Social Work Commons^™

Exploring The Occupational Risks Among Human Service Professionals: A Trauma-Informed Approach To Caring For Others And Ourselves, Shaian Kong

Master of Arts in Human Services

It is known that human service practitioners are often expected to maintain empathy, compassion, emotional regulation, and professionalism during high-stress or uncertain situations. These experiences expose practitioners to a unique intersection of trauma. While helping others through their own trauma, practitioners may also experience symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, emotional exhaustion, sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, and avoidance despite not directly experiencing the traumatic events themselves. Current literature highlights these existing occupational risks that may hinder sustained career development, increased compassion fatigue, and affect workplace standards and support. With things like frequent increase in workloads, workforce shortages, and insufficient professional support, practitioners …

The Phenomenology Of Residential Youth In Child Welfare Settings And The Social Workers Who Work With Them., April Leigh Rorabaugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study examines the experiences and challenges faced by social workers in child placement for adolescents aged 12-18 within North Carolina’s child welfare system, an issue that warrants immediate attention. Hardworking and determined social workers are on the ground fighting in an already overtaxed system that is resulting in options that are frighteningly few for the care our youth so desperately need. Many of the most vulnerable children in the welfare system are being placed in other states for residential treatment. This is not only traumatic but also robs youth of everything they are familiar with at such a …

Msw Professional Portfolio, Sierra Trivaye Singer

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Trauma And Behavioral Health Trends: A Study Of Cans Data From Kentucky’S Child Welfare System., Bradley Scott

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

Children who are involved in the child welfare system experience disproportionately higher rates of trauma and unmet behavioral health needs, which at times often go unmet. This study uses a secondary data analysis of administrative data compiled from the Analysis of Screening and Assessment Practice Study completed by the University of Louisville from Project SAFESPACE data organized from the 2022 assessment year across a sample of 3.759 youth involved in the child welfare system. The study found that a youth who was found to be demonstrating an adjustment to trauma is highly predictive of additional traumatic event exposure. Additionally, it …

Closing Remarks: Eyes Wide Shut, Sex Trafficking Of Women And Girls In The Black Community, Stephany Powell

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

“My Voice Is Trauma, My Voice Is Healing:” A Feminist, Trauma-Informed Embodied Study On The Impact Of Gender-Based Violence In Classical Music Communities, Sarah Pearson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This Social Work doctoral dissertation explores the impact of gender-based violence (GBV) in classical music communities on survivor-artists. This is an intersectional feminist, trauma-informed, embodied study that draws on these three theoretical concepts to conceive of classical music as an institution of both colonial patriarchal power and a site of spirituality and meaning-making. The issue of systemic GBV in the performing arts has been a focus of headline news and sensational celebrity stories in the last decade following the MeToo hashtag and is slowly gaining some attention in academic research.

For this qualitative study, the sample consisted of 14 participants …

Lived Experiences Of Adoptive Mothers Who Dissolved Their Adoption Of A Child: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study, Aimee Moore Hart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis research study was to understand the lived experiences of adoptive mothers in the United States who had relinquished their parental rights and legally dissolved their adoption of a child. The theory guiding this study was the theory of being and time. Through the theory of being and time, each adoptive mother was viewed holistically, as inseparable from her personal history, her current state of being, and her interpretations of space and time. This interpretative phenomenological analysis utilized Internet-based, in-depth, individual interviews of adoptive mothers to answer the question: How do adoptive mothers in …

Healing, Together, Courtney Cleek

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio reviews the topics of mutual rehabilitation and the human animal bond (HAB) as a holistic approach to addressing topics of mental health, suicide prevention, and innovative services. Displaying work through the Ten Specialization Year Competencies and the Five Elements of Advanced Integrative Practice, we examine ways to expand social justice, amplify voices, and promote healing within our communities.

The Relationship Between Lifetime Trauma Exposure And Psychosis In A Multi-Country Case-Control Study In Africa, Anne Stevenson, Supriya Misra, Engida Girma, Dickens Akena, Melkam Alemayehu, Amantia Ametaj, Bizu Gelaye, Stella Gichuru, Symon Kariuki, Lukoye Atwoli

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Exposure to traumatic events is a known risk factor for psychosis. Additionally, psychosis may be a risk factor for exposure to traumatic events. There are little data on the relationship between traumatic events and psychosis in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in large, cross-country samples using the same instrument.

