IU School of Social Work Collection
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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 WorkEmerging 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.Item Promoting the Well-Being of Older People in Ethiopia: Lost Opportunities Due to the Poverty of Policy(Oxford, 2024) Adamek, Margaret E.; Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam; Teshome, Abraham Zelalem; School of Social WorkThe world’s population is aging with the fastest growth in the older population projected to take place in Africa. In this article, we present the challenges of the growing older population in Ethiopia, outline some key changes that are needed to address those challenges, and consider the opportunities that can come about when older adults’ basic needs are met and they are supported in contributing to their communities. Older adults in Ethiopia are faced with multidimensional challenges that call for collaborative efforts from different stakeholders at local, regional, and national levels. However, some measures should be given the utmost priority: combating negative attitudes toward older people, strengthening geriatric/gerontology and social work education and research, and developing aging-specific policies and services. Although the challenges faced by older adults in Ethiopia seem like a problem of aging compounded by poverty, the root source of the problem is a poverty of policy fueled by ageism. If income support and appropriate health care was provided to older adults throughout Ethiopia, health and well-being in late life would improve, food and housing insecurity among older adults would lessen, and all Ethiopians could anticipate a dignified late life.Item Challenges Facing Yemen Refugee Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia(2023-10) Adamek, Margaret; Amare, Samuel; Minaye, Abebaw; School of Social WorkForced migration is associated with several challenges. The challenges that refugee women faced in their host countries were numerous. There has been a gender bias in Ethiopian literature on refugees. Refugees are homogenized in the existing studies. The gender differences among refugees have an impact on the challenges of forced migration that they encounter and how they handle them. Moreover, no study has been done on the adaptation challenges faced by Yemeni refugee women in Addis Ababa. This study's main objective was to examine the challenges that Yemeni refugee women faced in Addis Ababa. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to achieve that objective. Thirteen Yemeni refugee women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide to understand their experiences. Purposive sampling was used to choose study participants. The data was analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis procedures. The study's findings revealed that refugee women encountered several challenges that were detrimental to their well-being, including language difficulties, limited income and job opportunities, unrecognized identity papers and price increases, and housing problems. Furthermore, refugee women faced social isolation and sexual harassment. The study concluded that the challenges that Yemeni refugee women faced in Addis Ababa had an enormous impact on their well-being, which demands immediate intervention.Item CANS and ANSA Outcome Reports Reference Guide, version 3(2024) Walton, Betty; Moynihan, Stephanie; Hong, Stephanie; Kwon, HyejeanAlthough behavioral health disorders are common, the quality of care has not kept pace with the quality of physical health care. Measuring behavioral health care quality has slowly evolved. Suggested quality of care initiatives include a routine process (fidelity) and outcome feedback, which has been linked to improved symptoms, quality of life, and lower readmission rates. Regularly discussing and measuring personal change is recommended. To support data-informed decisions based on personal change and to improve service quality, outcome management reports based on the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment (ANSA) data were developed in DARMHA, the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction's data collection and reporting platform. This reference guide describes each individual or aggregate report and provides tips to access and utilize the information.Item Integration into Mainstream Society and the use of Public Assistance: A Study First Generation Somali Refugees in a Midwestern City(ICPK, 2023) Akakpo, Tohoro F.; Brown, James R.; Karikari, Isaac; Ashirifi, Gifty Dede; School of Social WorkFirst generation Somali refugees in the United Stated States could experience both language and cultural barriers along with conflicting identity could hinder economic independence. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between cultural orientation of first-generation Somali refugees and the utilization of public assistance. Using purposive sampling method, data were collected from individuals who self-identified as first-generation Somali refugees (N=166). A quantitative data analysis method using SmartPLS3.0 to predict the need of public assistance on level on integration into host culture. The Somali identity (63.0 %) and American identity (57.0%) were explained by the full model. The study summary revealed that the percentage first generation Somali refugees who integrated into mainstream society was lower than those who did not in seeking public assistance. We suggested facilitation of full integration of the first-generation Somali refugees could reduce dependence on public assistance.Item Why do Stayers Stay? Perceptions of White and Black Long-Term Employees in a Community Mental Health Center(Springer, 2024-06) Bass, Emily; Salyers, Michelle P.; Hall, Ashton; Garabrant, Jennifer; Morse, Gary; Kyere, Eric; Dell, Nathaniel; Greenfield, Jaime; Fukui, Sadaaki; School of Social WorkPrevious research has focused on factors influencing turnover of employees in the mental health workforce, yet little research has explored reasons why employees stay. To facilitate retaining a diverse