Social Work Commons^™

Muslim American’S Understanding Of Women’S Rights In Accordance To The Islamic Traditions, Riba Khaleda Eshanzada

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Islam is the most misrepresented, misunderstood, and the subject for much controversy in the United States of America especially with the women’s rights issue. This study presents interviews with Muslim Americans on their narrative and perspective of their understanding of women’s rights in accordance to the Islamic traditions. Utilizing a post-positive design, a qualitative data was gathered to compare Quranic text, and the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad to daily practice of Muslim Americans in a Western democratic society. Participants acknowledged that although Islam as a religion has given women rights more than any other world religion and nation, practicing …

Mental Health Intervention: Does An Expedited Process Increase Access To Mental Health Services For Children?, Desiree Lin Morris

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child maltreatment negatively impacts physical, emotional, and the health and well-being of a person, often with lifelong implications. The importance of this study derives from the very necessity of mental health services for children who have suffered trauma. Children’s Assessment Centers (CAC) assess and refer children who have experienced abuse to a therapist in the community. This study examines the use of an enhanced referral process used to connect some CAC clients more quickly to therapeutic services in the community. The study examined whether children who received this expedited referral service were more likely than children who received the standard …

Bridging The Gap: Exploring Social Work Student Preparedness For Working With Children Who Have Developmental Disabilities, Shauna Lei De Jesus, Mariela Licon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

Children with developmental disabilities are a particularly vulnerable population with complex, unique needs. In order to ensure that these clients are achieving the best quality of life possible, they typically require an array of community support services where social workers will often intersect with them in a variety of settings and roles. Therefore, there is a substantial need to ensure that student’s entering the workforce as newly qualified workers have some familiarity and exposure to what presenting issues these children are facing as well as the different techniques and tools available to engage with and assess them.

This study …

Providing Counseling Services To Spanish Speaking Clients, Maritza Pelayo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study aimed to determine the need for practical and academic training in Spanish for bilingual social work students. Using an exploratory method with a qualitative approach, the researcher interviewed bilingual MSW students who were providing counseling services in Spanish and who had not received any training in clinical Spanish. The study used purposive sampling to interview and evaluate participants’ perception of competence in providing services to Spanish speakers. Through data analysis, the researcher identified three themes: linguistic issues in clinical terminology, discomfort feelings, and language expectation. A limitation of this study included that the results could not be generalized …

Former Foster Youth Perspectives On Strengths And Needed Services Of The Foster Care System, Cynthia Huizar, Judy Andrea Lawrence

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined former foster youth’s perceptions of the skills and services they received while they were in the foster care system. More specifically the efficacy of these services, and what services and skills they believed would have been helpful to assist them in their transition into independent living. A qualitative design was used, and semi-structured face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted with ten former foster youth who aged out of foster care at age eighteen through twenty-one. Two males and eight females from diverse backgrounds participated in this study. Participants were recruited through availability and snowball sampling at community …

Cross - Professional Comparison Of Social Work Burnout, Heather Lynn Schaal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Burnout in the social work field is becoming increasingly common due to the emotional intensity of the client-social worker relationship and job demands. Research has shown that burnout has detrimental effects not only on the social worker themselves but on clients and agencies as well. Limited research exists examining which professional setting of social work experiences the highest level of burnout. This study used secondary data collected by, Dr. Lizano in 2016 from the 4^thAnnual California State University, San Bernardino BASW and MSW Field Instructor Training. A quantitative method was used to analyze which setting of social work …

San Bernardino And Riverside County Foster Family Agency Social Workers' Awareness Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Cristin Elizabeth Campbell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking is a crime happening right in our own backyards. Social Workers are seeing this vulnerable population fall through the fingers of social services and into the clutches of traffickers at alarming rates. This research project analyzed San Bernardino and Riverside County Foster Family Agency Social Workers' Awareness of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. This project was a quantitative exploratory research design. A paper survey was distributed to Foster Family Agency Social Workers within San Bernardino and Riverside County, California using a snowball sampling. A bivariate analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship that social work experience in …

