Social Work Commons^™

A Case Study: The Factors Associated With Student Homelessness, Brittani Hudspeth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study is to identify the factors associated with student homelessness. There are currently more than 1.5 million children who are living in a homeless family (National Center for Family Homelessness, 2009), and a percentage of that number are homeless students living on their own. This study engages existing literature to identify the causes of student homelessness and the impacts it has on the lives of those students. The study was conducted by using quantitative research through a Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) and qualitative research by utilizing a psychosocial assessment called the home, education and …

Americans’ Attitudes About Changing Current Prescription Drug And Medical Device Regulation, R. J. Blendon, J. M. Benson, Caitlin L. Mcmurtry, J. M. Sayde

Brown School Faculty Publications

A new poll of adults in the United States by Stat and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examines public opinion on provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act and a similar package in the Senate, which aim to speed up the process for developing new prescription drugs and medical devices. A majority of Americans do not favor these measures, after being told that changing government regulations could help make new drugs and devices available faster to patients, but could also increase the risk that therapies with harmful side effects or ones that are less effective could be approved …

Barriers To Relative Caregivers' Participation In The Subsidized Guardianship Program In Arkansas, Amanda Breanne Krotke-Crandall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Only 12 children of the 45,000 of children being raised by guardians in Arkansas have become participants in the Arkansas Subsidized Guardianship Program. The program, enacted by the Arkansas Legislature in 2011, could potentially help low-income grandparents meet the financial burdens of raising a child, thus creating another avenue of permanency for children within the Arkansas Department of Family Services (DCFS). This research sought to identify what barriers may exist to dissuade participation in the subsidized guardianship program in Arkansas using the theoretical base of Intersectionality. To answer this question the investigator conducted in person interviews with DCFS administrators, and …

A Qualitative Study Of Job Competencies For Healthcare Social Work Administrators: An Application Of The Short Competency Model Process Used To Identify The Behaviors And Personal Characteristics Of Exemplary Performers, Lashonda Jones-Moore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Job competencies are central to every organization’ s human resource management system. Competencies can be used to help organizations create high performance cultures, select and hire a workforce, develop leaders, and establish a foundation for training strategies. Social work, as a profession, has developed competency models for many specialized fields of social work. Health is the second most common practice area reported by social workers with a master’ s degree in social work, the predominant social work degree for licensed social workers. In highly structured, rapidly evolving, and complex organizations such as healthcare systems, leaders and managers require distinctively different …

Problem Analysis In Community Violence Assessments: Reavealing Early Childhood Trauma As A Driver Of Youth And Gang Violence, Laurie Ross Phd, Samantha Arsenault, Sergeant Miguel Lopez

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Problem analysis conducted by a university-based research partner can provide communities with data-driven options to address the local drivers of serious youth and gang violence. Situated in Worcester, Massachusetts, this article describes how after early childhood trauma was identified as a potential driver of adolescent and young adult violence, problem analysis using local data confirmed that being the victim or witness of a traumatic incident before the age of 12 was significantly correlated with involvement in violence in adolescence or young adulthood. While there is a robust literature on the relationship between early childhood trauma and later delinquency, local decision-makers …

The Association Between Depression, Spirituality And Religiosity, And Alcohol Use In College Students At A Faith Based University, Kylee M. Craggett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use is a prevalent concern on college campuses. There are a number of factors that may place students at a high risk for developing alcohol dependency. Similarly, protective factors have been identified as a means to keep drinking levels in the low-risk range. In a sample of 581 students from Abilene Christian University, researchers sought to better understand the association between depression, spirituality, religiosity, and alcohol use in college students at a faith based university. Results indicated that students who were most at risk for high levels of drinking were those who identified as the male gender, those who …

Elaine Parsons Interview, Jennifer Thomson

Bucknell: Occupied

Jennifer Thomson, assistant professor of History at Bucknell University, interviews Elaine Parsons, assistant professor of History at Duquesne University. Thomson and Parsons discuss Parsons' work with the Elsinore-Bennu Think Tank for Restorative Justice at the State Correctional Institute in Pittsburgh. Parsons describes inmate involvement with the think tank, courses the group designed, essays written by the men imprisoned, and she defines restorative justice.

