Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Witnessed Intimate Partner Abuse And Later Perpetration: The Maternal Attachment Influence, Kendra Lee Wiechart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Witnessing intimate partner abuse (IPA) as a child is linked to later perpetration as an adult. Questions remain regarding why some men who witnessed abuse go on to perpetrate, while others do not. The influence maternal attachment has on IPA perpetration after witnessed IPA has not been thoroughly researched. Maternal attachment is a complex variable grounded in attachment theory and may explain why some men fail to relate to their victimized mothers. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence maternal attachment has on men who witnessed IPA as a child and later perpetrated IPA as an adult. …

Supervision Needs For Social Workers Providing Home-Based Treatment For Children And Families, Magda Demerritt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social workers providing home-based therapy services for children and families face challenges that make it difficult to provide efficient and effective treatment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the supervision needs of social workers who provide treatment using the home-based service delivery model. The leader-member exchange theory was used to guide the study. Data were collected from a focus group meeting with 10 master’s-level social workers in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Findings from coding and thematic analysis revealed that participants’ needs involved being educated on the value of the home-based model, receiving support and guidance related to their …

Parole Officers’ Perspective On The Needs Of Indigenous Offenders On Conditional Release, Ritesh Dalip Narayan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Indigenous offenders are overrepresented in all aspects of the Canadian criminal justice system, including corrections. Indigenous offenders are overrepresented in the prison population and are least likely to be granted an early release from prison. Indigenous offenders also disproportionately breach their conditional release orders and consequently spend more time incarcerated than non-Indigenous offenders. To understand the reasons behind the breaches, need-based theoretical lenses were used to analyze data. Sixteen parole officers were interviewed using a narrative design where participants shared their accounts on supervising Indigenous offenders while highlighting the needs which they felt were not being met by their Indigenous …

Social Workers’ Attitudes Toward Medication-Assisted Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder, William Tillman Spivey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the last decade, opioid misuse has emerged as a major problem in the United States. The extreme increase in overdose deaths affects both public health and social welfare in north central Florida. Social workers play a major role in the delivery of treatment for opioid misuse. Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder has become widely used yet faces debate among social workers. The practice-focused research question for this project addressed the attitudes of social workers toward the use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. Social learning theory was the theoretical framework used in this action research study. Data …

Effects Of School Wide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports In An African American All-Boys Urban School, Theresa Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Teachers and administrators spend a great deal of time addressing minor to moderate school discipline behaviors with punitive actions such as suspensions and expulsions from school. Past research has revealed that such punitive actions do not correct the unwanted behavior, and extensive use of punitive disciplinary actions have been linked to negative outcomes such as repeated suspensions, repeating grades due to time missed from school, increased likelihood of dropping out of school, or potential involvement in the juvenile justice system. This single case study design addressed the following research question: How school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) affected …

Social Work Practice And Childhood Obesity In Cumberland County In North Carolina, Patience Dione Ngalle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2018, approximately 20% of children aged 5 to 22 years in the United States suffered from childhood obesity, which results in long-term mental health needs. The purpose of this project was to better understand the effective strategies used by clinical social workers in addressing the mental health needs of obese children. Systems theory formed the conceptual framework for this study. The study also included a basic qualitative design. Six clinical social workers from six different practices based in Cumberland County, North Carolina, participated in this study. The results from computer-aided qualitative data analysis of the interview data that followed …

Hiv/Aids And Substance Use Among Older Adults, Jamerlia E. Wyatt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV/AIDS and substance abuse among older adults is a significant national and worldwide problem. As older HIV-positive adults continue to age, they will have problems with managing their HIV/AIDS, comorbidity disorders, and quality of life, which can lead to substance abuse. The purpose of this descriptive, phenomenological study was to explore the socio-risk behaviors, specific treatment preferences, and daily lived experiences of adults aged 50 years and older living with HIV/AIDS and substance use in a large northeastern urban city. The conceptual framework used to ground this qualitative study was Engel's biopsychosocial model. The purposeful sampling method was used to …

Psychological Coercion Among Trafficked Sex Workers: A Grounded Study Approach, Rebecca Ann Laurento

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMillions of individuals have become involved in human sex trafficking (HST) each year. This study involved an exploration of how these individuals became victims to psychological coercion and their experiences with HST. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to add to the current literature and provide a foundation for future researchers. Given the lack of literature on this topic, professional practitioners may not understand this problem or know how to support these victims of HST. The gap in literature this study addressed pertained to the processes and dynamics of psychological coercion for individuals involved with HST. Oppression …

