Social Work Commons^™

Participation In Active And Passive Music Interventions By Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias: Effects On Agitation, Robert J. Prattini

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ability of music to produce calming effects on us is well documented, and its use is becoming an increasingly accepted intervention with populations displaying agitated and disruptive behaviors, such as people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other dementias. One reason for its widespread use is because research has demonstrated music’s efficacy in reducing agitation, and consequently disruptive behaviors, in those with AD. Prior studies on music’s effects on agitation in older people with AD have utilized either recorded music used passively, or active sessions with a music therapist or musicians, but none have compared the effects of each type …

"Stop Resisting!" : An Exploratory Study Of Police Brutality And Its Impacts On Black And Latino Males, Their Communities, Mental Health And Healing, Manuel A. Ortiz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the impacts of police violence on Black and Latino males and their communities while also examining avenues of healing that could be helpful for survivors. Generally, this study focused on this question: What is the potential mental health effect of police brutality on Black and Latino males and what are avenues for healing for those affected? Twelve individual participants who identified as activists, advocates, or organizers in the Bay Area of Northern California participated in qualitative interviews that explored the impact of police violence and healing avenues. Participants were asked …

Adhd Or Ptsd? : Exploring The Overdiagnosis Of Adhd In Minority Boys With The Potential Of Ptsd, Megan A. Negron

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is a common diagnoses for school aged children. Studies have indicated that within these diagnoses children of color are disproportionately diagnosed in comparison to their white counter parts. Many have questioned whether this disproportionately comes from a lack of cultural awareness on the part of the clinician and/or a potential misdiagnosis of trauma that be being missed throughout the evaluation process. In this study 6 licensed social workers who have worked with Latino boy in the past were interviewed. They were asked to discuss their evaluation process and what measures they take to rule out a …

Holocaust Narratives : Exploration Of The Emotional Impact Of Disclosure Status Among First, Second, And Third Generation Holocaust Survivors, April M. Christman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The current study explored the possible relationship between disclosure of Holocaust related narratives and emotional well-being among Holocaust survivors as well as children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. This study further considered how methods of disclosure and number of disclosure methods used related to emotional wellbeing and overall benefit or harm of the disclosure experience among first, second, and third generation Holocaust survivors. A sample of 147 Holocaust survivors and descendants completed an online survey consisting of Likert scales to rate the perceived benefit or harm of their disclosure experience and opportunities to offer narrative describing their disclosure experience. Three …

Transfigured Treatment : A Comparative Needs And Specialized Services Assessment Of Transgender Youth And Gender Specialist Providers In The Bay Area, Lark E. Nierenberg

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Transfigured Treatment is a mixed-methods study that aims to assess and improve multidisciplinary clinical care for transgender and gender expansive youth in the Bay Area. This trans-led research is a joint needs- and services-assessment of local gender-specialized care, including mental health support, access to medical care, and housing assistance. Transfigured Treatment is a tool with which to share histories of need and transform them into legacies of care. Participants were recruited via non-probability sampling and data were collected via an anonymous online survey. Adult participants must have/had a gender expansive identity while living in the Bay Area at some point …

Maintaining Community Roots : Understanding Gentrification Through The Eyes Of Long-Standing African American Residents In West Oakland, Karessa Irvin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The study was undertaken to understand how long-standing African Americans residents of West Oakland believe they can maintain community roots during processes of gentrification. A second major question was: What are the implications for community based social workers.

Snowball sampling and convenience sampling were the methods used to recruit participants for the study. Thirteen in-person interviews were conducted, regarding study contributors’ perceptions of the West Oakland neighborhood, neighborhood changes, and understanding of community roots and how to maintain them.

The major findings of the study were congruent with some previous research of gentrification as participants defined gentrification in terms of …

The Integrationists : Exploring The Experiences Of Third Culture Kid Psychotherapists, Carly S. Inkpen

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore how being a third culture kid (TCK) impacts the experience of working as a psychotherapist. A TCK is a person who spent a significant part of their developmental years living outside their passport country, often moving between numerous countries. This study sought to understand the unique perspective that TCKs bring to psychotherapy work and to increase the visibility of transnational, multicultural therapists and clinicians of color in the clinical literature.