Transition To Independence: Supportive Relationships With Care Takers And Its Role On Success And Independence With Former Foster Care Youth, Jasmin Vasconcelos

Honors Program Theses and Projects

According to Geenen & Powers (2007), youth transition into adulthood from foster care with little to no assistance from support systems, including family. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, this study explores the experiences and insights of young adults, ages 18-25 years old, previously in the care of the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF). The primary goal of this research is to determine the importance of building supportive relationships between social workers and youth in foster care to better equip youth for independence and success after care. The findings revealed five major themes: care takers as support systems, preparedness for …

A Population-Based Analysis Of Increasing Rates Of Suicide Mortality In Japan And South Korea, 1985–2010, Eric N. Reither, Sun Jeon, Ryan K. Masters

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background: In the past two decades, rates of suicide mortality have declined among most OECD member states. Two notable exceptions are Japan and South Korea, where suicide mortality has increased by 20 % and 280 %, respectively.

Methods: Population and suicide mortality data were collected through national statistics organizations in Japan and South Korea for the period 1985 to 2010. Age, period of observation, and birth cohort membership were divided into five-year increments. We fitted a series of intrinsic estimator age-period-cohort models to estimate the effects of age-related processes, secular changes, and birth cohort dynamics on the rising …

A Savings Account For Every Child Born In Israel: Recommendations For Program Implementation, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Meredith Covington, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In November 2015, Israel enacted legislation to create and fund a Child Development Account program. Beginning in 2017, every baby born to an insured Israeli resident will receive a Child Development Account in his or her name. This brief details the policy, which was developed in collaboration with researchers at the Center for Social Development, and offers recommendations to guide its implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Features Of Child Development Accounts In Israel, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Meredith Covington, Megan Brewster, Jane E. Oliphant

Center for Social Development Research

In November 2015, Israel enacted legislation to create and fund a Child Development Account program. Beginning in 2017, every baby born to an insured Israeli resident will receive a Child Development Account in his or her name. This Fact Sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions about the policy, which was developed in collaboration with researchers at the Center for Social Development.

Campus Based Sexual Assault And Dating Violence: A Review Of Study Contexts And Participants, Rachel Voth Schrag

Social Work Faculty Publications & Presentations-Archive

Colleges are working to study and address sexual assault (SA) and dating violence (DV) on campus. This quantitative systematic review assessed 196 studies of SA and DV to evaluate if the literature fully reflects the demographics of American higher education. Results show disproportionate representation in the populations and settings in which research is occurring. No studies occurred at associates/2-year institutions, and participants are substantially younger and whiter than American college students overall. Education and prevention efforts that do not take into account the bias in these studies may exacerbate intersectional barriers for students. [The published Version of this work, published …

Human Trafficking: Exploration Of Best Practices For Restoration And Integration For Survivors In Southeastern United States, Joel D. Shafer Mr.

Honors College Theses

Domestic human trafficking, especially of minors, has become a serious though largely

invisible issue in the United States. There are, however, organizations and policies in place that

have become active in caring for, restoring and reintegrating those survivors who have been able

to escape. Through the perspectives of service providers, this exploratory qualitative study

examines the factors of vulnerability of victims, the issues that support reintegration for

survivors and the best practices as well as indicators of success when caring for survivors. This

was accomplished through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with representatives from

various social service agencies in Georgia that are …

The State Of The American Veteran: The Chicagoland Veterans Study, Sara Kintzle, Janice M. Rasheed, Carl A. Castro