Homeless Shelter Social Workers’ Lived Experiences As Providers For Older Schizophrenic Women, Joan Marcy Spencer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The costs of social change efforts addressing homelessness among mentally ill individuals has increased in the United States over the past 40 years. Social workers face challenges with developing or executing individualized housing and mental health plans for older homeless women with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences among homeless shelter social workers who help women with schizophrenia during housing and mental health support implementation. This transcendental phenomenological study was anchored with Husserl’s theoretical context of human perceptions of reality within previous subjective experiences. The research question was: When implementing mental health and housing …

Service Providers' Perceptions Of Stigma And Its Impact On Mental Health Services, Arthur Gabriel Montes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stigma is one of the most significant barriers to access and utilization of mental health services in the United States. Delays in receiving mental health services significantly contribute to health disparities and poor health outcomes. Social workers play an integral part in implementing best practices within health care settings and reducing health inequities impacting vulnerable populations. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore social work service providers perceptions' toward stigma and how it affects mental health services among patients in California's Medicaid program. Stigma theory was applied to gain an understanding of how stigma interacts and …

Risks For African American Male Youth Involved In The Juvenile Justice System, Cassandra Showers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this action research study was to gain an understanding of the factors and risks that contribute to juvenile delinquency of African American male youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Ecological systems theory was used to examine strategies used by social workers with this population and the effectiveness of those interventions. Individual interviews with 5 social workers recruited using nonprobability sampling were conducted. The interviews were audio-recorded, then manually transcribed. Responses were uploaded into the NVivo software system for coding. The software system was used to identify themes and patterns to substantiate the research question. The study …

Burnout Among Child Protective Services Social Workers In Georgia, Lakeita Arrington-Judkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

CPS (child protective services) social workers are critical to the social service community. Due to the responsibilities of this role, CPS social workers encounter multiple stressors and high demands in the workplace. Burnout is prominent in the social service profession, specifically among CPS social workers. This qualitative action research study was conducted to explore CPS social workers’ experiences of burnout and organizational issues related to those burnout experiences. Maslach’s multidimensional theory on burnout was the theoretical framework. Data collection involved individual interviews facilitated online. The sample consisted of 8 experienced CPS social workers from the Georgia Department of Human Services. …

Using The Civic Voluntarism Model To Compare The Political Participation Of Us And Swiss Social Workers, Jason Ostrander, Tobias Kindler, Janelle K. Bryan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Various international and national social work ethical principles call social workers to participate in politics, although not all social workers in the USA and Switzerland embrace politics in their professional practice. A growing body of social work literature addresses social workers’ participation in politics. This article presents a comparative study of political participation, political efficacy, and political ideology among social workers in the USA and Switzerland. This study used two separate cross-sectional surveys to better understand the political participation, political efficacy, and political ideology of social workers in the USA (n = 3033) and Switzerland (n = 1242). …

Victimization And Psychological Wellbeing Among Sexual And Gender Minority Emerging Adults: Testing The Moderating Role Of Emotional Comfort From Companion Animals, Jennifer L. Murphy, Camie A. Tomlinson, Angela Matijczak, Kelly O'Connor, Shelby Mcdonald

Graduate Research Posters

Introduction: Human-animal interaction science is a growing field, largely due to the potential psychosocial benefits companion animals provide to humans. One way companion animals may influence psychosocial outcomes is through their ability to provide emotional comfort, though few studies have examined relationships between sexual and gender minority stressors (i.e. discrimination, victimization, rejection), human-animal interaction, and psychological wellbeing. To address this gap in the literature, the current study evaluates whether, and to what extent, the association between gender-based victimization and psychological wellbeing (i.e., anxiety, depression, self-esteem) varies as a function of emotional comfort from companion animals among emerging adults.

