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Browsing by Author "McCabe, Heather"
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Item Prenatal Substance Misuse: Exploring Healthcare Providers' Attitudes and Perceptions(2019-01) Trainor, Kristin Elise; Vernon, Robert; Adamek, Margaret E.; McCabe, Heather; Brann, MariaTo maximize beneficial outcomes for babies and mothers in substance misuse situations, it is necessary to understand the current societal factors and the stigma that healthcare providers may be imposing on the families. More than 5% of all pregnancies are affected by prenatal substance misuse prompting a public health crisis. The negative effects from drug misuse on the growing baby ranges from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), mental retardation, behavioral abnormalities, and neurological deficits. The exposure also causes lengthy hospitalizations for babies and high financial costs. The provider must balance their own feelings and beliefs about substance misuse in pregnancy while simultaneously providing appropriate and supportive care to the mother. However, health-related stigma can occur as providers must care for both mother and baby, in an often stressful work environment. This research explored structural stigma, which broadly encompassed the policies and cultural practices, towards women with prenatal substance misuse among providers in a maternal/fetal healthcare unit. The study, with 117 participants from an area hospital system, examined several variables including the attitudes, perceptions, and stigma among healthcare providers towards prenatal substance misuse. A factorial MANOVA and descriptive analysis was used to assess the data. Among the findings, a significant difference was found between the type of employment discipline and a practitioner’s attitudes and level of structural sigma. Direct Care Nurses had an increased negative attitude towards women with prenatal substance misuse. Additionally, there was a strong correlation (r=0.612) between the cause of substance misuse and a healthcare provider’s attitudes towards prenatal substance misuse. If the provider believed substance misuse stemmed from a moral flaw or failing, he/she had a more negative attitude towards women with prenatal substance misuse. The current study identified the potential stigma and attitudes among healthcare providers and offered insight into the practice methods within the healthcare setting. Specifically, a three-tiered protocol to improve the culture, education, and practice within the hospital setting emerged.Item Sex-Based Employment Protections for Transgender Individuals: A Study of Title VII Legal Cases in the Sixth Circuit(2019-07) Harris, Evan Marshall; Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn; Boys, Stephanie K.; McCabe, Heather; McGregor, Kyle A.; Pfeffer, Carla A.In the U.S., the transgender community disproportionately experiences a rate of unemployment three times that of the national average. These nearly 1.4 million individuals receive no explicit federal employment protections. Though judges have historically concluded that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not offer such protections, the Sixth Circuit recently concluded that transgender discrimination is prohibited under Title VII. A study was conducted to discern what lead to the Sixth Circuit explicitly extending Title VII’s sex-based protections to transgender individuals. Analysis consisted of data from historical Title VII legal cases—citing sex-based discrimination— brought by, or on behalf of, transgender individuals in the Sixth Circuit. The sample included 20 court records from 11 legal cases identified through the Nexis Uni database. Both a thematic analysis and a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) were conducted. The thematic analysis illustrated four distinct steps taken by the Sixth Circuit—in addition to the two steps previously taken by other Circuits and the Supreme Court. Each stage revealed small deviations in statutory interpretation and application, which lead to a marked change in the legal discourse on Title VII’s sex-based discrimination prohibition. The CDA compared the Circuit’s starting discourse to its more recent discourse and found judges’ moved from a passive to an active role in constructing the legal discourse. Overall, the study illustrates the judicial branch of government’s influential impact on employment rights, and more broadly, social justice. Further, the study presents legal engagement as essential to the pursuit of social change. Given social work’s value of social justice, forensic participation is a suitable addition to the social work toolkit.