phd social work research topics

Verify originality of an essay

Get ideas for your paper

Find top study documents

Social Work Research Topics & Tips on Finding and Distinguishing Good Ones

Updated 12 Jun 2024

Social work research is the systematic investigation of problems pertaining to the social work field. Alternatively, it can be defined as the application of research methods for addressing/solving problems confronted by social workers in their practice.

Major research areas include studying concepts, theories, principles, underlying methods, employees’ skills and their interaction with individuals and groups as well as internal processes, functioning principles within social entities. For a more specific selection of social work research topics, go to the appropriate section within this article.

Social work is ultimately focused on practical application, hence, the ultimate goal of social work research is understanding the efficacy of various intervention methods aimed at alleviating the conditions of people suffering from social deprivation – this highlights the importance presented by both the field and its associated research. For such difficult topics, you may ask yourself "can I pay someone to write my research paper " - and our professional team is here to help you.

Signs of Good Research Topics

Of all social work research questions, how could one distinguish the ones holding the greatest value or potential? Considering these signs could increase the chances of picking higher quality or more productive social work topics:

• Chosen topics are backed up by one or more published studies by research teams from the US or from abroad with solid article-related citation metrics, typically published in prestigious peer-reviewed academic journals (journals with high impact factor).
• Social work research topics in question are related to practice – theoretical research is very important, but nothing beats practical knowledge and efficient practical intervention methods and strategies. However, this aspect might depend on other circumstances as well (for students, for instance, theoretical topics are fairly acceptable). To ensure a successful research proposal in the field of social work, consider utilizing research proposal writing services .
• Social work research topics are breaking certain stereotypes. People are inclined towards topics that break preconceived notions – such topics naturally receive greater attention. If they bring solid evidence and reasonable arguments while providing/promising real benefits, such topics can simply revolutionize the field.
• Chosen social work research topics match current trends. Don’t understand us wrong – not everything that is trendy deserves attention (many things are overhyped). However, trends do have a sound reason for emerging (there is normally value behind the forces driving them). Moreover, delving into a field/topic that has only been recently established often gives significant advantages (career-wise). So watch out for trends in your research field closely, but always scrutinize them for what they are worth.

Get your paper in 3 hours!

• Customized writing: 100% original, personalized content.
• Expert editing: polished, standout work.

✔️ Zero AI. Guaranteed Turnitin success.

Where Can You Find Perfect Topics?

When exploring education research topics or searching for social worker research topics, it might prove useful to follow a few proven strategies (which are equally valid for many other occasions):

• Skim through your study literature (e.g. handbooks, course notes) – this is material you already studied, but going through it might help you to systematically visualize all studied topics or subtopics (these can suggest new ideas).
• Brainstorming. Access your knowledge base – chances are you have a few interesting topics stored in mind that you’d like to explore in greater detail.
• Browse through published article titles in social work journals or, even better, study newsletters/highlights on journal websites. Alternatively, one could search on platforms aggregating field-related news from multiple journals.– while some articles/topics might be overly complicated or specific, these still offer an immense choice.
• Browse online for ready research topics for a custom research paper from our  research paper writing service  – skimming through such lists would bombard you with topics of appropriate complexity and scope /broadness or would inspire new related ideas (e.g. by combining elements from different topics).

Yet another way to pick a good topic is to get research paper writing help from our professional writers – they would manage all aspects, including that of choosing an original and solid topic (obviously, you might be willing to confirm it, before proceeding with your writing project).

Need more writing assistance?

Connect with our top writers and receive a paper sample on social work crafted to your needs.

100 Social Work Research Topics

Below is a comprehensive social work research topics list to help get you started with your project.

50 Controversial Research Topics

• Group therapy vs individual therapy for increasing autistic children adaptability
• Impact on parents having children with autism spectrum disorder.
• Role play vs group discussion efficiency in increasing knowledge regarding drug abuse among high-school students.
• Addressing the stigma associated with depression.
• Measures to counteract condemning stereotypes with regard to depression (explaining and highlighting the biological mechanisms underlying it)
• Identifying individuals with suicide predisposition serving in military units.
• Life events role in PTSD onset in veterans.
• Strategies to prevent PTSD onset in US army veterans.
• Social inclusion measures for war veterans.
• Most efficient strategies for suicide prevention in academic setting.
• Categories are most vulnerable to drug abuse.
• Most efficient educational measures to prevent future drug abuse in children
• Myths about substance abuse among adolescents.
• Family support importance for alcohol addicts rehabilitation.
• Workaholics – new type of addicts. Impact on personal and family lives.
• Mental retardation in Alzheimer’s disease – how to cope with it as a family member?
• Promoting integration for children with Down syndrome.
• General considerations for working with children with developmental disabilities.
• Educating society with regard to dyslexic children (all target groups could be considered: parents, classmates, teachers, etc.)
• Dyslexia cases combined with ADHD – how to approach it?
• Dismounting common myths about dyslexia.
• Counteracting bullying aimed at dyslexic children.
• Early intervention benefits to address language difficulties in case of dyslexic children.
• What role should educators, parents, schools, mental health centers, private practice have in addressing dyslexia?
• Key prerequisites for building resilience to adverse life events in children
• Strategies for building resilience in welfare workers.
• Who is responsible for developing resilience in social workers?
• Self-help guidelines for social workers to become resilient.
• Most common problems encountered by LGBT youth in US schools.
• Arming LGBT individuals with coping strategies to face discrimination.
• The situation with juvenile delinquents across various US states.
• Rationale behind separating juvenile delinquents from adult delinquents.
• Factors contributing to high youth incarceration rate in certain US states (Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota).
• Most efficient reeducation strategies for juvenile delinquents.
• Society inclusion measures for people that served in prison.
• Coping with the stigma of having served in prison.
• Attitudes of welfare workers towards incarcerated individuals.
• Attitudes of correctional officers towards mental health of incarcerated individuals.
• Gender differences relevance when working with incarcerated people.
• Factors increasing the risk of recidivism in released prisoners.
• Incarceration impacts on parent-child relationships.
• Incarceration effects on mental health.
• Social inclusion role and family support in preventing recidivism by former prisoners.
• Circumstances associated with the highest risk of becoming a human trafficking victim.
• Ethical rules important when working with human trafficking victims.
• Trauma characteristic depiction for human trafficking victims.
• What is considered neglecting a child in child welfare?
• Prerequisites of a safe childhood and a functional family.
• Dealing with child abuse in orphanages.
• Types of child maltreatment/abuse.

Essay Examples Relevant to Social Work Controversial Topics

• Social Work
• Child Abuse
• Discrimination

50 Hot Research Topics for Social Work Students

• Difference in approaching children vs adolescents suffering from domestic violence.
• Success stories in preventing child abuse in certain regions/states.
• Strategies to encourage women to report domestic violence cases.
• Damage to families with ongoing domestic violence.
• Healing steps for victims of domestic violence.
• Effects of child neglect on later academic performance and career.
• Removing a child from a setting – when is it justified?
• Guidelines on providing testimony in court as a social worker
• Peculiarities of social work in health care assistance.
• Grief counseling for families that lost a loved one.
• Understanding the symptoms of grief.
• Risk factors for dangerous grief.
• Conduct/communication rules with persons in grief.
• Types of elder abuse. Which are the most common ones?
• Predictors of elder abuse (related to relationships within families, financial, status).
• The integrative concept of human services.
• The utility of mentoring programs in social care.
• Work with elders experiencing cognitive impairment.
• Peculiarities of working with immigrants in social care.
• Considerations for working with HIV positive people.
• Social research topics about homeless people.
• Primary factors contributing to homelessness.
• Challenges faced by social care assistants in working with sexually exploited clients belonging to the opposite gender.
• Meeting unique needs of sexually exploited children.
• Compassion fatigue experienced by welfare worker.
• Challenges experienced by single parents and support strategies
• Problem of getting medical help when belonging to vulnerable categories
• Is there place for spirituality in welfare worker?
• Religious beliefs obstructing welfare worker.
• Support strategies for low-income families having children with impaired development.
• Retrospective views and youth opinions on foster care facilities they have gone through.
• Key wishes/demands expressed by foster care facility residents
• Strategies employed by welfare worker to avoid burnout.
• Importance of building emotional intelligence as welfare worker.
• Discussing sexual health with mentally ill or retarded clients.
• Spirituality and faith as an essential element in many addiction rehabilitation programs.
• Attitude towards older people among welfare workers.
• Factors responsible for reluctance to benefit from mental health services among certain population groups.
• Differences in working with adolescent and adult drug abusers.
• Factors affecting foster youth that impact their higher education retention rate.
• Language barrier as an obstructing factor for minorities in benefiting from mental health services.
• Cultural competence as social work research topic
• Pre and post birth assistance to surrogate mothers. Evaluating impact on mental health.
• Challenges and issues arising in families with adoptive children.
• Play therapy interventions effectiveness in school-based counseling.
• Mental health in hemodialysis patients and corresponding support strategies.
• Importance presented by recreational activities for patients with Alzheimer’s.
• Intimacy impact on the outcome of group therapy practices for alcohol addiction.
• Mental health care outcomes in pedophilia victims.
• Alternative practices in social work.

Essay Examples Relevant to Hot Research Topics for Social Work

• Domestic Violence
• Elder Abuse
• Homelessness

Read also: Get excellent grades with the help of online research paper maker. 

Found Topic But No Time For Writing?

We truly hope that by providing this list of social work topics for research papers we’ve addressed an important challenge many students encounter. Nevertheless, choosing suitable social work research topics is not the only challenge when having to write a paper.

Fortunately, Edubirdie website has a number of other tools like a thesis statement generator, a citation tool, a plagiarism checker, etc. to help with related aspects of writing a research paper. Besides, you can directly hire our professional paper writers to assist you with writing the paper according to instructions, creating a detailed outline, an annotated bibliography, but also with editing, proofreading, creating slides for presentation, etc.

Clients can choose their preferred writers freely by evaluating their ranking and performance on the platform. Later, they can communicate with these writers as their projects progress, being able to request intermediary results and providing feedback, additional guiding. If results are not satisfying and don’t match provided instructions, you can request unlimited revisions – all for free. In the unlikely situation in which revision attempts fail, you are guaranteed to get your money back. Given these low risks and guaranteed outcome, you should definitely give it a try!

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback, related blog posts, how to conduct research: best tips from experienced edubirdie writers.

Have you ever got your scholarly task and been unsure how to start research? Are you a first-year student beginning your project? Whatever the case...

How to cite a research paper: basic rules and examples

Citing scientific papers is a fundamental skill for every university student engaged in academic pursuits. Proper quotation acknowledges the intell...

100 Qualitative Research topics to impress your teacher

Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in various academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market rese...

Join our 150K of happy users

• Get original papers written according to your instructions
• Save time for what matters most

199+ Social Work Research Topics [Updated 2024]

In the vast and dynamic field of social work, research plays a pivotal role in shaping interventions, policies, and practices. Social work research is not just an academic pursuit but a powerful tool for effecting positive change in communities. As aspiring researchers delve into this realm, the journey begins with a crucial decision – selecting the right social work research topic.

In this blog, we will explore the significance of choosing the right social work research topics, provide insights into the selection process, highlight popular research areas, discuss emerging trends, offer tips for conducting research, and share valuable resources for social work researchers.

Significance of Choosing the Right Social Work Research Topics

Table of Contents

Impact on Research Quality

The choice of a research topic significantly influences the quality and relevance of the research conducted. A well-chosen topic enhances the researcher’s ability to contribute meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge in social work.

Alignment with Personal Interests and Goals

Selecting a topic aligned with personal interests and career goals fosters a sense of passion and commitment. This alignment not only sustains the researcher’s enthusiasm throughout the process but also increases the likelihood of producing impactful research.

Contribution to the Field of Social Work

The right research topic has the potential to contribute to the broader field of social work by addressing pressing issues, proposing innovative solutions, and advancing our understanding of complex social dynamics.

How to Select Social Work Research Topics?

• Understanding the Scope of Social Work: Social work is a multifaceted discipline that encompasses various domains such as mental health, child welfare, community development, and more. Prospective researchers should explore the diverse scopes within social work to identify areas that resonate with their interests and expertise.
• Identifying Personal Interests and Passion: Passion fuels research endeavors. Researchers should reflect on their personal experiences, values, and interests to identify areas within social work that evoke a strong sense of commitment.
• Considering Relevance to Current Social Issues: Social work research gains significance when it addresses current societal challenges. Researchers should evaluate potential topics based on their relevance to contemporary issues, ensuring that the findings can contribute meaningfully to ongoing dialogues and efforts for social change.

199+ Social Work Research Topics: Category-Wise

Mental health and social work.

• The impact of community support on mental health outcomes.
• Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in social work.
• Exploring stigma surrounding mental health in diverse populations.
• Integrating technology in mental health counseling: Challenges and opportunities.
• The role of social work in preventing suicide and self-harm.

Diversity and Inclusion in Social Work

• LGBTQ+ inclusivity in social work practice.
• Addressing microaggressions and bias in social work interactions.
• Promoting cultural competence in social work education.
• Exploring challenges faced by immigrants and refugees in accessing social services.
• Intersectionality in social work: Understanding and addressing multiple identities.

Social Work and Community Development

• Evaluating the impact of community gardens on neighborhood well-being.
• The role of social workers in disaster response and recovery.
• Strategies for combating homelessness and housing insecurity.
• Assessing the effectiveness of community-based participatory research in social work.
• Social work’s contribution to sustainable community development.

Social Work and Child Welfare

• Investigating the long-term outcomes of children in foster care.
• The impact of parental substance abuse on child welfare.
• Exploring cultural competence in child welfare services.
• Innovative approaches to supporting kinship care families.
• Assessing the effectiveness of early intervention programs for at-risk children.

Global Perspectives in Social Work Research

• Cross-cultural perspectives on social work ethics.
• Human rights and social work: An international comparison.
• The role of social work in addressing global health disparities.
• Social work responses to forced migration and refugee crises.
• Comparative analysis of social work systems in different countries.

Technology and Social Work

• Ethical considerations in the use of artificial intelligence in social work.
• Online therapy and its implications for the future of social work.
• Integrating telehealth in social work practice: Challenges and benefits.
• Cyberbullying and the role of social workers in prevention and intervention.
• The impact of social media on social work advocacy.

Policy and Advocacy in Social Work

• Analyzing the impact of welfare reform on vulnerable populations.
• Social work advocacy for criminal justice reform.
• The role of social workers in shaping healthcare policies.
• Addressing disparities in access to education through social work policy.
• Environmental justice and the role of social work in sustainability.

Substance Abuse and Addiction in Social Work

• Harm reduction strategies in social work practice.
• Supporting families affected by substance abuse: A social work perspective.
• Exploring the intersection of trauma and addiction in social work.
• Assessing the effectiveness of drug prevention programs in schools.
• The role of social workers in opioid addiction treatment.

Gerontology and Aging in Social Work

• Aging in place: Examining the role of social work in supporting seniors at home.
• Social isolation and mental health in the elderly population.
• Addressing elder abuse: Strategies for prevention and intervention.
• Palliative care and the role of social workers in end-of-life care.
• The impact of dementia on families and the role of social work support.

Education and Social Work

• The role of school social workers in addressing student mental health.
• Inclusive education: Social work interventions for students with disabilities.
• Bullying prevention programs in schools: A social work perspective.
• Examining the impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes.
• Social work support for students experiencing homelessness.

Human Trafficking and Exploitation

• Human trafficking prevention and intervention strategies in social work.
• The role of social workers in supporting survivors of human trafficking.
• Addressing labor exploitation through social work advocacy.
• Intersectionality and human trafficking: A comprehensive approach.
• Assessing the effectiveness of anti-trafficking policies and programs.

Family Dynamics and Social Work

• Impact of divorce and separation on children: Social work interventions.
• Foster care reunification: Challenges and success factors.
• LGBTQ+ parenting and the role of social work in family support.
• Domestic violence prevention programs: A social work perspective.
• Blended families: Navigating challenges and fostering resilience.

Health and Healthcare Disparities

• Social determinants of health and their impact on vulnerable populations.
• Access to healthcare for underserved communities: A social work perspective.
• The role of social workers in supporting individuals with chronic illnesses.
• Reducing health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities through social work interventions.
• Palliative care and the psychosocial aspects of terminal illness.

Human Rights and Social Work

• Social work advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
• Promoting gender equality through social work initiatives.
• Indigenous rights and the role of social workers in reconciliation.
• Advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities: A social work perspective.
• Social work responses to human rights violations and social justice issues.

Disability and Inclusion

• Social work interventions for children with developmental disabilities.
• The impact of inclusive employment programs on individuals with disabilities.
• Accessibility and social work advocacy for people with physical disabilities.
• Autism spectrum disorder: Social work support for individuals and families.
• Inclusive recreation programs: Enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.

Veterans and Military Social Work

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the role of social workers in veteran support.
• Social work interventions for military families experiencing deployment stress.
• Transitioning from military to civilian life: Challenges and opportunities.
• The impact of substance abuse on veterans and social work prevention strategies.
• Access to mental health services for veterans: A social work perspective.

Community Mental Health Programs

• Evaluating the effectiveness of community mental health clinics.
• Peer support programs in community mental health: A social work approach.
• Social work interventions for reducing stigma around mental illness in communities.
• Integrating mental health into primary care settings through collaborative care approaches.
• Social workers’ roles in school-based mental health initiatives.

Immigration and Social Work

• Social work responds to populations of immigrants and refugees’ mental health issues.
• The effect of immigration laws on social service accessibility.
• Community integration and social work support for immigrants.
• Advocacy for immigrant rights: A social work perspective.
• Family reunification and the role of social workers in immigration processes.

Social Work in Rural Communities

• Access to healthcare in rural communities: Social work interventions.
• Substance abuse prevention in rural settings: Challenges and solutions.
• Community development strategies for promoting rural well-being.
• Addressing mental health disparities in rural populations: A social work approach.
• Social work support for families facing economic challenges in rural areas.

Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice

• Integrating trauma-informed care into social work practice.
• Addressing childhood trauma through school-based interventions.
• Trauma-focused therapies and their application in social work.
• Vicarious trauma and self-care strategies for social workers.
• The role of social workers in supporting survivors of sexual assault.

Social Work in Schools

• School-based bullying prevention programs: A social work perspective.
• Social work interventions for students with learning disabilities.
• The impact of school social workers on academic success.
• Mental health support for at-risk youth in school settings.
• The role of social workers in addressing the school-to-prison pipeline.

Criminal Justice and Social Work

• Reentry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals: A social work approach.
• Juvenile justice and the role of social workers in rehabilitation.
• Addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system: A social work perspective.
• The impact of incarceration on families and social work support.

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

• Principles and applications of community-based participatory research in social work.
• Engaging communities in the research process: A CBPR approach.
• Evaluating the outcomes of community-based interventions using CBPR.
• Challenges and opportunities in implementing CBPR in diverse settings.
• Empowering communities through CBPR: Case studies and best practices.

Social Work and Environmental Justice

• Climate change and its impact on vulnerable populations: A social work perspective.
• Environmental justice and community organizing: Social work interventions.
• Sustainable community development and the role of social workers.
• Access to clean water and sanitation: A social work advocacy approach.
• Indigenous perspectives on environmental justice: A social work lens.

Human Services Administration

• Leadership styles in human services administration: A social work perspective.
• The role of technology in improving human services delivery.
• Strategies for effective human services program evaluation.
• Addressing burnout and promoting self-care in human services organizations.
• Social work ethics and decision-making in human services administration.

Social Work and Artificial Intelligence

• Applications of AI in social work practice: Opportunities and challenges.
• The role of chatbots in mental health support: A social work perspective.
• Bias and fairness in algorithmic decision-making in social work.
• Human-AI collaboration in social work: Enhancing service delivery.

Crisis Intervention and Social Work

• Social work responses to natural disasters: Lessons learned and best practices.
• Crisis intervention strategies for individuals experiencing acute trauma.
• The role of social workers in emergency shelters and disaster recovery.
• Trauma-informed care in crisis intervention: A social work approach.
• Collaborative approaches to crisis intervention in community settings.

Social Work in the LGBTQ+ Community

• LGBTQ+ youth homelessness: Social work interventions and prevention.
• Supporting transgender and non-binary individuals in social work practice.
• Mental health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community: A social work perspective.
• LGBTQ+ inclusive policies in social service organizations.
• Social work advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and equal access to services.

Social Work and Aging

• Aging in place: Social work interventions for promoting independence.
• Social work support for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
• End-of-life decision-making and the role of social workers.
• Social isolation among older adults: Strategies for prevention and intervention.
• Exploring innovative housing models for aging populations.

Faith-Based Social Work

• The intersection of faith and social work: Ethical considerations.
• Faith-based organizations in community development: A social work perspective.
• Pastoral care and counseling: Social work support in religious communities.
• Addressing religious discrimination in social work practice.
• Interfaith dialogue and its role in fostering social cohesion: A social work approach.

Social Work in Substance Use Prevention

• Social work interventions for preventing substance use among adolescents.
• The impact of early childhood experiences on later substance use: A social work perspective.
• Prevention programs targeting high-risk populations: A social work approach.
• Social work support for families affected by parental substance use.
• Community-based strategies for preventing opioid misuse: A social work lens.

Global Mental Health and Social Work

• Cultural considerations in global mental health: A social work approach.
• Collaborative approaches to addressing mental health stigma globally.
• The role of social workers in disaster mental health response internationally.
• Integrating traditional healing practices into global mental health interventions.
• Comparative analysis of mental health policies and services worldwide.

Social Work and Human-Animal Interaction

• Animal-assisted therapy in social work practice: Applications and benefits.
• The role of therapy animals in reducing stress and promoting well-being.
• Animal cruelty prevention and the role of social workers.
• The impact of pet ownership on mental health: A social work perspective.
• Ethical considerations in incorporating animals into social work interventions.

Refugee Mental Health and Social Work

• Trauma-informed approaches in working with refugee populations.
• Social work support for refugee children in educational settings.
• Addressing mental health disparities among refugee communities.
• Cultural competence in providing mental health services to refugees.
• Resettlement challenges and social work interventions for refugees.

Community Resilience and Social Work

• Building community resilience in the face of adversity: A social work perspective.
• Social work interventions for promoting resilience in vulnerable populations.
• Resilience-based mental health programs in schools: A social work approach.
• The role of social workers in disaster resilience planning.
• Collective trauma and community healing: A social work lens.

Technology and Social Work Ethics

• Ethical considerations in the use of social media in social work practice.
• Privacy and confidentiality in the age of digital record-keeping.
• Ensuring equity in access to technology-based interventions: A social work approach.
• Social work responses to cyberbullying: Prevention and intervention strategies.
• Ethical guidelines for the use of virtual reality in social work practice.

Social Work in Sports

• Sports-based youth development programs: A social work perspective.
• The role of social workers in promoting mental health in athletes.
• Addressing substance use and performance-enhancing drugs in sports: A social work lens.
• Inclusive sports programs for individuals with disabilities: A social work approach.
• Social work interventions for preventing and addressing sports-related violence.

Social Work in the Arts

• Arts-based interventions in social work practice: Applications and outcomes.
• The role of creative expression in trauma recovery: A social work perspective.
• Using theater and performance arts in social work education and therapy.
• Arts programs for at-risk youth: A social work approach.
• The impact of the arts on community well-being: A social work lens.

Social Work and Foster Care Adoption

• Social work interventions for successful foster care reunification.
• Addressing the unique needs of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.
• The impact of foster care placement on child development: A social work perspective.
• Post-adoption support services: A social work approach.
• Cultural competence in transracial and transcultural foster care and adoption.

Social Work in the Gig Economy

• The Role of Social Work in Addressing Mental Health Challenges in the Gig Economy
• Exploring Social Work Strategies for Supporting Gig Workers’ Financial Stability
• Gig Economy and Social Work Advocacy: Ensuring Fair Labor Practices
• Navigating Occupational Hazards: Social Work Interventions in Gig Work Environments
• Social Work’s Contribution to Promoting Work-Life Balance in the Gig Economy

Emerging Trends in Social Work Research

• The Impact of Technology on Social Work Practice: Examine how technology is influencing social work practices and service delivery, considering both advantages and ethical considerations.
• Ethical Considerations in the Use of Technology in Social Work Research: Discuss the ethical challenges associated with the integration of technology in social work research and propose guidelines for responsible use.
• Cross-Cultural Studies in Social Work: Explore the significance of cross-cultural studies in social work research, promoting a deeper understanding of diverse cultural contexts.
• Addressing Global Social Issues through Research: Investigate how social work research can contribute to addressing global social challenges, such as poverty, migration, and climate change.

Tips for Conducting Social Work Research

Developing a Research Question

Craft a research question for social work research topics that is clear, concise, and aligns with the chosen social work research topic. The question should guide the research process and contribute meaningfully to the existing literature.

Choosing Appropriate Research Methods

Select research methods that align with the nature of the research question and the goals of the study. Consider whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approaches are most suitable for addressing the research objectives.

Ethical Considerations in Social Work Research

Prioritize ethical considerations throughout the research process. Ensure informed consent, confidentiality, and respect for the dignity and rights of research participants.

Resources for Social Work Researchers

Journals and Publications

Explore reputable social work journals and publications to stay updated on the latest research, methodologies, and findings. Examples include the “Journal of Social Work” and the “British Journal of Social Work.”

Professional Organizations

Joining professional organizations such as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) provides access to valuable resources, networking opportunities, and conferences that enhance a researcher’s knowledge and skills.

Online Databases and Research Tools

Utilize online databases like PubMed , Social Work Abstracts, and Google Scholar to access a wide range of social work research articles. Additionally, familiarize yourself with research tools and software that can streamline the research process.

In conclusion, the journey of selecting the social work research topics is a crucial step that requires thoughtful consideration and reflection. The chosen topic should align with personal interests, address current social issues, and contribute meaningfully to the field of social work. 

As researchers embark on this journey, they have the opportunity to explore diverse areas, from mental health and child welfare to emerging trends in technology and global perspectives. 

By following ethical guidelines, employing appropriate research methods, and leveraging valuable resources, social work researchers can make significant contributions to improving the well-being of individuals and communities.

Related Posts

Step by Step Guide on The Best Way to Finance Car

The Best Way on How to Get Fund For Business to Grow it Efficiently

• How we work

81 Social Work Research Topics to Consider for PhD Research

Browse our collection of wide-ranging research topics for social work that can make your project stand out.

Great Social Work Topics to Research: Signs, Features & Examples

The main thing to remember when seeking great social work research proposal topics is the need to focus on investigating actual problems. Major research areas are related to concepts, theories, and principles people use to interact with individuals and groups. Moreover, research also covers internal processes and functioning principles within social entities. The research helps to understand the problems better and find solutions.

Another important thing is that social work topics to research should be associated with the practice. Theoretical knowledge can’t be completed without a practical part. The research proposal topic should bring specific evidence, functional arguments, and tangible benefits. Your social work research topics should be revolutionary for the field and align with the latest trends.

What Makes Qualitative Research Topics in Social Work Outstanding

Composing a proposal is essential if you need to conduct investigations in a particular field. Social work research proposals are required to outline your plan to study a specific area. In the research proposal, you should demonstrate impeccable knowledge of the field’s fundamental problems and an understanding of the research question set. It should clearly explain the social work research methods chosen and state the outcomes you expect to get.

The initial step in creating a proposal is finding an appropriate social work research topics ideas. However, selecting an exciting theme among myriads of options may be challenging, even if you narrow the search area. To simplify the process and provide you with the most valuable opportunities, we’ve collected some of the best ideas to inspire you for an excellent research proposal and further work.

Besides having a paper topic list, you may need an example of social work research proposal to complete the task successfully. This sample shows how the text is structured and how the information is distributed among all parts. Just look at how the research question is formulated here and how the author manages it to add more value to their work.

Social Work Research Topics Ideas to Inspire You

Developing worthy scholarly research topics in social work is usually the hardest, especially if people must do it themselves. Without proper experience, it is sometimes difficult to assess the manageability of the study, the relevance, and the availability of supporting materials. To make the task easier, we present you with research topics for social work proposals that will inspire you and give you an idea of what to write a paper about.

• Preparing Educators for Multiple Settings
• Evaluation of the Impact of Innovation on Social Workers’ Performance
• Support Services for Families in Need
• Peer Service Providers in Addressing Reproductive Health
• The Major Problems Encountered by Social Workers During Work
• The Best Inclusive Practices on Education for People with ASD
• The Impact of Gender Diversity in Schools
• How Secondary Trauma Affects Adults
• Importance of Religion in Reducing Stereotypes
• The Impact of Death on the Collective Well-Being of the Family
• How Does Evidence-Based Practice Influence Life-Long Learning?
• How Homelessness Impacts People’s Psyche
• The Best Social Inclusion Strategies for War Victims
• Strategies to Support Single Parents
• The Effect and Consequences of Mis- and Undiagnosed Mental Illnesses
• The Cultural Importance of Generation Gap
• Significance of Family Support as a Possible Way of Alcohol Recovery
• The Impact of Alcohol on the Psychology of a Person
• Proper Ways to Breed Love in Foster Care

Most of the ideas in this social work research topics list have a solid research base that you can use to conduct a detailed literature review and develop your own arguments. Reinventing the wheel is good practice, but the ability to find a worthwhile solution by examining an exciting question from a different perspective is just as good.

Controversial Social Work Research Topics List

As with different fields and areas, many paper topics relate to problems, situations, and cases that are worth discussing but often glossed over. Violence, trauma, and stigmatization are just a few examples of such issues that would seem better suited for psychology research proposals . However, these issues are no less important to consider in the social work context.

• Exploration of the Effect of Poverty on Children’s Mental Health
• The Impact of Student Loans on Learners Motivation and Well-Being
• Helping Sexually Exploited Children
• The Common Types of Elder Abuse and Ways to Prevent Them
• The Major Stigma Associated With People Who Have Depression
• Therapy and Support Groups for Welfare Workers
• Coping With Imprisonment Stigma
• Coping Strategies of Men During Violence at Home
• Social Inclusion Measures for War Veterans
• The Essence of Welfare Work Sector Diversity
• What Are Disability and the Stigma Enveloping It?
• Identifying the Practices Considered Neglecting Children
• The Connection Between Divorce and the Health and Lifestyle of Children
• Psychological Violence and Damages It Causes
• Ways to Identify Trauma in the Workplace
• Ways to Improve Living Standards in Foster Homes
• Counteracting Bullying Aimed At Dyslexic Children
• Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Community Wellbeing
• Effects of Misdiagnosis of Mental Illness
• How Home Violence Impacts Children
• Challenges Faced by Minority Children at Their Foster Homes
• Social Problems of ASD Children
• Research of Social Reacts to Euthanasia
• Undiagnosed Depression and How Family Exacerbates It
• Ways to Control Addiction at Various Stages
• Psychological Impacts of Child Trafficking
• Sustainability of Wellness Therapy
• Teenage Pregnancy Impact on Teenage Mothers
• Negative Impact of Conversion Therapy Negatively on the LGBTQ+ Community
• Spousal Violence and How to Address It

Research Topics for Social Work Students Who Want to Go Far

What do you want to achieve with your social work research proposal? Is it a common assignment you just need to handle, or will this project mark the beginning of your path to effectively helping people? Think about this when selecting a research proposal sociology topic, and consider choosing something that resonates with you personally.

• Risks of Drug Abuse Among Adolescents From Disadvantaged Families
• Negative Effects of Abusive Parenting
• Investigation and Prevention Causes of Child Abuse in Orphanages
• How Does Domestic Violence Affect a Family
• The Strategies Put in Place to Encourage Women to Report GBV
• A Study of Dealing With Dyslexia as an Adolescent
• Trafficking: The Impacts of It on the Social Well-Being of a Society
• Vulnerability to Drugs and Ways to Help Drug Addicts
• Clinical Depression and Undiagnosed Depression
• Therapy for Underrepresented Groups and Its Importance in Reducing Discrimination
• The Dangers of Confinement and Why It Should Be Looked Into
• The Challenges of Hurricanes in Low-Income Neighborhoods
• Ways for PTSD Patients to Receive Inclusive Support
• Gender Roles and Cultural Beliefs and Their Impact on Marriages
• The Practice of Resilience Amongst Social Workers
• The Protest Against Police Brutality
• Sponsorship Impact on the Lives of Recovering Addicts
• The Impacts of Constant Mobility on the Lives of Orphaned Toddlers
• The Ways Physical Abuse Affects Spousal Intimacy
• An Importance of Encouraging More Flexible Social Structures for Disabled People
• The Greatest Risk of Fetal Alcohol Exposure
• Transition to Social Work From Previous Employment
• The Global Poverty of Modern Human Services
• The Best Way to Establish a High School Service-Learning Program
• How Mass Media Affects Educational Development
• Factors Leading To Children’s Neglection in Society
• The Effect of Mass Media on Childhood Socialization
• The Best Autism Care Practices
• The Generation Gap and Effect on Culture
• How Family Cruelty Impacts Lives
• Factors Contributing to Family Violence

To find more paper topic ideas, check out the social work research topics pdf and pick something to inspire yourself.

Download Here More Social Science Research Proposal Ideas!

What else does the choice of research topics for social work students affect?

• Data Collection and Analysis

Ensure your chosen proposal topic has enough materials to create a solid theoretical framework. Also, it often influences research methodology. For example, by selecting a qualitative research topic in social work, you should be prepared to organize focus groups, develop questionnaires, etc.

• The Whole Work Process

A social work research proposal is just a plan for your work during the next several years. If you choose a paper topic that doesn’t interest you, you risk burnout and failing to earn the desired degree.

• The Outcome and Research Success

Most research topics in social work are related to significant problems humanity faces. Thus, your proposal ideas should be practicable and relevant. They also should have measurable outcomes and lead to improvements in your field.

Let Experts Help with Social Work Research Proposals Preparation

The selection of research topics social work is only a part of the process. Next, you will need to collect and analyze available materials, design your own research, and cope with it, which may not be easy. Luckily, our seasoned proposal writing experts can help you not only with great inspirational ideas but also with their realization in the paper. No matter how complex and comprehensive your qualitative research topics in social work are, there are field-related PhD researchers to support you. Just provide us with the needed requirements and research materials, if any, and enjoy your well-written proposal paper delivered soon!

Why wait any longer? Get full-service assistance with social work research paper topics from PhD experts in your field!

Upload Files

Thank you for your request!

We will get in touch with you shortly!

Please, try one more time.

• Research Paper Guides
• Research Paper Topics
• 300 Social Work Research Topics & Questions for Papers
• Speech Topics
• Basics of Essay Writing
• Essay Topics
• Other Essays
• Main Academic Essays
• Basics of Research Paper Writing
• Miscellaneous
• Chicago/ Turabian
• Data & Statistics
• Methodology
• Admission Writing Tips
• Admission Advice
• Other Guides
• Student Life
• Studying Tips
• Understanding Plagiarism
• Academic Writing Tips
• Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

• Essay Guides
• Formatting Guides
• Basics of Research Process
• Admission Guides
• Dissertation & Thesis Guides

300 Social Work Research Topics & Questions for Papers

Table of contents

Use our free Readability checker

Social work research focuses primarily on studying problems experienced in social work field. The research, in this case, talks about challenges that caseworkers go through in their practice. Social work research topics cover various things, including problems in welfare work, and indicate how research can be used to gain a deep understanding of the issues. Have you been wondering how to develop an intriguing social work topic and possible areas to discuss in your research? Don't worry because this article by our online paper writing service covers all your concerns. The blog post will provide some social work research topic ideas that you can consider for your social work research.

What Are Social Work Research Topics?

Social work research topics are areas of study that involve applying research methodology to comprehend sectors that are challenging for social workers. These topic ideas concentrate on addressing some problems that caseworkers go through both in their lives and their field. Research topics for social work may vary. However, like any other research paper, writing social work research topics deals with application of related theories and concepts, as well as understanding the entire casework aspects. The research involves applying cause and effect, analytic, survey, and experimental procedures to find ways to address welfare challenges. The purpose of welfare work study is to understand the efficiency of various interventions used to address challenges people develop due to welfare deprivation.

Characteristics of Good Social Work Topics

As an individual seeking to conduct research in welfare work areas, you need to know some of the features that make social work topics to be of great value. Below are characteristics that will make topics for social work research incredible.

• A good topic covers modern trends and incorporates the ideas in the social field.
• The topic should break specific stereotypes using reasonable evidence.
• It must also be supported by various studies that are peer-reviewed.
• Topic chosen must be related to practices in the welfare field.

How to Choose a Social Work Topic?

