Browsing by Author "Buchan, Victoria, advisor"

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Open Access
Assessing master's level social work students' attitudes and knowledge of pychotropic medication and attitudes about people with serious mental illness following a classroom intervention
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) O'Day, Catherine, author; Morgan, George, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor
Attitudes towards people with serious mental illness influence the treatment they receive and decisions of policymakers. Social workers have become the largest group of mental health providers in the United States. Therefore, it is important to assess attitudes of social work students who will likely work with people with serious mental illness during their career. Masters level social work students enrolled in a foundation practice course and a concentration course participated in a classroom intervention that provided exposure to people with serious mental illness, explored the use of psychotropic medication, and provided the opportunity to practice assessments with standardized clients. A control group of students enrolled in alternative sections of the same course participated in order to determine if the intervention affected attitude and knowledge change. Three instruments were used in the pre and posttests. Two instruments were used to measure attitudes. The Attitude to Mental Illness scale (Singh, Baxter, Standen, & Duggan, 1998) measured attitudes to people with mental illness. The Attitudes toward Psychotropic Medication scale (Bentley, Farmer, & Phillips, 1991) measured attitudes toward the use of psychotropic medication. In order to measure knowledge about psychotropic medication, the Knowledge Index on Psychotropic Medication questionnaire (Bentley, Fanner & Phillips, 1991) was used. The results of the study indicated that social work students who participated in the study possessed pre-existing fairly high positive attitudes toward people with serious mental illness and psychotropic medication. Therefore, the interventions had no significant change in the pre to posttest scores for both measures. The control group who reported five months to two years of experience had a significantly higher change in their KIPMSW questionnaire posttest scores than the experimental group. Results indicate that the intervention may have been effective for participants who had some experience with people with serious mental illness. This study has implications for social work educators who are responsible for ensuring that future generation of social workers obtain adequate knowledge and attitudes in order to be effective mental health practitioners. Furthermore, the classroom interventions provide examples for teaching a variety of students about specific populations and fields of practice.
Open Access
Bachelor social work students' ratings of social work skills and advising experience: an analysis of the national Baccalaureate Educational Assessment Package (BEAP) Exit Survey data
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Hamilton, Tobi A. DeLong, author; Morgan, George, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor
This study examined two sections the Baccalaureate Educational Assessment Package Exit Survey data from 2000-2007. BEAP is used by BSW programs to track students over time from entrance into a social work program to two years after graduation. A total of 16,996 student responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis Almost 90% of the participants were female students and 10% were male students and the mean age of students was 28 years-old. The overall student GPA was 3.3 and the majority had no reported disability (72%). The majority of social work programs that used the BEAP Exit Survey were smaller, BSW only, and located in public institutions. Student demographics did not predict social work skill ratings or advising experience. However, there were consistent patterns between skill and advising experience for non-traditional students. Program demographics did show notable results. Students in the smallest social work programs rated their skills higher on half of the skill questions. Students in private social work programs rated their social work skills higher than those students in public programs and students in BPD region six rated their social work skills higher than all other BPD regions. There were no differences in advising or social work skill ratings for students in BSW or combined BSW/MSW programs. Program demographics also showed notable results in the area of advising experience. Students in private denominational programs rated their advising experience higher than the other two program types and students in BSW only programs rated their advising experience higher. Students in the smallest programs rated their advising experience higher than other programs and students in BPD region one rated their advising experience higher than students in the other regions. Competency-based learning, with agreed upon outcomes, is the basis for assessing and certifying individual student achievement within social work programs. This study provided meaningful data about social work students and programs and their relationships to social work skills and the advising experience. Based upon the results, suggestions for future research to fill gaps in the literature and to improve social work program assessment were made.
Open Access
Effects of social networks on the wellbeing of formerly homeless adults in supportive housing: a mixed-method case study
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Addo, Reuben, author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member; Unnithan, Prabha, committee member; Yuma, Paula, committee member
Although a number of studies have investigated the social networks of homeless individuals, very few studies have investigated social networks of formerly homeless individuals in supportive housing programs. How social networks influence the wellbeing of adults in supportive housing programs is limited in the literature. This study explored the nature of social networks and the effects of social networks on psychological wellbeing of formerly homeless adults in a supportive housing program. A mixed-method embedded-design case study was utilized for this study, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods were predominant, with qualitative data used to compliment the quantitative strand. Data from (N = 80) formerly homeless adults were collected to examine the effects of social networks on psychological wellbeing. A subset of (n = 20) participants were selected to explore the nature of social networks prior to entering a supportive housing program. Analyses included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, multiple regressions, and conditional process modeling. Results indicate social network variables differed by demographic and situational characteristics. Network size and emotional closeness, for example, varied by gender. Participants with lower perceived social support also tended to have lower psychological wellbeing. Perceived social support mediated the relationship between social network structure and psychological wellbeing. Qualitative results suggest participants restricted their social interactions while they were homeless. Their experiences prior to entering homelessness and during homelessness shaped the structure of their social interactions. Based on the results of this study, I recommend that supportive housing programs include initial assessments of social networks, especially supportive networks, in order for social support interventions to be incorporated in case management plans for participants with low perceived social support. Qualitative results suggest homeless interventions may include assisting homeless individuals to develop positive social support networks.
