Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Program Evaluation Of Teen Parent Support Group, Brianne Yvonne Irene Brophy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study used qualitative methods to identify the specific components of a teen mother support group that participants found most helpful. The purpose of this research was to highlight the support group's unique traits that attribute to their success in aiding teen mothers in graduating from high school, obtaining higher education, obtaining stable employment, and achieving their parenting goals. The study is composed of one-on-one interviews with three teen mothers who have been connected to the support group for over eight years. The responses suggest that four components of the support group help teen mothers in achieving success in …

Residential Care Staff Views On The Training That They Receive And Their Perceptions On Preparedness In Regard To Working With Residents, Deziray Sorieya Marroquin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze residential care staff’s views on the training that they have received at residential group care facilities. Training is an important component of preparing staff to work with children within the child-welfare system. The literature review suggested that there were various factors that hindered residential care staff from being able to provide the necessary care for the residents. Such factors included inadequate training, supervision, burnout, and high turnover rates within residential group care facilities.

The study used a qualitative, exploratory design. The data was collected from in depth interviews with six participants who …

How Stigma Impacts The Utilization Of Mental Health Services Among Young Adults' Within Three Different Ethnic Minority Communities, Ivette Garcia, Melissa E. Gomez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health is an important aspect of every individual’s life. However, regardless of its importance, mental health is a topic that does not get much recognition. It is often simply brushed under the rug and ignored. Consequently, individuals who have mental health diagnoses may or may not choose to seek the necessary assistance. This specifically seems to be the case among adolescents and young adults within various ethnic communities, which may be due to the stigma surrounding mental health in their communities. To illustrate, regardless of the high prevalence rate of mental health issues among the minority youth, many of …

You Call Us Treatment Resistant: The Effects Of Biases On Women With Borderline Personality Disorder, Cassidy Acosta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored how negative attitudes toward and discriminatory practices against women with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affect them and impact their treatment. The study adopted a constructivist paradigm, and data was collected via virtual interviews with research partners (i.e., women with BPD) who use online mental health forums. A final construction was established after the data was interpreted. Ultimately, it was determined that women with BPD face stigma and are described as treatment resistant; however, by providing a supportive treatment environment, women with this diagnosis see positive outcomes. The results of the study are intended to support women with …

Prolonged Exposure To Congregate Care And Foster Youth Outcomes, Tiffany Acklin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Long-term exposure to congregate care settings can place foster children at greater risk for negative life outcomes in adulthood such as homelessness, incarceration, and substance use. The significance of this quantitative study is found in the benefits to both the micro and macro fields of social work as well as the practical applications to child welfare practices regarding placing children in congregate care settings. These findings are essential for guiding and improving the already existing child welfare policies and practices regarding the length of stay in congregate care settings as well as providing supportive services to children who are already …

First-Generation Social Work Latinas Balancing Life And Career, Angelica Venegas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study focused on learning about the successes and challenges first-generation social work Latinas face in the labor sector. The research project shows how Latino cultural values, beliefs, customs, and educational attainment impact Latinas’ careers and overall well-being. The research utilized a post-positivist approach and qualitatively gathered data through interviews with first-generation Latina social workers in Southern California. The study presents qualitative research project results, with quantitative demographics, of first-generation post-graduate Latinas balancing life and career. Themes from the findings include job satisfaction/dissatisfaction, assimilation and enculturation, labor sector discrimination and oppression, familismo and marianismo projection toward individualization, feeling balanced or …

Examining The Association Between Family Cohesion And The Risk Of Substance Use In Offspring, Angelica Mendoza

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background and Purpose: Progress has been made in understanding substance use and its transmission, whether it be biological or environmental, yet there is a lack of research in understanding protective factors and the disruption of developing a substance use disorder. The study was aimed to fill the gap in our understanding of protective factors against familial transmission of substance use disorders by examining the association between family resilience and the risk of transmission to an offspring. We hypothesized that those without a substance use diagnosis would have higher levels of family functioning compared to those with a substance use diagnosis. …

Exploring The Impact Of The Placement Discontinuity In Foster Care, Michelle Sepulveda, Angela Williams