mental health workforce, the current study aimed to elucidate factors that contributed to employees’ tenure at a community mental health center (CHMC) as well as compare these perceptions between Black and White employees. Long-term employees (7 years or more) from one urban CMHC (n = 22) completed semi-structured stayer interviews. Using emergent thematic analysis, stayer interviews revealed four major themes for why they have stayed at the organization for 7 years or more: (1) work as a calling, (2) supportive relationships, (3) opportunities for growth or meaningful contribution, and (4) organization mission’s alignment with personal attributes or values. Comparison between Black and White stayer narratives revealed differences in their perceptions with work as a calling and opportunities for growth and meaningful contribution. Guided by themes derived from stayer interviews, the current study discusses theoretical (e.g., job embeddedness theory, theory of racialized organizations, self-determination theory) and practical implications (e.g., supporting job autonomy, Black voices in leadership) in an effort to improve employee retention and address structural racism within a mental health organization.Item Creating a Digital School Safety Service: A Pathway from Traditional Analog to Digital Practice(NASW Press, 2023) Brown, James R.; Keesler, John M.; School of Social WorkItem Child maltreatment and protection in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A scoping review(Elsevier, 2022) Neville, Sarah Elizabeth; Zidan, Tarek; Williams, Adam; Smith Rotabi-Casares, Karen; School of Social WorkBackground: Research on child maltreatment and protection in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries-Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-is limited but growing, as is child protection as a sector. Objectives: We aimed to identify themes and gaps in existing research on child maltreatment and protection, identify opportunities for building capacity in research and practice. Participants and setting: N/A. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals in English and Arabic and reported methods and findings according to the PRISMA-ScR reporting protocol. Articles were coded by country, topic of research, and type of abuse studied, if any. Results: Our database search returned 6109 articles and 160 articles were included in our review. Themes included (1) prevalence, incidence, and characteristics of maltreatment, (2) outcomes associated with maltreatment, (3) attitudes, awareness, and reporting, (4) accidental injury and death potentially associated with neglect, (5) policy and practice. Eighty-seven articles studied Saudi Arabia, while 28 studied the UAE, 21 Kuwait, 13 Qatar, 12 Oman, and 11 Bahrain. Physical abuse was studied in 77 articles, followed by sexual abuse in 54 articles and emotional abuse in 54. Conclusion: Although the medical community produces an encouraging volume of child maltreatment research, gaps remain. Intervention research is lacking, and further inquiry into family dynamics, culture, and spirituality could inform the development of effective interventions. Cross-sectoral collaboration among education, social work, law enforcement, and healthcare is also needed to safeguard children's rights in the GCC.Item Cognitive and Affective Empathy as Indirect Paths Between Heterogeneous Depression Symptoms on Default Mode and Salience Network Connectivity in Adolescents(Springer, 2023) Winters, Drew E.; Pruitt, Patrick J.; Gambin, Malgorzata; Fukui, Sadaaki; Cyders, Melissa A.; Pierce, Barbara J.; Lay, Kathy; Damoiseaux, Jessica S.; School of Social WorkDepression amongst adolescents is a prevalent disorder consisting of heterogeneous emotional and functional symptoms-often involving impairments in social domains such as empathy. Cognitive and affective components of empathy as well as their associated neural networks (default mode network for cognitive empathy and salience network for affective empathy) are affected by depression. Depression commonly onsets during adolescence, a critical period for brain development underlying empathy. However, the available research in this area conceptualizes depression as a homogenous construct, and thereby miss to represent the full spectrum of symptoms. The present study aims to extend previous literature by testing whether cognitive and affective empathy indirectly account for associations between brain network connectivity and heterogeneous depression symptoms in adolescents. Heterogeneous functional and emotional symptoms of depression were measured using the child depression inventory. Our results indicate that cognitive empathy mediates the association between default mode network functional connectivity and emotional symptoms of depression. More specifically, that adolescents with a stronger positive association between the default mode network and cognitive empathy show lower emotional depression symptoms. This finding highlights the importance of cognitive empathy in the relationship between brain function and depression symptoms, which may be an important consideration for existing models of depression in adolescents.Item The Intersectionality of Factors Predictng Co-occurring Disorders: A Decision Tree Model(2024-09) Walton, Betty; Hong, Saahoon; Kwon, Hyejean; Kim, Hea-Won; Moynihan, StephanieIndividuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders (COD) face challenges accessing care, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatment. To better understand factors other than substance use, which differentiates COD from psychiatric disorders PD, a study examined the combined effects of age, gender identity, race/ethnicity, pandemic, behavioral health needs, useful strengths, and COD. Involvement in recovery, active participation in treatment and managing one’s health, was the strongest predictor of having COD. This research brief highlights finding and key takeaways with implication for creating accessible, effective services, building life functioning skills, identifying risky behavior, and person-centered recovery planning.