Sixteen TCK psychotherapists on five continents were interviewed, responding to a range of questions about how their TCK identities impact their experience of clinical …

It's Time To Talk About Sex And Social Work : Why Human Sexuality Education Matters For Social Work Practice, Sophia R. Glass

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This researched investigated human sexuality training received in social work programs and its impact on clinical practice. Specifically, it examined clinicians’ comfort and competency addressing sex and sexuality related topics with clients. 67 participants were recruited via a nonprobability snowball sampling technique, and data was gathered anonymously through a secure web-based survey instrument. The findings supported the author’s hypothesis that there is a substantial lack of human sexuality training in social work programs despite the finding that sexuality is highly relevant to clinical work. Barriers to social workers effectively addressing these topics with clients were identified as inadequate education and …

"You Are In A Better Position To Protect People When You Feel Like You're Protected Yourself" : To What Extent Does Union Membership And Ethical Clinical Social Work Practice Align? : An Exploratory Study, Robyn K. Douglass

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the question: “to what extent does union membership and ethical clinical social work practice align?” by interviewing Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) working within unionized environments. The study focused on the experience of these clinicians within their current working environment and how being a union member allowed them to be able to provide ethical clinical social work practice to their clients/patients. The most compelling findings from this research were that the clinicians felt that union membership did align with providing ethical clinical social work practice to their populations within their agencies or …

Trust, Jealousy And Communication In Long-Term Couples Practicing Consensual Non-Monogamy, Christina Wang

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This cross-sectional exploratory quantitative study examined trust and communication patterns among adults practicing consensual non-monogamy (CNM). Previous relationship research in this area has primarily examined couples in demographically homogenous relationships (heterosexual, white, and married). A review of the literature suggested that adults engaging in consensual non-monogamy are more diverse. Our recruitment strategies and study design was successful in recruiting a more diverse group of participants. Twenty-eight adults in long-term CNM relationships completed a 56-item online questionnaire. Responses were examined to explore the relationship between communication patterns and relationship tenure. The relationship tenure of couples and the gender preference of participants …

Impact Of Support Groups On Kinship Care Providers : A Project Based On An Investigation At Community Coalition, Los Angeles, California, Judith Farber Weissman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore how peer support groups influence kinship care providers’ (KCPs’) sense of self-worth and empowerment, and how they impact KCPs’ ability to advocate on behalf of the children in their care. Few studies to date have examined self-worth in the realm of KCPs’ parenting issues of guilt and regret, nor have they explored whether support group participation encourages relearning parenting skills and therefore instills a sense of empowerment. Although the majority of KCPs in the United States are informal care providers, most prior research on this population focused on formal kinship care providers; …

"Resisting Disconnection" : An Exploratory Study Of Transgender Adults' Experiences Of Community Support And Resilience, Aj Metthe

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study collected narrative data from transgender adults about their experiences of community support from other transgender individuals and about their experience of their own resilience. Due to previous research findings about the marginalization of transgender populations, particular attention was paid to narrative data that explicitly suggest structural oppression. Narrative data were collected from two samples drawn from adult transgender populations. One sample (N=12) participated in hour-long semi-structured individual interviews (Interview Sample [IS]). Another sample (N=4) participated in a Focus Group [FGS]) conducted at a transgender conference in the northeast.

The major findings that emerged from participants’ reports of …

Servicenet Participatory Action Research Program Evaluation : A Project Based On An Independent Investigation At Servicenet In Northampton, Ma, Heather L. Crawford, Caroline W. Evans, Margot E. Reilly

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research project sought to evaluate if program participants of ServiceNet’s Mental Health Recovery Services (MHRS) feel supported to meet their self defined needs and goals. These researchers were guided by the principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and facilitated three focus groups who designed a mixed methods survey tool to be distributed by ServiceNet Recovery Counselors. Twelve surveys were refused and returned unopened, 56 program participants received the survey envelopes and did not return them, and 34 surveys were returned completed (n=34).

Participants demonstrated high satisfaction around housing, transportation, personal growth, emotional support, feeling treated like a human being, …

Measuring Knowledge And Attitudes Of Clinicians About Motivational Interviewing With Troubled Adolescents, Sophia Joseph Parrilla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescents with acting-out behavior have an increased risk of dropping out of high school, incarceration, and early mortality. Researchers have indicated the need for studies using motivational interviewing (MI) to promote behavioral change. There is a gap in the literature about the efficacy of MI with adolescents and clinicians' knowledge of, and attitude toward, MI. Using self-determination theory as the grounding theory, this study examined the knowledge and attitudes of 73 clinicians on the island of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, about knowledge and attitudes of MI and whether it predicted the use of MI as a therapeutic intervention for adolescents …

Palatable Help: Experiences Of Food Insecurity In A Suburban Environment, Tannya L. Forcone

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Food insecurity is a ubiquitous and stigmatized, equal-opportunity threat to community health. Irregular access to nutritious foods impacts both physical and emotional well-being. Food insecurity is burgeoning in the suburbs. Economic hardships of the recession have impacted families that were previously middle class, and in this environment, food insecurity is often hidden and unacknowledged with unique challenges and coping strategies. This ethnographic study in the Midwestern U.S. examines the intersection of poverty and shame associated with diminished household resources. The research considers solutions and applications beyond food provisioning that can reverse negative emotional impact on individuals while stabilizing the community.

