Social Work Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study On The Challenges Experienced By Kinship Adopters, Allyson Foster Hamlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research addressed the social and emotional challenges kinship adoptive families have encountered when their adopted child's trauma symptomology surfaces. The unique relationship between the adoptive relative and the kinship child offered a different view on the coping techniques used by kinship families and uncovered areas where resources could support permanency. In this phenomenological study, 12 interviews with relative adoptive parents guided by the attachment and family system theories, offered insight to what fosters or degrades the bond with the adopted child. Using post-adoption resource events, service agencies, and community resources, this study recruited participants through flyers posted on websites, …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of The Effectiveness Of The Tyro Dads Program, Young-Il Kim, Sung Joon Jang

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

Objective: To examine whether fathers who attend TYRO Dads class report greater satisfaction in their relationship with their child and increased engagement in activities with

their child than nonparticipants and, if so, whether parent- ing efficacy, parenting role identity, and coparenting rela- tionship with the child’s mother account for differences in

father involvement between the intervention and control groups. Background: Despite the growing number of fatherhood intervention programs, limited experimental research has been conducted to evaluate their effectiveness. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted

with a sample of 252 fathers randomly assigned to inter- vention and control groups. Both …

Age, Gender, Income, And Social Support As Predictors Of Single Parent Resiliency, Ebonnie Leavern Simmons-Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 50% of children younger than 18 years will be raised by a single parent at some point prior to adulthood. Of developed countries, the United States currently has the highest percentage of single parents. Although much research has examined factors that contribute toward the negative outcomes of single parents, few studies have focused on factors that contribute toward positive outcomes for single parents. Using the strength-based construct of resiliency as a theoretical framework, this study examined whether gender, age, income, and perceived familial social support individually or in linear combination could predict resiliency in single parents. This study involved …

Mental Health Difficulties And Service Use Of Incarcerated Women: The Influence Of Violence Perpetration And Victimization, Rachel C. Casey

Graduate Research Posters

The study investigated the relationships between incarcerated women’s experiences with violence and their mental health with the goal of identifying avenues for more tailored, compassionate responses to their mental health difficulties during incarceration. To achieve this aim, a secondary data analysis was performed using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2004 (N=2553). Six research questions guided the inquiry, which involved univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses, including latent class analysis—performed to identify patterns in mental health difficulties among incarcerated women—and multiple logistic regression procedures. The latent class analysis …

Dimensions Of Charity Versus Development: The Century-Old Debate In The Profession Of Social Work, Héctor Luis Díaz, Antonio López Peláez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social work profession seeks different objectives and utilizes different methodologies and interventions in the countries in which it operates around the world. Furthermore, it operates within drastically different political, economic and cultural contexts. For these reasons, it is difficult to identify an ideal universal method of intervention.For approximately a century, social work practitioners and academicians have debated whether the profession should focus its efforts on providing charity and relief services or promoting socio-economic development and self-sufficiency. This article defines the concepts of charity and socioeconomic development and analyzes the main dimensions of this debate in an effort to deepen …

International Service-Learning Trips: A Framework For Developing Cross-Cultural Competence, Mioara Diaconu, Laura Racovita-Szilagyi, Aida Neacsu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The International Federation of Social Workers (2017) calls for social work professionals to be empowering agents who understand the context and diversity of their client populations. At the same time, research on evidence-based practice suggests that cultural immersion is one of the best ways for students to develop much-needed cultural competence and appreciation for diversity (Anderson, Lawton, Rexeisen, & Hubbard, 2006; Pence & Macgillivray, 2008). This article proposes that students would benefit more from having the opportunity to get hands-on experience in needs assessments, appreciative inquiry, program designs, implementations, and evaluations of grassroots sustainable development programs than simply being involved …

Knowledge Transfer For Full Citizenship: The Educational Model Of Innovation In Social Work, Francisco Javier García-Castilla, Eloy Vírseda

