Social Work Commons^™

Urbanization Versus Sanitation: Exploring The Effectiveness Of Social Indicators On Reducing The Infant Mortality Rate In Developing Countries, Leslie M. Andringa

Social Work Theses - Archive

Despite numerous health gains around the globe, reducing infant mortality continues to be a central Millennium Development Goal. Low- and middle-income countries continue to transition epidemiologically, prompting international investments and a transferring of ideas, technology, and influences into developing nations’ systems. In this systematic way, along with capital and social aid, the translation of knowledge and values are passed. As globalization persists in an ever-changing world, and urbanization efforts receive more assistance funding than sanitation improvements, this paper aims to explore which is the most effective approach for reducing the infant mortality rate (IMR) in developing countries. Indicators from a …

Cyber Abuse And College Students: New Risk Factors In Intimate Partner Violence, S. Elizabeth Wick

Social Work Theses - Archive

Intimate partner violence has far-ranging consequences that affect every aspect of society. While much research has been done to examine the risk factors and demographics for physical violence, realization is growing that psychological and emotional violence may also cause significant harm to its victims. New technologies such as cell phones and computers have enabled perpetrators to intimidate, isolate, and stalk their victims in new and damaging ways. Certain populations such as college students are thought to be at particular risk for the effects of this type of intimate partner violence for several reasons, including their high risk for physical violence …

Adhd And Hearing Loss: A Study Examing The Co-Occurrence Of The Two Disorders, Jennifer Amanda Sibley

Social Work Theses - Archive

This paper will present information obtained from a nationwide dataset on the incidence of co-occurring Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and hearing loss. These disorders are frequently studied separately, but there is a lack of research on the co-occurrence of the disorders. A secondary data analysis was conducted in order to answer four primary research questions: 1) What are the demographic characteristics of children who have co-occurring HL and ADHD? 2) Is the incidence of ADHD co-occurring with HL higher than the expected incidence of ADHD for this population based on general U.S. prevalence? 3) Among those with past or current …

Identity Reconstruction As Shiduers: Narratives From Chinese Older Adults Who Lost Their Only Child, Yongqiang Zheng, Thomas Lawson

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

The purpose of this qualitative study was to illustrate how the identity of Chinese older adults who lost their only child changed after the traumatic event in the context of unique culture and policy settings. The individuals studied were 14 adults over the age of 50. Each respondent was interviewed concerning his or her post-loss experiences. Results indicated that these bereaved parents are not only deeply impacted by the loss of the most loved one, but are also stigmatized by the culture and victimized by the one-child policy. The collective identity as shiduer is defined not only by personal grief …

Categories Of Exclusion: The Transformation Of Formerly Incarcerated Women Into “Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents” In Welfare Processing, Megan Welsh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

For people who have just been released from incarceration, the work of getting out and resuming life on the outside often includes numerous institutional contacts. Applying for and maintaining public assistance—cash aid and food stamps, commonly referred to as welfare— is a central component of what I call “reentry work.” I argue that discourses around welfare and punishment have perpetuated the erasure of formerly incarcerated women’s experiences. Utilizing an institutional ethnographic perspective, I show how the work of applying for and maintaining welfare is organized around a standardized textual discourse of children, and women as caretakers of children. Formerly incarcerated …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 42 No. 3 (September 2015)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

AN EXAMINATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE WORKERS' COMPENSATION REFORM ACT OF 2007 Julia Ostrov

REFRAMING NEW FRONTIERS FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Hilary Weaver

SOCIAL WORK ADVOCACY: PROFESSIONAL SELF-INTEREST AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Mary Ellen Brown, Michelle Livermore, and Annahita Ball

WHO'S LEFT OUT: CHARACTERISTICS OF HOUSEHOLDS IN ECONOMIC NEED NOT RECEIVING PUBLIC SUPPORT Vincent A. Fusaro

APPLYING SEN'S CAPABILITY APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND WORK AND INCOME AMONG POOR PEOPLE IN INDIA Mahasweta M. Banerjee

RELATIONSHIP-BASED JUSTICE FOR GENDER RESPONSIVE SPECIALTY COURTS Margaret H. Lloyd

RACE-GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE IMPACT OF HISTORY OF HEAVY DRINKING ON CURRENT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION DURING THE TRANSITION TO …

Review Of Café Culture In Pune: Being Young And Middle Class In Urban India. Teresa Platz Robinson. Reviewed By Michael Gilbert, Michael Gilbert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Teresa Platz Robinson, Café Culture in Pune: Being Young and Middle Class in Urban India. Oxford University Press (2014), 320 pages, $55.00 (hardcover).