Informal Art Therapy Group Among Minority Seniors In Independent Living Communities, Jennifer Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The elderly population have developed some resistance toward accepting community-based social services. Such resistance could be detrimental to the well-being of low-income seniors by hindering their chance of accessing services intended for them in the first place. Art therapy is seen as a promising intervention against client resistance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of art therapy on reducing resistance to services among low-income seniors living in independent living communities. Through a pre-experimental design, this study analyzed administrative data for a sample of 37 participants from a social service agency in Southern California. Results from two non-parametric tests (WilcoxonSigned-Rank and Mann-Whitney-U) …

Attitudes And Experiences Of Undocumented Latino Immigrants When Seeking Medical Services, Susana Michelle De Leon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Undocumented immigrants have historically been excluded from the medical care system. This study explored the attitudes and experiences of undocumented Latino immigrants when seeking medical services in the San Bernardino County. It aimed to share the stories of undocumented immigrants that often go untold and provide valuable insight into the needs and concerns of this population. The exploratory study utilized a qualitative approach through interviews. Data was collected through in person and over the phone interviews, which were then transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparative method. The findings of this study identified barriers and challenges faced by undocumented immigrants …

Child Welfare Workers’ Perspectives On Placement Instability And The Impacts On Foster Youth, Steven Joseph Delgado, Amanda Marie Fuerte

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this study, the researchers explored child welfare workers’ perceptions on placement changes for youth in foster care and the impact these changes had on youths’ overall outcomes. Using a Post Positivist paradigm, qualitative research was completed using snowball-sampling procedures. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with sixteen members from their personal networks of child welfare social workers that have direct contact with foster youth. The research participants included current child welfare social workers from two counties in Southern California. The study’s findings suggest that children’s behaviors and foster parents’ reactions to those behaviors impacted placement changes. Further, participants felt that …

Recovery Support Services For Young Adults: A Needs Assessment For A Collegiate Recovery Program At A Midsized Public University Located In Southern California, Micah Carlson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Substance use and substance use disorders continue to impact the health and safety of people across the United States. A population in which substance use and substance use disorders tend to be the highest being with college-age populations. In response to this growing public health concern, Recovery Support Services (RSS) are being implemented across colleges and universities nationwide. With each college or university being diverse based on its location, size, and demographics RSS resources do not look the same as they spread from campus to campus. This research project analyzed the current resources, how they are implemented, and how they …

Social Work Students' Perception Of Intimate Partner Violence Victims Who Stay With Their Abuser, Andrea Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Intimate partner violence is a widely recognized problem in today’s society and in the social work field. It is also often considered one of the most complicated issues to adequately address and prevent. There are many challenges in understanding how IPV can occur and worsen over time, as well as why some victims choose to stay with their abusers. Intervening in relationships and families that are experiencing IPV is not an easy task, especially if the social worker who is dealing with the issue is not knowledgeable or has pre-conceived biases about domestic violence. In this study, the terms …

Planning For A Future: A Developmental Blueprint Towards Success Among Current And Former Foster Youth, John Devine

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Over 425,000 youth currently reside in the U.S. foster care system. Youth enter the foster care system for the many reasons, including but not limited to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, incarceration of a parent, abandonment, and death of a family member. Once in the foster care system, many youth remain until they reach adulthood. The purpose of this study is to examine the perspectives of current and former foster youth who remained in foster care into their adulthood and who participated in the Independent Living Program (ILP), a program designed to help foster youth transition to adulthood and …

Spirituality Of Substance Abuse Counselors, Matthew Sasso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of spirituality among substance abuse counselors for those who in the recovery process. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of how personal beliefs of substance abuse counselors influence the treatment experience. This study uses a qualitative post positivist paradigm to study the impact of practitioners’ personal beliefs towards spirituality in the treatment of clients. It addresses essential factors from a spiritual and religious framework and reveals the consideration of personal beliefs of substance abuse counselors and its impact on the treatment experience of an individual’s recovery. The content of the research …

Effects Of Autism Spectrum Disorder On Mothers, Angelica Del Villar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As time keeps on passing, diagnosing a child with Autism keeps on expanding. The research study focuses on gathering data on the impact of mothers that have a child diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The members chose were from an online all mothers support group. The study was gathered utilizing the post positive approach. After fulfillment of the research the members will be able to view the results of this study by going to the California State University San Bernardino scholar works website. This research was conducted to share information to clinicians and any reader on the day …

Low-Income Older Adults Preparedness For Long-Term Care: In-Home Supportive Services, Zina Basom

