Social Work Commons^™

Toward Housing Stability: Exiting Homelessness As An Emerging Adult, Jeff Karabanow, Sean A. Kidd, Tyler Frederick, Jean Hughes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the lives of formerly homeless young people as they transitioned towards housing stability. The study employed a longitudinal design involving 51 street youth in Halifax, N.S. (n = 21) and Toronto, ON (n = 30). This paper sheds light upon the pathways through which young people transitioned away from homelessness using the developmental lens of emerging adulthood: a stage involving numerous developmental struggles (identity, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between) but also an age filled with hope and possibilities. There are numerous interrelated factors at play that allow participants to regain a sense of citizenship with mainstream society. While …

Wreading, Performing, And Reflecting: The Application Of Narrative Hypertext And Virtual World Experiences To Social Work Education, Linda Ayscue Gupta Phd

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I propose the use of a new media composition of narrative hypertext, performances in a virtual world, and a dialogic process of writing to provide a continuum of learning opportunities in social work education. I suggest that the structure of the hypertext narrative, embedded with hypermedia, mirrors the dissociative aspects of traumatic memory. I argue that work with the multivocality and multisequentiality of narrative hypertext emulates the process of discovery in the clinical interview. The immersive component of work in a virtual world deepens the realism and affective impact of simulations and creates opportunities to practice and …

Supporting Teen Leaders: Validation Of The I Drive Smart Survey, Cynthia M. George

Theses and Dissertations

Recent policy change allows states to spend federal dollars directly on teen-led driver safety efforts and requires regular evaluations of effectiveness. There are currently no standardized instruments to measure change in teen driving behavior relevant to teen leaders. This study serves the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee Highway Safety Office and their network of teen leaders to empirically test and refine the I Drive Smart survey developed by partners and grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The survey is designed to be administered by teen leaders to their peers and produce data relevant for use …

Student Engagement In Undergraduate Social Work Education Among “At-Risk” Students, Ananda Newmark

Theses and Dissertations

College student engagement is an important factor that contributes to student success. This study is one of the first to explore student engagement in undergraduate social work education by examining engagement levels among at-risk social work students. In this study, two types of at-risk student groups were studied: First Generation College Students (FGCS) and transfer students. A cross sectional research design was used. Secondary analysis was performed on data gathered by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from five accredited, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programs in one southeast state. A sample of 135 BSW seniors were included in …

A Correlational Analysis Of Secondary Data For Factors Influencing Graduation From Adult Drug Court, David N. Masri

Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of drug courts throughout the world over the last two decades presents an opportunity and a challenge. The drug court approach involves a combination of treatment and judicial supervision which is a diversion from incarceration and/or ‘traditional’ criminal justice supervision. Despite widespread study of drug courts, there is much that researchers still do not know and there is still controversy as to how and why drug courts work. This research study is an examination of secondary data from an urban, mid-Atlantic drug court to attempt to correlate factors that contribute to success (as defined by graduation) in drug …

Considerations In The Provision Of Mental Health Services Toward Arabs, Dalia Khoury

Theses and Dissertations

Existing evidence suggests that disparities exist in the use of mental health services by Arabs in the U.S. While there are likely many factors that contribute, lack of cultural competence of mental health providers is one potentially important barrier for mental health service use among racial/ethnic minorities, including Arabs. The primary purpose of this study was to identify and examine factors related to the development and existence of cultural competence toward Arabs. Variables measuring demographics, professional characteristics, familiarity with Arabs, prior experience and knowledge of Arabs, and readiness for change were tested with a randomly selected sample of mental health …

Writing Life Stories: A Phenomenological Study Of Memory And Meaning For People With Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease, Jennifer E. Dimond Msw

All Student Scholarship

There are an estimated five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease; experts believe that by mid-century, that number will more than triple. The disease is the sixth leading case of death in the U.S., and the only one among the top ten with no known cure, treatment or means of prevention. An emerging body of research suggests that providing people with Alzheimer’s opportunities to tell their life stories can help them negotiate their personal identities and may have positive impacts on their sense of self. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach is used to understand the lived experience of people with early …

Implementation Of Self-Directed Supports For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Political Economy Analysis, Matthew P. Decarlo

Theses and Dissertations

Self-directed supports, as a method of service delivery, have grown from small pilot programs in a handful of states to at least one program in every state. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), self-direction presents unique opportunities to engage in self-determined behavior and shape the services upon which they rely. Although the evidence base for self-direction is relatively robust, there is a significant lack of information on how implementation of self-direction is faring on the national level. The purpose of this study is to understand how the political and economic factors within and across states have impacted the …

Perceptions Of The Homeless Toward Nonprofit Human Service Provider, Lequan M. Hylton

Theses and Dissertations

As the debate intensifies regarding developing remedies to meet the needs of America’s homeless, one solution is for governmental agencies to collaborate with and employ organizations from the nonprofit sector to assist with the needs of the homeless population. Included in the nonprofit sector, faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically been a source of debate and contention in terms of collaborations with the government. However, Presidents Reagan, George H. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama have embraced the idea of including FBOs in the pool of service providers offering human services. In the Richmond, Virginia region, FBOs and nonreligious nonprofit …

Navigating The Transition Into Motherhood: Women's Experiences Of Control, Emotions, And Social Ideals, Jody Sue Sauer-Sargent