Open Access
Interdisciplinary approach: practices for training for health care workers addressing child sex trafficking cases
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Vasquez, Erica, author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Tungate, Susan, committee member; Unnithan, Prabha, committee member; Gandy, John, committee member
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) remains a significant public health concern in the United States (Gibbons & Stoklosa, 2016). Many CSEC victims receive medical care at some point during exploitation for the treatment of acute care. Scholars lack reliable statistics on CSEC occurrences due to the lack of data, criminal activity, victims not recognized by professionals, and other factors (Greenbaum et al., 2018). Sex exploitation of children is not limited to any particular ethnic, racial, or socioeconomic group; however, children from lower socioeconomic groups are at risk (Ark of Hope for Children, 2019). This study was a grounded theory study. The researcher identified current ways ED hospital setting health care workers engage, identify, assess, and provide services/interventions and resources for child sex trafficked victims along with their recommendations/suggestions for a future sex trafficking training. An Integrated Anti-Child Sex Trafficking Conceptual Framework was also developed. Semi-structured interviews were used with open-ended questions along with a survey. Theoretical sampling and snowball sampling were used to select participants. The researcher interviewed eight nurses and seven social workers who have currently worked with or may have worked with female child sex trafficking victims in emergency department (ED) hospital settings.
Open Access
Master's of social work students' research self-efficacy, attitude, and knowledge across the foundation year
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Holmquist-Johnson, Helen R., author; Morgan, George, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor
This study examined foundation year MSW student outcomes with regard to the research curriculum. The researcher sought to understand students' attitudes toward research, research knowledge acquisition, and research self-efficacy. The Research Self-Efficacy (RSE) scale (Holden, Barker, Meenaghan, & Rosenberg, 1999) and a modified Kirk-Rosenblatt Research Inventory (K-RRI) (Kirk & Rosenblatt, 1981) were combined to create the survey instrument. Students enrolled at five schools of social work were recruited in the classroom to complete the survey. A pre-post design allowed students' responses at the beginning and end of the foundation year to be matched (n=75). Data collection for this study spanned the academic year of 2007-2008. Self-report responses were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings suggest that students' attitudes are favorable toward research. Knowledge of research increased over the foundation year. Students who completed one semester of research coursework were compared with those completing two semesters of research coursework. The group with two semesters of research coursework gained statistically significantly more knowledge than the one semester group. Research self-efficacy increased 24 points, a statistically significant change, suggesting a wide range of student confidence and preparedness. Recommendations for both social work practice and education communities are made based on the findings of this study. Changes to the field of evaluation research and technological advances in the last thirty years have been vast. Both faculty and students may benefit by attempting to set aside bias toward research. It is suggested that social work faculty seek to provide a positive learning environment surrounding the research curriculum. Incorporation of the research curriculum with other curriculum components continues to be of interest. The use of service-learning and the field practicum should continue to be explored as a means of integrating the practice and research curriculum (Williams, 2002). The social work practice community can influence the amount and type of research curriculum a social work programs provide. Finally, another research task force may be in order. There remains a need to determine the content of the research curriculum, how the curriculum is taught, and whether or not, research findings are used by social workers.
