Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Right! From The Start: Improving Maternal-Child Health In The Mississippi Delta, John J. Green, Elizabeth Young Sweeney

Delta Directions: Publications

Right! From the Start (R!FTS) was created nearly ten years ago as a collaborative effort between Women and Children Health Initiatives, Inc. and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). The immediate goal of the initiative was to raise breastfeeding rates for mothers and babies in vulnerable families, especially those with preterm and low weight births. A long-term goal was improvement of maternal and child health outcomes in a region plagued by socioeconomic and racial disparities, the Mississippi Delta. R!FTS has gone through three distinct phases of development, which are detailed in this …

Who Do We Think We Are? A Qualitative Exploration Of Social Work Identity, Michael W. Hassler

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Since the inception of the profession, social workers have struggled to identify a common understanding of social work, its fundamental activity, and the role of the worker. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study explored the following questions: 1) What is the participant’s lived experience of social work identity? and 2) How is this understanding of identity similar to or different from that of other helping professionals who perform similar activities? Semi-structured interviews, conducted with 22 social workers in the field, diverse in education, practice area, and experience, highlighted parallels among the various experiences, and advanced the exploration of the …

After-Action Reviews, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are after-action reviews?

An after-action review (AAR) is “a systematic technique that turns a recent event into a learning opportunity through a combination of task feedback, reflection, and discussion” (Keiser & Arthur, 2020, p. 2). The process has been used in various fields, leading to a variety of labels, including after-event review, debrief, guided team self-correction, and reflexivity (e.g., Chen et al., 2018; Couper et al., 2013; Ellis & Davidi, 2005; Smith-Jentsch et al., 2008). Note that though the term “debrief” is sometimes used, AARs are distinct from debriefing sessions that are intended to help individuals process stressful or …

Reducing Youths Unemployment In Nigeria: The Development Of A Technical And Vocational Education And Training Survey Instrument, Omotola Olabisi Akinsola

Doctoral Dissertations

Youth unemployment has been on the rise for many years in Nigeria. Despite the high number of youths enrolled in formal education in Nigeria and the number of graduates each year, job opportunities to absorb these graduates are few. TVET has been proposed as an educational intervention in reducing youth unemployment.

A systematic review revealed that the interventions aimed at reducing youth unemployment were pooled into four categories: the use of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in schools, the introduction of entrepreneurship education in schools, the engagement of public-private partnership (PPP), and career guidance counseling for students.

In …

Supporting Low Income Parents In The Early Years: Group And Dyadic Intervention Programs For Mothers And Babies, Eve Atkins

Child Development Theses

The study of infant mental health has developed significantly over the last three decades. Now there is greater knowledge that the early years of life are vital for social and emotional development across the lifespan (Brazelton, 1990; Zeanah et al, 2000). It has become widely accepted that the parent child bond is now understood to be highly predictive for healthy childhood development. So, as a result, it is critical to understand the development of Attachment Theory, and the ways in which it has guided our foundational knowledge of the importance of the early years, and the interactions between caregivers and …

Keeping The Child In Mind: A Mixed Methods Study Of Reflections On Parenting Among Families In Shelter, Ann Matthews

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Homelessness among families is a growing problem across the United States (Beard, 2020). Homelessness is associated with stressful and impoverished caregiving environments that contribute to problematic parent-child relationships and increase children’s risks for poor health and academic outcomes (e.g., Perlman et al., 2012).

Responsive caregiving may protect children from adverse outcomes and foster resilience during periods of homelessness (Labella et al., 2019; Miliotis et al., 1999; Perlman et al., 2012). A parent’s capacity to understand their own and their child’s behavior as a function of internal mental states supports such responsive caregiving (e.g., Fonagy & Target, 1997; Slade, 2005) and …

Data Quality (Video), Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

Data-driven decisions cannot be effective if they are based on poor-quality data. Thus, it is important to ensure that any data that will be used for workforce analytics are accurate and can be trusted.

Data Quality Criteria

There are many potential data quality criteria to consider. Below are 9 selected criteria that are relevant for workforce data. If there are others that are also important to you, they should be included as well. These questions should be asked of every variable for which data are collected.

1. Relevance: Are the data useful and relevant for business needs?
2. Granularity: Are the data …

Workforce Metrics, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

Calculating and tracking workforce metrics is a valuable way to assess workforce needs and examine workforcerelated processes, interventions, and outcomes. This resource includes over 90 metrics related to recruitment and selection, education, work hours, work arrangements, caseload capacity, supervision, career development, performance, turnover and tenure, and costs. Note that these metrics are not universal, and many other variations exist elsewhere. These have been selected or developed based on their applicability to the child welfare workforce.

