Social Work Commons^™

Gay-Affirmative Social Work Practice With Homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Youth, Aissa Deloatch-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth are overrepresented in the homeless population and experience higher rates of discrimination and unfair treatment when accessing services and shelter. Research indicates that homeless LGBT youth remain homeless for longer periods of time than their heterosexual peers because of bias and stigmas associated with their gender identity and sexual orientation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine if social workers in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, used an affirmative model of intervention when working with homeless LGBT youth. Maslow’s self-affirmation theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. The interview …

Social Workers' Role In Treating Individuals With Neurological Impairments From Brain Trauma, Kimberly D. Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 1 billion individuals worldwide are diagnosed with a neurological condition. Neurological conditions might harm an individual’s overall mental state and quality of life. This qualitative action research project examined the social worker’s role in treating individuals with neurological impairments due to brain trauma. Information was gathered using a focus group of 4 rehabilitation social workers in Dallas, Texas, about their experiences related to utilizing social work practice with patients who have neurological conditions. Data from this action research project revealed an understanding of the psychosocial benefits of social work services for individuals with neurological impairments due to brain trauma …

Impact Of District-Wide Free Lunch On Third-Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension, Rita A. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poverty has an enormous impact on children and their success in school. Children with low economic status often perform poorly in math and reading. Poor reading skills often lead to truancy, low rates of high school graduation, low-paying jobs, and cycles of illiteracy in generations of families. The fundamental cause theory was the theoretical lens used for this study. The purpose of this quantitative, comparative ANOVA quartile split study was to examine the impact of universal free and reduced lunch (FRL) policy changes on third grade reading normal curve equivalent (NCE) scores. The research design included data analysis for examining …

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients' Sociological Resilience, Self-Determination, And Decision-Making For Life-Sustaining Treatments, Jeremy Jon Van Tress

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suffer from a rare, progressive, untreatable, and fatal neuromuscular disease. Their decision-making for life-sustaining treatments may not be fully self-deterministic. While researchers have examined resilience and self-determination in people with mental health problems and chronic illness, none have researched these variables in ALS patients from a socioecological framework. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between people with ALS socioecological resilience, self-determination, and decision-making for life-sustaining treatments. A cross-sectional concurrent mixed-methods design was used, with online surveys completed by 197 people with ALS who were solicited through the National ALS Registry. …

Methamphetamine Screening And Brief Intervention In A Hospital Heart Failure Program, Tamra Chavez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe efficacy of screening, brief, intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) in reducing or eliminating methamphetamine use has not been investigated and addressed among patients with heart failure. According to urine toxicology screens at admission at a county hospital, approximately 50% of patients in a heart failure program were positive for illicit substance use, and the majority of these tests (>60%) were for methamphetamine use, one of the most cardiotoxic drugs available. This quantitative study used an existing dataset to test the theory of intentional behavior by examining whether SBIRT intervention increases the patient’s ability to make a behavioral change …

A Qualitative Study On The Perceived Value Of Emotional Intelligence Training On Foster Parents, Omar Shere Johnson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of a child in the foster care system rely heavily on the preparedness ofthe foster parent. For decades, researchers and practitioners have written about the challenges that foster children face while in the foster care system and discussed ways to assist them. This research discusses another way to improve the preparedness of a foster child as they go through the foster care system—improving the parenting skills of the foster parent using emotional intelligence. The entirety of this study is the analysis and study of this specific research question, “What perceived impact can emotional intelligence training (IV) have on …

Understanding Alzheimer’S Disease Knowledge In Low-Income, Richmond, Va Community Dwelling Older Adults, Taylor Wilkerson, Ann Rhodes, Jennifer Inker, Joann Richardson, Faika Zanjani

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Different populations of individuals demonstrate varying levels of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) knowledge, as well as commonly held misconceptions about the nature of the disease and its risk factors. Older adults often demonstrate lower scores on Alzheimer’s disease knowledge scales and African American adults are often specifically not aware of their higher Alzheimer’s risk status compared to other racial groups. In addition, African American older adults are more likely to receive the fewest AD interventions. Methods: We measured the Alzheimer’s knowledge of twenty community-dwelling elders at two separate time points (baseline and 6 month follow-up) as part of a larger …

The Moderating Effect Of Comfort From Companion Animals And Social Support On The Relationship Between Microaggressions And Mental Health In Lgbtq+ Emerging Adults, Angela Matijczak, Jennifer L. Murphy, Camie A. Tomlinson, Kelly O'Connor, Shelby E. Mcdonald

Graduate Research Posters

Introduction: Sexual and/or gender minority (SGM; e.g., lesbian, transgender, nonbinary, LGBTQ+) individuals are frequently exposed to various forms of minority stress that impact their mental health and wellbeing. Microaggressions, a form of minority stress, are defined as unconscious behaviors or statements directed at members of marginalized groups that reflect a hostile or discriminatory message. Microaggressions have been associated with several detrimental outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. Social support has been found to be an important protective factor for SGM emerging adults. Additionally, relationships with companion animals are an underexplored source of support that may be important for SGM individuals. …

Staff Under New Market Rules: A Case Study Of A Group Home For People With Intellectual Disabilities In Sweden, Sven Trygged

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Swedish caring services have transformed from a public ­operated to a market inspired contract system. This pilot case study of a group home explores what the shifts of contractor entail for staff concerning work regulation, work content and job satisfaction, personal development, relationships with colleagues, and consequences for service users. Procurement documents were studied and interviews performed with four experienced staff members. Results show that manager turnover, administrative changes, and terms of employment contracts increased conflicts and staff vulnerability. Staff responses are discussed in terms of exit, voice and loyalty.

