Social Work Commons^™

Do Prostitution Advertisements Reduce Violence Against Women? A Methodological Examination Of Cunningham, Deangelo, And Tripp Findings, Katie Feifer, Jody Raphael, Kezban Yagci Sokat

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

A recent study by Cunningham, DeAngelo, and Tripp (unpublished 2017, 2019) found that advertising prostitution online led to a lower rate of homicide of women in the United States. These findings have circulated widely in the mainstream media as proof that advertising prostitution online increases the safety of prostituted women. The study’s findings were used to argue against the 2018 passage of a federal anti-trafficking bill: Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), known collectively as FOSTA-SESTA. This new law holds websites that knowingly facilitate sex trafficking accountable for …

"They Smile But It's Not Real": Karen Refugees' Perceptions Of Depression, Carina Zuniga

Social Work Theses - Archive

Refugees often carry with them traumas and mental health issues, why may continue or worsen in their new resettlement country. Understanding refugee populations and their mental health needs is a critical endeavor to support them effectively during and after the resettlement process. Currently, there is a lack of research over this population's mental health and what kinds of interventions are most effective. Recently, the U.S. has resettled a proportionately high number of refugees from Burma or Myanmar, mostly from the ethnic minority group called Karen. The present study interviewed 16 Karen refugees who were receiving medical care or case management …

Exploring The Impact Of School Social Workers On Academic Outcomes, Gaubriella M. Drollinger

Social Work Theses - Archive

The following Thesis seeks to determine the nature of the relationship between school social workers and academic outcomes in Texas. This Thesis is guided by three research questions 1. What is the nature of the relationship between the number of school social workers in a school district and Accountability Rating? 2. What is the nature of the relationship between the number of school social workers in a school district and high school dropout rate? 3.What is the nature of the relationship between the number of school social workers in a school district and post-secondary readiness? In order to answer these …

Exploring Reactions Of Stakeholders To Military-Connected Spouse Abuse Disclosure: An Online Observational Approach, Mary Christine Highfill

Social Work Theses - Archive

Although considerable research explores family violence within the United States Military, few peer-reviewed studies investigate the experience of civilian spouse survivors. This project seeks to close the research gap by answering the question, “How do military stakeholders respond to disclosure of Military-Connected Spouse Abuse (MCSA) made on YouTube?” Videos featuring MSCA narratives were selected from a series of YouTube searches. Comments made to those videos by Service Members and military spouses were organized according to three predominate response types: disclosures, perceptions, and actions. Disclosures included personal experience with or second-hand knowledge of spousal abuse, interactions with the military response system, …

Effects Of Natural Disasters On Women’S Reproductive Processes Using Bangladesh Demographic And Health Surveys, Shamsun Nahar

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Bangladesh is widely recognized as one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. It is predicted that disaster-related losses in Bangladesh will be higher by 2025 compared with all other countries (Smith, 2012). All individuals or communities are not vulnerable to natural disasters equally. Women in Bangladesh are disproportionately more vulnerable to natural hazard due to social norms, entrenched gender inequality, and reproductive responsibilities (Ahmad, 2012, Rezwana, 2018; Tanny, Rahman, & Ali, 2017). The immediate effects of natural disasters are found in marital disruptions, unplanned pregnancy, lack of access to contraception and contraceptive use, abortion, lack of antenatal perinatal …

Understanding The Psychosocial And Physical Health Impacts Of Colorism: Discrimination Of African Americans Based On Skin Color, Latocia Keyes

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Colorism is a complex phenomenon which was birthed by racism and uses the observable human characteristic of skin color as a metric for worth in society. Colorism as practiced since its inception demonstrates intolerance for African features and promotes acceptance based on the approximate physiological similarity to a European standard. This social construct has served as a divisive wedge in the Black community. The issue is further complicated by the dynamics of interpersonal beliefs and group socialization in a variety of settings. Skin bleaching, tanning, and chemical hair straighteners all have the potential risk to impact physical health that causes …

Dop-Coroners’ Study 2019 Final Report: Assessing Coroners’ Needs, Brittany Willmore, B. Shine Cho, Jeanette Harder

Reports

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) partnered with Support and Training for the Evaluation of Programs (STEPs) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to assess the needs of Nebraska county coroners in conducting drug overdose death investigations.

