Social Work Commons^™

Racial Inequality And The Implementation Of Emergency Management Laws In Economically Distressed Urban Areas, Shawna J. Lee, Amy Krings, Sara Rose, Krista Dover, Jessica Ayoub, Fatima Salman

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examines the use of emergency management laws as a policy response to fiscal emergencies in urban areas. Focusing on one Midwestern Rust Belt state, we use a mixed methods approach – integrating chronology of legislative history, analysis of Census data, and an ethnographic case study – to examine the dynamics of emer- gency management laws from a social justice perspective. Analysis of Census data showed that emergency man- agement policies disproportionately affected African Americans and poor families. Analysis indicated that in one state, 51% of African American residents and 16.6% of Hispanic or Latinos residents had lived in …

The Social Worker’S Role In Ensuring Quality Counsel For Defendants With Mental Illness, Lauren M. Pappacena

21st Century Social Justice

The current literature surrounding the intersection of criminal justice and mental health is addressed. First, the history of overrepresentation of individuals with a mental health disorder in the criminal justice system is discussed, followed by a discussion of the current gaps in the literature. These gaps need to be addressed to inform better practices among public defenders and their decision making role with clients who have a mental health disorder. The lack of research is evident in ambiguous judicial guidance in ensuring that defendants with a mental health disorder are able to exercise autonomy relevant to their case. Social workers …

Seeking Social Justice In The Literature: Guidelines For Critical Review, Theresa Stewart Moran

21st Century Social Justice

Issues of social justice are not always apparent in publications. This article will examine the roles that recruitment, compensation, and funding play in selection of research topics and their effect on vulnerable populations. Power differentials between researchers, clinicians, and clients will be examined with a focus on participatory action research.

Teen Pregnancy Among Latinas: A Literature Review, Kathleen E. Keogh

21st Century Social Justice

The overall decline of teen birth rates in the U.S. is problematized by persistent racial disparities in these rates. Latina teens are especially affected, as they have the highest teen birth rate of any racial or ethnic group. High teen birth rates among Latinas even persist in locales where the overall teen birth rate is below the national average, such as Suffolk County, NY. Socioeconomic, racial, and cultural factors contribute to the birth rate for Latina teens. Traditional strategies for teen pregnancy prevention, such as comprehensive sexuality education and increased healthcare access, inadequately address Latino cultural values that normalize teen …

Lgbtq Homeless Youth In Harlem: A Lack Of Resources Despite Need, Julie East

21st Century Social Justice

Despite only 10% of youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ), 40% experience homelessness. The lack of services and resources available to the population in New York City have left up to 20,000 LGBTQ youth homeless. A plethora of reasons account for this, such as cultural and religious objections, a lack of resources from the government, and a lack of education about LGBTQ youth. Despite increased funding for and attention to LGBTQ homeless youth services, efforts have been largely inadequate. Therefore, it is necessary for increased involvement and attention from the general public and advocates to secure …

Reintegration From Sex Trafficking: Chinese Women In Flushing, Ny, Siyun Deng

21st Century Social Justice

This article attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis of the needs for reintegration from sex trafficking and the gap of current social services provided to foreign national victims in the United States by focusing on Chinese female victims in Flushing NY. Through the research, the author understands the safe long-term housing ranks first among all the victims' needs for social services in the process of reintegration, which hasn’t been sufficiently addressed yet. Although the U.S. Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to protect and assist international victims, and made T-visas available, the laudable goal of protecting and restoring …

Call For Papers For 2016–2017, Daniel Sullivan

21st Century Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Call For Editors & Reviewers For 2016–2017, Daniel Sullivan

21st Century Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Symptoms, Contributing Factors, And Screening For Perinatal Mood And Anxiety Disorders In U.S. Latinas: A Literature Review, Jennifer N. S. Massie

Master's Projects and Capstones

This literature review was conducted to gather the published information on the topic of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the Latina population in the United States. Academic databases were searched for articles published between 2005 and 2016. 60 articles were considered, and a final sample of 36 articles and websites was included in this review.

Evidence suggests that Latina women in the perinatal period (pregnant and up to one year postpartum) in the United States of America tend to have a higher risk and incidence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders than White women, and a higher risk and …

Introducing Self-Advocacy Skills To Transition Age Youth, Monique Y. Martinez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background

Transition age youth (TAY) are individuals transitioning from youth to adulthood (ages 14 to 24). TAY are individuals with emotional, behavioral, and/or developmental disabilities who cycle through the justice or foster care system, or are homeless and use social services (California Mental Health Planning Council [CMHPC], 2009; Mandarino, 2014). About 47.1 million young adults (14 to 24 years old) live in the United States; four million are 14-year olds, and by the time the 14-year-olds are 24 less than 100% will make an effort in successfully transitioning to adulthood, five to seven percent will reach age 25 without successfully …

A Phenomenological Approach To Understanding How Women Make Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions Within The Context Of Communities, Lailea Noel

