Social Work Commons^™

Mapping Our Tears: Risd Cry, Yimiao Wang

Masters Theses

RISD CRY is a participatory project empowering the RISD community to share their experiences of emotional vulnerability. The project includes physical sign-in forms in campus facilities, a Google Doc sign-in form, illustrations of participants’ comments, and an online campus map where individuals can mark where they have cried. This multi-format engagement fosters community connection, challenges the stigma surrounding emotional expression, and provides a platform for solidarity among individuals facing stress and burnout.

Beyond its tactical goals, RISD CRY also interrogates the cultural frameworks through which emotional struggle is perceived and processed. It critiques the institutional impulse to measure, diagnose, and …

Financial Facts: Seed Ok Child Development Accounts At Age 17, Jin Huang, Mark Schreiner, Margaret M. Clancy, Sondra G. Beverly, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment (SEED OK) is a longitudinal, randomized test a statewide Child Development Account (CDA) policy. The essential feature of the CDA in SEED OK is a state-owned Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan account, which was automatically opened for newborns in late 2007 with an initial deposit of $1,000. That sum has grown over time, and this Fact Sheet presents financial outcomes as of December 31, 2024, when children in the experiment were 17 years old.

Applying An Intergenerational Lens To The Associations Between Childhood Intimate Partner Violence Exposure, Child Maltreatment, And Adolescent Dating Violence Perpetration, Laura A. Voith

Faculty Scholarship

Reports estimate that approximately 35 percent of U.S. adolescents have dated or are currently dating, making the fact that over a third of those youth have reported experiencing some form of adolescent dating violence (ADV) in their relationships, incredibly concerning. An estimated 31 percent (~4.5 million) of dating youth report perpetrating ADV and 35 percent (~5.1 million) report ADV victimization. Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (eIPV) and child maltreatment have both been linked with the experience of ADV, however, results vary greatly across studies, particularly regarding ADV perpetration. This study is additive by improving upon ADV measurement limitations from …

Perspectives On Compassion Fatigue And Self-Regulation Among Social Workers In Patient Care During Covid-19, Roberta Johnson Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers in patient care have faced significant emotional and psychological challenges, including compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout. This study explores the perceptions of social workers working in patient care during the pandemic, specifically examining how compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma contribute to burnout. By focusing on their experiences, the research emphasizes the vulnerabilities social workers encounter as they support populations during these challenging times. The study is grounded in job demands-resources theory to help explain how the demands of social work roles impact mental health and well-being. To gather in-depth data, …

The Moderating Effects Of Adult Attachment And Emotional Intimacy On The Relationship Between Aces And Mental Health In Social Work Students, Cheryl Lind Nitz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social work students report significantly more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than other majors or the general population. ACEs increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) and can impact students’ ability to effectively serve future clients. Attachment theory and current research suggest a substantial potential therapeutic impact of secure adult attachments, particularly those with high emotional intimacy (EI), for those with ACEs. This study explored the moderating effect of primary adult attachment (PAA) on the relationship between ACEs and mental health. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE-10) Scale, the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM), the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Intimacy Scale …

Swk 365: Social Work Practice Iii: Communities & Organizations, Sonia Brown

Open Educational Resources

Social Work Practice with Communities and Organization is the third of three foundation courses in social work practice. The social work practice sequence provides an introduction to the basic theory and methods of generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. As a preparation for practice in the field, this third course emphasizes practice with organizations, neighborhoods and communities. Change strategies such as social action, legislative policy, citizen participation, advocacy and service development are explored. All case material is studied within the context of the values of the social work profession and the recognition of the importance …

Age, Race, Religious Commitment, And Fertility Quality Of Life, Dana L. Ward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infertility is a major health issue that impacts an individual’s physical, social and mental well-being. Women who are childless due to infertility experience a reduced fertility quality of life. Quality of life is directly related to an individual’s overall well-being and happiness. Using family systems theory, this quantitative research study aimed to answer how age, race, and religious commitment influence the fertility quality of life in women aged 25 to 50 who are involuntarily childless due to infertility. Data were collected from 132 participants using a demographic survey, The Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10), and the Fertility Quality of Life Survey …

The Impact Of Benefits Cliffs And Asset Limits On Low-Wage Workers: New Evidence From A Nationally Representative Survey, Stephen Roll, Selina Miller, Mathieu Despard

Center for Social Development Research

Over 40 million workers in the United States receive public benefits. Many face a challenge: They would like to earn higher wages, take on more hours, or accept better jobs, but doing so can push them over benefit-program limits, causing them to lose eligibility or experience reductions in the benefits they need to make ends meet. This is also an issue for employers, whose ability to attract and retain talent is affected when the workforce’s employment decisions are driven by concerns about public benefit eligibility. Drawing on data from the Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility (WEIM) survey administered to a …

Increasing The Educational Attainment Of Youth In Extension Of Foster Care Through Positive Youth Development Centered Programming, Julia M. Rossmiller