To develop a clear understanding of the Nebraska county coroners’ needs, STEPs conducted an online survey of 91 county coroners who are serving 93 Nebraska counties, according to Nebraska DHHS’s internal data. STEPs administered the survey on July 23, 2019, and closed it on August 16, 2019. 28 people participated in the survey and 25 completed it, giving a …

Predictors Of Empirically-Supported Interventions Following Structured Functional Assessment., Alton Nathaniel Verbist

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessment is foundational to the process of evidence-based practice yet has received little research attention. Project SAFESPACE has recently initiated screening and assessment for all children entering out of home care in Kentucky with the goal of providing assessment-driven, evidence-based treatment. The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment—the instrument adopted in this service system—is designed to link the assessment process with the selection of appropriate interventions. Informed by naturalistic decision making, this dissertation sought to investigate the relationship between responses on the CANS assessment and the empirically supported interventions subsequently prescribed by the assessing clinician. Using secondary data …

Promoting Productive Aging Among Low-Income Older Adults, Sarah Matsuoka

Student Capstone Papers

Productive aging is a topic of great significance due to the increasing older adult population. Interfaith provides services to older adults in low-income housing to help support their abilities to remain more independent as they age. The purpose of the capstone was to gain understanding of marginalized older adults instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) performance issues. The preliminary objectives were to (1) establish an understanding of the needs of the older adults; (2) perform in-depth interviews for the needs assessment; (3) assess current resources available in North County San Diego; and (4) develop a program incorporating recommendations to increase …

Amp’S Top Ten Tips For Engaging With Young People, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures, Portland State University

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This tip sheet advises service providers and others how to engage successfully with youth, using specific examples to illustrate effective (and ineffective) communication.

Does The Decriminalization Of Prostitution Reduce Rape And Sexually Transmitted Disease? A Review Of Cunningham And Shah Findings, Lily Lachapelle, Clare Schneider, Melanie Shapiro, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In 2013, research findings by Cunningham and Shah claimed that rape and sexually transmitted diseases were reduced by decriminalized prostitution in Rhode Island. The original unpublished claims have received wide media coverage which have gone unexamined. This review finds errors in their analyses. One error is the date when prostitution was decriminalized in Rhode Island. Cunningham and Shah claim that prostitution was decriminalized in 2003. Our analysis finds the date of decriminalization of prostitution was 1980. The change in the start date of decriminalization significantly alters the analysis and the findings. Another error results from Cunningham and Shah using an …

Comparative Spending Of Medicaid Dollars On Child Participants Of Kentucky’S Sobriety Treatment And Recovery Teams Program Versus A Matched Comparison Group., Matthew Thomas Walton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child protective services agencies have long observed the complicating role that parental substance use and addiction plays in cases of child maltreatment. Families who struggle with these problems present unique challenges for child welfare professionals. These families are typically more difficult to engage, more likely to have children removed from the home, and have poorer outcomes when compared to other families. These poorer outcomes often include health problems. Addiction has well-known effects on health, and the specific manifestations of these problems for parents have been documented for years in child protection casework. However, what has been less investigated are the …

Suicide Ideation, Planning, And Attempts: The Case Of The Latinx Lgb Youth, Javier F. Boyas, Tatiana Villarreal-Otálora, Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez, Mariam Fatehi

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Guided by an ecological systems theory (EST) framework, the purpose of the present study was to investigate how multiple micro, mezzo, and macro factors influence the suicidality continuum from suicidal ideation to suicide attempt among Latinx LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) youth living in the United States.

Methods: Data for this cross sectional-study included 451 participants who self-identified as Latinx LGB on the 2017-National Youth Risk Behavioral Survey. The analysis explored micro, mezzo, and macro-level factors’ association with three suicidality outcomes (ideation, planning, and attempt) at the bivariate and multivariate level. Since the outcome variables were dichotomized, univariate logistic …

Interrogating The Construction And Representations Of Criminalized Women In The Academic Social Work Literature: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Sandra Marie Leotti

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States today, there are 2.3 million people behind bars in jails and prisons. Mass incarceration has swept up the United States to such a degree that we are known globally for holding more people in correctional facilities than any other country in the world. Although women have always, and still do, reflect a smaller proportion of the correctional population, over the last 40 years, their rates of criminalization and imprisonment have far outpaced that of men's. Drastic increases in the criminalization of women are intimately connected to the entrenchment of social disadvantage enabled under neoliberal globalization. Neoliberal …

The Future Of Environmental Social Work: Looking To Community Initiatives For Models Of Prevention, Samantha Teixeira, John Mathias, Amy Krings

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

Social work responses to environmental degradation have sought to mitigate harm that has already occurred and create strategies to respond or adapt to environmental hazards. Despite a good deal of literature suggesting the promise of prevention-focused models, social workers have less frequently considered prevention models to address environmental issues. In this manuscript, we consider how communities engaged in environmentally-based prevention work might inform the development of ecosocial work practice. We describe how a prevention-focused agenda, in partnership with communities, can be a promising avenue for ecosocial work practice to address the root causes of environmental degradation and its social impacts.