Methods: In a case-control study, 21,606 adults were recruited with psychosis (cases) and 21,329 adults without any history of psychosis (controls) in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda from 2018 to 2023 (n = 42,935). Lifetime trauma exposure was assessed using the Life Events Checklist-5. Regression models included the: i) prevalence of …

The Moderating Effects Of Adult Attachment And Emotional Intimacy On The Relationship Between Aces And Mental Health In Social Work Students, Cheryl Lind Nitz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social work students report significantly more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than other majors or the general population. ACEs increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) and can impact students’ ability to effectively serve future clients. Attachment theory and current research suggest a substantial potential therapeutic impact of secure adult attachments, particularly those with high emotional intimacy (EI), for those with ACEs. This study explored the moderating effect of primary adult attachment (PAA) on the relationship between ACEs and mental health. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE-10) Scale, the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM), the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Intimacy Scale …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

Cultural Self-Harm Differences, Erin E. Simmons

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study is based on the evident cultural differences in self-harm behaviors and what those behaviors look like specifically for individuals that identify as Black or African American. Previous literature suggests that cultural differences in self-harm exist but very little research centers Black experiences and their connection to self-harm. Self-harm is considered a broad term, and it encompasses a variety of behaviors, some more common than others, but these common behaviors are typically exclusively explored within only a few demographics with a low Black participant pool. This contributes to the assumed lack of self-harm among the Black community but through …

Impact Of Childhood Exposure To Parental Substance Misuse On Adults, Jennifer Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Studies show that children who experienced parental substance misuse are at greater risk of developing symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, behavioral problems, or becoming a substance misuser later in adult life. This quantitative study used an on-line self-administered survey to examine whether adults who experienced parental substance misuse in childhood experienced greater levels of trauma in later life than those who did not experience parental substance misuse in childhood. This study used an independent variable t-test to compare participant scores on self-reported experiences of trauma between two groups: those who experienced parental substance misuse in childhood and those who did …

Effective Interventions For Women With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kathryn Antoinette Gonzales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Women diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often undergo powerless treatment interventions according to research. Institutionalized inequalities among service systems challenge women to receive access, begin, engage, and complete mental health services for PTSD. This mixed-methods systematic review sought to determine interventions that are effective for treating this client population. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) tool was used to screen four different electronic databases: PsycINFO, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and OneSearch to identify peer-reviewed articles under a purposive sampling method strategy. Of the 159 studies screened, 15 met the inclusion criteria for this review (n =15). …

Pouring From An Empty Cup: A Qualitative Exploration Of Early-Career School Social Workers' Lived Experiences With Secondary Trauma, Chatelah D. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how early-career school social workers in public schools in Georgia described their lived experiences of secondary trauma. This study examined the contextual elements that contributed to secondary trauma. The findings may inform training for school districts to improve climate and culture, develop learning workshops, and create supportive systems for early-career social workers exposed to student traumas. Theories guiding this study included Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and Bruce Biddle’s role theory. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory addresses the levels of influence on mental and physical wellness and their impact on human development. It …

Unveiling The Multidimensional Impact Of Sex Trafficking: Insights From Survivors, Claudia G. Interiano-Shiverdecker, Devon E. Romero, John J. S. Harrichand, Jessica Martin, David J. Thompson

Trauma Counseling and Resilience

This transcendental phenomenological study delves into the lived experiences of 10 women who experienced sex trafficking. Through in-depth individual interviews, participants unveiled a narrative marked by coercion, manipulation, and multifaceted abuse. Despite variations in the duration and onset of their ordeals, participants uniformly expressed the profound and lasting impact of sex trafficking across numerous facets of their lives. Psychological distress, physical ailments, disrupted vocational trajectories, strained relationships, and spiritual upheaval were recurrent themes, illustrating the pervasive nature of their trauma. This research highlights the urgent necessity for holistic support and intervention strategies tailored to the intricate and multidimensional needs of …

Identifying Adverse Childhood Experiences And Mental Health Needs Among A Small Sample Of Pregnant Women Who Use Cannabis, Aubrey Jones, Lisa M. Blair, Julie A. Kurzer, Kathy Rademacher, Letitia Ducas, Cynthia Cockerham, Kristin Ashford

Social Work Faculty Publications

Introduction: As the legalization of cannabis becomes more widespread use has steadily increased. Approximately 5 percent of pregnant individuals self-report use during pregnancy.