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background and purpose: Over the past ten years, there have been more foster parents. Still, foster parents find it difficult to fulfill their obligations. It is crucial to conduct research into the variables that affect foster parents' effectiveness. Method: The Aim of this study was to gather quantitative data utilizing a cross-sectional study from foster parents to determine whether there is a correlation between their level of preparedness to be foster parents and the number of placement changes. The target sample included foster parents who had fostered children within the last twelve months. Although the nonprobability sampling technique was practical, …

Exploring Permanency Rates Within The Southern California Counties Of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino And San Diego, Karrene Turner

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The term permanency within child welfare is the right for all children to have a childhood with a nurturing and permanent family. For children within foster care, it means a permanent family-based living situation with one of the following: parents, permanent placement with relatives, reunification with parents or adoption (Freundlich et al., 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived differences in permanency rates within 12 months of entry in child welfare within the Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego within a 10-year time span. The study will use pre-existing data …

Understanding Victims Of Human Trafficking: Identifying Macro And Micro-Level Mental Health Implications, Abbigail Pereyra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the mental health implications for adolescent victims of human traffic. This will be explored on both a micro and macro-level through the perspective of mental health professionals who have experience working with this unique population. It is important to better understand the multi-faceted impact of service delivery and barriers which victims of human trafficking often face. Equally important is how services and resources can be tailored to meet the needs of this population. This exploratory study utilized qualitative methods for data collection. Data was collected by facilitating interviews and a focus group with mental health …

Social Workers’ Perceptions Of Disproportionality And Disparity In The Child Welfare System, Nelyda Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Disproportionality and disparity within the United States child welfare system continue to be a problem affecting ethnic minority children and families. This study examined the opinions of social workers on racial disparity in the child welfare system through a qualitative approach. The information on the perceptions of seven child social workers was gathered through open-ended interview questions. The study's findings reveal a range of viewpoints on the factors that contribute to the disproportionality in child welfare, including historical reasons, systemic issues, bias among social workers and society, training, education and cultural humility, and communication between social workers and supervisors. The …

Perceived Financial Strain And Its Effects On College Students’ Welfare, Monica Contreras, Clarissa Adrianna Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between perceived financial strain and the physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being of students in college. The quantitative study used online surveys to gather data from ninety-eight college participants. The data gathered from the surveys suggests there is a relationship between perceived financial strain and student well-being. Students reported an impact on their friend, peer, and familial relationships and reported higher levels of worry, sadness, and frustration. In addition, all three categories of student well-being were associated with overall perceived financial strain, indicating as financial stress increased, it affected physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being. Results indicate …

Is There A Relationship Between Professorial-Student Racial Match And Academic Satisfaction Of African American Social Work Students, Ashlei Armstead

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background and Purpose: Although in most recent years, the academic achievement gap between African- American and Caucasian students have slightly decreased, it continues to be a national issue. Previous studies have found that African American students are more likely to receive disciplinary punishment, such as suspension or expulsion, causing them to have lower grades and higher dropout rates, when paired with a Caucasian teacher. On the contrary, when they are paired with an African American teacher, they tend to experience higher rates of academic satisfaction. These findings tend to derive from studies that solely focused on racial match and academic …

Examining The Relationship Between Technological Skills And Success In Higher Education Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Ebony Cubias

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background and purpose: Research has tended to focus on the outcomes of how digital inclusion for incarcerated individuals has helped reduce the rate of recidivism rather than the success rate in higher education for formerly incarcerated individuals. This study was implemented to examine the relationship between technological skills and academic achievement amongst formerly incarcerated individuals in higher education. Methods: This observational study used cross-sectional data from participants recruited from Project Rebound in California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB). Participants were recruited using purposive sampling method. Students who participated were over the age of 18, formerly incarcerated, and currently enrolled in …

Effects Of Corporal Punishment On Parents, David Martinez, Linda Saleh Borghol

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

There has been limited research regarding the effects of corporal punishment on parents. This qualitative study examined the effects of corporal punishment on parents and the reasoning behind their particular discipline practices. The study provides an overview of the thoughts and emotions parents feel before and after utilizing corporal punishment. The data were collected through interviews of parents who utilized corporal punishment as their main form of discipline. We interviewed parents through Zoom meetings in order to gather data that would help this study. Researchers interviewed eight parents who expressed the effects they experienced from utilizing corporal punishment. Analysis of …

Safety Organized Practice Training And Implementation In Central California, Alison Lucado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study focused on the macro level implementation of the Safety Organized Practice framework for best practice in Child Welfare social work. Safety Organized Practice is a social work framework for engagement with families that is used in California and various other states. It is a relatively new approach to social work in Child Welfare so many agencies are in various stages of implementation. This study gathered qualitative data through virtual interviews with social workers.

