Social Work Commons^™

The Theory Of Cognitive Dissonance: A Reappraisal, Peter A. Metofe

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

The cognitive dissonance theory, as postulated by Festinger (1957), has undergone increased scrutiny since its development. Through a reappraisal of this theory as explicated by other researchers, specifically relying on extant and current research in this theory, coupled with recent developments, this paper provides a context for better understanding of how individuals experience cognitive dissonance and its implications for clinical practice.

Missing And Exploited Children In Jamaica: An Empirical Analysis, Lorna E. Grant

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

This paper is an analysis of missing, abused, and exploited children in Jamaica. I examined the responses of advocate groups and the government to determine the steps to take to protect children who are most vulnerable. I collected data through interviews from the Police National Intelligence Bureau, the Office of the Children's Registry, the Office of Children Advocate, literature review, and the printed media (e.g., The Jamaica Gleaner, The Jamaica Observer, and The Jamaica Star).

Social Justice Education: Impacts On Social Attitudes, Bronwyn Cross-Denny, Janna C. Heyman

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Paramount to multicultural social work practice is acquiring a comprehensive understanding of oppressed and vulnerable populations who often lack access to healthcare and economic resources. A practitioner’s self-awareness of social attitudes can provide a foundation for developing cultural competency skills. Using a pretest posttest design, social attitudes of Master of Social Work (MSW) students enrolled in a required social justice course were examined (N=85). A repeated-measure MANOVA indicated significant main effects on: 1) within subject factor of time on students’ cognitive attitudes towards racial diversity, affective attitudes toward racial diversity, and women equity following students’ exposure to the social justice …

Factors Assocated With Employee Satisfaction In Minnesota Community Action Agencies, Kelsie Peters

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In 2011, the state of Minnesota faced a difficult budgetary decision. At the time of this writing, the state HHS budget had been vetoed by the Governor and State Employees were preparing for a government shutdown. Disagreement between the Republican majority and the Democratic Governor on how to balance the state budget had serious implications for Community Action Agencies that received, on average, 10% of their annual funding from the State of Minnesota in 2010 (MNCAP, 2010). Considering the fact that budget cuts would be imminent, and raises and bonuses unlikely, the researcher wanted to provide CAAs of MN with …

The Individual And Collective Effect Of Us Colonialism In Puerto Rico: A Scale Construction And Validation, With Implications For Social Work Education And Practice, Maria De Lourdes Martinez Aviles

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

"Understanding the individual and collective psychology of the people of Puerto Rico requires an understanding of both the history of its colonialism and the U.S. laws that have helped shaped the social world of the Puerto Rican people, in the United States and in the colony itself"(Rivera Ramos, 2001, p. 4). This research presents theoretical and empirical support for the notion that colonialism is an important current issue, and so are its broad psychosocial effects. It sustains the concept that colonialism is a relevant and unresolved subject matter for Puerto Ricans and an important issue to be revised and debated …

The Road Ahead: Striking The Right Combination Of Academic And Mental Health Services And Va Benefits For Increasing The Academic Attainment Of Student Veterans, Mary Kate Kenworthy

Social Work Theses - Archive

Recent statistics suggest that nearly a quarter of all veterans who have recently returned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are returning to postsecondary education, many of them motivated to do so by the increased benefits included under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. This bill is intended to increase the educational attainment of these student veterans. To fully realize the potential of this bill to increase academic attainment in this population, however, it must be combined with an effective delivery of services intended to help student veteran's transition to the academic environment as a bridge to productive civilian employment. Postsecondary …

Client Compliance: Can Community Mental Health Outcomes Be Predicted?, Seth Parrott

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this thesis project was to gain predictive insight into client behaviors that may affect treatment outcomes. This thesis uses data originally collected for a dissemination trial of Cognitive Behavioral therapy being introduced into Texas' community mental health system. Clients that attend scheduled therapy sessions and complete assigned homework to a higher degree are demonstrating better compliance with their treatment. It was hypothesized that those behaviors while factoring in symptom severity and amount of therapy would predict final treatment outcomes as measured by a decrease in symptoms. Multiple regression analysis of 85 participants all diagnosed with Major Depression …

The Validation Of The Trauma Assessment For Young Children, Heidi Lynne Strickler

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Young children experience a variety of traumatic experiences ranging from divorce and witnessing family violence, to living with parents who have addictive behaviors, to experiencing severe illness and injury, to experiencing population wide traumas, to experiencing physical or sexual abuse or other forms of child maltreatment. Young children between the ages of 3 and 7 are in the preoperational stage of cognitive development and consequently process these experiences in a different manner than adults. As a result, assessment measures need to take this cognitive processing into account and look at the children's views of their experiences. Psychosocial development is equally …

Factors Associated With High School Completion Among Foster Youth Leaving Care, Elizabeth Garza-Higgens

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study explores factors associated with high school completion among foster youth leaving care. Educational outcomes for youth leaving care are examined based on an integrative model of ecological theory and attachment theory. The study utilized a cross-sectional, non-experimental design for exploring factors associated with high school completion among foster youth leaving care. A survey instrument was utilized for extracting data from a child welfare agency database. The data was collected one one point in time comparing the differences between youth who completed high school to those who dropped out. Chi-square analysis were utilized for comparing differences between groups and …

Sibling Suicide In Indo-American Families: Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, And Family Relationships, Suresh Unni

Dissertations

This study investigated suicide in Indo-American families. Relationships between acculturation, acculturative stress, and family relationships in completed suicides of Indo-American youth were examined. Snowball sampling procedures were used to find six adult sibling survivors of suicide as participants. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted by the researcher. Grounded theory strategies were used to analyze data and generate theory. Analysis of results yielded both protective and risk factors for suicide. Acculturation risk factors resulted from homogeneous populations lacking in diversity while protective factors were progressive and integrated neighborhood and schools. Integration was the preferred mode of acculturation by participants and suicide victims. …

