Social Work Commons^™

Analyzing The Nature Of Immigrant Mobility With Respect To Property Taxes, Megan Kaminski

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Immigration is one of the most heavily debated current issues in the United States. One area of this topic under investigation is what characteristics impact mobility decisions with respect to choice of location . A variety of factors can have an influence on immigrant mobility, one being property taxes. In this study, an analysis was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between property tax rates and immigrant mobility. County-level data from Illinois was used to see whether or not the percentage of foreign born individuals residing in a given county had any correlation with the property tax rate of …

Important Activities For Infants And Toddlers / To Support A Foster Child, Vanessa Salas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a non-profit organization that serves children in the foster care system as mentors and advocates. There was a need for more resources to be available for CASA’s when appointed an infant or toddler and the activities that would be aged appropriate. The purpose of this project was to have a resource tool that is easily accessible during weekly visits with the infant or toddler so that the time spent together is used to its fullest potential. The desired outcome is that CASA’s develop meaningful relationships with their infants and their guardians throughout this difficult …

Power Of Arts & Craft To Support Children With Illnesses, Gerardo Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services is a non profit agency in Watsonville, California. Providing family-centered care for children and their families in their emotional, practical, and financial struggles. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a need for a laser-focused strategy to meet the immediate needs of children’s health. Childhood cancer greatly affects their upbringing and may create worse problems throughout their adulthood. Without assistance, these families are critically vulnerable to their physical and mental health issues. This project allows children with illness alongside their families to receive mental health assistance throughout their complex journey. With the …

Examining Effective And Realized Healthcare Access In The West South Central Division., Katherine Cameron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores realized and effective access domains outlined by Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Exploring other domains of access is critical to understanding how the healthcare system functions (Kirby & Yabroff, 2020). This study evaluates rural-urban and racial/ethnic differences in access to care using two underresearched domains of healthcare access. It also allows for exploring access disparities within rural communities amongst minority populations. This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter One provides an overview of health disparities and inequities and a brief overview of the study. Chapter Two details a high-level history of racism and its …

Contact Based Intervention Reduces Stigma Among Pharmacy Students, Christine R. Bakos-Block, Tamara Al Rawwad, Marylou Cardenas-Turanzas, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer

School of Social Work

Introduction

Interventions to reduce the stigma of substance use disorders by health professionals often include didactic instruction combined with an interactive component that includes a guest speaker in recovery. Few interactive studies have focused on pharmacy students. Community pharmacists are moving to the front lines to battle the opioid epidemic; therefore, pharmacy students should be included in interventions aimed at reducing stigma by health professionals.

Methods

This study examined the effects of a contact-based interactive intervention delivered by a peer recovery support specialist on perceived stigma of opioid use disorder among third-year pharmacy students (N = 115) enrolled in …

In-Home Support Services Provider Training Needs, Em Bowman Fowler

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Aging and Adult Services of Monterey County offers support to an umbrella of county agencies that assist older adults and people with disabilities including Public Authority and In-Home Support Services (IHSS). Public Authority manages a registry of providers who work for IHSS recipients. The providers often encountered issues that required immediate answers. Many of the questions were simple but took up much of the Public Authority staff’s time to return every message. By creating instructional videos and posting them on the Aging and Adult Services website, providers had instant access to the solution to their issues. The videos received feedback …

Veterans Treatment Court: Outreach Specialist, Francisco Narewski

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Monterey Military and Veterans Affairs Office (MVAO) is a lifeline to Monterey County veterans who suffer from PTSD, substance abuse, and have fallen into the justice system due to service connected disabilities. The MVAO has a justice outreach program that includes peer mentorship. The project's purpose is to ensure that veterans comply with the rules and regulations of the Monterey County Veterans Court and graduate from the program. The current program manager is tasked with the huge responsibility of veteran advocate, court liaison, peer program manager, and Veterans Affairs subject matter expert. The next steps the agency can take …

Are Basic Care Homeless Shelters Beneficial To The Homeless, Lucy Karanja

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research aims to analyze homeless shelters that only provide basic care, i.e., food and shelter, to individuals experiencing episodic or chronic homelessness. Evaluating the effectiveness of these shelters and their ability to help individuals overcome homelessness. Research in this area suggests that there are commonly seen factors that result in homelessness, and although there are noted gender differences, these factors include aspects such as mental illness, substance abuse, poverty, illness, disability, violence, and a lack of access to resources, i.e., education, income, affordable housing, social support. All of these are complex on their own to address and only grow …

Wellness Practices’ Contribution To Social Sustainability: A Review Of The Literature, Zeina Mazloum

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Despite being emphasized as one of the main pillars of global sustainable development, social sustainability has been vastly neglected in research, and its importance has been undervalued. This paper aims to highlight the important role that wellness practices play in enhancing social sustainability by uplifting individuals and progressing communities. In turn, social sustainability strengthens the circular economy, resulting in global sustainable development. The paper also raises questions about future sustainable communities, quality of life, and wellness programs, which open up new avenues for future research and implications.