Methods: This study uses a mixed methods approach to examine adverse childhood experiences, mental health needs, and cannabis use among a small sample (N =59) of women. Cumulative ACE scores of four or more were considerably high within this sample compared to the US average.

Results: Results of a binary logistic regression indicate an association between ACEs and Cannabis use (OR 1.27, 95% CI (1.002- 1.616) when controlling for maternal age and anxiety. Qualitative results identified two …

Exploring Identity And Belonging Through Housing Pathways: Resettlement Experiences Of Female Ukrainian Refugees, Stephanie M. Duncan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Background: This dissertation examines the resettlement experiences of female Ukrainian refugees in Germany following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, which displaced over 8.5 million Ukrainians, including 1.2 million to Germany by April 2024. Focusing on Munich, the study explores the interplay of housing pathways, identity, and belonging, emphasizing gendered challenges faced by women, particularly single mothers and caregivers, navigating trauma, systemic barriers, and cultural adaptation. Organized into three articles, this work employs a social justice lens to address structural barriers, such as discriminatory housing markets, economic exclusion, and limited access to resources, which disproportionately impact marginalized women, …

Emotional Wellbeing Of Asylum-Seeking Children After Release From Immigration Detention, Luis H. Zayas, Alice P. Villatoro, Tatiana Londoño, Jaime Fuentes-Balderrama

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Families seeking asylum in the United States are often placed in detention centers after fleeing crime, violence, and government ineffectiveness in their countries. Migration brings more hardship, terror, and trauma. The cumulative psychological and social effects from detention need to be better understood. This exploratory study examines the effects of detention and family separation on immigrant children’s psychosocial wellbeing after released. We recruited 81 Central American children previously detained with their parents to assess their wellbeing since release. A third of the children had been separated from their parents during detention. Over a third of parents and less than a …

Challenges, Coping Strategies, And Benefits Of Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Following Disasters And Traumatic Events, Yvonne M. Eaton-Stull, Batya G. Jaffe, Kay Scott, Makenzie Shiller

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Animal-assisted crisis response (AACR) is an innovative intervention whereby highly trained comfort dogs offer support in the aftermath of disasters and traumatic events. This qualitative cross-sectional exploratory study investigated the experiences of specialized, experienced AACR handlers. A snowball sampling yielded 99 experienced responders who completed an anonymous electronic survey. Data was analyzed using a qualitative coding process with Atlas.ti. This study explored emotional challenges, handlers’ coping strategies, and benefits provided by the AACR comfort dog. Forty-eight percent of AACR handlers saw human-made crises as the most challenging deployments. Seventy-two percent of handlers rated their distress during a deployment a 3, …

Using Simulation To Train Service Providers In Responding To Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) And Trauma, Sarah Tarshis, Jennifer H. Mcquaid, Mariama Diallo, Stephanie L. Baird, Kenta Asakura

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

This study used simulation-based research (SBR) to gain a better understanding of how intimate partner violence (IPV) service providers engage in trauma-informed practice in a simulated session with a standardized patient. Our qualitative study recruited 18 IPV service providers from Canada and the United States. Each participant engaged in a virtual 30-minute case-based simulated session with an actor portraying a survivor of IPV experiencing vulnerabilities related to violence and immigration status. Following each simulation, IPV service providers participated in a 30- to 45-minute reflective dialogue. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Identified themes included: (a) simulation builds trauma-informed …

Promoting Community Responsive, Trauma-Informed Consultation Practices In Rural School Communities: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Sequential Approach, Elly Q. Maras

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural youth are placed at greater risk for experiencing adverse childhood experiences, developing mental health disorders, and dying by suicide when compared with the general population. Due to a widespread need for better access to mental health treatment, many are left untreated. These concerns are often exacerbated by individual and systemic risk factors that are endemic to rural communities. Rural school districts are being asked to deliver mental health services to students, with school psychologists as key stakeholders. Though school psychologists are uniquely qualified to support this need, graduate programs typically do not provide adequate coursework and training on consultation …

The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Child Protective Services Involvement On Juvenile Delinquency, Liana Pachot

