Social Work Commons^™

Latino Parent School Involvement: Do Parents Read And Respond To Teacher Invitations?, Celia Marquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Latinos are the second largest ethnic group after Whites in the education system, yet there is still a large gap between Whites’ and Latino’s graduation rates. Research indicates that parental involvement in children’s education plays a significant role in children’s academic success. For this reason, this study aims to understand Latino parents’ perspectives on their participation in their child’s school. More specifically, how often Latino parents receive invitations from the school and whether or not they respond to these invitations. The research design for this study is exploratory and qualitative and uses one-on-one interviews with Latino parents. The central themes …

Volunteer Service As A Coping Strategy For Social Workers Against Professional Burnout, Jessy Jean Salloum, Francesca Maria Augusta Twohy-Haines

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Burnout is a prominent issue among the social work profession. Methods to mitigate the effects of burnout have received considerable attention in social work research. This study focuses on a potential method of coping with burnout; volunteerism. While literature is scarce regarding the effects of volunteerism on burnout rates among social workers, studies in related fields such as nursing, public-sector public administrators, and nonprofit workers indicate that volunteerism has potential benefits against burnout. This study’s purpose is to determine whether involvement in volunteer service is related to lower rates of burnout among social workers. This quantitative study uses data from …

Incarcerated Mothers Achieving Reunification: Providing Support To Child Welfare Social Workers, Francesca Villarreal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project explores the barriers to reunification with their children for incarcerated mothers in an effort to provide more support to child welfare social workers who engage with this population. Project participants were selected from one regional office of a child welfare agency in Southern California to complete qualitative interviews. Participants included seven Social Service Practitioners (SSPs), two Supervising Social Service Practitioners (SSSPs), and one Data Analysist. Each participant’s interview was digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following the systematic manual coding method with the assistance of Microsoft Word (Ose, S, 2016). Five common barriers were identified: child visitations with incarcerated …

Social Work Students’ Knowledge Of And Attitudes Towards Working With Transgender Clients, Devin Hoff, Edgar Camacho

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in literature on social work practice with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, with a strong focus on the LGB portion of the community. Due to the lack of literature in social work practice with the transgender population, this study was designed to assess bachelor and master levels social workers’ knowledge, attitudes and preparedness for working with the transgender community. This study is significant to the field of social work as it evaluates if students can provide comprehensive services to transgender clients. The study uses a quantitative survey …

Parent Partners' Perceptions Of Reunification Celebration And The Impact On Reunified Parents, Marley Leila Walker, Tre'nise Jemel Anderson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In the study, the researchers explored parent partners’ perceptions on reunification celebration events and the impact the event has on fostering reunified parents’ use of positive parenting skills. A qualitative design was completed using convenience sampling. The researchers studied previous research that focused on the reunification process and the general importance of celebrations in child welfare as a precursor to their study. The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with nine parent partners from one child welfare agency in Southern California. Our findings revealed four major themes of the study. First, we learned of the importance of recognizing reunified parents’ for their …

Social Media's Influence On Young Adults From The Perspectives Of Mental Health Clinicians, Natalie Aliana Valdepeña, Ulises Ivan Lozano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social Workers make up a significant portion of mental health clinicians providing services to clients or young adults, and in today’s day and age, the popularity of social media use is increasing within the young adult population. Young adults spend hours on end on many different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and/or Snapchat. Therefore, this study asks, what are clinician’s perspectives about social media influencing young adults with mental health concerns? This study utilized a qualitative, content analysis approach in interviewing clinicians to draw from their experience with clients who have used and interacted with social media.

This …

Effectiveness Of An International Social Work Course, Hazel Aguilar, Celeene Moreno

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study measured the effectiveness of an international social work course in increasing MSW students’ understanding of global interconnectedness and cultural competence utilizing an exploratory quantitative research design. Data were collected from twelve participants from a social work school in the west coast who completed a survey prior to beginning the course and again after completing the course. The study found that participants had an increase in both cultural competency and global interconnectedness after the course. The results of this study correlate with the limited literature available on the topic of international social work and supports the expansion of study …

Childhood Risk Factors That Impact The Likelihood Of Becoming A Victim Of Domestic Violence, Mallory Ann Gers, Daniela Paola Gomez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to identify risk factors for becoming a victim of domestic violence. Demographic and qualitative data were collected through in-person interviews with 8 female survivors of domestic violence from San Bernardino County. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed to determine risk factors that could lead women to becoming a victim of domestic violence and what helped them get out of their relationships. The use of interviews allowed the researchers to connect with the survivors and gain in-depth information about their experiences.

