Matching Items (111)
Description
The development of online program options in higher education has prompted the discussion of how well the modality fits the nature of social work education and the Council on Social Work Accreditation (CSWE) educational standards. To examine the relationship between online education and social work education, this research study focused on empathy. Conceptualized as the ability to share and understand the feelings of others, empathy is at the core of social work education and practice. The primary purpose of this research study was to examine whether the cultivation of interpersonal empathy and social empathy changes by in-person and online education. An ongoing debate centers on the effectiveness of online instructional delivery in the virtual environment, as compared to in-person instruction in a physical classroom. Therefore, it is valuable to examine if the level of empathy scores for students changes from the beginning to the end of a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program at Arizona State University, according to the mode of instruction, online versus in-person. Among the sample of 185 participants in the pre-test survey and 86 participants in the post-test survey, empathy levels were examined by time (pre-test to post-test) and by mode of instructional delivery (online versus in-person). To better understand the constructs and the relationship among the variables, critical theory was applied. In addition, the pedagogical theories of andragogy, transformative learning, and the Community of Inquiry model were informative. Findings revealed that the empathy survey instrument had high reliability, the levels of empathy increased for MSW students over time, and students’ empathy levels did not differ by in-person versus online modes of instruction, with the exception of the social empathy component of contextual understanding. The study findings have implications for social work education and future research. These implications highlight the need to explore how to best cultivate empathy in social work education, while continuing to examine the association of the mode of delivery with educational outcomes important to the profession of social work.
ContributorsReyes, Melanie S (Author) / Segal, Elizabeth A. (Thesis advisor) / Anthony, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Adelman, Madelaine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a common experience among (lifetime prevalence 16.5% - 54.5%); however, current research, intervention programs, and policies tend to target women of child-bearing age, leaving older adult women feeling unseen and unheard. The purpose of this study was to provide a more accurate picture of violence against women over the life course. Guided by Life Course Theory, the characteristics of trajectories of IPV events and IPV-related help-seeking were assessed among a sample of community-dwelling women aged 60 or older residing in the Southwest United States (n = 52). Semi-structured retrospective interviews were conducted using a Life History Calendar (LHC). The characteristics of trajectories of IPV by type (physical, psychological, sexual) and by frequency (high, low) were examined. The impact of experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) on trajectories of violence were analyzed to account for childhood victimization in the life course. To better understand IPV-related help-seeking behaviors, the characteristics of trajectories of IPV-related help-seeking by age, type of IPV, and frequency of IPV were examined. Generalized linear mixed modeling was used to evaluate whether the probability of experiencing IPV and seeking IPV-related help changed over the life course. Half of the women in the sample experienced IPV at age 45 or later (n = 28; 53.8%), with approximately one-quarter of the women in an intimate relationship reporting IPV at time of interview (n = 6; 27.3%). Findings revealed curvilinear characteristics of IPV experience by type and frequency over the life course, with the probability of IPV events increasing earlier in life then decreasing later in life. Compared to previous studies that report IPV events decreasing in the latter 20s, the probability of experiencing IPV events increased later into adulthood (mid to late thirties among women in the study sample). The probability of seeking IPV-related help increased earlier in the life course and then declined, with the occurrence of IPV of all types significantly affecting trajectories of help-seeking behavior. Findings from this study contribute evidence needed for the recommendation of IPV screening into older adulthood and the adaptation of supportive services for older women seeking IPV-related help.
ContributorsGarbe, Renee Andersen (Author) / Stalker, Katie C (Thesis advisor) / Oh, Hyunsung (Committee member) / Messing, Jill (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This study is a small-n case study that inductively builds a theory of embedded autonomous social work policing. Embedded autonomous social work policing is a proposed model of social work policing that entails Master Social Work (MSW) social workers being at once embedded and trained within police departments while remaining hired, funded, and answerable to the human services bureaucracy in a locality. The main site of application of the theory of embedded autonomy to social work policing involves co-responder calls for service wherein both a social work expert and a law enforcement officer are necessitated owing to the gray i.e. potentially non-criminal or potentially criminal nature of the call for service depending on the success of de-escalation techniques or the lack thereof. The costs and benefits of the implementation of an embedded autonomous model of social work policing is inductively built through a case study analysis of three cases of social work policing involving fieldwork research. The three cases analyzed are Alexandria Police Department in Alexandria, Kentucky; Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) in Eugene, Oregon; and Crisis Avoidance Response Efforts (CARE) 7 in Tempe, Arizona.