Open Access
Master's of social work students' research self-efficacy, attitude, and knowledge across the foundation year
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Johnson-Holmquist, Helen R., author; Morgan, George, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Davies, Tim, committee member; Valentine, Deborah, committee member
This study examined foundation year MSW student outcomes with regard to the research curriculum. The researcher sought to understand students' attitudes toward research, research knowledge acquisition, and research self-efficacy. The Research Self-Efficacy (RSE) scale (Holden, Barker, Meenaghan, & Rosenberg, 1999) and a modified Kirk-Rosenblatt Research Inventory (K-RRI) (Kirk & Rosenblatt, 1981) were combined to create the survey instrument. Students enrolled at five schools of social work were recruited in the classroom to complete the survey. A pre-post design allowed students' responses at the beginning and end of the foundation year to be matched (n=75). Data collection for this study spanned the academic year of 2007-2008. Self-report responses were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings suggest that students' attitudes are favorable toward research. Knowledge of research increased over the foundation year. Students who completed one semester of research coursework were compared with those completing two semesters of research coursework. The group with two semesters of research coursework gained statistically significantly more knowledge than the one semester group. Research self-efficacy increased 24 points, a statistically significant change, suggesting a wide range of student confidence and preparedness. Recommendations for both social work practice and education communities are made based on the findings of this study. Changes to the field of evaluation research and technological advances in the last thirty years have been vast. Both faculty and students may benefit by attempting to set aside bias toward research. It is suggested that social work faculty seek to provide a positive learning environment surrounding the research curriculum. Incorporation of the research curriculum with other curriculum components continues to be of interest. The use of service-learning and the field practicum should continue to be explored as a means of integrating the practice and research curriculum (Williams, 2002). The social work practice community can influence the amount and type of research curriculum a social work programs provide. Finally, another research task force may be in order. There remains a need to determine the content of the research curriculum, how the curriculum is taught, and whether or not, research findings are used by social workers.
Open Access
Measuring adolescent sense of belonging: development of an instrument incorporating gender, ethnicity, and age
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Harrison, Shannon, author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Orsi, Rebbeca, committee member; Gandy, John, committee member; Canetto, Silvia, committee member
Studies incorporating the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) have largely excluded the association of adolescents with the ITS construct, thwarted belonging. A closer examination of the ITS was necessary, due to its potential for providing information regarding suicide risk. The purpose of this study was to develop a Sense of Belonging Measure, to examine whether and how the construct, thwarted sense of belonging, applied to adolescents, specifically by gender, ethnicity, and age group. Data (N = 10,148) from the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A, 2001-2004) was analyzed. Adolescents aged 13-18 completed the the survey. An exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha testing determined that the variables in the Sense of Belonging Measure reliably measured the concepts that the literature identified as being related to adolescent belonging. A three way analysis of variance (ANOVA) produced statistically significant main effects of age groups, and of ethnicity, on sense of belonging. An unexpected statistically significant interaction effect of gender and ethnicity on sense of belonging was produced. It is recommended that this measure be clinically tested in mental health settings, to further determine the utility of the construct "thwarted sense of belonging," in its application to adolescents.
Open Access
Organ donation and the teenage perspective: factors to consider regarding consent
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Hodgson, Margie Cisneros, author; Makela, Carole, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Kees, Nathalie, committee member; Quijano, Louise, committee member
The purpose of this study was to understand the factors that teenagers consider when granting consent to become an organ donor for the first time. Ninety-seven participants completed a 31-item survey that included areas of knowledge, source of information, personal experience, willingness, and consent. Least square means and Chi-square were used to compare groups (e.g., experimental/control, pre-survey/post-survey) regarding consent. Other variables that were explored included; gender, ethnicity, religion, grade point average, and parent level of education. The intervention consisted of basic information regarding organ donation, a video entitled No Greater Love, and small group discussion regarding various donor/recipient scenarios. Findings indicated that increased knowledge does not always lead to consent, nor does knowing a donor (living or deceased) or someone on the waitlist influence consent among adolescents. The results suggested that teenagers do not have a good understanding of the topic of organ donation nor do they see themselves as living donors. Teens may not fully understand the implications and ramifications of their decision to be a donor when receiving a driver’s permit or license for the first time. This study brought to light factors that teens take into consideration when deciding to become an organ donor.
Open Access
School social workers' perceptions of electronic media on practice
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Keeney, Adrianne Jane, author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Quijano, Louise, committee member; Hughes, Shannon, committee member; Marx, Nick, committee member
Electronic media has provided new challenges and opportunities for school social workers. The use of electronic communication to interact with others is a normative and daily part of life for children, adolescents, and adults. Currently there are few, if any guidelines regarding electronic media behavior and standards for school social work practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences from the perspective of school social workers on how electronic communication has affected their practice. A phased research design with quantitative and qualitative components was utilized for this exploratory research. Data from (N=379) school social workers practicing in the United States were collected. A combination of descriptive, correlation, exploratory factor analysis, and analysis of variance were used to analyze differences and associations among school social worker responses based on current age of the practitioner, community of practice, and student population served. Age associations were found with the incorporation of electronic elements in service delivery as well as digital knowledge being perceived as a factor impacting the ability to effectively problem solve. School social workers' incorporation of electronic media into service delivery was found to vary depending on the student population served. Age, community of practice or population served were not found to be a contributing factor to ethical dilemmas encountered or the perceived need for electronic media policies to further inform practice. Guidelines related to mandated reporting in regards to electronic communication and social media boundary guidelines were the top two policies that respondents identified needing the most to further inform their practice. Results suggest that school social workers perceive their practice is affected due to electronic media and these perceptions may differ based upon age, community of practice and population served. It is hoped that the results of this research would be used to guide: (1) recommendations for professional practice policies and social work education; (2) future research that will further inform school social work practice and support school social workers providing services in a digital era.
