Young adult collegiate women, particularly students with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, report a myriad of adverse mental health and academic difficulties. Practicing yoga has demonstrated promising findings among adults as a healing modality in the aftermath of interpersonal violence victimization and traumatization. Less known are the associations between collegiate women’s yoga participation and their mental health, body connection, and academic well-being examined through a yoga feminist- trauma conceptual framework. Among young adult collegiate women, this study examined (1) associations amongst socio-demographics, mental health service use, IPV types, and yoga participation (2) the strength and direction of associations on measures of ACEs, mental health, body connection, and academic well-being, (3) whether yoga participation predicted students’ mental health, body connection, and academic well-being after controlling for confounding variables, including ACEs and IPV victimization, and (4) whether socio-demographics, mental health service use, ACEs, and IPV types predicted yoga participation. This study was observational, cross-sectional, and gathered self-report quantitative data. Eligible participants were current collegiate women enrolled at an urban, public university in the southwestern United States who were 18 to 24 years of age. The main sub-sample (n = 93) included students who were ever in an intimate relationship and practiced yoga within the past year. IRB approval was obtained. Findings demonstrated that yoga participation was not a significant predictor of students’ mental health, body connection, or academic well-being. Socio-demographics, mental health service use, ACEs, and IPV did not predict yoga participation. However, women with greater ACEs fared worse on measures of mental health (i.e., depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms), and women with experiences of IPV harassment reported greater post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Further, employed women reported fewer depression symptoms and were less likely to experience emotional IPV. Lastly, students with greater body connection (more awareness) fared better academically. This research supports prior literature on the adverse mental health outcomes among young adult collegiate women with histories of interpersonal violence. Further examination is warranted into employment and body connection, particularly related to yoga, as protective factors of students' health, safety, and academic well-being.

How to best assist LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization is a developing field of knowledge. This study aimed to understand sex trafficking risk factors for LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness through the 2019 Youth Experiences Survey (2019 YES) and 16 follow-up interviews. The main findings include a) the odds of being LGBTQ+ and experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization were 2.41 times greater (95% CI: 1.22, 4.74) than being a cisgender heterosexual experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization; and b) risk factors that contributed significantly to a binary logistic regression model to predict being an LGBTQ+ young adult experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization included having a current medical issue, having a history of dating violence, having a childhood history of sexual abuse (ACEs sexual abuse), having a history of binging/vomiting, and having a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The interviews back up quantitative data for contextualization purposes. The findings of this study confirm the need for more services for LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization. Additionally, healthcare providers must consider screening for eating disorders among LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization. Finally, future research on LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and reporting sex trafficking victimization is recommended.

Black queer women and nonbinary people (BQWNB) living with mental distress are an important sub-group in the Black community in need of greater attention in mental health research. However, the majority of health research about the Black community focuses on Black cisgender men who have sex with men and people who have or are at risk of having HIV/AIDS. To expand the knowledge about BQWNB, I applied critical and transformative approaches to understand mental distress. Using a Black queer feminist mental health framework and transformative healing justice lens, this phenomenological qualitative study set out to explore and describe how BQWNB living with mental distress navigated their mental health and wellbeing with a sample of 17 participants. Data were collected using one-on-one audio-recorded semi-structured interviews. There were three major findings that emerged from participants’ narratives: (1) contributors to mental distress, (2) impacts of mental distress, and (3) positive responses to mental distress. Contributors to mental distress included individual and collective trauma experiences, embodying strength and independence, and experiencing stereotypes about their sexual and multiracial identities. The impact of mental distress resulted in lowered quality of life and reported self-harmful thoughts and behaviors. Finally, positive responses to mental distress included body, mind, and spirit and community-centered responses as well as resistance to cultural norms and expectations and non-disclosure as a form of self-preservation. These findings led to an integrative (not) being-in-distress framework and a new critical approach to mental health and healing that informed anti-oppressive social work research, practice, and education.

Opioid use in the United States is skyrocketing. Overdose deaths have increased 433% in

the last decade and will continue climbing. In addition to the mortality caused by illicit

opioid misuse, morbidity rates have also risen. People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)

demonstrate higher rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis C Virus

(HCV), Endocarditis, Persistent Abscesses, Staphylococcus Aureus (S. aureus, Staph)

and other skin infections. This thesis serves as (1) a systematic review of the differences

in health conditions experienced by PWID and (2) an examination of the trends in skin

and soft tissue infection from a small sample in Phoenix, Arizona. The author argues that