History Of Sex Work Is Associated With Increased Risk Of Adverse Mental Health And Substance Use Outcomes In Transgender Adults, Ajay Keshav Pandey, Kristie L. Seelman

SW Publications

Understanding factors influencing mental health and substance use in transgender and gender diverse people is critical to reducing disparities in this population. We sought to investigate whether a history of sex work was associated with increased prevalence of poor mental health, substance use, and a negative experience within drug and alcohol treatment facilities. We conducted a secondary analysis of the data of 25,204 transgender respondents of the 2015 United States Transgender Survey. We estimated multiple logistic regressions to assess the association between a history of sex work and adverse mental health and substance use outcomes. We then estimated mean prevalence …

Teaching And Learning Social Change, Amie Thurber, Helen Buckingham, Jordenn Martens, Rebecca Lusk, Darrylann Becker, Stacey Spenser

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

How can social work courses prepare students to be scholars of social movements, and also to act in solidarity with movements for social justice? How can graduate programs reimagine the professional socialization of social work students from aspiring for expertise toward a stance of life-long learning? How can instructors more deeply leverage our teaching practice to advance justice in our communities? This paper traces one attempt to answer these questions through a three-quarter graduate social work course designed to deepen students’ skills and knowledge in practices for social transformation, while amplifying existing social justice movements. Drawing on reflections from the …

Expanding Workplace Inclusion Of Employees Who Are Parents Of Children With Disabilities Through Diversity Training, Lisa M. Stewart, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch Tamarkin, Eileen Brennan, Jessica Lukefahr

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Employed parents raising children with disabilities manage exceptional care responsibilities along with their work careers. This study examines the effects of targeted diversity training on human resource (HR) professionals’ knowledge of the work–family experiences of these parents, and on their self-efficacy in providing workplace supports. Using computer-based training in field settings, 64 U.S. human resource professionals in an international company participated in two diversity training sessions. Data related to knowledge and efficacy of dependent and disability care were collected before the first training and immediately after the second. HR participants demonstrated significant increases from pretest to posttest on the trained …

Financial Well-Being Of Frontline Healthcare Workers: The Importance Of Employer Benefits, Mathieu Despard, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Haotian Zheng, Grace Anderson, Olivia Borland, Kourtney Gilbert

Social Policy Institute Research

Frontline healthcare workers – especially direct care workers (DCWs), such as home health aides, struggle due to low pay, lack of benefits, and difficult working conditions. The need for these workers is growing. Unless frontline healthcare jobs improve, positions may be difficult to fill, and care for vulnerable members of society may be compromised.

In this study, we surveyed 2,321 frontline healthcare workers and conducted in-depth interviews with 30 of these workers concerning pay, benefits, work conditions, and financial well-being. Key survey findings included:

• Only 39% of workers were eligible for at least four out of five major benefits (e.g., …

Strategies For Creating Inclusive Learning Environments Through A Social Justice Lens, Beverly Araujo Dawson, Whitney Kilgore, Renee M. Rawcliffe

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Culturally situated and cross-cultural approaches to instructional design and research have become increasingly important in higher education, particularly in online learning environments. As higher education becomes increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, learning environments must be structured and facilitated to meet the learning needs of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) students. Based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) and culturally inclusive pedagogy, this paper provides an overview of inclusive teaching practices and the necessity to take a holistic approach to online teaching with BIPOC students. This paper provides an overview of key instructional design elements to achieve equity-minded instructional design.

Effect Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Volunteerism And Fundraising Management Strategies In Nonprofits And Rebuilding Tactics Of Ronald Mcdonald House Charities Of Chicagoland And Northwest Indiana (Rmhc-Cni), Humza Wolf

Student Capstone Projects

The financial sustainability of nonprofits depends highly on volunteerism and funding strategies which got impacted during Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. This capstone study explores to what extent nonprofits got affected and evaluates the efforts of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI) to improve the provision of support for underprivileged families of critically ill children. The continual efforts to overcome financial hurdles escalated in pandemic. Mixed method research design was used to collect, analyze, and triangulate both quantitative and qualitative research methods in this single study to understand the research problem. Interpretive approach encompassed the complexities of …

Sustaining Communities Through Transformative Justice, Casey Bohrman

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Casey Bohrman, Graduate Social Work - Sustaining Communities through Transformative Justice

Bridging The Divide: Connecting Urban And Rural Care Through The Right! From The Start Initiative, Tess Lefmann, Sannie Snell, Mobolaji E. Famuyide, Sushmitha Inguva, John J. Green

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Disparities in health and barriers to healthcare are prominent in rural areas, particularly in the Delta region of Mississippi where high rates of premature births, infant mortality, low weight births, and maternal mortality exacerbate the dearth of access to care. Extending the reach of healthcare providers and services between urban and rural areas is of utmost importance in improving the landscape of maternal and child health. Community health workers (CHWs), trusted individuals in the community, play a valuable role in this through social support. This research note delineates the importance of community health workers as connectors in establishing a trusted …

Rural America Is Still Technologically Behind: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Attending To Attention: A Systematic Review Of Attention And Reading, Sarah M.R. Eisensmith, Premela G. Deck, Melissa R. Jenkins, April Harris Britt, Kirsten Kainz, David Ansong

International Journal of School Social Work

Background: Extensive research has conclusively linked inattention to poor reading performance. The process by which this relation occurs remains somewhat undefined, which makes it difficult for practitioners to identify key intervention targets. Objectives: This systematic review will synthesize current peer-reviewed research on the developmental relationship between inattention and reading. The primary aim of this review was to describe how inattention negatively relates to the development of literacy from preschool through middle childhood. A secondary aim of this review was to summarize recent research on the potential differential relationship between attention and literacy among students overrepresented in ratings of inattention, including …

Microaggression Among Registered Nurses: An Exploratory Study, Saige Addison

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.