Social Work Commons^™

The Detrimental Effects Of Aging Out Of Foster Care And Knoxville's Representativeness Of Appropriate Services, Samantha Leanne Stout

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Homeless Youth In Philadelphia: An Innovative Method For Identifying Youth Who Are Homeless, Staci Perlman, Joe Willard

Staci Perlman

No abstract provided.

The Long-Term Costs Of Caring: How Caring For An Aging Parent Impacts Wealth Trajectories Of Caregivers, Jennifer Crane Greenfield

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Long-term care in the U.S. is a growing concern as our aging population exerts pressure on formal and informal care systems. Public expenditures on formal care are increasing rapidly, even as reliance on informal caregivers expands. Recent policy innovations are shifting Medicaid and Medicare funding toward home- and community-based services: HCBS) as an alternative to nursing home care. This may help reduce overall LTC care costs to states and the federal government, but it also shifts more responsibility to families and informal care networks. Not only can caregiving have negative impacts on the physical and mental health of caregivers, but …

The Effectiveness Of The Adult Tutoring Program In Increasing Reading Levels Within The Kalamazoo Literacy Population: A Research Proposal, Sarah Beu

Honors Theses

Purpose: The results of this study will examine the effectiveness of the Adult Tutoring Program in increasing adult reading levels within the population served by the Kalamazoo Literacy Council (KLC). Method: The data in this study will be collected using a quantitative design comparing the reading levels of subjects who participated in the Adult Tutoring Program to those who dropped out of Program. The researcher will collect subjects' reading levels using the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), and will compare subjects' previously reading levels (collected between 13 weeks and two years prior to implementation of this study) to their …

Diversity In The Media, Jane Hurdish, Emily Penn, Ashley Watson

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Research has shown that a lack of diversity exists in the media, particularly regarding how two vulnerable populations, women and people of color, are portrayed. For example, usually only very thin women are portrayed, and people of color are misrepresented, perpetuating negative stereotypes. This study seeks to determine whether a sample of college students from Valparaiso University recognize the lack of diversity in the media and would like it changed. Through this study, society may become more aware of the lack of diversity in the media. This study may also encourage further research into how equal representation in the media …

Effects Of Electronic Communication On Face-To-Fare Communication, Bethany Garling, Colleen Bulow, Barb Larocco, Amy Wise

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

In the past 20 years, electronic communication fundamentally changed how people communicate. Though there has been much speculation about the effects of using this type of communication, little formal research has been done. This study expands upon previous research asking, “Does more frequent use of electronic communication correlate with a lower reported level of comfort in dealing with face-to-face confrontation?” For this study, the researchers created an electronic survey targeting individuals ages 18-25. The survey consisted of three sections: first, a brief demographic section; next, a frequency checklist measuring how often participants used various types of electronic communication; and finally, …

Amount Of Knowledge About Sex Trafficking In The United States Among Valparaiso University Students, Taylor Fuller, Abigail Matter, Alyssa Kasper

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This research proposal will address awareness among students, concentrating on males, at Valparaiso University. Little research has been conducted on awareness alone, let alone awareness of college students. Therefore, this research will be filling a gap. It’s important for low awareness levels to increase because awareness is the first step toward change. The researchers will develop an online survey to be administered to a sample of the students attending Valparaiso University to gauge their awareness. After the results are collected, they will be analyzed, and reported upon. Sex trafficking is a major problem for the United States. Finding out college …

Awareness Of Contraceptive Availability At Valparaiso University, Katherine Cole, Charlotte Johnson, Megan Marimen

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Despite contradictory perspectives, college students are having sex. College-age students engage in high-risk sexual behavior despite their relatively higher rates of both sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy compared to other age groups. Several studies suggest that the majority of college students rely on campus health clinics or condom distribution programs for obtaining contraceptives. Because of the prevalence in college students, this study was targeted toward full-time, sexually-active Valparaiso University students (aged 18-24). The researchers hypothesized that sexually-active students at Valparaiso University who were unaware of campus availability of contraceptives participated in unprotected sex more often than sexually-active students who …

Relationships Between College Savings And Enrollment, Graduation, And Student Loan Debt, William Elliott Iii, Hyun-A Song, Ilsung Nam

Center for Social Development Research

Relationships Between College Savings and Enrollment, Graduation, and Student Loan Debt

Conceptual Development Of The Cyfi Model Of Children And Youth As Economic Citizens, Margaret S. Sherraden, David Ansong

Center for Social Development Research

Conceptual Development of the CYFI Model of Children and Youth as Economic Citizens

Research Evidence On The Cyfi Model Of Children And Youth As Economic Citizens, Margaret S. Sherraden, David Ansong

Center for Social Development Research

Research Evidence on the CYFI Model of Children and Youth as Economic Citizens

German-Tunisian Economic Cooperation And The Prospects Of Democracy, Jihëd Mejrissi

Jihëd Mejrissi

Following are the notes of the presentation entitled “German-Tunisian Economic Cooperation and the Prospects of Democracy” delivered in the annual DAAD scholarship holders that took place in April 2013 in Darmstadt, Germany.