Using content analysis, the following themes arose: risk factors that involved absent …

Religion And Spirituality In Clinical Practice: An Exploration Of Reluctance Among Practitioners., David Drew, Jessica Banks

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Across the United States, an overwhelming majority of the population claim that religion and spirituality beliefs shape their worldview and assist in coping with life stressors. Yet, the literature has shown that mental health practitioners reported discomfort integrating religion and spiritually in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to explore whether license-holding mental health professionals in Southern California develop reluctance toward addressing religion/spirituality with their clients. Through snowball sampling, 52 clinicians composed of social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists were recruited across Southern California (N =52). The participants were measured descriptively based on …

Exploring Knowledge In Sexual Assault Prevention Programs, Pammeli M. Carlos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Campus sexual assault is a prominent social problem that has gained traction within recent years. It is prevalent among college students, with 26.1% women and 6.1% of men reporting experiencing an attempted or completed rape at some point during their college career (Graham et al., 2017). The purpose of this study is to help college students define and understand rape and consent to potentially lower sexual assault incidents. A quantitative research design was utilized with this research study. The study design used an online self-administered survey, with measures from established questionnaires and surveys. Towards the end of the survey, research …

Social Workers' Perception On The Needs And Services For Foster Children With Special Needs, Jessica Joanna Jimenez, Winnie Wing Yang Lee

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster children are already at a disadvantage given that they tend to live in a home without their parents. Social workers have direct interactions working with children with special needs, and through interviews with the workers, we aimed to understand whether or not the services available are able to meet foster children’s special needs. The research on special needs children in foster care is quite limited. The purpose of the study was to identify social workers’ perceptions of the needs of special needs foster children and their access to services.

This study used qualitative interviews with open-ended questions to gather …

Common Sources Of Anxiety For Students Who Experience Suicidal Ideation, Austin Nystrom, Fabian Ortiz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was conducted to identify what sources of anxiety are most closely associated with experiencing SI among students in a school district in Southern California. Anxiety and suicide rates in youth continue to grow and a need for preventative services is a must. The research design consists of qualitative, biopsychosocial assessments, and qualitative, utilizing the collected data. MSW interns at the district site conducted the assessments and the writers analyzed and reviewed the data to draw out an answer to the research question. Implications for social work practice include gaining a better understanding on the common sources of anxiety …

Social Work Perspectives On The Constraints Of Managed Care And Mental Health Treatment, Lana Kaissi

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Approximately 46.6 million adults in the United States live with a mental illness as of 2017. Therefore, managed care being the system that facilitates access to mental health treatment needs to be addressed. Managed care (such as healthcare plans) seeks to facilitate healthcare service delivery by providing direction and guidance to utilization and prevention of services. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore social work perspectives on the constraints of managed care as it impacts access to mental health treatment. This study conducted qualitative interviews through a non-random sample of professional colleagues of social workers in the in …

Understanding Social Support Among Dialysis Patients: A Study On Medical Social Workers Enhancing Social Support For Patients, Brandy Marie Covarrubias, Eloisa Cisneros Vizcaya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Patients receiving dialysis treatment experience immense changes in their health and well-being, therefore receiving adequate social support services is an integral aspect of their care plan. Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding about social support services offered by social workers to patients receiving dialysis care. Furthermore, this study sought to develop awareness about additional services need to assist social workers in providing social, emotional, and physical support to patients. This qualitative study used data from a non-probability snowball sample of 10 social workers that work with patients receiving dialysis care. Findings of this study are …

Child Welfare: Trauma Informed Practice At Time Of Child Removal, Ester Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As of 2018, approximately 442,995 children are in the foster care system in the United States according to the federal statistics from the Children’s Bureau. Entry into the foster system involves the removal of children from their home, making it a traumatic experience. The purpose of this study was to examine social workers’ perceptions of what trauma informed practice means and what it looks like in child welfare removals. The study also clarifies what trauma informed practice (TIP) is and how it can be applied in child welfare’s organizational structure. This was a qualitative study in which child welfare social …

