Social Work Commons^™

What Removal Causes Are Most Common For Children In Foster Care? Are There Discrepancies Across Age Groups?, Elise Woodliff

Social Work Theses - Archive

Although there has been recent focus on child welfare to prevent removals, little literature has examined reasons children are removed among diverse developmental stages. The present study explores the multifaceted demographics of children in the foster care system in order to recognize who is being affected by what removal causes. The purpose of this study is to better understand the foster care system to target interventions and screenings for children under eighteen years of age in the United States. Quantitative measures were used to analyze statistics that were made available through the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. …

Peer-Led Mental Health Services On College Campuses: A Scoping Review, Anadja Tamofo

Social Work Theses - Archive

This scoping review explores peer-led mental health services on college campuses, focusing on virtual mental well-being support. It examines the implementation, effectiveness, and outcomes of these interventions, highlighting the pivotal role of peer supporters. The review identifies three key themes: the importance of structured implementation, the effectiveness of peer-led interventions in reducing stigma and improving outcomes, and the psychosocial benefits and challenges faced by peer supporters. Significant gaps remain in understanding how to train and support peer supporters effectively, especially in virtual environments. Addressing these gaps can enhance program sustainability, improve student well-being, and foster supportive campus environments.

Surveying The Policy Landscape Concerning Tgd Youth In Schools, Dustin Ward

Social Work Theses - Archive

Recently, there has been a precipitous rise in anti-TGD legislation across state legislatures, growing from 143 proposed bills in 2021 to 604 in 2023. This pronounced increase in TGD-restrictive legislation may exacerbate existing stressors experienced by TGD youth. This study uses Ecological Systems Theory as a framework to conceptualize how this legislation might worsen the emotional strain and related risks experienced by TGD youth. All proposed and enacted state policies from January 1st, 2023, to December 31st, 2023, impacting the school environments of TGD youth were collected, and the characteristics were categorized according to domain, policy instruments, consequences specified, and …

Boiling Behind Bars: Exploring The Hidden Toll Of Extreme Heat On Mental Health In Texas Prisons, Sandra K. Miller

Social Work Theses - Archive

The State of Texas supports the largest prison system in the US and held 132,859 people in 100 units scattered across the state as of December 2023. Approximately 70% of Texas prison beds are not air conditioned, despite the state’s reputation for dangerously hot, humid summers. The State has officially recorded temperatures inside Texas prison facilities as high as 120 degrees with heat index values of over 150. Although there is a growing body of research on the negative physiological and psychological consequences of extreme heat among the general public, little is known about the physical and emotional toll of …

Assessing Attitudes And Self-Efficacy In Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training: The Impact Of Lived Experience And Prior Mental Health Education Among College Students, Andreea Morin

Social Work Theses - Archive

Gatekeeper training is a suicide prevention strategy aimed at providing individuals who frequently interact with those potentially at risk of suicide with the necessary knowledge and skills to recognize signs and offer support. There is limited research exploring the impact of lived experience and prior mental health education on self-efficacy and attitude outcomes. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how these factors impact self-efficacy and attitudes among college students gatekeepers. Participants (n= 652) were mostly female (62%), White (80%), Christian (72%), and straight (90%). Participants were divided into four groups based on different levels of …

Prevalence Of Non-Communicable Diseases Among Household Contacts Of People With Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review And Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis, Yohhei Hamada, Matteo Quartagno, Farihah Malik, Keolebogile Ntshamane, Anna Tisler, Sanjay Gaikwad, Carlos Acuna-Villaorduna, Perumal Kannabiran Bhavani, Bachti Alisjahbana, Katharina Ronacher, Lika Apriani, Mercedes Becerra, Alexander L. Chu, Jacob Creswell, Gustavo Diaz, Beatriz E. Ferro, Jerome T. Galea, Louis Grandjean, Harleen M. Grewal, Amita Gupta, Edward C. Jones-López, Léanie Kleynhans, Leonid Lecca, Peter Macpherson, Megan Murray, Diana Marín, Blanca I. Restrepo, Shri Vijay Shivakumar, Eileen Shu, Dhanasekaran Sivakumaran, Luan Nguyen Vo, Emily L. Webb, Andrew Copas, Ibrahim Abubakar, Molebogeng X. Rangaka

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of non-communicable diseases among household contacts of people with tuberculosis.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. We searched Medline, Embase and the Global Index Medicus from inception to 16 May 2023. We included studies that assessed for at least one non-communicable disease among household contacts of people with clinical tuberculosis. We estimated the non-communicable disease prevalence through mixed effects logistic regression for studies providing individual participant data, and compared it with estimates from aggregated data meta-analyses. Furthermore, we compared age and sex-standardised non-communicable disease prevalence with national-level estimates standardised for …