Methods: Data …

Is There A Difference Between Democrat And Republican States In The Percentage Of Male High School Students Who Have Ever Used Marijuana?, Jordan Caldwell, Wayne L. Davis

Lincoln Memorial University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

There are opposing viewpoints on whether marijuana should be legalized. Democrats and Republicans have different attitudes toward the drug. Democrats believe marijuana should be legalized for medical patients, if it is prescribed by a physician and is needed to reduce severe pain. In addition, Democrats believe that the war on recreational marijuana has been a waste of time and government resources. Many Democrats are in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana because it is considered normal by social standards. Republicans, on the other hand, oppose legalizing medical marijuana because they believe other drugs can be prescribed by physicians to reduce pain …

The Systemic Experiences Of Social Workers In An Inpatient, State Psychiatric Hospital, Kesia Gwaltney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The National Alliance on Mental Illness surmised that 1 in 25 (9.8 million) adults in the United States are diagnosed with a serious mental illness annually. Of the 9.8 million people diagnosed, approximately 63% of them are psychiatrically hospitalized with repeat hospitalizations within 1 year of discharge. Social workers play a vital role in the treatment modalities of the patients they serve in the psychiatric hospital; however, there is no research that examined the professional systemic experiences of social workers in state, inpatient psychiatric hospitals and how these experiences may affect treatment outcomes of patients as it relates to frequent …

Investigating The Needs Of Homeless Individuals Living In Transitional Housing, Tonya Hambrick-Mcclain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeless individuals are a disadvantaged and vulnerable population. Some of the issues contributing to homelessness are mental illness, medical problems, substance abuse, domestic violence, and lack of education and affordable housing. Homelessness continues to be a major social issue in the United States, and it profoundly affects individuals ages 25–35 years old. There is limited research identifying the needs of homeless individuals between the ages of 25 and 35 who live in transitional housing in the Chicago area. The purpose of this generic qualitative research study was to explore how homeless individuals ages 25-35 years old describe their lived experiences …

Perceptions Of Caregivers Of Parkinson's Patients Regarding Using Advance Directives, Meghan Morgan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing focus on end-of-life (EOL) care is influencing the role of advance directive (AD) documents. Difficult conversations among family caregivers and their loved ones are becoming more and more critical. Considering the value of communicating EOL wishes, family caregivers’ perceptions about ADs for their loved ones with Parkinson’s disease (PD) must be examined. Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a foundation, the purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand family caregivers of PD patients and their perceptions and experiences relating to AD documents. This study involved using purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews with 11 family …

School Social Work Leadership Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Megan Pendley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School social workers employ a variety of interventions to meet the needs of students, staff, and families. Serving as the vital link between the school, student, and community, school social workers are well positioned for leadership opportunities. Yet, school social workers continue to be marginalized and under recognized for their leadership capabilities and unique contributions to interdisciplinary collaboration in the school setting. Informed by transformational leadership theory and self-efficacy theory, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and perceptions of interdisciplinary collaboration of school social workers as measured by the leader efficacy questionnaire and the index …

The Exploration Of Clinical Supervision For Substance Abuse Social Workers In Bermuda, Steva Aria Bean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As specialists who bridge the gap between the social work and substance abuse treatment fields, substance abuse social workers are expected to develop themselves as social workers by designation, substance abuse counselors by occupation, and deliver competent therapeutic services that align both professions seamlessly. As documented in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, their support in achieving this feat is clinical supervision. Despite this documentation, a review of the social work literature revealed an absence of information on clinical supervision between the social work and substance abuse fields, their supervisory alliance, and outcomes. Accordingly, this project was …

Exploring The Religious Motives Of The Boko Haram Terrorism In Nigeria, Andrew Abah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Boko Haram (BH) terrorism in Nigeria has persisted for over a decade, and the attacks continue to get more sophisticated, deadly, and well-coordinated with each passing year. Given the sect’s focus on religious institutions, especially churches and mosques considered not to be practicing the kind of Islam the BH expresses, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore the religious motivation that drives their terrorist activities. The primary research question that guided this qualitative study on the religious motivations, reconciliation of activities and beliefs, and perspectives regarding minimizing BH terrorism in Nigeria. The study’s theoretical framework was the frustration-aggression theory …

Exploring Formerly Incarcerated African American Males' Relationship With Their Children, Najjiyya Christine Arnold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore formerly incarcerated African American fathers’ perceptions on reestablishing relationships with their children. Prior to this study, little or no research had been conducted to examine how formerly incarcerated parents build relationships with their children. Data were collected through one-to-one, semi-structured interviews with 11 African American fathers 18 years and older who were formerly incarcerated and had one or more children under the age of 18 years while incarcerated. The theoretical frameworks for this study included Attachment Theory and African American Male Theory. These data were analyzed using the thematic analysis …

