Browsing by Author "Swafford, Tayon R."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    "An Institution Can Have Good Intentions and Still Be Atrocious": Transgender and Gender Expansive Experiences in Social Work Education
    (WMU, 2023) Kinney, M. Killian; Cosgrove, Darren; Swafford, Tayon R.; Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; School of Social Work
    Educational settings have been found to be challenging arenas for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth and young adults due to misgendering, lack of affirming bathrooms, systemic exclusion (e.g., legal names and lack of inclusive gender identity demographic options), and frequent silence or avoidance related to TGE issues. Though studies of TGE adult experiences in higher education are emerging, most explore disaffirming experiences. Social work education focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with how to promote social justice, which suggests more affirming environments for TGE individuals. However, little is known about the experiences of TGE students and even less about faculty in social work education. To help fill this gap, the researchers interviewed 23 TGE social work students and faculty to explore their experiences of gender-related affirmation and challenges in social work educational programs. The findings from a thematic analysis identified examples of affirming and disaffirming experiences and recommendations for improving gender affirmation and inclusion in social work programs. Social work is in a strategic position to serve the needs and impact the social welfare of TGE individuals, starting with educational settings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Forming Identities of Their Own: Gay Men Reconciling Self-love, Hurt, and the Impact of the Pentecostal Church
    (Taylor & Francis, 2023) Swafford, Tayon R.; Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.
    According to data analyzed from the Gallup Daily Tracking Politics and Economy survey between 2015 and 2017, nearly half (46.7%) of LGBT adults in the U.S. are religious, and just over half (53.3%) of LGBT adults are not religious. The majority who identified as religious attend Protestant churches. The Pentecostal church is a member of the Protestant Christian tradition. In a Constructivist Grounded Theory study of six U.S. gay male, Pentecostal Christians, our study excavates and chronicles their journey toward wholeness. Three major themes emerged from our study: embracing the journey, belonging to a community, and living unapologetically. From these themes, we learned that wholeness becomes possible when gay male Christians can form identities that are uniquely and holistically their own. We used these themes as a clarion call for clinicians who engage with clients encountering a conflict between their religious/spiritual tradition and their sexual orientation to actively assist their clients with reducing the dissonance they experience.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Gender Differences in Sexual Well-Being and Sexual Identity Development among Youth Formerly in the Foster Care System in the United States
    (MDPI, 2023-02) Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.; Swafford, Tayon R.; School of Social Work
    Little research has heretofore examined differences in the sexual well-being and sexual health outcomes between female and male youth in the foster care system. This cross-sectional study examined these differences and as well as how sexual identity development impacts sexual well-being using a sample of 217 youth formerly in the foster care system. It found that females have lower levels of overall sexual well-being, lower scores on several components of sexual well-being, and more negative sexual health outcomes than males. The four domains of sexual identity development explored all predicted overall sexual well-being for both females and males, with a pronounced negative impact of being a gay male. These results support the importance of sexual identity development and indicate that the sexual health needs of females within the foster care system are not being addressed as well as those of their male counterparts. To address these discrepancies professionals and caregivers working with youth in the foster care system need to be attuned to the specific needs of female youth and work to address these needs in a manner that considers their gender.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    “An Institution Can Have Good Intentions and Still Be Atrocious": Transgender and Gender Expansive Experiences in Social Work Education
    (2023) Kinney, M. Killian; Cosgrove, Darren; Swafford, Tayon R.; Brandon-Friedman, Richard A.
    Educational settings have been found to be challenging arenas for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth and young adults due to misgendering, lack of affirming bathrooms, systemic exclusion (e.g., legal names and lack of inclusive gender identity demographic options), and frequent silence or avoidance related to TGE issues. Though studies of TGE adult experiences in higher education are emerging, most explore disaffirming experiences. Social work education focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with how to promote social justice, which suggests more affirming environments for TGE individuals. However, little is known about the experiences of TGE students and even less about faculty in social work education. To help fill this gap, the researchers interviewed 23 TGE social work students and faculty to explore their experiences of gender-related affirmation and challenges in social work educational programs. The findings from a thematic analysis identified examples of affirming and disaffirming experiences and recommendations for improving gender affirmation and inclusion in social work programs. Social work is in a strategic position to serve the needs and impact the social welfare of TGE individuals, starting with educational settings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Learning From Their Stakeholders: Social Work Students’ Perspectives on a University’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (Indiana University, 2024) Boys, Stephanie K.; Swafford, Tayon R.; School of Social Work
    Emerging initially in Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID-19 steadily spread throughout and overtook the world by March 2020. College and university administrators were tasked with responding to COVID-19’s unpredictability and persistence. The purpose of this study was to learn social work students’ attitudes toward a large, public Midwestern U.S. university’s response to COVID-19 at the outset and in January 2022 during the surge of COVID-19’s Omicron strain. Using mixed methods, 43 social work students were surveyed (28 MSW and 15 BSW) in January 2022. The survey’s data suggested four important lessons for universities navigating public health responses. First, students are not oblivious to the politics and budgeting concerns that drive many university decisions. Second, pertaining to the emergence of the Omicron variant, students are extremely divided over their level of concern with contracting the virus themselves and/or infecting others. Third, colleges and universities need to have a plan of action prepared for addressing future public health emergencies and digital equity. Finally, faculty and staff from social work departments need to be “at the table” when university decisions are made because social workers will ensure that student concerns and well-being are at the core of policy decisions.