A plan to decide on excellent social work topics to research starts with a general orientation into social work field. Here are some steps involved when choosing a social work research topic.

• Pick a sector with research potential or simply the one you like.
• Start with “why” and “what” questions and expand on them.
• Read data on faculty’s research interests.
• Read a proper research paper that find interesting and focus on literature review and background sections to gain insight into various issues.
• Identify and browse journals that relate to your likes.
• Lastly, you can look online for research topics that are ready and skim through them to gain new knowledge.

Once you pick a topic, don’t hesitate to contact our proficient research paper writers . Our experts are adept in many fields and can complete a research paper on any topic.

Social Work Research Topics List

Social work research topics cover various concepts and challenges related to caseworkers and their fields of practice. Below are comprehensive research topics in social work that are compelling to explore.

• Parenting and how it is affected by drug abuse.
• Hardship and benefits of teenage adoption.
• Dealing with suicidal thoughts.
• Societal view on mental sickness stigma.
• Adverse impact of displacement on street kids.
• Homelessness and associated psychological effects.
• Managing PTSD among veterans.
• Adolescents and associated clinical depression.
• How group therapy helps to better the lives of foster residents.
• Family role in reducing or increasing depression.
• Effectiveness of anti-depressants.
• Impact of death on wellbeing of a family.
• Effects of divorce on lifestyle and health of children.
• Ways to address military troops' suicidal tendencies.
• Causes of suicidal thoughts in society.
• Impact of disability on lives of parents.
• Ways to address stigma associated with disability.
• Children with autism are socially excluded.
• Impacts of bullying on children’s wellbeing.
• Complexities around child labor.
• Debate for and against abortion.
• Maltreatment of children in foster care.
• Change in societal reaction to HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and now.
• Rape and its psychological impact on the victim.
• Ways to reduce human trafficking.

Unique Topics in Social Work

There are scholarly research topics in social work that draw extra attention from readers since they are unique in nature. Such topics often concentrate on issues neglected in society. Below are unique topics for social work research.

• Is wellbeing therapy sustainable?
• Teenage girls’ menstrual experiences in foster homes for the first time.
• Poverty and how it impedes growth in the American Deep South.
• Negative impact of conversion therapy on LGBTQ society.
• Influence of inclusive healthcare system on ensuring good welfare lives of people.
• Interracial marriages and their associated problems.
• Effects of diversity on children with disabilities.
• Effects of physical abuse on spousal intimacy.
• Pornography as a primary contributor of incest in families.
• Increase in violence against children and women.
• Activism role based on culture in Native Americans ’ lives.
• Sexual addiction of women to men.
• Disparity in health services for immigrants.
• Challenges experienced by people diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
• Living with a spouse with memory problem.
• Power issue in divorce mediation.
• Issues related to having many partners.
• Reintegration of those who survive substance abuse into the society.
• Employment initiatives for women.
• Dynamic systems applied to nations in war situations.
• Transracial adoption and identity issue.
• The hidden trauma in young counselors.
• Ensuring access to medical services in villages.
• Lowering the gender pay gap.
• Reducing racism and antisemitism.

Controversial Topics in Social Work

Presently, there are several controversial issues in social work that may give rise to social research topics. Listed below are some controversial social work research topics.

• Societal reaction to euthanasia.
• Myths on adolescents’ substance abuse.
• Societal groups that are most vulnerable to substance abuse.
• Ways to deal with drug abuse in orphanages.
• Ethical issues associated with human trafficking.
• Family support role in reducing recidivism.
• How imprisonment affects mental health.
• Gender difference when dealing with imprisoned individuals.
• Juvenile delinquents and reeducation strategies.
• Whose role is it to develop resilience in social work?
• What are strategies to build resilience among welfare workers?
• Benefits associated with social health education among incarcerated women.
• How unreported cases of abuse propagate violence.
• Does constructivist therapy offer anything new to social work?
• Should caseworkers support hypnosis use?
• Who is responsible for misdiagnosis?
• How does misdiagnosis affect lives of mentally ill individuals?
• Health benefits associated with hypnosis on an individual.
• Should parents be involved in preventing dyslexia?
• Ways to address panic for both adults and adolescents.
• Challenges faced by the LGBTQ community.
• Do traffickers suffer psychological consequences of human trafficking?
• Welfare workers’ roles in civil wars.
• Various strategies to help anti-social students.
• Was confinement sanctioning by the court a good move?

Interesting Social Work Research Questions

Before you start your research, it is essential to develop a social work research question that guides the type of information you will gather. Some of the social work research questions examples that talk about various interesting social work topics are listed below.

• How can the US solve the rise in obesity cases?
• How does taking student loans impact them psychologically?
• How can America curb increasing addiction cases?
• How do we help adults with learning disabilities?
• How can we improve lives of pregnant incarcerated mothers?
• What is America’s racial disparity prevalence?
• How can PTSD patients receive support?
• Does poverty have psychological effects on children?
• What are workplace violence indicators?
• What are strategies to ensure work-family balance?
• What does society believe about divorce and its impact on children?
• Do you think substance abuse can be regulated?
• What are consequences of living with HIV/AIDS?
• Do you feel traumatized living with dyslexia?
• What are causes of bipolar disorder?
• How does society treat those with bipolar disorders?
• Who is more vulnerable to divorce?
• Does the US criminal justice system play its role in reducing juvenile delinquency?
• What are problems minority kids face at their foster homes?
• Does substance misuse lead to alcoholism?
• Role of police brutality in increasing transformative change?
• What is the appropriate strategy to help patients with bipolar?
• How can we avoid re-incarceration?
• What does religion say about LGBTQ community?
• How does ADHD affect children in foster homes?

>> Read more: Criminal Justice Research Paper Topics

Hot Topics in Social Work

There are various topics in social work that a researcher can explore to address current hot issues such as COVID-19 pandemic. These topics are important since they help determine current and future solutions to an issue. Here are some social work issues topics that you can consider.

• What are effects of Russian-Ukraine war on society?
• Impact of COVID-19 on welfare workers’ psychological health.
• Issues that arise in households with adopted children.
• Social workers’ attitude towards older people.
• Importance of religion in reducing stereotypes.
• How building emotional intelligence helps caseworkers.
• Demands that residents in a foster facility make.
• Challenges single parents experience.
• Support strategies for single parents.
• Strategies to help sexually exploited children.
• Factors leading to homelessness in the US.
• Forms of abuse elders experience from young people.
• Media role in shaping antisemitism stereotypes.
• Approaches to working with elderly people who are cognitively impaired.
• Parental role in shaping sexual orientation of their children.
• When should a child be removed from a setting?
• Child neglect and its effects on victim’s academic performance.
• Psychological effects of children watching domestic violence.
• Grief and its associated symptoms.
• Methods for assisting kids who have seen domestic violence.
• Ways to encourage domestic violence reporting.
• Technology and addiction treatment.
• Suicide prevention protocol in different localities.
• Risk factors associated with secondary traumatic stress.
• Ways to increase cancer screening rates.

Human Services Research Topics

Human services topics are important since they deal with human existence and ways to make it better. Human service topics focus on how social workers help to satisfy individuals’ and communities’ needs. Generally, social workers’ primary aim is to ensure people live in the most comfortable way possible. Some of the human service research topics are indicated below.

• Adverse impact of unemployment.
• Ways to deal with anxiety and depression among small children.
• Reducing number of incarcerated individuals.
• Impact of juvenile delinquency in the US.
• Relevant ways to breed love in foster care.
• Integration of dyslexic people into society.
• Government intervention to enhance welfare conditions.
• Importance of food banks for the US citizens.
• High school bullying prevalence and impacts.
• Factors leading to family violence.
• Impact of homophobia on LGBTQ+ community.
• Drawbacks of the US correctional system.
• Effects of mental illness misdiagnosis.
• The move to invalidate bullying in high schools.
• Causes of panicking in kids.
• Interventions to reduce unemployment rates in the US.
• Strategies to show concern for individuals from communities with low income.
• Challenges of homophobia in the UAE.
• Social workers in reducing child abuse cases.
• Strategies to enhance resilience among welfare workers.
• The need for psychological therapy among welfare workers.
• Important household policies that can reduce domestic violence.
• Shortcomings of America’s carceral system.
• Interventions for children raised in abusive homes.
• Ways to improve learning experience for disabled children.

Best Social Work Research Topics Ideas

Social work plays a huge role in our daily lives. Therefore, exploring research topics ideas for social work will help us to understand welfare workers’ role in making our lives better. This section discusses various social work topics for research papers. It is categorized into subsections, starting with research paper topics, thesis topics, and dissertation topics. Here, you will also find social work capstone ideas, topics for discussion, essay, and presentation topics. Details for each subsection are provided below.

Social Work Research Paper Topics

As an individual in social work field, you will write several research papers and essays. Social work paper topics you can cover depend on your interests, trends, or any other factor. Some interesting topics related to social work you can consider include the following.

• Social workers' perspectives on elderly.
• Causes of people's unwillingness to take advantage of mental health care services.
• Problems that foster children face that prevent them from completing their college degrees.
• Welfare workers’ role in drug abuse prevention.
• The significance of cultural awareness in casework.
• Facilitation of prenatal and postpartum care for surrogate moms.
• Assessing how PTSD affects psychological wellbeing.
• Adoptive families face unique difficulties and concerns.
• Benefits of play therapy interventions for school counseling.
• Hemodialysis patients' mental health and the methods used to help them.
• Importance of leisure pursuits for Alzheimer's patients.
• Damages of psychological violence.
• Trauma and adolescent transition among LGBTQ+ kids.
• Understanding the neglect-syndrome of foster kids.
• Understanding trauma for caseworkers.
• Foster parenting's advantages.
• Role of foster parents in violence prevention.
• Domestic violence and its impacts.
• Foster homes’ role in creating a safe space.
• How diversity helps in social works sector.

Social Work Thesis Topics

There are several thesis topics in social work to research during your master’s program or PhD, which can vary depending on your interest or occupation. Below are some of the social work literature review topics that you can look into.

• Effectiveness of group therapy for alcoholics.
• Mental health services’ effectiveness for pedophilia survivors.
• Inaccessibility of mental health care for members of underrepresented groups due to language barriers.
• Prepartum depression and connection to expecting mothers.
• Relationship between codependency and emotional unavailability.
• Strategies to handle fatigue among welfare workers.
• Burnout causes among social workers.
• Challenges associated with child birth and labor.
• Depression and the perception of welfare mothers.
• Prevalence of mental health in the US.
• The use of an integrated system in various foster homes within America.
• Nurses’ commitment level and how it is associated with health outcomes.
• Impact of legalizing abortion in some states.
• Comparison between displacement in foster homes and war sites.
• Analyzing displacement and associated challenges.
• How immigrant families benefit from parenthood?
• Issues that visually disabled students face at school.
• Essence of welfare work sector diversity.
• Learning about depression from the welfare mom's viewpoint.
• Ways to improve healthcare system.

Social Work Dissertation Topics

Dissertation is a crucial part of your education life as a social worker. Therefore, dissertation topics in social work have to be properly framed and specific. Here are some of the dissertation topics for social work to consider.

• Coping strategies of men during violence at home.
• Rape and how it affects victim’s psychological development.
• Acceptance rate of addiction by addicts within the US.
• Vulnerable groups and government’s role in improving their lives.
• Justification of gender pay gap in America.
• Addiction to substance abuse and its role in the contemporary world.
• Prevalence of homosexuality in the US.
• Naturalizing human needs as a way to break down taboo and barriers.
• The association between stigma and drug abuse persistence.
• Drug abuse and how music increases its prevalence.
• Rate at which American citizens care for their forefathers.
• Technological role in shaping our sexual preferences.
• Reasons why men and women commit suicide.
• Existing protection policies for children in New York State.
• Investigating US women who have experienced child sexual abuse.
• Assessment of healing strategies for drug abuse survivors.
• The role of parents in supporting their children’s ambitions.
• Volunteering and its impact on self-satisfaction.
• Therapies used to treat effective disorder in an American youth.
• The need for sexual education among young girls with mental health issues.

Social Work Capstone Project Ideas

As a social worker, you should consider some social work project topics for your capstone project . Capstone project social work research topics are highlighted below.

• Impact of domestic violence on marital satisfaction.
• How does government support minority groups?
• Media role in ensuring public safety.
• Causes of child neglect.
• How juvenile crime affects the US.
• How government ensures food security.
• Enhancing public safety in minority communities.
• Problems associated with criminal justice system.
• Social integration of individuals with Down Syndrome.
• Role of school administration in reducing bullying.
• Bullying and victims’ academic performance.
• Trauma experienced by social workers.
• Parenting and its role in children’s sexual orientation.
• What causes panic in schools.
• How child support is essential in divorced couples.
• Child neglect and its causes.
• Damages caused by psychological violence.
• Trauma of adolescent transitioning in LGBTQ+ children.
• Understanding foster kids’ neglect-syndrome.
• Causes of increase in reincarceration among youths in America.

Social Work Topics for Discussion

Highlighted below are some social work discussion topics to consider.

• Root causes of domectic violence.
• Location-specific suicide prevention and crisis protocols.
• How does drug dependence influence parenting?
• Public policies for and against LGBT community.
• Ways of providing support for bipolar patients.
• Prenatal depression in expectant mothers.
• How to cope with imprisonment stigma.
• Ways to improve living standards in foster homes.
• What are the best community service strategies for refugees?
• How can backyard farming be used to empower women?
• Utilizing gender sensitivity to help the LGBT community.
• Cultural importance of generation gap.
• Secondary traumatic stress: symptoms, risk factors & ways of managing.
• How to motivate women to report family violence.
• Various ways in which unemployment influences immigrants.
• How peer service providers confront reproductive health issues.
• The major problems faced by welfare workers.
• Detrimental influence of alcohol and drug on adolescents.
• Effectiveness of the prohibition of liquor.
• Key reasons for heightened crime rates in modern society.

Social Work Essay Topics

Here are some of social work topics for essays that you should consider in your writing.

• Global challenges faced by deported women.
• Street hawking opportunities for teenagers.
• Main factors that lead to incest.
• Positive and negative effects of health care reforms.
• How environmental welfare work is undertaken.
• Care strategies for immigrants.
• Impact of corporate social responsibility on community wellbeing.
• Does welfare scheme affect worker’s performance?
• The impact of sexual violence on adolescent girls.
• How does diversity affect various communities?
• Effect of play therapy interventions in school counseling.
• Influence of poverty on children’s development and education.
• How should welfare workers deal with pedophilia victims?
• How should caseworkers prevent burnout?
• How to establish a high school service-learning program.
• Elder abuse: most prevalent forms.
• The central issues associated with special education.
• Personal perspective on the obstacles faced by vulnerable populations in search medical help.
• What is the greatest risk of fetal alcohol exposure?
• Ways to enhance caseworkers’ mental health.

Social Work Topics for Presentation

Presentation social work topics for research discuss different aspects of the field of social work. The research topics have to be practical for them to be presented well. Below are some good research topics for social work presentation.

• Strategies to ensure equality during job recruitment.
• Autism and its risk factors.
• Causes of depression in kids.
• What are risk factors of PTSD among victims?
• Ways to reduce suicide cases in society.
• Advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation centers.
• Community initiatives to cater for the elders.
• Effects of misdiagnosis of mental illness.
• Ethics of abortion.
• Importance of early cancer screening.
• Strategies to reduce unemployment rate among minority communities.
• How foster parents can help in countering youth violence.
• Euthanasia and how various religions view it.
• Compare societal preparation to COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS.
• Contemporary ways to substance abuse.
• Eating disorder and its causes.

Research Topics for Social Work Students

College students also apply social work research topics in their study of related subject, which covers various aspects in the field of social work. Here are some of social work research topics for college students.

• Resident’s experience in long-term care facilities.
• Strategies to handle life when both parents suffer from Alzheimer’s.
• Pregnancy experience among immigrants and how they approach it.
• How does death affect the collective wellbeing of the family?
• Enhancing digital literacy among immigrant students.
• How socioeconomic disparity affects the old.
• Social and mental effects of loans on students.
• Social problems that autistic children face.
• Conversion therapy’s negative effects on the LGBTQ+ community.
• Impact of science on cancer treatment.

You will find a lot of topics in different fields on our platform. If you are looking for  topics in laws  or mental health research paper topics , just go to our library and find what you need.

Bottom Line on Social Work Research Topic Ideas

Feel free to choose a topic of your choice from the social work research topics examples recommended above. Apply appropriate topic categories during the process of choosing topics depending on your needs, knowledge in the field, and the type of paper you are writing. Practice using the provided examples will make you perfect.

In case you need a personalized research topic, or require a complete social work research paper, you can buy research paper online from StudyCrumb. Particularly, our writers will help you choose social work research paper topics, write papers for you, and proofread the work to ensure there are no grammatical errors.

Joe Eckel is an expert on Dissertations writing. He makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

You may also like

Home > College of Social and Behavioral Sciences > Social Work > Social Work Theses

Social Work Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Theses/projects/dissertations from 2024 2024.

WHAT IS THE READINESS OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS TO WORK WITH AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS? , Ignacio Aguilar Pelaez

EXAMINING EXPERIENCES AMONG SOCIAL WORKERS WORKING WITH PARENTS WHO SUFFER FROM SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER , Alicia Alvarado and Eleno Zepeda

COVID-19, SOCIAL ISOLATION, AND MSW STUDENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH , Cassandra Barajas

Through the Lens of Families and Staff in Emergency Shelters , Elizabeth Barcenas

MACHISMO: THE IMPACT IT HAS ON HISPANIC MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS RECEIVING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES , Sara Barillas and Alexander Aguirre

THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS OF CERTAIN FACTORS THAT DIFFERENTIATE THE AMOUNT OF MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS OF SCHOOL A COMPARED TO SCHOOL B , Jesus Barrientos

Correlation of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Somatic Symptoms in Adolescents , Shannon Beaumont

Caregivers of Dialysis Patients , Alyssa Bousquet and Amelia Murillo

Self-Care Habits and Burnout Among County Social Workers on the Central Coast of California , Jaclyn Boyd and Denise Ojeda

GENDER DYSPHORIA IN ADOLESCENCE AND THE MODELS OF CARE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW , Arnold Briseno

THE EFFECTS OF PARENTING STYLES ON COMMUNICATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN YOUNG ADULTS , Abigail Camarce

BARRIERS TO AND FACILITATORS OF CARE: EXPLORING HOW LOW-INCOME WOMEN ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE IN A RURAL COMMUNITY , Sydney Taylor Casey

CLIENT PERPETRATED VIOLENCE AND SAFETY CULTURE IN CHILD WELFARE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW , Amber Castro

ACCESSIBILITY OF SERVICES FOR TRANSGENDER ADOLESCENTS FROM A CHILD WELFARE PERSPECTIVE , Eduardo Cedeno

WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO SEEKING PSYCHOTHERAPY SERVICES ACROSS DIFFERENT RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS? , Deysee Chavez and Elisa Rodarte

Homelessness In The Coachella Valley , Katrina Clarke

Challenges Veterans Encounter Receiving or Seeking Mental Health Services , Denise D. Contreras and Andrea Ramirez

EXAMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , Elizabeth Ashley Contreras

IS A SOCIAL SUPPORT BASED MODEL BETTER FOR TREATING ALCOHOLISM? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , Jordan Anthony Contreras

SOCIAL WORKERS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR PRACTICE WITH PATIENTS EXPERIENCING PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS , Paula Crespin

INVESTIGATING THE LEVEL OF EVIDENCE OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND PARENTING PRACTICES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , Eloisa Deshazer

MENTAL HELP-SEEKING: BARRIERS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ADDRESSING THOSE BARRIERS , Charneka Edwards

Treatment not Punishment: Youth Experiences of Psychiatric Hospitalizations , Maira Ferrer-Cabrera

THE BARRIERS TO NATURAL OUTDOOR SPACES: PERSPECTIVES FROM PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY DISABILITIES , Sierra Fields and Kailah Prince

IMPLEMENTATION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND CURRICULUM FOR ELEMENTARY-AGED CHILDREN , Indra Flores Silva and Jason Kwan

POOR ACADEMICS FROM COLLEGE STUDENTS GRIEVING THROUGH COVID 19 , Sarah Frost

COMPASSION FATIGUE IN SHORT TERM RESIDENTIAL THERAPEUTIC PROGRAM SETTINGS , Sandra Gallegos

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GUN VIOLENCE RESTRAINING ORDER , Bonnie Galloway and Yasmeen Gonzalez-Ayala

STRESS AND HELP-SEEKING IN FARMWORKERS IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY , Alexis Garcia and Daniela Mejia

THE EFFECTIVNESS OF FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM , Maria Delcarmen Garcia Arias and Ashley Hernandez

PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AMONG LATINO FAMILIES , Diana Garcia and Gabriela Munoz

IMPACT OF SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ON STUDENT ATTENDANCE AT A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT , Johanna Garcia-Fernandez and Morgan Stokes

BARRIERS TO GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE , Gloria Garcia

THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF PLACEMENT INSTABILITY FOR PREGNANT FOSTER YOUTH , Amanda Garza and Shayneskgua Colen

PROGRESSION OF BLACK WOMEN IN TENURE RANKED POSITIONS , Unique Givens

Child Maltreatment Primary Prevention Methods in the U.S.: A Systematic Review of Recent Studies , Maria Godoy-Murillo

Assessing and Meeting the Needs of Homeless Populations , Mitchell Greenwald

Parity In Higher Education In Prison Programs: Does It Exist? , Michael Lee Griggs and Vianey Luna

SURROGACY AND IT'S EFFECTS ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE GESTATIONAL CARRIER , DayJahne Haywood

SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT WITHIN THE US PRISON SYSTEM , Timothy Hicks

LGBTQ+ College Students Hopeful Future Expectations , Savannah Hull

EFFECTS OF VOLUNTARY REMOVAL ON AN IMMIGRANT FAMILY , Miriam Jimenez

THE MOTIVATING FACTORS AFFECTING THE CONTINUANCE AND COMPLETION OF SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT FOR MOTHERS , Jacquetta Johnson

FACTORS AFFECTING THE ENROLLMENT AND GRADUATION RATES AMONGST AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN THE UNITED STATES , Tracie Johnson

SUPPORTING FORMERLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY , Lisa Marie Jones-Wiertz

PROTESTANT CHURCH WORKERS' KNOWLEDGE OF CHILD ABUSE REPORTING AND REPORTING BEHAVIOR , Rachel Juedes

Social Media Told Me I Have A Mental Illness , Kathleen Knarreborg

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ROLE MODELS, SOCIOECONOMIC MOBILITY BELIEFS, AND ACADEMIC OUTCOMES , Christian Koeu and Marisol Espinoza Garcia

CULTURAL AND STRUCTURAL BARRIERS OF UTILIZING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN A SCHOOL-BASED SETTING FOR LATINX POPULATIONS , Silvia Lozano and Bridgette Guadalupe Calderon

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH THAT PARTICIPATED IN EXTENDED FOSTER CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , Kassandra Mayorga and Roxana Sanchez

NON-BINARY IDENTITY WITHIN COMPETENCY TRAINING FOR MENTAL/BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , Alexis McIntyre

Childhood Neglect and Incarceration as a Adult , Marissa Mejia and Diana Gallegos

IMPACT OF RESOURCE SCARCITY ON UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION , Sebastian Melendez Lopez

STUDY EXPLORING FEELINGS OF SELF-BLAME AND SHAME AMONG INDIVIDUALS RAISED BY SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL CAREGIVERS , Joanie Minion

THE OBSTACLES FACING HOMELESS VETERANS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS WHEN OBTAINING HOUSING , Melissa Miro

STUDENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION RECEIVING SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH , Cristina Palacios Mosqueda

COMMERCIALLY SEXUALLY EXPLOITED CHILDREN TARGETED WITHIN SOCIAL SERVICES , Britny Ragland

ART THERAPY FOR BEREAVED SIBLINGS AFTER PEDIATRIC CANCER DEATH , Daniela Ramirez-Ibarra

HOW DID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT EXTENDED FOSTER CARE SOCIAL WORKERS WHILE PROVIDING SOCIAL SERVICES , Omar Ramirez and Victoria Lopez

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BODY MODIFICATION BIASES IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD , Lonese Ramsey

Bridging Training Gaps: Assessing Knowledge and Confidence of Mental Health Interns in Opioid Misuse Intervention for School-Aged Children and Adolescents , Carolina Rodriguez and Gabriela Guadalupe Gonzalez

PERCEPTIONS OF YOUTH ATHLETE SAFETY PARENTS VS DIRECTORS , Nicole Anais Rodriguez

SPIRITUALITY AND RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION: EXPERIENCES OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS MEMBERS , Elizabeth Romberger

ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND ALTRUISM: THE IMPACT ON SOCIAL WORK AS A CAREER CHOICE , Nancy Salas and Brittany Altuna

MAJOR FACTORS OF SUSTAINING RECOVERY AFTER RELAPSE FROM A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER , Amanda Tei Sandhurst

UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVES AND ATTITUDES OF 12-STEP PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT , Christopher Scott

THE UTILIZATION OF MUSIC AND AUTONOMOUS SENSORY MERIDIAN RESPONSE IN REDUCING STRESS , Robert Scott

THE AFTERMATH OF THE PANDEMIC’S EFFECT ON COLLEGE STUDENT DEPRESSION , Lorena Sedano

Exploring the Experiences of Minority Former Foster Youths During and Post Care: A Qualitative Study , Caithlyn Snow

Factors that Contribute to Disparities in Access to Mental Health Services within Hispanic Adults , Jasmine Soriano

THE CHALLENGES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MEMORANDUM: FOSTER CARE AS A SUPPORT TO FAMILIES , Rebecca Joan Sullivan-Oppenheim

RESILIENCE IN FATHERHOOD: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF ABSENT FATHERS ON BLACK AMERICAN MEN'S PARENTING NARRATIVES AND PRACTICES , Ericah Thomas

FACTORS THAT IMPACT FOSTER YOUTHS’ HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION , Esther Thomas

EXAMINING A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEXUAL SATISFACTION AND CHILD MALTREATMENT , Amanda Titone

THE PRESENT STRUGGLES OF IMMIGRANT FARMWORKERS IN CALIFORNIA , Leslie Torres and Angelica Huerta

PROGRAM EVALUATION OF SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING SERVICES , Yvette Torres and Emily Ann Rodriguez

Stressors, Caffeine Consumption, and Mental Health Concerns among College Students , Stacey Trejo

DISPARITIES SURROUNDING THE AVAILABILITY OF FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS IN THE WORKPLACE , Marlene Ventura

MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT HELP SEEKING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS AMONG LATINX COMMUNITY , Nancy Vieyra

JUSTICE-INVOLVED STUDENTS: EFFECTS OF USING SUPPORT SERVICES TO OVERCOME BARRIERS , Gabby Walker and Sofia Alvarenga

MANDATED REPORTERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE , Alexis Reilly Warye

THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY MODEL (CRM) APPLIED TO TEACHER’S WELL-BEING , John Waterson

Addressing Rural Mental Health Crises: An Alternative to Police , Faith Ann Weatheral-block

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2023 2023

PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO CONGREGATE CARE AND FOSTER YOUTH OUTCOMES , Tiffany Acklin

YOU CALL US TREATMENT RESISTANT: THE EFFECTS OF BIASES ON WOMEN WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER , Cassidy Acosta

EXAMINING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH OF FORMERLY INCARCERATED CALIFORNIA STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED FROM PROJECT REBOUND , Ashley C. Adams

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO POLICE INTERVENTIONS WHEN RESPONDING TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISES INCIDENTS , Karen Rivera Apolinar

Understanding Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Practice , Arielle Arambula

IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROFESSORIAL-STUDENT RACIAL MATCH AND ACADEMIC SATISFACTION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS , Ashlei Armstead

NON-SPANISH SPEAKING LATINOS' EXPERIENCES OF INTRAGROUP MARGINALIZATION AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ETHNIC IDENTITY , Marissa Ayala

SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE MIXTEC COMMUNITY AND THE BARRIERS TO THOSE SERVICES , Currie Bailey Carmon

IMPACT OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE ON THE SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND COMFORT LEVEL OF BLACK AND BROWN GIRLS , Nathan Benham

THE ROLE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT RESOURCE CENTERS PLAY IN SUPPORTING UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION , Cynthia Boyzo

Program Evaluation of Teen Parent Support Group , Brianne Yvonne Irene Brophy

THE IMPACT THE JOB STRESS OF A CHILD WELFARE SOCIAL WORKER HAS ON THE QUALITY OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR INTIMATE PARTNER , Nadine Cazares

Adverse Effects for Siblings Who Witness Child Abuse , Leslie Chaires

ASIAN DISCRIMINATION: IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL WORK , Sunghay Cho

PERCEIVED FINANCIAL STRAIN AND ITS EFFECTS ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ WELFARE , Monica Contreras and Clarissa Adrianna Martinez

The Media and Eating Disorders , Diane Corey

INCREASING TEACHER AWARENESS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN CHILDREN , Sarah Alexis Cortes

Page 1 of 17

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Department, Program, or Office
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• School of Social Work homepage

A service of the John M. Pfau Library

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright Acrobat Reader

• How It Works
• PhD thesis writing
• Master thesis writing
• Bachelor thesis writing
• Dissertation writing service
• Dissertation abstract writing
• Thesis proposal writing
• Thesis editing service
• Thesis proofreading service
• Thesis formatting service
• Coursework writing service
• Research paper writing service
• Architecture thesis writing
• Computer science thesis writing
• Engineering thesis writing
• History thesis writing
• MBA thesis writing
• Nursing dissertation writing
• Psychology dissertation writing
• Sociology thesis writing
• Statistics dissertation writing
• Buy dissertation online
• Write my dissertation
• Cheap thesis
• Cheap dissertation
• Custom dissertation
• Dissertation help
• Pay for thesis
• Pay for dissertation
• Senior thesis
• Write my thesis

206 Interesting Social Work Research Topics You Should Consider

Many students struggle to find suitable social work research topics. This field has many subjects that learners can explore in their dissertations. The simplest social work definition describes it as a set of functions that enable you to improve other people’s lives. A social worker helps children and adults cope with daily issues, personal issues, family issues, and relationship troubles.

Considering the scope of this field, selecting an ideal social work research topic can be challenging. Learners have many pressing issues that they can cover in their papers. Nevertheless, choosing an interesting topic is essential in writing a winning dissertation.

Social Work Research Paper Outline

Once you’ve chosen a topic for your social work dissertation or research paper, the next step is to outline it. Your outline should highlight the components of your work, incorporating the argument. Also, identify your stance on an issue, tying up the other parts of the paper because it will enable you to create a thesis statement. Here are the key sections to highlight in your outline.

Introduction: The intro should present your study’s background while providing relevant details of the problem. Use a strong opening phrase to grab your readers’ attention and engage them so they can read the rest of the paper. The introduction should present your study’s context, formulate its primary goal, and end with an effective thesis statement. Main body: This section should feature the main arguments. It highly depends on your research type and the methods you use. It may include a literature review analyzing other scholars’ findings and identifying gaps in previous studies. Also, this section explains the methods you use in your research, results, and discussions. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the findings and wrap up the dissertation. You can restate your thesis statement to remind readers about your position on the issue and your goal. The best approach is to reward the thesis statement persuasively while encouraging readers to think about the problem. Also, you can recommend further research explaining why the topic is worth exploring.

After drafting an outline, you can proceed to research and write your social work paper. Edit and proofread the work or seek professional assistance to ensure its quality.

General Social Work Research Topics Ideas

Maybe you want to write a thesis on general topics in this study field. In that case, here are ideas you can explore in your paper.

• How substance abuse influence parenting
• Teenager adoption- Happiness and hardships that come with it
• How to address the inclination to commit suicide
• Should society question the stigma surrounding mental sickness?
• Foster homes and group therapy- Is it effective?
• How does the lack of child support affect childcare
• Investigating autistic children and social displacement
• How does clinical depression affect adolescent children
• How does continuous mobility influence orphan toddlers
• Analyzing the stigma surrounding depression
• How to manage intrinsic PTSD for medical veterans
• Exploring the stigma surrounding disability
• How homelessness influences a person’s psychology
• How does displacement influence aggressiveness among street children
• How the works of several agencies affect child protection
• Exploring perceptions and attitudes of oppression between the community and health professionals
• Addressing cultural perspectives- Transiting to social work
• The social worker’s role in deciding to end life
• Lifelong learning model- Exploring evidence-based practices
• The reflection law- a learning model or self-indulgence in social work

These are general ideas worth exploring in your social work dissertation. Nevertheless, please select any of these titles when confident you will be comfortable working on them.

Common Social Worker Research Topics

Maybe you’re searching for something your readers can quickly identify with when reading your paper. If so, this section lists some of the best ideas to investigate in your social work thesis.

• How to create dyslexia patients’ awareness
• Analyzing similarities and differences between ADHD and dyslexia
• How alcoholism affects personal, family, and social lifestyle
• How a family can exacerbate depression
• Why academic and social integration matter for kids suffering from down syndrome
• Investigating the social exclusion of kids with down syndrome
• The effectiveness of anti-depressants- A clinical study
• How alcoholism affects a person’s psyche
• The positive impact of sponsors on recovering addicts’ lives
• Investigating family support and its effects on alcohol recovery
• Why group therapy matters for foster home children
• How clinical depression affects teenage girls
• How the lack of support affects child care in America
• How ADHD affects foster home children
• How mental illness misdiagnosis affects people
• How to address suicidal tendencies in military units
• Why social interrogation matters when dealing with stigma surrounding mental illness
• How parents’ bipolar affects their children’s lives and parenting
• Is childhood displacement the cause of antisocial lifestyle among foster children?
• The joys and struggles of teenagers’ adoption
• Investigating the undisclosed rape violence cases among military women- How it affects their service and lives
• How substance abuse affects parenting
• Child-parent separation- Investigating the stigma it brings
• Positive impacts of divorce on children’s lifestyle and health
• Addressing substance abuse issues among teenagers
• How death affects a family’s well-being
• Family support study- Is it a viable option for alcohol recovery?

Most people will identify with these topics because they touch on issues with which they are familiar. However, investigate the matter you select carefully to develop a winning dissertation.

Exciting Social Work Research Questions

Maybe you want to answer a question in your thesis paper. If so, consider any of these questions as a topic for your essay.

• How can you support an adult living with a disability?
• What are the social and psychological impacts of student loans?
• What are the psychological, physical, and emotional effects of incarceration of pregnant mothers?
• What challenges do minority children face in foster homes?
• Transformative change- Can police brutality enhance it?
• How can society deal with the rising obesity in America?
• How can we support bipolar patients?
• What are the effects of incarcerated individuals’ entry into the community?
• What is the percentage of incarcerated adults among minority groups?
• Does substance misuse increase alcoholism cases?
• How does community violence affect LGBT lives?
• What is the difference between Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2?
• Can trauma inform children’s education in foster homes?
• Can protesting police brutality promote transformative change?
• Does divorce affect all children’s psyches negatively?
• Does foster homes’ trauma cause kids’ disappearance from the facility?
• Can implementing learning curriculums with a positive impact on dyslexic students enhance academics?
• Does trauma-informed learning reflect parenting?
• Do food and house security affect foster children throughout their lives?
• Has the criminal justice system failed social lifestyle in America?
• What are the primary workplace trauma signs?
• How can society address workplace violence?
• How do scarcity and poverty affect young children’s psychology?
• How can you identify depression in a teenager?
• Has the American healthcare system failed minority groups?
• What are the risks of kids-parent separation?
• What are the impacts of living with dyslexia?
• Is depression a mental disorder?
• What are the effects of racial disparity?

Any of these questions can be an excellent title for your dissertation. Nevertheless, consult various information sources to write a high-quality paper.

Human Services Research Paper Topics

Human services is a part of the social work field dealing with issues related to human services, factors affecting them, and how to address the challenges. Here are ideas to consider in this category.

• How to address panic, anxiety, and depression in young children
• The psychological impact of human trafficking on victims
• Psychological effects of child trafficking
• Similarities between adult incarceration and juvenile delinquency
• How unemployment affects people
• Factors that increase depression cases among the youth
• Police system- Defunded, reformed, or abolished?
• How the carceral system in America affects minority and low-income homes
• Social integration of dyslexic and down syndrome patients
• Effective ways to enhance welfare conditions
• Food banks and their adverse psychological effects
• The benefits of food banks on American lives
• The impact of home violence on children
• The result of high school bullying
• Why welfare workers need support groups and therapy
• How to enhance love in foster homes
• Resilience practice among social workers
• Juvenile delinquency impacts in America
• The shortcomings of America’s carceral system
• How to address the homophobia issue in the U.S
• How homophobia affects LGBT+ adults
• What causes family violence?
• How to address spousal violence
• How family cruelty affects lives
• Undiagnosed bipolar cases and their effects
• Impacts of misdiagnosed mental illnesses
• How to enhance LGBTQ+ kids’ support systems
• The result of home insecurity on the homeless
• How to bridge the gap between community members and formerly incarcerated individuals
• Incarceration- Abolished or reformed?