Open Access
Spirituality and atheist social work students: contributions for curriculum content on spirituality
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Fjelstrom, Jo, author; Carlson, Laurie, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Lynham, Susan, committee member; Tungate, Susan, committee member
The purpose of this constructivist study was to gain information about a criterion sample of atheist social work students concerning their experiences and perspectives of spirituality and curriculum content on spirituality. Most of the twenty-two participants formed their atheist worldviews against the tide of a religious upbringing, primarily due to their assessment of a dissonance between their evaluations of reality and religious beliefs. From the findings and the literature, suggestions are made for curriculum content on spirituality: (a) educators should frame worldviews as constructions and treat mystical elements as cultural phenomena; (b) content should have a professional focus with academically appropriate content; (c) curriculum content should be planned around the goal of training social work students to effectively address issues about worldviews in practice; (d) inclusive language and content should be utilized that covers all worldviews, including atheist and other naturalist worldviews; (e) biases, stereotypes, and privilege should be addressed and countered; (f) specific dialogic techniques should be developed for use in the classroom; (g) educators who will teach content on worldviews should have specific training for teaching material on spirituality and worldviews; and (h) a task force should be formed to create guidelines for curriculum content on spirituality.
Open Access
Trauma-informed organizational culture: the prevention, reduction, and treatment of compassion fatigue
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Handran, Joni, author; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Gandy, John, committee member; Makela, Carole, committee member
Caregivers who provide services to trauma survivors are at high risk of developing secondary traumatic stress and burnout. Researchers and practitioners in the field of traumatology emphasize the role organizational culture has on individuals who provide services to trauma survivor's well-being. Although there is a considerable amount of theoretical literature on organizational culture and its effects on trauma-workers' well-being, there is a lack of empirical research. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify what organizational characteristics influence trauma caregivers' compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction and to construct and provide validation for a measure of the role organizational culture has on caregivers. The measure is entitled the Trauma-Informed Organization Culture (TIOC) Survey. This study used data from a sample of 282 individuals who provide services to survivors of trauma including 67 animal control officers, 102 child, youth, and family service workers, and 113 individuals who work with the homeless. This research supports the literature and found several significant relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Organizational support and trauma-informed caregiver development were found to be strong predictor variables for burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Practical implications are provided addressing the roles that organizational support, supervisory support, peer support, and trauma-informed caregiver development have in the implementation of a trauma-informed system of care.
Open Access
Underrespresented minority medical (URiM) students: a social work approach to identifying factors affecting their experience
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Richards, Regina D., author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Gandy, John, committee member; Jennings, Louise, committee member; Scott, Malcolm, committee member
A major injustice in the United States is the wide disparity in health care across racial/ethnic, gender and economic lines. The lack of URiM (underrepresented in medicine) physicians is a major cause of health care disparities: health care is enhanced when the physician is race-concordant with the patient. Many URiM students have negative experiences that can impact their motivation, performance, well-being and future careers. The major goal of this research is to gain an understanding of URiM student experience as a basis for changes within the student's Ecosystem. Using a social work approach and thematic analysis to gain a better understanding of the URiM experience at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM), four themes emerged: (a) Overall Experience: URiM experience is multifactorial, reflecting positive, negative and ambivalent experiences and can change through time. (b) Impacts of Explicit Racism, Microaggressions and Low/Insufficient Diversity. (c) Negative Impact of Incongruence: URiM students expressed dissatisfaction at the incongruence between the medical school messaging about valuing diversity and the reality experienced by the students. (d) Sense of Belonging: multifactorial and dynamic: It is a significant factor in student experience, has multiple meanings for the students, and can change through time. In addition to the above four themes, one key result is a new definition of Sense of Belonging. Student recommendations combined with the researcher's experience were used to generate implications for programs and student support services. These results can be used to inform program development, coaching, advising and system level improvements. This will achieve the research goal of improving the experiences of URiM students and thus potentially their motivation, performance, well-being and future careers.
