Acculturation of children of Bangladeshi immigrants in New York City: Intergenerational perspectives and alternative trajectories
Year of Dissertation:
2009
This study explores the acculturation experiences of thirty-three Bangladeshi second generation youths in New York City through in depth interviews. The researcher has observed and recorded interactions between youths and parents in the natural setting of their homes. The findings of this qualitative study, conducted in the tradition of grounded theory, are presented in four analytic categories: crossroads of acculturation dividing immigrant parents and children; gendered socialization of Bangladeshi children in traditional patriarchal families; influence of New York City on acculturation of these children; and their ethnic self-identity trajectories and repertoires. These frameworks reveal how intentionality and secondary socialization impinge on intergenerational cultural continuity to transform new New Yorkers; unlike their parents, the children renounce ethnocentricity, native country affiliation, and patriarchal value system.
"I'm not trying to go back": Young women's strengths navigating their return from incarceration
Year of Dissertation:
2013
This is a qualitative, grounded-theory study of thirteen young women between the ages of 18 and 26 who were returning back to their lives in New York City after prison or an extended jail incarceration. The women spent anywhere from 8 months to 8 years incarcerated and were home between three months and three years from the time of their release. The study includes findings based on analysis and interpretations of the interviews, implications for future research and practice that center around the women's use of time while incarcerated, their connectedness to family, friends and staff, both while in prison and upon release, and the impact of both of those on their ability to stay free. The study includes implications for social work and correctional research and practice, and is grounded in women's relational theory and developmental frameworks.
Fostering Adolescents: A Foster Parent Perspective on Raising Adolescents
Year of Dissertation:
2010
Advisor:
Dr. Harriet Goodman
Abstract
Arts Work: A Typology of Skills for Arts-Based Group Workers
Year of Dissertation:
2010
The arts are utilized in groups across the applied humanities and social sciences with a wide range of populations to address a multitude of individual, group, and community needs. Despite literature suggesting challenges to the implementation of mutual aid based groups in social work, a body of empirical evidence exists on the use and benefits of the arts in working with groups across social science disciplines, including social work. In groups that utilize purposeful activity, balance of group process and task completion is integral to the development of the group as a system of mutual aid.
"There" is Home: A Case Study of the Colored Orphan Asylum in New York City
Year of Dissertation:
2012
The General Report to the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection in 1933 stated that as a rule "public and private agencies for dependent children have not concerned themselves with the special problems of the Negro, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Indian...Differences in culture, tradition, language and other factors of race and nationality call for a special body of knowledge and specialized methods of meeting those needs that are common to all. Failure to understand this has resulted in the neglect of certain groups, and lack of the needed specialized care" (Folks & Murphy, 1933, 17). More than 75 years later, findings indicate that youth exciting foster care are still fairing poorly despite varied policy and practice initiatives; Black youth, who are disproportionately represented out of home placement, have poorer outcomes than other populations (Hilliard, 2011; Hook & Courtney, 2011; Naccarato, Megan & Courtney, 2010; Osgood, Foster & Courtney, 2010; Center for Urban Futures, 2011).
Phantoms of Home Care and Victims of Designed Neglect: A Qualitative Study of Home Care Nurse and Social Worker Perceptions, Decisions, and Coping with Persons with Alzheimer's disease
Year of Dissertation:
2009
Abstract
Mutual Aid Processes in Treatment Groups for People with Substance Use Disorders: A Survey of Group Practitioners
Year of Dissertation:
2009
There is scant empirical evidence demonstrating the presence and importance of mutual aid processes in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment groups (Crits-Christoph et al, 1999; Sandahl & Ronnberg, 1990). Consequently this exploratory, internet-delivered survey was conducted to further examine the presence of mutual aid processes in abstinence-based SUD treatment groups in the field and the variables that are associated with higher amounts of mutual aid. The sample for this study comprised members of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (n=484). In order to obtain information about group treatment in the field a trigger question was asked allowing the identification of respondents that had led a treatment group in an abstinent-based setting within the previous two years (n=369). The study utilized an author-created scale, the Mutual Aid Processes Scale (MAPS) comprised of 30 mutual aid processes. Reliability testing of the MAPS indicated high reliability, with a Chronbach's Alpha of .96. Factor analysis suggested that all 30 items related as a unitary construct.
The Graying of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Organizational Efforts of Community Service Providers in Adapting Facilities and Programming to Meet the Needs of Older Adults
Year of Dissertation:
2013
Abstract
Organizational Resilience to Workplace Trauma
Year of Dissertation:
2011
Traumatic workplace incidents (critical incidents) occur with unfortunate regularity and with significant repercussions for affected organizations. Critical incident stress management (CISM) is the process organizations utilize to respond to traumatic incidents. CISM includes services provided before, during and after the occurrence of an incident. CISM service units, often a specialty service of employee assistance programs (EAPs) are staffed by workplace trauma professionals, who support organizations post incident. While CISM seeks to support both employee and organizational recovery, trauma research oriented towards individual recovery and resilience dominates the literature. This research contributes to less-prevalent studies that explore how incident characteristics and organizational variables impact organizational level outcomes. By emphasizing the contextual versus the psychological, this research aligns with psychosocial and ecological theories and practice. Contextual factors are particularly relevant for organizational recovery and may even be as important for individual recovery as individual differences and various treatments. This research addresses two important gaps in the literature. Despite the fact that social workers represent the leading discipline delivering CISM service, the social work profession has published little research on CISM programs. Second, while CISM units nationwide collect massive amounts of data on workplace trauma, there are no published, practice-based, studies capitalizing on the potential discoveries within existing CISM data. Employing the methodology of clinical data mining, this exploratory research examines the proposition that knowledge of a pre-incident factor (prior workgroup trauma), incident characteristics (incident type, industry type, incident severity) and service delivery variables (types of services delivered) predict for organizational resilience. Organizational resilience is explored by examining outcomes in the areas of post-incident performance restoration, employee retention and attendance, the helpfulness of services for employees and management and perception of adequacy of organizational response. Multivariate analysis conducted for performance restoration indicates that positive predictors include certain industry types and a single incident type - criminal acts. Prior workgroup trauma and higher incident severity scores were negative predictors for performance. Multivariate analysis for perceived adequacy of organizational response indicates that positive predictors include certain incident types and implementation of on-site services. Prior workgroup trauma was a negative predictor for adequacy of organizational response.
The Influence of Early Trauma on the Experience and Expression of Anger in Men on Parole
Year of Dissertation:
2011
Advisor:
Bernadette Hadden
Abstract