These human services topics are worth investigating in a research paper. However, take the time to research your chosen title to write an exciting piece.

Controversial Topics In Social Work

Some social work essay topics are controversial. Some people find these titles controversial because they provoke public interest. Here are some of them.

• Flood and hurricane survivors and their hidden trauma
• How hurricanes affect low-income neighborhoods
• Trafficking- How it affects a society’s social well-being
• Unreported abuse cases in homes and how they promote violence
• Social, health, and psychological implications of the abortion ban for rape victims
• Why the community should enhance awareness of AIDS stigmatization
• Therapy continuous cycle- Why a therapist requires therapy
• The unnoticed and hidden trauma among therapists and counselors
• How court-sanctioned confinement promotes mental illness instead of facilitating correlation
• How to address violence- Is it a social problem in the correctional system?
• Sexual health education- Is it vital for incarcerated women?
• How social media affects a person’s mental health and well-being
• The effectiveness of different types of therapy for treating mental health disorders.
• The prevalence of Eating Disorders in developed countries.
• The role of family dynamics in the development and treatment of Eating Disorders.
• How do different cultures view mental health and mental illness?
• Is there a link between creativity and mental illness?
• Does psychiatric medication use lead to higher recovery rates from mental illness?
• What are the most effective interventions for helping people with substance abuse problems?
• How to deal with grief and loss?
• How can we better support people with chronic physical health conditions?
• Drug abuse- Is it increasing in low-income neighborhoods?
• The negative impacts of incarceration on the imprisoned people’s psychological well-being
• Reasons to investigate confinement and its dangers
• Ways to help addicts facing high drug vulnerability
• How cognitive-behavioral therapy enhances the relationship between social workers and their situations or environments
• The health benefits of hypnosis on individuals
• Why treatment is essential for less represented groups
• Distinguishing undiagnosed depression and clinical depression
• A qualitative investigation of dyslexia among adolescents
• How empathy can enhance the social work sector
• Why qualitative examination of foster homes for peace and child safety matters

These are controversial topics to consider in this academic field. Prepare to take a stance and defend it if you pick any of these social work project ideas.

Social Work Topics For Presentation

Maybe you want to include a presentation in your paper. That’s because social work is a practical field requiring some displays. Consider the following titles for your essay if you want to include a presentation.

• What are Stockholm syndrome and its effects?
• How to understand syndrome victims better
• How incest affects homes
• Investigating sexually violated kids
• Why free healthcare matters in foster homes and low-income neighborhoods
• How adult incarceration and juvenile delinquency affect society
• Juvenile delinquency and trauma
• LGBTQ+ children trauma and adolescent transitioning
• Foster kids and neglect-syndrome
• Why diversity matters in the social work sector
• Social workers- Understanding their trauma
• Foster parenting- What are the positive impacts?
• Do foster homes create a safe space?
• Foster parents and their roles in preventing violence
• Social workers and their role in preventing drug abuse
• The effects of domestic violence
• Psychological violence and its damages
• How spirituality affects techniques in social works
• Social works and their historical development
• Social work and its importance in schools
• Why teenagers’ therapy matters
• Exploring the challenges facing social workers in the forensics sector
• Investigating the struggles facing the minority groups
• Studying abuse and violence in middle-class homes
• Why finance matters in social works sustenance
• The impact of compassion fatigue
• Modern social workers and their challenges
• Drug abuse and its effects on children
• Why inclusivity matters in social works
• Same-sex relationships- Why they matter to a social worker
• Why high schools need drug sensitization
• Investigating depression stereotypes

Pick any of these ideas and use them to draft a paper that includes a presentation. Nevertheless, research your topic extensively to prepare a winning dissertation.

Interesting Social Work Topics

Some issues in social work draw more attention than others because they are unique. Here are such topics.

• The impacts of pregnancy on teenage mothers
• The increasing pressure and effects of social media on teenagers’ lives
• How welfare systems relate to low-income neighborhoods
• Why are rehabilitation centers are essential in America than carceral systems
• How cultural beliefs and gender roles affect marriages
• Low labor and its role in workplace abuse
• How the increasing housing cost affects young millennials
• The part of abortion bans on psychological issues
• How birth control roles affect society negatively
• How are teenagers, the general community, and school related?
• Analyzing first-time menstrual experiences and their impact on teenage girls within foster homes
• Wellness therapy and its sustainability
• Investigating poverty prevalence in the American Deep South- How it prevents the growth
• The implications of relationships on social workers’ interactions
• The negative impact of conversion therapy on the LGBTQ+ community
• How an inclusive and functional healthcare system enhances social growth
• Shelter homes women- Investigating their life experiences
• The prevalent racial disparity in food bank systems in America
• Understanding social relegations and stigma of welfare mothers
• Client-therapist relationship- Investigating psychiatric therapists and their work

These topics address relevant issues that society often neglects. Pick any idea in this category and explore it further through research and analysis.

Social Work Thesis Topics

Educators will ask you to write different papers when pursuing social work studies. A sociology thesis is among the documents you might write when pursuing a master’s or Ph.D. studies. Here are topics to consider for these papers.

• Investigating expecting mothers’ postpartum depression
• How interdependency differs from codependency among youth adults
• Emotional unavailability in homes- Does it enhance codependency?
• Codependency- Is it a displacement feature?
• Foster kids and future attachment methods
• Social work and disability disparity
• Disability challenges facing the healthcare system
• Compassion integration in social works
• ADHD- What are the most common myths about it?
• How emotionally immature parents affect their adult children psychologically
• Drug addiction and treatment plans
• Addressing challenges facing visually impaired students
• Investigating foster homes and child abuse
• The emotional impact of a transition into a nursing home
• Exploring immigrant families and parenthood
• The intricacies of child labor

These are exciting topics to consider for your social work thesis. Nevertheless, prepare adequate time and resources to investigate any of these titles to develop a paper that will earn you the best grade.

Get Professional Thesis Assistance

Perhaps, you have chosen a title but don’t have the skills or time to write a top-notch paper. Maybe you’ve never scored high grades on your report, and your professor or parent constantly reprimands you. In that case, you need help with your academic writing.

We offer fast, cheap, and some of the best dissertation services for college, university, and high school students. Our ENL and U.S writers are always ready to handle your project. Contact us now to get the best academic paper help online.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment * Error message

Name * Error message

Email * Error message

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

As Putin continues killing civilians, bombing kindergartens, and threatening WWIII, Ukraine fights for the world's peaceful future.

Ukraine Live Updates

Social Work Research Topics

Table of contents

• 1 What is a Social Work Research Paper?
• 2 Tips for Selecting a Good Topic for a Social Work Research Paper
• 3.1 Social Work Research Topics for Beginners
• 3.2 Social Work Research Topics for College Students
• 3.3 Human Services Research Paper Topics
• 3.4 Interesting Social Work Research Paper Topics
• 3.5 Controversial Social Work Research Paper Topics
• 3.6 Social Work Thesis Topics
• 3.7 Critical Social Work Research Paper
• 3.8 Disputable Social Work Research Topics
• 3.9 Social Work Topics for Presentation
• 3.10 Social Work Research Paper for Literature Review

With these topics in mind, you can explore further into the field of social work and gain a better understanding of how research can help shape our society for the better. Read on to learn what is a social research paper, review helpful tips to select one, and explore a list of the 100 best social work research topics ideas.

What is a Social Work Research Paper?

A social work research paper is a document that presents facts, analysis, and research findings about a particular social work topic. Students often find it overwhelming to find the best social work topics for their research papers. Also, it’s not always possible to buy research paper and avoid the investigation altogether. Researching and writing about these topics can help students understand the causes of social issues and how to address them best.

It also provides insights into how to improve services for those who are most vulnerable and in need of assistance. The most popular social work research topics are those that treat issues of this kind, and they can be excellent as research papers.

However, focusing on the most popular research topics for social work is not the only option. It is important for students to analyze the topic they like and learn more about it. Even better if the work can somehow help solve a problem in their community. A research paper with factually accurate data and information can help you make your project look more engaging and informative. But it can also have an impact right away.

For these reasons, writing a research paper on social work can be a rewarding experience for students. It allows them to expand their knowledge along with developing a sense of empathy towards the community. Furthermore, it is important to select a topic that is relevant to the field of social work and provides enough scope for further exploration.

Tips for Selecting a Good Topic for a Social Work Research Paper

There are many topics in the field of social work that are important for understanding various aspects of social problems, their causes, and effective solutions. Research in this area can take many forms, including quantitative studies and qualitative interviews.

To write an effective social work paper, students should learn how to identify and assess topics that can add value to their project. Selecting topics that allow you to develop evidence-based interventions and include the necessary amount of information can be helpful. When selecting a topic, consider the various aspects of social work, such as its history, current trends, legal implications, and ethical considerations. Generally speaking, choose a topic that is flexible enough to conduct research and analysis.

Additionally, look for topics that allow you to focus on one particular area without getting overwhelmed by the amount of information available. Having access to adequate resources such as journals and books that provide in-depth information about your chosen topic is also helpful. Also, don’t forget to interview a social worker active in the field to have first-hand impressions. This will make it easier to select a good topic for your social work research paper.

You can also consider getting help for your research paper from professional writers. They can help you manage all aspects of the process, including choosing a suitable topic. In some cases, you can also get a “ write my research paper ” option. This allows you to get the job done by a professional or get a piece that you only have to fine-tune. Another piece of advice is to do a quick scan of available resources, both offline and online. Moreover, choose a unique and practical topic that differentiates you from other students.

Here are some additional tips to help you select a good topic for a social work research paper.

Read Extensively. Reading widely about a general topic that interests you is crucial. Consider writing down the ideas, information, and sources that interest you the most. You can then review the notes to select a topic. Consider your interests and expertise in the field of social work. If you are passionate about a particular topic or have prior experience in it, then this could be the perfect place to start your research. Doing quick research on each potential topic before choosing one will help you decide whether it’s worth writing.

Select a Relevant Topic. Make sure the topic you choose is relevant to the field of social work you intend to work on or you’ve been tasked to analyse. An irrelevant topic that does not have any connection with the subject will fail to interest the readers. This may lead to a dull paper or, if you’re a student, to a low mark or a fail. Select a topic related to social work application theories. Think about the latest trends in social work and identify topics that are currently being discussed or researched by other people. Explore different current events related to social work and determine if there is anything relevant that could be best for your paper.

Choose a Specific Topic .  A research topic that is too broad or too narrow can make it difficult to carry out research. If the topic is too wide, you may end up writing in general and not including the information that is necessary. Selecting a specific topic will allow you to conduct detailed research and provide reasonable arguments and solutions. With so many potential topics to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down the choices and select one. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to make this process easier. Firstly, understand the context of your research paper and set specific goals to select a topic that is both meaningful and manageable.

Consider a Flexible Topic. Go with a topic that is flexible and allows you to conduct research and analysis. Find a unique topic that matches your field of interest and add value to your research paper. Choosing a flexible topic will help you provide real benefits to the readers. A flexible topic will provide you with numerous opportunities to explore different aspects of a particular issue or event. Additionally, by selecting a flexible topic that allows for multiple arguments and solutions, you can ensure that your paper is comprehensive and engaging.

Discuss With Others. Another great way to select a good social work topic for a research paper is by communicating with other students and researchers. You can also discuss it with your professors and learn about their opinions. By discussing with other students or professors, you can get different perspectives on potential topics and gain valuable insights. Moreover, talking to other people about their experiences in social work can help you discover your interest and select the best possible topic for your research paper .

Selecting a good topic for your social work research paper may feel overwhelming. With careful thought and consideration, you can find a relevant and appropriate one for the paper. To help you in this process, here is a broad list of social work research topics.

Social Work Research Topics for Beginners

Social work research papers are a great way to explain the complex issues affecting individuals, families, and communities. Newcomers can still write a persuasive research paper in this field by sharing their own experiences.

If you are a beginner, then the following research topics for social work can be best for you:

• The impacts that clinical depression has on adolescents
• Impact of alcoholism on family members and personal lifestyle
• Hardships and happiness in adopting a teenager
• How to become social workers? What are the legal requirements?
• Why do we need more women leaders in our community?
• Why it’s important to raise awareness to stop domestic violence?
• The importance of women denouncing domestic violence
• The effects of alcohol on a person’s behavior and sociality
• Depression and society: stigmas and stereotypes
• The best strategies for ensuring the health and basic education for every child

Social Work Research Topics for College Students

College students can benefit from performing in-depth research on a specific topic and applying theories, concepts, and principles of social work in their research papers. To help you select a specific topic of your interest, here are some popular ones in the field of social work:

• Possible solutions to limit child abuse in society
• How to fight the bullying of disabled children
• Effects of domestic violence on family members
• Raising a child as a single parent: challenges and strategies
• Helping bipolar patients: effective strategies
• How divorce impacts children’s lifestyle and upbringing
• Reasons and prevention of the increase in suicide rates among students
• Drugs abuse among teenagers: an insight
• The impact of interracial adoption on children’s development
• Fighting human trafficking: strategies and issues

There are a few common problems that may arise when writing a social work research paper, such as difficulty in finding relevant sources, inability to properly structure the paper or difficulty in staying focused on the topic.

Human Services Research Paper Topics

Students interested in delivering care and support to individuals or communities in need can select a human services topic for their research paper. You can find a topic related to helping empower people, providing guidance in their everyday lives, or offering resources to meet their needs.

Here are a few example topics that you may select:

• An essay on homophobia
• Causes and impacts of child trafficking
• Effective ways to deal with depression and anxiety among students
• Impact of unemployment on the society
• How to prevent the most common causes of depression among teenagers
• Gender disparity and incarceration: an overview
• Effect of feminism throughout the ages
• How does racism affect society?
• The importance of freedom of speech
• Social structure for disabled people

Interesting Social Work Research Paper Topics

While the following social work research topics list will help you find a good topic, communicating with experts in this field is also helpful. Consider choosing a topic that will make an impact on society and provide value to your audience.

• How does parental drug use impact children?
• Changing career to social work: what does it take?
• The development of social work throughout the history
• Women and alcohol
• What are the benefits of free education?
• Why should the educational system be accessible to everyone?
• Abortion: history and modern thoughts
• Is feminism a plot of modern society?
• Effective ways to decrease criminal activities
• The influence of war and peace on children’s minds

Controversial Social Work Research Paper Topics

It is important to note that the following research paper topics may be controversial and complex. Approaching controversial research topics with sensitivity and conducting thorough research before drawing any conclusions can help you write a good research paper .

• Does the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy enhance the lives of jailed people’s lives?
• What do people think about war in our peaceful times?
• Racial profiling for criminal cases: is it really effective?
• Impact of abortion on women
• The importance of receiving family support for LGBT teenagers
• Effects of community on the mental health of minorities
• Depression: Major symptoms and causes
• How the criminal justice system benefits from social workers
• Preventing suicide in schools: understanding reasons and finding solutions
• Does poverty affect your mental health?

Social Work Thesis Topics

A social work thesis is a research paper that focuses on a specific topic related to social work practice. A good thesis can demonstrate your ability to conduct independent research and apply theoretical concepts to address various social work issues and causes.

Explore this list to find a suitable topic for your social work thesis:

• Conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ individuals: definition and effects
• Use of medication in treating mental health disorders
• How does social media affect mental health?
• Immigration policies: Impact on families and children
• Race and racism affecting mental health
• Restorative justice programs in the criminal justice system
• Police brutality on communities of color
• The impact of climate change on vulnerable populations
• Strategies social workers can use to address income inequality
• Healing from domestic violence: Tips and advice

Critical Social Work Research Paper

If you want to focus on ongoing critical issues in this field then here are a few interesting topics for you:

• Effectiveness of therapy and why it works for some.
• Mindfulness and its importance in the process of recovery
• The effectiveness of wellness therapy
• Is mental health neglected in low-income and poor households
• Social integration of individuals with Down syndrome
• Everything about drug rehabilitation programs
• The impact of psychological abuse in promoting low self-esteem
• The current role of government in improving welfare conditions
• How does stress response in children with autism work?
• In-depth analysis of children raised in abusive homes

Disputable Social Work Research Topics

By writing on disputable social issues essay topics , you can explain the current state of society and an important way to raise awareness on a variety of issues. From racism to gender inequality, there are plenty of topics that can be explored in a research paper. Before you start writing, gain insight into why certain disputable problems exist and explore potential solutions.

Here is a list of disputable research topics for social work:

• Why some people become shopaholics
• Best ways to improve the participation of adolescents in the development of the local community
• What’s the effect of welfare policies in fighting poverty
• A report on AIDS caregivers and their experience
• Best practices to improve the health system in rural areas
• What is fuelling racism on a global level?
• Couple therapy in building relationships: Pros and cons
• Addressing workplace violence: Steps for leaders and managers
• An overview of social problems faced by autistic children
• How income and behavioral health are connected

Social Work Topics for Presentation

You can make your presentation more engaging by adding relevant graphs, charts, or images. Start by selecting and researching a topic that is relevant to your audience. The following list of social work topics to research can help you create an engaging presentation:

• Child welfare and protection
• Immigration and refugees
• Community development and empowerment
• Mental health services and support
• LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy
• Aging and elder care
• Homelessness and housing insecurity
• Domestic violence and abuse
• Disability rights and services
• Social work integration in healthcare services

Social Work Research Paper for Literature Review

A  literature review should be written in a way that covers the most recent and relevant research in the field. Here are some common social work topics suitable for a literature review:

• Understanding the significance of poverty on child development
• Evidence-based practices in substance abuse treatment
• Nutrition assistance programs
• Juvenile justice system
• Research on the gender pay gap
• Why do some people experience homelessness?
• The importance of early childhood education
• Benefits of career counseling
• Educational achievements of childcare in America
• Welfare programs for immigrants

One of the most pressing challenges of social work researchers is finding reliable and relevant sources for their work. Online essay writers can be a great asset in this regard, as they can provide reliable information backed up by research and data. Furthermore, they can also provide creative and thoughtful insights into the topic at hand, making them invaluable resources for social work research.

While selecting a good social work topic can be challenging, the above-mentioned lists can help you write a good research paper. Once you select a topic, make sure it is relevant, interesting, and appropriate for your task or purpose.

From researching existing materials on your chosen topic to considering the scope of the project in terms of current trends in social work, there are a few things that will make your social work research paper stand out from others. Now that you have a comprehensive list of topics, you’re ready to find the best one for your needs and write a convincing and data-driven research paper for your audience.

Readers also enjoyed

WHY WAIT? PLACE AN ORDER RIGHT NOW!

Just fill out the form, press the button, and have no worries!

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

Doctoral Social Work Research: Topic Searches

• Getting Started
• Print Books & Ebooks
• Journal Articles
• Identifying Different Citations

Topic Searches

• Citation Searches
• Search Tutorials
• Tracing Theories
• Methodology Searches
• Literature Reviews
• Research Methods
• Statistics & Data
• Policiy & Legislation This link opens in a new window
• Evidence-Based Practice Research This link opens in a new window
• Program Evaluation
• Tests & Measures This link opens in a new window
• Open Access Research This link opens in a new window
• Pushing Against Privilege
• Evaluating News
• Filter Bubbles
• Publishing Your Work

Getting to Know Your Topic

Are you looking for information about the context or history of topic, theory, or issue?  Try these resources for background and general information.  

• Encyclopedia of Social Work Online Database
• DSM Premium
• Credo Reference
• Opposing Viewpoints
• Crafting a Good Research Question Tutorial (University of South California) Practice developing a research question.

Developing Keywords / Search Terms

Keywords are...

• A good way to start a search.
• The important concepts in your own words.
• Found anywhere in the article (title, author, subject terms, etc.).
• Very flexible.

Connecting concepts...

• Join similar ideas or alternate terms with "OR."
• Link different parts of your topic with "AND."
• Exclude concepts with "NOT."

Limit to Peer-Reviewed, Referred or Scholarly articles...

• This is part of the publication & editorial process for academic and research journals.  Being peer-reviewed is a sign that a paper's author(s) have done a certain level of due diligence in their work and their research is complete, manages conflicts-of-interest, and is fair and objective.

Narrow the Date Range...

• When looking for Current Research or Evidence-Based Practices limit your date range to the last 3-5 years.

Still not finding anything?   Ask a Librarian!

Below is an example to demonstrate how the main concepts from a research topic or question become keywords and how synonyms or related terms can broaden your search:

Now that you've created your list of keywords, you will need to combine them using BOOLEAN operators (AND and OR):

• Keyword Worksheet

Searching the Databases

The resources on this page are recommended for when you need to find scholarly research literature and other types of articles for literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, and other projects. 

Interactive APA PsycINFO tutorial

• APA PsycINFO
• APA PsycARTICLES
• SocINDEX with Full Text
• CINAHL Complete

Full Text Access in the Databases

When you're looking at search results in a database you're going to see a few different ways to get to the full article, usually either...

Both of these will take you to the article!

Click the Find Full-Text button and a new tab or window will open. In this tab, your article will load automatically. You will also see a YELLOW  ribbon with a link saying "Go To Full Text Finder Results"--click the link if the article doesn't load on its own.

src="//s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/92247/images/fulltext_ribbon.JPG" img alt="graphic of a PDF file"

Linking Google Scholar to the Simmons Library

Google works with libraries to determine which journals and papers they've subscribed to electronically, and then links to articles from those sources when they're available. Once you configure the Library Links settings in Google Scholar, links to the full text of articles will display in your Google Scholar results when they are available through Simmons Library.

Use Google Scholar From On-Campus

      To make these links appear, just access Google Scholar from any Simmons computer and the links will automatically be included.

Configure Google Scholar From Off-Campus

• Click on Settings  link in the upper right corner of Google Scholar.
• Choose "Library Links" on the left, type Simmons University and click the "Search" button.
• If prompted, check "Simmons University - Check Simmons Full Text"  from the list of results.
• Click the blue "Save" button.
• Start searching Google Scholar with links to our library's resources (you may need to log in to access these resources).

Keyword Generator from the University of Texas Libraries

• << Previous: Search Strategies
• Next: Citation Searches >>
• Last Updated: Apr 2, 2024 9:49 AM
• URL: https://simmons.libguides.com/DSW

• Search Menu
• Sign in through your institution
• Advance articles
• Author Guidelines
• Submission Site
• About Social Work Research
• National Association of Social Workers
• Editorial Board
• Advertising and Corporate Services
• Journals Career Network
• Self-Archiving Policy
• Dispatch Dates
• Journals on Oxford Academic
• Books on Oxford Academic

Editor-in-Chief

Robert L. Hawkins, PhD, MA, MPA

About the journal

Social Work Research publishes exemplary research to advance the development of knowledge and inform social work practice.

Latest articles

Latest posts on x.

Find a home for your paper

Content Collections

Explore these curated collections, which feature articles from all four of the NASW journals.

Politics & Social Justice Collection

Immigration & Social Work Collection

Mental Health Collection

2020 Social Work Month Collection

2019 Social Work Month Collection

Featured Article

Boston College Professor Robert Motley discusses the research he co-authored, "Prevalence and Correlates of Police Contact Anxiety among Male and Female Black Emerging Adults in St. Louis, Missouri." 

Read the article

More Videos

Call for papers

The NASW journals are accepting manuscripts for upcoming special issues. 

Discover a more complete picture of how readers engage with research in Social Work Research  through Altmetric data. Now available on article pages.

Recommend to your library

Fill out our simple online form to recommend Social Work Research to your library.

Recommend now

Email alerts

Register to receive table of contents email alerts as soon as new issues of Social Work Research are published online.

Highly Cited Collection

Explore a collection of highly cited articles from the NASW journals published in 2020 and 2021.

Related Titles

• Recommend to your Library

Affiliations

• Online ISSN 1545-6838
• Print ISSN 1070-5309
• Copyright © 2024 National Association of Social Workers
• About Oxford Academic
• Publish journals with us
• University press partners
• What we publish
• New features  
• Open access
• Institutional account management
• Rights and permissions
• Get help with access
• Accessibility
• Advertising
• Media enquiries
• Oxford University Press
• Oxford Languages
• University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

• Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
• Cookie settings
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Doctor of Philosophy

NYU Silver School of Social Work’s PhD program prepares students to become leading researchers and educators in the promotion of social justice and the health and well-being of marginalized communities nationally and globally.

Our intensive doctoral training competitively positions graduates for top-tier academic and research opportunities—such as faculty positions at leading research universities—cultivating the next wave of independent investigators, scholars, and social work leaders. Building on Silver’s nationally recognized strength in intervention and implementation research and our focus on addressing inequities, the PhD program prepares students to make their own unique contributions to the field of social welfare. 

Our rigorous coursework educates students in classic and contemporary theory, cutting-edge quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies, and specialized learning in their substantive areas. The opportunity to take electives within the larger university allows students to explore further their areas and methodologies in an interdisciplinary classroom. NYU Silver also prepares students to be educators through training, including in anti-racist pedagogies, and hands-on experience teaching BSW and MSW level courses.

At the heart of our program is the mentored research practicum offering students the opportunity to put their learning into practice. NYU Silver PhD students are paired from day one with a research mentor as part of our  personalized mentoring program , helping them develop competencies in core research, scholarship, and teaching areas.  NYU Silver  Faculty  are renowned for their expertise in several key research areas, including racial and social justice, behavioral health services, child welfare, and aging. Being part of a large Global Network University and located in the diverse and dynamic city of New York, NYU Silver offers an unparalleled environment for the study of areas critical to local, national and global well-being. 

In fact, PhD Program Director Dr.  Rohini Pahwa was recently awarded a  five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health  to gain insight into the factors that influence the social networks and and mental health services use of Black and Latinx people with serious mental illnesses. 

Associate Professor of Social Work and PhD Program Director

“I chose NYU Silver for my PhD . . .

because of the program’s emphasis on preparing students to become leading researchers and educators in the health and well-being of marginalized communities and in the promotion of social justice.”

Sabrina Cluesman, PhD candidate and recipient of a NIDA Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31)

In an Emerati Women’s Day video from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Washington, DC, PhD student  Layla Al Neyadi  discusses her inspiration to seek her degree at NYU Silver and her aspiration to improve mental health policy and services for her fellow Emiratis:

Please email the doctoral program office or call (212) 998-5941 for additional information.

Research Areas

The School of Social Work faculty regularly focus on research that impacts people not only throughout the nation, but throughout the world. Our research can be grouped into six main themes: Child Welfare, Health and Mental Health, Poverty, Social Innovation, Social Work Research in Schools, and Workforce Development. We are experts in a variety of scientific methods including advanced observational science, advanced statistics, intervention science, qualitative research, and program evaluation.

The School of Social Work faculty and their collaborators are focused on the following research themes:

Child Welfare at the School of Social Work is defined as the social policies, practices, and services aimed at ensuring the safety, permanence and well-being of children and their families. Child welfare researchers engage a wide range of issues including the epidemiology of child maltreatment and public health implications, foster care and child welfare service delivery, and the impacts of policy on outcomes. Scholars focus their work both locally and nationally in the areas of:

• Epidemiology of Child Maltreatment and Public Health – Advancing understanding of the incidence of child abuse and neglect in the United States along with their multi-level, interacting risk and protective factors and making a case for viewing child abuse and neglect in the United States as a critical public health issue
• Foster Care and Child Welfare Services – Evaluating the service delivery and outcomes of children involved in public welfare systems and using research to support child welfare systems and agencies to be responsive to needs
• Consumer-Perspectives and Experiences – Capturing the perspectives of children, families, and other child welfare professionals and using research to make person-centered-driven recommendations in systems of care
• Strengthening Outcomes of Children and Families – Evaluating the degree to which policy, practices and services in Illinois have the intended impacts and using research to support decision makers in Illinois to make system decisions

Informed by a health equity framework, health and mental health research at the School of Social Work are broadly defined as a state in which all individuals have access to the resources necessary to achieve social, physical, and psychological well-being.  Researchers at the School focus their work locally and internationally in the areas of:

• Developing and testing behavioral health interventions to improve physical and mental health and to reduce substance use and enhance adherence to treatment through community engaged research
• Identifying social determinants of health and health disparity among LGBTQ people of color, people with serious mental illness, older adults, and people with disabilities in marginalized urban and underserved rural communities
• Detecting risk and protective health factors for perinatal women, children and families, people exposed to violence, and those with chronic health conditions
• Determining impact of demographic and epidemiological changes on communities, addressing barriers to accessing and obtaining equitable health care, and tracking the role of technology in treatment

Poverty at the School of Social Work is defined as a state in which individuals, families, and communities lack access to material resources and political, social, and economic opportunities. Our poverty research includes primary and secondary analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to identify multi-level risk/protective factors, determine the impacts of policy interventions, and make science-based practice and policy recommendations. Scholars focus their work locally and internationally in the areas of:

• Economic Security – Determining the impact of developmental approaches on economic well-being and the long-term employment and earning trajectories of children and families living in poverty
• Access to Resources – Developing and testing innovative and strategic policy initiatives that increase access to benefits and understanding the ways access to resources effects child and family well-being
• Health and well-being – Identifying the effects of poverty on health and well-being of individuals and communities

Social Innovation research in the School of Social Work is defined as the use of technology and bottom-up innovation strategies to create new solutions to social problems and transform social systems. Our social innovation research crosses disciplinary boundaries and has a focus on real world impact.  Scholars at the School focus on:

• Use of advanced mixed reality and virtual reality (VR) software to deliver psychotherapy and health education programming to racial/ethnic minority and vulnerable populations
• Understanding the impact of volunteerism on sustainable social development
• Developing and testing new tech-based applications to improve mental health and reduce substance use in the U.S. and internationally
• Use of technology to deliver behavioral health interventions for older adults
• Assessing gender, racial, and geographic inequalities in social enterprise and entrepreneurship

Social Work in Schools research at Illinois addresses multiple aspects of education and schooling and focuses on the promotion of just and equitable learning environments. Scholars at the School focus on:

• Identifying aspects and impacts of structural racism and discriminatory practices, developing and evaluating alternatives to suspension
• Evaluating the impacts of policy reforms on students, institutions, and communities and the implementation of evidence- based best practices
• Developing and conducting evaluation at the school, district, and state levels to assess the impact of programming
• Detecting preventative and risk factors, aspects of the social environment, and social emotional well-being that impact academic achievement
• The development, implementation, and promotion of prevention, intervention, and remedial strategies and research within schools

Workforce Development is broadly defined by the School of Social Work as the development of community- based infrastructure and dissemination of training and educational models that are responsive to the changing landscape of the profession. Researchers at the School focus on:

• Designing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum that supports social work education in fields such as substance use disorders, health, behavioral health, child welfare, school social work, leadership and social change, trauma informed practice.
• We work with partners to develop solutions to address the behavioral and mental health workforce crisis and grow, recruit, and retain a qualified, modern, diverse, and evolving social work workforce

Social Work

• Background Info
• Streaming Video
• EndNote / APA Style
• Datasets & Statistics
• Public Policy
• Tests & Measures
• Clinical Social Work
• Systematic Reviews (DSW & PhD)
• Publishing in Social Work Journals

Systematic Reviews in Social Work

This page contains guidance for conducting a systematic review in social work, including comprehensive database searches, gray literature searching, forming a research question, brainstorming keywords, and examples of eligibility criteria and search logs.

Planning Your Systematic Review

• Examples of Eligibility Criteria
• Brainstorming Keywords
• Common Synonyms & Related Terms in Social Work
• Process for Selecting Databases
• Social Work Database Comparison Chart

Find out if a systematic review has already been published on your topic:

• Campbell Collaboration Check here for published reviews and protocols by the Campbell Collaboration, which focuses on reviews outside of clinical medicine.

Creating Your Question (PICO)

• Types of Questions
• PICO Matrix
• PICO Prompts

Background vs Foreground Questions

In order to locate the most useful research, social workers must ask well-defined questions:

Background questions  - the "forest" (broad in scope)

• seek general knowledge about a condition or thing
• not intended for making a clinical decision about a specific patient
• contain two essential components: 1) a question root (who, what, when, etc) with a verb, and 2) a disorder, test, treatment, or other aspect of care 

Foreground questions  - the "trees" (focused in scope)

• seek specific knowledge to inform clinical decisions or actions
• require a grasp of basic concepts to fully comprehend
• typically found in journals and conference proceedings
• contain 3-4 essential components (see PICO)

Content in this guide based on the nursing research guide at Oregon Health and Science University Library, created by Loree Hyde.

Typically used in evidence-based medicine, the PICO model is a useful way of formulating client, community, or policy-related research questions.

Example PICO-based research question:

Among family members of patients undergoing diagnostic procedures, does standard care, listening to tranquil music, or audio-taped comedy routines make a difference in the reduction of reported anxiety?

Original PICO model by Richardson, W.S., et al (1995). The well-built clinical question: a key to evidence-based decisions. ACP Journal Club, 123(3), A12-A13.

From Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Fill in the blanks with information from your clinical scenario:

THERAPY In_______________, what is the effect of ________________on _______________ compared with _________________?

PREVENTION For ___________ does the use of _________________ reduce the future risk of ____________ compared with ______________?  

DIAGNOSIS OR DIAGNOSTIC TEST Are (Is) ________________ more accurate in diagnosing _______________ compared with ____________?  

PROGNOSIS Does ____________ influence ______________ in patients who have _____________?  

ETIOLOGY Are ______________ who have _______________ at ______________ risk for/of ____________ compared with _____________ with/without______________?  

MEANING How do _______________ diagnosed with _______________ perceive __________________?

Databases for Social Work (published research articles)

• Database Descriptions Disciplines covered, date range, and types of sources in each database.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY DATABASE

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC DATABASES:

EBSCO databases. Search these together on the EBSCO platform:

ProQuest databases. Search these together on the ProQuest platform:

Additional Databases (published research studies)

Googling gray literature sources.

Include your topic keywords, along with the word research report.  Consider limiting to . org or . gov domain. Consider limiting to PDF filetype

Example: community violence research report site:.org filetype:pdf

Theses and Dissertations (Gray Literature)

Theses and dissertations completed by University of Kentucky students can be found in InfoKat Discovery . For new theses and dissertations that have just been released, they may be findable on UKnowledge only until after they have been added to InfoKat Discovery.

Other resources for finding theses and dissertations include:

• EBSCO Open Dissertations
• Thesis Commons

Conference Papers and Proceedings (Gray Literature)

• F1000 Research Articles and other research outputs reporting basic scientific, scholarly, translational and clinical research across the physical and life sciences, engineering, medicine, social sciences and humanities

Preprint Articles (Gray Literature)

• SSRN (Social Sciences Research Network) Articles, papers, and presentations in social science disciplines.
• OSF Preprints | Center for Open Science Preprint papers from multiple disciplines.
• << Previous: Clinical Social Work
• Next: Publishing in Social Work Journals >>

Getting Started

• Search Strategies for Social Work Systematic Reviews
• DSW/PhD UK Library Checklist
• DSW 2022 Accessing Scholarly Literature (Rez Wk)
• Search Log Example

Keep a search log during your systematic review, to save yourself time later.

Purpose:  

Documentation of methodology

Capture databases and keywords

What to document: 

Databases and platforms

Limiters used

# of results from each database 

• Last Updated: May 17, 2024 4:47 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uky.edu/socialwork

Steve Hicks School of Social Work Research Projects

In this section.

• Institutes and Centers
• Postdoctoral Training
• Research Stories
• Research Projects
• Services to Researchers
• Contact the Office of the Associate Dean for Research

The Office of the Associate Dean for Research administers research and training projects funded by a variety of federal, state and foundation sources. The table below lists current and past research projects, with links to individual project summaries, researcher profiles, and projects listed by broad categories.

Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training: IDD Research in Culturally Diverse Communities

• Sandy Magaña, Ph.D., MSW
• Sandra Vanegas, Ph.D.

Alcohol, Approach-Avoidance, and Neurocircuitry Interactions in PTSD

• Fiona Conway, Ph.D.

Promoting Equity in Cardiovascular & Respiratory Health

• Catherine Cubbin, Ph.D.
• Yessenia Castro, Ph.D.
• Elizabeth Matsui, M.D., M.H.S.

Project ACCESS

Texas child centered care system.

