Social Work Commons^™

Acculturation Of Russian Refugee Adolescents: The Life Domain Of Peer Relationships, Andrew A. Morozov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover the meaning of acculturation as experienced by the Russian refugee adolescents in the domain of peer relationships. This qualitative study implemented a purposeful sampling strategy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 refugee adolescents from Russia (3 ethnic Russians and 9 Meskhetian Turks), male and female, aged 15-18, who resided in Denver, Colorado. Applying Moustakas's (1994) phenomenology method of analysis, 8 main themes emerged. The essence of the phenomenon can be described in terms of the refugee adolescents' need for self-worth and belongingness. Belongingness is understood as identification with and acceptance by …

Status And Prospects For The Wisconsin Dairy Goat Sector, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Wisconsin dairy goat industry is a diverse, vibrant and robust sector that has grown rapidly over the last decade. Goat milk output has increased several-fold in the last ten years, and retail markets for goat cheese appear to be increasing at double-digit annual rates. The most recent data shows just over 200 licensed farms in Wisconsin in 2009. According to 2006 numbers, Wisconsin dairy goat farms were milking an average of 118 does that produced 1,416 lbs. On average, Wisconsin dairy goat farms were both larger and more productive on a per animal basis than farms in any other …

Promoting System-Wide Cultural Competence For Serving Aboriginal Families And Children In A Midsized Canadian City, Ruby Ambtman, Suzanne Hudson, Reid Hartry, Dawne Mackay-Chiddenton

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This article describes the work of the Circle of Courage, a cross– cultural group committed to improving the cultural competence of organizations providing services to Aboriginal populations in a midsized city in Canada. Rather than concentrating on indi- viduals’ cultural competence, the Circle targets mainstream orga- nizations. Many of its activities, therefore, require organizations to examine themselves and make systemic changes. Providing support to Aboriginal staff of mainstream organizations is a significant element of the Circle’s initiatives. After an analysis of cultural proficiency—particularly at the organizational and systemic levels—the history of the Circle, its internal functioning, and its specific activities …

The Civic Engagement Of Latino Immigrants In The United States, Cristina Michele Tucker

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study employs acculturation and civic engagement theories to explain the incorporation and engagement of Latino immigrants in American society by examining how demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and characteristics of the immigrant experience, as moderated by acculturation and trust in government influence their civic engagement.

The core component of the study is a secondary data analysis of the 2006 Latino National Survey (Fraga et al., 2008). The study shows that some of the strongest predictors of civic engagement in the Latino immigrant community are citizenship, length of residence in the United States, level of education, household income, age, country of …

Children's Adaptive Psychological Functioning In The Face Of Adversity, Rebecca Wiersma

Wayne State University Dissertations

This explanatory research study is a secondary data analysis of the restricted release version of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) data. Only children from the CPS sample were used and included only children who were 48 months or younger at the time of the initial survey (N=1,582). At the time of the initial survey, only the caregivers of 406 children were able to complete the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/2-3 because of age restrictions for that particular measure. Therefore, a subsample of 406 children with CBCL scores at Wave 1 and Wave 4 was extracted from the …

A Social Ecological Perspective On Diabetes Care: Supporting Adolescents And Caregivers, April Marie Idalski Carcone

Wayne State University Dissertations

The diabetes illness management regimen is complex and demanding, requiring daily motivation and self-control. Adolescents with diabetes face unique risks for which social support may be one protective factor. The importance of social support from family and friends is well documented in the literature. Support for the caregiver and support from the health care provider, conversely, are understudied. These four sources of social support, considered together, span the adolescent's micro-, meso-, and exosystems constituting a social ecological model of social support for diabetes. The primary aim of this study was to test this model. The hypotheses were that each source …