ContributorsTatem, Jr, Roy Madison (Author) / Kane, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Scheal, Scott (Committee member) / Theisen-Homer, Victoria (Committee member) / Terrill, William (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Cognitive heuristics, or mental shortcuts, sometimes give rise to biases that can influence decision making. These biases may be particularly impactful in a legal context where decision making has lifelong consequences. One such legal decision falls upon social workers who are often tasked with providing custodial recommendations in child custody cases. Across a series of 2 studies, I explored the role of confirmation bias in social worker decision making, the potential value of blinding to reduce bias, as well as social workers’ perceptions of their own biases. Social workers were given detailed case materials describing a custody case between the state and a father. Participants were randomly assigned to read a previous examiner’s positive evaluation of a father, a negative evaluation of the father, or were blinded to a previous examiners rating. Social workers engaged in confirmation bias, such that those who read a positive evaluation of the father viewed him more positively than participants who read a negative evaluation of the father, despite the fact that all of the actual case evidence remained constant. Blinding did not appear to mitigate the bias. In study 2, social workers viewed themselves as less biased than their peers and less biased than other experts in a different field – signifying the presence of a bias blindspot. Together, my findings suggest the need to further explore how bias might affect judgments and also how to mitigate biases, such as making experts aware of their potential for bias.
ContributorsDenne, Emily (Author) / Neal, Tess M.S. (Thesis advisor) / Stolzenberg, Stacia N. (Committee member) / Fabricius, William (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The United States has historically been perceived as a “nation of immigrants'' dueto its eclectic racial and ethnic make-up. Nonetheless, the nation’s relationship and attitudes towards immigrants have been predominantly negative, especially with Latinx immigrants. The criminalization of Latinx immigration has led to an array of poor psychosocial outcomes for those who arrive and remain within the United States. Numerous studies have found a significant positive relationship between discrimination and elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among Latinx immigrants. Seeing that Latinxs are projected to become 25% of the U.S. population by 2060, there is an urgent need for the development of culturally-affirming interventions grounded on protective factors unique to this population. This study sought to expand on the current literature surrounding the relationship between discrimination and poor mental health outcomes in Latinx immigrants, by determining whether hope and optimism serve as protective factors. Findings from a multi-step linear regression analysis showed that hope and optimism do have a significant moderation effect on Latinx mental health outcomes. Nonetheless, results varied by gender and mental health construct between depression, anxiety, and stress. The findings from this study provide an additional antidote for ameliorating the pernicious effects of discrimination concerning this cultural group. Recommendations informed by these findings are made for social work practice, policy reform, and research.
ContributorsCamacho de Anda, Andrea (Author) / Becerra, David (Thesis advisor) / Lechuga-Peña, Stephanie (Committee member) / Athens, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Black queer women and nonbinary people (BQWNB) living with mental distress are an important sub-group in the Black community in need of greater attention in mental health research. However, the majority of health research about the Black community focuses on Black cisgender men who have sex with men and people who have or are at risk of having HIV/AIDS. To expand the knowledge about BQWNB, I applied critical and transformative approaches to understand mental distress. Using a Black queer feminist mental health framework and transformative healing justice lens, this phenomenological qualitative study set out to explore and describe how BQWNB living with mental distress navigated their mental health and wellbeing with a sample of 17 participants. Data were collected using one-on-one audio-recorded semi-structured interviews. There were three major findings that emerged from participants’ narratives: (1) contributors to mental distress, (2) impacts of mental distress, and (3) positive responses to mental distress. Contributors to mental distress included individual and collective trauma experiences, embodying strength and independence, and experiencing stereotypes about their sexual and multiracial identities. The impact of mental distress resulted in lowered quality of life and reported self-harmful thoughts and behaviors. Finally, positive responses to mental distress included body, mind, and spirit and community-centered responses as well as resistance to cultural norms and expectations and non-disclosure as a form of self-preservation. These findings led to an integrative (not) being-in-distress framework and a new critical approach to mental health and healing that informed anti-oppressive social work research, practice, and education.