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Knowledge is the central axis of human experience, especially in view of the current culture of information and knowledge in a highly interfaced and technical globalized world. Increased access to information and knowledge are essential prerequisites for the development of all aspects of modern societies. Teaching and research are two of the main functions of modern universities. As a result, two of their fundamental pillars are the creation and transfer of knowledge. Such transfer of knowledge, in turn, requires maintaining effective channels of communication with the public and private sectors of the labor market. Social workers are encouraged to maintain …

Social Work And Accessibility Of Persons With Disabilities In Mexico: Hidden Barriers, María Del Carmen Martín Cano, Yolanda María De La Fuente Robles

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article proposes that a thorough understanding of the concept of diversity should facilitate the full inclusion of all people in society. Furthermore, it proposes that we should look at diversity and inclusion from a community perspective. Consistent with these premises, Mexico has recently taken a significant leap forward by developing programs to serve functionally diverse people. Most significantly, the federal government has created the National Program for the Wellbeing and Development of People with Disabilities that is sponsored by the executive branch of government. The creation of this program followed the dissemination by the National System for the Integral …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 45 No. 2

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

The Welfare Subject In The “One-Stop Shop”: Agency In Troublesome Welfare Encounters, Kjetil Lundberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this article is to investigate the agency of “welfare subjects” in welfare encounters, situated in a “one-stop shop” reform context, thereby providing increased theoretical sensitivity into the field of welfare encounters’ research. Anchored in a Norwegian reform context, this article analyses agency related to welfare encounters, including welfare subjects’ attempts to hold NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) accountable to help them. Shifting agency positions are located, the lines of responsibility in the welfare encounters are found to be unclear, and there are indications that this may contribute to the production of destructive agency positions.

Is It Just Enough?, John Solas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since its inception, social work has professed an abiding commitment to social justice. Indeed, it is perhaps one of the few professions to have maintained such an obligation. This pledge is officially inscribed in the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). This document affirms the pursuit of social justice as a core value, not just for members of the Association, but also for social workers in general. However, what kind of social justice does the Association advocate and how just is it? While answers to these questions are critical to the Association’s members and broader …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 45 No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Financial Capability As Social Investment, Mary Caplan, Margaret Sherraden, Junghee Bae

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

People are increasingly part of a complex landscape of financial transactions, services, and institutions across nearly all realms of everyday life. They face an often confusing array of choices of products, and the consequences of those choices can both reflect and exacerbate social and economic inequalities. In response to these contemporary conditions, there are global efforts to increase peoples’ financial capability, which is composed of the interrelated concepts of financial literacy and financial inclusion. The term financial capability includes a person’s ability to act (knowledge, skills, confidence, and motivation) and his or her opportunity to act (access to quality financial …

Review Of Ghettos, Tramps, And Welfare Queens: Down And Out On The Silver Screen. By Stephen Pimpare, Melanie Lynn Carlson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review or: Stephen Pimpare, Ghettos, Tramps, and Welfare Queens: Down and Out on the Silver Screen. Oxford University Press (2017), 342 pages, $35 (hardcover).

The Relationship Between Anogenital Hpv Types And Incident Hiv Infection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men And Transgender Women In Lima, Peru: Findings From A Prospective Cohort Study, Brandon Brown, Logan Marg, Segundo R. Leon, Cynthia Chen, Junice Ng Yi Siu, Gino Calvo, Hugo Sánchez, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Although it is known that individuals living with HIV have a higher HPV prevalence, the impact of individual HPV types on HIV acquisition is less clear. In this prospective cohort study we investigated the relationship between HPV types and incident HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Lima, Peru. Six hundred HIV-negative Peruvian MSM and TW participated in a 2-year study with biannual visits. At baseline, participants completed a computerized, self-administered questionnaire on sexual behavior and HPV knowledge and underwent a physical exam including anogenital swabs for HPV DNA (37 genotypes via …

Genotypic Clustering Does Not Imply Recent Tuberculosis Transmission In A High Prevalence Setting: A Genomic Epidemiology Study In Lima, Peru, Avika Dixit, Luca Freschi, Roger Vargas, Roger Calderon, James Sacchettini, Francis Drobniewski, Jerome Galea, Carmen Contreras, Rosa Yataco, Zibiao Zhang

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Whole genome sequencing (WGS) can elucidate Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) transmission patterns but more data is needed to guide its use in high-burden settings. In a household-based transmissibility study of 4,000 TB patients in Lima, Peru, we identified a large MIRU-VNTR Mtb cluster with a range of resistance phenotypes and studied host and bacterial factors contributing to its spread.

