Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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. …

The Investigation Of Knowledge And Practice Of Child Welfare Workers Providing Case Management To Children With Disabilities, Giselle Cruz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the knowledge and practice of child welfare workers providing case management to children with disabilities. The study explores three areas of interest with regard to child welfare workers’ knowledge and practice: identification of disabilities, identification of proper services and resources for children with disabilities, and collaboration among multidisciplinary team members. Past literature has focused on the challenges child welfare workers experience when providing case management services to children with disabilities. This study used an exploratory quantitative design, using a cross-sectional survey to collect data from participants from two Children and Family Service Agencies. The results of this …

Preserving Placement For Children With Behavioral Issues: A Qualitative Study Of Child Welfare Social Workers In The United States, Jessica Katelyn Quin, Tara Belle Beam

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Children in foster care experience complex trauma that puts them at risk for frequent placement changes. Such changes can have a negative impact on child welfare social workers’ job performance. This exploratory study identified areas that need to be addressed for social workers to meet expectations for placement preservation. More specifically, this qualitative study explored the perceptions of child welfare social workers’ competence and confidence regarding placement stability for foster children who have behavioral issues. Interviews were conducted with seven child welfare workers across three states: California, Nevada, and Texas (N = 7). Thematic analysis procedures revealed the following six …

Experimental Methodologies In Assessing Ceramic Shrinkage In Residual Fingerprints For Archaeological Application, Luke Aaron Burnor

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research evaluates the extent of ceramic shrinkage using a natural clay source that was locally available and known to be used by native populations in the American Southwest. The experiment took into account variables of temper mixture and firing temperature to assess the extent and potential need for shrinkage calibration in archaeological biometric research (specifically fingerprints). An experimental design was employed to test shrinkage rates while accounting for natural temper materials found frequently in the archaeological record including sand, grog, and quartz. The experiment evaluated whether shrinkage rates may have skewed data collected in previous studies regarding sex and …

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, …

Anxiety, Depression, And Stress During Covid-19: A Comparative Study Of Latino Dreamers In College, Vanessa Robles, Janelly Molina

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

College students generally experience anxiety, depression, and stress associated with the higher education life. It can be argued that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to worsen the mental health conditions of these students. This situation can be even worse for DACA recipients in college who have to deal not only with the pandemic but also with legal status uncertainties. This study attempted to compare mental health outcomes (levels of anxiety, depression, and stress) between Latino DACA recipients in college and their counterparts with no DACA status during the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing literature has mostly been silent regarding comparing the …

Impact Of Outdoor Adventure On The Self-Esteem, Self-Confidence, And Comfort Level Of Black And Brown Girls, Nathan Benham

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

While there have been many studies that have focused on the effect of outdoor adventure and physical activity on self-confidence and self-esteem for adolescents (Bélanger et al., 2019; Dale et al., 2019; Lubans et al., 2012), there are few that focus solely on adolescent girls (Evans et al., 2020), and even less that focus exclusively on Black and Brown adolescent girls. This study aimed to expand the available data on how outdoor adventure and physical activity impacted self-confidence and self-esteem on Black and Brown adolescent girls. Recruiting participants from Atabey Outdoors, a non-profit outdoor program that specializes in providing outdoor …

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 …

Authenticity, Support, And Identity Management In The Workplace For Transgender Employees, Raeven Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Prior research has established the importance of understanding topics such as identity management and authenticity in the workplace for the lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities. However, minimal research has been conducted on the unique experiences of transgender employees. Studying identity management for transgender employees can help researchers understand concealment and disclosure behaviors, which can impact employee work experiences. Efforts can be made to promote authenticity through a supportive environment inside the workplace and by encouraging inclusivity at work. Through interviews with 10 participants, this study identified precursors to authenticity for transgender employees, explored the support factors that influence the work …

The Impact Of Social Media Use On Social Isolation And Mental Health Among Young Adults, Mariana Romo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social media use has become part of the everyday routines of society. It is very common to see people, especially young adults, be involved in more than one social media platform. It is also known that because of the features of social media less in-person interactions are required, which brings up the question of whether people feel more lonely or socially isolated with the increased use of social media platforms. Due to this increasing attachment to the use of social media and its possible relationship with social isolation and loneliness it is important to understand if there are any implications …

