Social Work Commons^™

Disrupting The School-To-Prison Pipeline: The Development Of Strong, Stable Relationships, Mackiah Hoff

Senior Capstone Papers

The “school-to-prison pipeline” is a disturbing national trend where school policies and practices unjustly funnel children—namely children who are Black and Brown and/or have disabilities—into the Juvenile Justice system. Students of color are far more likely to be suspended, expelled, or arrested for the same kind of behavior as their white peers, and youth with disabilities are acutely affected by schools who ignore due process protections. Such students would benefit from extra supports and resources but instead face zero-tolerance policies, exclusionary discipline, and unreasonable difficulties with re-entry into school. The following research presents a review of current literature as it …

Reclaiming Our Streets: A Framework For Mobility Justice, Calah Gipson

Senior Capstone Papers

In contemporary society, cars are regularly considered a way of life; to many, it is customary–or even necessary– to own one. A lack of public transportation options or non-auto focused infrastructure has created a society that highly values cars, resulting in a largely car-dependent nation. Despite this, there are still many who do not drive– whether by necessity or by choice. In order to move away from an over-prevalence of cars towards a more holistic balance in U.S. communities, a people-first outlook on streets must be purposefully demonstrated. But before a shift is made from car dependency to walkable and …

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome's Interaction With Foster Care: Exploring Challenges And Improving Outcomes, Kennedy E. Bradshaw

Senior Capstone Papers

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) diagnoses in the United States, especially in rural areas have skyrocketed in recent years in conjunction with the increase in opioid use disorders. Neonates born with this condition possess a plethora of needs. The literature indicates the effects of NAS on substance-exposed infants are shown to have negative physical, cognitive, behavioral, and educational effects throughout the life course. Children with a NAS diagnosis are more likely to be involved in the foster care system due to stigma and legal implications facing the biological mothers of this population. The proposed intervention setting is AGAPE, which employs social …

Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Relation To Domestic Violence Services, Mary Hill

Senior Capstone Papers

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), described as traumatic experiences happening within childhood in a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, are delved into in relation to the effects of trauma on well-being and individual health. A literature review is conducted around ACEs within an environment where domestic violence or interpersonal violence is present exploring the dynamics between the two, societal and generational influences, and present preventative approaches utilizing knowledge around both domestic violence and ACEs. Based on information found through a review of literature, an intervention is proposed in the form of an Awareness …

Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Gap Between Specialized And General School Systems, Alexis Ketterman

Senior Capstone Papers

Functionality, communication, socialization, and the ability to have some degree of independence are common attributes that many may not take the time to consider. However, for individuals who are autistic, these attributes are critical to forming secure relationships and successfully adapting across the lifespan. The two primary care systems paramount in supporting and nurturing social competence for children include general and specialized school systems. General school systems may not always have a well-developed understanding or awareness around a particular diagnosis or developmental disability; however, they may have a holistic special education program. Specialized schools often have access to trained professionals …

Trauma-Informed Workplace Climate, Leadership Style, And Employee Outcomes, Patricia Mowry-Cavanaugh

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Social service organizations face complex challenges in delivering quality care to their clients. In meeting these challenges, organizational culture, leadership style, and agency policies are crucial. Trauma-informed care is an approach to human service that acknowledges the prevalence of trauma and widespread effects of trauma on service users, providers, and organizations. The tenets of trauma-informed care include trauma awareness, safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, a strengths-based approach, and respect for culture and gender. This study is a comparative analysis of servant leadership, trauma-informed workplace climate, and employee factors of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Results of the quantitative research indicate that …

The State Of Transgender And Kinnar Communities In Delhi: Case Studies Connecting Socioeconomic Factors To Health, Ray Craig

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The paper seeks to draw connections between socioeconomic barriers faced by the transgender (trans) community in Delhi, India and the healthcare that the community receives. It primarily discusses transgender people who are not part of the kinnar population, with as much consideration to the experiences of the kinnar community as possible, given limited access to their circles. Five transgender individuals and two cisgender individuals who have worked with trans communities participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews to understand various factors that affect trans people’s daily lives and their healthcare experiences in Delhi. Interviews were transcribed and coded, finding common themes of …

A Mixed Method Study Of How Teachers’ Racial Bias Relates To Student-Teacher Relationships, Tasha Marie Childs