Biopolitics' New Iteration: Gay Men, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis And The Pharmaco-Pornographic Imagination, Rory David Crath, J. Cristian Rangel, Adam Gaubinger

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

This article builds upon Paul Preciado’s conceptualisation of pharmaco-pornographic power to understand the ongoing affects and effects of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) on queer men’s sexual socialities and subjectivities. Drawing from a new-materialist epistemology, we analyze data from a sexual health pilot study in NYC to trace the techno-sexual health assemblages forming in queer life worlds. Our analysis suggests that these assemblages, entangling PrEP and other pharmacological substances, pornographic imaginaries together with mediatic technologies and public health rationalties, are creating paradoxical desires and practices of intimacy that are both normative and exceed rational health-actor logics and normative understandings of risk. These …

Extension Of Marriage Benefit To Long-Distance Relationship: Comparative Evidence From East Asia, Tidarat Puranachaikere, Bahareh Sahebi, Christine M. Aiello, Shveta Kumaria, Tamara G. Sher

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Background: Being married is related to better physical and mental health compared to being single or in an unmarried relationship. For those in long-distance relationship (LDR), there are mixed findings in psychological and physical health outcomes when compared to individuals in proximal relationship (PR).

Objective: To explore the health differences between those in LDRs and PRs in a larger and non-Western sample with more health behaviors than had been previously assessed.

Materials and Methods: The present study analyzed the data from the East Asian Social Survey (EASS) comparing health variables and health habits between LDR and PR participants. There were …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 1

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Complete issue of Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume 48, Number 1

Before And After The #Metoo Movement: Investigating How The Media Discusses Male Perpetrated Sexual Harassment, Maya Rose Coykendall

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Political Partisanship And Female High School Students Who Physically Fight On Campus, Chance Honeycutt, Wayne L. Davis

Lincoln Memorial University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Democrats and Republicans have different platforms on how to modify the social learning environment. According to the social learning theory, people learn to be aggressive through their life experiences. These experiences include personally observing the behaviors of others and modeling them. Personal behaviors are a product of learning the norms, values, and behaviors of society. Indeed, learning is a by-product of the interaction with others and is influenced by perceptions of the legal code. Because people experience culture conflict when they are exposed to different and opposing attitudes of acceptable behaviors, and because Democrats and Republicans have different attitudes toward …

Political Partisanship And Male High School Students Who Carry Handguns, John Page, Wayne L. Davis

Lincoln Memorial University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Handguns play a significant role in criminal activity. About 66% of all murders and 40% of robberies involve firearms. Because there are about than 470 residents for each full-time police officer in America, the police cannot effectively protect individual citizens. According to the differential association theory, criminality is a product of shared values, motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes that can be influenced by perceptions of the legal code. Democrats and Republicans have different views on reducing social harm via gun-control legal codes, and each political party creates its own unique ambience. Indeed, because each political party believes that its gun-control …

Does Bullying Victimization In Middle Childhood Influence Adolescent Risk Behaviors: Differences Across Racial/Ethnic Groups?, Shawndaya Sabrina Thrasher

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Bullying is a public health problem that negatively affects millions of children annually and can have serious, long-lasting effects on victims. Emergent research concludes a higher prevalence of bullying occurs in earlier school years, especially among racial/ethnic minorities. Evidence also suggests that risk behaviors associated with bully victimization may vary by racial/ethnic profile, leading to disproportionate chances of adverse psychosocial and health-related behaviors. Therefore, racial/ethnic minority youth may be more likely to cope with being bullied through risk behaviors (e.g., coping by fighting).

Current investigations of racial/ethnic differences in the bullied-risk relationship examine few risk behaviors (i.e., academic performance and …

Grief, Loss, And Climate Change: Validation Of A Solastalgia Scale, Claire Luce

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change has been identified as a defining issue of this century (United Nations, n.d.). Climate change impacts human wellbeing including mental health. While much research has focused on the way that the effects of climate change cause increases in common mental disorders, mental health is not just the absence of these disorders (World Health Organization, 2014). Non-pathologized mental health responses to climate change, such as the grief and loss that results from climate change impacts, are a growing consideration for researchers. Solastalgia, or the distress experienced in the absence of the solace once provided by the environment in the …