Social Work Commons^™

Working The Front Lines Of Intimate Partner Violence: Responders' Perceptions Of Interrole Collaboration, Lisa N. Magruder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence is an epidemic that requires collaboration among responding professionals. As such, community coordinated responses, which unite responders from multiple IPV-serving agencies, have been suggested as a best practice. Despite their use over the past several decades, there is a lack of concrete evidence for their success. Moreover, problems noted among responders decades ago, such as differing philosophical beliefs around IPV, are still noted in more recent literature. Using an instrument-development variant of a fixed, exploratory, sequential mixed-methods design, this dissertation aimed to gain a better understanding of the collaboration experiences of IPV responders.

The qualitative sequence involved …

Warm Connections: An Integrated Behavioral Health Intervention Development Study, Susanne Klawetter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research demonstrates the presence of maternal mental health disparities as well as barriers to quality behavioral health care among women with low socioeconomic status. Warm Connections represents an innovative, interdisciplinary intervention designed to improve access to timely behavioral health support for women with low socioeconomic status. Based on an infant mental health framework and drawing from integrated behavioral health and brief intervention approaches, Warm Connections addresses the psychosocial needs of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The primary mission of WIC is to provide nutrition education, access to healthy nutrition, and health care …

Becoming Human Through The Communalization Of Trauma And Healing: Experiences Of Support Among Former Child Soldiers In Northern Uganda, Jordan Childress Farrar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite global protections intended to protect children and hold governments and militarized groups accountable, contemporary discourse surrounding armed conflict recognizes the continued presence of children in war. While the knowledge base surrounding this issue is still in its infancy, some notable shifts have occurred regarding what we know about this group. Initial inquiry centered the individual and their trauma, which over time has expanded to consider the influence of the larger sociocultural context on one's recovery after war. In fact, research has begun to document the protective nature of community acceptance and support for children affected by armed conflict. To …

Looking Through A Trauma Lens: A Caregiver's Perspective Of Child Welfare Involvement, Erin Ruth Boyce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The majority of maltreatment perpetrated against children is at the hand of their primary caregiver, most often their mother. The reasons why caregivers maltreat their children are still being investigated. However, the caregiver's history of trauma, in particular cumulative trauma that leads to trauma symptomology is emerging as an explanation for maltreatment. Popular theory describes the coercive and oppressive nature of child welfare system policy and practices, as a source of re-traumatization for caregivers with a trauma history (Harris & Fallot, 2001). Currently, the field of child welfare practice is largely guided by the use of trauma-informed practices, which are …

Partnering With Educational Leaders To Advance Social Work Education In Vietnam, Laurie Drabble, Edward Cohen, Hoa Nguyen, Alice Hines, Debbie Faires, Tuan Tran, Patrick Thanh Ngo

Faculty Publications

This case study describes the leadership component of the Social Work Education Enhancement Project (SWEEP), an international collaboration designed to strengthen the capacity of Vietnam’s undergraduate social work programmes to deliver quality education. SWEEP strategies for building capacity in leadership and administration include the following: 1) leadership development, 2) development of university-specific and collective strategic plans, and 3) improving collaboration among leaders. Thematic analysis of qualitative evaluation data identified eight effective elements of the leadership programme. Findings underscore the importance of partnership and flexibility in planning, as well as the value of supporting a leadership consortium to guide ongoing national …

Theory Informed Practice For Undergraduate Social Work Students: Impact On Cultural Competence, Gayle Mallinger, April Murphy

Social Work Faculty Publications

Human Behavior & the Social Environment EPAS 2015

• Competencies 6-9
• Compentency 2

Theory informed mezzo/macro practice

Using Community-Based Research To Improve Bsw Students’ Learning In Community Practice: Bringing The Macro Into Focus For Traditional And Distance Learners, Jessica Lee Lucero, Jen Evers, Jennifer Roark

