David Wilkerson
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Digital Hybrid Psychoeducation: Model Development and Case Demonstrations
Professor Wilkerson's research focuses on the uses of technology to advance social work practice and education. In the area of practice, he's interested in ways to improve the delivery of online support as an aspect of psychoeducation. He also works on the delivery of online mental health services through rural public libraries and looks for methods to best infuse digital practice into the social work curriculum.
In 2016, Dr. Wilkerson's interest in tele-practice led him to become a member of a multidisciplinary team that researches social media technology for support and self-management of caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The team developed a web app and has published two articles from its pilot study in 2017 and 2018 on the uses of Facebook for joining social and support networks through Friendsourcing and Social Micro-volunteering. This work has resulted in an emerging international reputation and in 2019, he became the PI for a transnational research study that planned to replicate the Friendsourcing social media intervention for 80 Irish caregivers. The transnational project included collaboration with the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland and Care Alliance, Ireland. Related published telehealth research in 2020 included a design for online psychoeducation intervention for parent management training to enhance the delivery of peer support and the development of mutual aid. The online intervention is currently being redeveloped through a collaboration with eDesign and Learning Services/UITS for delivery through IU Expand and it will become an arm of a Telehealth School Safety Project that is in development with other IUSSW researchers. Other publications in this area in 2020 included his work on a Telepractice CE program that had international impact in response to COVID-19 and a perspective on the issue of balancing caregiver rights for privacy and their right to online support.
Professor Wilkerson's translation of research into better mental health interventions is another excellent example of how IUPUI's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEACH INTO PRACTICE.
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Item Integrating individual and social learning strategies in a small-group model for online psychoeducational intervention : a mixed methods study of a parent-management training program(2014) Wilkerson, David A.; Kim, Hea-Won; Merrill, Henry S.; Westhuis, David J.; Ouellette, Phillip M.; Hall, James A., 1948-In the fields of formal and informal online adult education, the absence of a social context for instruction has been found to present significant limitations for learner persistence and retention. In the field of online psychoeducational intervention, self-administered and self-paced individualized prevention programs have been developed for delivery to large populations of anonymous users. These delivery models provide limited social context for instructional activities, due in part to the anonymity of their participants. When social interaction is included in their prevention programs through voluntary, asynchronous self-help/mutual aid discussion forums, anonymity may still limit social interaction, in favor of observational learning advantages for self-efficacy appraisals derived from "lurking". When these large-group models have been applied to online psychoeducation intervention programs for the purposes of encouraging mutual aid, interactive participation has been limited. This mixed methods study focused on a model for the design of an online small group psychoeducational intervention that integrated individual and social learning in a parent management training program. Self-paced participation was replaced with facilitator-led participation in an asynchronous discussion forum where topics were prioritized and sequenced with learning content from individual web-based training modules. Social interaction was facilitated through online problem-based learning discussion group. Despite assertions that interactive participation in online psychoeducational discussion forums may only be accomplished once a subscriber threshold of several hundred participants has been reached, this study found that small group participation through the program's integrated design resulted large effects for increases in parent self-agency and reduction of over-reactive, coercive parenting behaviors. Participation in the online problem-based group discussion forum was found to have contributed to participant outcomes when posting characteristics revealed the presence of both mutual aid processes and the application of individual learning module content.Item Comparing Crowdsourcing and Friendsourcing: A Social Media-Based Feasibility Study to Support Alzheimer Disease Caregivers(JMIR Publications, 2017-04-10) Bateman, Daniel Robert; Brady, Erin; Wilkerson, David A.; Yi, Eun-Hye; Karanam, Yamini; Callahan, Christopher M.; Psychiatry, School of MedicineBACKGROUND: In the United States, over 15 million informal caregivers provide unpaid care to people with Alzheimer disease (AD). Compared with others in their age group, AD caregivers have higher rates of stress, and medical and psychiatric illnesses. Psychosocial interventions improve the health of caregivers. However, constraints of time, distance, and availability inhibit the use of these services. Newer online technologies, such as social media, online groups, friendsourcing, and crowdsourcing, present alternative methods of delivering support. However, limited work has been done in this area with caregivers. OBJECTIVE: The primary aims of this study were to determine (1) the feasibility of innovating peer support group work delivered through social media with friendsourcing, (2) whether the intervention provides an acceptable method for AD caregivers to obtain support, and (3) whether caregiver outcomes were affected by the intervention. A Facebook app provided support to AD caregivers through collecting friendsourced answers to caregiver questions from participants' social networks. The study's secondary aim was to descriptively compare friendsourced answers versus crowdsourced answers. METHODS: We recruited AD caregivers online to participate in a 6-week-long asynchronous, online, closed group on Facebook, where caregivers received support through moderator prompts, group member interactions, and friendsourced answers to caregiver questions. We surveyed and interviewed participants before and after the online group to assess their needs, views on technology, and experience with the intervention. Caregiver questions were pushed automatically to the participants' Facebook News Feed, allowing participants' Facebook friends to see and post answers to the caregiver questions (Friendsourced answers). Of these caregiver questions, 2 were pushed to crowdsource workers through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. We descriptively compared characteristics of these crowdsourced answers with the friendsourced answers. RESULTS: In total, 6 AD caregivers completed the initial online survey and semistructured telephone interview. Of these, 4 AD caregivers agreed to participate in the online Facebook closed group activity portion of the study. Friendsourcing and crowdsourcing answers to caregiver questions had similar rates of acceptability as rated by content experts: 90% (27/30) and 100% (45/45), respectively. Rates of emotional support and informational support for both groups of answers appeared to trend with the type of support emphasized in the caregiver question (emotional vs informational support question). Friendsourced answers included more shared experiences (20/30, 67%) than did crowdsourced answers (4/45, 9%). CONCLUSIONS: We found an asynchronous, online, closed group on Facebook to be generally acceptable as a means to deliver support to caregivers of people with AD. This pilot is too small to make judgments on effectiveness; however, results trended toward an improvement in caregivers' self-efficacy, sense of support, and perceived stress, but these results were not statistically significant. Both friendsourced and crowdsourced answers may be an acceptable way to provide informational and emotional support to caregivers of people with AD.Item Friendsourcing Peer Support for Alzheimer’s Caregivers Using Facebook Social Media(Taylor & Francis, 2018) Wilkerson, David A.; Brady, Erin; Yi, Eun-Hye; Bateman, Daniel Robert; School of Social WorkThis research piloted an e-health intervention that used social media to friendsource peer support for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caregivers. Friendsourcing is a variant of crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing recruits online participants who share a characteristic that makes their volunteerism meaningful when they join to achieve an outcome. Friendsourcing recruits online participants who share membership in a social network that makes their volunteerism meaningful when they join to achieve an outcome. This article introduces our friendsourcing intervention research and examines the effects on the psychological well-being of AD caregivers. After a 6-week intervention, caregivers were found to have significantly decreased burden (Z = −2.01, p < .05) and perceived stress (Z = −2.95, p < .01). Emotional and informational support scores were significantly increased (Z = −2.32, p < .05). Qualitative data analysis of the intervention identified positive effects in new caregiving knowledge acquisition and application and reduced stress in the acceptance of the caregiving role. Joining social networks in support groups through friendsourcing was feasible for AD caregivers who were familiar with social media, and can provide another means of guiding the development of their personal support networks.Item A Social Work Perspective on Paediatric and Adolescent Research Vulnerability(Whiting and Birch, 2016) McGregor, Kyle A.; Hall, James A.; Wilkerson, David A.; Bennett, Larry W.; Ott, Mary A.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineChildren’s and adolescents’ capacity to provide valid informed consent is one of the key ethical concerns in pediatric research. This review of adolescent vulnerability is presented to highlight the complex interplay between capacity and other forms of vulnerability. This review is offered as an interdisciplinary analysis to better understand why the study of vulnerable populations is critical to the ethical advancement of clinical research. Results from this analysis suggest the need for enhanced screening techniques as well as the utilization of specialized staff to identify and reduce the impact of different forms of vulnerability. These findings also provide insights into ways to ethically involve youth in complex biomedical research.Item Adopting e-Social Work Practice: Pedagogical Strategies for Student Decision Making to Address Technology Uncertainty(Taylor & Francis, 2019) Wilkerson, David A.; Wolfe-Taylor, Samantha N.; Kinney, M. Killian; School of Social WorkStudent technology uncertainty was investigated in an introductory e-Social Work (e-SW) practice course. e-SW practice includes technology-mediated advocacy, research, and services delivery. A convergent parallel mixed methods design included pre- and post-test e-SW