PWID suffer from an increased rate of comorbid conditions associated with substance

use. Targeted social work interventions could be useful in reducing the rates of disease

and their impact on the individual and community.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to draw attention to problematic peer behaviors experienced among older adults in low income housing. Antagonistic behaviors including peer bullying are commonly associated with youth yet they also occur among older adults. This study shares findings from a recent study of negative social interactions among older adults in independent low-income housing. Using a sample size of 11 tenants, and semi-structured interviews, this author used thematic analysis to code and categorize themes. This author found that common themes included types of behaviors experienced, contributing factors, interventions and perceived barriers to interventions. Results indicated that tenants experienced a variety of antagonistic behaviors including verbal, physical and relational aggression. The most common behaviors reported were verbal threatening (36.4%) and being gossiped about (54.4%). The least common reported were physical behaviors (27.3%). Tenants reported the most common contributing factor for the aggressor's actions as having mental health or emotional issues (45.5%), whereas they reported physical disability as the most common contributing factor in those who were victimized (54.5%). Individuals reported responding to these behaviors most commonly through isolation, withdrawal, and avoidance. Findings suggest the need for interventions to minimize bullying and other antagonistic behaviors in low-income housing. Additionally, findings suggest the need to help those who are mistreated to find ways to address the bullying in more positive ways. Keywords: themes, behaviors, factors, interventions, barriers

This study was conducted to look at the possible effects of art intervention on anxiety levels of homeless young adults in a local drop-in shelter. While there is a fair amount of literature on art intervention and its applicability with vulnerable populations, its specific effect on anxiety has not been extensively examined. Researchers conducted two art interventions where state-trait anxiety (STAI Inventory) was measured before and after the interventions. Researchers hypothesized that anxiety would decrease after the art sessions. Some significant results were found. Participants reported feeling less strained (p = .041), worrying less over possible misfortunes (p = .02), feeling less nervous (p = .007) and feeling more decisive (p = .001). Future research recommendations are discussed.

ABSTRACT



The child welfare workforce is charged with the demanding work of ensuring the safety, well-being, and permanency of maltreated children. Although child welfare work can be rewarding, it is also associated with high levels of stress and burnout, causing challenges to retain staff. Developing organizational cultures and climates within child welfare agencies that are supportive of the workforce and strive to improve outcomes is essential. Applying the ecological systems theory to a child welfare agency provides for an understanding that the agency is comprised of different levels of systems with interactions between the systems. This study examined the association between the individual level factors of job satisfaction, coping skills, self-efficacy, burnout, job stress, and individual affect with organizational level factors including culture and climate. Child welfare workers from one regional area were invited to participate in an online survey utilizing the Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. Results indicate that there is an association between each of the individual level factors and the organizational factors. The importance of the role of individual affect was highlighted in the results in that the level of affect reported was associated with corresponding ratings of the perception of the organizational culture and climate. These results provide implications for hiring, training, mentoring, and supervision. This study attempted to assess if the organizational culture and climate of individual child welfare units could be linked to permanency outcomes. This linkage was not possible in this study, however implications to conduct this type of research are made. Advancing the study of organizational culture and climate beyond the impact of such factors as job satisfaction and retention to linking to direct client outcomes is an emerging and important field of research.

The Arizona state child welfare system has recently experienced an increase in the number of children and youth living in out-of-home care. A lack of licensed foster homes has resulted in many of these children residing in congregate care. This study sought to determine what role, if any, personal and policy bias against five demographic groups (i.e., ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status for individuals and couples, and educational level) plays in this insufficiency of foster homes. In this pilot study a group of foster and adoption licensing agency executives and directors (n=5) were surveyed and qualitatively interviewed with the aim of discerning if bias is present at the personal and agency policy levels and to seek input for a future study with direct-service staff. Results indicate a discrepancy between personal and policy bias within agencies. Additionally, evidence suggests a policy bias which results in unmarried couples and single parents being perceived as inferior placement options. Implications for future research are discussed.

This exploratory quantitative study examined the risks and needs expressed by gender/sexual minority emerging adults in Phoenix, Arizona. Differences in experiences and perceived service needs between gender minorities and cisgender sexual minority emerging adults were also identified. Respondents (N=102) completed a 78-item questionnaire in March and April of 2015. Individuals reported high rates of risk factors and physical needs, with those individuals who were both gender and ethnic minorities more likely to report having a perceived service need than their cisgender white counterparts. In addition, the study found significant positive correlations between housing factors (i.e., having experienced homelessness, ever/currently being in foster care, not having a safe/stable living situation) and other risk factors and needs. Risk factors were also correlated with wishing for a different gender identity or sexual orientation. With the majority of the respondents reporting a service need, implications include the need for culturally competent and accessible services, as well as services that continue to build on the protective factors of having an accepting family, friend group, and a sense of belonging to a community.