Social Work Commons^™

How Do You Build A Community? Developing Community Capacity And Social Capital In An Urban Aboriginal Setting, Gus Hill Phd, Martin Cooke

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

Previous literature has identified social capital as an important resource for successful community development activities, and there have been some attempts to adapt the concepts of social capital to the particular context of First Nations. However, little information is available about how social capital itself might be developed or improved in Aboriginal communities. Moreover, urban Aboriginal communities are different from rural First Nations, Inuit or Métis communities in structure, composition, activities, and diversity, and deserve specific attention and their own models of community development. This paper presents a framework to guide development initiatives in urban Aboriginal contexts that is drawn …

“Giver Of Light”: The Influence Of A Mexican Midwife On Community Development, Karen Sandberg, Jini Roby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Dar a luz, meaning “to give light,” is the Mexican phrase for giving birth. The equation of light with the birth process reveals its significance to the Mexican people. Internationally, female midwives educated and assisted women in the birth process, making it a specific sphere of women’s influence. Midwives played an important role in the development and well being of their communities as well: they “served as healers,” using herbs and other medical treatment’s to promote general health (Sapiro 206). As such, health care has been one of the few areas historically where women have, in addition to their …

A Study On The Cultural Influences Involved In The Decision To Place Children For International Adoption, Heather Hintze, Jini Roby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), international adoption is very common. The RMI has one of the highest international adoption rates per capita in the world. This research project was designed to learn and understand the reasons behind this high international adoption rate in the RMI. The research project focused on investigating the cultural influences that cause Marshallese women to relinquish their child for international adoption. Currently, the work is still in progress. All of the information was obtained from Marshallese birth mothers living in the Marshall Islands. Now the data entry needs to be done at Brigham …

Assessing The Knowledge Level Of Social Service Professionals On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd): Creating Training Guides, Charles E. Lawrence, Ph.D., Geraldine L. Palmer Ph.D.

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Objective: Creating training guides for social service workers to deliver more effective services for veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Background: Effective service delivery for veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome is often hampered by a lack of knowledge about how to identify the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Appropriate training guides can provide integral benefits including: improved situational awareness, more accurate data gathered in the intake process, a reduction in veteran homelessness and prevention of chronic homelessness. Method: A pre-and post-test design was used to determine levels of knowledge guided by Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956). The study focused on …

Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy An Effective Treatment For Autism? A Review, Daniel Dunleavy, Bruce A. Thyer

Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

Objectives: We review outcome studies regarding the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Method: Studies were identified through electronic bibliographic databases and manual searches of article reference lists. Results: A total of 8 studies met eligibility criteria, consisting of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), one quasi-experimental study involving a comparison group, two pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest studies, and two single-system designs. Studies reviewed did not offer credible evidence to suggest that HBOT is an effective treatment for autism. Conclusion: It is premature to call HBOT an effective treatment for Autism and ASD. Individuals clinically treated with …

The Science Of Research Synthesis: Limiting Bias And Error In Reviews, Julia H. Littell, Brandy R. Maynard

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Coping With Publication And Reporting Biases In Research Reviews, Julia H. Littell, David L. Albright

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Review Of Systematic Review Methods: The Science Of Research Synthesis, Julia H. Littell, Brandy R. Maynard

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Does Outstanding Student Debt Reduce Asset Accumulation?, William Elliott, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Ilsung Nam

Center for Social Development Research

In this study, the authors use the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) to assess whether student loan debt is associated with total assets. They find that median 2009 assets for households with no outstanding student loan debt ($207,000) are higher than they are for households with outstanding student loan debt ($174,000). Multivariate statistics indicate that a household with a four-year college graduate, outstanding student loan debt, and median assets ($451,520) in 2007 had $136,73 (36%) less home equity in 2009 than a household with a similar household with no outstanding student loan debt. The main policy implication of this study …