self-efficacy surveys and student reflections. There were significant measurable changes in the practice self efficacy scale and sub-scales. Thematic analysis demonstrated the course addressed student needs for increasing their knowledge and confidence prior to engaging in e-SW practice. Privacy and security regulation compliance showed the least increase in self-efficacy and should be an area for further development in future e-SW courses. The findings contribute to a growing literature supporting the need for investment in harnessing technology for future growth in the field of social work.Item A Social Work Distance Educator Community of Practice: Description, Outcomes, and Future(2021) Wilkerson, David A.; McCarthy, Katherine M.; School of Social WorkThe growth of social work distance education has increased the need for teaching faculty to develop as effective online instructors. We researched how faculty made use of an online practice community during a semester teaching in an online MSW program. Community of practice theory guided the development of a persistent community space for mentoring, support, and pedagogy building using moderated asynchronous discussion forums. Qualitative analysis provided a description of how faculty made use of the community, their needs for professional development, and the importance of peer support. Discussion considered motivation and the use of community for all faculty ranks.Item Analysis of Social Work Theory Progression Published in 2004(IUPUI, 2007-04-30) Decker, Valerie D.; Suman, Philip D.; Burge, Barb J.; Deka, Ankita; Harris, Melanie; Hymans, Dwight J.; Marcussen, Michael; Pittman, Donna; Wilkerson, David A.; Daley, James G.The authors reviewed 67 articles that discussed and/or tested human behavior theories from social work journals published in 2004 in order to assess the level and quality of theory progression. The articles were further sorted into Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) Foundation Curriculum content areas of HBSE, practice, policy, field education, values & ethics, diversity, populations-at-risk/social and economic justice, and research for purposes of categorization. Results indicated that HBSE and practice were by far the largest group of articles reviewed.Also found was that social work has a limited amount of theory discussion in the content areas of field, values and ethics, diversity, and populations-at-risk/social and economic justice. Thirty-three articles were found to demonstrate theory progression, eight articles presented new/emerging theories, and 26 articles discussed or critiqued theories without presenting evidence of theory progression.Item "They Won't Come": Increasing Parent Involvement in Parent Management Training Programs for At-Risk Youths in Schools(2008-09-01) Ouellette, Philip M.; Wilkerson, David A.The absence of parents from schools is seen as an important factor related to the significant number of adolescents at risk of school failure. Effective parenting is known to be a key protective factor for adolescents at risk for school failure and other maladaptive developmental outcomes. While evidence-based parent management training models exist, their use has been limited by problems regarding recruitment and retention when services are offered through traditional means. We review the literature on parent involvement in schools, the effectiveness of parent education programs, and mutual aid activities. Logistical barriers to parent participation in parent management training programs and other school-related activities are examined, and a strategy using twenty-first-century technology will be described as a means to increase parent involvement in schools.Item Community Alternatives for Love and Limits (CALL): A community-based family strengthening multi-family intervention program to respond to adolescents at risk(IUPUI, 2005-11-30) Wilkerson, David A.; Ouellette, Philip M.Family strengthening has become a source of growing interest, research, and program design in the fields of prevention and treatment for problems of youth delinquency, school failure, alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse (ATOD). Despite many studies that illustrate the positive outcomes of family strengthening programs and family-focused interventions, their use in communities has not advanced commensurate with their promise. This article offers a rationale for why programming efforts should continue to be directed towards family strengthening efforts as opposed to youth-focused only interventions. In addition, a community-based, family-strengthening alternative is described that addresses issues of youth delinquency while reducing barriers associated with availability, accessibility, and cost.Item “We Have a Lot of Sleeping Parents”: Comparing Inner-City and Suburban High School Teachers’ Experiences with Parent Involvement(IUPUI, 2010-09-28) Wilkerson, David A.; Kim, Hea-WonTeachers’ experiences with parent involvement were compared at an inner-city high school and a suburban high school. Parent involvement has been described as underutilized by teachers, due to either ideological barriers or cultural biases against parents of lower socio-economic status. A sample of 62 teachers found no significant group differences between teachers at the two schools for either problematic or collaborative parent involvement. There was a significant difference for beliefs about parent competency. Results may suggest that the ideological barrier of a “protective model” for home/school relations devalues parent involvement for teachers. Parent involvement may be further devalued for inner-city teachers, who hold beliefs that parent competence is reduced by socioeconomic challenges.