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This article describes community–university partnership building, course development/management, and evaluation outcomes related to an intensive community-based research project that was integrated in two sections of an undergraduate course on community practice. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 60 BSW students who were enrolled in community practice and who participated in a community-based research project with their state’s fair housing office. The evaluation outcomes focus on changes in professional interest in macro practice, students’ self-efficacy, and differences in students’ learning experiences, based on traditional bricks-and-mortar or distance learning contexts. Results show that students experience increases in self-efficacy related to community …

An Exploratory Study Of Syringe Exchange Program Awareness And Perceptions In Kentucky, Martha Tillson

Oswald Research and Creativity Competition

Research has documented the myriad benefits to public and individual health provided by syringe exchange programs (SEPs), which allow persons who inject drugs access to sterile injection equipment. In 2015, Kentucky passed legislation that permitted public health departments to operate SEPs, but much remains unknown about knowledge and perceptions of the newly-implemented programs, particularly among individuals with histories of substance use. The present study therefore aimed to: 1) describe awareness of SEPs in Kentucky among participants of corrections-based substance abuse treatment programs, surveyed one year after their release into the community; 2) to determine if awareness of SEPs varies based …

Inventory Of Cades Cove Cemeteries, William Lovekamp, Gary Foster, Steven Di Naso

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Investigator's Scientific Study Final Research Report #1

Youth And Volunteerism: What Gives?, Emma Glendinning

Social Space

As a volunteer, I’m one of many in the world. Data from Figure 1—a survey about volunteering among a number of OECD countries—shows that at least one-fi fth of the population in many countries engages in volunteer activities.1 Though Figure 1 does not provide details on the amount of time spent volunteering—or indeed if this volunteering is one-off or recurring—we see that volunteering rates in Australia, Canada and the United States stand out for being particularly high, whereas those in Italy, Spain and Sweden are remarkably lower than the OECD average.2

Aldh2*2 And Peer Drinking In East Asian College Students, Karen G. Chartier, Taryl O'Shea, Nathaniel Thomas, Bradley Todd Webb, Danielle M. Dick, Kenneth S. Kendler

Social Work Publications

Background: The ALDH2*2 allele (A-allele) at rs671 is more commonly carried by Asians and is associated with alcohol-related flushing, a strong adverse reaction to alcohol that is protective against drinking. Social factors, such as having friends who binge drink, also contribute to drinking in Asian youth. Objectives: This study examined the interplay between ALDH2*2, peer drinking, and alcohol consumption in college students. We hypothesized that the relationship between ALDH2*2 and standard grams of ethanol per month would vary based on the level of peer drinking. Methods: Subjects (N = 318, 63.25% female) were East Asian …

The Rest Of The Story: Exploring The Overall Functioning And Maturational Experiences Of Former Foster Youth In Middle Adulthood, Jessica Lynn Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Middle adulthood as a developmental stage is often neglected in developmental research, yet it is vitally important to the cohesiveness of the life span as this is a time when integrating the experiences of the earlier developmental periods such as emerging adulthood, setting the stage for healthy aging. Emerging adulthood is but one unique stage in the life course, and situating this phase within a holistic developmental context is essential. Doing so illuminates the ways in which the past influences current functioning and the ways in which one's present developmental state sets the stage for later development. To date, no …

Folsom Mammoth Hunters? The Terminal Pleistocene Assemblage From Owl Cave (10bv30), Wasden Site, Idaho, L. Suzann Henrikson, David A. Byers, Robert M. Yohe, Matthew M. Decarlo, Gene L. Titmus

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The 1960s and 1970s excavations at Owl Cave (10BV30) recovered mammoth bone and Folsom-like points from the same strata, suggesting evidence for a post-Clovis mammoth kill. However, a synthesis of the excavation data was never published, and the locality has since been purged from the roster of sites with human / extinct megafauna associations. Here, we present data on bone from the oldest stratum, review provenience data, conduct a bone-surface modification study, and present the results of a protein-residue analysis. Our study fails to make the case for mammoth hunting by Folsom peoples. Although two of the fragments tested positive …

