Social Work Commons^™

Living Kinky, Carrie Kahl

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Current research around BDSM bondage-discipline, domination-submission (BDSM) and kink often serves to pathologize behaviors we now recognize as part of a healthy sexual expression for individuals, couples, and poly groups alike. Kink can be defined as sensual, erotic, or otherwise sexual behaviors that are considered unconventional within the context of a society, and while these behaviors have been depathologized with the release of the DSM-V, much of the existing research has been slow to reflect these changes.

Through a phenomenological approach this study offers a glimpse into the lived experience of five self-identified kinky individuals (n=5) with consideration of their …

13 Reasons Why Not: Examining Peer Networks And Barriers To Help Seeking, Katharine Comber

Social Work Theses

This paper examines mental health perceptions on a college campus, with an emphasis on the importance of peer networks, the barriers to help-seeking behaviors, and the persisting stigma against mental health treatment. The researcher hypothesized that students will report confiding in family, friends, and peers in times of emotional distress, rather than more formal support networks. The study utilized a 13-item survey that examined what barriers students face in seeking help, to whom students turn in times of distress, and if they feel that there is stigma on campus that is a deterrent to formal mental health treatment. The results …

“Older Adults And Their Experiences With Home Care And Assisted Living”, Faith Robinson

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

As the state of Maine and the U.S. population at large continues to age, discussion about future care and living arrangements for older adults has become an increasingly relevant issue. Older adults are often faced with a range of options for housing, including staying in their home in their community while receiving home care services, or moving to an assisted living facility.

Currently a gap in the research exists as to the attitudes, perceptions, and lived experiences of the older adults themselves around these decisions, experiences, and the meaning of “home” in our older years. This study aims to provide …

A Qualitative Study Of Asylum Seekers Experience As Mentees With The Welcoming The Stranger Program, Deborah H. W. Hamilton

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Asylum seekers are foreign nationals who enter the United States legally fleeing danger in their home country. Over 26,000 individuals were granted asylum in 2015, with 3.4% of the State of Maine’s population identifying as immigrants. Portland Maine’s General Assistance (GA) office reports nearly 40% of GA recipients were visa holders seeking asylum during fiscal year 2016. Asylum seekers arrive with psychological and physical burdens and then face hurdles trying to gain legal status while attempting to get their basic needs met in the social service systems. Organizations have been created on a grassroots level to provide support and bypass …

Military Sexual Trauma: A Thematic Analysis Of Impact And Interventions, Rebecca Cornell Du Houx

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Media driven awareness of military sexual trauma (MST), meaning sexual harassment or assault that occurred while serving in the US Military, may have increased since the term was first coined in 2004, yet the services available for survivors of MST could still be lacking. Percentages of MST prevalence range, with one research study finding 80% of women serving in the military have experienced some type of sexual harassment or assault (Meade, Glenn, & Wirth, 2013). Previous research has also shown that MST is connected to depression, suicidal ideation, and PTSD, along with other mental health conditions.* During the present study, …

Cultural Diversity In The Msw Learning Space: Exploring Awareness, Acceptance, And Perceptions, Natasha Bragg, Christine Marie Bishop, Minyoung Lim

Faculty Publications

This exploratory study assesses MSW students’ awareness, acceptance, and perceptions with regard to cultural diversity in the MSW learning space. Through a stepwise multiple regression analysis, seven predictor variables were inputted to assess their predictive qualities on the criterion of perceptions of cultural diversity in the MSW learning space.

Parentified Then Removed: A Teenager’S Conceptualization Of Family Identity, Katherine Bernard Melcher

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Family identity construction and the socially accepted definition of family have evolved over time. From the idyllic nuclear family of the 1950s to the contemporary examples that include step parents, grandparents, same sex parents and legal guardians have transformed the way family is conceptualized. The current research is typically concerned with creating an operational definition of family, particularly for divorced families; however, there is a gap in the research focused on how children experience and identify with family identity construction. This is especially consequential for children who have been removed from their family home by child protective services. This narrative …

The Foster Care System And Its Long Term Effects, Amanda Bustamante, Kristen Livingston

Paper Presentations

A Social Learning study on the long term affects of the Foster Care System, which is a substitute care for children who are placed away from their parents or guardians, and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, placements in foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, childcare institutions, and pre-adoptive home. Twenty-five thousand kids leave the system each year; this is their take on life and the system in which they experienced. Each has different circumstances, which influences their journey throughout the System. …

One School, One Family: Portland High School Climate In The Age Of Trump, Naomi Abrams Hawkes

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The 2016 U.S. presidential election led to one of the most contentious seasons in American politics. Citing the inflammatory rhetoric of public figures, a growing body of literature documents a dramatic increase in bias-­‐related bullying and feelings of anxiety in K-12 schools across the country since the 2016 election. Using student and faculty interviews/focus groups, secondary data analysis, and direct observations, this case study offers a comprehensive examination of the effects of the substance and tone of the current sociopolitical climate on students at Portland High School. Data was analyzed and suggestions made for administration to help create a more …

Patients Attitudes On Alternative Approaches To Chronic Pain Management, Morgan Beede

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The topic of chronic pain and pain management continues to be heavily discussed by healthcare providers today. In the state of Maine, the recent limit on Opioid prescriptions raised questions regarding sustainable and alternative, long-term treatment options for patients. Many patients suffering from chronic pain are now tapering off their prescriptions and seeking alternative treatment options such as acupuncture, herbal remedies/supplements, massage, mind-body techniques, and yoga. This qualitative study was designed to explore patients attitudes on alternative treatment approaches. Seven individuals who suffer from chronic pain participated in interviews exploring their journey toward pain relief. The findings from this study …