The Role Of Positive Youth Development, Educational Policy, And Cultural Relevancy In School Settings, Rolanda L. Ward, Tanyetta A. Carter

eJournal of Public Affairs

Changes in federal education legislation have presented scholars, educational activists, and educators with an opportunity to influence educational outcomes that are youth-centered and youth-driven, specifically among students of color in underserved schools. Opportunities for youth to initiate, design, implement, and evaluate district programs and interventions are beneficial not only to youths’ intrinsic development, but also to the school communities in which they spend the most time. This article links the growth and promotion of positive youth development (PYD) theories and programming to current federal policy changes that support the inclusion of youth in school reform. The authors also discuss historical …

Effectively Using & Sharing Data, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

The QIC-WD recently had the opportunity to talk with a group of human services training evaluators in Baltimore about how to effectively use and share data. The QIC-WD has a dissemination plan and data visualization experts to help our team and our sites use and share data for a variety of purposes. We shared the following tips to help evaluators determine what to share, when, and why.

• Plan for dissemination – that is, identify who needs the information and how best to get it to them.
• Consider who is in your target audience and how they like to receive information. …

Effectively Using & Sharing Data, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Other QIC-WD Products

The QIC-WD recently had the opportunity to talk with a group of human services training evaluators in Baltimore about how to effectively use and share data. The QIC-WD has a dissemination plan and data visualization experts (learn more here) to help our team and our sites use and share data for a variety of purposes. We shared the following tips to help evaluators determine what to share, when, and why.

• Plan for dissemination – that is, identify who needs the information and how best to get it to them.
• Consider who is in your target audience and how they …

Peer Victimization And Illicit Drug Use Among African American Adolescents In Chicago: The Moderating Effects Of Religious Affiliation, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: Investigators have examined the moderating effects of young people’s relationships with parents, teachers, and peers on victimization and on adverse outcomes such as drug use. However, the moderating influence of religious affiliation on the association between peer victimization and illicit drug use, the focus of this paper, has seldom been examined. Method: Participants were 638 low-income African American youth ages 12–22 (mean age = 15.8; 54% female and 46% male) in Chicago, IL. We conducted hierarchical logistic regression analyses to examine the moderating effect of religious affiliation on the relationship between peer victimization and illicit drug use. Results: Youths …

Volunteering And Measures Of Human Development, Benjamin J. Lough Phd

Center for Social Development Research

Through volunteering, millions of people actively participate in the work of overcoming challenges to human development. But how do differences in income, gender, access to education, labor-force participation, and other factors influence people’s participation in volunteering? Created as part of a global research agenda to inform connections between volunteering and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this brief reports results on correlations between national rates of volunteering (both formal and informal) and key indicators of human development. The findings suggest that differences in levels of human development, standards of living, and other key indicators play roles in whether a nation’s …

Understanding School Sabotage Among Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence From Diverse Populations, Rachel Voth Schrag, Tonya Edmond, Anne Nordberg

Social Work Faculty Publications & Presentations-Archive

Education is an important pathway to safety for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Recent work documents tactics of school sabotage (behaviors aimed at sabotaging education) identified by school staff and advocates. However, more needs to be known about the perspectives of survivors. As part of a multiphasic study of 435 female community college students, 20 semi-structured interviews with IPV survivors were conducted. Identified tactics included disrupting child care, emotional abuse, and using manipulation to limit access to campus or resources. Identified impacts include preventing focus, diminished academic achievement, emotional or mental health challenges, and instilling a desire to overcome. …

Proving Their Love: Violence And Gender Norms In Descriptions Of Relationships Among Rural Mexican Adolescents, Heidi Adams Rueda, Steven Hoffman, Kaitlin Grytza

Faculty Publications

Mexican youth from impoverished areas are at increased risk for experiencing relationship violence. Research in the United States has suggested that perpetration may be contextualized by culturally-influenced gender values, specifically performance of negative aspects of male masculinity (i.e., machismo) and its female counterpart (i.e., marianismo). This study utilized focus group methods to explore how middle school adolescents (N = 98) from a rural area of Central Mexico differentiate between healthy and unhealthy dating relationships.

We evoked a feminist developmental lens to interpret themes which centralized males as physical and sexual aggressors and to offer culturally-relevant program and practice recommendations.