Methods: WGS was performed on 61 of 148 isolates in the cluster. We compared transmission link inference using epidemiological or genomic data with and without the inclusion of controversial variants, and estimated the dates of emergence of the cluster and antimicrobial …

Recapturing The Power Of Ritual To Enhance Community In Aging, Holly Nelson-Becker, Kimberly Sangster

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

Ritual returns us to the center of who we are. In times of transition, loss, disconnection, and loneliness, ritual offers transformative power. It can provide a language for expression, stability, serve an integrating force in community, mediate tradition, and offer emotional support. This article explores the need for ritual in coping with late life changes, the relationship of ritual to suffering, value of ritual in storytelling and mourning, and explains the role of witness facilitated through community. Therapeutic functions of ritual are addressed and a framework for ritual design is suggested.

Integrating Green Social Work And The U.S. Environmental Justice Movement: An Introduction To Community Benefits Agreements, Amy Krings, Hillary Thomas

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

No abstract provided.

Preterm Birth And Infant Mortality Among African American And Caucasian Women: A Critique Of The Systematic Devaluing Of African American Women And Infants, Catherine E. Cooper

The Graduate Review

Health disparities are a persistent reality for minority groups in the United States with serious, and sometimes lethal, consequences. The disparate rates of preterm births and infant mortality between African-American and Caucasian women is a well-documented but largely unaddressed occurrence falling into this category. The complex systems that contribute to the perpetuation of this health disparity are explored with particular attention to the intersection of race, culture and socioeconomic status. The influence of personal health beliefs and often-over-emphasized role of behavior are also investigated in an effort to examine why there has been an inadequate response to this problem in …

Determinants Of Health Disparities Among African And Caucasian Americans With Chronic Kidney Disease, Renal Cell Carcinoma, And End-Stage Renal Disease, Kathleen Cosgrove

The Graduate Review

Many studies have confirmed the disparity that black patients have an increased prevalence of severely impaired kidney function compared to whites. Without dialysis, or a kidney transplant, chronic kidney disease will progress to a fatal prognosis of end-stage kidney failure. The most common type of kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma, occurs most often in adult males, age 50-70. Diabetes and hypertension are two of the most determinant factors of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States, which most often develops following a chronic kidney disease (CKD) diagnosis. The poor are most susceptible to disease due to high risk community …

Bullying In Grade School Children And Its Connection To The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Alyssia Chantel Hence

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This thesis will explore connections made between the school-to-prison pipeline and bullying. Specifically, findings from a qualitative study conducted in 2016 will be presented and used to inform a review of the literature on bullying to explore connections between the two. The topic of bullying emerged as a prevalent theme among students who participated in the qualitative study by Hence (2017) titled, "Can You Hear Us Now? Engaging young African American Voices in Urban Communities and Schools". This study explored zero tolerance policies, school discipline practices, and its impact on the educational experiences of African American students. The study also …

Canine-Assisted Therapy: The Impact Of Service Dog Partnership On Symptoms Of Ptsd In Veterans, Katherine Ankenbauer

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This literature review will seek to review and analyze the efficacy of Canine-Assisted Therapy as a complementary method for combat veterans suffering symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress .Disorder (PTSD), with a particular focus on those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and/or Operation New Dawn (ONO). In recent years, many programs, agencies and therapists have more frequently incorporated the use of service dogs into therapy for post-deployment veterans. In past decades, some studies' results were deemed inconclusive by accredited authorities due to their low level of generalizability and lack of quantitative methodology and analysis. However, …