• Monica Faulkner, Ph.D., LMSW

Field-Initiated Approach to Addressing Racial Bias and Inequity in Child Welfare – Evaluation

• Patricia A. Cody, MSW, PhD
• Michelle Steinley-Bumgarner, M.A.

Suicide Care Initiative (SCI)

• Molly Lopez, Ph.D.

Urban planning, siting of air pollution sources, and asthma disparities

A culturally informed model linking physiological stress regulation and behavioral and academic adjustment in latinx children.

• Esther J. Calzada, Ph.D.

AdoptUSKids Evaluation Project

• Susan Ayers-Lopez, M.Ed.

Preventing Suicide among Sexual and Gender Diverse Young Adults in Primary Care in Texas

• Lauren E. Gulbas, Ph.D.

Expanding a culturally relevant model of sexual minority tobacco use: The impact of identity

• Tres Hinds, PhD

University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) 

Project aware (advancing wellness and resiliency in education).

• Molly Sanders

Project CONNECT: Development and implementation of a digital ecosystem to improve opioid overdose reporting, tracking, and prevention across Texas

• Kasey Claborn, Ph.D.

Austin Consortium of Texas Lend (ACT LEND)

Texas – autism and developmental disabilities monitoring (tx-addm) network, be well texas: treatment and recovery grant program – sbirt.

• Mary Velasquez, Ph.D.
• Kirk von Sternberg, Ph.D.

Component A: Engaging Social Workers in Preventing Alcohol- and other Substance-Exposed Pregnancies

Choices-teen: efficacy of a bundled risk reduction intervention for juvenile justice females (2026), retrospective study of treatment outcomes: understanding the role of personal, organizational, and treatment factors in army alcohol treatment outcomes.

• Elisa V. Borah, Ph.D.

Evaluation of the Parenting in the Moment Program for Families who have Experienced Forced Migration

• Ruben Parra-Cardona, Ph.D.

Parent Training for Latinx Autistic Toddlers: Development and Preliminary Testing 

Empower (evaluation and measurement of healthcare transition preparedness, opportunities, and wellness in racially/ethnically diverse youth with idd) study, characterizing language and motor development of racially/ethnically diverse infants and toddlers with down syndrome, the military spouse resiliency group (msrg) peer support program: equipping families for resiliency with tools (effrt), latinx adults with psychiatric disabilities and the families who care for them: a mixed-methods study of the latinx family sociocultural context.

• Mercedes Hernandez, Ph.D., LCSW

Improving the Sustainability of Recovery Housing Organizations to Facilitate Long-term Recovery from Substance Use Disorders

Peer recovery innovation network (prin), testing an occupational stress intervention for harm reduction workers in substance misuse settings.

• Suzannah Creech

Children with Special Health Care Needs Technical Assistance Capacity Building

• Beth Gerlach, Ph.D., LCSW

National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health

• Tracy A. Levins, Ph.D.

FY23-24 Equity-Mini Grant: Girasol at Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing

Full court press expert witness training: building capacity for expert witness in the fields of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, non-fatal strangulation, and interpersonal violence against older adults or people who have disabilities.

• Margaret Bassett, LPC-S
• Noël Busch-Armendariz, Ph.D., LMSW, MPA

Targeted Strategies to Accelerate EBP Implementation in Military Settings (TACTICS)

Opioid use biofeedback intervention program, resilient youth – safer environments (ryse), the texas stalking project.

• Caitlin Sulley, LMSW

A Pilot Study to Inform a Health Approach to Providing Precision Supportive Care for Cancer Survivors in Rural Communities

• Lailea Noel, Ph.D.

Childhood Obesity and the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity and Autism Spectrum Disorder

An intersectional examination of early tobacco use among white and black adolescents.

• Adriana Espinosa, Ph.D.

SCC-IRG Track 2: Integrating Information Flows and Supporting Communities as Decision-Makers in Response to Acute and Chronic Stressors

• Katherine Lieberknecht, Ph.D.

Veteran Spouse Network Peer Support Expansion

Shifting resiliency in the college classroom, appropriate placement level indicator (apli) analysis, engaging the community to co-design and pilot a fall prevention workshop for dementia care partners.

• Yuanjin Zhou, Ph.D.

Training and Consultation Program

Children with special health care needs (cshcn), a pilot study to inform a health equity approach to providing precision supportive care for cancer survivors in rural communities, advancing the early psychosis intervention network in texas, poder: promoting obesity prevention among children with developmental disabilities and families through engaged research, implementing parentcorps in corpus christi independent school district, the play project : promoting ethnic-racial identity in young children, engaging care partners in fall risk management for community-dwelling older adults living with dementia, enhancing the public health response to domestic violence in the context of covid-19.

• Tanya Voss, MSSW

Building Capacity for CER/PCOR Participation among BIPOC Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Neurophysiological responses to stress: a biomarker of risk for suicide in bipolar disorder.

• Elizabeth Lippard, Ph.D.

Dementia Friendly North Central/East Texas

Co-creating a community hub for smart mobility: a university-government-nonprofit partnership.

• Junfeng Jiao, Ph.D.

Cardiovascular Health Among Women During “Established Adulthood”: Neighborhood Effects and County-Level Urban/Rural Status in Texas

Mind over matter: a veteran-driven roadmap to research on traumatic brain injury, spark capacity building, paces project: preventing aces through collaboration and economic supports, texas permanency outcomes project (txpop), texas foster youth health initiative.

• Barbara Ball, PhD

Post-doctoral fellowship: Promoting equity in cardiovascular health

Implementing a church-based parenting intervention to promote nida prevention science among latinxs, veteran spouse network expansion, south southwest mental health technology transfer center.

• Jennifer Baran-Prall, LCSW

Texas Policy Evaluation Project

• Kari White, PhD MPH
• Ruth G. McRoy, Ph.D.

Fairbanks Psychoanalytic Research Collaboration-RCT of Family Minds Intervention

• Tina Adkins, Ph.D.

Psychometric Properties of the Teacher-Reported Pediatric Symptom Checklist

Sleep health in latino day laborers.

• Jahanett Ramirez, MD, MPH

Foster Care Rate Modernization

Engaging social workers in boosting covid-19 vaccine uptake, reaching healthcare professionals to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (fasd), addiction technology transfer center: region 6.

• Maureen Nichols, BA

Linking community and family characteristics to adolescent adjustment

Mental health collaborative – a pilot partnership with american gateways, rethinking cancer caregiver support: a pilot dyadic intervention, adolescence to adulthood: factors influencing trajectories of suicide ideation and attempt among sexual minorities.

• Susan M. De Luca, Ph.D.

Early integrated telemedicine versus in-person palliative care for patients with advanced lung cancer

Efficacy of the asd screening and parent engagement (aspen) intervention program in low-resource communities, mental health recovery and resilience.

• Stacey Stevens Manser, Ph.D.

Telehealth treatments for depression with low-income homebound seniors

• Namkee G. Choi, PhD

Stepping up Austin RA1SE: Reducing the duration of psychosis

• Deborah Ann Cohen, Ph.D.

Wonders and Worries: Testing a psychosocial intervention for children who have a parent with cancer

• Farya Phillips, Ph.D., CCLS

Healthy Community Collaboratives Evaluation

Evaluation of technology-based advocacy services, behavioral health workforce education and training.

• Robin Smith, LCSW-S
• Diana M. DiNitto, Ph.D.

Texas System of Care expansion implementation cooperative agreement

Psychosocial wellbeing and service needs of post-deportation u.s. citizen-children in mexico.

• Luis H. Zayas, Ph.D.

Bystander intervention at The University of Texas System academic campuses

All hands on deck: community convening to improve research on veteran suicide prevention, evaluation of strong fathers strong families intervention, alliance for adolescent recovery and treatment in texas, child welfare education collaboration, survey of employee engagement.

• Michael L. Lauderdale, Ph.D.
• Noel Landuyt, Ph.D.

Cultivating Learning and Safe Environments (CLASE)

Texas youth permanency study, strategic prevention framework partnerships for success, strengthening hispanic families via nida prevention science, safe babies program evaluation, thinkeast health, addressing developmental and social determinants of mental health in transition-age youth, communicating oncologic prognosis with empathy (cope): evaluation of a standardized, interprofessional instrument, recovery support services (rss) via recovery oriented services of care (rosc) technical assistance.

• Richard Spence, Ph.D.

Why adolescent Latinas attempt suicide more than other females

Family therapeutics evaluation, city of austin – national sexual assault kit initiative.

• Shetal Vohra-Gupta, Ph.D., MSW

Tablet-based intervention to prevent substance-exposed pregnancy in primary care

Heart of texas system of care (hot), tablet-based intervention to prevent substance-exposed pregnancy in primary care: diversity supplement, achieving health equity: improving the maternal postpartum access and outcomes of black/african american women in travis county.

• Michele A. Rountree, Ph.D.

Combined Arms Outcome Measurement System Development

Money follows the person: behavioral health demonstration project.

• Lynn Wallisch, Ph.D.
• Tom Bohman, Ph.D.

Mental health access to immigrant Latinx emerging adults

• Carmen R. Valdez, Ph.D.

Integral Care Transition-Age Youth Program

Compendium of resources on sexual assault (corsa ii), snapshot: a closer look at sexual assault case characteristics in texas, family support research and training center, youth lead for health, state targeted response technical assistance (str-ta) region 6.

• Elizabeth Hutton, MS, LPC

Changing the rates of misdiagnosis in psychiatry

National social work collaboration for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (fasd).

• Beth C. Pomeroy, Ph.D.

Quality Improvement Center for Adoption & Guardianship Support & Preservation: Evaluation Component

• Rowena Fong, Ed.D.

Children with special health care needs and transition

Limited english proficiency and health care among older immigrants, the national homelessness social work initiative.

• Calvin L. Streeter, Ph.D.
• Heather Larkin Holloway

Operation Naloxone Expansion

• Lori K. Holleran Steiker, Ph.D., ACSW

A 360 analysis of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use among adolescents

Evaluation of campus-based advocacy services, wonders & worries palliative care program, prevention and early intervention (pei) evaluation, texas panhandle-plains partnership for children and families, hope and meaning-making in individuals with advanced cancer, improving social connectedness in home-bound seniors by integrating telehealth behavioral activation into home-delivered meals services, biological mechanisms of behavior change: the baroreflex and stress reactivity, institute for coordinated community response: evaluation, reveal rural implementation and emerging technologies, texas launch, behavioral health information technology enhancement, spouse resiliency group leader training and program delivery, group treatment for veteran couples experiencing ptsd, choicesplus+: adapted intervention for uthealth (dsrip), access, appraisals, and endorsement of mental health care on college campuses, strategic plan for positive sexual health for youth in out-of-home settings, assessing smoking dependence among spanish-speaking latino smokers, latino students academic achievement: the role of early-childhood family and school characteristics, rutgers violence against women consortium, suicidal trajectories from early adolescence into young adulthood in a national sample, does a brief preventive intervention affect ptsd outcomes (impact study), veteran spouse network, communicating oncologic prognosis with empathy (cope), strong families at the steven a. cohen military family clinic at metrocare, k.i.s.s. (keep it safe and sexy) & tell, tcfv state plan availability survey, national outcomes health indicators, sexual assault forensic services initiative: eloise house program evaluation, post-disaster worker empowerment journal assessment.

• Melissa Torres, Ph.D., MSW

Statewide Human Trafficking Mapping Project for Texas

Home and community-based services – adult mental health implementation support, peer-support preferences among adolescent and young adult oncology patients, legal aid for survivors of sexual assault (lassa) network evaluation, 2018 full court press regional training: building capacity for expert witness in domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in texas court systems, innovative teaching via a therapy dog, texas schools restorative discipline project.

• Marilyn Armour, Ph.D.

A lifespan conceptual model of ethnic/racial identity

Bexar cares system of care, compendium of resources for sexual assault (corsa), leveraging the teachable moment to improve brief interventions in healthcare, project reveal: recording victims video statements as evidence to advance outcomes in family violence cases, exploring the experiences of latino adolescent young adults with advanced cancer and those who care for them, statewide sex trafficking study of texas, longitudinal neighborhood poverty change and racial disparities in birth outcomes, a study of military cultural competency training with seton, increasing breast and cervical cancer screening in rural, frontier, and border counties.

• Holly Bell, Ph.D., LCSW

Culturally relevant model of smoking cessation among Latinos

Youth empowerment services (yes) waiver, adoption openness—longitudinal birthmother outcomes, adoption recruitment campaign and response initiative evaluation project, implementation science for mental health services, department of assistive and rehabilitative services consumer satisfaction survey, the development of an evidence-based curriculum on victim-centered notification, comprehensive care of children with medical complexity, the human trafficking practice and research fellows project, college students’ history of suicidal behaviors, help-seeking attitudes and behaviors, family involvement in treatment initiation among latinos with first-episode psychosis, travis county asset mapping, youth pathways.

• Erin Espinosa

Mexican-American parenting and early childhood development

Texas adolescents substance use disorder treatment planning initiative, zero suicides in texas: youth suicide prevention, peer-2-peer teen pregnancy prevention evaluation.

• Carol M. Lewis, Ph.D.

Environmental effects on disparities in smoking and obesity among women

Bringing what works to youth in corrections, the healthy youth partnership, culturally adapted brief motivational intervention for heavy drinking latinos, assessing mental distress and suicide among texas families: a ten-year examination of parents and their children, communities for recovery: bridging the gap evaluation, the paradox of forgiveness: letting go of the outcome to produce a greater good, a blueprint for university police in texas: responding to sexual assault crimes, breast and cervical cancer screening among hispanic women in rural texas, dshs program tiemh northstar: evaluation and analysis, texas children recovering from trauma / trauma-informed care transformation, asian-american quality of life survey, rst survivors of trafficking empowerment program (step), southwest key community connections, (re)deaf-ining (dis)ability: an introduction to cultural deafness and its implications for social work, screening latino adolescents for behavioral health issues in primary care settings, fedi replication and evaluation in maryland.

• Erin Espinosa, Ph.D.

Family engagement in youth recovery

A trend analysis of hiv testing rates and locations by race/ethnicity, developing a web-based intervention for adolescents in distress: a mixed-methods study, restore rundberg: bryne criminal justice innovation program.

• David Springer

2016 Full Court Press 4.0 Advanced Training: Building capacity for expert witness trainers

Undocumented, unaccompanied, and citizen: charting research directions for children of immigration, demonstration to maintain independence and employment (dmie). long-term follow up, integrated behavioral health mssw scholars program for underserved populations, integrated services for homeless persons: evaluation services for the center for health care services.

• Lori Mangrum

Health and well-being: Statewide sexual assault prevalence study

Drinking, driving and drugs: trajectories of dwi recidivism and how to intervene.

• Jane Maxwell, PhD

TX DARS Statewide Needs Assessment

Accessing young black msm for hiv prevention through online social networking, the connections project: connecting disconnected youth to programs that support healthy sexual outcome, strategic approaches to sexual assault kit evidence: action research, kipp austin connections elementary restorative discipline program, prevention of substance abuse with college student veterans, proposal for restorative discipline: a proactive approach to discipline management, african american and hispanic male youth perceptions of police officers who patrol in urban communities, health profiles of asian americans in the new millennium, epidemiology of drinking and disorders in border vs. non-border contexts, multidisciplinary approach to reduce injury and substance abuse.

• Craig Field, Ph.D.

Immigration-related stress and suicidal behavior among Latino adolescents

Stress, safety, and well-being of home care attendants, criminal justice division 2014 full court press advance training: building capacity for expert witness trainers, investigating politeness in asian sign languages, veterans network evaluation, hispanic adolescent alcohol use and health-risk behavior.

• Chris Salas-Wright

Veterans Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery

Family and school contexts as predictors of early childhood latino development, 1115 medicaid waiver: behavioral health project review, via hope: texas mental health resource, cswe integrated behavioral healthcare social work field placement project, mental health literacy education for religious leaders in ethnic minority communities, developing a built environment measure for use in urban adolescent health research, alternatives to relinquishment of custody to obtain mental health services, an exploratory study of activity/ program needs and preferences among racial/ethnic minority senior center participants: association with actual and felt ages, iaupr puerto rico, development of evaluative tools for austin’s first recovery high school, assessing the needs of congolese women, dwi offender education program, texas baptist children’s home.

• Miguel J. Ferguson, Ph.D.

Residency screening, brief intervention and referral for treatment: Southeastern Consortium (SECSAT)

Exploring the effects of parental deportation on u.s. citizen-children, ut transform.

• Dorie J. Gilbert, Ph.D.

Enhancing psychological capital to foster health outcomes in homeless young women

• Sanna J. Thompson, Ph.D.

2014 Full Court Press 2.0: Providing training and responses to domestic violence and sexual assault

Austin juvenile justice improvement, cancer care for the whole patient: an oncology social work response, evaluation plan: community transformation grant, defense-initiated victim outreach (divo) in texas capital cases (open society institute), asset system of care expansion planning initiative, dfps curriculum development: permanency, visitation, and trauma-informed workforce, recovery oriented services of care (rosc) technical assistance, full court press: providing expert witness training and technical assistance on domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, child abuse medical examinations in texas, the latina college student experience.

• M. Teresa Granillo, Ph.D., MSW

Monitoring the changing methamphetamine market in the Austin area

Developing a toolkit for law enforcement to address sexual assault, telehealth problem-solving treatment of homebound older adults, problem-solving therapy for depressed homebound older adults, texas trio: education system collaborations to increase educational stability, foster care redesign: program evaluation, african-american medicaid managed care, brief alcohol interventions in trauma settings, multidisciplinary approach to reducing injury and alcohol use, full court press (texas): improving the knowledge about and responses to domestic violence and sexual assault in texas, obesity prevention arra evaluation, vegetables on wheels: increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in a rural texas community, journey of hope: teaching coping skills and building resilience post natural disaster, texas state plan for domestic violence services, non report sexual assault forensic exam (nrsafe) program, statewide domestic violence prevalence study, how does motivational interviewing work mechanisms of action in project choices, austin healer women: a culturally congruent hiv prevention model, telehealth problem-solving treatment for mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms in homebound older adults, better way to live at home: supportive services and the well-being of older residents, evaluation of sexual assault services in texas, el paso domestic violence project: evaluation, creating an evidence-based program to build resiliency in child abuse staff and volunteers, archives preservation of the central lunatic asylum for colored insane.

• King Davis, Ph.D.

Mental health and substance abuse needs of HIV-infected persons in Texas

Forgiveness, resilience, and survivorship among holocaust survivors.

• Roberta R. Greene, Ph.D.

Understanding Long-term Care Planning Behavior of Baby-Boom Aged Adults

• Kristie Kimbell

RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America

American cancer society doctoral research grant in clinical oncology social work: annemarie conlon.

• Annemarie Conlon, MBA, LCSW

Intensive case management models for pregnant and parenting teens

Advancing recovery: state and provider partnership for quality addiction services, hiv/aids prevention intervention for african-american women exposed to intimate partner abuse, texas demonstration to maintain independence and employment (dmie), screening, brief intervention, referral and treatment (sbirt), screening, brief intervention and referral for treatment (sbirt / insight), texas mental health and juvenile justice initiative.

• Jemel Aguilar, Ph.D.

Texas STD/HIV Prevention Training Center evaluation

Short-term depression treatment for homebound older adults, defense initiated victim outreach: a pilot in two states, capital case litigation: divo training for texas litigators, assessment for everychild, inc.

• Holly Bell, Ph.D.

CSWE Gero-Ed Master’s advanced curriculum project

Human trafficking coalition project evaluation: phase ii, evaluation of the south texas coalition against human trafficking and slavery, hartford partnership program for aging education (hppae), project mother-daughter talk, travis county foster care reintegration.

• Elissa Madden

Resilience in young adolescents exposed to adult intimate partner violence

• Amy Chanmugan

Project Choices: Program assessment of the Texas FASD Prevention Project

Mental health transformation, long-term outcomes of child protection mediation on permanency for children in foster care.

• A. James Schwab, Ph.D.

Recovery Community Services Program Evaluation

Education outreach program evaluation for austin guitar society, statewide motivational interviewing for texas department of state health services, translating behavioral health interventions into the primary care setting, acculturation and adolescent substance abuse prevention, mssw student unit at tyc.

• Jane A. Kretzschmar, LCSW-Emeritus
• Barbara W. White, Ph.D.

Translating evidence-based behavioral interventions into community practice

• Thomas Erlinger, MD

Group intervention on juvenile justice clients’ understanding of parental incarceration

• Darlene Grant, Ph.D.

Evaluation of the Needs of Human Trafficking Victims in Texas

Clean slate: an alternative mental health approach in new orleans, brief intervention to reduce injury in minorities, teen dating violence, evaluation of enterprising girl scouts beyond bars, assessing clinician acceptance and implementation of evidence-based practice.

• Allen Rubin, Ph.D.

Program and Process Initiative of Texas (SA/PPT)

Medicaid infrastructure resource mapping, family-based substance use treatment for runaway youth, georgia-texas improving brief intervention project, human trafficking coalition – project evaluation, smoking relapse prevention among postpartum women, autonomy in the face of depression in nursing homes, transtheoretical model group therapy for cocaine.

• Angela Stotts, Ph.D.

HIV/AIDS prevention intervention for women who have experienced intimate partner abuse

Voices of struggle: understanding and memorializing the fight against texas proposition #2, greenleaf project, study of texas nursing homes, what is your caregiver iq facts and questions for exploration, adoptive and foster couples retreat and support network program (healthy marriage), austin learning academy’s adolescent family life care, parent-child connectedness and adolescent pregnancy prevention, social service delivery needs of women who have experienced intimate partner violence, cultural competence for chemical dependence treatment programs serving african americans and mexican americans, social work research development program for underserved populations, risk and maintenance factors for bulimic pathology.

• David Springer, Eric Stice, Heather Shaw

Adult Protective Services Client Assessment and Risk Evaluation Form: Validation Study

Ethnicity and faith-based treatment, mental health needs of low-income older texans.

• Graham McDougall, Ph.D.

Evaluation of the BabySafe Program

Meaning of cancer survivorship for hispanic adolescents.

• Deborah Volker, Ph.D., Yolanda Vinajeras, MSW

City of Austin Police Department Cadet Training

Adoption assessment project, geriatric social work initiative.

• Shirley Haulotte, MSSW

Role of transience in service-use by street youth

Border drug problems and treatment utilization, normalization of heroin: a study of heroin as a “club drug”, substance use among partner-abuse survivors residing in domestic violence shelters, interpersonal violence and adolescent mothers.

• Shanti Kulkarni, Ph.D

Employability for refugee families in Central Texas

Assessment of depression needs of low-income older adults: informal caregivers’ and social service providers’ perspectives, bridges to life: thematic analysis of offender responses to an in-prison restorative justice initiative, state survey of crime victims with disabilities, assessing the service needs of intimate partner violence: survivors and staff, dating violence prevention project, services to clients with dual diagnoses of severe mental illness and chemical abuse or dependence.

• Deborah Webb

Childhood cancer survivor resiliency

Defining and assessing spirituality for women coping with partner abuse.

• Dawnovise N. Fowler, Ph.D.

Healthy Marriage initiatives for refugee families

Practitioners’ perspectives on retention problems among geriatric mental health clients, caregiving of the mentally ill in african-american communities, tough choices, prenatal alcohol consumption.

• Kim Kotrla, Ph.D.

Teen mentoring initiative

• Susan Henney, Ph.D.

Effectiveness of EMDR among girls in a residential treatment center

Adolescent family life care evaluation, health survey of texans: a focus on sexual assault experiences.

• Jim Neff, Ph.D.; Holly Bell, Ph.D.

Welfare avoidance and workforce preparation services

Solution-focused alternatives for education.

• Cynthia G. S. Franklin, Ph.D.

Cultural awareness and The University of Texas at Austin Police Department

Girling health care, inc..

• Barbara White, Ph.D.

Managing Multiple Roles with Social Work Students

Teaching and learning cultural competence in social work field education, lived experience of recovery from severe mental illness, developing clinical interventions for family members of homicide victims, development of outcome measures for sexual assault organizations in texas, fathers of offspring with severe mental illness, victim offender mediated/dialogue in crimes of severe violence, evaluation of the babysafe program for pregnant battered women, adolescent mothers speak out about their lives and relationships.

• Shanti Kulkarni, LMSW-ACP

Risk and resilience among children and families

Culturally grounded drug resistance videos for high risk youth.

• Margaret Taylor, Ph.D.

Service utilization patterns among HIV+ drug users

Measuring the effectiveness of peer-led improvisational theatre techniques in changing student attitudes and behaviors toward interpersonal violence, evaluation of the exceptional care pilot project, children’s partnership.

• Dennis Haynes, David Springer

Evaluation of “Protecting You, Protecting Me” alcohol prevention curriculum

Children’s trauma assessment.

• Jim Schwab, Ph.D.

Programs, practices, and strategies in African-American communities that promote mental health and well-being

Stepping stones: a transitional living program for homeless youth, child health and development in the mexican american population.

• Yolanda C. Padilla, Ph.D.

Aftercare Solution evaluation

Texas integrated funding initiative (tifi), juvenile drug court evaluation.

• William Kelly, David Springer

Georgetown Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative

Adolescent pregnancy prevention at lifeworks, family forum/parents anonymous, inc. – a cultural competency assessment, welcoming diversity: evaluation of the national coalition building institute, austin/travis county community justice planning project, minority drug abuse prevention and treatment, birth outcomes, social risks, and child health, grants to encourage mandatory arrest policies for rural areas, pace project evaluation, attc: addiction technology transfer center, texas rehabilitation commission quality of services study, addictions conference 2000, chemical dependency continuing education programs for pharmacists, social workers, and nurses: making up for lost time, aids services utilization among african americans, mssw student unit at travis county children’s protective services region 7.

• Dorothy Van Soest, Ph.D.

Changing adoption agency practices: Mental health implications for birthparents, adoptive parents, and adopted Children

Seller/server training evaluation study, evaluation of expect respect: a domestic violence prevention project for elementary school students, casa of travis county, psychoeducational grief group for aids-related bereavement, juvenile offender substance abuse treatment service (josats) network.

• Kate Wambach, David Springer

Crime Victims: A social work response

• Barbara W. White, Ph.D.; Fran Danis

Spanish translation of Sexual Assault Survivor Booklet

Telling their stories, claiming a voice: life stories of hiv+ women, family support program, ut-city of austin intern unit, texas juvenile probation commission in-home services program, psychoeducational group intervention for hiv-serodiscordant couples, community resource coordination groups (crcgs) of texas, welfare waivers for victims of domestic violence, evaluation of the national domestic violence hotline, effectiveness of good chemistry groups with dually diagnosed consumers.

• Deborah K. Webb

Evaluation of the Ohio Department of Health protocol for the treatment of sexual assault survivors

Solution-focused therapy and learning-challenged students, east texas casa, casa of travis county evaluation, development of a curriculum in cultural diversity, texas crime victims services survey, evaluation of managed care pilots, psychoeducational group intervention for serodiscordant gay couples, labor market outcomes of mexican immigrants: implications for public policy, texas domestic violence needs assessment, ohio violence against women – services needs assessment, child care collaboration and outcome evaluation, residential group homes: an outcome evaluation of treatment effectiveness, mental health treatment of female children and adolescent sex offenders, mexican-american families in border and urban settings.

• Laura Lein, Ph.D.; Henry Selby, Ph.D.

Effectiveness of EMDR therapy

Child death study, strengthening homes in partnership (ship), southeast austin community youth development, evaluation study of post-adoption services, analysis of service integration and delivery in texas (hb7), school-age pregnancy and prevention research project, jobs opportunities and basic skills survey.

• Marian Aguilar, Ph.D.

Mental Status Examination Assistant

Substance abuse family treatment (saf-t) project, treatment alternatives to incarceration, collaboration to adoptuskids, choices+: preconception approach to reducing alcohol and tobacco-exposed pregnancy, fairbanks psychoanalytic research collaboration – validation of the reflective functioning five-minute speech sample (rf-fmss) (2022-present), children with special health care needs (cshcn) project, heart galleries of texas.

• Laura Marra, MSSW

Child Care Studies

Neurosequential model community coordinator pilot project.

• Samantha B. MacCallon, LPC-S

THRIVE Evaluation

• Sharon Hoefer

Texas Early Learning Strategic Plan

• Kate McKerlie, MSSW, MPH

Texas School Social Work Network

Doctoral Program

Phd-phs in social and behavioral sciences.

Prospective doctoral students interested in the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences should apply to the Doctor of Philosophy ( PhD ) Program in  Population Health Sciences  and choose  Social & Behavioral Sciences as their Field of Study.

The PhD in Population Health Sciences is offered under the aegis of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and is awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Students in this program will gain broad, interdisciplinary knowledge in quantitative and qualitative methods of enquiry for understanding the health of populations, and developmental approaches to population health science. In addition, students will belong to one of the following Fields of Study associated with the departments of: Environmental Health , Epidemiology , Global Health and Population , Nutrition , or Social and Behavioral Sciences .

For further details on the PhD program, please visit this website .

Curriculum Guide

2023-24 SBS-PhD Curriculum Guide

What are the admission requirements for the PhD program?

For applicants that are applying into the PhD in Population Health Sciences check out this admission requirement  checklist .

Is the GRE required?

Yes. All applicants are required to submit GRE scores as part of their application submission. This is a change from our pandemic policy. As with other application components, the GRE will be considered as part of an applicant’s holistic application, in combination with all submitted materials.

I’m applying to the PhD program in Population Health Sciences, do I need to secure an advisor? Do faculty make advising commitments before applying to the program?

Advisors for PhD students in the PHS program are chosen after we know who will be joining us in the new cohort. Generally, the assignment takes place in early to mid-May. An essential part of the PhD admissions process is the consideration of appropriate mentoring faculty for the applicant. Therefore applicants do not get prior advising commitments from a potential faculty mentor prior to applying to the program. We recommend listing up to three faculty members of interest in your personal statement, articulating how your current research interests align with the faculty listed.

I’m applying to the PhD program in Population Health Sciences, do I need to have prior quantitative coursework?

Our program has a strong emphasis on quantitative methods so showing preparation in this area is strongly recommended. The doctoral program in SBS is very quantitative-focused and we do require students to take a year of Quantitative Research Methods in Population Health Sciences (PHS 2000 A + B). Although the committee looks at the application holistically, some emphasis is placed on how well applicants do in specific course areas such as Biostats, EPI and the social sciences.

It’s always helpful to the admissions committee to be able to assess quantitative skills in an applicant’s background and that is usually demonstrated through coursework, professional experiences and letters of recommendation.

What are you looking for in applicants to the PhD program?

While applications are looked at holistically, the admissions committee does place an emphasis on prior coursework in biostatistics, epidemiology and the social sciences, so highlighting these types of courses in your application will be useful.  Additionally, it could be helpful if one of your recommenders is a professor from your last degree program who can comment positively on your quantitative abilities.  Your statement of purpose is a chance for you to tell the committee about your motivation for pursuing doctoral work in SBS and to describe yourself as a researcher. A key part of the admissions review process is making sure there is appropriate mentorship, so we suggest naming up to three SBS faculty whose interests align with your own. You can read about the faculty here .

You may find the information on this page helpful as you prepare your application.

Will graduate course work from my master’s degree be accepted for some of the coursework required in the PhD (e.g. statistics courses etc.)?

You can submit a substitution form with the course syllabus for courses you have taken in your Master’s program. Substitution requests are carefully reviewed by the instructor of the required HSPH course to determine if the course is truly equivalent.

Where can I find out more information on the research in the SBS department?

You can get some information on faculty research by viewing their profiles on the department website.

You can read about the research areas of current students here .

News from the School

The power of storytelling in public health

New center to tackle health disparities affecting LGBTQ community

Alcohol use disorder among reproductive-age women—and barriers to treatment

Prosthetics nonprofit wants to hear from its patients

• My Account |
• StudentHome |
• TutorHome |
• IntranetHome |
• Contact the OU Contact the OU Contact the OU |
• Accessibility hub Accessibility hub

Postgraduate

• International
• News & media
• Business & apprenticeships
• Contact Contact Contact
• A to Z of courses
• A to Z of subjects
• Course types
• Masters degrees
• Postgraduate diplomas
• Postgraduate certificates
• Microcredentials
• Postgraduate modules
• Postgraduate distance learning
• Postgraduate qualifications
• Postgraduate entry requirements
• How will I study?
• Tutors and assessment
• Support, networking and community
• Disability support

Fees and funding

• Postgraduate loan
• Credit or debit card
• Employer sponsorship
• Mixed payments
• Credit transfer
• OU bursaries
• Grant funding
• Study costs funding
• Carers' Bursary
• Care Experienced Bursary
• Disability financial assistance
• STEMM bursary
• Over 60s bursary
• Creative Writing Scholarship
• Hayes Postgraduate Scholarship
• Disabled Veterans' Scholarships

How to apply

• Research degrees
• Research areas
• Degrees we offer
• Fees and studentships
• Application process
• Being an OU research student
• Student views

Social work

We conduct applied research into social work and social care services, including professional identities, service user involvement in social work education and practice, the provision of social work education through distance learning, mental health, learning disabilities, digital literacies and social work history.

Our research is recognised for its innovative approach and academic rigour, with many of our academics internationally renowned as subject experts. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), our submission under the unit of assessment for Social Work and Social Policy was judged world-leading or internationally excellent, a testament to both the world-class research by colleagues and the impact of our research on practice. We contribute to policy debates and developments through the Social Work History Network and NIHR (SSCR).

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA or research methods training at MA level (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English .

Potential research projects

• IPA in social work research
• Social work and mental health
• Service user and carer involvement

Current/recent research projects

• Preparation of students in education for social work practice in an inter-professional setting
• Decolonising the social work curriculum
• Hosting students in social care and social work
• Social workers’ lived experiences of learning in the workplace
• Social work students' readiness for practice in the placement or work setting
• Decision making under mental health legislation
• Carer's experiences supporting adults with learning disabilities
• The wellbeing of foster carers
• Methodological approaches including participatory action and IPA

Potential supervisors

• Professor Sarah Vicary
• Dr Gillian Ferguson
• Dr Helen Casey
• Dr Justin Rodgers
• Dr Emma Stevens

Professional doctorate fees

Some of our research students are funded via The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership ; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit  Fees and studentships .

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see  Current studentships .

• School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care

Get in touch

If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:

Professor Sarah Vicary, PGR Convenor in social Work and Social Care Email: [email protected] ​ Phone: +44 (0)1908 868216

If you’re interested in applying for this research topic, please take a look at the application process .

The Open University

• Study with us
• Work with us
• Supported distance learning
• Funding your studies
• International students
• Global reputation
• Sustainability
• Apprenticeships
• Develop your workforce
• Contact the OU

Undergraduate

• Arts and Humanities
• Art History
• Business and Management
• Combined Studies
• Computing and IT
• Counselling
• Creative Arts
• Creative Writing
• Criminology
• Early Years
• Electronic Engineering
• Engineering
• Environment
• Film and Media
• Health and Social Care
• Health and Wellbeing
• Health Sciences
• International Studies
• Mathematics
• Mental Health
• Nursing and Healthcare
• Religious Studies
• Social Sciences
• Social Work
• Software Engineering
• Sport and Fitness
• Postgraduate study
• Masters in Social Work (MA)
• Masters in Economics (MSc)
• Masters in Creative Writing (MA)
• Masters in Education (MA/MEd)
• Masters in Engineering (MSc)
• Masters in English Literature (MA)
• Masters in History (MA)
• Masters in International Relations (MA)
• Masters in Finance (MSc)
• Masters in Cyber Security (MSc)
• Masters in Psychology (MSc)
• A to Z of Masters degrees
• OU Accessibility statement
• Conditions of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookie policy
• Manage cookie preferences
• Modern slavery act (pdf 149kb)

Follow us on Social media

• Student Policies and Regulations
• Student Charter
• System Status
• Contact the OU Contact the OU
• Modern Slavery Act (pdf 149kb)

© . . .

Where do you live?

Please tell us where you live so that we can provide you with the most relevant information as you use this website.

If you are at a BFPO address please choose the country or region in which you would ordinarily be resident.

Study Postgraduate

Phd in social work (2024 entry).

Course code

October, January and April

3-4 years full-time; Up to 7 years part-time

Qualification

Centre for Lifelong Learning

University of Warwick

Find out more about this Social Work research PhD.

The PhD in Social Work allows you to select a topic of your choice linked to our expertise within the broad field of social work. Warwick's Centre for Lifelong Learning provides a rich, transdisciplinary academic environment supported by a dedicated team including supervision and personal tutoring.