Workforce Analyses Using Combined Human Resources And Child Welfare Data, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

When conducting workforce analyses, it can be valuable to capitalize on data from both human resources (HR) databases and child welfare (CW) information systems. Each can be useful on their own, but additional information can be learned when the two types of data are connected. There are two primary uses of combined HR and CW data:

1. CW data can serve as objective measures of employee job performance, which is one of the most important workforce outcomes to measure, particularly when examining the effectiveness of various workforce decisions and practices.
2. CW data can provide useful contextual information for studying workforce outcomes. …

Creating A Workforce Analytics Team (Video), Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

When conducting workforce analytics, it can be helpful to adopt a team approach and involve various experts and stakeholders, each of which can make a valuable contribution.

The Big Picture

• Ensure that you have the commitment and buy-in from leaders who control the agency’s budget and policies.
• Team membership may vary depending on the analytics goals and the stage of the work, but potential participants include representatives from agency leadership, Human Resources (HR), child welfare, Information Technology (IT), and training.
• It’s likely that no one person is going to possess all the skills needed; building a strengths-based, interdisciplinary team can …

Creating A Workforce Analytics Action Plan (Video), Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

An action plan can be a useful tool for implementing workforce analytics, especially if there are multiple people involved in the process. This resource provides some general advice on action planning, with specific examples for advancing the use of workforce analytics.

What is an Action Plan?

An action plan outlines the actions, resources, and people needed to achieve goals. It is vital to strategic planning. Action plans include the following components:

• A well-defined goal
• Tasks/steps needed to reach the goal
• Individuals or teams responsible for each task
• Task milestones and timeframes
• Resources and data needed to complete tasks
• Evidence or …

The Role Of Premorbid Adjustment In Predicting Post-Illness Psychosocial Functioning In The Early Stages Of Psychosis, Stephanie Kristan Armstrong

Doctoral Dissertations

Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating illness with significant heterogeneity of onset, illness course, and outcome. Although affecting 1% of the population, disability costs ranked 11^th of all health disorders internationally. Efforts to best understand how this disease process causes poor outcomes are imperative. Premorbid functioning, social and academic adjustment throughout development before illness onset, may inform long-term outcomes in psychosis. Chapter I details a systematic review of this relationship in early psychosis patients. Findings were supportive of a robust relationship between premorbid functioning and post-illness psychosocial functioning, particularly when social or academic premorbid domain approaches were used. No identified …

Examining The Experiences Of First-Generation College Students Attending A Christian University In The Southwestern United States, Thurmond Derrick Metters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCS) face unique challenges that could negatively impact their college success. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of FGCS attending a Christian university in the southwestern United States. A second purpose of this study was to assess whether differences exist between White and non-White FGCS regarding racial and cultural inclusion, academic resources, socioeconomic status, isolation and loneliness, life experiences, sufficient academic resources and financial concerns. An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the scores of gender and ethnicity of FGCS, and Levene’s test was conducted to assess the equality of variances …

An Exploratory Descriptive Study Of The Bridge Scholars Program At A Private, Faith-Based University, Susan Lewis King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An exploratory descriptive study was completed regarding the Bridge Scholars program in a private, faith-based university setting. The program was described as bridge because it was created to be a flexible consideration in the student admissions process, as the required metrics for admittance were modified for students that would not have otherwise been admitted to the university. Admitted provisionally, these students had to earn a 2.5 GPA or above before they were considered fully assimilated students. This admissions exception has been in place since 2016, when the program was initiated.

Three student cohorts were analyzed with particular emphasis on academic …

Exploring The Prevalence Of Social Isolation In Students At A Christian College In West Texas, David Bryan Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The concept known as “social isolation” is a problem that affects many people, but there are certain populations that do not have adequate research performed on them. Specifically, college students face a risk of social isolation that is detrimental to their well-being and academic success, and there is a gap in the literature about this relationship. This study explored the prevalence of social isolation in college students at a Christian college in West Texas and examined various factors to determine whether any protective factors or at-risk factors existed. An online survey was sent out that used 11 demographic factor questions …