Forty Year War: Analyzing America's Shifting Crack Cocaine, Sarah Reasoner

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Understanding the impact of American drug laws created as part of the War on Drugs is vital for social workers in their pursuit for social justice and effective advocacy. This policy analysis utilizes the David Gil policy analysis framework (1970) to evaluate the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. These two laws concerned mandatory minimum sentences for crack cocaine. This research seeks to compare and contrast the history behind these laws, their intended and unintended consequences, and the values underlying these laws. This analysis shows the Anti-Drug Abuse Act and the Fair Sentencing Act …

An Introduction To Feminism And Cross-Cultural Body Image In The United States, Laura Darnell

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Feminism is a social movement that aims to end the oppression of women and to create opportunities for advancement of women. There are several types of feminism that have their own set of values and beliefs: liberal feminism, radical feminism, cultural feminism, and womanism. Central to these types of feminism is the call for sexism to cease and for women to have equal opportunity. Embedded within modem feminism is intersectionality, which is described as the effect of multiple oppressions that affect women. Misogyny, the hatred of women, affects the way that women feel about themselves. This is done through a …

2018 Adult Foster Home: Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Adult Foster Homes, Paula C. Carder, Sheryl Dejoy Elliott, Ozcan Tunalilar

Institute on Aging Publications

Adult foster homes (AFH) are small, residential settings that are licensed to provide assistance to older persons or adults with disabilities. These settings may offer a home-like setting in which residents’ independence, personal choice, and decision-making are promoted. Homes may be licensed for one to five residents and must be staffed 24-hours daily to respond to residents’ scheduled and unscheduled needs or requests. Adult foster homes offer a variety of services, including daily meals, housekeeping and laundry, assistance with personal care needs, medication administration, monitoring of health conditions, communication with residents’ health care providers, and social and recreational activities.

This …

[Social Work] Newsletter, 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Social Work.

Social Work Newsletter

Inside This iIssue:
--2018 Year in Review
--Professor Highlights
--Student Highlights
--Student Services
--In the Field
--Agency Highlights
--Alumni Highlights

Student Perspectives On Application Of Theory To Practice In Field Practicums, Anne Marie Scaggs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The field practicum is designed to offer students the opportunity to integrate knowledge and practice prior to graduation; however, students continue to lack the ability to connect theory to practice within the field practicum. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives of social work students regarding the application of theory to practice within the field practicum. The conceptual framework included concepts of empowerment, empowerment theory, and social constructivism. The research question addressed how social work students at a local university described the issues related to connecting theory to practice within the field …

Inclusion Of Social Workers In End-Of-Life Discussions In Intensive Care Units, Olivett D. Underwood-Mobley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical social workers have roles in providing end-of-life care in the United States. Although clinical social workers are present in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting and have expertise to address end-of-life care dynamics, social workers are not consistently included in end-of-life discussions in the ICU setting. The purpose of this action research study was to explore the barriers that prevent clinical social workers from being included in end-of-life discussions in the ICU and how clinical social workers perceive their roles in end-of-life discussions in the adult ICU setting. Open-ended questions were used to gather data by facilitating 4 focus …

Adolescent Engagement In Home-Based Treatment: An Action Research Study, Krystal Finch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent engagement in home-based treatment is a challenge within the social work field. Studies have suggested that the foundation of clinical practice relies on the clinician's ability to understand the process of engaging adolescents in treatment, which may also include a period of adaptability, relatability, and connectedness within the treatment setting. The purpose of this study is to explore the clinical practice approaches, roles, and experiences utilized in home-based treatment to adolescents residing in a large city in northeastern United States. This study was grounded in the ecological systems theory which provides social workers with an opportunity to assess the …

Evidence-Based Child Welfare Screening And Assessment Practices, Melissa Hardin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this action research project was to examine the screening and assessment behaviors of child welfare workers in the southwestern region of the United States. The study addressed whether social workers' knowledge of evidence-based practice influenced their implementation of evidence-based practice in child welfare screening and assessment, and whether the agency environment affects evidence-based practice implementation and use. The family systems theory was used to evaluate child welfare practitioner work and systems theory was used to evaluate the child welfare system in the region of the study. A focus group comprised of seven social workers practicing in the …