Foregrounding The Role Of The Consumer In Social Entrepreneurship, April M. Wyatt

Capstone Collection

The research purpose of this study initiates the need for describing the role consumers have in social entrepreneurship. Current research remains primarily dedicated to the leadership and organizational structures of entities operating as a social enterprise – while overlooking the role of consumers. This style of entrepreneurship requires specific attention on the social aspect of consumers and beneficiaries in order to create and implement ethics in this growing field. This research examines the current role of the participants in the social-mission driven organizations they support; data collection indicates that, at the present, most consumers support organizations without engaging in direct …

What Do You Bring To The Classroom? – A Look At Approaching Difficult Dialogues, Katherine Holleran

Social Work Theses

This qualitative research study assessed and evaluated experiences of professors from different departments, regarding their encounters with difficult dialogues and the perceived response from students in their classroom through untimed, semi-structured interviews. The interview questions were designed to have an open dialogue with the professor about their experiences in the classroom and how they feel their identities and strategies may have influenced or shaped conversations that took place. The findings include the perspective of four white female professors, one white male professor, and one female professor of color. The results emphasize that there are effective strategies that professors have found …

Identifying Validity In Qualitative Research: A Literature Review, Fitzroy R. Gordon

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper explores multiple articles relating to qualitative research. Qualitative research has seen several transformation that aim to support contributions for this research development. As research, using a qualitative methodology rises to prevalence, this paper explores industry and academia use of this methodology. The paper review research based in the field of healthcare and social work. After analysis, the review of literature shows that a majority qualitative research are within the field healthcare (Johnson, 1999). The research conducted embraces a diverse collection of approaches to inquiry intended to generate knowledge actually grounded in human experience. The literature review also addressed …

Farm To Liberation: Towards Feminist Food Justice, Elisabeth Spector

Honors Theses

Women are one of the many vulnerable populations experiencing the detrimental effects of human-induced climate change, and our current system of food production is one of the largest contributors to this global problem. Not only do modern methods of food production contribute significantly to climate change, but they devalue women’s knowledge and strip away their opportunities. A number of communities and individuals have begun to work against this system and work towards food justice through small-scale farming and growing their own food. Through the use of ecofeminist scholarship and original interviews, this project examines the problems within our current food …

An Assessment Of The Structural & Equipment Accessibility Of Primary Care Offices, Leeann C. Swager, Nancy R. Mudrick, Mary Lou Breslin

Social Work - All Scholarship

The purpose of this research is to assess the overall structural and equipment barriers encountered by persons with functional limitations when attempting to access medical care. Using data about the physical accessibility of 3991 primary care offices in California, offices were ranked on a scale of accessibility. Results overall show that primary care offices are meeting most, or between 63-87%, of federal accessibility guidelines. It appears that major problematic areas for accessibility are Exam Rooms and Toilet Rooms. Possibilities for this outcome include higher costs for equipment (as opposed to structural/architectural changes), difficulty accommodating interior room layouts, and the office’s …

Socially Isolated Cambodians In The Us: Recommendations For Health Promotion, S. Megan Berthold, Sengly Kong, Jason Ostrander, Seiya Fukuda

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Cambodian genocide survivors experience health disparities associated with their traumatic experiences. Cambodian community organizations in the United States are severely challenged to serve these survivors. Community leaders have identified a sub-set of community members of particular concern: those at either end of the age spectrum (elders and young people) who are socially isolated. As part of a larger community-based participatory research project, we conducted a focus group with seven Cambodian community leaders from six cities that sought to better understand the phenomenon of social isolation of Cambodian elders and young people in order to inform health promotion efforts. Cambodian leaders …

Mentors Wanted, Ingrid Weiss Slikkers

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Jails Are Not Treatment Centers, Michael Henning, Rachel Mattick, Cali Turbes

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Currently, in Minnesota alone, there are more individuals with severe mental illness being incarcerated than hospitalized. Blue Earth County's Yellow Line Project (YLP) reported that 83.7% of individuals screened positive for mental illness prior to being booked into jail . Not only does incarcerating individuals with mental illness fill our jails, it prolongs mental illness and time spent away from treatment. Jail diversion programs divert individuals with mental health disorders from the criminal justice system and into appropriate treatment when applicable. For those individuals ineligible for diversion from the criminal justice system, care coordination would be ideal to assist in …

A Model Of Employment Supports For Job Seekers With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Oliver Lyons, Jennifer Bose, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Interviews with 16 employment consultants-triangulated with job seekers, family members, and supervisors-revealed a model of employment supports aligned with the elements described in the literature, although with an added emphasis on (a) building trust as a key element starting from day one; (b) a circular process converging on the job match; (c) and flexible intensity of supports. The model can be used for improving clarity in communication with employment consultants about effective employment support practices for assisting job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Rrtc On Advancing Employment Composite Indicator Research, Frank A. Smith, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

What?
Analysis to describe the relationship between state employment system characteristics and employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Why?
To better understand higher-performing state employment systems.

How?
Researchers included individual indicators from 2013 for each state from its IDD and vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. We also used American Community Survey data that looked at employment outcomes and education for individuals with cognitive disability between the ages of 22 to 30, i.e. individuals who recently aged out of eligibility for services under IDEA. The resulting composite indicator (CI) represents overall state employment system performance.