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the important role public schools serve in students’ lives, schools are at the center of racial, socio-economic, and political divide and the epicenter of traumatic events for students who are marginalized based on their racial or ethnic identity. While ample research has demonstrated educational inequities for these students, no study to date has examined the impact of teacher racial bias on the quality of student-teacher relationships within the context of the United States (US) pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade (PK-12) schools. A cross-sectional convergent mixed methods study was conducted to examine interpersonal racism in the classroom, and to specifically answer …

“Oh My God, Everyone Was Staring At Us”: The Experiences Of Transracial Fostering From The Perspective Of White Foster Parents Raising Black Youth, Christian Holmes Gorchow

Theses and Dissertations

Racial-ethnic identity is an essential component of a Black child’s development. Little is known about how transracial foster parents support Black foster children’s racial-ethnic identity development. The purpose of this dissertation was to address this gap by: (1) exploring transracial foster parents’ racial socialization practices as it relates to the care of Black foster children, (2) understanding transracial foster parents’ experiences with addressing racism and racial bias directed towards Black foster children, and (3) exploring transracial foster parents’ knowledge as it relates to the cultural needs of Black foster children. Using a thematic analytic approach, a sample of 8 White …

Racial Equity Analysis: Access To Permanent Housing And The Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool (Vi-Spdat), Mary Ann Priester

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study aimed to replicate and extend national research within the local context of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care by using propensity score methods to examine the relationships between race, program outcome, and housing prioritization among subpopulations of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Methods: This study used secondary data analysis and propensity score methods to examine deidentified client-level Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data collected from January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2021 by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Continuum of Care (CoC).

Results: Findings indicate that Whites are more likely to exit homeless services programs to temporary or institutional destinations vs. permanent housing …

Employed Desistance: Identifying Best Employment-Focused Interventions And Practices For Gang Desistance, Jacob Fergen Albert

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study examined those employment-focused interventions (services, programming, mentorship, other supports) most effective in supporting an individual’s desistance from gang involvement. Utilizing a qualitative approach (interviews, document analysis and nonparticipant observation), this study engaged with individuals and organizations involved in the critical work of gang desistance to learn what makes their practices most effective. The criticality of gang desistance work lies in its efforts to address the thousands of lives continually lost each year as a result of gang-involvement and activity. Where gangs exist in cities, towns and communities across the country (and world, for that matter), the approaches of …

The Relationship Between Academic Supplies And Academic Performance, Malissa Harris, Celia Suarez, Rylei Jaramillo, Ebony Hall, Felicia L. Murray

Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences

Many students attending college lack the resources for academic supplies to help them achieve academic success. This study was informed by Walberg’s Theory of Educational Productivity and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to aid in the understanding of how access to academic supplies affects academic achievement as well as graduation and retention rates. This research focused on the access to academic supplies and a student’s academic performance. The research was a mixed methods approach with a randomized sample of 75 participants. A hard copy survey was distributed in the highest trafficked areas on a college campus. In addition to the demographic …

Liberating Self: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Black Male Mental Health, Phillip J. Roundtree Sr.

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

This autoethnography offers a first-person perspective on Black male mental health experiences. It incorporates personal narratives and academic research to explore the intersectionality of race, gender, and mental health, as well as the impact of historical and contemporary systemic racism and discrimination on Black males' psychological and emotional well-being.

The Black Liberation Psychology theoretical framework and Africana Studies Conceptual framework examined how cultural norms, hip-hop culture, stigma, and societal factors, including racism, discrimination, and stereotypes about Black masculinity, shape Black male mental health experiences. The study also highlights Black males' development of coping mechanisms and resilience strategies to navigate these …

The Relationship Between Religion, Substance Misuse, And Mental Health Among Black Youth, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Studies suggest that religion is a protective factor for substance misuse and mental health concerns among Black/African American youth despite reported declines in their religious involvement. However, few studies have investigated the associations among religion, substance misuse, and mental health among Black youth. Informed by Critical Race Theory, we evaluated the correlations between gender, depression, substance misuse, and unprotected sex on mental health. Using multiple linear regression, we assessed self-reported measures of drug use and sex, condom use, belief in God, and religiosity on mental health among a sample of Black youth (N = 638) living in a large midwestern …

“We're Not Thriving, But We're Trying.” Exploring Undergraduate Students' Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Smith