Life On Point Youth Development Program Outcomes, Christopher S. Horne

Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

The widely implemented Life On Point youth development program is intended to promote youths’ psychosocial development and resistance to health risk behaviors. The program was evaluated following an experimental design, with 77 middle school students randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. ANCOVA analysis of pre- and post-program questionnaire data revealed significant, positive differences between program and control group participants on measures of the program’s targeted outcomes, both in terms of statistical significance and substantial effect sizes. Consistent with previous research, control group participants’ outcome indicators worsened over the course of the evaluation, suggesting that Life On Point and similar …

“It’S Not Just You Two”: A Grounded Theory Of Peer-Influenced Jealousy As A Pathway To Dating Violence Among Acculturating Mexican American Adolescents., Heidi Adams Rueda, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop a deeper understanding of how jealousy escalates to physical dating violence within Mexican American adolescent romantic relationships. Method: Using grounded theory, 20 focus groups of self-identified Mexican American adolescents (N = 64; 15–17 years old) were analyzed by level of acculturation and gender. Results: Three distinct “jealous” typologies resulting in dating violence were identified: normative jealousy (typically highly acculturated or bicultural male and female adolescents), jealous and possessive (typically bicultural male adolescents), and jealous and accepting of dating violence norms (typically low acculturated male adolescents). Across types, jealousy was upheld within a peer culture that constructed loose …

An Introduction To Conjoint Behavioral Consultation Via Distance Delivery (Cbc-D), Michael J. Coutts, Shanon R. Holmes, Susan M. Sheridan, Tyler E. Smith

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this poster is to introduce Conjoint Behavioral Consultation via Distance delivery (CBC-D) as a potential intervention service for rural educators. This poster provides a detailed description of the CBC-D process and practical considerations when using tele-education technology to deliver consultation services to rural schools. Implications for school psychology practice and future research are discussed.

The Impact Of Parent-Teacher Relationships On Student Behavior During Intervention And One Year Later, Amanda Witte, Susan M. Sheridan

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Background

• Children with social-behavioral concerns are at high risk of developing long-term, pervasive problems.

• Interventions which aim to decrease negative behaviors and increase social and adaptive skills across both home and school settings have the potential to be particularly effective.

• However, families of students with social-behavioral problems also tend toward disengagement from, or limited connection with, schools or other service-delivery systems (Dishion & Stromshak, 2006).

• Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC; Sheridan & Kratochwill, 2008), is a family-school partnership intervention designed to reduce child behavior problems and increase child adaptive skills.

• The quality of the parent-teacher relationship …

Self-Reflections Of A Gay Immigrant Social Worker, Jonghyun Lee, Kate Willow Robinson

Social Work Faculty Publications

Social workers strive to end various forms of social injustice that cause the marginalization of people and their suffering. One way to dismantle social injustice is to engage in a self-reflective process. As a form of self-discovery, self-reflection guides us to recognize our own experiences of privilege and power as well as inequality and oppression. In this article, I utilize intersectionality as a method of self-reflection to examine the ways race/ethnicity, sexuality, and immigration status intersect and create a particular form of vulnerability. Making private experiences public takes courage. Nevertheless, through self-reflection, I reinforce my moral and ethical commitment to …

A Demonstration Of Canonical Correlation Analysis With Orthogonal Rotation To Facilitate Interpretation, Patrick V. Dattalo

Social Work Publications

This paper describes and demonstrates Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) with orthogonal rotation to facilitate interpretation. The purpose of CCA is to explain the relationship between two or more sets of variables. CCA can be thought of as a kind of principal components analysis on two set of variables, except that the criteria for the pairs of linear combinations is that they have the highest possible correlation while being orthogonal to “earlier” pairs. Social work researchers should rarely be satisfied with a strategy that determines which sets of variables to model on purely statistical grounds. However, there are times when there …

Partnering For Mental Health Promotion: Implementing Evidence Based Mental Health Services Within A Maternal And Child Home Health Visiting Program, Lisa A. Gray, Sarah Kye Price