Bridging Social Capital Formation In A Faith-Based Organization, Angela Kaiser

Wayne State University Dissertations

Previous research on faith-based organizations suggest that these organizations are highly effective at forging relationships between individuals from different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, known as bridging social capital. This study examines the process of bridging social capital formation within MOSES, a faith-based organization located in Detroit, Michigan. Through the use of in-depth interviews, participant observation, archival research, and a member survey, I documented the forms of social capital present within the organization. I also explored whether bridging relationships were forming within the organization and the strategies that facilitated their formation. Diversity within the organization, recognition of member differences, and …

Shobha De' Deconstructed For Maverick Feminism, Shweta Singh, Prerna Singh

Women's Studies & Gender Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Geriatric Competency, Training, And Services: Surveying A Local Aging Access Point, Toni Aiduk

Undergraduate Review

By the year 2030, 61 million baby boomers will be between the ages of 66 and 84. Add to that cohort the nine million “oldest old,” or those born before 1946, and significant numbers of 70 million individuals will need access to aging related services. Researchers and policy makers predict huge shortfalls in services and resources for the elderly, and document - that even now – there are too few social workers in the geriatric field. Many of those currently in the field lack professional geriatric training and may not be adequately prepared to help aging clients. However, these studies …

Early Life Characteristics, Psychiatric History, And Cognition Trajectories In Later Life, Maria Teresa Brown

Falk College Research Center

Purpose of the Study: Although considerable attention has been paid to the relationship between later-life depression and cognitive function, the rela­tionship between a history of psychiatric problems and cognitive function is not very well documented. Few studies of relationships between childhood health, childhood disadvantage, and cognitive func­tion in later life consider both childhood health and disadvantage, include measures for psychiatric history, or use nationally representative longitudinal data. Design and Methods: This study uses growth curve models to analyze the relationships between childhood health and disadvantage, psy­chiatric history, and cognitive function using 6 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, control­ling …

The Relationship Between Race And Suicide Ideation In Delinquent Females In The Texas Juvenile Justice System, Scott H. Belshaw, John Rodriquez

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002) reported that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 to 25 in the United States. This research examined the effect race has on suicidal ideation among a cohort of delinquent girls in Texas. This study examined 2004 data provided by the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission on referrals to the juvenile justice system in Texas (N = 6850). Other variables such as age, family structure, and sexual abuse were also examined to determine the strength and effect that sexual abuse has on a juvenile becoming suicidal. …

Analysis Of Gender Responsiveness And Cultural Responsiveness, Barbara Carson, Kimberly Greer

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

The theories of gender responsive programming in corrections have focused on the importance of relationships, gender roles, and structural barriers for women (Bloom, Owen, & Covington, 2003). They also included a strong recommendation for cultural responsiveness in recognizing cultural differences among female offenders and providing culturally relevant services (Bloom et al., 2003). However, there was little theoretical or empirical guidance on how to respond when the goals of gender responsive programming conflicted with the culture of female offenders. Findings from a program evaluation of a small, gang intervention program working with Hmong American girls, suggested that in such conflicts, cultural …

Not My Church! (Chapter 5 Of Grappling With Faith: Decision Cases For Christians In Social Work), Clifford J M Rosenbohm

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

"You're not acting as my church acts!" church social worker Sandy Potts exclaimed. "In fact, you're not acting as His church would act!"

Peter Wilson, Senior Executive Director of Creekside Christian Church, and Rita Kimball, an assistant from human resources had just informed Sandy that she was being terminated. They had given the same news to others on the church staff as they met at fifteen minute intervals; another pair of administrators was doing the same in an adjoining room.

Early Literacy Checklist — Classroom .G1992, Janet S. Hanna, Kayla M. Hinrichs, Carla J. Mahar, John Defrain, Tonia Renee Durden

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

StoryQUEST’s Vision: High-quality early relationships and experiences throughout their daily routines provide each infant and toddler with the tools and skills to build a strong foundation for future school readiness. Families, caregivers, and communities as a whole collaborate to enable all children to become highly competent in language and literacy. This series was developed as part of a national research project — StoryQUEST — through the California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University.