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this dissertation, I sought to give postpartum women their own voices so that they could help define the postpartum experience on their own terms. It fills important gaps within the literature on new mothers’ experiences. A phenomenological approach was used, emphasizing the lived experiences of the women, with an overlay of autoethnography, where the personal experience of the researcher becomes important primarily in how it illuminates the phenomenon being studied. Thus, my personal experience of pregnancy into early motherhood is interwoven throughout this dissertation. Forty-two women participated in the in-depth, face-to-face interview, followed by a questionnaire. The qualitative data …

Basic Income Guarantee: The Gender Impact Within Households, Sara Cantillon, Caitlin Mclean

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The potential of a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) to contribute to gender equality is a contested issue amongst feminist scholars. This article focuses on the nature of BIG as an individually- based payment to explore its potential for reducing gender equality, specifically intra-household inequalities in material or financial welfare; economic autonomy; psychological well-being; and time allocation, especially leisure time and time spent in household and care work. We employ a gender analysis of existing BIG pilots/schemes as well as close substitutes (e.g., universal child benefits) to assess some of the key claims about the effects of a basic income (BI) …

Review Of Queer Excursions: Retheorizing Binaries In Language, Gender And Sexuality. Lal Zimman, Jenny Davis And Joshua Raclaw (Eds.). Reviewed By Sherri Shimansky, Sherri Shimansky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Lal Zimman, Jenny Davis, and Joshua Raclaw (Eds.), Queer Excursions: Retheorizing Binaries in Language, Gender and Sexuality. Oxford University Press (2014), 231 pages, $23.70 (paperback).

An Environmental Scan Of Mindfulness-Based Interventions On University And College Campuses: A Research Note, Kaley J. Cieslak, Lehanna E. Hardy, Natalie S. Kyles, Erika L. Miller, Becky L. Mullins, Katelyn M. Root, Christina M. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this research note is to provide readers with an understanding of the diverse types of student mental health interventions that are being offered on North American universities/ colleges broken down into two types of interventions: (1) traditional, or non-mindfulness-based interventions, and (2) mindfulness-based interventions.

Data were collected, organized, and synthesized during the first 5 months of 2016 (via a simple Google searches) for all North American universities/colleges that offered their students mental health interventions on their campuses.

Traditional, or non-mindfulness-based interventions remain widely in use on university/college campuses and include: prevention and outreach, support groups and workshops, …

How Are Social Problems Viewed And Analyzed In Social Work Policy Textbooks?, Marietta A. Barretti

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews seven of the most frequently used policy textbooks in social work and examines how social problems are viewed in the narrative, and then analyzed in policy analysis frameworks. Questions include: (1) how the authors define social problems; (2) who they say "gets" to define problems in policy analysis; (3) how problems should be analyzed; and (4) whether contextual influences on the problem are considered. Findings include that most authors argue that social problems are constructions in their narratives, but do not transfer that perspective into their policy analysis frameworks. Implications for education and policy practice are explored.

Review Of Cultural-Existential Psychology: The Role Of Culture In Suffering And Threat. Daniel Sullivan. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty., Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Daniel Sullivan, Cultural-Existential Psychology: The Role of Culture in Suffering and Threat. Cambridge University Press (2016), 295 pages, $110 (hardcover).

Grand Challenges: Social Justice And The Need For Evidence-Based Sex Offender Registry Reform, Jill S. Levenson, Melissa Grady, George Leibowitz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sex offender registries, though popular, bring with them enormous fiscal costs and unintended consequences for offenders and communities. Consistent with the Grand Challenges, social workers can play a role in advocating for sex offender management policies that are better informed by evidence and thus a better use of resources. Registry reform would also moderate the stigma resulting from the sex offender label, and reduce barriers to offender reintegration. First, a brief history of registration laws and the research around their effectiveness will be provided, followed by a rationale for needed improvements in sex offender management policy. Finally, evidence-based recommendations for …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 43, No. 2 (June 2016)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

GRAND CHALLENGES: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE NEED FOR EVIDENCE-BASED SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY REFORM - Jill S. Levenson, Melissa D. Grady, and George Leibowitz

FEAR AND MISINFORMATION AS PREDICTORS OF SUPPORT FOR SEX OFFENDER MANAGEMENT POLICIES - Erin Comartin, Poco Kernsmith, and Roger Kernsmith

GUARDIANS OF CHASTITY AND MORALITY: A CENTURY OF SILENCE IN SOCIAL WORK - Elizabeth A. O'Neill

VALUE DISCRETION IN A PEOPLE-CHANGING ENVIRONMENT: TAKING THE LONG VIEW - Stephanie Baker Collins

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CLASS WITH A "SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT": A CASE STUDY ON POLITICAL RHETORIC AS SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE IN DENMARK - Klarissa Lueg …

Review Of The History Of The English Poor Law System. Jianding Ding, Lin Guo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jianding Ding, The History of the English Poor Law System. People’s Publishing House (2014), ¥54 (paperback – Chinese/English edition).

Review Of The Rise Of The Military Welfare State. Jennifer Mittelstadt. Reviewed By Mark Olson, Mark Olson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jennifer Mittelstadt, The Rise of the Military Welfare State. Harvard University Press (2015), 344 pages, $29.95 (hardcover).

Review Of Counter- Recruitment And The Campaign To Demilitarize Public Schools. Scott Hardung & Seth Kershner. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Scott Hardung & Seth Kershner, Counter-Recruitment and the Campaign to Demilitarize Public Schools. Palgrave Macmillan (2015), 208 pages, $95.00 (hardcover).