Daily Labors: Marketing Identity And Bodies On A New York City Street Corner, By Carolyn Pinedo-Turnovsky, Kimberly Hogan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Carolyn Pinedo-Turnovsky, Daily Labors: Marketing Identity and Bodies on a New York City Street Corner. Temple University Press (2019), 212 pages, $24.42 (softcover).

Social Empathy: The Art Of Understanding Others, By Elizabeth A. Segal, Melanie Reyes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Elizabeth A. Segal, Social Empathy: The Art of Understanding Others. Columbia University Press (2018). 239 pages, $32.50 (hardcover).

Parental Practices And Maternal Warmth As Protective Factors For Problem Behaviors In Mexican Preadolescents, Jaime Fuentes-Balderrama, Cinthia Cruz Del Castillo, Jose Ruben Parra-Cardona, Bernardo Turnbull Plaza, Angélica Ojeda García, Rolando Díaz-Loving

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Epidemiological estimates indicate that approximately 12% of children and adolescents in Mexico are in clinical ranges for psychological disorders. Low-income families in need of psychological support generally encounter understaffed and sometimes inefficient public health services and thus, families frequently constitute the primary source of support for individuals affected by mental health disorders. Empirical studies in the Mexican context have demonstrated that positive parental practices are associated with positive developmental outcomes and low levels of problem behaviors for both children and adolescents. This study aims to identify if such practices act as protective factors for problem behaviors in 306 Mexican students …

Moving Beyond Race, Gender, And Education: Exploring The Relationship Between Disability, Depressive Symptoms And Long-Term Financial Outcomes, Mellissa K. Wright, Clifford L. Broman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data on poverty status reveals that there is a distinct sub-population of individuals who are at a significantly greater risk of being chronically poor. Although many researchers have examined the demographic characteristics of individuals who are the most likely to be persistently poor, the emphasis has been on race, sex, and education. Little attention has been paid to the role that disability might play in long-term poverty. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to utilize longitudinal Add Health data in order to explore whether or not the presence of a disability might also affect an individual’s likelihood of experiencing …

Review Of Research On Long-Term Care Insurance In Qingdao, China By Mi Hong, Ji Min, And Liu Weiguo, Lingxue Sun

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Research on Long-Term Care Insurance in Qingdao, China by Mi Hong, Ji Min, and Liu Weiguo, China Labour & Social Security Publishing House (2019).

Review Of Elder Suicide: Durkheim’S Vision By Stephen M. Marson, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Elder Suicide: Durkheim’s Vision by. Stephen M. Marson, NASW Press (2019),

Young Adult Drinking And Depression: The Long-Term Consequences Of Poverty, Maternal Depression, And Childhood Behavioral Problems, Rachel Mckane, Molly K. Richard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The objective of this research is to investigate the relationships among childhood poverty, maternal depressive symptoms, internalizing and externalizing childhood behavioral problems, and depressive symptoms and alcohol use in young adulthood. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample and path analysis, a special case of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the results indicate that both childhood poverty and maternal depressive symptoms are associated with negative behavioral outcomes in childhood and young adulthood. This study also examines mediating effects of maternal depressive symptoms, and both externalizing and internalizing childhood behavioral problems. The findings indicate that the relationship between childhood poverty and …

Review Of Motherlands: How States Push Mothers Out Of Employment By Leah Ruppanner, Hana Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Motherlands: How States Push Mothers Out of Employment.

Using A Contextual Effects Measurement Approach To Understand The Influence Of Community On Individual Behavior, Bridget E. Weller, Sinaida Cherubin, Shelby D. Leverett, Alexandria Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A social organization perspective identifies processes operating in the community that may influence an individual’s behavior. To understand such processes, researchers can apply a contextual effects measurement approach, which is used to assess the influence of group-level effects on lower level outcomes. However, few community studies employ this approach. The purpose of this article is to present and evaluate the merits of the contextual effects measurement approach.

Caring For Children In Child Welfare Systems: A Trauma-Informed Model Of Integrated Primary Care, Jill Mcleigh, Laura Lamminen, Heidi Roman

Integrated, Trauma-Informed Care

Children involved with the child welfare system have high rates of behavioral health concerns, chronic health conditions, and developmental disabilities. Further, as a result of the complicated relationships among the court system, child protective services, and caregivers (i.e., biological, kinship, and/or foster caregivers) and the high volume of health-, behavior-, and development-related services children in care need, the services they receive tend to be fragmented and problem driven. On top of these challenges, children involved with the child welfare system have been exposed to trauma, and often more than one form of trauma. Taken together, these factors point to the …

Tuberculosis Clinical Presentation And Treatment Outcomes In Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study, Brittney J. Van De Water, Meredith B. Brooks, Chuan-Chin Huang, Letizia Trevisi, Leonid Lecca, Carmen Contreras, Jerome Galea, Roger Calderon, Rosa Yataco, Megan Murray, Mercedes C. Becerra

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: There is limited research to guide TB treatment specifically in pregnant women and few studies have described the presentation of TB in pregnant women. We aimed to understand TB presentation and treatment outcomes in pregnant women in a low HIV burden setting. We describe a cohort of women of childbearing age treated for TB disease in Lima, Peru, and compare clinical presentation and treatment outcomes among pregnant and non-pregnant women between 2009 and 2012, including 36 pregnant women.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study. Subjects were recruited from across 106 public health centers in Lima, Peru. Baseline demographic, …