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Undergraduate college students found their lives upended when Covid-19 pandemic mitigation efforts mandated them to leave their school settings and continue their education on virtual platforms. Research on the pandemic and related mitigation efforts has found undergraduate students to be negatively impacted. Today’s undergraduate students are primarily made up of Generation Z who are identified as having a higher reported incidence of mental health issues and have been described as less resilient when compared to other generations. Resilience is integral to undergraduate students’ mental health and educational persistence. This study sought to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on …

Do Degrees Matter? Rethinking Workforce Development For Youth With Intellectual Disabilities And Mental Health Challenges, Susan Reay, William E. Reay, Kris Tevis, Lisa Patterson

Social Work Faculty Publications

The global workforce crisis significantly impacts how evidence-based treatment is provided to youth with developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. Addressing the workforce crisis requires re-examining the long-standing methods of selecting individuals for employment based on academic degrees. This project offers an innovative workforce development option that provides specialized training to staff with advanced education degrees and staff with less education. The participants in this study were employed in a rural area of the USA within the mental health, child welfare, and correctional industries. All participants worked with youth experiencing intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Results indicated that participants …

The Influence Of Child Maltreatment In The Manifestation Of Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms At The Age 18, Maria J. Velasquez

LSU Master's Theses

Child maltreatment affects thousands of children and adolescents every year. This phenomenon is multidimensional, meaning there are different subtypes (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) known to predict various mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. While previous research has investigated mental health outcomes in maltreated youth, results may vary based on the dimensions of abuse considered. This study aims to expand on previous literature to examine how a history of child maltreatment subtypes influences the manifestation of anxiety and depressive symptoms in youth at age 18. The current study uses secondary data analysis of the Longitudinal …

Teaching And Learning Together: Situating Information Literacy In The Library Social Services Landscape Of Practice Through Online Scenario-Game-Based Training, Denise R. Shereff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A scoping literature review and a qualitative case study were conducted in this dissertation research to explore formal information literacy instruction and professional development for librarians and social workers in the context of library social services. This research provides avenues for increasing understanding about how each is prepared to provide mental health and social service information and resources in public libraries.The scoping literature review was conducted on 19 studies published since 2002 focusing on librarians’ roles in information literacy instruction in social worker education. Articles were reviewed according to published Scoping Review guidelines. Trends were described regarding instructional and technological …

Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Supported Families Raising Children With Disabilities, Allyson Baughman, Laura Brugger, Meg Comeau, Leah Hamilton, Candace Jarzombek, Caroline Parker, Stephen Roll

Social Policy Institute Research

The 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) provided temporary enhancements to the existing CTC for the tax years 2021 and 2022. Under the expanded credit, families with children under the age of 18 were eligible to receive a credit of up to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under the age of 6).

In addition, half the credit was paid out on a monthly basis rather than as a one-time payment at tax time. This provision was designed to provide more immediate financial support to families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it also supported families who were at …

Race/Ism In Field Education: Narratives Of Bipoc Field Instructors, Gita Mehrotra, Anita Gooding, Olivia K. Bormann

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Field instructors are critical to enacting social work’s signature pedagogy as they are tasked with providing agency-based learning opportunities and supervision for students. It has been well-documented that field supervisors are instrumental in students’ learning and that the supervisory relationship is central to success in field education. However, there is a dearth of research regarding issues of identity, difference, race, and/or racism in these relationships, particularly from the perspective of field instructors of color. To date, we found no published literature that focuses specifically on the experiences and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) social work field …

Building Or Burning: Critical Reflections On Social And Political Change, Amy Krings, Karen D'Angelo, Jan Ivery, Amy B. Murphy-Nguyen

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

Social change oriented toward social justice is a core tenet for social work practice. However, there are times that our profession espouses a commitment to social change and yet struggles to actualize it within research, teaching, and practice. In an effort to support social workers taking social action, we put forward the Equiticity Racial Justice Movement framework as a tool for individual or collective discernment about approaches to social change (https://www.equiticity.org/).