Follow a checklist of suggested activities and environments to help your child’s literacy development. This is the last publication in a series of nine.

This checklist …

The Applicability Of Agnew’S General Theory Of Crime And Delinquency To Recent Juvenile Gang Membership In Houston, Marika Dawkins, Camille Gibson

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

This qualitative descriptive study used Agnew's general strain theory of crime and delinquency as lens through which to interpret the recent developments of juvenile gangs and gang-related activities in Houston, Texas. Agnew strain theory's main prepositions describe: 1) an inability to achieve goals that are valued positively, 2) an absence of positive goals, and 3) a presence of negativity or crime. These were assessed in terms of applicability to joining gangs in Houston. Data were collected by unstructured interviews of city employees who respond to Houston's gangs (e.g., Mayor' Anti-Gang Office staff and Houston Police Department officers), area observations, and …

Same Bang, Less Buck: A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of South Carolina’S Youth Courts, Holly Miller, J Mitchell Miller

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

While youth courts experience tremendous growth nationwide, their utility is largely unproven, particularly in state-level contexts. This study conducted a cost-benefit analysis of South Carolina's youth courts. The study found that while youth courts and family courts produced comparable recidivism rates, youth courts were substantially less expensive for comparable adjudications. The relative efficiency of youth courts, however, was neither monolithic nor guaranteed. Individual youth courts displayed considerable variation and some youth courts were not as efficient as their traditional family court counterparts. Inefficient youth courts had low caseloads, typically resulting from inefficient or immature referral systems and a reliance on …

Africentrism And Africentric Rituals: Their Role In Jamaican Male Motivation To Pursue Higher Education, Totlyn A. Oliver

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

This academic research presents the case for Africentrism and its attendant rituals for the African Diaspora to aid in the motivation and inspiration factor in the male's choice to pursue higher education in Jamaica. The paper discussed Africentric rites of passage against the background of pre-emancipation and post-emancipation education in Jamaica. It also analyzed the current educational system for male nationals along with the implications for applying Africentrism to theories and practice of education for male stu-dents. The major concern precipitating this study was the low levels of male enrolment in institutions of higher learning, as the female population far …

The View Behind Rubber Bars: An Analysis And Examination Of Faith And Non-Faith Jail Reentry Programs In Central Florida, Gautam Nayer

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

This paper examined the usefulness of jail reentry programs as an alternative towards increased jail and prison costs. Policy issues for returning inmates could and often did include future employment prospects, housing and public safety. Prisoner reentry programs generally fell into two broad categories; faith and non-faith based. Generally, non-faith programs were conducted in jail or prison while the individual was incarcerated for an extended period of time.Non-faith type programs involved classes on anger management, G.E.D. attainment, college credits, or alcohol or drug abuse therapy. Faith based programs were generally Christian based, although they usually did not discriminate against other …

Early Literacy Checklist — In The Home .G1991, Janet S. Hanna, Kayla M. Hinrichs, Carla J. Mahar, John Defrain, Tonia Durden

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

StoryQUEST’s Vision: High-quality early relationships and experiences throughout their daily routines provide each infant and toddler with the tools and skills to build a strong foundation for future school readiness. Families, caregivers, and communities as a whole collaborate to enable all children to become highly competent in language and literacy. This series was developed as part of a national research project — StoryQUEST — through the California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University.

Follow a checklist of suggested activities and environments to help your child’s literacy development. This is the eighth publication in a series of nine.

This checklist …

Stigma Reduction Techniques/Campaigns For Practitioners In A Rural Community Mental Health Practice, Becky Mensing

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to systematically review the literature on the negative effects of stigma on the therapy seeking clients of rural mental health centers. Also to provide information on anti-stigma campaign efforts. The goal of anti-stigma programs are to create awareness about how stigma affects people with mental illnesses, and to have participants develop a sense of what it means to walk in the shoes of a person with mental illness (Corrigan, 2004, p. 19). The research question was how do we help people from being victimized by the prejudice and discrimination that arises from stigma?