The key findings of this study were that Safety Organized Practice implementation needs to start at the supervisor and management level to ensure social workers …

Does The Use Of Social Media Have An Impact On Young Adults Body Identification?, Glycell Robledo Felix, Ashley Olmedo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study investigated how social media use has an impact on Body Identification among Young Adults. Both female and male participants (N=104) from the ages 18-30 were randomly sent a link that would take them directly to a survey. The survey took approximately five minutes for the participants to complete. Participants were asked a set of questions regarding what they saw on social media that made them feel insecure about their body image. Many of the participants responded that the main content that would make them feel dissatisfied with their body on social media was about fitness, cosmetic surgery, …

Resilency And Fatherless Households, Joshua Ellis-Kennedy, Crystal Angelica Orellana

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Fatherlessness is a complex and prevailing issue in society associated with many vulnerabilities and unfavorable outcomes. This study seeks to describe and identify the contributing factors to resilience among individuals who were raised in fatherless homes. Findings from this research would contribute to the body of knowledge that focuses on promoting resiliency and would specifically provide insight on contributing factors to resiliency that can help mitigate the negative consequences of fatherless homes.

Aged Out Youth's Perception On The Needs Of Emancipated Foster Youth, Linda Murillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

For youth who turn eighteen years of age while they are in the foster care system, turning eighteen can mark the start of a difficult struggle. Foster youth face housing instability, financial insecurity, struggle to obtain a higher education, health insurance insecurity and a higher risk of arrest than youth not in foster care. This research study seeks to assess how effective current policy is at meeting the needs of foster youth aging out of the foster care system and transitioning into young adulthood. At the micro-level this study helps social workers effectively implement transition plans with their clients and …

How Language, Healthcare Insurance Status, Stigma, Age, And Educational Attainment Influenced The Utilization Of Mental Health Services Among The Latino Male Population, Esmeralda Solis, Annika Coe

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Latinx individuals comprise the largest ethnic minority group in the US but are the least likely to use mental health treatments despite experiencing increased mental health difficulties. This study conducted a secondary data analysis of the 2020 and 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) by UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research. This study tested whether mental health service use among Latino males could be predicted based on language, healthcare insurance status, stigma, age, and educational attainment. The logistic regression analysis results explained that of the predictor variables, two, age and healthcare insurance status, were statistically significant. Our research aims to …

Barriers And Challenges That Lgbtq+ Individuals Face When Acquiring Mental Health Care Services., Stephanie Nunez-Rivera

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to address the challenges and barriers that LGBTQ+ individuals face when accessing mental health care services. This research is significant because though LGBTQ+ community faces many challenges such as discrimination and trauma, which greatly affect their mental health, yet LGBTQ+ specific mental health care is not widely available. This unavailability has resulted in only 12.6% of mental health care institutions having LGBTQ+ specific mental health care services. In addition, the small percentage of LGBTQ+ programs that are available in mental health institutions are not available in every city or region, which has resulted in …

Asian Discrimination: In The Field Of Social Work, Sunghay Cho

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research explored how anti-Asian rhetoric influences the work experiences and lives of Asian American (A.A.) social workers. This is a qualitive, exploratory study that used a non-probability, convenience sample, and snowball technique for sampling, and interviews with participants via Zoom who identified as Asian American and who had completed their master’s degree in social work. It was found that different types of anti-Asian rhetoric influence Asian American social workers’ own expectations of themselves, their mindset, creates fear, and even sets limitations. It was also found that immigration status/generation (first/second generation) has an influence on their experiences as well. This …

The Benefits Of Support Groups For Individuals Who Experience Auditory And Visual Hallucinations, Joseph Stewart