Affected Family Members' Communicative Management Of Opioid Misuse Stigma: Applying And Rethinking The Stigma Management Communication Typology, Sydney O'Shay, Emily Pasman, Danielle L. Hicks, Suzanne Brown, Elizabeth Aguis, Stella M. Resko

Communication Studies and Philosophy Faculty Publications

Opioid misuse is a prevalent health problem in the United States with consequences extending past the person who misuses opioids to affected family members (AFM) through courtesy stigma. The goals of this study were to understand the stigma management communication (SMC) strategies employed by AFMs when they experience courtesy stigma and changes in strategies used over time. The findings from interviews with 34 AFMs suggest the SMC strategies they employ range from those that indicate acceptance of stigma and avoidance of stigma situations to strategies where AFMs actively challenge opioid misuse stigma. However, strategy use depended on the social context …

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach To Working With Youth, Young Adults And Families, Weston J. Robins

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Eternal Strength Center for Radical Youth Work is a blended community center with customizable mental health therapeutic support for youth, young adults and families. Providing humanistic and person centered psychotherapy and counseling, alongside experiential therapies and community engagement we support families and youth struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self harm, suicidality and other challenges on their developmental growth journey.

Lack Of Counseling Services Among Adults Aged 50 And Greater, Madalyn Olson

Counselor Education Capstones

The geriatric population is increasing every year which may indicate a rising need for retirement and mental health counseling. It is essential for individuals aging out of the workforce to prepare for a life after work and know how to create a new identity. Counselors need to be aware of the different scales and assessments that are available to help determine one’s attitude towards retirement and willingness to seek counseling to prepare for retirement. Additionally, it is important to be aware that although there are counseling services available for mental health disorders and substance use disorders, these services are limited …

Building Your Organization’S Resilience Toolbox, Marina Fradera, Vincent Litrenta

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Sunrise of Philadelphia has combined Resiliency Theory with the strengths based approach of asset mapping to anchor long-term strategic planning with youth and staff wellbeing at its core. We will share this strategy for counterbalancing Adverse Childhood Experiences and the broader traumatic impact of COVID-19 by intentionally investing in protective factors as a way to build resilience among staff members, youth participants, and across our organization overall.

What Do I Do After A Student's Mental Health Crisis, Francie Livingston

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Most educators have been trained in prevention of mental health emergencies, but what do we following a crisis. Participants will learn strategies for assisting students to return to school, meeting their emotional needs, providing support for classmates, and involving the families in this process.

Green Devils Closet: How A 9x6' Corner Can Change Lives, Tracey Keim

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Using a "real" grocery list, cash money, and an unexpected situation, attendees put themselves in the shoes (or socks) of the children-at-risk and families who need support in a hands on, solution centered workshop. Workshop participants walk away with culturally relevant materials that will allow them to find funding for a 6'x9' corner of hope--at little or no cash cost. But that makes all the difference in the world.

A Girl Named Sue: A Child's Journey From Complex Trauma To Hope, Healing & Recovery, Jamie S. Like Ms.

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Audience would include any school staff, counselors, social workers, parents and community members. Many children who experience complex trauma struggle emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. In this session, participants will earn to never underestimate the impact they can make on the life of a child, that damage from childhood trauma can be mitigated and that relationships, relationships, relationships are the key to everything!

“It’S Just Hard Reaching Out”: Factors Affecting Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Independent College Students., Beth Sapiro, Svetlana Shpiegel, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz, Marissa Ventola, Oomi Helen Nwankwo, Tariro Munyereyi

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

Independent students pursue higher education without financial, practical, and sometimes emotional support from family. For these students, asking for assistance when needed is key for college persistence. Decisions around help-seeking are shaped by multiple factors but are often portrayed as a solely individual decision. This study examined factors affecting help seeking among independent students enrolled in a four-year university. Within a process evaluation of a campus support program for independent students, we conducted in-depth, individual interviews with 23 independent students ages 18–23, as well as 5 university staff. Students described a range of psychological and relational factors influencing their willingness …

Understanding Lived Experiences Of Stigma For People Living With Hiv: A Community Based Participatory Research Study, Brent Oliver Dr., Catherine Pearl, Egbert S. Felix – John, Deborah Norris, Folasade J. Elizabeth Olaniyan, Kim Samson, Aniela Dela Cruz, Gabriel Aseselin, Kate Berezowski, Celeste Hayward, Becky Vam Tassel, Floyd Visser

The Qualitative Report

The goal of this project was to better understand the experiences and impacts of HIV stigma and discrimination on people living with HIV and to co-create knowledge that has the potential to challenge existing stigma within the healthcare, social services, and public policy sectors in the province of Alberta, Canada. We employed community-based participatory research and a mixed methods design (survey methods and qualitative interviews) to address these questions. An online survey was completed by 148 people living with HIV and semi-structured interviews were conducted with an additional 20 participants. The research findings have been conceptualized within a social ecological …