Defining Quality In Undergraduate Social Work Education, Mary Ruth Weeden

Dissertations

“Quality” is a value-laden term that depends upon variables associated with culture, language and political context. Concluding there is no absolute, single definition of this term Harvey and Green (1993) postulated the meaning of quality as reflective of the differing perspectives of individuals and society as a whole; this includes the interrelated concepts: excellence; perfection; fitness for purpose, value for money; and transformation. This exploratory study attempts to define and operationalize the relevant characteristics that describe quality in undergraduate social work education by applying the five concepts of Harvey and Green (1993). Interviews were conducted with undergraduate social work program …

A Case Study Of The Progressive Era Librarian Edith Guerrier: The Public Library, Social Reform, 'New Women', And Urban Immigrant Girls, Margaret Bausman

Publications and Research

This paper investigates the intertwined evolution of librarianship and social welfare work during the Progressive Era (1900–1920) via a case study of the librarian Edith Guerrier (1870–1958). From 1898 through 1917, Guerrier worked in the immigrant community of Boston’s North End. She established a programme of girls’ reading groups that provided access to core elements of a progressive liberal arts education. The most notable of these was the Saturday Evening Girls (SEG). Concurrently, Guerrier established the Paul Revere Pottery, a retail art pottery studio run by the young women of the SEG. Using Guerrier’s varied career as a starting point, …

An Overview Of Causal Directed Acyclic Graphs For Substance Abuse Researchers, Michael Lewis, Alexis Kuerbis

Publications and Research

Background. Within substance abuse research, quantitative methodologists tend to view randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as the “gold standard” for estimating causal effects, in part due to experimental manipulation and random assignment. Such methods are not always possible due to ethical and other reasons. Causal directed acyclic graphs (causal DAGs) are mathematical tools for (1) precisely stating researchers' causal assumptions and (2) providing guidance regarding the specification of statistical models for causal inference with nonexperimental data (such as epidemiological data). Purpose. This manuscript describes causal DAGs and illustrates their use in regards to a long standing theory within the field of …

Delinquency And Self-Control Outcomes For Youth In Middle Childhood: Variations By Neighborhood Context, Race And Gender, Takisha V. Lashore

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Delinquency and Self-Control Outcomes for Youth in Middle Childhood: Variations by Neighborhood Context, Race and Gender

by

TAKISHA V. LASHORE

August 2016

Advisor: Dr. Heather Dillaway

Major: Sociology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between neighborhood context factors and youth outcomes for youth in middle childhood in southeast Michigan, specifically in 6th grade. This study focused in on the notion that youth with high perceived neighborhood disorganization and feelings of threats to personal safety are more likely to have low self-control and exhibit delinquent activity. In addition, this study explored the …

Heath And The Homeless Population Of Missoula: “Housing First” As A Solution, Marissa S. Ginnett

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Missoula, Montana has an extremely high rate of homelessness at .75% of the population (compared to other large cities, Seattle, Washington at .23% and Los Angeles, California at .32%). This is due to there not being much done to help chronically inebriated homeless individuals. All are turned away from Missoula's overnight shelters if they are not sober. For an inebriated homeless person, the jail and the hospital are the only two places where they can stay the night. Through comparison to other cities, such as Seattle, Washington, I have identified that Missoula needs a wet housing program. Wet housing provides …

Therapist, Heal Thyself? A Study Of Self-Care Practices Among Therapeutic Service Providers, Ashton H. Mcmullan

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Missoula, Montana, is the largest city in western Montana and a social service hub for more than 110,000 residents of the surrounding county and beyond. Whether nonprofit, government agency, or individual provider, each social service offering has its own model of change and form of therapeutic services designed to ensure the best life possible for its clients— but how do the leaders of these organizations also try to make the best lives for themselves and their staff? In this research project, I will investigate this question, analyzing and comparing the self-care practices—formal and informal, public and private, personal and institutional—of …

Missoula’S Homeless Children: Effects Of Homelessness On Mental, Emotional And Social Health, Sarah L. Shapiro

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Missoula’s Homeless Children: Effects of Homelessness on Mental, Emotional and Social Health

The mental, emotional, and social health of children are greatly affected by being homeless. Being homeless as a child could effect a person’s coping skills and lead to mental health issues that increase the likelihood of substance abuse , suicide attempts, or adult homelessness. The purpose of this research project is to explore the negative effects of homelessness on Missoula children, and to identify services that could be useful in combating those effects. Methods for this project, included two data collection strategies. First, a literature review was completed …