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Four members of a peer-support group that focuses on experiences of auditory and visual hallucinations participated in interviews to explore ways that support groups benefit this population. The researcher had special interest in the domains of reduction of discomfort, reduction of stigma, and increase of functioning. This qualitative study used thematic coding to analyze interview data. Regarding the ways that participation in the support group benefits members, eight themes were identified: the group providing a safe space, growth in communication skills, meeting belongingness needs, participation increasing euthymia, increased ability to cope with symptoms, normalization of people experiencing hallucinations, addressing stigma …

Social Justice Theatre And The Impact On Theatre Artists, Stevie Taken

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Theatre as an agent for social change has significantly impacted communities and entire countries. Examining how subversive theatre impacts those who engage with it to affect positive social change is a worthwhile endeavor. Theatre possesses the power to inspire empathy in people, which leads to progressive political action. This study explores the impact of participating in social justice theatre has on the artists who engage in it.

The literature reviewed in this study examines the impact attending subversive theatre has on audience members, its aim is to inspire empathy as a tool to create progressive social change. This study expands …

How Are Medical Social Workers Equipped With Adequate Training To Detect And Report Elder Abuse In Hospice, Crystal Garcia, Katherine Barba

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose: This study explored how equipped medical social workers are with adequate training to detect and report elder abuse in hospice.

This study was carried out in Southern California with the help of participants who currently or have previously worked as medical social workers in hospice. The eleven participants are all women of varying backgrounds in age, ethnicity, cultures, work experience, and licensures.

In the United States, elder abuse is known to affect approximately one out of ten Americans aged sixty and over. However, there are ways we can combat elder abuse. One of the major ways is by properly …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Child Abuse Investigation Outcomes, Kelly Gasso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic essentially changed every system in America. In particular, it has created many unfamiliar challenges for child welfare agencies because they had to make immense changes to how they conducted their established practice. These changes aimed to keep the safety of children at the forefront, and simultaneously integrate higher safety protocols for social workers without putting children at risk. In response, the focus of this research proposal was to understand the effect COVID-19 had on child abuse investigations.

This research project utilized qualitative data in the form of interviews from a convenience sample of child welfare emergency response …

Indigenous Women And Traditional Paths To Healing, Lisa Mariano-Grise

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored Indigenous women’s perspectives about and applications of Traditional healing practices. As Indigenous women experience a disproportionate amount of trauma compared to other populations, this study sought to understand the preferred methods of healing among Indigenous women. Taking a qualitative approach, this study involved semi-structed interviews with five Indigenous women in California (N=5). Results from thematic analysis yielded five different themes: 1) Indigenous women use a variety of Traditional ceremonies and practices for healing, 2) Loss and grief are some of the motivational factors for Indigenous women to pursue healing through Traditional means, 3) Collective healing is important …

Staff Turnover In Child Welfare, Maleena Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The turnover rate amongst child welfare workers is an ongoing problem that has yet to find a durable solution. Past studies have examined factors that contribute to workers’ intention to leave and factors that may impact that decision. Purpose: This study explored this issue from the perspective of present and former child welfare workers in southern California counties by examining the relationship between turnover intention and psychological safety. Methods: This observational study used a cross sectional design to gather quantitative data via self-report through an online survey. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses were performed to examine the relationships between psychological …

Factors That Increase Social Worker Longevity In Child Welfare Services, Heather Lovejoy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

High social worker turnover rates have impacted Child Welfare Services (CWS) for many years and remains a consistent issue. Retaining child welfare social workers is important to effectively serve clientele involved with CWS. This study sought to identify factors that increase social worker longevity in CWS. Using a post-positivist approach, the researcher gathered qualitative data from employees who previously and currently work for CWS in southern California through interviews. The researcher interviewed ten participants. Of those participants, four are no longer employed with a CWS agency and six remained employed with CWS, all with different lengths of employment and came …

The Increase Of Suicide Risks Amongst Individuals With Mental Health Disorders During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Joanna Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on many challenges, one of them being the increase of suicidal ideation among individuals with a mental health diagnosis. This study seeks to determine the key factors that increased suicidal ideation by interviewing clients from a mental health agency. This is an important topic since suicide rates have been steadily increasing throughout the last 19 years. The researcher conducted one-on-one interviews virtually with mental health clinicians at the study site. The themes found in this study were fear of COVID, isolation, anxiety, and depression. A subtheme found in this study was social isolation. Understanding the key …