What Are We Waiting For? A Collection Of Poems And Essays About Family, Love, Loss, Time, And Hope, Right/Write To Heal, Skye Adams, D W, N L, D G, Jillian Foley, Madison Burke, Erica King, Becky Wurwarg

Justice Policy

This anthology is a collaboration with the Opportunity Scholars project and the Right/Write to Heal Initiative. The collection tells the stories of women and their families who have been impacted by incarceration in Maine and New York, the pathways that brought them to justice system involvement, and what inspires them to remain hopeful. These stories of family, love, loss, time, and hope were written by residents at the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center and the Women’s Center at the Maine Correctional Center, and partners from New York who participated in a weekly creative writing project together. The authors and editors …

Feasibility In Embedding Charismatic Leadership Strategies Into Social Work Applications, Lana Grinev

Student Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine whether charismatic leadership strategies can be successfully implemented within structures, systems and tasks for social workers to increase case management successes, particularly client well-being, given that the six key charismatic leadership traits align with presented professionally bound ethical expectations. Design/methodology/approach – A short generic qualitative review was done over fifteen publications, emphasizing the effects of charismatic leadership in domestic and foreign occupational domains. Findings – Methodological, thematic and theoretical analyses show that charismatic leadership strategies are active in relevant social work domains with positive participant impacts. Practical implications – The …

Documented Outcomes Of Informal Caregivers Delivering Home-Based Interventions To Persons Living With Dementia: A Scoping Review, Andrea H. Meller

Social Work Theses - Archive

Most people living with dementia in the United States reside at home with informal caregivers. Yet research regarding non-pharmacological interventions for persons living with dementia is mainly conducted in institutional settings. Also, research into the impacts of interventions for persons with dementia on informal caregivers is scarce. This scoping review aims to map the breadth of literature on outcomes of informal caregivers delivering home-based interventions to people with dementia through the lens of the stress process model. Using the Arskey & O’Malley framework, an initial database search yielded 3,977 studies of which 22 were included in this review. Results revealed …

Is The Virtual Therapy Experience A Sufficient Means For Person-Centered Therapy? A Systematic Review, Aaron Feibush

Social Work Theses - Archive

Background: American psychologist Carl Rogers is considered the main originator of person-centered therapy (PCT), a psychotherapeutic approach which focuses on self-actualizing abilities of the client which emerge when engaged in an environment of three core conditions established by the therapist: unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. Over the last several decades there have been thousands of studies that demonstrate support for these three core conditions as necessary features of effective therapy. However, with the emergence of psychotherapy being conducted via telehealth in the last several years, in particular since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it remains unknown …

Exploring The Process Of Seeking Informal Social Support For Intimate Partner Violence Among African Immigrants Residing In The United States, Ricka Olga Mammah

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Intimate partner violence against women is a pervasive global issue. For African immigrants in the United States, IPV continues to be a social problem, with many survivors seeking support from their informal networks. Informal networks refer to the social connections and relationships that individuals have outside of formal or professional settings, such as family members, friends, and acquaintances who provide emotional, practical, and social support. However, various cultural, religious, social, and legal barriers can make seeking informal social support for IPV challenging. To improve interventions designed to reach this vulnerable population, more inquiry is needed into how African immigrant survivors …

Trauma Exposure’S Influence On How Black Superwomen Cope And Perceive Stress, Latisha Thomas

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Black women in the United States experience high levels of lifetime trauma exposure, which significantly affects their perceived stress and coping mechanisms. The lifetime trauma experienced by Black women in the United States is a large and intricate issue shaped by numerous historical, cultural, and structural elements that affect their perceived stress and coping mechanisms. Lifetime trauma encompasses a wide range of painful events or experiences that transpire throughout an individual's life, significantly and persistently affecting their mental, emotional, and physical health (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). These traumatic occurrences can encompass a broad range of experiences, including physical …

Outpatient Fall Prevention In Ambulatory Adults 65 Years Old And Over, Dorothy L. Osborne-White

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: In the United States (U.S.), falls are the leading cause of injury among adults 65 and over, resulting in 36 million falls yearly (Moreland et al., 2020). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), one in four older adults experiences a fall each year. Falls are the world's second most prominent cause of accidental deaths (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults (Moreland et al., 2020).

Methods: A quality improvement project that included a fall bundle was implemented in a primary clinic. A …

Editorial: The Unlearning Of School Attendance: Ideas For Change, Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, Arya Ansari, Michael Gottfried, Ineke Marshall

Founder’s College - Scholarship and Professional Work

No abstract provided.