ContributorsThomas, DeShay (Author) / Holley, Lynn C (Thesis advisor) / Jackson, Kelly F (Committee member) / Mendoza, Natasha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
How to best assist LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization is a developing field of knowledge. This study aimed to understand sex trafficking risk factors for LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness through the 2019 Youth Experiences Survey (2019 YES) and 16 follow-up interviews. The main findings include a) the odds of being LGBTQ+ and experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization were 2.41 times greater (95% CI: 1.22, 4.74) than being a cisgender heterosexual experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization; and b) risk factors that contributed significantly to a binary logistic regression model to predict being an LGBTQ+ young adult experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization included having a current medical issue, having a history of dating violence, having a childhood history of sexual abuse (ACEs sexual abuse), having a history of binging/vomiting, and having a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The interviews back up quantitative data for contextualization purposes. The findings of this study confirm the need for more services for LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization. Additionally, healthcare providers must consider screening for eating disorders among LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization. Finally, future research on LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization is recommended.
ContributorsHogan, Kimberly Ann (Author) / Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique (Thesis advisor) / Mendoza, Natasha (Committee member) / Anthony, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Human trafficking is the exploitation of people for the use of labor, services or commercial sex. Trafficking varies in different regions of the world, with different vulnerabilities and risk factors that differ based on a number of factors. Thousands of people, most often minors or young adults, are trafficked throughout the United States every year and face a unique set of problems that relate to the black market of ‘sex for sale.’ Human trafficking is not an entirely ‘secret’ issue, in fact most people in the US are aware that it happens in their state and have some recollection of the magnitude of the crisis. With so much data on the topic from documentaries, news stories and nation-wide organizations spreading awareness, we wonder why this underground industry continues to spread and thrive across the country. Through private interviews, surveys, and data collection, I was able to use my field research to determine that there are numerous misconceptions about human trafficking. Inaccurate data, social media trends, Hollywood films and mass fear create a false narrative about the actual risks of trafficking that parents and children should be aware of. Rather than knowing the root causes and predispositions that make children vulnerable to trafficking, we are looking for what television or social media says to be looking for. My study uses qualitative research to gather a unique type of data to understand what traffickers are looking for so that we can collectively keep each other safe from a growing industry that thrives on ignorance and vulnerabilities. By gathering information from those working with survivors and ideas believed by parents living in the US, I am able to determine what misconceptions are most often spread and compare to true data about the crisis in the US.
ContributorsHeath, Heather Allison (Author) / Smith-Cannoy, Heather (Thesis advisor) / Redeker-Hepner, Trisha (Thesis advisor) / Funk, Kendall (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
My thesis project defines, investigates, and analyzes the nonprofit industrial complex (NPIC) and its effect on social change work. My final output is a public website (nonprofitblues.com) with a collection of both formal and informal writings about the NPIC. The document uploaded to the Barrett Repository is one of four written works which combine to total 46 pages.
I define the NPIC as nonprofits and their funding streams acting as a vested interest that guides the provision of aid, including who gets it, what kind of aid it is, and how, when, and where they receive it. Through research and interviews with six professionals in a variety of roles either within social change work or interacting with social change work, I conclude that the NPIC has created an individualized, careerist idea of social justice that undermines the formation and mobilization of mass movements. Additionally, it has created an expectation of professionalism, corporatization, bureaucracy, and elitism within these careerist ideas, which in turn limits the transformative power of social change work and funnels energy toward administration and upkeep instead of social change. Ultimately, the NPIC not only harms the communities nonprofits purport to serve, but also the employees who have to navigate a field wrought with influences pulling them in different directions.
ContributorsWilson, Malia (Author) / Kotleba, Anne (Thesis director) / Points, Kari (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Work (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
The purpose of this study is to examine how sex influences the physical demandof weapons used in homicide. The study focuses on two research questions using data
from Newark, New Jersey: (1) Does sex influence the use of a weapon that is more or
less physically demanding to commit homicide? and (2) Does the sex dyad of the
offender and victim influence using a weapon that is more or less physically demanding?
The descriptive analysis shows significant relationships between the sex dyad of the
offender and victim in homicide and the level of physical demand used to perpetrate
homicide. The logistic multinomial regression analysis shows suspect sex and suspect
and victim sex dyads significantly predict the physical demand of the weapons used to
perpetrate homicide compared to those who utilized weapons of low physical demand.
The results support the need to challenge traditional perspectives regarding the role of sex
in criminal decision-making and seek to integrate more intersectional and gendered
explanations into neoclassical theories of criminal behavior. Theoretical implications and
future avenues of research are also discussed.
ContributorsAlvarez, Gabriel (Author) / Pizarro, Jesenia M. (Thesis advisor) / Messing, Jill T. (Committee member) / Wallace, Danielle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022