Social Work Publications

This article details the clinical foundations of a social work focused community-based participatory research project promoting women’s mental health during and around the time of pregnancy. Specifically, we discuss the theoretical, empirical and organizational implementation of an enhanced engagement model of mental health service delivery that integrates evidenced based practices into the structure and services of an existing non-profit maternal and child health home visiting agency. The model is grounded in literature addressing barriers to accessing mental health care among minority women living in low-income communities. We discuss informing the intervention through direct consumer involvement, as well the rationale supporting …

Framing Ethnic Variations In Alcohol Outcomes From Biological Pathways To Neighborhood Context, Karen G. Chartier, Denise M. Scott, Tamara L. Wall, Jonathan Covault, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, Britain A. Mills, Susan E. Luczak, Raul Caetano, Judith A. Arroyo

Social Work Publications

Background

Health disparities research seeks to eliminate disproportionate negative health outcomes experienced in some racial/ethnic minority groups. This brief review presents findings on factors associated with drinking and alcohol‐related problems in racial/ethnic groups.

Methods

Those discussed are as follows: (i) biological pathways to alcohol problems, (ii) gene × stress interactions, (iii) neighborhood disadvantage, stress, and access to alcohol, and (iv) drinking cultures and contexts.

Results

These factors and their interrelationships are complex, requiring a multilevel perspective.

Conclusions

The use of interdisciplinary teams and an epigenetic focus are suggested to move the research forward. The application of multilevel research to policy, …

The Stressors Of The Military Lifestyle And The Services Available To Help Military Families, Jacquelyn Desrosiers

Social Work Theses

This quantitative, descriptive study focuses on the effectiveness of the various services available for military families from the perspective of Rhode Island military residents. A review of the literature outlines the major stressors of the military lifestyle. The services available to help military families deal with these stressors are analyzed in the study. Five Rhode Island military families participated in this study. Results revealed overall satisfaction with the resources available through the military itself, dissatisfaction with services available through other areas, such as schools, churches, or organizations, the necessity of aid during the reintegration experience, the minimal usage of the …

Helping Children Find A Home That Offers Safety, Stability, And Love, D'Nique Melissa Stevens

Social Work Theses

The researcher wanted to look closely to see if preferences of adoptive parents, such as a particular race, age, or gender of the adoptee, helped or hindered the process of adoption. Gathering research, based on previous studies, the researcher was able to compare and contrast, to see if there are any patterns regarding adoptive parent preferences. There was a hole in the literature in regards to the preference of gender. This was a quantitative descriptive study completed by Providence College students, using a Likert-like style instrument. The main findings in the research was the statistically significant relationship of the values …

The Impact Of Partner Support In Abortion, Amy Gentile

Social Work Theses

This quantitative, relational study aimed to examine whether there was a significant relationship between mental health of the female post-abortion and partner support both during and after abortion. A review of the literature indicates that many women do not suffer psychological trauma post-abortion and a large majority of women who have abortions report feeling supported by the prospective father. However, no research has examined if these two groups are in fact one in the same. One hundred forty-three questionnaires were collected on a college campus to measure respondent’s predictions of partner support and emotional well being post-abortion. Results indicate a …

Frequency Of Communication On Facebook As A Factor In Four Dimensions Of Perceived Social Support, Granger E. Petersen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored relationships between the frequency of public communication on the social networking website Facebook and the level of social support an individual perceives. Students in the Graduate School of Social Work and the Emergent Digital Practices program were surveyed. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the variables. Findings from the analysis indicated that the frequency of posting statuses on Facebook and the frequency of responding to other's status updates on Facebook was significantly and negatively associated with a perception of tangible social support. The frequency of these types of communication were not significantly …

Scrupulosity: Practical Treatment Considerations Drawn From Clinical And Ecclesiastical Experiences With Latter-Day Saint Persons Struggling With Religiously-Oriented Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Kyle N. Weir, Mandy Greaves, Christopher Kelm, Rahul Ragu, Rick Denno

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Scrupulosity, a religiously-oriented form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is both a clinical matter for treatment and can be an ecclesiastical concern for members, therapists, and priesthood leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. Just as some people of all faiths suffer from scrupulosity, Latter-day Saints (LDS) persons are not immune. This article addresses the issues pertaining to scrupulosity and provides practical treatment considerations for working with LDS persons struggling with scrupulosity from both a clinical and ecclesiastical perspective. A treatment approach, including consultation with priesthood leaders, is outlined.