Embracing Change: From Recalibration To Radical Overhaul For The Field Of School Attendance, David Heyne, Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, Glenn A. Melvin, Gil Keppens, Catriona O’Toole, Lisa Mckay-Brown

Founder’s College - Scholarship and Professional Work

In a world characterized by dynamic demographic shifts, rapid technological transformations, and evolving pedagogical practices, the need for reimagining school attendance and a relationship with education has become paramount. This Research Topic, boldly titled “The Unlearning of School Attendance: Ideas for Change,” compels us to challenge conventional thinking and working in this domain. The collection of 12 articles offers compelling opportunities for change, ranging from subtle recalibrations to radical overhauls, depending on the extent to which our current ideas and methods have grown outdated. This opening article serves as a thematic guide, curating the diverse prospects for transformation found within …

“I Learned To Bottle Up My Feelings From A Young Age”: A Narrative Analysis Of Latina Young People’S Family Mental Health Socialization, Jenn M. Lilly

Social Service Faculty Publications

Latina young people report high levels of mental health problems and low levels of help-seeking compared with their white peers, but little research has examined factors influencing their mental health views. Inductive analysis of 25 participants’ narratives revealed that Latina young people described three stages in the development of their mental health-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors: undergoing a process of family mental health socialization, suffering in silence, and attaining a new perspective. Within each of these phases, participants shared stories that attest to their agency and resilience. This research uncovers a novel theoretical construct, “family mental health socialization,” which elucidates …

Barriers And Bridges To Well-Being For Latinx Immigrant Youth In A New Latinx Destination: A Digital Narrative Inquiry, Jenn M. Lilly

Social Service Faculty Publications

An increasing number of Latinx young people in the United States are facing unique challenges to attaining and maintaining well-being as residents of new Latinx destinations. This study analyzes the testimonios of 12 Latinx immigrant youth (aged 18–21) who participated in a digital narrative research project in New Orleans – a new Latinx destination in the US South. Findings are interpreted and discussed through the lens of the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST), revealing Latinx young people’s perspectives on the barriers to experiencing well-being, the “bridges” that helped them to experience well-being despite those barriers, and the ways …

Assertive Community Treatment As An Alternative To Incarceration For American Pretrial Detainees, Brian Zampella, Simone Talton, Jonathan Lam, Anzalee Khan, Tuborah Bryant, Michal Kunz

Social Service Faculty Publications

In the United States and elsewhere around the world, people with serious mental illness (SMI) are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Clinical interventions to divert such individuals out of correctional settings, including Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), have been shown to reduce rates of criminal justice recidivism when modified to allow for the use of court sanctions to encourage treatment adherence. However, these interventions are noted to be underutilized as alternative to incarceration (ATI) programs. This paper summarizes the results of a retrospective cohort study conducted in a New York State forensic psychiatric hospital of 87 pretrial detainees admitted after …

Considering A Unified Model Of Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Social Work: A Systematic Review, Michael Garkish, Lauri Goldkind

Social Service Faculty Publications

Social work, as a human rights–based profession, is globally recognized as a profession committed to enhancing human well-being and helping meet the basic needs of all people, with a particular focus on those who are marginalized vulner- able, oppressed, or living in poverty. Artificial intelligence (AI), a sub-discipline of computer science, focuses on develop- ing computers with decision-making capacity. The impacts of these two disciplines on each other and the ecosystems that social work is most concerned with have considerable unrealized potential. This systematic review aims to map the research landscape of social work AI scholarship. The authors analyzed the …

Introducing Generative Artificial Intelligence Into The Msw Curriculum: A Proposal For The 2029 Educational Policy And Accreditation Standards, Maria Rodriguez, Lauri Goldkind, Bryan Victor, Barb Hilz, Brian Perron

Social Service Faculty Publications

The most recent Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) demands that social workers develop competence in the ethical and professional deployment of technology. Arguably, artificial intelligence has become a critical element in the technological landscape, most recently with the advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). Beginning in late 2022, there has been an explosion of interest in GenAI, along with a massive and ongoing rollout of GenAI tools for personal and professional use, such as ChatGPT. While GenAI will undoubtedly affect social work practice, scholars and ethicists have raised crucial concerns about GenAI, its potential …

Implementing Social Determinants Of Health Data Collection In A Large Urban Pediatric Hospital Setting, Stormee Williams, Kristina Hill, Barry Owen, Forest Melton

Research

No abstract provided.