Course overview

This PhD provides an opportunity to undertake in-depth research linked to our expertise in social work. Our faculty has a range of expertise. We support interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research projects linked to one or more of our main research themes.

Teaching and learning

We provide a pleasant PhD study room and dedicated personal tutor support in addition to the supervisory team. A combined staff and student seminar programme provides a collegiate forum for sharing and discussing current topics and ideas.  

General entry requirements

Minimum requirements.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject or a good Master's level degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirements Link opens in a new window . This course requires the following:

• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page Link opens in a new window .

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Our research

Research themes can include:

• Social work
• Men/masculinity
• Childbirth/fatherhood
• Health and social work
• Inequalities in health
• Mental Health
• Social work practice
• Social work related legal and policy issues
• Work and practice related to the Mental Health Act 1983 (2007) and the Mental Capacity Act 2005
• International and European approaches and perspectives in mental health practice

Research proposal guidance

Find a supervisor

Please visit our website for a current list of available supervisors and their projects.

Applicants are encouraged to contact their potential supervisor. The most important aspect is the nature of your project and its potential for supervision in our department

You are asked to view your intended supervisor's profile and read their work. Please think about what might make your proposed PhD attractive to your supervisor, and customise the proposal accordingly.

• How does your project relate to your intended supervisor's work?
• How might your project enhance, advance, or develop it?
• Could you take it in a different direction?
• What kind of methods and approaches are likely to appeal to your potential supervisor?

We receive a large number of proposals every year and only have capacity for proposals that are carefully tailored to our specific areas of expertise.

Find a supervisor guidance

Visit our website to explore our PhD routes and areas of expertise. Link opens in a new window

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your research course fees

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our  Module Catalogue  (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships and financial support

Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.

Living costs

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL)

For more than 30 years, the Centre for Lifelong Learning has been a centre of expertise in the education of lifelong learners in different contexts. It has a focus on enabling adult learners to achieve their personal and professional goals by accessing a Warwick education, irrespective of background.

Our departmental research strategy focuses on four interconnected themes: concepts of lifelong learning; people-focused professions; wellbeing and identity; participation and collaboration. We seek to enthuse staff, students, and the wider community with this vision. More information is available on our website.

Find out more about us by visiting our website. Link opens in a new window

Our Postgraduate Taught courses

• Career Coaching (PGA)
• Career Development and Coaching Studies (MA)
• Career Development and Coaching Studies (PGCert)
• Career Development and Coaching Studies (PGDip)
• Career Development Theories (PGA)
• Career Education, Information and Guidance in HE (MA)
• Career Education, Information and Guidance in HE (PGCert)
• Career Education, Information and Guidance in HE (PGDip)
• Challenges of Careers Work in Higher Education (PGA)
• Coaching (MA)
• Coaching (PGCert)
• Coaching (PGDip)
• Leadership and Team Coaching (PGA)
• Psychotherapy and Counselling (MSc)

Our Postgraduate Research courses

• PhD in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning
• PhD in Social Policy and Social Work
• PhD in Social Work

How to apply

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2024 will open on 2 October 2023.

For research courses that start in September and October 2024 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2024. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.

How to apply for a postgraduate research course  

After you’ve applied

Find out how we process your application.

Applicant Portal

Track your application and update your details.

Admissions statement

See Warwick’s postgraduate admissions policy.

Join a live chat

Ask questions and engage with Warwick.

Warwick Hosted Events Link opens in a new window

Postgraduate fairs.

Throughout the year we attend exhibitions and fairs online and in-person around the UK. These events give you the chance to explore our range of postgraduate courses, and find out what it’s like studying at Warwick. You’ll also be able to speak directly with our student recruitment team, who will be able to help answer your questions.

Connect with us

Learn more about Postgraduate study at the University of Warwick.

Page updates

We may have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history .

Why Warwick

Discover why Warwick is one of the best universities in the UK and renowned globally.

9th in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2024) Link opens in a new window

69th in the world Link opens in a new window (QS World University Rankings 2025) Link opens in a new window

6th most targeted university by the UK's top 100 graduate employers Link opens in a new window

(The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers Research Ltd. Link opens in a new window )

About the information on this page

This information is applicable for 2024 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.

Search form

Phd program, dissertation abstracts, the benefits of trauma-informed social and emotional learning curricula among court-involved students living in congregate settings  , henry joel crumé 2022 .

This three-paper dissertation examined the use of a trauma-informed social and emotional learning (TI-SEL) curriculum among court-involved students attending a specialized public charter school co-located with a residential treatment center. The dissertation study used secondary qualitative and quantitative data gathered through a school-led community-based participatory research (CBPR) evaluation study. The three papers examined how the public charter school’s TI-SEL curriculum impacted school engagement among the school’s students and explored different critical aspects related to meeting the educational needs of the court-involved young people. The first paper, Chapter Two of this dissertation, is a qualitative analysis of focus group data collected with school staff members that examined how faculty viewed the strengths and challenges of using a TI-SEL curriculum to promote educational resilience among court-involved youth with complex trauma histories. The second paper, Chapter Three of this dissertation, is a quantitative analysis that focused on the importance of social and emotional learning competencies for school engagement. The third paper, Chapter Four of this dissertation, is a qualitative analysis that explored how students perceived their school engagement while living in an institutional setting. Together, these three papers analyzed the ways teachers, service providers, and students understood and benefited from a trauma-informed social and emotional learning skills curriculum. Chapter Five discusses implied related topics, the dissertation’s implications for social work practice, and proposes further research. This dissertation underscores strategies for facilitating school engagement, educational normalcy, and resilience for court-involved young people living in congregate care settings. 

Uncertain Destinations: Characterizing the Role of Place in the Later-Life Experiences of Palliative Care Patients Experiencing Homelessness

Ian m. johnson  2022 .

Purpose: Homelessness is a pervasive social injustice that stems from the sociopolitical construction of disposable human life. The shifting age demographics of those experiencing homelessness in the United States exposes the shortcomings and barriers within homelessness response services and safety-net healthcare to address serious illness, disability, and age-related needs. Through a partnership with the only specialty palliative care program for people experiencing homelessness in the United States, the Research, Action & Supportive Care at Later-life for Unhoused Peoples (RASCAL-UP) study aimed to (1) identify barriers to care across a spectrum of services for unhoused people facing serious illness; and (2) examine residential trajectories of unhoused patients over the course of palliative care treatment. Methods: A constructivist grounded theory approach was taken. Retrospective chart review of palliative care patients (n=75) was paired with semi-structured interviews with service providers across healthcare and homeless response systems (n=30), as well as observation of palliative care meetings (n=12). Findings: An exploratory analysis of patient charts led to the identification of a 4-category qualitative typology of residential trajectories during palliative care enrollment.  The Aging & Dying in Place typology showed sustained continuity of care within supportive housing. Providers described permanent supportive housing and low-barrier temporary accommodations as optimal lodging for people experiencing both homelessness and serious illness, due to the relative privacy, autonomy, and peer and community support they offer. Some of these locations, such as Tiny Villages, offer modularity, allowing for personalized adaptations. However, increasing system strains promote burnout among staff and limit supply. There are accessibility barriers in supportive housing, emergency shelters, Single Room Occupancy sites, and hotels and challenges in partnership with health and caregiving services. The Frequent Transitions typology was developed for patients who were unable to establish continuity of care during their palliative care enrollment, moving between locations on the housing care continuum, healthcare institutions, jail, and street-based settings.  In these cases, health and housing systems were not able to adequately patch together care. The third typology, Healthcare Institutions as Housing, identified a set of patient experiences characterized by long-term hospitalizations and skilled nursing utilization. Health services within homeless systems, like medical respite, were designed to assist with acute and temporary issues and faced limitations in serving people with aging-related health issues or chronic serious illness. Medical providers noted that access and admission to long-term care services were influenced by system strain and capacity, financial disincentives for taking dual-eligible (i.e., Medicare and Medicaid qualified) patients, perception and stigma of unhoused populations, and limited knowledge of harm reduction, serious mental illness, and trauma. Providers noted the pervasive ideology of punishment as a form of health motivation, and how health policy and practice is not low-barrier. The fourth typology, Housing as Palliation, illustrated a pathway in which patients secured housing later in their illness trajectory, suggesting their prognoses and symptoms activated a system of support for older, disabled, and/or seriously-ill people that isn’t available until one is deemed most-vulnerable. Discussion: This study offers an initial framework for understanding how current systems of care fall short for people facing simultaneous homelessness and serious illness, and opportunities to address housing and health service gaps. Potential advances in closing the gap between health and housing services include incentivized interdisciplinary, cross-system education, training, and consultation that focuses on both homelessness and palliative care, as well as mobile health and low-barrier housing interventions that attend to chronic and high medical acuity. Researchers can contribute implementation science tools to measure and translate the innovative aging and health programming and services emerging in the spaces where housing care continuum, healthcare, government aging and disability services, and community mutual aid intersect. 

Exploring the Ambivalent Relationship Between Social Media and Youth Sociopolitical Development: A YPAR Project with Youth Organizers

Angela malorni  2022 .

Sociopolitical development (SPD) is an emerging set of theories for the process by which youth develop knowledge, skills, and capacity for critical social and political action. Adolescence is an important time for SPD; and it is a powerful protective and promotive factor for marginalized young peoples’ social, emotional, academic, and political well-being. SPD can also lead to stronger social movements that interrupt oppressive systems/practices that are embedded into U.S. institutions (e.g., education, housing, political systems, healthcare, etc.). Over the past two decades, social media has come to play an essential role in youth social, emotional, and political development. It has also played a vital role in numerous youth-led social movements over the past decade, such as #BLM, March for Our Lives, and the global youth climate strikes. Despite social media being an essential part of multiple domains of youth development and political participation, it is often neglected in the study of youth SPD. What we do know about the relationship (which has mostly been explored with young adults) is really ambivalent and has signaled a complex relationship with critical consciousness and the health of social movements. 

Our understanding of youth and technology shapes how adults relate to youth across education and practice settings. This includes how families, service providers, and educators incorporate technology into their work and the policies that can contain and restrict youth behavior or technology use. Additionally, in previous local YPAR projects, youth organizers communicated the need for a better understanding of how to create healthier relationships to social media and how to strategically use social media for their organizing work.  

Social media is an increasingly central space for young people to develop their sociopolitical identities and engage in sociopolitical action. With a better understanding of social media’s relationship to youth SPD, we can better integrate social media as a protective and promotive tool in various youth learning and practice contexts while also working to mitigate the adverse effects of social media on youth SPD. This dissertation outlines a  participatory action research (YPAR) project to explore the relationship between social media and youth sociopolitical development. The overarching research questions are: (1) In what ways does social media facilitate youth sociopolitical development, and (2) in what ways does social media limit, or even act counterproductive to, youth sociopolitical development? I applied case study and virtual photovoice research methodologies to address these questions. All analysis was done collaboratively amongst the YPAR collective. 

This dissertation highlights three important products of this work. First, it shares the results of the YPAR collective’s theoretical and conceptual work. We critically examined normative assumptions of what youth SPD is and collaboratively constructed a definition that is rooted in youth organizers’ lived experience and folk theory. The collective’s work is largely compatible with current models of youth SPD but offers additional insight into key social and emotional elements, and further operationalizes key elements in a way that race, power, privilege, and oppression are centered. The young co-researchers' conceptual definition served as an anchor for our study and makes an important contribution to the field of youth SPD. 

Then, the YPAR collective addresses the overarching dissertation research questions using the virtual photovoice data. The guiding research questions were: (1) In what ways does social media facilitate youth sociopolitical development, and (2) in what ways does social media limit, or even act counterproductive to, youth sociopolitical development? Using activity theory as an analytical framework, we identified a total of nine important contradictions, conflicts and tensions in the relationship between social media and youth SPD. They identified ways that they, and other young people, work through those issues, and assessed the impact of their actions on youth SPD.  

This dissertation outlines the findings for two of these issues. These were highlighted as most prevalent and relevant to how they saw social media interacting with youth SPD. First, the collective explores some of the ways that social media facilitates SPD by increasing accessibility of critical learning, communities, and opportunities for critical action. However, youth researchers note that while social media increases accessibility, social media also amplifies gatekeeping and unhealthy boundary setting in ways that are detrimental to youth SPD.  Then, the youth researchers note specific ways that social media facilitates a deepening of critical awareness and analysis, but that social media also contributes to oversimplification, reduction of complex ideas and identities, and echo chambers. 

I close by discussing the implications these insights hold for social media policy, digital literacy interventions, and community organizing. I also identify future directions for research, including an exploration of the other seven themes, and additional cross-case comparisons that may provide insight into other questions around social media and healthy youth development. The collective also reflects on how the YPAR project has transformed their critical consciousness development, organizing strategy, and social media use.  Planning for translating our findings into action was also discussed.  

Minimum Wage Increases and Child Support Payments: A Secondhand Anti-Poverty Regime 

Anita louise rocha  2022 .

Background and Purpose: By 2010 in the United States, approximately 11.3 million cases owed over $110 billion in back child support. The accumulated debt from unpaid child support may be due, at least in part, to non-custodial parents’ inability to afford it. The setting of order amounts relies on a set of assumptions which may not reflect the reality of low-earnings, non-custodial parents, like uncertainty in wages and intermittent workforce participation. Even attempts to improve economic conditions for the lowest-wage workers, like a local minimum wage increase, may have uncertain effects on non-custodial parents’ earningss and thereby, their ability to pay child support. Could a local minimum wage increase be followed by an alteration in the number of hours worked, earnings, and the amount of child support paid by low-earnings, non-custodial parents? Analyzing data from a cohort of low-earnings, non-custodial parents (NCPs) from 2010 through 2016, both those working in jurisdictions with local minimum wage increases (Seattle, Tacoma, SeaTac) and those working in other areas of Washington state, findings from this study could inform policies that support families which depend on financial support from a non-resident parent. 

Methods: With Washington State administrative data from 2010 to 2016, I examine over 70,000 low-wage, non-custodial parents, all of whom have active child support orders around the time of an increase in local minimum wages. As a longitudinal cohort study, I use a difference-in-difference approach to compare parents who worked in jurisdictions subject to local minimum wage increases to those who did not. Using interrupted time-series models with propensity score weighting, I examine outcomes involving hours worked, earnings, and child support payments before and after an increase in a local minimum wage. 

Results: Relative to NCPs not exposed to a local minimum wage increase and after the implementation of Seattle's minimum wage ordinance, exposed NCPs saw a 5% decline in the chance of having any job in a quarter. They also saw a 14-hour reduction in the expected mean number of hours worked per quarter. a drop averaging about 1 hour per week. Even with a small increase in expected mean hourly earnings of $0.05 per hour, NCPs saw a decrease in expected mean earnings of $260 per quarter, about $20 per week. Finally, there was a change in predicted percent of child support paid after a minimum wage increase, depending on NCPs’ earnings level. Those earning less than $2,700 showed as much as a 1 percent increase in child support paid, while those at higher earnings levels had up to a 1 percent decrease. 

Conclusions and Implications: While many factors influence consistent and full child support payments, results in this study suggest that a local minimum wage increases can lead to a decrease in hours worked, earnings, and child support payments among non-custodial parents, at least in the short-term. A decline in child support payments was only evident among those with higher earnings, and the change was small, approaching 1 percent of the order amount.  Rather than statistical significance, my conclusions, therefore, rest on questions of practical significance. Will the magnitudes of these shifts change in any real way resources available to children whose families are dependent on child support payments? This prompts a discussion of what constitutes substantive material support for children. 

Understanding the Service Needs of Gang-Involved Youth: Social Identity and Ecological Influences on Health Decision-Making 

Asia sarah bishop  2021 .

Gang-involved youth experience multiple forms of marginalization and are members of communities experiencing significant health disparities (e.g., youth of color, poor). Yet, research and policy narratives routinely center delinquency, violence, and legal system intervention with limited attention to health and well-being. To develop relevant and responsive service approaches to address needs and reduce disparities, research is needed to examine how and why health varies within the youth gang population. Broadly informed by social ecological, social determinants of health, and health lifestyle frameworks, this dissertation used multiple methodologies to examine health experiences among gang-involved youth. Methods: Paper 1 was a scoping review of 65 studies to understand how researchers are currently approaching the gang-health link. A thematic analysis was undertaken to explore how and why health variation might emerge within the gang context. Papers 2 and 3 utilized latent class analysis to test for unobserved health decision-making profiles among a statewide, school-based sample of self-identified youth gang members. Quantitative analyses also examined how emerging health profiles differentiated according to youths’ social identities and living contexts. Results: The review illuminated key gaps in our current understanding of the influence of gangs and gang membership on adolescent health. Authors of the reviewed studies theorized that gangs represent social-cultural contexts where norms and values shape health behavior, and that these norms and behaviors may often be gendered in nature. Despite this theorizing, few studies operationalized gang context measures beyond individual membership. Additionally, authors frequently took an ecological approach in their theorizing, citing neighborhood and family influences as important for youth gang members’ health. Yet, the potential mediating role of gang membership in the environment-health link was neglected in analyses, and few studies examined how ecological factors help explain health variation within gangs. The quantitative analyses of this dissertation tested for, and found, distinct profiles of sexual and physical health decision-making. For both sexual and physical health, a pattern emerged whereby youth of color and those identifying as LGBQ were disproportionately represented in profiles characterized by fewer health promoting behaviors and greater environmental adversities (e.g., poverty, housing instability, limited health care access, violence exposure). Gender varied, with males represented in riskier sex profiles and females in poorer physical health profiles. Discussion: Findings suggest that health disparities exist among gang-involved youth, and that these disparities may be attributable to youths’ ecological contexts. Findings have several implications for research and practice. First, gang-involved youth are a heterogeneous group with respect to health, and flexible service approaches are needed. Second, heterosexuality within youth gangs is not universal and those who identify otherwise may be at heightened vulnerability for adverse health, highlighting the need for intersectional approaches to research and practice. Third, the structural and environmental drivers of gang membership (e.g., racism, poverty, neighborhood violence) are also undermining health for these youth, indicating the need for an intentional research and policy focus on macro- and meso-level factors. Conclusion: Youth gang membership in the U.S. is highly racialized, and emerging research suggests that youth gangs are gendered and heteronormative. Failing to attend to the health challenges of, and within, this population represents a complex, yet pressing social justice issue. Addressing health disparities for gang-involved youth will require research and practice frameworks with a multilevel focus on healthy development, issues of intersectionality, and the structural and environmental drivers of adverse health.  

It Does Matter for Us, Too: Implications of Digital Divide Among Older Americans 

Youngjun choi   2021 .

In the U.S., older adults have long overrepresented a digitally marginalized group who did not fully benefit from the digital lifestyle. Despite the rapid adoption of digital technology, the digital divide among older adults is still critical. About four out of ten older Americans, aged 65 or older do not have Internet access in 2021. 

Nevertheless, relatively little public attention has been paid to the digital divide among older adults and its impacts since they were not the primary consumers in economic growth driven by digital technologies. This dissertation project aimed to expand knowledge in the determinants of older adults' engagement in digital lifestyle and the impacts of the digital divide on their wellbeing through a series of three cohesive research papers, analyzing data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). 

The first part of the dissertation explored the digital divide among older Americans, seeking a better understanding of the role of stereotypes on older adults assimilated from surrounding cultures. Drawing on resources and appropriation theory and stereotype embodiment theory, paper one investigated the relationship between older adults' self-perception of aging and regular Internet use. The results from logistic regression show that the higher level of the negative self-perception of aging was positively associated with no regular internet use. The results were in line with another critical argument from the resources and appropriation theory, indicating socioeconomically marginalized groups with limited resources were less likely to use the Internet. 

Based on the implications from paper one, the study expanded its scope to the impacts of the digital divide on older adults' health and wellbeing. The second paper examined the association between older adults' regular Internet use and the likelihood of new-onset mild cognitive impairment (MCI), employing survival analysis techniques with longitudinal data from the HRS study waves from 2002 to 2016. Following the core arguments from the cognitive enrichment framework, the paper posited regular Internet use as a mentally stimulating activity that might help maintain or stimulate older adults' cognitive function. The study found that older adults who regularly used the Internet during the prior study year showed a lower likelihood of new-onset MCI than non-Internet users. 

The last part of the current study investigated the relationship between digital technology as a social communication tool and older adults' subjective wellbeing. Specifically, paper three examined the association between older adults' social network services (SNS, i.e., Facebook, Skype, and Twitter) and perceived loneliness mediated by perceived social support and dispositional optimism. The study found that a more frequent SNS use might be associated with a lower level of loneliness, mediated by perceived social support. In addition, older adults with a higher level of dispositional optimism, indicating those who were optimistic toward their life, were more likely to frequently use SNS and perceive a higher level of social support from the SNS use than those who were pessimistic. 

In brief, the current study found that the digital divide among older Americans was significant, while engagement in digital lifestyle might positively affect the population group's health psychological wellbeing. In addition, this study found that older adults' engagement in digital lifestyle might be affected by various psychological factors, indicating older adults might have a different level of willingness or reluctance to adopt digital technology based on their experiences over life. 

Based on the findings, the current study provides policy and practice suggestions and future research to close the digital gap among older Americans. First, Digital technology training for older adults should be supported by policy and law. Second, Programs to support Internet connectivity of low-income groups, such as Emergency Broadband Benefits, a temporary program to mitigate economic hardship due to COVID-19, should be extended and further expanded to more population groups. Third, policymakers and practitioners need to understand psychological traits and attitudes toward digital technology shared by the older adult population groups to implement better the policy options mentioned above. Future research needs to investigate further psychological factors associated with older adults' reluctance or willingness to engage in digital lifestyle and causal relationships between digital technology uses and various health or psychological outcomes. 

The Availability and Generosity of Medicaid Home & Community Based Services for Economically Vulnerable Older Adults:  State Differences and Their Relationship to End of Life Outcomes 

Hazal erçin  2021 .

Most older adults express a wish to age and die in their homes, yet without a support system at home that could provide comfort and security, this can be impossible due to high needs for assistance with self-care and mobility activities, high symptom burden and low functioning at the end of life. The care needs of economically vulnerable community dwelling older adults can be addressed via Medicaid 1915(c) waivers that provide home and community–based services (HCBS). Medicaid 1915(c) waivers reach the most economically vulnerable older adults - who are commonly known as Medicare/Medicaid dual eligible older adults – and provide services that can help with symptoms, with housework, with daily activities, with caregiver support and with home safety. There is no federal policy regulating Medicaid waiver programs and 1915(c) waivers are offered at the discretion of the states. As a result, states dramatically vary in their availability and generosity, which may create disparities in the end of life experiences among dual eligible older adults based on the state they live and die in. Aims: This dissertation aimed to investigate the state variation in Medicaid 1915(c) waiver availability and generosity to provide HCBS to dual eligible older adults, and to explore the association between state variation in availability and generosity of Medicaid waivers and end of life experiences of this sample, such as unmet needs with self-care and mobility activities and quality of end of life. Methods: To answer the first aim of this dissertation, a policy analysis was conducted to explore availability and generosity of 1915(c) waivers utilizing three datasets, namely waiver application documents located at CMS.Medicaid.org, the Medicaid Analytic Extract - Other Services (MAX-OT) dataset, and Genworth State Cost of Care Survey 2013. For the second aim, the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) (Wave 2-7, 2012-2017 was utilized. Drawing on unmet need and quality of end of life measures from NHATS, variation of the outcome variables was examined by socioeconomic characteristics, severity of illness and impairment factors, end of life indicators and waiver availability and generosity variables. Results: This dissertation found that there is a variation between the states in available services, coverage for target groups, service slots available, ability to direct participants’ own care and generosity. The second part of the dissertation examined the end of life experiences of dual eligible older adults and found that 40.26% of the sample had any unmet needs with self-care and mobility activities and 56.07% had a low quality of end of life. Unmet need for assistance was found to be associated with dementia, not having participant direction option, lower numbers of waivers available and less generosity for homemaker and adult day services. Low quality of end of life was associated with living alone, higher numbers of chronic diseases, receiving hospice, nursing facility placement during the last month of life and less numbers of available slots for the 1915(c) waivers. Discussion: This dissertation showed that community dwelling dual eligible older adults nearing the end of life experience unmet needs with self-care and mobility activities and low quality of end of life, such as high symptom burden and lower functioning. The findings indicated that 1915(c) waivers should provide participant direction more often and tailor their services for older adults with dementia due to their higher risk for unmet needs. Generosity for the services and slots available for dual eligible older adults were also associated with end of life experiences of this sample, therefore Medicaid waivers should increase their generosity and slots to better meet the needs of economically vulnerable older adults at the end of life.  

Statutory Inclusion: An Evaluation of Mental Health Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Military Personnel Following the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” 

Thomas o. walton  2021 .

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women have served in the U.S. military since this nation’s founding despite the many forms of marginalization denying their existence. Formal sanctions have ranged from imprisonment to dishonorable discharge while the hetero-masculine mandate of military culture has consistently targeted and maligned homosexual behavior and identity.  The minority stress perspective explains how these multiple layers of discrimination are likely to harm the mental health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members (LGB SMs). The 1993 law, commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” was meant to lessen the deleterious effects of anti-gay sentiment in the military. Unfortunately, it did the opposite, increasing tensions and incidence of harassment. The law also prevented the military from collecting data on LGB SMs. Until 2011, when the law was repealed and LGB SMs gained the statutory right to serve, it was not possible to study the well-being of this long-silenced population that is likely to be at high risk of adverse mental health outcomes. However, few studies have yet to explore the needs and experiences of LGB SMs.

This three-paper dissertation is one of the first studies using a large representative sample of the active-duty force to investigate mental health, social support, and barriers to treatment among LGB SMs.    

METHODS: A secondary analysis is conducted using data from the 2015 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey – the first wave of this longitudinal study to collect data on sexual identity. The first two studies of this dissertation use the full sample of 14,405 active duty personnel who completed the survey item on sexuality, of which 863 (6.0%) self-identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual. In the first study, a series of logistic regressions describe the prevalence of adverse mental health outcomes, exposures to physical and sexual abuse, and suicidality among subgroups based on gender and sexual orientation. The second paper uses a structural equation model to assess the indirect effects of LGB identity on mental health as mediated by social support. The final paper takes a subsample of only those respondents who were identified as having an unmet need for mental health treatment (n = 1,237; LGB n = 95, 7.7%) and compares barriers to treatment experienced by LGB SMs to those of their straight peers.  

RESULTS: The first paper revealed that bisexual men and women serving in the military have significantly greater prevalence of adverse mental health outcomes compared to their same-sex straight peers, with disparities most notable among bisexual women. Lesbian women did not significantly differ from straight women on measures of mental health or trauma exposures while on active duty, while gay male service members were found to have significantly lower prevalence of some mental health measures compared to straight males despite being significantly more likely to experience unwanted sexual contact. Results of the second paper are consistent with other studies showing the importance of social support as a mental health buffer. Lesbian identity did not affect social support, however gay male identity did have a moderate negative impact on social support with indirect effects on adverse mental health. The final paper found prevalence of concern about confidentiality and mental health treatment harming one’s career to be greater barriers to care among LGB SMs compared to their straight peers, yet prevalence of stigma-related concerns were significantly lower among LGB SMs.   

CONCLUSION: Together, these studies are a first step toward what should be a growing body of literature on the health, well-being, and welfare of LGB SMs. The most immediate implications are to support those found to be in greatest distress – bisexual female service members. Military clinicians should discuss LGB identity and adjust treatments accordingly, while military health leaders should develop campaigns to clarify and reaffirm the right to confidential treatment. Additional interventive implications and the possibility that changing cultural norms may be benefitting gay male service members are discussed.  LGB SMs will benefit from ongoing attention from both military and civilian investigators who will also need access to data on transgender and nonbinary service members if the military’s mission of inclusion is to be achieved. 

Between International Policy and Local Practice: Negotiating Meaning and Strategies to  Address Domestic Violence in Nepal 

Claire c. willey  2021 .

In recent decades, domestic violence (DV) has gained traction as an international concern. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) outlined steps that governments should take to live up to commitments expressed in the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and, largely in response to national women's movements, laws against DV have been passed in 144 countries. However, in low-income countries such as Nepal, policymakers and donors concentrated in wealthier (often Western) countries have disproportionate influence on DV policy and practice, both through international treaties and policies, and through donor funding priorities. Nepali activists and service providers working both within and outside of government run organizations play a crucial role in the translation of international and national policies into local practice. Yet, in this context, two enduring questions are the degree to which international policies reflect and respond to local knowledge and experiences, and how knowledges grounded in local practice can meaningfully inform international DV policy. This dissertation explores these questions across three papers: one theoretical and two empirical papers. The empirical papers are based on fieldwork conducted with DV service providers in Pokhara, Nepal across two summers (2015, 2018). It is informed by my situatedness as a white American daughter writing from a U.S.-based research institution and a Nepal buhari (daughter-in-law) with experiences living and working in Nepal. 

Given the complex structures of power that shape—and are reproduced through—colonial knowledge production practices, the first paper outlines major contributions of postcolonial theory for epistemic justice in international social work research. This paper suggests three research strategies that extend from postcolonial theoretical insights: reflexivity, critical discourse analysis, and postcolonial translation. Subsequent papers apply these strategies to the analysis of Nepali-language interviews and focus groups with DV service providers in Pokhara, Nepal. Paper two employed critical discourse analysis to compare service providers' constructions of DV with those forwarded in major international policy documents (BPfA & CEDAW). The analysis revealed that service providers constructed DV both through an analysis of systemic oppression and through recognition of the centrality of family for individuals' economic and social well-being, as well as for their legal standing as rights-holders in Nepal. Given these findings, the third paper explored community strategies that have been employed to address DV. This analysis revealed that service providers understood these strategies broadly, to include strategies used by women and marginalized groups to shore up their own resources, strategies used to promote gender and other forms of equity in the wider society, and strategies used to engage and/or confront those using DV. The results of this dissertation not only elucidate contextually and culturally responsive DV practice in Nepal, but also challenge dominant international assumptions about what it means to address DV. 

Developing and Validating a Behavioral Framework for Dementia Care Partners' Fall Risk Management 

Yuanjin zhou  2021 .

Older adults living with dementia (OLWD) experience nearly two to ten times higher fall risk than older adults without dementia. Despite this, evidence is limited concerning effective fall management strategies for them. Care partners (broadly defined as relatives, partners, and friends) play a critical role in managing the fall risk for community-dwelling OLWD. However, it is unclear what behaviors dementia care partners adopt are relevant to fall risk management (FRM) and how these behaviors are associated with fall-related outcomes for OLWD. This dissertation utilizes an exploratory sequential mixed method study design to develop and validate a behavioral framework for dementia care partners' FRM. 

This first paper proposes a behavioral framework for dementia care partners’ FRM using a grounded theory approach and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 14 care partners of community-dwelling OLWD. This paper makes a distinctive contribution by identifying eight domains of dementia care partners’ FRM behaviors (1. functional mobility assistance, 2. assessing and addressing health conditions, 3.  health promotions support, 4. safety supervision, 5. physical environment modification, 6. receiving, seeking, and coordinating care, 7. learning, and 8. self-adjustment) across four stages of FRM (1. providing support before dementia diagnosis, 2. preventing falls, 3. preparing to respond to falls, and 4. responding to falls).   

The second paper validates this behavioral framework by using two linked national surveys, the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) 2015 and the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) 2015, to examine the prevalence and dimensionality of care partners’ FRM and to compare the differences between primary and secondary care partners. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) approach under the item response theory paradigm is utilized to examine the dimensionality of FRM behaviors. EFA results illustrate the complexity of two domains of FRM behaviors that emerge from the first paper: receiving, seeking, and coordinating care, and assessing and addressing health conditions. These discrepancies illustrate the need to explore different mechanisms, facilitators, and barriers for care partners navigating multiple care systems and service providers and addressing different types of health conditions for managing OLWD’s fall risk. Furthermore, this study identifies similarities and differences between primary and secondary care partners that may inform the development of different strategies to engage care partners based on their caring roles. 

Informed by this validated framework, the third paper focuses on assessing fall risk reduction for community-dwelling OLWD associated with receipt of FRM support from their care partners utilizing longitudinal data NHATS 2015-2016 and the linked care partner data NSOC 2015. Study findings from this paper highlight the importance of care partners’ medication management, wound care, learning behaviors, accessing formal social care, and physical environment modifications in potentially reducing the risk of falling for community-dwelling OLWD. The study also found that certain FRM behaviors, including functional mobility assistance, health promotion support, and medication management might be associated with a higher risk of falling for OLWD. 

Overall, the findings from this dissertation yield contribution to both practice and health and social behavior science inquiries. The dissertation addresses the need for a behavioral framework to understand care partners’ FRM and assess the contributions and limitations of care partners’ efforts. Future interventions can be developed by applying this framework to engage dementia care partners. 

Dissertation: “You Don’t Look Anorexic:” A Mixed Methods Study of Weight Stigma and Healthcare Experiences in a Diverse Sample of Patients with Atypical Anorexia 

Erin nicole harrop  2020 .

“Atypical anorexia” (AAN) is an eating disorder (ED) describing those who meet all criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) except being underweight. By having larger bodies, AAN individuals are more likely to experience weight stigma. The present study used multiple methodologies to explore the AAN experience, focusing on how weight and weight stigma affect healthcare. Methods: Study 1 utilized a systematic review of 54 articles to determine the weight history and medical complications of AAN. Study 2 utilized in-depth semi-structured arts-based qualitative interviews with 38 AAN patients to describe their experiences of weight stigma in healthcare. Study 3 utilized stepwise multivariate regression to determine associations between weight-related variables and treatment delay. Results: The review revealed that patients with AAN experienced lower rates of amenorrhea and bone density loss compared to AN. However, life-threatening symptoms (electrolyte imbalance, bradycardia, hypothermia, orthostasis) occurred at commensurate rates, despite AAN weights being higher. Qualitative findings demonstrated that across the illness trajectory (risk development, pre-treatment, treatment, relapse prevention), patients reported that provider weight stigma contributed to initiation and persistence of ED behaviors, complicating illness trajectories. Quantitative results corroborated the impact of weight-related variables on treatment receipt and delay. Participants experienced a mean weight suppression of 28.4% (SD = 10.0) of their premorbid weight and a treatment delay of 11.6 years (SD = 11.7) from the time patients believed they had an ED until receiving treatment. In regression analysis, minimum BMI and largest percent weight loss emerged as marginally significant (p = .048, .059, respectively) predictors of treatment delay, such that lower BMI and greater percent weight loss were associated with shorter treatment delays. Discussion: These findings demonstrate that 1) AAN is a serious illness with similar medical comorbidities as AN, 2) higher weight patients were counseled to lose weight despite impairing ED cognitions and behaviors, 3) healthcare providers generally failed to recognize AAN in normal and higher weight patients, and 4) consequences of provider weight stigma included longer periods of living with undiagnosed, untreated EDs and instances of providers triggering (or re-triggering) ED behaviors, leading to increased medical risk. These findings suggest several needed steps. First, transitioning to a spectrum model for AN diagnosis (wherein weight is one severity indicator) may facilitate faster diagnosis and treatment. Second, training is needed for primary care providers to increase recognition and screening of EDs in normal and higher weight patients. Third, conversations are needed between obesity and ED professionals to ensure that universal health promotion efforts do not cause unintended harm. Addressing weight stigma in these ways could enhance treatment receipt, quality of care, and healthcare engagement for ED patients, particularly those at higher weights. 

An Examination of Novel Harm Reduction Interventions for Indigenous and Other Youth of Color 

Matt ignacio  2020 .

