Social Workers’ Perceptions of Barriers to Substance Abuse Treatment in Mississippi by Catherine Jean Pacher MS, University of Southern Mississippi, 1988 BS, