Social Work Commons^™

Bridging Training Gaps: Assessing Knowledge And Confidence Of Mental Health Interns In Opioid Misuse Intervention For School-Aged Children And Adolescents, Carolina Rodriguez, Gabriela Guadalupe Gonzalez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The rising threat of opioid misuse among children and adolescents demands urgent attention. Despite documented increases in opioid misuse among school-aged children and adolescents, internship placements in conjunction with academic institutions neglect training of mental health interns in school-based settings, specifically in the areas of opioid education and intervention. To meet the multifaceted needs of children and adolescents who misuse opioids, it is imperative to conduct research and provide thorough training for mental health interns. The purpose of this study is to assess the levels of knowledge and confidence of mental health interns concerning opioid misuse and the perceived benefit …

Childhood Neglect And Incarceration As A Adult, Marissa Mejia, Diana Gallegos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project aims to explain the relationship between experiencing childhood neglect and being incarcerated as an adult, and to see if childhood neglect is a contributing factor to incarceration as an adult. This systematic literature review will identify prior research and analyze it in order to answer the formulated research question. Does Childhood Neglect lead an adult to incarceration? This specific research method also identifies trends, gaps in knowledge, and areas for future research. The results from this study have provided empirically supported information that could be used in the field of social work, in schools, and in the …

The Aftermath Of The Pandemic’S Effect On College Student Depression, Lorena Sedano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study examines how stress from the aftermath of the pandemic has affected college student depression. Using qualitative methods, ten college students voluntarily participated in recorded interviews. During these interviews students shared how the return to normality affected their experiences with depression, and the experiences of other students on campus. The study examined coping mechanisms to their adaptations, student’s individual stories, the effects that were viewed on campus, and their experiences during this transition. Students also completed the PHQ-2 and brief questions from the perceived stress scale. During the completion of the PHQ-2, 60% of students reported to have …

Factors That Contribute To Disparities In Access To Mental Health Services Within Hispanic Adults, Jasmine Soriano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The focus of this research project was to understand and identify the challenges Hispanic adults face when accessing their mental health services to better understand this concerning issue and help support social workers in bridging that gap in the Hispanic community. The study took place at a mental health clinic in Southern California through virtual interviews for those who chose to participate. This agency provides mental health therapy to individuals 0-21 years of age, but for the purpose of this study, only adults aged 18-21 qualified to participate. The study consisted of twelve voluntary participants from both Hispanic adult clients …

Caregivers Of Dialysis Patients, Alyssa Bousquet, Amelia Murillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the stress and coping skills as it relates to the burden of care experienced by Caregivers of Dialysis patient's. Questionnaires were sent out to 100 caregivers currently caring for dialysis patient's. The surveys explored demographics, stress, self-care, and types of care provided. Questionnaires were designed in order to elicit responses associated with perceived burden of care. These questions were also designed to pinpoint areas of exploration for future research based on the responses of the sample.

The Contributing Factors Of Placement Instability For Pregnant Foster Youth, Amanda Garza, Shayneskgua Colen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: This systematic review examined the myriad challenges that pregnant foster youths experience in securing stable placements within the foster care system. Methods: Employing the PRISMA methodology, a literature search spanning September 2013 to May 2024 was conducted across various databases. The search strategy used keywords relating to foster care, pregnancy, placement stability, and associated factors contributing to instability. Results: Twenty-two relevant studies were identified, representing diverse research methodologies and geographic locations. A synthesis of the findings revealed that systemic issues inherent in the foster care system, including bureaucratic inefficiencies and resource constraints, exacerbate placement difficulties among pregnant foster youths. …

Social Media Told Me I Have A Mental Illness, Kathleen Knarreborg

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: This study assessed and addressed the attitudes and behaviors towards mental health information on social media, specifically regarding how it influences viewers behaviors and attitudes relating to mental health. Method: Using a quantitative research design, the study collected data through Qualtrics from a 15 question survey called the Mental Health Information Scale (MHI). The survey, distributed across several social media platforms, aimed to understand user attitudes and engagement with mental health content into three dimensions: stigma, self-diagnosis, and confidence in the validity of the content. Findings: There were 99 participants in this study, 69.9% female, 21.4% male. The factor …

Compassion Fatigue In Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program Settings, Sandra Gallegos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was conducted to gain further understanding on the possible effects of providing trauma informed care to traumatized children in the foster care system in a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) environment. STRTP caregivers are prone to be exposed to secondary traumatic stress when working in providing direct care in this type of setting by word of mouth by the youth, placement paperwork of previous trauma and behaviors, and current maladaptive behaviors during placement. With secondary traumatic stress, caregivers are also susceptible to burnout. This study took a positivist approach and collected data from November of 2023-Febraruay 2024 …

The Challenges To The Implementation Of Administration For Children And Families Memorandum: Foster Care As A Support To Families, Rebecca Joan Sullivan-Oppenheim

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess what challenges, if any, there are to implementing the best practices as indicated in IM 20-06. IM 20-06 shifts the role of resource parents (aka foster parents) from being solely a support for the children, to a support for the entire family, including the biological parents. This represents a major child welfare culture shift. It was unknown if the IM information and recommendations were effectively disseminated to all foster care agencies. Interviews were conducted with foster agency case workers with open-ended questions about their beliefs about the relationships between resource parents and …

Impact Of School-Based Mental Health Services On Student Attendance At A Southern California School District, Johanna Garcia-Fernandez, Morgan Stokes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

When children experience trauma, it impacts their development, mental stability, learning, and behavior. This causes an increased need for prevention and early intervention mental health services within the public school system. Some California school districts offer mental health services students can utilize at their schools. Social workers are best equipped to assist and provide students with the necessary mental health resources due to their education, training, and role. This study used secondary data from 101 randomly selected Southern California school district participants. This study examined the relationship between children’s attendance, age, gender, primary diagnosis, living arrangements, number of traumatic events …

Covid-19, Social Isolation, And Msw Students’ Mental Health, Cassandra Barajas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

New literature has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has grown the prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst college students (University Communications, 2021). The purpose of this research study was to further explore how the sudden restrictions and isolation protocols enforced and caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health symptoms amongst MSW students. The study sample consisted of social work students who were 18 years old or older and who were enrolled in a Master of Social Work Program at some point in time during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

This study was conducted using a post-positivism approach and by …

Correlation Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Somatic Symptoms In Adolescents, Shannon Beaumont

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study set out to identify any correlation between exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and presence of somatic symptoms in adolescents for the purpose of implementing early intervention for adolescents who present with somatic symptoms. This study utilized data provided by the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and, using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS), identified correlative relationships between the presence of somatic symptoms an ACEs as well as somatic symptoms and demographic variables. While ACEs did not have a significant relationship with somatic symptoms (p = 0.07; 0.06; 0.07; 0.13), several other variables had a significant relationship …

The Barriers To Natural Outdoor Spaces: Perspectives From People With Mobility Disabilities, Sierra Fields, Kailah Prince

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Past research has predominantly examined the accessibility challenges encountered in built environments, particularly in urban parks and playgrounds. However, there is a gap in understanding the experiences of individuals with mobility disabilities in natural outdoor spaces, particularly state and national parks (SNPs). This study aims to address this gap by investigating the experiences of individuals with mobility disabilities within SNPs. Through qualitative data collection methods, including in-depth interviews, this research explores the perspectives of seven individuals who have visited SNPs in the past decade. The major findings covered a range of topics, including demographics, personal experiences, transportation barriers, infrastructure accessibility, …

Challenges Veterans Encounter Receiving Or Seeking Mental Health Services, Denise D. Contreras, Andrea Ramirez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to identify the challenges U.S. Veterans faced when accessing mental health services within the Veterans Affairs (V.A.) Healthcare System. The V.A. serves approximately six million U.S. military veterans annually and is considered a leader in providing high-quality care in the USA. Despite the V.A.'s efforts to improve its patient care system, many veterans do not seek treatment or follow through with mental health services. The study found that participants had difficulty getting appointments with V.A. mental health services. When they did, the appointments were usually convenient and took place as scheduled. While some participants …

Protestant Church Workers' Knowledge Of Child Abuse Reporting And Reporting Behavior, Rachel Juedes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child abuse is a prevalent problem on many levels. Mandated reporting laws exist to promote earlier intervention. Studies have shown that mandated reporters are more likely to report if they receive effective training. Protestant church workers interact with many children and need to have enough knowledge to detect and report child abuse. This study utilized a quantitative online survey to answer the question: What are Protestant clergy and church workers’ knowledge about child abuse reporting? Child abuse reporting knowledge was measured in categories of victimization, detection, and reporting. A convenience sample was obtained from attendees at a church conference. Correlational …

Barriers To And Facilitators Of Care: Exploring How Low-Income Women Access Reproductive Healthcare In A Rural Community, Sydney Taylor Casey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of low-income women living in a rural community when accessing reproductive care and bring awareness to the barriers and facilitating factors they encounter. The present study adopted a post positivism paradigm and was conducted in a rural county in Northern California. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through demographic surveys and individual interviews with twenty-two participants. A bottom-up approach was utilized for the phases of qualitative data analysis, which included open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Data analysis revealed thirteen open …

What Is The Readiness Of Social Work Students To Work With Autistic Individuals?, Ignacio Aguilar Pelaez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The focus of this research proposal is to assess the readiness of social work graduate students to work with Autistic individuals. The study was conducted in partnership with an undisclosed Southern California university. The study was conducted from a positivist perspective and used the social model of disability theory as a theoretical orientation. Researchers surveyed 64 MSW students utilizing a Qualtrics survey, specifically designed for this study. The results in this study indicate that most of the social work students who participated in this study possess a satisfactory understanding and knowledge of ASD. Although the results showed that over …

The Disproportionate Impacts Of Certain Factors That Differentiate The Amount Of Mental Health Referrals Of School A Compared To School B, Jesus Barrientos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between a variety of factors the school of attendance for two schools in the Inland Empire. This research project sought to assess if there are differing rates of exposure to parental substance use, geographical location, diagnosis of anxiety, diagnosis of depression, and exposure to traumatic events based on the high school of attendance. Secondary data was acquired from a school district in the Inland Empire. Fifty assessments from school A and fifty from school B were used; a total of 100 adolescent assessments were used. The adolescent assessment explores the location of living, questions regarding …

Educational Outcomes For Youth That Participated In Extended Foster Care: A Systematic Review, Kassandra Mayorga, Roxana Sanchez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Transitioning to adulthood poses significant obstacles for foster youth adults, who encounter disproportionately elevated rates of homelessness, school underperformance, unemployment, and mental health concerns in comparison to their peers. Extended Foster Care (EFC) programs seek to tackle these difficulties by offering assistance in housing, employment, and education. However, there have been few systematic efforts to review the effectiveness of the EFC program. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify, evaluate, and synthesize the empirical evidence on the educational outcomes of foster youth who have participated in EFC. Methods: This review was conducted during …

Is A Social Support Based Model Better For Treating Alcoholism? A Systematic Review, Jordan Anthony Contreras

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Alcoholism continues to persist as a significant health issue in the United States and impacts individuals and families across race, gender, and age. While much work has been made in the field of substance abuse treatment, there remains a substantial need for additional research to formulate effective strategies for treating alcoholism and related unhealthy drinking behaviors. The existing literature suggests that mutual support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous are the standard for achieving successful recovery among those seeking help. Simultaneously, there exists a growing amount of research proposing a range of other interventions that may prove effective in treating alcoholism. …