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use among youth populations remains a pressing social issue in the United States. Young people who experiment with or regularly use AODs are at heightened risk for experiencing AOD-related harms such as mental health issues, overconsumption, and death. Among American Indian/Alaska Native/Indigenous (hereafter, “Indigenous”) youth, contextual risk factors such as limited access to culturally relevant AOD prevention information can exacerbate their risk for AOD harms such as early onset for problematic AOD use, AOD-use disorders in adulthood, infection of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), unresolved issues of trauma, and related experiences of inter-personal violence. An effective approach to reduce AOD-related harm among youth is harm reduction. Youth-specific harm reduction studies have shown significant effects in reducing AOD use and related harms, as well as increasing knowledge and awareness. However, there is a dearth of empirical literature on the development, acceptability, and measurement of culturally relevant, theoretically grounded harm reduction interventions for Indigenous youth. This dissertation examines three sets of interrelated questions regarding novel interventions designed to prevent and reduce AOD harms for youth of color (YOC), with a focus on the needs of Indigenous youth who participate in an Indigenous-specific after-school program. The first study reports use, usability, and overall satisfaction outcomes for the MyPEEPS (Male Youth Pursing Empowerment, Education, and Prevention around Sexuality) mobile app, an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention. A pre-post pilot feasibility study was conducted with racially and ethnically diverse 40 young men living in Birmingham, Alabama; Chicago, Illinois; New York City, New York; and Seattle, Washington. Results indicated 62.5% (25/40) of all participants completed the intervention in an average of 28.85 (SD 21.69) days. Overall, participants reported the app was easy to use and useful and had the potential to improve their sexual health knowledge, behaviors, and awareness in risky situations. The second study focused exclusively on the AOD prevention needs of Indigenous youth towards the development of a culturally relevant and theoretically grounded harm reduction intervention. A community-based participatory research approach was used to understand the perceptions of AOD use, harm reduction and culture among Indigenous youth 13-17 years of age enrolled in an Indigenous-specific after-school program. Key themes were organized with the Indigenous framework of Relationality and included: a) youth understand the negative consequences of AOD use, b) youth appreciated balanced, non-abstinence based AOD education, c) youth described a need for safe opportunities to talk about the impacts of AOD use, and d) youth described a desire to lead and help prevent AOD harms for their future selves and for those in their circle. The third study examined perceptions of Indigenous adults (18+ years of age) affiliated with the same Indigenous after-school program regarding AOD use, harm reduction, and risk factors for youth participants. Findings were organized using a risk environment framework to identify risk factors for youth on micro and macro levels across physical, social, economic, and policy domains. Last, adult-identified risk factors were paired with the previously reported youth recommendations where similar, to establish core content for a community-based, culturally relevant, and theoretically grounded harm reduction intervention for Indigenous youth, inclusive of multigenerational Indigenous perspectives. Results of these studies strongly indicate that harm reduction interventions as an acceptable approach to prevent AOD use and harm among diverse YOC. In addition, findings support culturally relevant harm reduction education as a valuable way to prevent AOD use and harm among Indigenous youth participating in an after-school program. Future research should seek to explicitly test the hypothesis that interventions designed to enhance relationality among Indigenous youth can serve to buffer risk for AOD use and harm. Finally, meeting the needs of diverse YOC requires a community-based approach. Trust and respect must be established in order to develop a mutually beneficial research partnership with representatives from diverse populations and communities. 

The Practice of Intergroup Dialogue Across Eductional Settings 

Kristin j. mccowan 2020 .

Consciousness-raising educational efforts, that help learners critically examine the sociopolitical structures that create and sustain discrimination and disadvantage (Larson, 2014) are needed. Friere (1979) suggests that the most promising approaches to educating for critical consciousness reflect three interconnected components; an in-depth understanding of the world, reflection on social and political contradictions, and taking action against oppressive elements in one's own life (Friere, 1979). Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is one evidence-based approach that uses critical pedagogy and experiential learning to help students develop a structural analysis of how power and privilege are related to various types of inequalities (Gurin, Nagda, & Zuniga, 2013). Evidence suggests that IGD is an effective approach to reducing prejudice and increasing intergroup understanding, collaboration and action among learners (Dessel, Rogge, & Garlington, 2006; Lopez & Zuniga, 2010; Maxwell, Nagda, & Thompson, 2011; Schoem & Hurtado, 2001; Zuniga et al., 2007). While the majority of research on IGD tends to examine outcomes, less is known about how students experience and navigate the cognitive and affective processes that facilitate the aforementioned outcomes. This dissertation seeks to understand the ways in which IGD fostered critical consciousness among students. Across these three studies, IGD served as a promising approach that enabled high school and undergraduate students to increase their understanding of the world around them, to engage in critical (self) reflection, and the findings across these studies also demonstrated students’ ability to take action to incorporate their new learnings into their everyday lives. Although the experiential nature of the course proved challenging at times, the vast majority of students reported that the dialogic challenges supported their ability to apply critical dialogue skills across both contexts. Analyses also revealed that IGD was instrumental in the development of students’ listening skills. In particular analyses revealed that students' may have developed a more integrated form of listening, or conscious listening which involves the integration of multiple senses (e.g. eyes, heart, mind, ears) that promoted their ability to awareness across all three domains (context, content and intrapersonal). Analyses from the high school study, revealed that IGD supported students’ sociopolitical development. While, there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that a school-wide approach is feasible, evaluation of the pilot program was appropriate and conducive to high school students, in the third study, there More trials are needed to further develop a programming model that addresses the unique contingencies embedded in the school environment; which include, the duration of each meeting was limited to 40 minutes and inconsistent access to physical space within the school. 

Indigenous Connectedness as a Framework for Relational Healing within Alaska Native Child Welfare 

Jessica ullrich  2020 .

This study was embedded within the Alaska Native child welfare context to fill a gap in the literature that further theorized and made evident the key concepts and mechanisms of Indigenous child wellbeing.  Twenty-five foster care alumni, relative caregivers and foster parents provided their perspectives and life experience of child wellbeing within ICWA preference placements. The use of directed content analysis and Indigenous storywork helped make meaning of the knowledge bearers’ stories in comparison with an Indigenous Connectedness Framework. Results indicate that: 1) relational wounds and trauma must be acknowledged and addressed; 2) relational continuity is a crucial for wellbeing within child welfare, and 3) relational healing happens when children and adults know who they are and where they come from. This study is significant because it shifts the narrative, philosophy, values, beliefs and theory of child wellbeing within child welfare and influences how we live in right relationship with ourselves and others for the benefit of our sacred children. 

Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels of Implementation: An Examination of Minnesota's Cultural and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure Grant Program 

Martha aby 2019 .

Using Minnesota’s Cultural and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure Grant (CEMIG) program as a case study, this dissertation, using a multi-paper format, analyzes how race, ethnicity, and culture interact with large-scale, system-wide implementation projects at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. CEMIG funded 21 agencies over $8.83 million in workforce development efforts (e.g., assist individuals in obtaining mental health licensure) for 281 individuals, clinical and ancillary services, and EBP training for cultural and ethnic minority populations from 2008-2017. Data used for these papers was varied, including 62 online survey responses from clinical trainees, over 1000 grant documents gathered and maintained by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS), and 23 interview transcripts from 27 participants collected between summer 2017 and fall 2018. While the primary method of data analysis was qualitative content analysis, multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between challenges and supportive services among clinical trainees who participated in the CEMIG program and responded to the online survey. Micro-level findings indicate that while there was no statistically significant relationship between clinical trainees and their demographics, education debt amount, or perceived level of graduate training for the mental health licensure exam, in comparison, services and supports, specifically financial assistance with test fees, were found to be beneficial. The qualitative component of the survey found that clinical trainees experienced the exams as culturally biased and were warned that the licensure exams are challenging and required code-switching behaviors to be successful. Mezzo-level findings separated grantee agencies into four types: sovereign, legacy, transitional, and grassroots; themes generated described the differential need, based on agency typology, to create internal infrastructure, attend to hidden bias, and maintain autonomy during the grant contract process. Macro-level findings demonstrate the participants perceived that the grant program perpetuated inequities by neglecting to promote the program, advocate for clinicians of color, and coordinate isolated policy ecology systems. Findings from these studies highlight the complexities of racial and cultural identity in the implementation process. At the micro level, the need for clinical trainees to engage in codeswitching behaviors to succeed, questions the role of the licensure exam in assessing competence or cultural assimilation. At the mezzo level, findings suggest that when including non-legacy agencies, more technical assistance and funding for data reporting and contract management should be included. Further, government or private funders should engage in conversations that uncover hidden biases that affect relationships and implementation processes with sovereign, transitional, and grassroots agencies. Last, at the macro level, suggestions for process improvement included enhanced data collection, innovation cross-fertilization, and stakeholder advocacy involvement. Especially within policies engaging with disparate communities, including ethnicity-specific mental health provider advocacy groups in the stakeholder advisory board and collaborating with these advocacy groups for grant program development and data collection efforts are critical for project enhancement and sustainability. Further research is needed to describe differences in implementation based on culture and ethnicity within mental health settings, as well as examining institutional norms, such as licensing exams that clinicians of color may experience in discriminatory ways. 

On the Cusp: Pathways to Employment, Education, and Disability in First-Episode Psychosis (FEP)

Shannon blajeski 2019 .

Poverty is a persistent problem in serious mental illness (SMI) with adult unemployment rates consistently hovering around 80%. A psychiatric paradigm shift toward early intervention for first-episode psychosis (FEP) has shown promise in supporting employment and education in early stages of treatment, but with mixed outcomes. Theories implicate existing low SES and its associated structural barriers, social drift into disability following onset in early adulthood, and disability status with its accompanying label and stigma, in the maintenance of poverty for this population. Utilizing life course theory and considering that the developmental period before disability is established is a particularly critical intervention point for poverty prevention among this group, it is an urgent research priority to learn how young adults with FEP negotiate employment and/or education and how interventions can facilitate this process. This dissertation explored the ways in which employment, education, or disability trajectories form during the early stages of living with a FEP. Utilizing a standpoint epistemological lens, which seeks to highlight the position of the marginalized, 19 interviews were conducted with a critical case sample of young adults with lived experience of a FEP and early intervention programs to explore the key moments, messages, and structural influences that determined their trajectories towards employment, education, or disability. Results indicate that the initial life disruption from a FEP in young adulthood leads to a suspension of gainful activity, followed by a period of forward progress through overcoming their early experiences with hospitalization and medication regimes, and adjusting their self-concept after the label of psychosis. Mental health professionals sent different messages about disability or capability depending on treatment ideology, while families provided varying levels of support and encouragement based on their own SES and subsequent values. Finally, young adults who were successful in entering the labor market did so by moving into direct career pathways instead of looking for work in the secondary labor market, utilized university disability centers, and found support and direction through their involvement with the council. These conclusions have significant implications for early intervention programs, including targeting early-onset FEP, shifting employment focus to the primary labor market, promoting adjunctive peer-based support, and challenging the professional mental health discourse about disability. Implications for research include the need to better understand the pathways of FEP young adults who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) and who face additional barriers to accessing employment programs and the labor market. 

“Wherever I Go, I Have It Inside of Me”: Indigenous Cultural Dance as a Transformative Place of Health and Prevention for Members of an Urban Danza Mexica Community

Angela r fernandez 2019.

Background and Purpose: In 2012 the U.S. Census Bureau used “Mexican American Indian” (MAI) as a new category to describe people with ancestry from Indigenous groups of Mexico. This census category comprises the fourth largest Indigenous population group in the United States and encompasses a vastly diverse, complex, and intersectional population, for which there is little empirical health research. Many Indigenous scholars and community members cite involvement in place- and settings-based cultural and spiritual practices as potentially protective in reducing health risks and promoting well-being. The aim of this study is to understand the role of participation in cultural dance as a potential protective place for reducing alcohol and other drug abuse (AOD) and HIV risk, and for promoting overall health among a sample of people from an Urban Danza Mexica Community (UDMC). Narrative, as storytelling, is a powerful medium of communication with the potential to uncover important risk and protective factors among Indigenous communities globally.

Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis (n = 12; 9 included in the final analysis) of a larger qualitative AOD and HIV prevention study with UDMC in the Pacific Northwest (n = 21). The larger pilot study uses a community based participatory research approach to assess AOD, HIV and overall health needs through in-depth interviews. This secondary analysis introduces the decolonizing narratives of health (DNOH) model, developed by the author as an innovative, relational, analytic framework that places Indigenous stories in relationship to their context across 3 distinct yet interconnected levels—the personal, the communal, and Indigeneity in the larger world. These levels of narrative analysis function as culturally grounded, relational pathways through which to articulate health prevention and promotion methods. The sample of 9 participants identified ancestry among 4 Indigenous groups from across Mexico. Their ages were evenly distributed across younger and older adult cohorts (18+) with education levels from 0-8th grade, to graduate/professional degrees. Five participants self-identified as cisgender female, and 4 as cisgender male. Among the 9, one participant identified as cisgender two-spirit.

Results: The DNOH model’s narratives delve into the complex and nuanced relationships within participants’ internal worlds (personal), between themselves and their danza community (communal), and between themselves and their overall Indigenous identity within society (Indigeneity). Participants use narrative as a mechanism for resistance to colonial assaults and transmission of ancestral teachings about health and prevention. While marginalization of their intersectional identities is an ongoing challenge, participants within the danza circle use narratives to create spaces wherein they navigate complex conversations that resist oppression, reconnect with and strengthen their Indigenous identities, and strive toward ancestral visions of health and well-being.

Conclusion and Implications: This study contributes to Indigenized theoretical and methodological expansion, and to the development of place/settings-based, narrative cultural health interventions aimed at decreasing health risks and promoting wellness among populations similar to UDMC. Identifying

protective places and spaces that foster distinct pathways for decolonizing narratives helps increase understanding of its role in preventing health risk behaviors and promoting overall health and well-being among Indigenous Peoples.

A Population-Based Study of Child Maltreatment-Related Hospitalizations and Child Protection Responses

Rebecca rebbe 2019.

Despite the breadth of the identified impacts and costs of child maltreatment, a primary challenge in our understanding of child maltreatment is that we still do not have solid numbers of children who experience it. Further, despite child protection systems (CPS) being reliant on mandated reporters to bring concerns of child maltreatment to their attention, there is little information about how systems respond to concerns of child maltreatment. Informed by the public health approach and ecological systems theory, this dissertation utilizes a novel linked administrative dataset of birth, hospital discharge, and CPS records to provide new knowledge about hospitalizations related to child maltreatment. It does so in three ways: identifying the incidence and prevalence of child maltreatment-related hospitalizations, the risk and protective factors of these hospitalizations, and the systems responses to these hospitalizations, as measured by CPS reports and removals by CPS. Results indicate that most common form of child maltreatment-related hospitalizations was neglect and, more specifically, supervisory neglect. Identified risk factors included child’s low birth weight, mothers who were teenagers at the time of birth, non-first born children, maternal residence in zip codes with high concentrated disadvantage, and a prior CPS report. System responses were dependent on the subtype of maltreatment and type of diagnostic code used. Specifically, physical abuse and codes specifically related to maltreatment had higher rates of CPS reports and removals compared to the other maltreatment subtypes and diagnostic codes not specifically related to maltreatment. These results provide new knowledge regarding child maltreatment. The results can be used to target prevention programming, which are identifiable at birth, increasing their utility. The new knowledge identified through this study has important implications for our understanding of child maltreatment, how we can prevent it, and how current systems are responding to it.

Period Changes in Intergenerational Income Mobility between Welfare State Contexts in South Korea and the United States

Chiho song 2019.

Social mobility has stalled or declined in most advanced welfare states in an era of rising inequality, implying that socioeconomic disadvantages persist across generations and questioning the permeable class structure premised by a capitalist democracy. Welfare state policies aim to enhance upward social mobility for the citizenry by reducing inequality and promoting inclusive growth; however, social mobility is rarely examined as embedded within the institutional and sociocultural contexts of alternative forms of the market economy welfare state. 

Although South Korea and the United States have generally similar residual and limited welfare state regimes, this dissertation finds that the intergenerational income mobility (IGM) trends in recent decades differ remarkably between the two countries; thus, this paradox becomes the focus of the dissertation. This dissertation analyzes cross-national differences in IGM in South Korea and the United States for two birth cohorts representing contrasting period effects: between 1980-1995 and 1996-2015, using data from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study in South Korea and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics in the United States. It then conducts a historically informed comparative analysis of between-country mobility differences as contextualized by different philosophical underpinnings of the welfare state—Confucian familial orientation in South Korea vs. libertarian individualistic orientation in the United States. 

This study presents findings in four areas. First, findings suggest no period effects on IGM in both countries, though the Korean IGM improved and the U.S.’s IGM eroded. Second, results suggest that women’s IGM in Korea changed: shifting from less to more mobile than that of men between the two study periods; whereas in the United States, IGM eroded for both men and women, with the erosion of IGM particularly pronounced among women. Third, results indicate that not only income but also family structure impacts IGM in both countries. Finally, this dissertation theorizes that it is plausible that more favorable IGM trends in Korea might in part be attributable to the benefits of its Confucian Welfare State orientation, which emphasizes promoting family system support and responsibility, over the more individualistic orientation of the American welfare state.

Examining Discourses ofBisexual Identities among Older Women

Sara jen 2018.

The Institute of Medicine (2011) has recognized LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) older adults as an understudied and underserved population at-risk of poor physical and mental health outcomes. While the acronym “LGBT” is frequently used to define this population, implying a common identity or experience, important subgroup differences are often overlooked within empirical literature (fredriksen-Goldsen & Muraco, 2010). In particular, little research explores the experiences of older bisexual individuals separately from those of lesbians and gay men (Kaestle & Ivory, 2012), an oversight that reflects the relative invisibility oftheir social position both within LGBT communities and in the broader population (Brewster & Moradi, 2010). When separate analyses or comparison studies are carried out with bisexual research participants, important differences are revealed in terms of social resources (Erosheva, Kim, Emlet, & fredriksen-Goldsen, 2015), psychological resources and coping mechanisms Battle, Harris, Donaldson, & Mushtaq, 2015), and health-related outcomes (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Shiu, Bryan, Goidsen, & Kim, 2016). Thus, a variety ofrisk and protective factors likely influence their health in unique ways.

This dissertation seeks to shift the focus of LGBT literature to center the lives of older bisexuals, who represent a sexual minority group with significant and unique health disparities in relation to heterosexual, lesbian, and gay older adults. Particularly, I will center the lives of older bisexual women whose experiences of bisexuality are also distinct from those of both bisexual men and younger bisexual women. This study is informed by a critical feminist conceptual framing, theoretical influences from gerontology and bisexuality literature, and key concepts from foucauldian discourse analysis. I will examine the ways that older bisexual women (age 60 and older) construct and make meaning out oftheir bisexual identities on individual, social, and political levels by drawing on both broad discourses and specific linguistic tools in semistructured in-depth interviews. This research is a crucial first step toward developing a better understanding of how bisexuality and experiences related to bisexuality may influence the health of older women.

Culture and History Matter: A Mixed-Methods Study of Historical Trauma and Cultural Practices as Determinants of Alcohol Use among Truku Tribal People in Taiwan

Ciwang teyra (mei-yi lee) 2017 .

Taiwanese indigenous peoples are part of the larger fabric of indigenous groups across the Pacific region. Although indigenous communities in the Pacific region possess enormous diversity in their cultures and political histories, one unfortunate commonality is significant health inequalities in comparison with non-indigenous counterparts. In Australia, for instance, the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been shown to be 17 years less than that of the non-indigenous populations (Pulver et al., 2010). In New Zealand, the average life expectancy for Māori people was 7.3 years lower than for non-Māori populations in 2010 to 2012 (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). Similarly, indigenous peoples of Taiwan have experienced significant health inequalities in comparison with their non-indigenous counterparts, the Han population. In Taiwan, indigenous peoples have a higher mortality rate than the majority Han population, with a life expectancy that is 8.7 years lower than the national average (Council of Indigenous Peoples, 2011). Additionally, Taiwan Indigenous Health Report of 2011 indicated that alcohol-related chronic liver disease/cirrhosis and accidental injuries are among the 10 leading causes of death among indigenous communities. Indeed, alcohol use has become one of the highest-priority concerns for Taiwanese indigenous communities.

Supporting Latino Families Vulerable to Child Welfare Involvement

Jessica a.n. rodriguez-jenkins 2017 .

Background : Latino families with young children are the fastest growing group in the public child welfare system, yet a limited amount of research focuses on understanding their parenting context. This makes research understanding the context of parenting and possible predictors of nurturing parenting a central concern for child welfare researchers. A clear picture of who these families are, and how they are faring, is critical to illuminate potentially modifiable areas for interventions and prevention of future child welfare involvement. Objectives : (1) Estimate hypothesized group differences of sociodemographic characteristics and maltreatment risk and protective factors, stratified by race (Black, White, and Latina) and Latina country of origin (Mexican, Puerto Rican, and other origin) among Latinas who have been the subject of a child welfare investigation. (2) Explore possible predictors of nurturing parenting among Latina mothers drawn from variables of within group difference and micro, mezzo, and macro contexts. Methods : Data are taken from the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-being II – Restricted Release (NSCAW-II), a national probability sample of families who were investigated for possible maltreatment between February 2008 and April 2009 in 83 counties nationwide. The study analysis was restricted to mothers of children between 0 and 5 years old who remained in their biological mother’s care (n = 1,836). Results : Bivariate results examining sociodemographic and maltreatment risk factors demonstrate heterogeneity when Latina mothers were examined by country of origin. Puerto Rican mothers have significantly higher risk factor rates when compared to Mexican and other origin mothers – which was often obscured when Latinas were examined homogenously due to the larger percentage of Mexican mothers in the sample. Conclusion : Results from this study bring to light within group heterogeneity among these Latina mothers which was obscured by examining Latinas in aggregate. This study furthers our understanding of racial and ethnic differences among Latinas with vulnerability to child-welfare involvement in a contextually and culturally responsive manner.

Social Policy Context and Family Economic Well-being from a Comparative Perspective

Ji-young kang  2017.

My dissertation, Social Policy Context and Family Economic Well-being from a Comparative Perspective, investigates three corresponding questions of themes of social policy, family economic well-being, and inequality from comparative perspectives; (1) how family policies relevant to economically vulnerable families have changed across countries; (2) how family policies influence female employment from cross-national comparative social policy perspective; and (3) whether and to what extent U.S. maternity leave is associated with less reliance of welfare on low-income families. These three questions correspond to three papers that are connected through the development of a theoretical framework with two empirical applications.

The first paper, Welfare States, Market Economies and Family Policies, sets a framework of a broad context of cross-national comparison by integrating two contradicting theories of welfare states and market economies, one by Esping-Andersen and the other, varieties of capitalism, by Hall and Soskice. The first paper questions in what way market economies and social policy tradition (welfare states) interact to produce different clusters of family policy. This integrated framework enables us to understand the changes of family policies in different welfare states clusters, and further various forms of gender inequality by stressing the influence of family policies.

The second paper, The Danger of a One-sided Story: The Effects of Market Economies and Family Policies on the Gender Employment Gap in 17 OECD Countries, examines the effects of family policy, market economies and labor protections on female employment outcomes across countries. Using several cross-national data such as the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), OECD Employment Outlook, and Comparative Welfare States data, I question how and to what extent macro social policy contexts such as family policy, market economies impact family well-being and gender equality especially for female work experience.

The third paper, titled The Effect of Paid Maternity Leave on Welfare Use for Low-income Families focuses on the effects of state paid maternity leave within the U.S. The various structures around maternity leave in the U.S. provide an opportunity to examine the effects of policy context, in this case different types of maternity leave, for welfare use for low-income families. I make use of a difference in difference (DinD) strategy, comparing family-level outcomes across states and over time. My findings suggest that paid state maternity leave is associated with less participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or public cash assistance for families with newborn babies. These results have implications for policy practice promoting family economic wellbeing in the U.S.

My dissertation contributes to the understanding of various aspects of family wellbeing, poverty and inequality across countries. It also promotes the relevant social work policy as it develops a theoretically rigorous comparative framework for understanding gender inequality and family well-being as well as it provides empirical evidences on the impacts of social welfare policies in cross-national and the U.S. contexts.

An examination of neighborhood contexts and substance use across the life course

Christopher cambron 2017 .

My dissertation project seeks to explicitly marry prevention science perspectives on risk and protective factors for problem behaviors with a consideration of proximal and distal contexts for problem health behaviors across the life course. Employing nearly 30 years of longitudinal data from the Seattle Social Development Project in conjunction with recently added GIS data, this project aims to understand the extent to which childhood and adolescent risk and protective factors impact relationships between neighborhood contexts and problem health behaviors in adulthood. The findings of this project will aid in understanding the etiology and consequences of problem behaviors across the life course and enhance the design of preventive interventions. The first paper of this project demonstrates a relationship between perceived neighborhood safety and disorganization and slowed desistance from alcohol use disorder (AUD) among adults. Employing latent growth curve modeling, results show that more disorganized neighborhoods, as characterized by crime, building decay, and lack of safety, are related to increased AUD symptoms above and beyond the average rates of decline in AUD symptoms from age 21 to 39. Model results are robust to controls for gender, ethnicity, and education as well as to accounting for more proximal predictors of AUD such as marriage status and anxiety or depression. Further analyses will help disentangle relationships among neighborhoods and health behaviors through expanded consideration of built environment features and attention to early life risk and protective factors as a precondition for later life health behavior.

Intergenerational Adversity: Longitudinal Implications on the Parental Capacities of Latina and African-American Mothers and Their Children’s Wellbeing

Sharon g. borja  2017.

Adversities in childhood pose significant jeopardy of poor early life outcomes that can have lasting consequences, compromising future wellbeing of young children. Childhood exposures to extremely stressful experiences including multiple forms of adversities such as child maltreatment, poverty, family instability, violence at home and parent criminal and substance abuse histories become potential pathways to negative social and emotional outcomes. My dissertation uses a two-generation approach to build upon the mounting evidence on adverse childhood experiences and generate evidence regarding intergenerational adversity and its impact on parental capacities and early childhood socio-emotional health. This approach considers the nested nature of the parent-child relationship and focuses on further disentangling intergenerational processes of adversity accumulation and their impact on both generations.

Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data (N=4,898), a birth-cohort longitudinal study of mostly low-income children and their parents, I am examining intergenerational adversity and its proximal consequences during critical periods of development in early childhood (ages 1, 3, and 5) and testing variations across racial/ethnic group. Secondly, I am using structural equation modeling to test the cumulative effects of adversity on parenting stress and parental capacities and whether they serve as mechanisms through which adversity impacts child socio-emotional outcomes. Testing parenting stress and parental capacity as pathways to socio-emotional health outcomes helps us understand how adversity could deplete energies of otherwise caring adults and whether it also reduces their capacities to provide a safe and nurturing environment during developmentally sensitive life periods. Finally, I am testing the protective role of informal supports in buffering adversity’s negative impact on parental capacities and childhood socio-emotional wellbeing over time and comparing these results across racial/ethnic groups. The growing cultural diversity of families in the U.S. is illuminating, for example, differing forms and composition of support system (e.g. extended family members, friends, and church and community members) theorized in my conceptual model as buffering factors that are more figural in some family populations.

The longitudinal approach of this dissertation in understanding complex intergenerational processes of adversity accumulation and childhood socio-emotional outcomes sheds light to the factors that could vary over time and whether these variations account for some of the outcomes in both generations. These variations over time especially during critical periods of early childhood have been mostly overlooked in literature. Results from this project have implications toward the prevention of child maltreatment as it takes a two-generation approach to better understand ways that parents thrive in adversity so they can create a safe and nurturing context necessary for their children. This is particularly crucial for families of color who are often at the intersection of multi-form adversity and racial disparities and are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system.

Policy-driven vis-à-vis refugee-driven resettlement: A nationwide, multiple methods, case study examination of placement patterns and services for resettled refugees

Odessa gonzalez benson 2017.

Refugees and resettlement policy have been contentiously debated in public and policy discourse, prompted by the ‘refugee crisis’ in Europe in 2015 and public reaction in the US. Resettlement policy is about refugees and local communities, but, importantly, it also bespeaks the commitments and values of countries of reception. Called for are new insights and critical examination of the latest cohorts of refugees in the post-Sept11 era of resettlement.

Resettlement policy, as anti-poverty program for refugees, forwards its goal of socioeconomic integration through appropriate geographic placement and service provision. However, refugees and their communities, naturally, very much also determine their own resettlement, via self-placement and refugee-based services. My research examines (a) refugees’ selfplacement or internal migration patterns and (b) services and goals of refugee-ran community organizations, and the ways in which those patterns, services and goals are in/congruent with policy. This research is nationwide in scope and applies a case study approach, focusing on Bhutanese refugees, one of the new refugee cohorts in the post-September 11 era. Empirically, I apply both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine data from several sources, and partnered with refugee organizations for primary data collection, participant recruitment and analyses.

First, I lay the national landscape of primary arrival placement and internal migration patterns, and then conduct a comparative examination of relevant city-level factors explaining refugees’ in/out-migration patterns into localities across the US. Appropriate placement of refugees is important but has long been problematic in resettlement policy. After placement in primary cities of arrival, refugees commonly move or relocate domestically -- internal migration, disarraying the government’s planned dispersion strategy. Migrants’ voluntary movements are natural and expected, but difficult to predict and track, complicating policy funding appropriations and service provision and impacting refugees and local communities.

Quantitatively, I use official population data in US cities of arrival (n=287) from the US Office of Refugee Resettlement and community-based population data in cities of domestic migration. I visually and represent resettlement patterns in maps, using the Geographic Information Systems software ARCGIS. I used data from the US Census, the US Office of Refugee G. Odessa Gonzalez Benson 2 Resettlement and other publicly available sources to construct city-level indicators for relevant factors, particularly low-wage labor and local immigrant policy. I conducted multivariate analyses of the contribution of each factor to the net in- or out-migration of refugees in each city, using the statistical package STATA. Findings indicate job quality and local integration policies as relevant factors for refugees’ internal migration away from traditional immigrant gateways and into new immigrant destinations in the midwest and southwest, mimicking domestic paths of previous migrants, particularly those from Mexico and Latin America.

Second, I examine refugee community organizations’ goals and activities, and congruence with federal policy and implementing agencies. Self-sufficiency as policy goal is measured as refugees’ job rate within eight months of arrival; the bulk of services goes to job placement. That outcome has been critiqued as misguided and failing to capture self-sufficiency in a more meaningful way. Integration, meanwhile, as policy goal is not systematically measured due to lack of policy guidance and a clear definition. Unclear and unmeasured policy goals pose problems in program implementation, with ramifications for refugees and local communities. Too often neglected in resettlement policy research are refugee community organizations that form and operate along the sidelines of federally-contracted resettlement agencies, and serve high-needs, high-poverty areas. Interrogating refugee organizations against the broader policy and institutional contexts offers new insights and raises questions about participatory approaches and effective service provision with refugee communities.

Qualitatively, I use 40 semi-structured interviews and four focus groups with refugee leaders of Bhutanese refugee organizations in 30 cities across the US, using the coding software ATLAS.ti. I identify themes and patterns in the data and formulate a typology of activities, and then examine goal congruence with federal policy. Findings indicate that refugee community organizations fill in gaps in service to complement policy-mandated service provision and federal policy goals, but are also self-determining in other ways.

The theoretical dimension of my dissertation project draws upon social work literature and interdisciplinary perspectives, in political science and human geography or migration studies specifically. I formulate discussions about refugee resettlement that considers participatory approaches and labor equity as part of socioeconomic integration or adjustment processes of refugees, as contextualized by locality and policy.

Native Women, Intimate Partner Violence, and Drug Use and Consequences: Prevalence and Associations among Tribal College and University Students

Katie a'neil schultz 2016.

Research has demonstrated high rates of problematic substance use in college and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) samples and disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) among Native women. Epidemiological data on drug use and comorbidities in AIAN populations are scarce and the identification of tribally-specific protective factors that might buffer the effect of IPV on subsequent drug use lacks adequate empirical research in this population. This study investigates prevalence estimates and relationships between drug use and IPV and the potential for ethnic identity to buffer the effect of IPV on drug outcomes among Native women at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).

State Social Safety Net Programs and the Great Recession: The First Line of Defense and the Last Resort for the Economically Disadvantaged

Yu-ling chang  2016.

The Great Recession (2007‒2009) and its lingering aftermath have posed challenges to the state safety net programs that are intended to provide income supports to the economically disadvantaged. The stratified, decentralized structure of the US social welfare system has contributed to uneven policy responses to the economic hardship across programs and states. With a focus on the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and General Assistance (GA) programs, this dissertation consists of three papers that investigate (1) the impacts of state UI modernization, (2) state UI approaches to social protection, and (3) state legislative reform of GA, respectively. This dissertation takes a multidisciplinary approach that integrates theoretical perspectives and research methods from social welfare, sociology, political science, and economics.

The first paper evaluates the effects of state UI modernization on the trajectories of household income-to- poverty levels during and after the Great Recession. It uses the nationally representative 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation panel dataset (merged with state data) and multi-level growth models to test the policy effects from 2008 through 2013. Findings show that working families had not yet fully recovered from the Great Recession by the end of 2013. However, working families in states enacting UI modernization provisions, on average, experienced a greater economic improvement rate in the income-to- poverty level than their counterparts, controlling for state and household characteristics.

The second paper classifies state UI policy approaches to social protection by using an advanced model-based clustering technique to analyze multidimensional policy design and performance characteristics of 51 UI programs. Results indicate two distinct state UI approaches to social protection for workers: high and low protection. The high-protection approach, compared to its low-protection counterpart, is characterized as combining high financing adequacy with high taxable wages and average tax rates; high program accessibility with inclusive eligibility criteria; and high wage replacement with high benefit levels. These two approaches remained comparatively stable over time. However, both showed a declining trend in the social protection performances from 2007 to 2014.

The third paper employs a thematic content analysis of 26 legislative videos to examine how policy actors used knowledge to frame the problems of the poor and shape GA reform in Washington State. Findings show that knowledge construction of the GA-unemployable population as social deviants with psychological and behavioral problems influenced the GA reform directions toward a regulated, punitive model. These negative social constructions, intersecting with the mainstream welfare ideology of personal responsibility and work ethic, contributed to dismantling the safety net of last resort for the least resourceful poor.

As a whole, this dissertation research contributes to the fields of state welfare politics, policies, and practice through enhancing the understanding of the connections among macroeconomic conditions, anti-poverty politics, policy designs, and the state safety net system. Policy implications for promoting economic justice for disadvantaged and marginalized populations are offered.

Foreclosure Counseling with Latino Households: Policy Assumptions in a Changing Demographic Landscape

Maria y. rodriguez  2016 .

Social work practice and scholarship was historically rooted in the development and analysis of policy (Rodriguez, Ostrow, & Kemp, 2016). Yet, little work has extended our knowledge base on the factors surrounding the development of housing policy and its impact on the populations we serve. The dearth of housing policy research within social welfare is particularly troubling in light of the recent foreclosure crisis (2007-2012). Notably, low-income and Latino households were disproportionality represented in the foreclosure crisis (Hall, Crowder, & Spring, 2015; Rugh, 2014), suggesting that foreclosure mitigation policies should have been crafted with these groups in mind. This dissertation aims to investigate how these households fared in the development of foreclosure mitigation policies, in order to understand how responsive policy makers can be to the context of social problems. Using a three-paper format, this dissertation investigates the development, implementation, and impact of the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program. The dissertation uses a policy process centered conceptual framework to explain how certain groups were left out of NFMC’s purview. Each paper addresses one of the three levels of social work practice: micro, mezzo, and macro. Results indicate that, beyond being adversely impacted by the foreclosure crisis, communities of color have reaped little benefit from foreclosure mitigation policy as a result of the social constructions they are assigned during the policy making process. Latino households in particular, while experiencing a rising contender status in the federal housing policy arena, are nonetheless not benefiting from foreclosure mitigation policy in ways commiserate with the impact of the crisis on this demographic group. Recalibrating the social work research agenda toward policy study is the most direct way to address the social and economic conditions that prevent the most vulnerable from claiming and exercising full citizenship in the United States today.

Examining the role of place-based interventions in supporting military families: A qualitative study of family-centered therapeutic landscapes

Sara r. green 2016.

United States military families, including active duty, Reserve and National Guard, and veteran families, continue to face challenges and risks to psycho-social health and well-being. Deployments are ongoing and represent a significant source of stress during which families attempt to maintain relationships across great distance and within the dangerous context of wartime service. Injured service members (both those who continue to serve and those who are separated from the military) and their families, contend with multiple issues related to managing symptoms, finding adequate treatment, and carving out lives under new circumstances. Research with military families continues to be essential to understanding how to best support the military members, spouses/partners, and children who sacrifice so much with their service.

This qualitative dissertation uses a grounded theory approach to explore military families’ experiences of stress and coping during deployment, especially those of female spouses. In addition, it examines family-level efforts to reconnect and reintegrate post- deployment and post-injury through participation in a family retreat program. In particular, this study focuses on the emplaced experiences inherent to maintaining the home during deployment and attending a place-based retreat. In doing so, this study implements a family systems approach to understanding these emplaced experiences, acknowledging the complex relational connections within families and the ways in which stressful events in particular, have ripple effects through the family unit.