Master of Arts in Human Services

In this paper, the aim is to study the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and the cause and effect that these experiences have on adolescent behavior that leads to delinquency involvement. Along with this, we will look at the impact of human services professionals, like child protective services, and their impact on these challenging behaviors and goal of decreasing recidivism. We will look at the structure of the juvenile justice system, and how human service professionals play a role in the systems that impact the adolescent delinquency population. There will also be a breakdown of what Adverse Childhood Experiences are …

An Exploration Of Forgiveness In Social Work Practice, Allison Carter

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This thesis explores the practice of forgiveness and forgiveness therapy and its implications for social work practice and education. An extensive literature review discusses the history, present uses, and benefits of forgiveness therapy, exploring real-world examples of forgiveness in practice, specifically macro examples relating to generational trauma including the national apology in Australia, and the truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa. The review will also touch upon trauma informed practice and the gaps related to the concept of diversity in professional and scholarly literature. This work utilizes grounded theory, using the extensive literature review to build upon the applications …

Investigating The Level Of Evidence Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Parenting Practices: A Systematic Review, Eloisa Deshazer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with mental and physical health outcomes of children, but less is known about how ACEs impact parenting. Objective: This study systematically reviewed the evidence of the association between parental adverse childhood experiences and parenting behaviors. Methods: The study employed a rigorous methodology, including searching several electronic databases, such as the CSUSB search engine, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premiere, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. The keywords used for the search process included Adverse Childhood Experiences, ACEs, Maltreatment, Adverse Experiences, Traumatic Experiences, and Parenting or Childrearing. Inclusion criteria were restricted to studies published between 2014 and …

Animal Assisted Play Therapy® For Childhood Animal Abuse Following Exposure To Family Violence: A Case Example, Katharine Wenocur, Rise Vanfleet

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Intentional harm to nonhuman animals in childhood often correlates with histories of witnessing, experiencing, or perpetrating violence. Without appropriate intervention, children and adolescents who abuse animals following exposure to family violence risk long-term behavioral health challenges. While some treatment models have been specifically designed to reduce the risk of future violence among children displaying this behavior, interventions involving nonhuman animals represent a novel approach and show promise in addressing behavioral challenges associated with this behavior. Framed through the lens of a clinical case study, this article presents the potential benefits of implementing Animal Assisted Play Therapy® to treat symptoms of …

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 …

Ain’T I A Survivor Too: Contextualizing Black Women’S Experience Of Sexual Trauma And Healing, Danielle Alyssa Samuel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The double bind of Black womanhood has been long documented in Black feminist literature. This dissertation seeks to greatly contextualize how Black women experience make sense of, and heal from, sexual trauma given the nature of gendered racism in the United States (U.S). Utilizing a convergent parallel design grounded in Black Feminist Theory and hermeneutic phenomenology, the lived experiences of 98 Black women from across the U.S. were investigated. Regression analyses revealed that the frequency of gendered racial microaggressions and the associated appraisal were not significant predictors of participants’ PTSD symptoms. Additionally, PTSD symptoms were inversely predictive of current perceptions …

The Experience Of Growing Up Deaf In A Hearing-Abled Family: A Phenomenological Study, Alison B. Wetmur

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

d/Deaf Americans constitute a cultural and linguistic minority in America. Most d/Deaf people, 90–95%, are born to hearing-abled parents. By a wide margin, hearing-abled families prefer that their d/Deaf children learn spoken English and enroll their children in oral-education programs. Existing literature must highlight the unique struggles d/Deaf people face when growing up in hearing-abled families. By interviewing 14 d/Deaf adults born into hearing-abled families, this study explored the lived realities of growing up different in ability than other family members. These d/Deaf adults spoke about their childhood feelings of shame and isolation and ongoing frustrations. Respondents also often spoke …

Intimate Partner Violence And Spirituality: A Healing Process, Sheila Diane Lundquist

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to understand how intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors, from the Atlanta area, use spirituality to heal from the abuse. The theory guiding this study is Maslow’s (1954) Hierarchy of Needs as it shows how spirituality helped these women meet the needs on the hierarchy after having many of the needs ripped from them by the perpetrator(s). Intimate partner violence is a fundamental problem in the United States, especially during these times of COVID-19 and the stay-at home orders. Intimate partner violence takes a toll on the family unit, the community, and the …