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As older adults live longer, demand for supportive care will increase. Older adults will need a form of long-term care to manage their health and quality of life. As older adults age, they’re susceptible to having one or more chronic conditions. In taking measures to manage the chronic conditions of many older adults, in-home supportive services is a supportive program that provides non-medical personal and instrumental services to help older adults with their activities of daily living. An in-home supportive service allows an older adult to receive assistance and remain comfortably living in his or her home. However, an older …

Social Work Perceptions Of Pedophiles: Opening The Dialogue, Dana Rose Montes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Pedophiles are the most stigmatized population in society (Jahnke, Imhoff, & Hoyer, 2015; Sanghara & Wilson, 2006). Social worker’s responsibility is to maintain standards and treat individuals with dignity and respect (NASW, 2017). It is important to explore bias against pedophiles because studies have shown bias is linked to offender recidivism rates (Jahnke, Schmidt, Geradt, & Hoyer, 2015). Social workers may unintentionally inhibit pedophiles from seeking treatment if they hold strong biases against them which could potentially negatively impact child abuse rates. The purpose of this study was to identify bias reduction techniques so that they could possibly be implemented …

Challenges Medical Social Workers Face That Lead To Burnout, Emilee Limon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explored the challenges medical social workers face that lead to burnout. Currently, there is literature on burnout among health care providers and social workers, but not specifically on social workers in the medical field. The current study aimed to fill this gap in literature. Due to the lack of literature, the study used an exploratory, qualitative design. The study utilized individual interviews with a non-random purposive sample of nine medical social workers currently employed at Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana/Ontario Social Services Department. Interviews with participants were recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Major themes that …

Master Of Social Work Student Competency In Spanish Skills And The Support They Receive, Giselle Sanchez, Shizatiz Gioconda Guerrero

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

With the growth of the Latino population in the United States on the rise and the limited number of bilingual Spanish social workers, it is critical to explore the Master of Social Work student’s self-perceived competency in Spanish skills and the support they receive. These are the emerging professionals that will be interacting and providing services for Latinos in our communities. Exploring and understanding the challenges students encounter, their self-perceived competency, and how students can be supported, will be beneficial not only to them but also to Latino clients seeking services in Spanish. Providing appropriate services in Spanish may alleviate …

African American Perceptions And Experiences On Preventive Family Therapy And Help-Seeking Behaviors In The Inland Empire, Nathnael Estifanos, Brandon Daniel Farmer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the perceptions of African American parents on preventive family therapy and their help-seeking behaviors. Specifically, this study aims to identify the factors that influence African American families in engaging in preventive family therapy and the barriers to accessing treatment. The data was collected through two group interviews that consisted of a total of 11 African American parents residing in Riverside County and San Bernardino County. The findings indicate that: (a) African American parents sought therapy primarily for crisis; (b) Alternatives to therapy were viewed as being just as effective; (c) Barriers to treatment include institutional …

Residential Counselors And Dual-Status Youth Challenges And Resiliency, Kenny Gallegos, Leslie Stephanie Romero-Gallegos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the common challenges that residential counselors face when working with dual-status youth, which we defined as any youth with at least one open case with the child welfare system or juvenile justice system (or both) and who have previously had a case with the latter in their lifetime. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with their residential counselors across five different residential treatment centers in southern California.

The most common challenges reported by the residential treatment counselors included multiple roles, role limitation, dual-status youth behaviors, deficiency in training, management, and preparation when working with dual-status youth in …

Knowledge Of School Resource Officer's Roles And Their Perceptions On School Social Worker's Roles, Cynthia Crystal Cervantes, Vanessa Vazquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study examined the perception of school resource officers (SROs) role in a school setting, the training they received prior to working in a school setting, their interaction with students, and their relationship with school administration, staff, and school social workers. Previous studies discussed SROs’ roles to be ambiguous and their primary focus of a school resource officer to maintain school safety, while other studies discussed the criminalization in schools due to the placement of law enforcement in the school settings.