Does Offering Social Work Services Via The Mckinney-Vento Program To Homeless Youth Improve Academic Functioning?, Ari Rayne Gee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Program is to assist homeless and unaccompanied students with enrollment and ensure the protection of their rights. Students who are identified by the McKinney-Vento Program receive services such as transportation, food stamps, clothes, assistance in documentation and case-management. This study examines the effectiveness of the services provided by the McKinney-Vento Program to homeless students through grades and attendance over the time period of the first six weeks and the fourth six weeks in the 2020-2021 school year. McKinney-Vento identified students from two schools, Clack and Craig Middle Schools, within the Abilene Independent School District. These …

A Qualitative Needs Assessment Of African Refugee Families Living In West Texas, Benedict Emmanuel Olohunfemi Richards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Refugees bring with them their customs, religions, and languages, making economic, cultural, and scientific and mathematic contributions to the American society. However, the challenges they face create barriers that could limit how much contribution they make to the American society and how much they can benefit from what America has to offer them. This exploratory descriptive qualitative (EDQ) study attempts to describe, using a sample of 15 parents, the lived experiences of newcomer refugees having children within the Abilene Independent School District (AISD) system, to find answers to the questions: (1) What do refugee families say they need to help …

Investing In Our Future: A State-Level Analysis Of The Relationship Between Education Funding And Economic Growth, Corinna Campbell-Green

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research paper aims to investigate associations between education investments and economic growth on the state level. These relationships are measured in terms of two dependent variables: state gross domestic product output and cumulative personal incomes by state. These dependent variables, or indicators of economic growth were selected from previous supportive literature. The present study analyzes publicly available aggregate school finance data reports and aggregate GDP output reports for the year of 2018. Two hypotheses were tested to assess these associations. The results of the present study showed significant, positive associations for both tested hypotheses. This study further supports existing …

A Multi-Method Approach To Increasing The Recognition And Knowledge Of White Privilege Among College Students: A Mixed Methods Research Study, Morgan Browning

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

Racism is perpetuated throughout American society and instilled in every aspect of communities, institutions, and government. The denial and misunderstanding of white privilege leads to the continuation of racism, inequality, and oppression. This pattern is particularly evident in Historically White Fraternities and Sororities (HWFS). Seeking to educate college students on white privilege, and consequently result in a less racist and more inclusive campus community, a month-long program was developed, implemented, and analyzed. The program included two sessions consisting of a presentation, experiential exercise, and discussion, and two optional reflective written assignments. This mixed methods study examined changes in participants’ levels …

A Scoping Review Of Interventions Conducted For Racial And Ethnic Minority Older Adults With Dementia, Grace Akomu Amenawon Inegbenehi

Social Work Theses

The older population in the United States is growing. Within this demographic, ethnic and racial diversity is also on the rise. There are various forms of interventions, such as cognitive activities, regular physical and social activities, the Mediterranean diet, examination on sleep patterns, and other person-centered and emotion-focused interventions to help not only the cognitive health but also the overall quality of life of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). However, we still lack knowledge on if and how these interventions are effective for patients from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, this study conducted a scoping review to review …

It’S Not All Aces: The Role Of Negative Parental Influences And Criminal Thinking In Juvenile Offending Behaviors, Branna Humphrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and criminal thinking in causing criminal behavior has been explored extensively in criminal justice research. Based on the concepts of ACEs and the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Scale, the negative parental influences and criminal thinking styles of 1,354 juvenile offenders were examined to establish that negative parental influences and criminal thinking are separately associated with juvenile problem and offending behavior, and that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between negative parental influences and juvenile problem and offending behavior. Analyses showed support for criminal thinking as a pathway from negative parental influences to juvenile …

The Effects Of Sociodemographic Characteristics, Caregiving Practice Patterns, Coping Mechanisms, And Social Support On The Health Of Asian American Ethnic Groups And Asian American Caregivers, Suryadewi Edi Nugraheni

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Asian American family caregivers came from various ethnic groups with different sociodemographic characteristics and culturally specific values. However, cultural practices were often overlooked because researchers often combined all Asian Americans under one umbrella. Objective: The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, the study investigated the study sample of Asian Americans participating in the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2009 comprised of multiple Asian American ethnic groups. By utilizing the study sample, the research aimed to investigate 1) the associations between caregiving and self-rated health (SRH) and hypertension and 2) the associations between heterogeneity of Asian American ethnic groups …

Home And Neighborhood Physical Activity Location Availability Among African American Adolescent Girls Living In Low-Income, Urban Communities: Associations With Objectively Measured Physical Activity, Nicole O'Reilly

