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Browsing by Author "Williford, Anne, advisor"

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    Empowerment, resilience and impact: understanding women artisans' lives and livelihoods in Africa
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Edgar, Stacey, author; Williford, Anne, advisor; Currin-Mcculloch, Jennifer, committee member; Yuma, Paula, committee member; White, Allison, committee member
    This three article dissertation shines a light on women artisans and examines the often overlooked role they play in establishing and maintaining resilient communities in developing countries. While women's empowerment and opportunities through entrepreneurship has received significant attention through the lens of sustainable development and poverty alleviation, little scholarship has examined the unique attributes of the artisan sector, the second largest employer in developing countries. Artisan craft work not only meets women's economic needs as necessity entrepreneurs, but also creates significant social, environmental, and cultural impacts locally, nationally, and globally. Therefore, I present three unique studies and establish a conceptual framework to explore the ripple effect of artisan entrepreneurship in the craft sector. I further connect the social work and social entrepreneurship literature and explore the role social work can play in supporting and advancing artisan work as empowering work for women. Study one is a systematic literature review (SLR) that identifies the critical role artisan employment plays in empowering marginalized women in Africa and defines how social workers can engage in effecting change with women artisans experiencing poverty. Study two provides an instrumental case study of an artisan social enterprise in Zambia exploring the values and practices of the organization that contributed to community resilience, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final study employs a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach to identifying and exploring the social and environmental impact of artisan ventures in Zambia. Taken together this research highlights the importance of artisan craft employment for women in Africa, illustrates the impact of artisan enterprises on community resilience as well as social and environmental impact, and presents critical areas for future research exploration, as well as the policy and practice implications of this important sector.
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    Understanding military and veteran suicide: a social work perspective on risk and protective factors
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Bylotas, Josh, author; Williford, Anne, advisor; Currin-McCulloch, Jennifer, committee member; Hughes, Shannon, committee member; Wolfgang, David, committee member
    Substantial efforts have been made to address the phenomenon of disproportionate veteran suicide deaths and rising active-duty military suicide. Nonetheless, the problem persists: despite considerable time, research, and financial investment suicide rates among veteran and military populations remain historically elevated. This three-article dissertation focuses on the role of risk and protective factors in contributing to stymied prevention efforts as well as their role in potential paths forward. To that end, how risk and protection are contextualized in existing research, what risk and protective factors have historically been attended to, the epistemological frameworks from which they are viewed, and the methodological practices applied, are central characteristics considered here. Study one introduces a trans-conceptual model for understanding suicide in the context of social work practice. This conceptual piece serves to lay the foundation for a contextualized framing of suicide risk and protective factors. Study two is a thematic analysis exploring the role of suicide risk and protective factors among an online community targeting military personnel and veterans. Finally, study three uses Analysis of Variance and multinomial logistic regression to explore differences that exist between veteran students and non-traditional students in university settings on measures of suicide, loneliness, resilience, flourishing and distress. Together, the research presented within this dissertation underscores the importance of an individual's unique social ecology in understanding their overall risk and protective makeup. It highlights the importance of social work perspectives and the continuing need for social work contributions to the greater field of suicidological research.