The study employed a qualitative design with face-to-face interviews with seven participants who serve or have served as a …

The Self-Percieved Grief Competency Of Masters Level Therapists, Emily Rae Devries

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Bereavement is an experience that most people will encounter multiple times across their lifetime. Some people who experience grief are going to seek support in this process from a therapist. The NASW Code of Ethics suggests that social workers only practice in fields in which they are competent. This study will look at the self-perceived grief competency of master’s level therapists. Demographic data and a survey designed to measure the competency of a master’s level therapist was utilized to collect data to measure the self-perceived grief competency. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way between groups ANOVA, and correlation …

Burnout Among Bilingual Social Service Providers, Marlene Reyes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study focuses on burnout among bilingual Social Service Providers (BSSPs) and examines their thoughts and beliefs on the interconnection of their bilingual/bicultural skills and higher risk of burnout. The findings from this study have significant ramifications for the social service field on both Macro and Micro levels. At a Micro scale, the data validates the additional responsibilities of BSSP’s, while bringing more awareness to this group of professionals. Additional findings contribute to new policies regarding BSSPs job responsibilities; for example, accurate job descriptions and training for positions that require translation and interpretation. An exploratory study using qualitative data was …

Discussing Sexual Health Topics With Severely Mentally Ill Clients: An Exploration Of Social Work Practitioners’ Preparedness, Priscilla Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health professionals have an important role to play in assessing and addressing the needs of their clients, including those with severe mental illness. Research, however, has demonstrated a reluctance toward discussing sexual health topics with severely mentally ill clients. The purpose of this study was to explore social work practitioners’ attitudes and preparedness toward addressing the sexual health need of clients who are mentally challenged to a great extent. Under the qualitative research paradigm, this study sampled 8 licensed clinical social workers who currently work in the United States. Thematic analysis of interview data generated four major themes. First, …

Resilience And Resistance: How The Inland Empire Transgender Community Thrives, Raul Angel Maldonado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Society’s current focus on the transgender community is complicated, and further heightened by the lack of protections for the transgender community. Current studies only assess the hardships transgender individuals face and the impact they have on their well-being. This study sought to explore what effects the lack of resources and support have on the transgender community in the Inland Empire. This study utilized a qualitative approach incorporating semi-structured interviews of participants. The author also sought to explore how the transgender community in this area are able to mitigate any negative experiences. The qualitative data provided rich grounding in understanding the …

Social Work Students’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Mental Health Courts, Nicholas Bettosini, Conrad Paul Akins-Johnson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental Health Courts (MHCs) are a diversion program for mentally ill offenders in lieu of incarceration. The Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA) developed these specialized court programs in the 1990’s to assist mentally ill offenders in overcoming barriers to treatment. While new laws have begun to change the way mentally ill offenders are viewed from a law enforcement standpoint, social workers’ attitudes and beliefs about these programs have not been studied. This quantitative study’s purpose was to examine Master of Social Work (MSW) Graduate students’ attitudes and beliefs of mentally ill offenders and MHCs. Social work student participants …

The Systemic Issues Associated With Violent Crime In Predominantly African American Communities, Abraham Coles

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the issues associated with violent crime in African American communities. The study discusses the theory of racism as a key factor in the societal conditions African Americans live in the United States. The researcher explains the methodology used. The study is a qualitative study, based on interviews of eight participants answers to twenty questions. The study discusses the research sites, who participated in the research study, and how the participants were selected. The study outlines the sampling method and why this method was chosen. The descriptive statistics of participants in the study …

Military Parent’S Ptsd And Children’S Mental Health: A Scoping Review, Tara Collins

The Qualitative Report

It is widely recognized that the mental health of parents impacts children’s well-being. A scoping review was conducted to examine what was known from the research specific to mental health issues facing children as a consequence of their military parent’s PTSD. The parameters of this review were based on Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) recommendations for completion of a scoping review. From the search, 163 articles were located from 5 electronic databases. Of those, 35 were related to the topic and, after implementing the inclusion and exclusion criteria 21 were included in this scoping review. Although the scoping review demonstrated that …

An Examination Of The Impact That Communities In Schools' Interventions Make On High School Academic Performance, Coleton Cooper Dean Spruill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study seeks to answer the question: What impact does a local Communities In Schools (CIS), a nationwide dropout prevention program, affiliate's interventions have on a high school student's academic performance, absenteeism, and completion rates? To do this, the study examines the grade point average, absenteeism rate, and completion rate of 1298 students across four years of existing data from a local school district. For comparison purposes, the study uses a quasi-experimental approach and breaks the data into four groups: two experimental groups (At-Risk CIS students and Not-At-Risk CIS students) and two control groups (At-Risk students and Not-At-Risk students). …