Technology And Dating Among Pregnant And Parenting Youth In Residential Foster Care: A Mixed Qualitative Approach Comparing Staff And Adolescent Perspectives, Heidi Adams Rueda, Megan Lindsay Brown, Jennifer M. Geiger

Social Work Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to explore the role of technology in the dating and sexual experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescent girls placed in residential foster care. Interviews with program staff (N = 12; 50% Hispanic) and focus groups with adolescent foster youth (N = 13; 46% Hispanic) were conducted to understand how technologies (e.g., cell phone, texting, and social media) influence youth’s dating lives, including how youth navigate conflict with a dating partner in technology spaces and their experiences with cyber abuse. Both staff and youth emphasized technology as providing an outlet from the home …

Having A Known, Trusted Support Person During Labour And Birth: Perceptions Of Indonesian (Javanese) Women, Their Support Persons And Midwives, Natalia

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Childbirth is a life changing experience for women, yet most women feel anxious with regard to this event. Research has shown that support from family or friends can help to reduce anxiety intrapartum, however, the standard procedure at most maternity centres in Indonesia is to not allow any person in the birthing room except midwives.

This study investigated the impact of the presence of a support person on the anxiety of women giving birth in Surabaya, Indonesia. The originality of this study is in trying to understand the whole picture about support during labour and childbirth by listening to women, …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The Emergence Of Partitioned Land Use Among Human Foragers, Jacob Freeman, John M. Anderies, Raymond P. Mauldin, Robert J. Hard

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Taking inspiration from the archaeology of the Texas Coastal Plain (TCP), we develop an ecological theory of population distribution among mobile hunter-gatherers. This theory proposes that, due to the heterogeneity of resources in space and time, foragers create networks of habitats that they access through residential cycling and shared knowledge. The degree of cycling that individuals exhibit in creating networks of habitats, encoded through social relationships, depends on the relative scarcity of resources and fluctuations in those resources. Using a dynamic model of hunter-gatherer population distribution, we illustrate that increases in population density, coupled with shocks to a biophysical or …

Social Networks Moderate The Syndemic Effect Of Psychosocial And Structural Factors On Hiv Risk Among Young Black Transgender Women And Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

The interaction between the cumulative effect of psychosocial and structural factors (i.e. syndemic effect) and social networks among young Black transgender women and men who have sex with men (YBTM) remains understudied. A representative cohort of 16–29 year-old YBTM (n = 618) was assessed for syndemic factors [i.e. substance use; community violence; depression; poverty; justice system involvement (JSI)], social network characteristics, condomless anal sex (CAS), group sex (GS), and HIV-infection. The syndemic index significantly increased the odds of CAS, GS, and HIV-infection, and these effects were moderated by network characteristics. Network JSI buffered the effect on CAS, romantic network members …

Pathogens Without Borders: Ecological Determinants Of Sexual Risk-Taking Behaviors Among International Travelers Across The Life Course, Yok-Fong Paat, Luis R. Torres-Hostos

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Purpose

Drawing insights from the ecological theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore social determinants related to pathways to high-risk sexual behaviors of international travelers across their life span.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 45 international travelers in Houston, a critical transit point frequented by international visitors.

Findings

Overall, several ecological settings (individuals, interpersonal, institutional and contextual) related to two typologies of international travelers (risk takers vs non-risk takers) and their inclination to engage in high-risk sexual practices in an international or/and local context were identified.

Research limitations/implications

This research calls for the need to assess high-risk sexual …

Improving Access To Addiction Recovery Care In Central Appalachia Through Organizational Collaboration, Katy Stigers

Journal of Appalachian Health

Fahe, a Network of 50+ members throughout Appalachia based in Berea KY, has brought together a coalition to finance, build, and manage several addiction recovery care centers across Kentucky and West Virginia, increase access to employment, and deploy vouchers for supportive services.

Contributors To Wisconsin’S Persistent Black-White Gap In Life Expectancy, Max T. Roberts, Eric N. Reither, Sojung Lim

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background

Although the black-white gap in life expectancy has narrowed in the U.S., there is considerable variability across states. In Wisconsin, the black-white gap exceeds 6 years, well above the national average. Reducing this disparity is an urgent public health priority, but there is limited understanding of what contributes to Wisconsin’s racial gap in longevity. Our investigation identifies causes of death that contribute most to Wisconsin’s black-white gap in life expectancy among males and females, and highlights specific ages where each cause of death contributes most to the gap.

Methods

Our study employs 1999–2016 restricted-use mortality data provided by the …

Dangerous Abusive Relationships And Sources Of Resilience For South Asian Immigrant Women Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Bushra Sabri, Shreya Bhandari, Anuja Shah

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

This study explored South Asian immigrant women survivors’ perspectives on intimate partner relationships that could lead to severe violence or a homicide and sources of resilience for South Asian immigrant survivors in the United States. The study recruited 16 South Asian immigrant survivors for in-depth interviews and focus groups. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Survivors shared some characteristics of dangerous partner such as controlling behavior, anger issues, infidelity, alcohol and drug problems, and history of childhood abuse. Incidents of severe physical abuse, threats to kill, possession of a weapon, and suspicious behavior led survivors to feel fearful for their …