Open Access
Welfare and child welfare collaboration
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Tungate, Susan L., author; Morgan, George A., advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor
Within departments of social services, child welfare and income assistance programs are typically separate administrative units. Coordinating services for dual-system families across these program areas has been encouraged in the wake of welfare reform and its more stringent time frames in combination with child welfare legislation that places time limits on permanency decisions for children placed out of the home. Many of the barriers to self-sufficiency faced by clients involved with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are also implicated in difficulties with parenting. Cross-system collaboration between these two programs is challenging, and attributing client outcomes to collaboration is difficult due to the huge number of variables involved and the considerable variety in collaborative structures. What works for whom, how and in what contexts is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to describe the extent and nature of collaboration between child welfare and TANF programs within Colorado county departments of human/social services. Data were collected from county departments of human/social services directors for all 64 Colorado counties and a purposive sample of 38 administrators responsible for child welfare and Colorado Works programs within the county departments. Protocols for identifying clients with open cases or needs in both programs were described, as well as the extent of services coordination. Collaboration between these services also occurred via specialized programs or teams that blended resources and targeted specific client groups. TANF funding was an important resource for these programs and teams that were often described as oriented toward early intervention and prevention. Supports and barriers to cross-system collaboration included federal and state level influences, agency leadership and culture, staff workload, training and resources. The perceived overlap in needs of clients accessing both programs was sizable; the estimate of clients with cases open in both programs was higher in the smaller, poorer counties. Addressing the cross-system information needs of staff did not often happen in a deliberate, systematic way. State level leadership is likely important to successful collaborative efforts via explication of effective models and policies that support it.
Open Access
Youth aged out of care: their perceptions of their experiences in out-of-home care
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Arabi, Abdulhamid EL, author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Tungate, Susan, committee member; Eunhee, Choi, committee member; Morgan, George, committee member
Child out-of-home care in the United States is dating back to the early nineteenth century. Since then out of home care has taken different forms and shapes. This journey of evolution has been combined with a lot of controversy due to the ongoing debate over the best interest of child within the continuum of care. This continuum of care ranged from the most restrictive approach represented by residential care, to the least restrictive approach, represented by kin ship care or foster family. Ironically, the out-of-home care literature in The United States as well as in the other western countries, indicates its poor outcomes when it comes to education, employment and housing. This study drew attention to the importance of social support, educational support, and family-like practices to improve outcomes for youth aging out-of-care. Suggestions by the youth on how to improve out-of-home care were also collected and reported. Significant differences were found between each of the concepts of social support, family-like experiences and total support and the length of time in out-of-home care. Those youth with fewer years of out-of-home care reported more support. Social relationships also were stressed among children, peers, caregivers, and professionals due to the influence they may have on cared-after children lives. Findings may fill some of the gap in the literature available on social relationship dynamics in out-of-home care environments. Findings may also help caregivers and professionals understand social relationships dynamics and their effects on ageing out of care youth outcomes. Suggestions were provided to policy makers and decision makers in providing the needed services to children in foster care.
Open Access
Youth attendance at dependency court proceedings: a mixed methods study of judicial officers and youth
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Sullivan, Ann, author; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Tungate, Susan, committee member; Unnithan, Prabha, committee member; Winokur, Marc, committee member
Children who have experienced abuse or neglect enter into the complex child welfare and legal systems. The court determines the needs and the consequences to the family members involved as well as the best interest of the child including, at times, where the child will reside. Dependency court is a complex process that involves many hearings as well as multiple child welfare professionals serving in differing roles. In all of this, there are very few legal protections for children or youth throughout the child welfare and judicial processes. Federal law was passed to support youth opportunity to be consulted with, in an age appropriate manner, regarding in permanency and transition hearings. (42 U.S.C. 675(5)(C). Currently, there are not consistent practiced between dependency court judicial officers pertaining to youth participation in court proceedings. In addition to differing opportunities for youth to access due process participation, challenges to youth inclusion exist because of logistical barriers as well as concerns of the best interest of the youth. The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to both explore youth perceptions and experiences through individual survey and focus group discussion as well as, to gather in-depth interview information from dependency court judicial officers. The qualitative findings obtained from judicial officer interviews described judicial officer perspectives and considerations about youth participation at hearings. The convergent study design supported compiling of feedback from two distinct groups to better understand and describe issues related to youth attendance at dependency court as well as obtain recommendations for future court practices. Both youth and judicial officers identified important benefits to youth inclusion in court proceedings. Both groups indicated that youth should be provided options for the manner that they would choose to participate in the court hearing and that the youth's wishes should guide how the youth make their opinions known to the court. Additionally, both youth and judicial officers recognized that youth inclusion in court proceedings has the potential to empower youth and to inform the court when implemented thoughtfully. However, if not implemented with care, some youth risk being further harmed through inclusion in court proceedings. Judicial officers identified the need for leadership and collaborative planning with child welfare professionals to advance practice changes that expand opportunities for youth participation at dependency court hearings