Social Work Commons^™

Benefits And Attitudes Of The Latino Population Toward Support Groups, Monica Patricia Noutfia

Theses Digitization Project

The goal of this research was to provide information to social work professionals about the benefits of self-help mutual aid and psycho-educational support groups in the community, and to examine the Latino attitudes toward support groups. The research examines some Latino cultural values such as familism, social network, and spirituality. The various Spanish and Spanish/English speaking support groups that participated in this study were from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. The sample size in this research was 30 Latino individuals from four Spanish, or Spanish/English self-help mutual aid, and psycho-educational support groupsavailable in the Inland Empire.

Eleven Case Studies Of Parents' Experiences When Accessing Services For An Autistic Spectrum Disorder Child, Michelle Barbara Wood

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to understand parent's experiences of accessing services for their ASD children. It was the researcher's goal to document parent's stories and experiences of accesssing services for their ASD children. This research project engaged 11 families in in-depth interviews exploring their experiences accessing services. Four areas of services emerged from the interviews: diagnostic services, services through Regional Centers, services offered at their child's school, and other services accessed (i.e. through insurance or community organizations).

Exploring The Efficacy Of Evidence-Based Practice Within Public Mental Health Agencies, Hannah Kaye Norton

Theses Digitization Project

The aim of this project was to explore the efficacy of evidence-based practice within public mental health agencies. It is hoped that this research project will create dialog surrounding evidence-based practice as well as push for a more clear understanding of it and its implementation in public mental health agencies.

Fathers' Level Of Involvement In The Lives Of Their Special Needs Children, Lorraine Jimenez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to explore the level of father involvement in the upbringing of their special needs child. For most parents, raising children is filled with great moments, milestones and achievements as well as being highly stressful and overwhelming, especially if the upbringing involves a special needs child. The levels of stress involved in the upbringing of a developmentally disabled child are intense and can often times hinder the healthy growth and development of the family unit. The results in this study indicated that fathers were highly involved with their special needs children.

Practitioners' Views On Access To Therapeutic Services For Juvenile Sex Offenders, Dorothy Lizabeth Traudt

Theses Digitization Project

Sexual abuse has taken on epidemic proportions. Social workers have to work with families, victims, and the offenders who are part of this cycle. This study was conducted to find out what the social work practitioner's views on the juvenile sex offender was and their view on therapeutic services for the juvenile sex offender.

Social Workers And Human Sexuality Knowledge And Comfort, Larann Rene Henderson

Theses Digitization Project

Human sexuality is a major aspect of everyone's existence. Social workers need to have access to information enabling them to be knowledgeable, unbiased, and effective in their professional dealings with individual clients, families, groups, communities, and society at large. The premise of this research is that social workers would be more effective in practice when provided with sufficient human sexuality training and education.

The African American Male: Examining Resiliency, Success, And Family, Takenya Chimene Mcmihelk

Theses Digitization Project

This study is an examination of resiliency, success and family among African American Males. It is purposed to empower the individual that it affects and soften the hearts of the individuals who continue to consciously and unconsciously oppress these men. The purpose was not to restate what was already known but to create a system to eliminate the re-occurrence of the problem.

The Effects Of Language On The Reunification Of Mexican Families, Luisana Sanchez-Ramirez

Theses Digitization Project

The study examined the effects of language commonalities between Riverside County Children Services Division (CSD) social workers and parents in their reunification process. The study focused on gathering data to depict whether or not having a social worker that speaks the same language as the parents speak influences reunification success. This study strived to gather data from Mexican parents, as this seems to be a fast growing population that CSD serves. Data were extracted from 93 cases tht opened in the year 2008 to determine the impact of having a common language between the parents and the family reunification worker …

Does Child Sexual Abuse Affect Long-Term Intimacy Development And Functioning, Michelle Debra Kelley

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine practitioners' views of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse on intimacy development and to determine if child sexual abuse leads to an underdeveloped sense of intimacy in the adult. Problems with intimacy development are defined as trouble forming close interpersonal relationships, not being able to trust others, being sexually promiscuous, and avoiding emotion.

The Experiences Of Foster Parents And How It Can Benefit Future Foster Children, Arthur Hiro Natsume

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine how the reported experiences of foster parents might benefit future foster parents in raising a foster child. All of the participants in the study reported that they would raise another foster child if they were young because it leads to positive outcomes.