This dissertation is comprised of three papers empirically based on qualitative interviews with parents who attended the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple Family Retreat® (OPFR) and Operation Purple Healing Adventures® (OPHA) programs in 2013. The first paper looks at the deployment experiences of 43 female spouses with children, with particular attention to the often overlooked duties spouses take on as the primary parent on the home front. This paper conceptualizes military spouses as “stay-behind parents” and presents findings related to the stress and coping processes characteristic of this role. The second paper turns to parents’ experiences at the Operation Purple retreats and seeks to understand how these family programs function as “therapeutic landscapes,” a health geography framework used to understand links between places and healing. Interviews with 50 parents demonstrate interconnected program components related to the physical environment, social environment, and symbolic environment that facilitated participants’ therapeutic experiences. The third paper examines respondents’ experiences of the nature settings where the Operation Purple retreats occurred, seeking to illuminate the lived (military family) experience of spending time in natural environments. Findings are arranged in three phenomenological domains that both confirm and extend existing nature-health research: Being away, Being in, and Being fascinated.

This study seeks to deepen our understanding of military family life and the ways in which military family systems are impacted by wartime service, deployment, and parental injury. It also aims to direct attention to existing, on-the- ground supports for military families, and place-based programs in particular. By theorizing mechanisms at work in these programs, practices can be further refined and developed to meet the needs of military families.

Cultivating Care: Understanding Intimate Partner Violence Experiences of Undocumented Latinas in Washington State

Miriam valdovinos 2016.

Researchers have broadly studied the etiology, prevalence rates, incidence rates, health consequences, and potential interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) often referred to as domestic violence (DV). However, research with immigrant communities has remained limited especially with respect to a link between undocumented immigration status and IPV for Latinas in Washington State. IPV dilemmas continue to impact many undocumented women. This qualitative study utilized testimonio 1 to investigate the IPV experiences of undocumented Latina immigrant women. Community-based participatory research techniques were integrated throughout the research process; hence, IPV phenomena were examined using an alternative conceptual model that centered the voices of the women. A Chicana feminist lens and intersectionality frameworks were incorporated to IPV survivorship models (Gondolf &amp; Fisher, 1988) to expand the understanding of undocumented IPV survivors’ lived experiences.

This study empirically captured the perceptions of 20 Latina immigrants living in western Washington State to first examine how their immigration status impacted their IPV experiences. The impact of their ethnicity, gender, class, and nationality was explored not only as discrete phenomena but also from an intersectional perspective. Second, attention was given to their interactions with informal social support networks (e.g., friends, family) and formal help-seeking efforts (e.g., accessing shelters, calling the police) to better illustrate their survivorship process based on Gondolf &amp; Fisher’s (1988) survivor theory. Third, the research highlighted how survivors expressed strength and hope to imagine a future without IPV for themselves and women relatives in future generations. Aligned with social work’s commitment to social justice and advocacy to end injustices, the knowledge generated from this inquiry propositioned new insights to inform IPV practices with marginalized communities such as undocumented immigrant women whose voices were often silenced or not visible in previous studies.

School Mobility for Children in Out-of- Home Placement: Incidence, Educational Outcomes, and Tools for Mitigation

Joseph a. mienko 2016.

Elevated school mobility (SM) for students in foster care (i.e. out-of- home placement (OHP)) is something that has been previously noted in non-peer- reviewed literature. At some level, this trend is precisely what would be expected. In the absence of a policy seeking to actively prevent SM for students in OHP, removing a student from one home and placing him in another would necessarily place him at increased risk of a school change. While such school changes would be expected to contribute to decreased educational achievement for any student, the combination of such changes in conjunction with the potential social and emotional barriers faced by a student in OHP appears to exacerbate the effects on academic performance for students in OHP compared with the effects of SM on students in the general population. Understanding the phenomenon of SM for students in OHP and policies that can be adopted to combat SM is thus of importance to the fields of education and social work. In spite of the importance of SM for students in OHP, the peer-reviewed literature is nearly silent on this topic. This dissertation seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of differences in school mobility as a function of OHP status and assess specific policy tools for minimizing SM.

“Truth Plus Publicity”: Paul U. Kellogg and Hybrid Practice, 1902-1937

Caroline a. lanza  2016 .

Intended as a historical starting point for a critically informed assessment of the state of multimedia social work research, advocacy and practice, this dissertation explores the methods and practice models envisioned by Progressive Era social work leader and media producer, journalist, and editor Paul U. Kellogg (1879-1958). Kellogg harnessed the most advanced visual technologies of his time in service of progressive social change. In social surveys such as The Pittsburgh Survey and in his editorship of two widely read periodical publications, The Survey and Survey Graphic, Kellogg brilliantly combined documentary photography, art, maps, data, and textual narratives with the goal of making unavoidably visible the inequities of industrializing America.

Key aspects of Kellogg’s contributions—particularly his vision for a social work practice deploying media production in service of community-based research, education, and political advocacy—have largely been forgotten, particularly in social work. Responding to this historical amnesia, this dissertation aims to document and analyze, in their innovation and limitations, the projects Kellogg undertook during his career. I aim to enrich the field’s historical memory of Kellogg’s variation on the social survey method, which sought to assess conditions of health, environmental safety, and labor in a given geographic area as carried out during the Pittsburgh Survey, 1907-1908.

Representing a moment in which the social work profession was focused on environmental intervention in low-income urban communities, Kellogg’s variation on the social survey method emphasized the significance of multidisciplinary teams and partnerships with local community organizations. In light of a recent re-commitment by social welfare researchers to environmental, place-based practice (Kemp & Palinkas, 2015), it feels especially timely to explicate Kellogg's social survey methodology.

Kellogg’s approach was distinctly journalistic in that it demanded that social workers produce media in order to disseminate findings not only to community stakeholders but also to the larger voting public in order to influence social action and policy-making. As social work research methods employing media approaches ranging from photography and video to participatory mapping rise in popularity, there seems to be little awareness of this prior rich period of media-based practice and research during the Progressive era. Revisiting Kellogg’s methodology counters a presentism in currentscholarship regarding media-based methods.

Several scholars of social research have measured the success of the Pittsburgh Survey by contemporary standards of empirical, quantitative research and found it lacking (Bulmer, 1991, 1996; Turner, 1996; Zimbalist, 1977). I believe I bring a fresh perspective by considering it as a genealogical forebear of community-engaged approaches operating in epistemological frameworks that appreciate the significance of both emic and etic knowledges of place and community.

Paul U. Kellogg’s publications positioned social workers as public pundits in regards to interventions in poverty and social welfare policy (Chambon, 2012), providing them with a public voice that the field has largely lacked since his journals closed down in 1949 and 1952. By exploring Kellogg’s publishing collective, Survey Associates, and their publications, The Survey and Survey Graphic, I hope to raise questions regarding the loss of a media platform upon which social work practitioners and scholars can engage each other and the public regarding a variety of issues and to consider what the legacy of what this period means for current practitioners of public scholarship in social work.

Being, Belonging, and Connecting: Filipino Youths’ Narratives of Place(s) and Wellbeing in Hawai′i

Stella m. gran-o'donnell  2016 .

Environmental climate change is an urgent concern for Pacific Islanders with significant impact on place along with bio-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual influences likely to affect communities’ wellbeing. Future generations will bear the burden. Indigenous scholars have begun to address climate-based place changes; however, immigrant Pacific Islander populations have been ignored. Although Filipinos are one of the fastest growing U.S. populations, the second largest immigrant group, and second largest ethnic group in Hawai’i, lack of understanding regarding their physical health and mental wellbeing remains, especially among youth. This dissertation addresses these gaps. In response to Kemp’s (2011) and Jack’s (2010, 2015) impassioned calls for the social work profession to advance place research among vulnerable populations, this qualitative study examined Filipino youths’ (15-23) experiences of place(s) and geographic environment(s) in Hawai′i. Drawing on Indigenous worldviews, this study examined how youth narrate their sense of place, place attachments, ethnic/cultural identity/ies, belonging, connectedness to ancestral(Philippines) and contemporary homelands (Hawai’i), virtual environment(s), and how these places connect to wellbeing.

Proximal minority stressors, chronic health conditions, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults’ psychological well-being: Do sexual orientation and gender identity play differential roles?

Charles p. hoy-ellis 2015.

An accumulating body of research indicates that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adult populations in the United States experience significant physical and mental health disparities relative to their heterosexual peers (Institute of Medicine, 2011). LGBT older adults are among those specifically targeted in the national initiative to reduce population health disparities and improve the nation’s health (I.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). High levels of psychological distress among LGBT older adults are among the identified disparities (Fredricksen-Goldsen, Kim, Barkan, Muraco, & Hoy-Ellis, in press; Valanis et al., 2000; Wallace, Coehran, Durazo, & Ford, 2011). The relationship between sexual orientation and psychological distress among LGBT older adults is far from clear (Cochran & Mays, 2007). It is not enough that health disparities be documented; understanding the underlying mechanisms of risk is crucial to the development of effective interventions (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Effective interventions are important tools in reducing population health disparities.

In the general population, psychological distress and psychiatric morbidity have been linked to significantly increased risk of premature onset of age-related chronic health conditions (Russ eta al., 2012; Wolkowitz, Reus, & Bellon, 2011). Conversely, those who experience psychological distress are more likely to report chronic health conditional risk factors such as alcohol misuse and smoking do not fully explain these recursive relationships (Wolkowitz et al., 2011). In addition to significantly higher rates of psychological distress, LGBT older adults also have higher rates of age-related chronic health conditions (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Cook-Daniels, et al., in press; Fredriksen-Goldsen, Kim, et al., in press; Valanis et al., 2000; Wallace et al., 2011). The relationship between age-related chronic health conditions, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression and identity, and psychological distress among LGBT older adults is only just beginning to be explored by researchers (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Cook-Daniels, et al., in press; Fredriksen-Goldsen, Emlet, et al., in press; Sandfort, Bakker, Schellevis, & Vanwesenbeeck, 2006).

Multi-type maltreatment and adult health risk behavior: A latent variable modeling approach

J. bart klika 2014.

Child abuse and neglect increases the risk for later health risk behaviors including substance abuse and antisocial behavior. Research shows there is considerable overlap in different forms of child abuse, as well as neglect, yet most studies of adverse outcomes only examine single forms of abuse or neglect in predictive models. Various methods have been used to examine the overlap in child abuse and neglect, including Latent Class and Latent Profile Analysis (LCA/LPA). LCA/LPA, a latent variable modeling approach, accounts for heterogeneity in maltreatment experiences by grouping individuals together into distinct classes/profiles who share similar experiences of abuse and neglect. In the proposed dissertation, I plan to utilize LCA/LPA to examine overlap in child maltreatment types and to study predictors and outcomes of latent class membership representing this overlap. Outcomes of particular interest ate health risk behaviors, such as substance abuse and antisocial behavior.

An examination of Family Capital (resources) effects on young adults education attainment and other life outcomes: focus on economic, social and cultural capital

Eric n. waithaka 2014.

The current cohort of young adults in America is transitioning into adulthood in a period characterized by changing social and economic opportunities. Currently, the American society is reported to be experiencing increased levels of social and economic inequalities in virtually every aspect of American life, from wealth, to incomes, to educational attainment, to health care or even job security (Blank, 201 1; Page & Jacobs, 2009). For example, current estimates ofthe wealth gap between the rich and the poor suggests that the top 1% of households holds more wealth than the entire bottom 95% (Blank, 2011). This increasing inequality is troubling and scholars, politicians and the popular media pundits are providing their opinions on the implications of this troubling trend. In addition, various groups (such as labor unions, government employees, community groups, student organizations) in the general • citizenry all over the nation are organizing and demonstrating (as the 99% versus 1%) about a societal system and public policies that appear to favor the rich and disfranchise everyone else.

Gender differences in the link between trauma and smoking in two generations

Allison kristman-valente 2014.

Although men and women have similar rates of tobacco use, there are differneces in consequences and recent trends. Women who smoke have unique health consequences including cervical cancer, increased susceptibility to tobacco carcinogenesis, early menopause, and problematic fetal development [1]. Alarmingly, women’s rate of smoking has been declining slower than men’s. Reasons why smoking is showing less decline in women are not clear, and this warrants further investigation.

The experience of trauma has been proposed as a reason for gender disparities in substance use in general, and may be specifically relevant for smoking behavior, however much less is known about the role of gender in the link between trauma and smoking [2-4]. Trauma itself is inherently gendered with differences in the prevalence rates, types of trauma and consequences. Men are more likely to report combat-related trauma while women are more likely to experience interpersonal trauma such as childhood maltreatment (CM) and intimate partner violence (IPV) and are also more likely to receive a trauma-related diagnosis including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [2, 5\. Studies have connected stressful life events and trauma-related disorders with increased smoking behavior, resistance to quitting and failure to quite [6-8]. However, few studies investigate gender differences in trauma exposure as a risk factor for smoking. Understanding the role of trauma, in conjunction with other risk factors for smoking, is particularly important amount woman since (1) it remains unclear which smoking interventions are more effective for women compared to men [9, 10] and (2) women are disproportionately more likely to be primary caregivers of children. Thus, investigating differences in how women and men experience traumatic events, how they use smoking to cope with these experiences and how comorbid trauma and smoking translates to their children’s smoking may explain underlying causes and cross-generational persistence of smoking behavior.

Gender differences and similarities in the link between trauma and smoking behavior will be examined using existing data from two linked longitudinal studies: the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a gender-balanced sample of 412 men and 396 women who have been followed from childhood (age 10)to adulthood (age 33), and the SSDP Intergenerational Project (TIP), a study of the children of SSDP participants who have been followed from childhood through adolescence. SSDP and TIP data are ideal for studying the role of gender in the trauma-smoking behavior link because they include comprehensive longitudinal measures of smoking onset, frequency and patterns of use, DIS/DSM-IV diagnostic assessments for nicotine dependence and multiple measures of trauma including childhood maltreatment, intimate partner violence and PTSD diagnostic criteria. Both longitudinal studies are gender balanced and have multiple assessments (13 in SSDP, 7 in TIP), with high retention across waves. The proposed study is illustrated in Figure 1 and has the following aims.

Development and Impact of Future Self-Concept among African American and Latino Young Men

Dana prince 2014.

How young people conceptualize and cognitively represent their futures— as full of positive potential or constraints and negative possibilities—bears influence on their developmental trajectories. Adolescence is marked as a developmental period when future-thinking (or future orientation) becomes increasingly salient. Future self-concepts, or possible selves, are self-relevant cognitions of enduring goals, aspirations, hopes, fears and threats that function as a framework and guide for individual identity development (Markus & Nurius, 1986). For adolescents, a foreshortened view of the future, or beliefthat “I might nct be here tomorrow,” contributes to increased risky health behaviors (Rothrnan, Bernstein & Strunin, 2010; Borowsky, Ireland & Resnick, 2009; Burton, Obeidallah & Allison, 1996) and lower • educational investment (Abedalu, 2007; Horstmanshof & Zimitat, 2007; Oyserrnan, Bybee & Terry, 2006), underscoring the importance of future orientation as a potential change mechanism for intervention and prevention efforts to promote healthy youth development.

Truncated life expectancy may contribute to hopelessness and a subsequent stunting of a young person’s ability to take initiative, imagine and pursue goals, and persist towards desired future aspirations. Prevalence rates of the belief in premature death reported by adolescents are significantly over-inflated when compared with actual rates of early death (Jamieson & Romer, 2008). A recent study conducted using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found that I in 7 youth endorsed the belief that they had a 50% chance of living to age 35 (Borowsky, Ireland & Resnick, 2009). Low adolescent perceived survival expectations are more prevalent in males, racial/ethnic minorities, urban-dwelling youth and youth who receive public assistance (Duke, Skay, Pettingell & Borowsky, 2009). Youth who endorse fatalistic beliefs in early to mid-adolescence are less likely to be in school, employed, in the military and less likely to have a high school diploma in young adulthood (Duke, et al, 2011). Evidence suggests the consequences of fatalistic beliefs in adolescence extend into adulthood, predicting lower educational attainment and socioeconomic status (Nguyen, Hussey, Haplern, et al, 2012). The implications of truncated life expectancy for adolescent health and well-being warrant future investigation.

The central focus of this dissertation is to investigate how African American and Latino young men envision their overarching future possibility and the consequences of blunted future perspective on indicators of their well-being. This involves research and service response implications germane to social welfare in terms of supporting healthy development for historically marginalized and underserved youth. The Chicago Youth Development Study (CYDS), a longitudinal prospective cohort study, will serve as the foundation for my dissertation research.

Association of Filial Responsibility, Ethnicity, and Acculturation of Asian Family Caregivers of Older Adults

Christina e. miyawaki 2014.

Due to Confucian, Asian culture is known to respect elders and practice of filial obligation is embedded in their cultures. The proposed study seeks to explore the level of filial (e.g., familial) responsibility, health status and needs of later generation (2’’ and 3rd generations) of Asian American family caregivers of older adults, specifically five ethnic subgroups of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese caregivers. Data from a biennial population-based telephone survey, the 2009 California Health Interview Survey Adult 18+ are used. There are three studies within the overall design. Study 1 uses one-way analysis of variance to describe the overall characteristics of Asian, Latino and White American caregivers. Study 2 utilizes multivariate regression to examine the generational differences in caregiving-related issues across these three racial and ethnic groups. Based on findings from Study 1 and 2, Study 3 focuses specifically on Asian American caregivers and involves interviews with 2’ and 3td generations of two ofthe subgroups: 40 Chinese- and Japanese-American caregivers in order to explore in-depth generational differences in their level of filial responsibility and their caregiving needs. Given the increasing ethnic diversity of immigrant populations, especially older Asian population, it is imperative to understand how caregivers’ level of filial responsibility, effects of caregiving on their health, and needs vary by ethnicity and generation. Understanding these relationships will help the development of more targeted culturally- and generationally-specific assessment and clinical interventions, and therefore, has implications for social welfare policies and programs.

Incarceration and the life course: Predictors and consequences of varied patterns of juvenile incarceration

Amanda gilman 2014.

Goals and Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of juvenile incarceration in life course development. I will use a longitudinal study spanning from childhood to adulthood, a mixed methods design aimed at increasing both the breadth and depth of understanding, and an innovative measure of incarceration (examining patterns over adolescence, rather than a single indicator of incarceration). This study investigates the early childhood legal and extra-legal factors predicting these patterns, and the long-term criminal, health, and mental health outcomes associated with differential exposure to incarceration during adolescence.

Subjects: Data are drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a longitudinal study ideally suited to address these research questions, consisting of a gender-balanced, ethnically diverse sample of 80$ participants who were in the 5th grade in 1985 in the Seattle Public Schools. Participants have been followed prospectively into adulthood, and at the last data collection period were approximately 35 years old. Fifty-two percent had participated in the National School Lunch Program. Approximately 34% of the sample experienced a referral to the juvenile delinquency court at some point in adolescence and 14% were incarcerated as a result of a court adjudication.

Research Design and Methods: Secondary data from the SSDP sample will be used to quantitatively analyze predictors and consequences of incarceration for youth who experienced this sanction during adolescence, using the remainder of the high-risk sample who were never incarcerated as a comparison group. Additionally, original qualitative data will be collected from a subset of those who were incarcerated as youth to examine how their experiences of incarceration affected their transition to adulthood.

Analysis: Multinomial logistic regression will be used to predict patterns of incarceration. Propensity score analysis, in conjunction with regression analyses, will be used to examine consequences of patterns of incarceration. Finally, qualitative interview data will be coded for common themes and used to further understand and interpret the results found in the quantitative analyses.

Products and Reports: The results of this work will be pertinent to public policy, juvenile justice practice, and life course criminology, and will result in at least three manuscripts which will be submitted to high-quality academic journals for publication. My broad dissemination plan also involves presenting the findings at both academic and practitioner-oriented conferences, dissemination through The Social Development Research Group (SDRG) newsletter and mailing list, and outreach to the general public through the use of op-eds.

Understanding Protective Factors and theft Effects on Youth Developmental Outcomes: Implications for Community-Based Prevention

Kyung elizabeth kim 2014.

The social work profession emphasizes the importance of strength-based practice, policy, and research. Despite this current emphasis on a strengths perspective, only in the 1 9$Os did the transition from deficit-focused to strengths-based practice occur (Saleebey, 1996; Weick, Sullivan, & Walter, 1989). Rather than simply diagnosing problems, social workers came to respect the possibility and capability of individuals to overcome problems and change for the better. The fundamental premise of a strengths-perspective is that the individuals will indeed fare better if they “identify, recognize, and use the strengths and resources available in themselves and their environment” (Graybeal, 2001, p. 234). Thus, strength-based practice is inherently grounded in a person-in-environment perspective where “strength” does not stem from individuals alone but also from the surrounding environment — friends, families, schools, neighborhoods, etc. (Kemp, Whittaker, & Tracy, 1997). Also in research, social work scholars became more interested in understanding individual and environmental strengths that foster healthy development in the face of adversity (Benard, 2006). In addition to understanding the likelihood of youth exposed to adversities engaging in problem behaviors, studies focused on how youth with adversities develop into successful adults. Yet, clearly defining and operationalizing “strength” remains a challenging task (Mm, 2011).

In my dissertation, using strength-based framework, I incorporate important elements of prevention science and theory to provide further clarity in defining strengths across youth development — what they are and how they develop. Furthermore, I seek to understand the role of strength in reducing problem behaviors and promoting positive behaviors through a community based prevention strategy. In doing so, I hope to shed light on how and when these strengths can be targets of interventions to achieve social, emotional, and behavioral health across youth development.

Patterns of Adolescent and Young Adult Sexual Behavior: Predictors and Consequences

Kari m. gloppen 2014.

Adolescent and young adult sexual behavior is an important health and welfare issue that has the potential to impact the entire life course. Risky sexual behavior can lead to sexually transmitted infections including HW as well as unintended pregnancy. By understanding the social and cognitive processes that influence sexual behavior choices during adolescence and young adulthood, we will be better able to promote positive sexual health and reduce the potential negative consequences of risky sexual behavior. This sttidy uses data from the Raising Healthy Children study, a longitudinal study of participants from 10 public elementary schools in the Pacific Northwest, to explore the social and cognitive influences on sexual behavior decisions, the patterns of sexual behavior during adolescence and young adulthood, and the predictors and consequences of those sexual behavior patterns. This dissertation uses the 3 paper option preceded with an introduction and summarized by a conclusion that integrates the findings from the three papers. Paper I examines theory-guided social and cognitive predictors of age of sexual initiation using structural equation modeling. Paper 2 identifies patterns of sexual behavior over time among adolescents and young adults and the predictors of those patterns using latent class analysis. Paper 3 explores the consequences of the identified sexual behavior patterns and examines gender differences in both the patterns and consequences. Findings from these papers will increase our understanding of the social and cognitive processes during childhood and adolescence that influence sexual decision making. They will provide us with information on the longitudinal patterns of sexual behavior of young people and their predictors, and how these patterns influence later emotional, health, and social outcomes. These results will provide important information that can be used in developing both sexual risk reduction and sexual health promotion programs.

Front Line Accounts of Implementation of Evidence-Based Interventons in Core Safety Net Settings

Margaret a. cristofalo 2014.

Despite a prolific amount of evidence-based practices (EBPs), patients are not receiving these health and mental health interventions as much as they should. Patients relegated to the core safety net, a subset of the health care safety net with a mission or legal mandate to care for uninsured, underinsured, or other vulnerable populations, face even greater obstacles to receiving evidence-based care. The fundamental research that has shaped current implementation models has been informed by multiple fields, including health and mental health care primarily serving patients with insurance, and fields outside of human services. Therefore, much less is known about the processes and influences unique to implementation of EBPs in settings serving vulnerable patients. Three qualitative studies, using grounded theory methodology, were undertaken to examine the unique processes and contextual influences of implementations of three different EBPs in three different core safety net settings. Semistructured interviews and focus groups of administrators and front line clinicians participating in the implementations of the EBPs were employed to ascertain their knowledge and experiences. Findings in all three studies revealed interacting beneficial and challenging factors woven together in ways that the fabric of their combinations supported successful implementations, or possessed vulnerabilities that impeded them. Key findings across all studies were the importance of the following influences: 1- intervention fit with patient characteristics and beliefs, community needs, and organization mission, 2- intervention adaptability, quality, and observability, 3- clinician beliefs and behaviors 4- clinical staffing, training, and education, 5- structural and cultural organizational assets, and 6- ongoing network and system building. Results from these studies can provide direction for developing implementation frameworks unique to core safety net settings.

Religious Beliefs and Practices and Mental Health Care: Examining the Use of Mental Health Services among Immigrants

Amelia seraphia derr 2014.

Members of immigrant communities are at greater risk for mental health disorders, yet are less likely than other groups to access critical health and mental health services (Alegria et a!., 2007; DHHS, 2001). One reason for disparities in service utilization may relate to the religious beliefs and practices of immigrants and how these are associated with help-seeking behavior. Despite the increasing awareness of the centrality of religion in immigrant identity (Ebaugh & Chafetz, 2000), and the association of religious beliefs and practices with immigrant adjustment and immigrant mental health care (Cadge & Ecklund, 2007), religious beliefs and practices have rarely been studied as a factor in accessing mental health services for immigrants. To address this shortcoming, this study is designed to examine the role of religion in the help-seeking process in order to further understand immigrant mental health service utilization. To capture the heterogeneity of immigrant experiences with mental health service use, I propose to use Latent Class Analysis with data from the NIMH Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES) to determine if subgroups of service users exist based on their religious beliefs and practices. Subsequently, predictors of subgroup membership and their relationship to mental health service use will be tested through regression analyses. Findings will inform interventions for adaptation by health and mental health practitioners in order to improve immigrant wellbeing.

Effects of Childhood Adversities on Positive Adult Functioning across Racial Groups, and Examination of School Bonding as a Moderator

Ebasa b. sarka 2013.

Research has established that adverse experiences during childhood increase the risk of complex sets of long term detrimental effects in adulthood, including poor physical and mental health, as well as functions in multiple social domains. There is a need for a broader (discipline wise), yet focused and unified definition of childhood adversity, in order to adequately appreciate its prevalence and long term consequences. There is also a need to consider a growing evidence in studies of resilience that despite harsh childhood experiences, some achieve a healthy and successful life as adults. This study examined three questions with focus on the long term impacts of childhood adversity: (1) Does childhood adversity as measured by abuse and neglect, poor bonding with parents, poor attachment to neighborhood, family conflict, and poverty impact resilient adult functioning at age 27?; (2) Does the effect identified in question 1 vary across races? In other words, does childhood adversity predict positive adult outcomes differently across three racial groups?; and, (3) Do the experience of high/low school bonding in high school moderate the relationship of childhood adversity on resilient adult functioning? The data in use comes from the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a longitudinal study in which 808 children from 18 schools in an urban area in the Pacific Northwest were followed into their adulthood, and regularly interviewed over the last 25 years. This study focuses on the experiences of African Americans (n=192), Asian Americans (n=171), and European Americans (n=374).

The structural equation modeling (SEM), and Multiple Groups SEM (MGSEM) technique was used to examine questions in this dissertation. Results of the full sample indicate that adverse childhood experience has a negative impact on resilient adult functioning at age 27. In particular, child maltreatment, poor bonding with parents, and eligibility for free lunch (a proxy for poverty) showed significantly negative impacts. Identifying as Asian American was also found to positively predict positive adult functioning. Tests of invariance in the regression paths of childhood adversity on positive adult functioning suggests an overall difference in how childhood adversity predicts adult functioning across racial groups. The differences are tied to how two predictors, specifically child abuse and neglect and poor bonding to parents more strongly predict adult functioning for European Americans. Poor bonding with parents also strongly predicted negative adult functioning for the Asian American group. However, this model did not predict any significant relationships between childhood adversity and positive adult functioning for the African American group.

Examining the moderating effect of high versus low levels of school bonding indicates a non-invariant measurement, which indicates that the measurements are not similar across high and low groups. Results of this analysis suggests that there is not much evidence that bonding to school moderates the relationship between childhood adversities and positive adult functioning as measured in this study.

Experiences of Belonging and Wellbeing

Kimberly dree hudson 2012.

Community borderlands are spaces that are shifting, polyvocal, and multidimensional; they embody, transform, and resist systems and cultures of oppression, impacting the material realities and lived lives of their occupants and visitors alike. In this dissertation, I applied a borderlands framework to learn about lived experiences in relationship to three central concepts within social work: community, belonging, and wellbeing. This project integrates elements of transnational feminism, postcolonial studies, and borderland epistemology within a queer framework, employing theoretical pluralism to interpret stories of lived lives, material realities, and perceived wellbeing. Using critical narrative and feminist methodologies, I interviewed 12 adults in the Seattle area who identified in flexible, critical, or ambiguous ways across race, gender, and sexuality; most study participants self-identified as mixed and queer. I explored articulations and intimations of liminality and belonging used by participants to make meaning of being in community and being well. Emerging from this analysis is a conceptual framework to understand belongingness in community borderlands and corresponding, contradictory experiences that enhance and detract from participants’ perceived wellbeing. Wellbeing itself, from a borderland perspective, is understood through participant positions on reclaiming “healthy bodies,” priority-setting within their communities, and critical self-reflection regarding the intentional creation of spaces and the unintentional replication of oppressive practices and discourses. This dissertation challenges the monolithic assumption that having liminal status is a source of chronic stress and social disconnection that deteriorates wellbeing. Instead, I demonstrate that borderland experiences of community may provide a sense of connectedness that actually enhances perceived and actual wellbeing through increased resources, sense of safety, and belonging. However, I also highlight the complexity, ambiguity, and discontinuities of these relationships. This study suggests the application of a borderlands framework in social work scholarship, pedagogy, and practice, namely by informing existing and potential collaborative community efforts to address disparities and promote wellbeing.

Impact on Pathways to Adulthood and Adult Criminal Outcomes

Joann s. lee 2012.

In today’s social and economic context in the U.S., many individuals experience an extended transition to adulthood period during which they are able to delay adopting adult social roles and responsibilities, such as initiating careers, making long-term commitments to a romantic partner, and starting a family. However, many individuals do not have the resources or supports that would enable them to delay adopting one or more of those roles, experiencing an accelerated transition to adulthood.  An accelerated transition can pose more challenges in the form of economic or housing hardships and may hinder the ability of individuals to accumulate additional and necessary human capital. This dissertation applies an institutional lens to the study of the transition to adulthood in order to help illuminate the role of social structures in shaping individual lives during childhood, adolescence, and the transition to adulthood, and consists of three analyses. Chapter 2 examines the experiences of a general sample of diverse, urban youth, and chapters 3 and 4 focus on foster youth aging out of care. Chapter 2 considers whether the normative socializing institutions of family and school play a role in shaping the transition to adulthood, whether extended or accelerated, and whether the individual’s bond to these institutions mediates the relationship.  Although the findings indicate that the prosocial socialization process operating in the family and school does not play a role in explaining differences in who experiences an extended or accelerated adulthood, other characteristics of the family play an important role, such as parent school expectations, a family disruption, and immigrant status. Chapter 3 examines the impact of legal system involvement on foster youth in preparation for the transition to adulthood on criminal activities during the transition to adulthood. The findings indicate that legal system involvement is associated with higher levels of criminal activities at age 21. In addition, legal system involvement initiates a process of social exclusion where youth are less likely to graduate from high school by age 19, and this has an impact on their employment status at age 21. Chapter 4 investigates the impact on arrests of extending foster care support during the transition to adulthood; the findings indicate that extended support in the first year after turning 18 reduces the risk of arrest, but this effect declines after the first year. Together, this dissertation research finds that during childhood and adolescence, as well as during the transition to adulthood, institutions play an important role in shaping the transition to adulthood.

Diasporic Intersectionalities: Exploring South Asian Women's Narratives of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender through a Community-based Performance Project

Gita rani mehrotra 2012.

Although South Asians constitute one of the largest, fastest growing Asian groups in the country, there is a paucity of U.S.-based social work literature about this community.  Further, professional social work organizations and feminist social work scholars have called for the field to build paradigms and practices that address the intersections of oppressions facing individuals and communities, such as race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class, in a global context. Drawing from intersectionality theorizing, transnational feminisms, diaspora studies, and theories of narrative identity, this study explores how a local group of South Asian women construct their experiences of race/ethnicity, gender, class, and diaspora.  Thirty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with participants of a culturally-specific, community-based performance project, Yoni Ki Baat  ( Talk of the Vagina ).  Thematic analyses, with attention to context and discourse, elucidated important similarities and differences across women’s narratives.

While all participants communicated a high sense of agency in defining themselves in terms of race/ethnicity, first and second generation women’s narratives diverged significantly in the following domains: use of racialized vs. ethnic constructs, nationality, significant life events impacting racial/ethnic identification, and ways women perceive race/ethnicity assigned to them by others. In contrast, despite differences in age, generation, religion, and other life experiences, all participants narrated the centrality of marriage as a “cultural script” that produces ideal, middle-class, South Asian womanhood. Women’s narratives illustrate some everyday ways this cultural script is communicated, enforced, and negotiated within families and communities. 

Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of narratives and cultural scripts for understanding meaning and self-making processes within diverse communities. Research findings herein also challenge traditional social work frameworks that often rely on essentialized representations of social groups, single-oppression analyses of inequality and identity, and/or U.S.-centric approaches to understanding oppression and experience.  Analyses of South Asian women’s narratives point to the need to expand intersectionality theorizing and social work education to incorporate: context; temporality, age, and lifecourse; transnational experiences; concepts of diaspora; and relationships between experiences of privilege and marginalization.  Fostering deeper understandings of intersecting oppressions and processes impacting transnational populations in these ways can contribute to more liberatory social work scholarship and practice.

Overrepresented, Underserved: The Experiences of LGBTQ Youth in Girls Detention Facilities in New York State

Sarah e. mountz 2012.

Among LGBTQ youth, queer women, transgender and gender non-conforming youth have been particularly marginalized in both social science research, social service settings, and in the community, where they are especially vulnerable to violence and significantly more likely to become involved with law enforcement. This is particularly the case for queer young women, transgender and gender non-conforming youth of color and youth or who are low-income. For my dissertation research, I have conducted an oral ethnography with young adults, ages 18-25, who have been incarcerated in girls detention facilities in the Juvenile Justice system in New York State. The study design used the principles of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and was facilitated by a Community Advisory Board composed of practitioners, legal advocates, researchers, activists, and young people. Life History Interviewing was used to gain insight into participants’ experiences in relation to the research questions asked. It was determined to be the most appropriate methodological tool for its capacity to dialogically elicit a narrated panorama of young people’s lives that elucidated pathways prior to and following their involvement with the Juvenile Justice system in order to identify life choices, systemic barriers, experiences of violence and harassment in detention and elsewhere, and childhood and family history and events. Moreover, Life History Interviews allowed participants to delve richly into questions of how they negotiate their sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and race in relation to various contexts, relationships, and systems, over time. Interviews were analyzed using Carol Gilligan’s Listening Guide. Findings from the study revealed themes related to identity processes, the role of family acceptance and rejection in systems involvement, pipelines and revolving doors between and amidst child welfare, educational, and juvenile justice systems, the prevalence of interpersonal and state sanctioned violence in participants lives, and participants’ tremendous capacity for resiliency and creative modes of collective and community based healing. Findings suggest profound importance of hearing LGBTQ young adults’ own stories about their lives and experiences in the juvenile justice system and beyond, the need to decriminalize young people’s survival strategies, and to challenge the use of detention facilities, and the rampant abuse of power by law enforcement towards LGBTQ young people within and outside them. This dissertation research draws upon my direct practice experience with LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system and as a queer activist.

Sexual Assault Response Teams: Exploring the Discursive Negotiation of Power, Conflict, and Legitimacy in Coordinated Service Delivery Models

Carrie a. moylan 2012.

To improve services for sexual assault victims, many communities have adopted coordinated models of service delivery, often called Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs).  Uniting law enforcement officers, rape crisis advocates, and health care professionals, SARTs frequently aim to create a seamless and compassionate experience for victims who engage with formal helping services.  There is some indication that the process of implementing SART is contentious.  Furthermore, replicating in practice the ideals of SART coordination has proved elusive for some communities.  This research explores the challenges of SART implementation, focusing on why there is sometimes a disconnection between the philosophy of integrated services and the realities of front-line service delivery.  Using a qualitative within-case and cross-case method, interviews with 24 SART professionals were analyzed, resulting in three studies of SART functioning.  The first study explored the discursive construction of conflict in SARTs.  Analysis identified how SART professionals discursively positioned one another in terms of authority, expertise and credibility in order to protect their own professional autonomy and to stake a claim on setting the agenda for the team’s work together.  The second study explored strategies that interviewees used to manage conflict in teams.  Four categories were identified including preventative, responsive, unobtrusive, and resignation strategies. All professions were engaged in processes of managing conflict, but advocates talked much more about strategies and were almost exclusively responsible for all discussions of unobtrusive and resignation approaches to managing conflict.  The final study draws on institutional theory to explore how external forces shaped the adoption and operation of SARTs.  The analysis revealed two simultaneous processes.  The first process illustrated how SART was discursively legitimized, starting with the framing of sexual assault service delivery as a moral imperative for communities and continuing with the identification of coordination as a means of meeting the moral imperative.  Concurrently, a process of decoupling is indicated by the continuing resistance both to the moral imperative and the logic of coordination, as well as by the inconsistent and incomplete implementation of SART.   Implications for SART practice and future research are also discussed.