Empowering The Female Offender: Barriers And Perceptions Of Inmate Success, Joanna Delgado, Karina Barragan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study explored current organizational barriers and gaps in service delivery to incarcerated women to examine whether current services are meeting the needs of this population. The study is relevant to the social work profession due to a high likelihood of social service needs found amongst this population and their families within the community. Barriers to success were identified through the perspective of service providers (BSW, MSW, LCSW, LMFT’s) with current and/or past experience working with this population. Current service provisions in correctional facilities were examined to determine barriers or gaps in services in four key areas: communication, parenting services, …

Social Work Students Preparedness When Working With Mixed-Status Families, Delia Ann Pacheco, Brenda Carolina Pacheco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study focuses on the preparedness, and perception of Bachelor and Master of Social Work students in a California State University when encountering with clients in mixed-status families. The students were contacted via school email and provided with a questionnaire that inquired their preparedness when assisting undocumented clients, and their families. The results of the study concluded that majority of the students have encountered working with mixed-status families either in a personal or professional setting. Though, the data collected indicated that there are several factors that have impacted their knowledge of how to assist and provide linkage to other resources …

School-Based Mental Health Referrals’ Representation Of Actual Mental Health Disorders Among Adolescents, Alva M. Dominguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Increasingly, health providers are recognizing the importance of providing behavioral and mental health services to children and adolescents. As a result, school districts are adopting the School-Based Mental Health Program approach to provide mental health services to their students. The purpose of this study is to test if there is a disparity between children being referred due to externalizing behavior versus internalizing behaviors. The data was collected from archival sources, and it was analyzed utilizing the SPSS software for a quantitative and descriptive study. The findings indicated that students experiencing Internalizing and/or Externalizing behaviors are almost equally receiving services. This …

Perceptions On The Aging Population: Disparities Among Graduate Social Work Students, Ashlee Taylor Crosson, Kelsey Marie Goodwin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers are needed to meet the needs of the growing aging population. Yet, there is a shortage of social work students entering the field of gerontology as opposed to child welfare, school social work, or family services. The proposed study used a qualitative research design to explore why social work students are underrepresented in areas that serve older people. A sample of 58 graduate social work students from several universities in Southern California completed open-ended questions on a scale (N = 58). Thematic analysis of the data revealed four major factors that account for the underrepresentation of social work …

Religion And Mental Health Service Utilization Among Hispanic Communities, Victor Ortega

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study aims to describe the relationship between religion and mental health utilization as perceived through Hispanic (Spanish speaking) individuals in religious communities. Previous studies have conducted research on the relationship between utilization of mental health services and religiosity, however there is limited research that describes the relationship between the two variables within the Hispanic population. This study seeks to find what the perception of mental health utilization is within the Hispanic community. Research has been conducted through a qualitative approach by interviews with individuals who have consented to be audio recorded. The data was then transcribed, for the purposes …

Social Workers Perspectives On The Causes Of Placement Instability Among Adolescents, Adella Jimenez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Various levels of research over the past three decades have concluded that children are harmed by constant changes to where they reside when they are removed from the care of their parents. Regardless of that, minimal research has been conducted to investigate this problem from the perspective of the social worker. This study explores the problem of placement instability among adolescent populations from the perspective of foster family agency social workers in Riverside County, California. Interviews with foster family agency social workers were conducted using a digital voice-recording device. The audio files were transcribed to text and thematically analyzed for …

The Effects Of Trauma From Multiple Placements Of Foster Youth, Savannah Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Over the course of several decades, the foster youth population continues to grow due to various forms of abuse that have occurred in the biological home. Many foster children experience multiple placements which ultimately cause a significant amount of trauma due to placement instability. The study examined trauma of instability among foster youth and discussed interventions that could be implemented when working with resource families and foster youth within the field of social work.

A post-positivism paradigm was used to focus on understanding the trauma of placement instability. A total of six face-to-face interviews of master’s level social workers were …

Dementia-Related Neuropsychological Testing Considerations In Non-Hispanic White And Latino/Hispanic Populations, Shanna L. Burke, Mitra Naseh, Miriam Rodriguez, Aaron Burgess, David Loewenstein

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hispanic individuals are at greater risk for health disparities, less than optimal health care, and are diagnosed at later stages of cognitive impairment than white non-Hispanics. Acculturation and different attitudes toward test-taking may result in decrements in performance, especially on unfamiliar measures that emphasize speed and accuracy. Non-Hispanic individuals often outperform Hispanic individuals on cognitive and neuropsychological measures in community and clinical populations. Current neuropsychological testing may not provide accurate data related to monolingual and bilingual individuals of Hispanic descent. Testing instruments were identified by searching academic databases using combinations of relevant search terms. Neuropsychological instruments were included if they …