Strategies Employed By Inner-City Activists To Reduce Alcohol-Related Problems And Advance Social Justice, Laurie Drabble, Denise Herd

Faculty Publications

This study explored strategies employed by activists engaged in efforts to change policies and laws related to selling and promoting alcoholic beverages based on in-depth interviews with 184 social activists in seven U.S. major cities. Nine strategies aimed at improving local conditions and influencing policy were described by activists across regional contexts. Grassroots mobilization was central to all other strategies, which included the creation or enforcement of laws, meeting with elected officials, media advocacy, working with police/law enforcement, education and training, direct action, changing community norms, and negotiating with store owners.

State Responses To Alcohol Use And Pregnancy: Findings From The Alcohol Policy Information System, Laurie Drabble, Sue Thomas, Lisa O'Connor, Sarah Roberts

Faculty Publications

This article describes U.S. state policies related to alcohol use during pregnancy, using data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alcohol Policy Information System. Specifically, this study examines trends in policies enacted by states over time and types of policies enacted across states in the United States, with a focus on whether laws were supportive or punitive toward women. Findings revealed substantial variability in characteristics of policies (19 primarily supportive, 12 primarily punitive, 12 with a mixed approach, and 8 with no policies). Findings underscore the need to examine possible consequences of policies, especially of punitive policies …

Social Work A Broad, Often Invisible Profession, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Global Health, Toba Schwaber Kerson, Jessica Euna Lee

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

Within its 150 year history, public health has grown from a focus on local communities, to include country-wide, then international and now global perspectives. Using the United Nation’s Millennium Goals as its primary framework, this article provides an overview of global public health within the broadest possible context of the world and all of its peoples. Also provided are discussions of the global burden of disease as measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), global health statistics, current health priorities and recommendations for action by social workers and other health professionals.

Gap Analysis Of The Social Services Referral Network For Sex Workers In Worcester, Ma, Marianne Sarkis, Annivette Fernandez-Rivera, Yenifer Hernandez

Local Knowledge: Worcester Area Community-Based Research

This poster outlines an investigation on the presence of female sex workers in Central Massachusetts. The research found a lack of social services provided to this population, mostly due to a lack of communication between social service networks.

From The Editor, Peggy Pittman-Munke Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work

Volume 6, Number 1

2014

From the Editor: Peggy Pittman-Munke, Murray State University

Ethical Guidelines For Social Work Supervisors In Rural Settings, Elizabeth T. Blue, Ann M. Kutzler, Suzanne Macron-Fuller

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Little research literature exists integrating ethics, supervision, and rural/small community practice. This paper reports results of a study conducted by a joint student-faculty team. The study engaged supervisors in rural and small communities in two Midwestern states in semi-structured interviews. Interview data were then used to develop guidelines for BSW students about what constitutes ethical supervisory practice in rural environments.

Black Gold And The Dark Underside Of Its Development On Human Service Delivery, Kenneth Flanagan, Thomasine Heitkamp, Randall C. Nedegaard, Dheeshana S. Jayasundara

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This paper examines perceptions of human service workers regarding their employment experiences and adaptations in oil-impacted rural communities in the Upper Missouri Valley of North Dakota. This study is part of larger pilot project designed to better inform health and human service professionals and elected officials about the nature of human service delivery systems in boomtowns. Qualitative methodologies were employed to analyze information gathered by interviews conducted with 40 human service workers. Both individual interviews and focus groups were conducted. Study findings indicate that the impact of oil on the human service network is complicated. Human service workers in the …