A Community-Academic Partnered Approach To Designing A Virtual Village To Address The Needs Of Older Adults Living With Hiv, Annie L. Nguyen, Andrea N. Polonijo, Jerome T. Galea, Moka Yoo-Jeong, Jeff Taylor, Erik L. Ruiz, Karah Greene, Jasmine L. Lopez, Christopher Christensonf, Brandon Brown

Social Work Faculty Publications

Many older adults living with HIV face unique challenges, including comorbidities, loneliness, and isolation. This community-academic partnered study elicited viewpoints from older adults living with HIV about the characteristics of a digital environment (“Virtual Village”) to combat against loneliness and isolation. We utilized Choice-Based Conjoint Analyses to determine preferred attributes of a Virtual Village. We also conducted focus groups and interviews with older adults living with HIV and used an iterative, data-driven approach to systematically identify emergent themes. Participants (N = 82) were aged 50–82 years and racially/ethnically diverse. The majority were men (78%), gay (66%), and lived with …

Madly In Love: A Meditation On The Capacity Of Love And Madness, Sarah Jane

CGU Theses & Dissertations

"Madly in Love" contends that madness is not merely a condition to be pathologized buta 'supernatural' universal energy that transcends realms, moving through and around all bodies and leaving profound bio-physiological imprints. This dissertation introduces the concept of neo- madness, which recognizes the intricate interplay between this ethereal energy and the corporeal, reshaping our understanding of mental health. This work calls for a radical reimagining of how we witness, honor, and engage with madness by adopting a neo-mad love discourse, methodology, and pedagogy. It centers critical love, a blend of empathy, compassion, and active critical engagement, as essential to creating …

Alternative Shelter Evaluation Report, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry, Emily Leickly, Franklin H. Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes research by Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative for the Joint Office of Homeless Services on the cost, participant experiences, and client outcomes in village-style and motel shelters as compared to each other and to traditional, congregate shelters.

Housing For Transgender And Gender Expansive People In The U.S. South, Aaron M. Kemmerer

Theses and Dissertations

Housing is a prominent issue for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) people around the world. There is a dearth of research about TGE people experiencing homelessness (TGE PEH) in the U.S. South. This dissertation aims to amplify the voices of TGE Southerners around the social concerns of housing and homelessness – this work also disrupts gendered and racialized narratives about housing injustice, exposing the salience of intersectional discrimination and cisgenderism in housing outcomes for TGE people. Using narrative and visual methods, this dissertation re-presents stories and recommendations from in-depth interview data collected from a small qualitative sample of Southern TGE …

Intersectionality, Racial Discrimination And Oral Healthcare Utilization Among Black Adults In Baltimore City, Maryland, Briona M. Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Oral health is essential for overall well-being, yet disparities persist, particularly among marginalized populations including Black adults. Limited access to and underutilization of oral healthcare services exacerbate these disparities. Discrimination, both individual and systemic, acts as a significant barrier to accessing care, contributing to disparities in oral health outcomes. Individuals facing discrimination experience mistrust and fear within oral healthcare settings, leading to delayed or avoided care. Therefore, investigating and addressing discrimination among Black adults is essential for promoting equitable access to oral healthcare, improving overall oral health outcomes, and lessening existing disparities.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this dissertation was …

One Man's Trash - Montana Kaimen - April 11, 2024 | Volume 126 | Issue No. 26, Isabella Jasper Rain Chambers

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

No abstract provided.

"I Call Them Supermoms": Therapists' Reflections On The Impact Of Youth Sexual Offending On Latina Mothers, Mauricio P. Yabar

Theses and Dissertations

Families of youth who have sexually offended often suffer significant collateral consequences following the discovery of the sexual offense. Samples in research with these families disproportionately consist of mothers and other female parental figures. This is rarely acknowledged in the literature, and the experiences of these mothers have not been explicitly examined. In addition, research on the experiences of these families has largely ignored factors related to race and ethnicity. This is a significant oversight considering the prevalence of systemic racism and discrimination in the United States, particularly in the systems with which these families must interact (e.g., juvenile justice …

Exploring The Therapeutic Relationship In Mental Health Therapy With Queer And Disabled Adults, Rachel Womack

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Queerness and disability have been shown to be intimately connected, with members of the LGBTQIA+ community significantly more likely to identify as disabled compared to the general population. Though there are roughly 3-5 million queer and disabled individuals living in the United States, this remains a multiply marginalized and understudied population. Owing partially to stigma, minority stress, and discrimination, these individuals face an increased risk of a variety of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, self-harm, PTSD, and suicidality. Additionally, several barriers to mental health treatment exist, including inaccessible services, lack of provider knowledge, and outright discrimination from providers. Though …

Stories Of Dismantling Whiteness In Social Work Educational Spaces, Jeanean Mohr

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Social work and higher education are rooted in systems of racism and exclusion and continue to operate as racialized spaces. As the social work profession grapples with its past and calls upon social work educators to support efforts to undo structural racism, paying attention to what is happening in educational spaces is essential. In this study, I examined the stories and tensions of White Social Work faculty engaged in efforts to dismantle whiteness in their classrooms, departments, and universities. Using narrative inquiry, I interviewed nine White faculty from different universities representing five regions across the United States. I explored their …