Senior Capstone Papers

Approximately 20,000 young adults age out of the foster care system in America each year. Of these 20,000 individuals, less than one-quarter will choose to participate in Extension of Foster Care services. Even fewer will complete a bachelor’s degree by age 26. Extension of Foster Care provides financial support for housing and education for young adults pursuing an education or working. However, most young adults have received little or no education on post-secondary options despite having the financial resources available for these programs. Low levels of protective factors further raise the barrier to entry for young adults to pursue an …

School-Based Mental Health Practice: The Impact Of Physical Activity On Depression, Nafees Alam, Joy Krug

Social Work Faculty Publications

The relationship between physical and mental health has long been theorized to be profoundly important in understanding human behavior and development. This article aims specifically to highlight the state of existing research about the relationship between physical activity and the state of depression. Studies across the nation, summarized here, have found that healthy physical activity levels generally correlate with health within the mental and emotional arenas. Despite the abundance of existing literature on this topic, research remains scarce on the longitudinal effects of physical activity beginning with pre-puberty children into adulthood. Physical activity is a relatively cheap and non-harmful lifestyle …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

The Integration Struggles Of Myanmar/Burmese-Catholic Youth Refugees In The United States, Nant Thazin Shwe

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Myanmar, previously known as Burma, generates a significant yearly refugee exodus stemming from ongoing ethnic conflicts, political instability, human rights violations, and the targeted persecution of Christian minority groups. Individuals seek shelter and improved opportunities in other nations. From 2011 to 2023, for example, Burmese refugees represented the largest group among U.S. refugee arrivals, accounting for 18 per cent.

Presently, there is a lack of knowledge about what the Burmese-Catholic youth refugees experiences during their integration journey into the US society. This qualitative study aimed to shed light on how the larger socio-cultural and religious environment intersects with Burmese-Catholic …

Healing Our Relations Emergent Folk Art Creation Community Project For Cultural Healing And Reconciliation, Renna Fir

Expressive Therapies Theses

Settler colonial disconnection from place perpetuates ongoing harm to Indigenous communities, ecosystems, and cultural systems through extraction, displacement, and erasure. This community engagement project explores how communities can develop emergent cultural practices that acknowledge historical and ongoing harms while building toward repair and right relationship. Through a series of five participatory workshops combining movement, storytelling, and folk dance creation; seven community members and three culture bearers, understood as "elders" explored their relationship with place through embodied practice. The research utilized an anti-colonial arts-based methodology centered on community wisdom while documenting the process through multiple complementary methods. Findings demonstrate that folk …

Editorial: Digital Accessibility Practices Guided By Past Models And Modern Research, Cynthia Curry, Jared Smith

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Digital Accessibility: A Critical Imperative For Inclusive Information Access, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Integrating Social Work In An Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Primary Health Care Setting: The First Three Months Of Data, Ines Sofia Zuchowski, Erin Waters, Albert Kuruvila, Brodie Kuhn, Rebecca Lee

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Background

Social work within General Practice is an emerging contributor to primary healthcare aiming to address social determinants of health. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher rates of health inequity and racism than non-Indigenous Australians. The Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service [TAIHS] is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Service [ATSICCHS] whose mission is to deliver culturally appropriate services to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Objective

This article reports on the first three months of data collection of a social worker employed at TAIHS as part …

Not All Superheroes Wear Capes: Understanding The Lives Of Asian American Student Caregivers, Angela Ji

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

There exists an invisible army of children who sacrifice their childhoods and shoulder responsibilities expected of adults; these children are called young caregivers. Young caregivers provide significant assistance for their family on a regular basis. The existing literature shows that youth caregiving is associated with negative physical and mental health impacts that vary depending on the cultural background associated with families. It is also clear that the complexities and nuances of different ethnic groups influence the lived experiences of young caregivers. Unfortunately, there is limited information exploring racial and cultural implications of caregiving for children. This study sought to address …

There’S A Crisis Brewing In Higher Education, Caroline M. Graham

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation addresses the increasing need to enhance crisis preparedness among student affairs practitioners in higher education. With the growing frequency and complexity of campus crises—ranging from mental health emergencies to incidents of violence, the preparedness and self-efficacy of those in student support roles are paramount. This three-manuscript dissertation explores crisis intervention training, crisis self-efficacy, and the lived experiences of student affairs practitioners navigating campus crises. The first manuscript provides a conceptual overview of the gaps in current crisis intervention training within graduate programs, advocating for the integration of core competencies informed by accreditation standards and professional associations. The second …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

Planning And Facilitating Hybrid Meetings To Support Relationality During Coalition Building, Luettamae Lawrence, Maureen Boyle, Moira Ross

Utah Conference on Community Engagement

Hybrid events where communities are connected through both in person and online spaces have simultaneously grown in popularity and gotten a bad reputation. While hybrid events have been around for decades, they gained significant traction with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to increase accessibility for attendees to accommodate diverse needs. Although hybrid events can be beneficial to many, they are not simple to execute. With the increase in hybrid events has come frustration with the low quality interactions between in person and online attendees leading to isolation, technology challenges, and low productivity. We argue the positive affordances of hybrid …