Community Coalitions: Resolving the Gap between Research & Practice for the Prevention of Youth Mental, Emotional, & Behavioral Problems

Valerie b. shapiro 2012.

Tested and effective approaches are available to prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral problems in youth, but they are underutilized. Communities That Care (CTC) is a coalition-based strategy that creates a local infrastructure for prevention service delivery that facilitates the community-wide adoption of a scientific approach to preventing these problems. A community-randomized trial of CTC in 24 communities, matched in pairs and randomly assigned to a control or an intervention condition, has demonstrated that CTC significantly increases the community-wide adoption of a science-based approach to prevention, as reported by community leaders. For this dissertation, I first examined the extent to which the effect of CTC on the adoption of a community-wide scientific approach to prevention varied significantly across matched community pairs. Results indicated significant and substantial variation in the effect of CTC on the adoption of a scientific approach to prevention across the 12 community pairs. Next I explored potential sources of the variation across community pairs in community transformation toward a scientific approach to prevention. These sources included five coalition capacities: member knowledge, member acquisition of new skills, member attitudes, organizational linkages, and influence on organizations.  Findings indicated that CTC coalitions successfully built capacities.  Results also showed that new skill acquisition by coalition members and the engagement of diverse sectors in coalition work, as reported by coalition members, moderated the relationship between CTC and the community-wide adoption of a science-based approach to prevention. Finally, I explored whether the internal coalition functioning of CTC coalitions predicted community-wide adoption of a science-based approach to prevention directly or through a coalition culture that builds capacities necessary for coalitions to achieve system transformation. Findings indicate no direct effect of goal-directedness, efficiency, opportunities for participation, or cohesion on community-wide adoption of a science-based approach to prevention, but suggest the possibility of an indirect pathway through building new member skills and external linkages to diverse sectors. Identification of these malleable coalition processes and capacities, which facilitate the community-wide adoption of a scientific approach to prevention, will be useful for improving the overall effectiveness of community coalitions focused on preventing adolescent mental, emotional, and behavioral problems.

Political Violence, Trauma, and Resilience

Cynthia sousa 2012.

In recent decades, there has been an expanded effort to examine the adverse effects of political violence on the health of civilian populations; substantial evidence now points to the effects of political violence on outcomes like PTSD, anxiety, and a variety of physical health symptoms. Despite the variety of risks inherent within political violence, we know individuals and communities actively cope with the stressors of political violence, exhibiting marked resilience as they function much better than might be expected. Individual and community resilience is generally defined as the successful recovery from or adaptation to stress or adversity through the use of individual or community characteristics, resources, strategies, and processes. While researchers have increasingly focused on political violence in the past few decades, several areas within the field of political violence and global health remain under-explored. To address these areas, this dissertation explores experiences inherent within the political violence, their effects on health and well-being, and processes of resilience within the experience of political violence. Each paper within this dissertation sheds light on one shared question: How does political violence affect people’s health and how do people and communities endure the stress and trauma it poses? The papers within this dissertation employ distinct guiding questions and associated research methods to: (1) provide an interdisciplinary overview of resilience to clarify what we currently know from scholarly literature about how individuals and communities weather the effects of political violence; (2) explore how political violence affects a variety of health outcomes (including general health, PTSD and distress) and examine how these health effects of political violence might differ along various sources of coping, ranging from self-reliance to use of support from one’s family and from religious and political resources; and (3) examine how women describe the specific, particular experiences they endure within political violence and their strategies of resistance within that context.

A Life Course Perspective on the Social Determinants of Multiracial American Health

Karen tabb dina 2012.

Few studies provide data on the health of self-identified multiracial (two or more races) Americans. Subsequently, we know little about this population and existing health disparities. Three areas relevant to multiracial health include health status, health care service utilization, and health related to racial stability over the life course. Although some investigations report the health service use of children and adolescents, almost no studies report the health service use of multiracial young adults. Most studies on multiracial groups are cross-sectional and thus focus on a single time point, so it is difficult to establish how health indicators change for multiracial groups over time. This dissertation employs epidemiological methods to investigate the health of self-identified multiracial young adults in a series of three linked papers. I used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 20,774) in-home sample taken during the period 1994-2008 to examine factors related to multiracial health as individuals enter difference phases of life. Using multivariate logistic regression I tested a series of hypotheses for three distinct research questions. In the first paper, I found that there are differences in self-rated health for some multiracial groups.  In the second paper, I found that there are differences in the rates of health care service utilization when comparing specific multiracial groups to the monoracial majority. In the third paper, I found that there are differences in report of self-rated health when comparing monoracial adults with multiracial adults who switch racial categories over time. These findings contribute to the wider understanding of health disparities for vulnerable populations and assist in identifying salient mechanisms of health disparities over the life course. These results also demonstrate the importance of critically examining changes in categories over time and effects when using quantitative data.

Where is “Home?” Interpreting Horn of Africa Youth Discourse and the Politics of “Displaced Youth”

Aster solomon tecle 2012.

This dissertation is a discursive inquiry into the language Horn of Africa (HOA) youth use as they talk about their experiences. Study participants are 1.5 and second generation HOA youth, mainly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, living in the Pacific Northwest and actively participating in youth programs provided by three agencies serving HOA immigrant populations. Youth in the study participated in three focus groups. Employing postcolonial and poststructuralist frameworks, the study aims to reveal the function of language in representing HOA youth: it assumes language to be a “site of contestation” where youth position and reposition their claims as they characterize themselves and their experiences. The study’s thematic findings highlight three aspects of HOA youth experience: their strategic use of the language of difference; the hybridity of their experiences and aesthetics; and their use of this inbetweeness as a space of possibility. The study captures the nuances of HOA youth discourse, moving beyond dichotomous frameworks to more fully acknowledge the complexities for immigrant youth of negotiating inbetween spaces. These complexities reveal that HOA youth can and do displace discourses that represent them. Revealing the complexities of HOA youth language also has the potential to dismantle underlying paradigms that take-for- granted the politics of “displaced youth.” The study potentially contributes to social work methodology, theory, and practice, and to youth programming.

The study findings challenge theoretical and conceptual frameworks that assume HOA youth have a stable, rational, and unified identity, and assume related ideas about empowerment and change, which can ultimately victimize youth for not fitting into expected norms. From the perspective of this study, liberation from dominant discourses does not require a stable identity; rather, identities are continuously and complexly produced in and through competing discourses. The research points to the need for youth programs to focus on exploring how cultures and languages represent youth, and their populations, while also questioning what it means to talk across borders, as the youth move beyond conventional discourses of multiculturalism. The study also has the potential to inform host society perceptions of HOA youth in particular and African immigrants in general.

Courts, Child Welfare, and Criteria for Terminating Parental Rights

William michael vesneski 2012.

Few legal proceedings in the U.S. have more significant consequences for families than the termination of parental rights. Previously described as family law’s “death penalty,” termination leads to the complete severance of the parent-child bond. Yet, despite its profound consequences, termination is infrequently addressed in social work scholarship. This dissertation aims to help fill this gap by examining North Carolina judicial opinions, written in 2010, that resolved disputed actions to terminate parental rights.  A total of 100 opinions were examined using content analysis. All of the cases involved child neglect. The study focused on neglect because of ongoing difficulty in clearly defining this common form of child maltreatment. A large majority (n=86) of the cases resulted in the termination of parental rights. The study yielded a typology of factors appellate courts used to justify their termination decisions. Altogether, 39 factors were identified and organized into 10 different domains: parental conditions, service compliance, home environment, economic conditions, child conditions, bonding, child welfare history, physical abuse, physical presence, and sexual abuse. These factors are more expansive than the termination criteria listed in the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act as well as North Carolina statutes. Just as important, chi-squared analyses revealed that when courts made their termination decision, they looked to different factors depending upon which parents were involved in the cases (mothers, fathers, or both parents).

Two domains were selected for closer examination using discourse analytics: “service compliance” and “economic conditions.” The goal of this examination was to understand the ideology and social values underlying the rulings. The results indicate that the courts placed significant importance on parents’ compliance with case plans when deciding whether to terminate their rights. At the same time, the courts were very concerned with parents’ poverty and their surrounding economic circumstances. Overall, the study underscores the critically important role the courts play in the child welfare system. Not only do courts safeguard parents’ rights during termination proceedings, they are actively involved in creating child welfare policy and setting the parameters of social work practice in the field.

Same-Sex Partnerships and the Health of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Older Adults

Mark edward williams 2012.

While extensive research has examined associations between marriage, cohabitation and the health of heterosexual adults, it remains unclear whether similar patterns of health are associated with the same-sex partnerships for older adults. The following papers examine how having a same-sex partner may be related to general self-reported health, mental health, and satisfaction with life for older adults. Analyzing survey data collected from lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults 50 years of age and older, the first paper reports findings that those with same-sex partners have significantly better self-reported health, fewer depressive symptoms, less perceived stress, and greater life satisfaction, controlling for gender, age, education, income, sexuality, and relationship duration. Relationship duration did not significantly impact the association between partnership status and health, nor did gender. The importance of culturally sensitive clinical practice and policies that recognize the role that same-sex partnerships may play in older adult health are discussed along with implications for future research. The second paper further examines how identifying as married is associated with significantly fewer depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction compared to those identifying as unmarried partners, but not significantly less perceived stress. Social integration, as reflected in increasing access to and identification with marriage by LGB older adults, is an important area for future research to examine in order to study how changing social acceptance of sexual minorities may impact older adult health. The final paper reviews the theoretical frameworks that have been employed to study lesbian, gay, and bisexual older adult health.  Social determinants of health models are contrasted with social constructionist and post-structural critiques of gender, sexuality, age and health.  Future research needs to envision both structural sources of health disparities as well as account for individual agency and the resilient subject as important elements for theorizing the source and meaning of health disparities for lesbian, gay and bisexual older adults.

Heterogeneity among Youth at Risk for Violence: Implications of a Stress and Coping Framework for Prevention

Patricia logan-greene 2011.

This dissertation uses a stress and coping resource framework to examine heterogeneity among adolescents and young adults at risk for violence. Three studies are included that build on existing literature concerning risk and protective factors for violence by consideration of etiological differences that bear upon stress exposures and coping capacity. Participants were recruited from high schools on the basis of risk for drop-out and suicide behaviors (Mean age = 16.0), which resulted in an ethnically diverse, gender-balanced sample. Additional surveys were delivered 5 and 7 years later with satisfactory retention. Paper 1: Latent Profile Analysis was used to detect four distinct groups with differential risk and protective factor profiles and concomitant problem behavior outcomes, demonstrating important differences for etiological risk of violent behaviors. Paper 2: The sustained impact of adolescent violence histories was established relative to early adulthood psychosocial functioning, across multiple dimensions of risky behaviors and emotional distress. Paper 3: An assessment of stress and coping resources in early adulthood successfully predicted continuity and discontinuity in violent behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood. Collectively these findings demonstrate the importance of investigating variation among violent youth with respect to stress-related risk, protective factors, and ways in which coping affects development—distinctions that are crucial to insuring interventions are well matched and proportionate to respective risk profiles among youth. Results strongly bolster arguments concerning the value of preventive and early interventions toward curbing the developmental and transgenerational impacts of violence. Major implications include the need to assess for histories of violence among vulnerable youth, as well as attend to traumatic experiences and emotional distress of youth engaging in violence.

Predictors Associated with Late-Life Depressive Symptoms among Older Black Americans

Gillian L. Marshall 2011

With the projected growth of a diverse older adult population in the U.S., their mental health status is of increasing concern.  It is a concern since little is known about what places them at risk and what factors protect them against late-life depression. The primary aim  of this dissertation is to address  this concern by examining the risk and protective factors associated with depressive symptoms between older black Americans.  Data analyzed for all three studies used the National Survey of American Life.  The study sample consisted of older persons age 55 years and older who self identified as either African American (N=837) or Caribbean Black (N=271).  Results indicate that socio-economic status was significant in predicting high depressive symptoms, especially for older African Americans.  Results also highlight the fact that greater depressive symptoms are associated with stress in the form of perceived discrimination which poses a risk for late-life depression among both groups of older Black Americans. In addition, both social support and social connectedness were significant in moderating the effect of stress for both older African Americans and Caribbean blacks.  The findings from this study will contribute to the general body of knowledge on black Americans, and more specifically, to the heterogeneity embedded between and within older African Americans and Caribbean Black populations.

Bark Made Rope, Roots Made Baskets

Ramona beltran 2010.

Background: Over the last several decades space and place have emerged as important concepts and how they are theorized is beginning to shape many policies and practices that impact the health of indigenous peoples. For indigenous peoples, the ultimate location of space and place is embedded in a profound relationship with the earth.  The earth (or land) is both literally and figuratively the first and final teacher for understanding our world, communities, families, selves, and bodies. This dissertation articulates an indigenous framework for triangulating the concepts of space and place, historical trauma, and embodiment as they impact health and wellness of indigenous peoples. Methods: Innovative qualitative methods including narrative analysis of in-depth interviews about traditional and contemporary perceived experiences between land and health from 13 tribal members of a Washington reservation was conducted along with a GPS and photographic survey of food and activity resources on tribal lands. Data points were mapped onto an interactive web-based map and used to illustrate and deepen individual narratives. Poetic narrative was also woven throughout the dissertation to evoke a fourth analytical space referred to as “differential consciousness” which transcends the bounds of academic words and ideas. Results: Qualitative analysis revealed an overall ambivalence including a simultaneous profound love, care, and loss of original tribal land/health relationships. Thematic findings were organized into eight primary categories with more nuanced sub-themes articulated within each category. The over-arching themes for how Tulalip tribal members experience the relationship between land and health include: 1) Simultaneous reverence and loss; 2) Close kinship relationship; 3) Respect and reciprocity; 4) Dissonance of historical trauma and cultural strength; 5) Impact of development and western values; 6) Cultural transitions and losses; 7) Contemporary practices and realities and; 8) Cultural revival and regeneration.  Photographs and map illustrate these themes. Conclusions: Using personal narratives to investigate complex environmental conditions helps describe how relationships to historical and contemporary cultural knowledge impacts the health of indigenous community members.

From Healthy to Unhealthy: Disaggregating the Relationship between Race, Nativity, Perceived Discrimination, and Chronic Health

Shauna k. carlisle 2010.

There is a clear association between race and health outcomes in the United States.  Needed is a systematic examination of the relationship between chronic health and race, ethnicity, nativity, and length of residency. Further, the role of perceived discrimination and health decline must be explored beyond broad racial categories with the inclusion of Caribbean ethnic subgroups. Utilizing the linked data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), this dissertation addresses the gap in literature by examining differences in reports of chronic cardiovascular, chronic respiratory, and chronic pain conditions across three samples of Asian American (n=1,628), Latino Americans (n=1,940), and Afro-Caribbean American (n=978) respondents. Chapter 2 examines the ethnic subgroup variation in chronic health by comparing self-reports of chronic conditions across diverse subgroups of Asian American (Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese), Latino American (Cuban, Portuguese, Mexican), and Afro-Caribbean (Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian/Tobagonian) respondents.  Chi square analysis reveals significant differences by race for chronic cardiovascular [c2 (2, n=4969) 16.77, p<.0000], respiratory [c2 (2, n=4975) 10.23, p<.0001], and pain conditions [c2 (2, n=4973) .22, p>.8].  Logistic regression revealed significant differences in reports of chronic conditions across nine ethnic subgroups.  Chapter 3 examines the nativity differences in reports of chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, and pain conditions between foreign-born (n=3,579) and native-born (n=1,409) respondents.  Results reveal that native-born respondents were significantly more likely to report chronic respiratory [c2(1, n=4958) 30.78, p≤.05] and pain [c2(1, n-4958) 3.77, p≤.05] conditions than were their foreign-born counterparts.  Logistic regression models reveal significant associations between chronic conditions, and other demographic factors known to influence immigrant health.  Chapter 4 explores the relationship between chronic conditions, nativity, perceived discrimination, and length of residency among the three racial and nine ethnic subgroups.  Afro-Caribbean subgroups were more likely to report perceived discrimination than Asian and Latino American subgroups were.  However, a significant positive association with perceived discrimination was found only for Latino American respondents (b=.60; P≤.01).  An interaction term called “exposure” was created to estimate the effects of long-term exposure to perceived discrimination among foreign-born respondents in this study. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine which groups within the model were more likely to report exposure effects.

Participatory Action Research in a Prison Nursery

Marie-celeste condon 2010.

Incarcerated mothers and their babies are invisible to most of us.  Little is known about the discourses surrounding women who give birth and begin raising their babies while doing time in prison.  I conducted a two year, exploratory, qualitative study of babies’ experiences in the Residential Parenting Program in Washington Corrections Center for Women, using Participatory Action Research (PAR).  I present just one aspect of our work, namely operationalizing PAR concepts with prisoners, officers, early childhood educators, nurse practitioners, birth attendants, and community members.  These stakeholders hold divergent views about incarcerated women and their newborns.  They rarely if ever come to the same table to talk and learn from one another.  Stereotyped identities, differences in power, privilege and autonomy, and the divergent missions of their organizations present real challenges to linking research and action on behalf of babies.  PAR literature raises questions about the extent to which PAR philosophy can be truly carried out in prisons, when participation is not limited to one or two groups of allied stakeholders.  I explain challenges.  I present evidence supporting and contraindicating PAR in settings that mandate limited autonomy and agency for women.  I present strategies that led to the emergence of a common discourse.  I offer recommendations for future work.

Investigating the Social Context of Immigration-Related Factors and Asian American Health

Aileen a. duldulao 2010.

This dissertation examines the social context of immigration-related factors as they relate to the health of Asian American immigrants and focuses specifically on age at migration and period of migration as potential explanatory contexts for elucidating the strong relationship between immigration and health.  In the first paper, an historical, social, political and theoretical framework is outlined that argues for the use of expanded contexts when empirically examining Asian American health.  This paper provides recommendations as to how such contexts can be brought to bear on Asian American health, such as using model specification techniques used in research on racial health disparities.  The second paper is an empirical test of historical context as a way to frame the relationship between Asian American self-rated mental health, age at migration and the historical period of migration.  Specifically, this paper tests the applicability of age at migration as a predictor for self-rated mental health between pre- and post-1965 immigrations using model specific path analyses.    The third paper also builds on analytical recommendations set forth in the first paper and provides an empirical test of the relationship between suicidal ideation, ethnic density and historical period of migration using multilevel modeling techniques.   In its entirety, this dissertation argues for and provides a more holistic, nuanced approach to examining and explaining the relationship between immigration-related factors and Asian American health.

Maltreated, Displaced, and Under-Served Foster Youth: Predictors of Developmental Outcomes among Racially Diverse Foster Care Alumni

Antonio r. garcia 2010.

Child welfare practitioners and researchers’ are faced with the daunting challenge of ensuring children in foster care successfully transition into adulthood. In fact, for many of the youth who experienced prior history of chronic abuse and placement instability, the likelihood of experiencing negative mental health, employment, and education outcomes increase. Due to the fact that research focusing on the experiences of foster care alumni of color is limited, existing interventions to address their negative developmental outcomes may not be effective. The Latino Child Welfare Research and Practice (LCWRP) Model (Garcia, 2009) provided a conceptual framework to aid in identifying areas that warrant further attention for this study. Incorporating the individual/social and institutional domains of the model and utilizing data from the Casey National Foster Care Alumni study, this study addressed the following primary questions: 1) Does chronicity of child maltreatment and cumulative familial risk factors impact foster care alumni’s mental health outcomes, and if so, are they moderated by race/ethnicity? 2) Do positive coping mechanisms (high self-esteem and ethnic identity) mediate the relationship between individual stressors during childhood (chronic abuse, cumulative risk factors, and placement instability) and being diagnosed with a mental health disorder during adulthood? 3) Controlling for placement instability, does access to services and agency preparation for leaving foster care uniquely predict developmental outcomes among Latino, Caucasian, and African American foster care alumni? Finally, this dissertation study, from the perspective of front line caseworkers, also examined barriers and challenges Latino children and families experience in the child welfare system. Relying on mixed methods (logistic regression, multiple group structural equation modeling, and grounded theory) to address these questions, this dissertation study offers valuable contributions by: 1) examining unique predictors of developmental outcomes among foster care alumni of color, 2) highlighting strengths and areas where improvement in child welfare practice is needed to ensure foster care children and adolescents receive evidence based, culturally sensitive services to thrive as adults, and 3) exploring factors that may mitigate negative developmental outcomes and contribute to timely permanency and reunification among Latinos in the child welfare system.

Impediments to Facility Delivery among HIV Positive Women in a Kenyan Setting: Insights from Women’s Accounts and the Service Delivery Context

Peris w. kibera 2010.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where over 85% of pregnancies among HIV positive women occur, many countries report low rates of uptake of the widely available and virtually free services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), such as facility delivery and infant prophylactic antiretroviral drugs. A small but growing body of scholarship that has examined the reasons why women might fail to take advantage of PMTCT services has primarily documented structural and resource factors such as long distance or inability to pay for transportation to a health care facility as key barriers to service uptake. The influence of service delivery dynamics (for example, the nature of provider-patient interactions and the quality of counseling) demonstrated in other health literatures to be salient in service utilization is a perspective that is largely ignored in the assessment of PMTCT service use.

Thus, to understand the influence of service delivery dynamics on women’s uptake of PMTCT services, this study utilized ethnographic methods to examine how i) the bureaucratic organization of services, ii) patients? experience of the care environment, iii) patient-provider relations, and iv) providers’ experience of their work affected facility delivery among HIV-positive women attending Mathare North Health Center, a community health facility in Nairobi, Kenya.

Findings revealed that guarding against inadvertent disclosure of HIV positive status to a partner or relations accompanying a woman to the facility during childbirth was an important motivation for participants’ non-delivery at Mathare or other public sector health care facilities. In understanding how the inadvertent disclosure of a woman’s HIV status could occur during childbirth at Mathare, Michael Lipsky’s (1980) theory of street-level bureaucracy provided an analytical point of departure. Specifically, several patterns of practice elucidated by Lipsky were mapped out in ANC service delivery with pregnant HIV positive women. Because of the work practices that providers at Mathare adopted to cope with the mismatch between limited resources in the work environment and patients’ needs, women did not receive the care necessary to support childbirth at the health center. Insights from this research offer useful directions for modifying care practices to boost facility delivery among HIV positive women.

Is Knowledge Power? A Comparative Textual, Historical, and Practical Study of "Sex Ed" Policy and "Teen Pregnancy" in Canada and the U.S.A.

Morna e. mceachern 2010.

In modern welfare states, teen pregnancy, a social phenomenon that is inextricably linked with poverty, inequality, and race, is considered an indicator of social wellbeing. The teen pregnancy rate in the U.S.A. is the highest of modern welfare states, more than twice that of Canada, its culturally similar neighbor. There is evidence that comparative studies of culturally similar countries can reveal factors that are useful in informing policy reform. Sexual activity is a precursor of teen pregnancy, and public schools are a dominant site for sexual health education in both countries.  Yet no studies have compared the “sex ed” policy approaches of these two countries. Addressing this gap, this study compares sexual health education policy exemplars from Canada and the U.S.A., focusing on the language in which these policies are framed with three research questions: 1) What does the political symbolism in the language of two policy exemplars reflect, implicitly and explicitly, about Canadian and U.S. approaches to  “sex ed”? 2) How do Canadian and U.S. “sex ed” policies and discourses about “teen pregnancy” converge and diverge over time? 3) How do Canadian and U.S. high school principals, as front-line policy implementers, describe “teen pregnancy” and its relationship to “sex ed”?  What does the political symbolism of their discourse reveal about Canadian and U.S. “sex ed” policy practices? In order to support pregnant and parenting teens, this dissertation addresses these questions through a critical feminist epistemology and a comparative, historical, qualitative and interpretive methodology. The contributions of the study fall in three areas: 1) it breaks new ground in comparing sexual health education policies in the U.S.A. and Canada; 2) it shifts the focus from individual outcomes of teen pregnancy to policy and policy frames related to preventing unintended teen pregnancy; 3) in so doing, it potentially sheds light on factors that differentially influence the discourse about “sex ed” and “teen pregnancy” in the two countries.

Queering Queer Space

Jennifer m. self 2010.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (lgbtq) college centers emerged in the early 1970s in response to student, faculty, and staff activism and demands for safe and protective spaces from heterosexism and homophobia.  Despite 40 years of practice, however, little research has been conducted about these spaces.  Recognizing the importance of lgbtq campus centers and the political and identity struggles within the movement that created them; this dissertation addressed this gap in research knowledge.  Specifically, the study aimed to: 1) interrogate the power and influence of the leadership of lgbtq centers (directors and other primary leaders) via the exploration of the ways in which dominance in the form of “homonormative whiteness” is interrupted, disrupted, resisted, and (re)produced discursively and spatially through lgbtq campus-based centers; and 2) examine tensions that arised as directors and programs operationalize social transformation praxis models while maintaining their core purpose of safety and respite from heterosexism and homophobia.  To explore these issues, I undertook a modified extended case study of six campus centers.  The case study data included in-depth interviews with directors and center leaders, researcher observations, photographs, and hand-drawn maps produced by center leaders. The methodological approach was broadly critical and interpretive: specific analytic strategies included critical discourse analysis (spatial and dialogic). By examining the role of lgbtq center leadership discourse and center space in the (re)production and resistance of homonormative whiteness, this study contributes to several bodies of literature:  1) center development and practice; 2) intersectionality and praxis within student and community centers; and 3) social justice within higher education.

Examining the Process of Critical Youth Participation in Promoting Health and Wellness:  A Case Study of a Rural Community Program for Asian Pacific Islander Young Adults

Alma m.o. trinidad 2010.

Despite research on health disparities among low-income young adults of color, few studies critically examine how grass-roots, community-based youth programs affect their individual and collective health and wellness.  In particular, little is known about how they develop a critical awareness of the historical-cultural contexts of marginalization and whether such awareness leads them to become activists in promoting health and wellness.  Furthermore, a gap exist in research on the participation of rural young adults in community life and the role they can play in educating, and promoting empowerment in their communities.  To address these gaps, this dissertation bridges theories of community youth participation, critical pedagogies of place, and community epistemology.  Using a community-based youth program in rural Hawai‘i as a case study with 17 interviews and content analysis of texts about the program, this dissertation consists of three articles.  The first examines the program’s use of adult allies and youth participation in farming, while also helping improve community health and well-being.  Findings suggest that the program utilizes an integrated approach that includes:  1) locating the role of adult allies, 2) perceiving young people as partners and agents of change, 3) aiming for a democratic decision-making process, and 4) promoting a learning community.  The second examines how the program through critical Indigenous pedagogy of place (CIPP) encourages youth to interrogate the inequities in their community, thus assisting in their sociopolitical development.  Findings indicate that the use of CIPP provides opportunities to: 1) identify the disparities in the local community, 2) critically explore the complexity of oppression and systemic inequalities, 3) promote a commitment to serve that community and a sense of place, and 4) participate in a knowledge-action-reflection cycle of critical praxis.  The third article examines how the program utilizes Native Hawaiian epistemology and values.  Findings indicate that the program promotes indigenization through CIPP, which provides opportunities to:  1) learn about the genealogy of a geographic place, 2) reclaim Native Hawaiian values and 3) promote a sense of  aloha (love)  ethic for the community.  Acknowledging the study’s limitations, specific recommendations and implications on youth community organizing, place, and health are discussed.

• Melbourne School of Health Sciences
• Our Departments
• Social Work

Social Work Graduate Research

The Department of Social Work offers a wide range of expert specialisations in Health, Mental Health and Disability; Family Violence and Child and Family Welfare; and Criminal Justice

The Department of Social Work’s Graduate Research and PhD programs strive to improve health and wellbeing through national and international collaboration. Underpinned by Indigenous leadership and methodological pluralism, the department aims to reinforce community ties and connect research to practice in areas of policy, teaching and training. The Department of Social Work proudly supports scholarly pathways for Indigenous academics to lead research projects and create a network of new generation Indigenous supervisors.

Our Students

The Department of Social Work is seeking high achieving students who are curious, committed, and have the desire to translate knowledge and change systems to promote positive wellbeing outcomes. The Department offers three graduate pathway options: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and a Master of Advanced Social Work (Research).

Explore past graduate research theses

Meet a current student

Career Opportunities

Graduate Research and PhD studies in Social Work build on consolidating and enhancing leadership skills through new knowledge and evidence, informed practice and refined research skills. Students have part-time study options to facilitate work, study and family life balance. Career opportunities include moving into management, pursuing an academic career, and further developing workplace skills.

Applying for Social Work Graduate Research

Students are required to find two potential supervisors before they submit their application. The Department of Social Work will work with students to match their research interests with the Department’s key specialisations and to assist them in identifying the most appropriate supervision team. Scholarships are awarded to student applicants with the highest Weighted Average Marks (WAM).

Potential Social Work supervisors

How to apply

TODAY'S HOURS:

Research Topic Ideas

• Picking a Topic
• Area & Interdisciplinary Studies
• Behavioral & Social Sciences
• Business, Economics, & Management
• Current Events and Controversial Issues

Education Topics

Social work topics.

• Health Sciences
• Natural and Physical Sciences

Related Guides

• Research Process by Liz Svoboda Last Updated May 29, 2024 10209 views this year
• Ability grouping
• Adaptive physical education
• Bilingual education
• Blended learning
• Boarding schools
• Career counseling
• Charter schools
• Collaborative learning
• Common Core
• Community immersion
• Computer literacy
• Computer-assisted instruction
• Dual enrollment programs
• Early childhood education
• Flipped classroom
• Gender-segregated education
• Home schooling
• Information literacy
• Kalamazoo Promise
• Learning styles
• Merit pay for teachers
• Multiculturalism
• Multiple intelligences
• No Child Left Behind
• Online education
• Outcomes-based education
• Parental involvement
• Peer counseling
• Race to the Top
• Retention policies
• School choice
• School schedule reform
• School to work programs
• Sex education
• Standardized testing
• STEAM vs STEM
• Teacher unions
• Technology integration
• Violence in schools
• Virtual classrooms
• Whole brain teaching
• Zero tolerance policy

Related subject guide and suggested database

• Education: A Guide to Library Research by Paul Streby Last Updated Jan 31, 2024 119 views this year

Journal articles & citations, government publications, conference papers, reports, theses, and other education-related documents. The ERIC Thesaurus can help identify useful subject terms.

Also available via EBSCOhost and the U.S. Department of Education (open access version).  This database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to provide extensive access to education-related literature. ERIC provides coverage of journal articles, conferences, meetings, government documents, theses, dissertations, reports, audiovisual media, bibliographies, directories, books and monographs. Covers:

• Adult, career and vocational education
• Elementary & early childhood education
• Education management
• Higher education, including junior colleges
• Second-language learning
• Special education
• Teacher education
• Tests, measurement, & evaluation

Many ERIC Documents are online in ERIC, and older ones are available on microfiche on the 1st floor of the Thompson Library.  

• Affordable Care Act
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Conversion therapy
• Early intervention programs
• Elder abuse
• Family caregiving
• Foster care
• Gender pay gap
• Grief counseling
• Human trafficking
• Informal economy
• Interracial adoption
• Intimate partner violence
• Juvenile justice system
• Mental illness
• Mentoring program
• Nutrition assistance programs
• People experiencing homelessness
• People with disabilities
• Restorative community programs
• Sexual assault; Sexual harassment
• Social justice
• Substance abuse
• Welfare reform
• Social Work: A Guide to Library Research by Paul Streby Last Updated May 28, 2024 495 views this year

Index and abstract of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas.

Social Services Abstracts provides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare and social policy. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,300 serial publications, and includes journal articles, dissertations and book reviews. Searches link to Community of Scholars: Social Sciences. Coverage includes community & mental health services, crisis intervention, family & social welfare, gerontology, poverty, homelessness, professional issues, policy, addiction, social work education & practice, violence, abuse, neglect, welfare services.

• << Previous: Current Events and Controversial Issues
• Next: Health Sciences >>
• Last Updated: May 30, 2024 4:05 PM
• URL: https://libguides.umflint.edu/topics

Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

If you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Free Webinar : Topic Ideation 101
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic within education, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

You Might Also Like:

66 Comments

This is an helpful tool 🙏

Special education

Really appreciated by this . It is the best platform for research related items

Research title related to school of students

How are you

I think this platform is actually good enough.

Research title related to students

My field is research measurement and evaluation. Need dissertation topics in the field

Assalam o Alaikum I’m a student Bs educational Resarch and evaluation I’m confused to choose My thesis title please help me in choose the thesis title

Good idea I’m going to teach my colleagues

You can find our list of nursing-related research topic ideas here: https://gradcoach.com/research-topics-nursing/

Write on action research topic, using guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

Thanks a lot

I learned a lot from this site, thank you so much!

Thank you for the information.. I would like to request a topic based on school major in social studies

parental involvement and students academic performance

Science education topics?

plz tell me if you got some good topics, im here for finding research topic for masters degree

How about School management and supervision pls.?

Hi i am an Deputy Principal in a primary school. My wish is to srudy foe Master’s degree in Education.Please advice me on which topic can be relevant for me. Thanks.

Every topic proposed above on primary education is a starting point for me. I appreciate immensely the team that has sat down to make a detail of these selected topics just for beginners like us. Be blessed.

Kindly help me with the research questions on the topic” Effects of workplace conflict on the employees’ job performance”. The effects can be applicable in every institution,enterprise or organisation.

Greetings, I am a student majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Administration. I’m considering any recommended research topic in the field of Sociology.

I’m a student pursuing Mphil in Basic education and I’m considering any recommended research proposal topic in my field of study

Research Defense for students in senior high

Kindly help me with a research topic in educational psychology. Ph.D level. Thank you.

Project-based learning is a teaching/learning type,if well applied in a classroom setting will yield serious positive impact. What can a teacher do to implement this in a disadvantaged zone like “North West Region of Cameroon ( hinterland) where war has brought about prolonged and untold sufferings on the indegins?

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration PhD level

I am also looking for such type of title

I am a student of undergraduate, doing research on how to use guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

the topics are very good regarding research & education .

Can i request your suggestion topic for my Thesis about Teachers as an OFW. thanx you

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education,PhD level

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education

Hi 👋 I request that you help me with a written research proposal about education the format

Am offering degree in education senior high School Accounting. I want a topic for my project work

l would like to request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

I would to inquire on research topics on Educational psychology, Masters degree

I am PhD student, I am searching my Research topic, It should be innovative,my area of interest is online education,use of technology in education

request suggestion on topic in masters in medical education .

Look at British Library as they keep a copy of all PhDs in the UK Core.ac.uk to access Open University and 6 other university e-archives, pdf downloads mostly available, all free.

May I also ask for a topic based on mathematics education for college teaching, please?

Please I am a masters student of the department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education Please I am in need of proposed project topics to help with my final year thesis

Am a PhD student in Educational Foundations would like a sociological topic. Thank

please i need a proposed thesis project regardging computer science

Greetings and Regards I am a doctoral student in the field of philosophy of education. I am looking for a new topic for my thesis. Because of my work in the elementary school, I am looking for a topic that is from the field of elementary education and is related to the philosophy of education.

Masters student in the field of curriculum, any ideas of a research topic on low achiever students

In the field of curriculum any ideas of a research topic on deconalization in contextualization of digital teaching and learning through in higher education

Amazing guidelines

I am a graduate with two masters. 1) Master of arts in religious studies and 2) Master in education in foundations of education. I intend to do a Ph.D. on my second master’s, however, I need to bring both masters together through my Ph.D. research. can I do something like, ” The contribution of Philosophy of education for a quality religion education in Kenya”? kindly, assist and be free to suggest a similar topic that will bring together the two masters. thanks in advance

Hi, I am an Early childhood trainer as well as a researcher, I need more support on this topic: The impact of early childhood education on later academic success.

I’m a student in upper level secondary school and I need your support in this research topics: “Impact of incorporating project -based learning in teaching English language skills in secondary schools”.

Although research activities and topics should stem from reflection on one’s practice, I found this site valuable as it effectively addressed many issues we have been experiencing as practitioners.

Your style is unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this site.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Print Friendly