Social Work Commons^™

The Translation Of Anti-Racism Values From The Professional Into The Personal For White Social Workers Who Have Lived In North Or West Philadelphia, Lauren Hope Newman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research explores how white social workers who were exposed to anti-racism values during their social work education, execute these values while living in the gentrifying neighborhoods of North or West Philadelphia. Twelve white social workers participated in semistructured interviews in which they described their anti-racism education/training, their motivation for moving to North or West Philadelphia, and how they felt they translated the antiracism values that were learned or reinforced for them in their education into their lives in their gentrifying communities. The findings display the importance in equipping people with the tools to engage within their community and guide …

Predicting Dialectic Behavioral Treatment Outcomes In Veterans At High Risk For Suicide, Courtney Stich

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Numerous studies have shown that veterans are at higher risk for suicide compared to the U.S. general population. Despite significant effort, awareness amongst clinicians and policymakers, these rates continue to increase. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy has shown great success in treating suicidality and emotional dysregulation due to mental illness such as Borderline Personality Disorder, yet has never been studied in the veteran population. The initial study found that veterans responded equally to DBT and TAU. This study looked at what clinical and demographic characteristics could predict DBT treatment success. Veterans who identified as women, with higher education, and more suicide attempts …

Respect, It Goes Both Ways : Exploring School Connectedness And Students' Experiences Of Microaggressions From Teachers : A Project Based Upon A Joint Project, Laura J. Wesely

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-method study explores what kind of microaggressions high school students of various ethnicities and racial identities experience from their teachers, and if type and responses to microaggressions vary according to the levels of perceived school climate. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to find out what types of microaggressions were experienced. Using quantitative measures of school connectedness and teacher support as well as qualitative thematic analysis, the study analyzed differences in the ways in which students who experience low and high levels of school connectedness responded to these microaggressions. Twenty-one participants were interviewed, and nine were further sampled using quantitative …

Mind, Body, & Spirit : An Ecological Community-Based Approach To Healthy Aging, Emily Widra

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Based on the biopsychosocial approach of the ecological theory of aging, the present study examined the health status and social engagement of participants in an osteoporosis-prevention exercise class for adults over the age of 65 in two counties in Western Massachusetts. A self-rated health survey was developed and administered in each of the Healthy Bones & Balance classes with 226 responses in total.

Participants in this study had higher self-rated health scores than have been found in a national epidemiological study. In particular, participants who live alone were engaging in more social activities – at senior centers and places of …

Race And The Internet : Social Media And Multiracial Identity Development, Pilar Hailé-Damato

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand how, if at all, social media impacts racial identity development for mixed race undergraduates; and if so, whether or not that impact is unique to them or applicable to students with monoracial identities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at a large southern California public university. 11 undergraduate (3 multiracial) between the ages of 18-22 were interviewed about their social media usage, their racial identities, their process of identification, and how race is discussed online. Through the data collected in this study, we observe that social media is a digital space where notions of …

And Fetus Makes Three: A Theoretical Exploration Of Clinician Pregnancy In Psychoanalytic And Relational Frameworks, Christian Anne Mccarroll

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This paper explores the risks, dilemmas, and opportunities for therapeutic work during and following clinician pregnancy. A therapist’s pregnancy can pose enormous challenges as identities shift, treatment is disrupted, and the therapist’s changing body and role spark new associations and conflicts. This theoretical thesis draws on psychoanalytic and relational theory to explore how clinician pregnancy has been viewed—and overlooked—in the past, and how therapists might contend with the challenges and dynamism of this time. In bringing relational theory to bear on clinician pregnancy, this paper wrestles with ideas of embodiment, with Aron’s (1999) concept of the patient’s experience of the …

Identified Social Supports For Women Previously Incarcerated And Avoiding Recidivism, Isabelle Scott

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study focused on the social supports women recently incarcerated perceived as promoting future success and aid in avoiding recidivism. The literature review describes available programs pertaining to women's reentry and gender responsive treatment. The main objective of this study is to understand what women recently released from incarceration need for a successful reentry as well as barriers, challenges, and motivations for staying out of prison and being productive members of society. The study considered variables such as trauma, substance use, mental health issues and children impact women’s perceived needs. Findings in this study found the correlation between enduring specific …

Review Of The Welfare State: A Very Short Introduction. David Garland. Reviewed By Huibing Ke., Huibing Ke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

David Garland, The Welfare State: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press (2016), 144 pages, $11.95 (paperback).