Comparing The Clinical Approaches Of Christian Social Workers And Secular Social Workers, Kristin Larsen

Dissertations

This mixed methods research study explores the current interface of religion and social work in clinical practice. A total of 91 National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter members and 120 North American Association of Christians in Social Work members responded to clinical vignettes via an online survey. Subsequently, a small group of Christian social workers and a small group of Secular social workers convened for focus group discussion. This study found that the approaches of Christian social workers and secular social workers were not fundamentally different; however, there was some evidence of significant differences between the groups and their …

The Prevalence Rate Of Underage Drinking Among School-Age Adolescents Receiving Social Work Intervention In A Community Mental Health Research Health Setting, Karen Abonza

Social Work Theses - Archive

Adolescents participate in underage drinking across the United States, causing significant consequences to themselves, others, communities, and the state. Underage drinking is one of the nation's leading causes of deaths in American adolescents. The current study examines the prevalence rate of underage drinking among a clinical population. The hypothesis is that peers (peer groups and peer influence) may contribute to underage drinking greater than the impact of families encouraging alcohol. An epidemiological case record review of 100 participants from the years 2012 to 2014 was conducted at the University of Texas at Arlington's Center for Clinical Social Work (CCSW) using …

Associations Among African American Parent Education, Perceptions, Behaviors, And Child Weight Status: A Cross-Sectional Data Analysis, Tracey Marie Barnett

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Purpose: Obesity in children and adolescents is a worldwide epidemic that is anticipated to worsen over time (Budd & Volpe, 2006; Chatterjee, Blakely, & Barton, 2005; Hossain, Kawar, & El Nahas, 2007). Within the past 30 years, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has more than doubled among children and quadrupled in adolescents (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014). People often have inaccurate perceptions of their body size and weight status and this may play a key role in the prevalence of obesity especially for ethnic minorities (Gillard, Lackland, Mountfored, & Egan, 2007; Hendley, et al., 2011). …

Perceptions Of Professional And Financial Worth Among Master Of Social Work Students, Rebecca Allison Peeler

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this study is to explore professional perceptions (intraprofessional, interprofessional, and societal) among UT Arlington (UTA) second-year and advanced-standing master of social work (MSW) students and investigate the connections of these perceptions to financial worth. Three focus groups were conducted with UTA MSW students (n=31) to explore this topic. The findings from this research suggest that the link between professional perceptions and financial worth is salient. Internal and external devaluation may contribute to a continued acceptance and expectation of low financial earnings. Implications for social work education policy and professional advocacy are addressed. This researcher hopes that the …

A Metatheoretical Analysis Of Social Support Theory In Application To Military Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mikayla Lynn Jacob

Social Work Theses - Archive

More organizations, researchers, and practitioners are now measuring social support with military Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD; however, many are measuring very different specific variables under the overarching title of social support. These differences have created complications when interpreting the data. A number of different outcomes have been noted in empirical research regarding the relationship between military PTSD and social support.. This is a secondary analysis of previously published research, similar to a research synthesis. George Ritzer's (1989) metatheoretical analysis method is used. Social exchange theory and social network theory are discussed as they relate to social support theory. Three …

The Social Determinants Of Immigrant Well-Being In The United States: A Gendered Perspective, Arati Maleku

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation examines the overlapping effects of structural vulnerabilities that arise from individual’s position in a society translated through gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, and marital status on the well-being of immigrants in the United States. Despite the increasing understanding of migration as a gendered process, research in this area is still limited to gender and/or women ignoring class, ethnicity, or race as relevant axes of structural disadvantage and differentiation. This empirical study addresses this lacuna in knowledge via two objectives: (1) advance a conceptual and methodological model of health and migration that integrates a gendered perspective drawing interconnections, interdependence, …