A Practitioner Perspective On Working With Drug-Exposed Infants, Hindi Rebecca Zeidman

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the study is to bring to light the desperate need and attention substance-exposed infants require currently but are not receiving. This study will show cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social deficits substance-exposure produces in these dependent powerless infants. This study will focus on the perspective of practioners who work with this population on a daily basis. The practitioner perspective will be collected from three SART (Screen, Assess, Referral, Treatment) Programs spanning the country's largest county, San Bernardino County. The Sart Program is an early intervention program designed for children between the ages of zero through five years old, …

Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Among College Students, Shareela Marie Allen, Danielle Diane Moore

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to explore what individual factors are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences among college students. Intimate partner violence is a huge problem among college students both male and female of all ethnicities, socio-economic classes, sexual orientation, and social class. This study focused on alcohol consumption and attitudes and beliefs of students to see it those two variables played a role in contributing to the rate of IPV occurring among college students.

Social Workers Perception Of Kinship Care Givers Unmet Needs, Carol Ann Rakestraw, Fallon Elaine Greene

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to assess the social workers perceptions of unmet need of kinship care providers. The study examined why the needs are not met for these kinship care providers in San Bernardino County.

The Continuation Of Social Work Outreach With The Purhé́Pecha People, Carlos Luis Lamadrid

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to continue with the action research done by Bernice Aguirre in 2008 with the Purépecha indigenous population, living in the Eastern Coachella Valley Community, as a direct call to action to better serve the needs of a people who have been severely challenged by language, cultural barriers, poverty, and underrepresented service delivery systems.

Placing Children In Need With Gay & Lesbian Couples: Influences On Placement Decisions, Gayle Mallinger

Social Work Faculty Publications

Thousands of children throughout the United States are currently awaiting placement with adoptive families. The literature indicates that gay- and lesbian-headed households can well meet the needs of these children. Research suggests that sexual prejudice, religious fundamentalism and attitudes about gay and lesbian adoption may influence practice decisions regarding placement. This dissertation study examined the influences of religious fundamentalism, sexual prejudice, contact with sexually diverse individuals, and attitudes towards gay men and lesbians as adoptive parents on intent to place children in need with gay and lesbian couples. A random sample of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members was …

Siblings Of Children With Autism: An Exploratory Study Of Sibling Concerns And Coping Strategies, Mary Canha

Undergraduate Review

Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests (NINDS, NIH, 2009). Other ASDs include Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. (NINDS, NIH, 2009)

The rise …

Toward Evidence-Informed Policy And Practice In Child Welfare, Julia H. Littell, Aron Shlonsky

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

Drawing on the authors’ experience in the international Campbell Collaboration, this essay presents a principled and pragmatic approach to evidence-informed decisions about child welfare. This approach takes into account the growing body of empirical evidence on the reliability and validity of various methods of research synthesis. It also considers wide variations in the cultural, economic, and political contexts in which policy and practice decisions are made—and the contexts in which children live and die. This essay illustrates the use of Campbell and Cochrane systematic reviews to inform child welfare decisions in the diverse contexts that exist around the globe.

Development And Vulnerability Factors In Adolescent Alcohol Use, Karen G. Chartier, Michie N. Hesselbrock, Victor M. Hesselbrock

Social Work Publications

This article provides an overview of the characteristics of adolescent alcohol use, normative and subgroup variations in drinking behavior, and important factors associated with an increased risk for developing alcohol problems in later adolescence and young adulthood. A parental/family history of alcoholism, temperament traits, conduct problems, cognitive functioning, alcohol expectancies, and peer and other social relations are identified as influencing an adolescent’s susceptibility for initiating a variety of alcohol use behaviors. The Deviance Prone Model, proposed by Sher (1991), is presented as an important tool for testing possible relationships among the various risk factors and their sequencing that leads to …

Developing Emotional Security Among Children Who Have Been Adopted, Kate Trujillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the development of emotional security among 6-10 year old children who have been adopted by exposing them to an experimental condition during which they could engage with either a live dog or a robotic dog. The live dog was a certified therapy dog; the robotic dog was a FurReal® toy marketed by Hasbro as "Biscuit." Utilizing a mixed-method embedded experimental design, the experimental condition was intentionally structured to promote engagement between the participant and the dog or robot. 43 children who had been adopted from the child welfare system were randomly assigned to one of two groups. …

Relationships: The Heart Of Language And Literacy .G1987, 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.

Learn communication strategies that will help your infant and toddler develop language and literacy skills. This is the fourth publication in a series of nine.

Infants …