German-Tunisian Economic Cooperation And The Prospects Of Democracy, Jihëd Mejrissi

Jihëd Mejrissi

Prepared for the Meeting of DAAD Scholarship Holders

April 20th, 2013, in Darmstadt

Guilt, Blame, And Responsibility: The Experiences Of Parents And Clinicians Providing Services To Adolescents With Co-Occurring Mental Health And Substance Abuse Challenges, Katherine Cohen-Filipic

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand and describe the experiences of parents of, and clinicians who provide services to, adolescents with co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges, particularly as they relate to issues of guilt, blame, and responsibility. The study is based in a theoretical framework derived from Symbolic Interactionism (Blumer, 1969), Attribution Theory (Heider, 1958), and Barrett`s (1995) Theory of Guilt and Shame. The guiding question the study is: What are the experiences of parents of adolescents with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse challenges and clinicians who provide treatment services around issues of blame, guilt, …

Mental Health Service Utilization Among African American Emerging Adults, Sha-Lai Williams

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Mental illness affects 25-30% of US adults ages 18 years and older in a given year. Of those individuals, about 41% fail to utilize mental health services. Research indicates that being African American and between the ages of 18 and 29 are associated with decreased rates of service utilization. Yet, less is known about the factors related to mental health service utilization among a specific subset of these groups, namely, African American emerging adults. Using empirically-tested theoretical frameworks as its foundation, this dissertation study aimed to address this gap in literature by examining specific predisposing, enabling, and need factors: e.g., …

Dimensions Of Informal Support Network Development In An Asian American Community In The New South: A Grounded Theory, Suzie Weng

Theses and Dissertations

The continuum of care framework posits that individuals move from one level to the next in seeking resources for help ranging from first using informal support to finally using formal services. Yet, the literature is mostly focused on formal services. It is well-known in the literature that existing formal services are underutilized by the Asian American population. If that is also the case in nontraditional settlement cities like Richmond, Virginia, the continuum of care framework and existing literature suggest that Asian Americans are turning to their informal support networks to meet their needs. Thus far, the literature on informal support …

The Link, One Health, And Social Capital: A New Strategy For Empathy Education And Social Work, Phil Arkow

International Veterinary Social Work Summit

For 150 years, animal welfare and veterinary advocates have promoted a doctrine that animal welfare will be enhanced by teaching children kindness to animals and responsible animal husbandry practices. However, these efforts have been stymied by societal and professional perceptions that “animal” causes are less worthy than “human” services. Ten significant challenges have made it difficult, if not impossible, to gain access to educators’ curricula and social work training. In a society that continues to place humans’ interests above animals’, it is time to try a new approach that focuses on the human benefits of animal welfare. In particular, a …

Death And Dying In Young Adults: Reflections From A Surviving Parent, Andreya Stephenson

Undergraduate Research Conference

Dying is a process that all must face. No one is left untouched by death. Research reveals that preparation and using hope as a coping strategy can help make the process easier on the dying and bereaved. These strategies are more difficult to employ when the dying person is a young adult in what should be the prime of life. The purpose of this project is to gain a better understanding of how young adults with terminal illness prepare for death so that professionals can better serve that population.

Factors Influencing Worker Morale: Evaluating Provider Demographics, Workplace Environment And Using Ests, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Catherine N. Dulmus Phd, Eugene Maguin Phd, Maria Cristalli

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objectives: Mental health organizations are strongly encouraged to implement empirically supported treatments (ESTs), however little is known about their working environments. The present study investigated how provider demographics, workplace environment and whether ESTs were used affected the worker morale. Methods: Front-line workers (N = 1,273) from 55 different programs in a single, large organization completed a measure of organizational culture and climate (OCC) and worker morale. A multilevel regression analysis used worker demographics to predict worker morale at level 1 and EST use and OCC scales to predict program level worker morale. Results: Worker morale was significantly negatively correlated with …

Women In The Criminal Justice System, Nickole L. Stein-Fisher

Senior Honors Theses and Projects - Social Work

In this paper, seven counties were investigated in Northern Michigan (Otsego, Cheboygan, Emmet, Alpena, Charlevoix, Mackinaw, and Sault St. Marie and compared to Washtenaw County. What was specifically investigated and compared was the criminal rulings that were given to women who have committed a criminal sexual conduct crime. They were compared by their location, race, and formal educational level to see if this had any influence on their court rulings.

The research method used is convenient sampling, of court rulings in two different areas of Michigan. To make the comparison, twenty five women that are on the Michigan State Sex …