Risk Behavior, Personal Assets And Social Support In The Lesbian And Gay Adult Populations: How These Contribute To Suicidality?, Elizabeth Sabre

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this exploratory study is threefold 1) to assess whether risk factors for suicide among LG individuals older than age 18 are the same as those among heterosexual individuals; 2) to assess whether suicidality decreases for the LG population; and 3) to identify what factors are associated with this decrease if there is one. Are the risk behaviors that are correlated with suicide risk among heterosexuals comparably correlated among LG individuals? What is the relationship between developmental assets and suicide risk among LG? The research was done online, through social networking sites. The findings were that the main …

Modernization And Contraception In Kenya From 1998 To 2008-2009., Diana Alaka Opollo

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The objective of this study is to examine the factors that influence contraceptive use in Kenya. More specifically, the study focuses on the determinants of membership in two categories of contraceptive use: modern contraception methods and other contraception methods. Additionally, the study will describe the differences in contraceptive use between 1998 and 2008-2009 and attempt to examine what factors caused and propelled changes. In order to explain the categorical variations, this study uses two theories: modernization theory and human capital theory. In describing changes between 1998 and 2008-2009, this study will examine both individual as well as societal factors related …

Understanding And Promoting The Notion Of Sustainable Development In Countries Of The Developing World, Aminata Lambratu Wurie

Social Work Theses - Archive

God created all humans equal and we all deserve the opportunity to have our basic needs met. This thesis discusses the fundamentals of sustainable development and explains the importance of achieving these measures in order to keep us humans safe, healthy, and prosperous and our Earth functioning properly. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate conversation and action about the state of our planet and its inhabitants; regarding our environmental, social, and economic wellbeing. This work particularly focuses on countries where people are suffering, and fighting to solve extreme poverty, amidst their wealth of blessings. It confers special attention …

Acculturative Stress And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Latino And Asian Immigrants, Yajaira Villeda

Social Work Theses - Archive

Mental health needs for immigrants are complicated by previous trauma and living in a new country. This study examined acculturative stress (AS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among immigrants by conducting a secondary data analysis of the 2002 to 2003 National Latino American and Asian American Study (N=3,259). The primary acculturative stressors identified were limited contact with family and friends, difficulties interacting with others due to language limitations and not receiving the same respect as in the country of origin. Latinos experienced more acculturative stress than Asians. Measures of sex, age, race, education, age of immigration, length of stay in …

The Effects Of Personal Trauma History And Working With Clients With Similar Trauma On Well-Being Among Mental Health Counselors, Joel Chaverri

Social Work Theses - Archive

Several studies have researched burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, and shared trauma of practicing mental health professionals. Yet few have focused directly on the impact of personal trauma history on well-being. This study was an online exploratory design investigating the relationships among counselor personal trauma history, well-being, and the effects of seeing clients with similar trauma. Personal trauma history was determined through a demographical survey, and well-being analyzed using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL). The study examined several demographic variables to determine whether a model exits to predict counselor well-being. While the …

Determinants Of Modern Contraceptive Use In Cameroon From 1991 To 2004, Consoler Tenug Teboh

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine the determinants of contraceptive use among women ages 15-49 of childbearing age (WCA) and to describe the compositional and processual changes that have taken place in Cameroon between 1991 and 2004. The study constituted a sample size of 3,871 and 10,656 15 to 49 year old women of childbearing from 1991 and 2004 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey datasets respectively. Regression results confirmed that there was considerable support for the hypotheses in 1991 and 2004 except for age at first marriage which was significant but contradictory to the direction proposed in the …

Personal And Organizational Factors That Influence The Likelihood That Adult Protective Services Workers Will Remain On The Job Long-Term, Traci Alisia Perry

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

A secondary data analysis will be used to examine data that was originally collected as part of a cross-sectional survey of adult protective service workers from May 2005 to June 2007. The purpose of this study to gain a better understanding of the socio-demographic and organizational factors that may influence the decision of APS workers to remain on the job in state, public welfare agencies. Data will be analyzed from a sample of 673 APS workers in Texas who completed questionnaires after completing classroom and field training in the Protective Services Training Institute. Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation data analyses …

Needs Assessment For A Multidisciplinary Eating Disorder Outpatient Services, Mary Beth Patterson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Research has indicated there is limited specialist multidisciplinary care in non-metropolitan regions and rural communities for eating disorder treatment, leaving patients and professionals dissatisfied with quality of care. The purpose of this project was to assess the need for multidisciplinary eating disorder treatment service in South-Central Minnesota, and if so, to obtain information about the current patient population and treatment of such patients.

Homeless Veterans: Overrepresented And Underreported, Andrea L. Smith

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Ages And Stages: Infant (0-12 Months) .G2103, Tonia Renee Durden, Gail L. Brand, Marilyn S. Fox, Jacqueline M. Guzman, Lisa M. Poppe, Ladonna A. Werth, Mary E. Nelson, Leslie Crandall, Ruth E. Vonderohe, Rasheema Pitt

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

During the first year infants develop quickly, meeting many milestones of early growth. Learn how to recognize these stages and what you can do to help support your infant’s growth and development.

Being a parent or caregiver of an infant can be fun and a lot of hard work. Although caring for a baby may seem like an endless cycle of feeding, soothing, and diapering, the first year of a baby’s life is a time for rapid growth and development (Figure 1). By their first birthday, many infants are beginning to crawl and are even taking their first steps. It’s …