Predicting Condom Use Behavior In Sexually Active Adolescents: Application Of The Health Belief Model And Developmental Assets Framework, Holli M. Slater

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

A significant amount of progress has been made over the past decade to reduce the impact of risky sexual behavior among adolescents; however, rates of unwanted pregnancy and contraction of sexually transmitted infections remain high. Finding ways to mitigate the consequences of risky sexual behavior continues to be a focus of many working with adolescents engaging in risky behavior. This study performed a secondary analysis of data collected during a 5-year evaluation of a teen pregnancy program targeting youth ages 17-19 who were at high risk for dropping out of high school. The goals of this study were two fold: …

Start With Us! Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In The Preschool Classroom, Tonia Renee Durden, Elsita Escalante, Kimberly Blitch

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Using an ethnographic case study approach, we examined how teachers and parents within an eth-nically diverse early childhood program conceptualized and implemented culturally relevant peda-gogy and how these primary caregivers were encouraging children’s sociocultural development and awareness. Data sources included questionnaires, interview transcripts, and observational field notes (classroom and community). Findings suggest there were multiple strategies and resources teachers used to facilitate the sociocultural growth of young children indicative of culturally relevant practices. However, we discovered there were mediating factors that impacted how and whether teachers were able to implement culturally relevant pedagogy in the early childhood classroom.

Intra-Group Stigma: Examining Peer Relationships Among Women In Recovery For Addictions, Alana J. Gunn, Kelli E. Canada

Social Work Faculty Scholarship

This grounded theory study explores how women with histories of addiction perceive stigma while in treatment. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 women participating in a residential drug treatment centre. Previous research has found that support from peers during recovery can be critical to managing illnesses. In fact, researchers have postulated that peers can be a more effective form of support than even family. This study extends existing literature indicating that peer support systems can be supportive, however they can also can be perceived as negative support that impose stigmas. Findings reveal that women perceive stigmas due to how various …

Predictors Of Service Integration By Transdisciplinary Health Team's In Brazil's Unified Health System, Rahbel Rahman

Social Work Faculty Scholarship

Integration of social services (e.g., civil registration, community mobilization) with public health and primary care has been recommended as a key strategy by practitioners, researchers and policy-makers to solve the multifactorial determinants of chronic diseases. Despite efforts to increase service integration in the past 50 years, there is limited evidence on effective approaches to integrating myriad services. Our study investigated the influence of individual- and organizational-level factors, and job characteristics on service integration using 262 providers from Brazil’s Family Health Strategy (ESF) team. Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) is acknowledged worldwide as a model for studying integration as ESF transdisciplinary …

Metaphoric Generative Genograms: A Journey To Bring Genograms To Life Through Metaphorical Components, Elisa Garcia

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a greater understanding of the potential of genograms through my clinical work from a Bowen Family Systems lens. I account for how I processed and effectively blended metaphorical components, by examining six cases from my two-year journal entries, of bringing genograms to life in sessions. I also explain how I created a useful tool, the Metaphoric Generative Genogram, that can benefit other clinicians working with children and families in the foster care community.

Farm Work As Treatment For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Mindy L. Walls

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory, descriptive study assessed what, if anything, is beneficial about engaging in agricultural work, or, farm work, for individuals living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An anonymous, online survey was utilized, asking a series of multiple choice and open ended questions about the participants’ farm work history, PTSD experience, and demographic information. Thirty-nine participants responded with varying identities and work history, but many shared experiences of PTSD. Almost all of the participants found farming to be beneficial for managing PTSD. Specifically, four themes arose from the data that explained what about farming was beneficial for individuals with PTSD: farming …

Navigating A Paradoxical Identity : The Experiences Of Mixed Race Individuals Who Are Perceived As White, Marcella Emily Galvez Wagner

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative exploratory study examines the experiences of mixed race individuals who are perceived as White by others based on physical appearance. Literature on the mixed race population has only more recently focused on the phenomenon of racial misrecognition, or the incongruence between racial identity and racial perception by others. This study seeks to advance this literature by exploring the experiences of individuals who have a particular form of racial misrecognition where they hold a non-dominant racial identity and yet are perceived as White by others. The study explored racial identity, racial markers, disclosure and passing, family context, experiences of …