social work practitioners working with this unique client population. As a clinical social work practice problem, this project explored the challenges of providing effective substance abuse treatment services for veterans, specifically those living in central Texas. The purpose of this project was to improve the clinical acumen and practice of social workers working with veterans with substance use disorders. The research question …

The Influence Of Social Support And Mental Illness On Punishment For Rule Violations Among Male Prisoners, Missy T. Malone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental illness among prisoners is higher than the general population (James & Glaze, 2006). The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study was to investigate the social support and mental health factors that best predict punishment severity for institutional rule violations among prisoners. I conducted a secondary data analysis on 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The survey participants in this study consisted of a sample of 11,569 male prisoners. Bivariate analyses of interrelationships were conducted to assess whether significant relationships exist between the severity of punishment …

Broke But Not Without Hope: Exploring Exits From Housing First And Returns To Homelessness, Jennie Ann Cole

Theses and Dissertations

“…he succeeded in giving the impression of being broke but not without hope.”

Nels Anderson, The Hobo, 1923

Introduction: This research offers a thick and rich, multidimensional and situational look, into a Housing First program in Charlotte, North Carolina. This dissertation focuses on individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness who exit Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs that employ a Housing First (HF) model and return to homelessness. The ultimate goal of my research was to address the gap in knowledge service providers have in housing retention for the chronically homeless and to break the cycle of misunderstanding around why people …

Acculturation Stress And Depression Among First-Year International Graduate Students From China And India At The University Of South Carolina, Kyunghee Ma

Theses and Dissertations

This cohort study used a mixed-methods pretest/posttest measurement study design. The quantitative method was used to explore the relationship between acculturation stress and depression among first-year international graduate students from China and India enrolled at the University of South Carolina(UofSC), examine the role that social support plays in that relationship, and identify changes in acculturation, social support, and depression over one academic year. The qualitative method helped to further explore how Chinese and Indian international graduate students experienced acculturation stress and to what extent social support helped them cope with their stress.

The sample included 55 students. Primary data were …

African American End-Stage Renal Disease And Medication Adherence: What Are The Effects Of Everyday Racism?, Tamara Estes Savage

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the racial medication adherence disparity in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Prior research suggests that there are poor rates of medication adherence in the African American ESRD population. However, the reasons for this racial inequity are not understood. This dissertation explored the impact of everyday racism in the healthcare system in general and dialysis centers in particular on medication adherence. To gain an understanding of the possible contribution of everyday racism to medication nonadherence, Critical Race Theory (CRT) was used as the theoretical foundation of the study.

A total of 46 African American ESRD patients participated in …

Cruzando Fronteras: The Immigration Experiences Of Central American Women, Cecelia Quinn

Dissertations

The present study explores the immigration experiences of Central American women. As violence and poverty mounts in the Northern Triangle; Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, immigrants continue to migrate north. Immigrant women risk their lives seeking safety, opportunity, and reunions with loved ones. Central American women's immigration journeys are unique and they face the added dangers of gender-based violence. This exploratory, qualitative study guided by feminist standpoint theory allowed the women to tell their stories in their own language, as they saw fit. Twelve Central American Latinas shared their immigration experiences, responding to semi-structured interviews. Through interpretive phenomenological analysis and …

Queens Speak - A Youth Participatory Action Research Project: Exploring Critical Post-Traumatic Growth Among Black Girls Within The School To Prison Pipeline, Stacey Michelle Ault

Doctoral Dissertations

A gap exists in both research and practice when it comes to issues related to girls within the school-to-prison pipeline. Girls are also often ignored in the educational literature about trauma. Educators tend to take a deficit approach toward youth experiencing trauma and often reinforce trauma through discriminatory and exclusionary disciplinary practices. Using a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology centered in the lives of Black girls, with an intentional focus on their agency and growth, this study educated, coached, and supported a research team called Queens Speak. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to elevate the voices …

Barriers Confronting Parents Reunifying With Children In Foster Care, Amy D'Andrade

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Heart Disease And African Americans, Patricia Guy-Walls, Jody Long

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Good health depends on multiple factors, including financial status. Higher socioeconomic status correlates with a lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Lukachko, Hatzenbuehler, and Keyes (2014) stated that the advantages of income status make a difference with health, specifically heart disease. Another significant factor affecting heart disease is health care disparity. Kahng (2010) found that the accumulative impact of health care disparities experienced over a lifetime contributes to chronic stress and heart-related problems.

Despite advancement in care, more African Americans, compared with other racial groups, die from cardiovascular disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). Several …

School Social Work: Supporting Children’S Primary Education In The South West Of Western Australia, Karen Mcdavitt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In many countries, social workers play a role in the education of children. In Australia, this is evident in the state of Victoria which has a long history of school social work. However, it is not the case in Western Australia where there are very few government-funded social work roles in public schools. With the barriers to education rising for increasing numbers of students, the social work profession could be one component in a multi-disciplinary whole that supports students and the broader community so that each child has the best chance of reaching their full potential.

This thesis poses the …