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

African-American women have a 40% higher mortality rate from breast cancer than White women. While there are many factors contributing to this disparity, the timely initiation of treatment is growing area of interest. Certain treatments are associated with increased survival for women with a breast cancer diagnosis, yet evidence suggests that African American women use these treatments less frequently compared to White women with similar tumor characteristics. An under-explored area of attention for scientific studies is how to identify and engage in care women who do not follow up with treatment following a suspicious finding. To date these women have …

Mater: Innovative Programs For Maternal Addiction Education Treatment And Research, Meghan Gannon Phd Msph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Marijuana Use Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men And The Hiv Care Continuum: Findings From The Uconnect Cohort, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) are at highest risk for HIV seroconversion in the United States. Successful movement through the HIV care continuum is an important intervention for limiting onwards HIV transmission. Objective: Little data exists on how substances most commonly used by YBMSM, such as marijuana, are related to the HIV continuum, which represents the primary aim of this study. Methods: A cohort of YBMSM (n = 618) was generated through respondent-driven sampling. Frequency of marijuana use and marijuana use as a sex-drug were assessed across the HIV care continuum using weighted logistic regression …

Factors Contributing To The Economic Self-Sufficiency Of At-Risk Foster Youth Who Have Aged Out Of Care, Alexzandra M. Hust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Foster youth aging out of care encounter many struggles upon transitioning into adulthood, resulting in an increased risk of homelessness and adverse social, health, and financial outcomes. This study aimed to determine if various factors (environmental factors: education, mental health service, social support and personal factors: incarceration, substance abuse referral, and unplanned parenthood) were associated with indicators of economic self-sufficiency (full-time and part-time employment, housing stability, and use of financial, food, and housing assistance). Multiple logistic regressions were conducted to explore risk and predictive factors of each indicator of economic self-sufficiency with a sample of 265 19 year old foster …

Avenue Scholars Foundation: Pregnant & Parenting Students, Jodi Mcquillen, Jessica Groeneweg, Andrea Bradley, Jeanette Harder

Reports

Dates of Study: October 2015 - December 2015.

Purpose of Study: To answer the following questions...

• What are the experiences of being a teen/ young parent in the Avenue Scholars program?
• What factors are leading parenting scholars to remain in the program?
• What factors have led former program participants to drop out of the program?

Analysis Of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs In Farmers' Markets, Megan M. Thomas

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

As health concerns for the nation increase, access to fresh and healthy produce is a simple and essential solution to the extreme levels of obesity currently being experienced. Arkansas currently has the highest rate of childhood obesity and severely high levels of food insecurity. This study investigates the efforts made by policymakers to increase access to local and fresh produce through the use of SNAP incentive programs at local farmers markets. Vendor opinions are taken into account at farmers markets in the Northwest Arkansas area to decipher the program effectiveness thus far. The implications of this study will further the …

Effects Of Attachment Style, Coping Strategy, Social Support And Spirituality On Parental Grief Among Older Chinese Parents : Structural Equation Modeling., Yongqiang Zheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most modern grief theories and clinical working models are constructed in the context of Western culture, and the effectiveness or explanatory power of those theories and models have not been fully tested in other cultures, especially through a more complex interactive model. The current study focuses on the role of attachment style, coping strategy, social support and spirituality on older bereaved parents’ grief. It also explores if differences in age, gender, causes of the child’s death, time since the death have a differential effect on parental grief. The purpose of this study was to test the main factors effectively mediating …

Life Balance In Adult Healthy Siblings Of Individuals With Childhood Cancer., Yolanda Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Siblings of children who were diagnosed with cancer in childhood experience significant stress and psychological difficulties as a result of the cancer. Furthermore, the needs of siblings have often been overlooked in the cancer literature, prompting the need for more studies. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the life balance and social support outcomes of adults who grew up in the household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer. The study sample consisted of 120 adult healthy siblings who grew up in a household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer prior to age 19. Participants …

Understanding Nutritional Habits Of Refugees From Burma, Brian Blake Davis

Social Work Theses - Archive

This research study examines the nutritional practices of a 21-year-old Karen, female, refugee. All aspects of nutritional practices are examined, including favorite foods, differences between foods due to geographical region, where food is acquired, and familial practices. Grounded theory was used to examine a single, transcribed, interview, for emerging themes. Two researchers coded the data for themes, and then data was compared for accuracy. Results help to highlight an in-depth analysis of a Karen refugee, and can be used to compare and contrast the nutritional practices of other refugees from Burma. Emerging themes include eating habits, food access, and acquisition, …

Risks And Health Consequences Of Forgoing, Delaying, Or Having Trouble Accessing Needed Health Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Angelitta M. Spells

Open Access Dissertations

Medicare provides health care coverage for approximately 93% of non-institutionalized older adults. Compared to uninsured adults, Medicare beneficiaries have greater access to needed healthcare including preventative care. However, disparities in accessing needed health care still exist among Medicare beneficiaries. Prior research has described barriers to accessing needed health care among older Medicare beneficiaries, such as transportation and health system characteristics, but little is known about prevalence, risks, or health consequences of older Medicare beneficiaries delaying, forgoing, or having trouble accessing needed health care. The three studies included in this dissertation followed a nationally representative sample of older Medicare beneficiaries to …