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Based on the ecological model of active living, the neighborhood environment may relate to individual physical activity (PA) behaviors. The purposes of this study were to (1) generate a replicable neighborhood-level physical activity location availability score (PALAS) from data variables associated with physical activity among adolescents and adults, and apply this score to Baltimore City, Maryland, and (2) determine if relationships exist between PA and PA location availability. Geographic information systems (GISs) were used to create the PALAS. Using linear regression models, we examined relations between objectively measured PA among low-income, urban, predominantly African American adolescent girls (n = …

Investigating The Experience Of Underrepresented Groups Applying To Genetic Counseling Training Programs, Enas Louzy-Hanna

Human Genetics Theses

The genetic counseling profession admitted to its lack of diversification more than 3 decades ago. However, even with the combined efforts of the profession’s top organizations, the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors (AGCPD), and their members, the status of more than 90% homogenous majority workforce has persisted. It is judicious for the genetic counseling profession to rectify the inequity and unfairness aimed at discounted underrepresented groups within its own profession. Since the NSGC prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues in 2019, multiple studies have focused on revealing the barriers interfering with …

Undergraduate Honors Thesis: Measuring Anti-Fat Bias Among Social Work Students, Dalton Meister

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This undergraduate honors thesis engaged in basic research, utilizing a cross-sectional survey design, to measure the prevalence of explicit anti-fat bias across educational groups in social work student populations. Data was analyzed to examine differences between professional social work education levels and students’ self-reported level of explicit anti-fat bias. Overall, participants endorsed relatively low levels of anti-fat bias, especially in the domains of Adverse Judgement, Social Distance, and Equal Rights. However, participants endorsed higher levels of anti-fat bias in the domain of Attraction. There was no statistically significant relationship between level of social work education and anti-fat bias. There was …

Born To Help, Alison Lloyd

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to ascertain (1) the level of readiness for hospital social work roles as perceived by Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates from Council on Social Work Education accredited programs, (2) the extent to which MSW level social workers felt prepared for their hospital roles by their MSW education, and (3) the quality of life perceived by social workers, with self-efficacy as a possible mediator variable. A critical literature review was completed. Surveys were sent using social media. One empirical study examined the level of self-efficacy felt by social workers as they worked in …

Learning About Healthy Relationships And Sexuality For Adults With Disabilities, Vanessa Karjack

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities receive little to no sex education; as a result, they often struggle to have fulfilling and healthy relationships, experience limitations in physical interactions, and are at risk of being taken advantage of by others. Sommaro et al. (2019) explained that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and developmental disabilities (DD) are often placed into one of two categories: they are treated as either eternal children or sexual deviants. These ideas are based on old knowledge and are known to be inaccurate. However, current systems of care struggle to move forward from these notions. A …

Leveraging Technology To Address Disparities In Education: The Role Of School Social Workers To Advance Student Success, Kelli Rogers

Social Work Dissertations

Education plays a critical role in the advancement and survival of ethnic minority children and youth. However, access to quality education still eludes many ethnic minority children as a result of instances of prejudice, institutional racism, and structural discrimination. Due to these obstacles, ethnic minority children and youth often lag behind their white peers in many social indicators including higher rates of poverty and lower educational attainment, which impedes their academic success and upward mobility. Several studies have applied technology interventions to address educational equity issues and found improved performance on state test scores. Therefore, this research examines the role …

Identifying And Measuring Environmental Stressors In Intimate Partner Violence Shelters, Sarah R. Leat

Social Work Dissertations

Environmental stressors within the built environment can greatly impact health. Environmental stressors, such a noise levels, crowding, and housing quality have shown to impact physical healing as well as mental health. Although environmental stressors have been examined within healthcare environments, such as hospitals and clinics, very little research exists about the presence of environmental stressors within shelter environments. Furthermore, even less research has looked at environmental stressors present within intimate partner violence (IPV) shelters. The built environment of IPV shelters and environmental stressors present within the shelter have the potential to greatly impact survivors’ health and influence whether survivors gain …

Conceptualizing The Psychosocial Elements That Should Be Assessed In Candidates For Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Social Workers' And Psychologists' Perspectives., Jill Randall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: In the United States, approximately 23,000 hematopoietic cell transplantations (HCT), also known as a bone marrow transplant, are performed annually. Patients who undergo HCT are among the most acutely ill and medically vulnerable oncology populations. Given the arduous nature of HCT, patients undergo an extensive pre-transplant evaluation that typically includes psychosocial assessment. The literature lacks a well-defined conceptual framework of the psychosocial elements that should be assessed in HCT candidates. This has led to practice variation, which has in turn inhibited high quality psychosocial research. Method: Social workers and psychologists in HCT were recruited to participate in a concept …