Advancing Social Work Practice Research Education – An Innovative, Experiential Pedagogical Approach, Kam Man Kenny Kwong

Graduate School of Social Work Publications and Research

Achieving practice research competency is an essential pillar of social work practice. However, research material is often associated with dry lectures and incomprehensible statistical applications that may not reflect real life issues. Teaching research course is often antithetical to the pedagogical approach commonly used in social work education, which engages students in practical applications of real life situations with case examples. This paper described and evaluated six sets of experiential class and field activities designed to increase graduate level social work students’ competencies of practice research. These activities included: (1) formulating a practice-based research topic; (2) using assessment templates for …

Measurement Issues, Randy Magen

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examining groups from a systems perspective may be natural for contemporary social workers. The systems perspective, or group-as a-whole orientation, provides a solid conceptual foundation for understanding groups (Agazarian, 1992). However, to engage in evidence-based group work practice or to conduct research on groups, abstract group concepts must be conceptualized and operationalized (Engel & Schutt, 2009). In qualitative approaches the conceptualization occurs after data have been collected to extract meaning from the observations. In quantitative approaches, operationalization is the process of assigning values to observable indicators of constructs prior to collecting data (Bonito, Ruppel, & Keyton, 2012). Whether inductive or …

Reports Of The Relation Between Cultural Identification, Family Socialization And Adolescent Alcohol Use Among Native American Families, Jildyz Urbaeva, Jaime Booth, Kai Wei

Social Welfare Faculty Scholarship

The enculturation or teaching of Native American traditions to Native American adolescents has been incorporated into substance-use prevention interventions in recent decades; yet, little is known about how enculturation may impact substance use through family socialization. The current study aimed to test the relationship between family identification with Native American culture and alcohol use among Native American families residing on or near a reservation, and determine if this relationship was mediated by family socialization practices. To achieve this aim, data (n = 2,368) collected as part of the NIDA-funded Drug Use among Young American Indians was used. No direct …

Preparing To Parent: Mindfulness In Expectant Parents Exposed To Adversity, Laurel Marie Hicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

Expectant parents who have been exposed to psychosocial risk encounter deleterious psychological (Ashley et al., 2016), and physiological (V. H. Pereira, Campos, & Sousa, 2017) effects. This not only affects the parent-to-be, but also may affect the developing fetus (E. P. Davis et al., 2011) and is linked to poorer infant development (Lefmann & Combs-Orme, 2014). However, not all risk-exposed individuals experience this, many are resilient and still thrive in the face of adversity. Understanding potential risk and resiliency factors in expectant parents is advantageous, so tailored interventions can be devised to improve outcomes. One potential resiliency factor, mindfulness, is …

Bisexuals' Partnerships: The Link Between Binegativity And Relationship Satisfaction, Emily Pohorence

Undergraduate Research Posters 2017

Bisexual individuals face a number of distinct forms of discrimination compared to heterosexual, lesbian, and gay individuals. Further, bisexual individuals face a double discrimination where not only do heterosexual individuals discriminate against bisexual people, but individuals identifying as a sexual minority also perpetuate this stigma. This can be seem even more so in partnerships. This form of discrimination is known as binegativity, or the view of bisexual people as a lesser value, more likely to be bad partners, and several other negative opinions. The purpose of this study was to understand how binegativity of both current partners predicts relationship satisfaction. …

Diversion Of Juvenile Offenders In China, Ying Cao

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Positivity And Delinquency: Is The Glass Half Full?, Alexis J. Harper

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

Research from control theorist Walter Reckless has shown that positive self-image acts as an insulator from delinquency during adolescence. Current research investigates the connection between an individual’s self-perceptions and their inclination toward delinquency, hypothesizing that rates of delinquency will be lesser for an individual with a positive perception of self. Data from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health are compared to follow-up data with participants in Wave II so reported self-image may predict subsequent delinquency. Ordered logistic regression is used to estimate the significance of self-image effects on delinquency, and probability scores for participation in delinquency …