Re-Envisioning Macro Social Work Practice, Bowen Mcbeath

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents 10 recommendations supporting a re-envisioning of macro practice for the 21^st century. These strategies are needed to counter a generational trend of disinvestment in macro social work practice and to support the historic vision of the social work profession as equally responsive to the needs of at-risk, disadvantaged populations and the organizational, community, and policy roots of social injustice. Before describing these recommendations and discussing their implications for the social work profession, I first briefly review the challenges facing macro practice and current initiatives promoting its renewal. The goal of this analysis is to define the …

Autism, Tara Crapnell, Lynette Lau, Christopher D. Hanks, Christina Nicolaidis, Alice Kuo

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex, lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that is marked by deficits in social communication and interaction, and repetitive or restrictive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These symptoms can create challenges for individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents during the transition to adulthood, which may interfere with their ability to access and receive adequate and appropriate health care. Awareness of how the challenges associated with ASD may translate to healthcare barriers can help primary care providers address the complex needs of individuals who are on the autism spectrum and mitigate the risks of additional …

Helping Young Adults From Foster Care Succeed In College, Heidi Feight, Breanna Bell, Ashley Conway, Shannon Turner, Neal Naigus, Laurie E. Powers

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

A major barrier experienced my many youth and young adults from foster care is life instability associated with living in multiple foster homes and changing schools, all of which requires repeatedly adjusting to new environments and expectations. This instability can hinder development, learning in high school, and higher education engagement and academic success. Additionally, many young adults from foster care do not have consistent adult support in their lives, which can make succeeding at college even more difficult.

Advice To Young Adults From Young Adults: Helpful Hints For Policy Change In The Mental Health System, Nancy Koroloff, Barbara J. Friesen, Nicholas Buekea

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This tip sheet is designed for use by youth and young adult led organizations that include young people with lived experience in the mental health system in their membership. Organizations that have a history of working together collectively, have clear leadership roles and are ready to move into policy change are most likely to find these tips useful. The recommendations and the quotes contained in this tip sheet came from a series of interviews with young adult leaders from advocacy groups that focus on mental health challenges or living in foster care. Each organization was selected because of its work …

Building Community Supports For Young People In The Transition Years: A Tip Sheet For Service Providers, Pauline Jivanjee, Eileen Brennan, Maria Carolina Gonzalez-Prats, Pathways Transition Training Partnership

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social support is vital for the well-being of children and adults of all ages. Social support includes information, advice, or practical help from others that has positive effects on the young people receiving it (Munson et al., 2015). Since formal support ends when a young person transitions out of services, providers can assist young people to strengthen their existing informal supports and/or to connect them with other supports.

Social support is particularly valuable during times of difficulty or stress. Support from family members, friends, romantic partners, neighbors, mentors, and other community members may be given during a single event or …

Men As Caregivers: Latino Fathering Of Children With Cancer, Noe Mojica

Dissertations

Although women are often viewed as primary caregivers of children, the twenty-first century social conditions are challenging men in the Latino community to assume an increasingly active role in raising children. This study explored the relationships between Latino fathers' masculine identity, caregiving and coping when faced with the demands generated by having a child diagnosed with cancer. The study pursued to inquire the relationship between Latino fathers’ masculinity, their caregiving activities, and how they cope with pediatric illness. Results indicated no significant relationship between masculinity and caregiving or coping. However, there was a significant relationship with conflict between work and …

A Phenomenological Study Of Methadone Treatment By Opiate-Dependent Individuals Ages 50-55 Years, Lamart Hightower

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Today's methadone patients differ from those of the past due to increases in polydrug use, mental health issues, and medical needs. Patients requiring methadone treatment for their opiate addiction are now older than those who initially presented for treatment when methadone treatment first started. The number of older opiate users will continue to grow as the population continues to age. Although previous studies on opiate addiction focused on using methadone in treatment of younger adults, this study used phenomenological methodology to explore the lived experiences of opiate addicted methadone users between the ages of 50 to 55, an understudied population. …

Digitally Immigrant Social Work Faculty: Technology Self-Efficacy And Practice Outcomes, Ellen M. Belluomini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of a model for technology integration in social work education to meet the needs of graduate social workers in the field. Extant research has focused on the efficacy of online or blended learning, but not on social work educators' technology literacy. The purpose of this study was to explore social work educators' self efficacy related to technology use in curriculum and pedagogy. Digitally immigrant educators, defined as those over the age of 35, were studied since this group struggles in adjustment to technology, commonly used by younger students. The conceptual framework …