How Latino Parents Coped With Financial Challenges During Covid-19, Melissa Gradilla, Valerie Malagon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how low-income Latino parents coped with financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data from this study was collected through one-on-one interviews with 14 low-income Latino parent participants who resided in Southern California. Results indicated COVID-19 caused financial strain in food, healthcare, basic needs, and financial strain in general. Results from this study also concluded that many existing government assistance programs benefited participants but had distribution and application processing flaws. This study provides future researchers and government officials some insight regarding what government assistance and local resources helped low-income Latino parents cope with their financial challenges …

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 …

Covid-Induced Stress And Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression In Undergraduate Students, Quenea Popoca, Christina Ngo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has had ramifications on the mental health of numerous vulnerable individuals. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between COVID-19 induced stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression among undergraduate students. Embracing a quantitative design, this study surveyed 93 undergraduate students in major public universities in the western part of the United States (N = 93). Results from the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U Test revealed that there is no statistically significant relationship between COVID-19 induced stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression in undergraduate students (U = 734.500, p = .066 for …

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 …

Burning Out Of Time: The Relationship Between Future Time Perspective, Workaholism, Psychological Capital, Emotional Intelligence, And Burnout, Hira Ikram

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Time perspective refers to an individual’s perception of the passage of and remaining time in their life. The way individuals view their past, present, and future influences their behaviors and actions. Future time perspective (FTP) is one’s perception of time they have left in life. A short FTP refers to the perception that there is little time remaining in life, while a long FTP refers to the perception of a lot of time remaining in life. The current literature has found that unbalanced time perspective can lead to negative consequences, such as burnout and workaholism. Additionally, factors such as psychological …

The Role Undocumented Student Resource Centers Play In Supporting Undocumented Students In Higher Education, Cynthia Boyzo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Undocumented Students face many challenges in their daily lives. Accessing higher education is a challenge alone. Many undocumented students get discouraged to attend higher education due to financial constraints. The students that do attend institutions for higher education encounter different challenges. According to Murillo (2017), 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year nationwide; however, only half (49%) attain a degree or enroll in college. Many institutions have developed Undocumented Student Resource Centers to provide a safe and welcoming environment for undocumented students. The purpose of this study explored how Undocumented Student Resource Centers support undocumented students throughout their …

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, …

Supporting Reentry At The Egocentric Level: Investigating The Role Social Networks Play Post Incarceration, Jennifer Perretti

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Reentry is an important subject matter to investigate. With high incarceration and recidivism rates it is essential to highlight ways to reduce the flow of offenders into the criminal justice system and understand how to foster desistance. Borrowing from social capital theory, this study investigates the barriers reentrants face, their ability to overcome these obstacles and the role supportive and non-supportive relationships play in reintegration. Exploring how offenders’ networks constrain or support community reentry, this study found that structural characteristics indicative of higher social capital covaried with successful reentry. Thematic coding of open-ended survey responses revealed that quality of social …

San Pasqual Valley; Reexamination Of An Archaeological Collection Using Non-Invasive And Invasive Techniques, Ariana Yanez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis will focus on re-evaluating the CA-SDI-09674 collection at San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park. The purpose of the research is to provide more evidence that supports the preservation of the archaeological and indigenous record within archaeological sites. Research with noninvasive techniques will include macro botanical analysis, re-examination of archaeological collections, and if permitted, invasive techniques such as radiocarbon c-14 dating. The purpose of analyzing charcoal samples is to comprehend a chronology of occupation within SPB-SHP. The macro botanical analysis would provide insight into the natural resources that were available within the area during the precontact habitation of the …

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.

Examining Support Seeking Behaviors And Social Support Among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients, Ashley Padilla

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is considered a public health concern due to its high prevalence and a leading cause of disability in the United States. Patients suffering from CKD face a multitude of challenges. Past studies have shown that the challenges of CKD can be reduced through social support. However, little is known about the support-seeking behaviors used by the person in crisis to influence the amount of support received. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine whether there was an association between support-seeking behaviors (direct vs. indirect) and levels of social support among CKD …

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 …

Overtime Worked And Its Effect On Burnout, Illness, And Health Outcomes, Haoqiu Zhang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Professional employees at work deal with stressors such as extensive workload and coursework, prolonged work and class schedules, overtime, and performance concerns from their supervisors and managers. The length of time working, the pressure one has in one's work life, and the amount of overtime can be a predictor of burnout (Brown & Pranger, 1992), and employees being burnt out can result in numerous issues in people’s health. Working overtime, as a stressor, is very common in the workplace and has continuously increased among employees (Hetrick, 2000). The primary purpose of this study was to explore the effect of overtime …