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

The State of the American Veteran: The Chicagoland Veterans Study, conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) and in partnership with Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, is an effort to provide data-driven recommendations for serving the large population of veterans residing in Chicago and the surrounding area. Service members encounter a series of needs as they transition out of the military. These include securing employment and housing, addressing physical or mental health issues and adjusting to civilian culture. The ease through which …

The Use Of Cohort Facebook Pages In Mft Training Programs, Alisha Abramson, Taryn Kalagian, Carissa A. Daniello-Heyda, Katherine M. Hertlein

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

The current study explores how private cohort Facebook pages impact a MFT students’ training experience. Limited research has been conducted regarding social media and clinical training programs. Students from national MFT master’s and doctoral programs will be interviewed about their experience with private cohort Facebook pages. Students will participate in focus groups lead by student-researchers in order to increase participation and anonymity. Data will be analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’ s (1990) grounded theory. This research is essential because of the increase of usage of Social Media in today’s society. Graduate programs are implementing the use of Facebook pages for …

Doctor, Lawyer, Social Worker?: Exploring The Experiences Of Asian American Pacific Islander (Apia) Social Work Students, Jiabao Zhang, Kathleen J. Bergquist, Arthur Tabrizi

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

This study examined preliminary result using a snowball sample of 121 APIA social work students from accredited institutions that offer social work programs. The purpose of this study was to explore APIA social work students’ perceptions and experiences in the program and their expectations from classmates, APIA faculty, field liaison, and agencies. A 44-item survey was sent through an online survey site to APIA students. The results indicated that while most participants reported that family do not have a strong influence on their profession, 39% out of 83 respondents reported positive experiences with social workers drove them to pursue this …

Annual Report On The Asset Project's Head Start Family Financial Capability Pilot: 2014–2015, Anne S. Robertson, Jami Curley

Center for Social Development Research

Since the Great Recession (December 2007–2009 in the United States), poverty has compromised many families and increased the prevalence of young children living in neighborhoods of concentrated, deep poverty. However, financial literacy interventions have reported promising outcomes for influencing financial choices and financial knowledge, highlighting the potential of such programs for improving the economic positions of families and children. This report presents results from a mixed-methods evaluation of a financial literacy intervention with Head Start families in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The intervention combines savings incentives and one-on-one coaching with 10 hours of financial education on debt management, banking, …

Youth Savings Patterns And Performance In Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, And Nepal, Lissa Johnson, Yungsoo Lee, David Ansong, Margaret S. Sherraden, Gina Chowa, Fred Ssewamala, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden, Moses Njenga, Joseph Kieyah, Issac Osei-Akoto, Sharad Sharma, Jyoti Manandhar, Catherine Rodriguez Orgales, Frederico Merchán, Juan Saavedra

Center for Social Development Research

Youth Savings Patterns and Performance in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, and Nepal

Ideal Elves? Expressing A 3-Dimensional Personality In A 2-Dimensional Space, David Tauber, Joshua Wanner

Student Research Symposium

Published in 2007, the Ideal Elf is a classic article studying character creation in Online Games. It used quantitative methods to address the difference between the idealize self of individuals surveyed, and the online characters they create. In their survey they found the difference between an individuals ideal self and the traits of the character they created was considerably smaller than the difference between the difference between the individual’s ideal self and their actual self. From this they suggested the creation of characters in game is partially a way for individuals to express their ideal selves. Our research attempted to …

The Perception Of Children In Chile: Burden Or Joy?, Christine W. Black, Renata Forste

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Globally, family values and behaviors have been shifting. This can be seen through a decrease in the universality of marriage, increased individualism, higher prevalence of divorce, older age at marriage and low birthrates with an increase in planned and controlled fertility. In Latin America, and specifically in Chile, these types of changes have been the most drastic. Data come from the ISSP where about 1,500 Chilean participants were asked a series of questions regarding family and gender attitudes as well as multiple demographic questions. This study looked at how these attitudes contributed to the perceived burden or joy of children. …