Social Networks In The Context Of Microfinance And Intimate Partner Violence In Bangladesh: A Mixed-Methods Study, Nadine S. Murshid, Allison Zippay

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This mixed-methods study draws from social network theory to examine disclosure and help seeking for intimate partner violence among microfinance participants in Bangladesh. This study uses data on women from the nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007 and from in-depth interviews with 30 microfinance participants in Dhaka. Propensity Score Matching analyses indicated that increase in social contacts due to microfinance participation was not associated with disclosing IPV. Responses from the urban sample indicated that reasons for nondisclosure include feelings of shame, stigma, and fear of being perceived as weak by others. Implications regarding how microfinance organizations can tap …

"I Play Golf With My Kids, Not My Colleagues": Politicians, Parenting, And Unpaid Work As A Choice?, Cheryl Najarian Souza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through in-depth interviews with thirty women and men politicians, this paper investigates their unpaid work as parents and their paid work. Using Goffman’s (1959) concepts of “front stage” and “back stage” performances, the author argues that the women and men developed strategies to do this work. Decisions about whether or not to run for their first job in politics were gendered. Another finding was that the experiences of their families and the making of public policies were gendered. The women organized their “village” while the men saw their fathering roles in terms of scheduling dad time. Finally, there were differences …

The Influence Of Socio-Cultural Factors On College Students’ Attitudes Toward Sexual Minorities, Mark D. Olson, Eros Desouza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research has indicated that age is a significant predictor of tolerance toward sexual minorities. However, outdated measures and social desirability may hinder attempts to accurately detect bias. This study explores attitudes toward gay males among a sample of students in the Midwestern United States. We investigate the influence of gender, religiosity, and political orientation on students’ attitudes. Students’ political orientation was found to be the strongest predictor of attitudes. In contrast to previous research emphasizing the relationship between age and tolerance, our study suggests that socio-cultural factors have the greatest influence on bias. This has critical implications for social work …

Review Of Fragile Families: Foster Care, Immigration, And Citizenship. Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez. Reviewed By Molly Cook., Molly Cook

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez, Fragile Families: Foster Care, Immigration, and Citizenship. University of Pennsylvania Press (2017). 232 pages, $49.50 (hardcover).

Review Of The Spirituality Of Awe: Challenges To The Robotic Revolution. Kirk J. Schneider. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty., Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Kirk J. Schneider, The Spirituality of Awe: Challenges to the Robotic Revolution. Waterside Press (2017). 142 pages, $14.95 (paperback).

Review Of Social Welfare For A Global Era: International Perspectives On Policy And Practice. James Midgley. Reviewed By Fei Sun., Fei Sun

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

James Midgley, Social Welfare for a Global Era: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice. Sage Publication (2017), 243 pages, $81.00 (paperback).

Congregations In The Community: A Case Study Of Social Welfare Provision, Sarah B. Garlington

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A complex mix of community and government activities address social welfare needs. Even with structural changes, communities are active in assessing and providing for their own members’ needs, though in widely variable forms. Religious organizations are key in community social welfare. This project investigates the role of religion in social welfare provision at the local community level. Examining religion’s participation contributes to the understanding of religion’s role in the public sphere as moral commentator, contributor to the common good, and identity legitimation. This article uses a functionalist theoretical framework and case study data to discuss congregations and social welfare provision.

Mixed-Status Families And The Threat Of Deportation, Eloisa P. Haynes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article offers a description of deportation, explores the effects of deportation in the lives of mixed-status families, as well as, outlines the social and economic cost of deportations to American communities. This article argues that the toll imposed on U.S. citizens, both relatives of those deported and members of the community, renders deportation, in most circumstances, an unfavorable policy that does more harm than good. A policy which is intended to protect Americans and curtail unauthorized migration, instead creates injustice, fragments families and communities, and creates a significant negative impact on the U.S. economy.

Review Of The Latinos Of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break The Rules Of Race. Anthony Christian Ocampo. Reviewed By Yin Liu., Yin Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anthony Christian Ocampo, The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race. Stanford University Press (2016), 257 pages, $22.95 (paperback).

Review Of Vanishing Eden: White Construction Of Memory, Meaning, And Identity In A Racially Changing City.Michael T. Maly And Heather M. Dalmage. Reviewed By Weiyu Mao, Weiyu Mao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael T. Maly and Heather M. Dalmage, Vanishing Eden: White Construction of Memory, Meaning, and Identity in a Racially Changing City. Temple University Press (2016), 170 pages, $74.50 (hardcover), $28.95 (paperback).

Review Of Sorrows And Songs: One Lifetime–Many Lives. Janice Wood Wetzel. Reviewed By Marilyn S. Paul., Marilyn S. Paul

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Janice Wood Wetzel, Sorrows and Songs: One Lifetime–Many Lives. Fullarton Press (2015), 255 pages, $14.95 (paperback).

Barriers To Food Security Experienced By Families Living In Extended Stay Motels, Stephanie Gonzalez Guittar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Families who are food insecure do not have regular access to food, access to enough food to satisfy their hunger, or have to resort to extraordinary measures to access food such as traveling to food pantries and other emergency food sources. This article focuses on low-income families with children who live in extended stay motels and experienced food insecurity. Families reported several indicators of food insecurity and discussed the barriers to food security they experienced as a result of living in a motel. Families reported that the locations of the motels, lack of transportation, the lack of storage space and …