Confronting Gentrification: Can Creative Interventions Help People Keep More Than Just Their Homes?, Amie Thurber, Janine Christiano

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Gentrification is changing the landscape of many American cities. As land values rise, people may lose their homes, neighbors, and sites of significance, along with their sense of place, community, and history. There is a critical need to build and preserve affordable housing, yet housing alone will not address the more than material losses. What role can the arts play in sustaining place attachments, restoring relationships, and building place knowledge in gentrifying neighborhoods? This paper explores this question through a systematic review of current research. We identify four prominent alternative interventions in gentrifying neighborhoods—creative placemaking, public pedagogy, community organizing, and …

Preventing Gambling Harm – Targeting At Risk Gamblers, Eija Pietilä

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

Supportive Supervision And Resiliency Ohio - Guidance For Coaches Supporting Resilience, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

I. Preparation for Coaching Session A. Preparation of Supervisor ➢ Review Coaching Skills and Coaching Process (see Pgs. 4-5 Coaching in Child Welfare Participant Guide from the Supervisor’s Coaching Training) ➢ Reflect on how coaching builds a trusting relationship ▪ Commitment to confidentiality ▪ Clear mutual understanding of coaching, the process and expectations ▪ Modeling the coaching mindset/skill set ➢ Review the basics of Resilience Alliance (Handout of Slide Deck provided at the Supervisor’s Coaching Training) B. Preparation of Caseworker (can be done by supervisor in unit/team meeting) ➢ Discuss how Resilience coaching is a part of supportive supervision ➢ …

The Influence Of Gambling On The Immigrant And Refugee Community, Tamika Harvey

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The state of Pennsylvania approved new gambling activities, such as internet gambling and “Play at the Pump” to increase revenue in effort to support special populations. Forming partnerships with community leaders the City of Philadelphia learned how former and new gambling activities has impacted the special population group involving the immigrant and refugee community. The discussion will consist of gambling related activities commonly practiced in their culture and the challenges faced when attempting to access services for problem gambling.

Professional Competencies For Providing Interventions For Gambling Related Problems And Other High-Risk Behavior – Perspective Of Social Welfare Professionals, Neven Ricijas Ph.D., Sabina Mandic Ma, Dora Dodig Hundric Ph.D.

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Important aspect of the social welfare system is providing interventions for children and youth with behavioral problems, mainly externalizing behavioral disorders, delinquent behavior and addictions. In Croatia, children and youth can be referred to the social welfare system based on the Social Welfare Act, Family Act or Youth Courts Act, depending on the age, etiology and context of behavioral problems.

The main aim of this study was to explore how often social welfare professionals encounter different phenomenological types of behavioral problems and how confident they feel for providing interventions. Special emphasis will be put on gambling related problems among children …

Examining The Impact Of Victimization On Girls’ Delinquency: A Study Of Direct And Indirect Effects, Johanna Peterson, Dana D. Dehart, Emily Wright

Faculty and Staff Publications

Previous research has acknowledged that there is a relationship between victimization and later delinquency, but the specific attributes of this relationship are unclear because measures of both direct and indirect victimization are rarely explored in a single study. We included both indirect and direct victimization to examine which form of victimization was a stronger predictor of substance use, fighting, running away, and sex work among girls committed to a juvenile justice facility. Findings indicated that direct victimization was typically a more salient predictor of delinquency than indirect forms of victimization. Further, running away and sex work appear to be unique …

Examining The Impact Of Victimization On Girls’ Delinquency: A Study Of Direct And Indirect Effects, Johanna Peterson, Dana Dehart, Emily Wright

Faculty and Staff Publications

Previous research has acknowledged that there is a relationship between victimization and later delinquency, but the specific attributes of this relationship are unclear because measures of both direct and indirect victimization are rarely explored in a single study. We included both indirect and direct victimization to examine which form of victimization was a stronger predictor of substance use, fighting, running away, and sex work among girls committed to a juvenile justice facility. Findings indicated that direct victimization was typically a more salient predictor of delinquency than indirect forms of victimization. Further, running away and sex work appear to be unique …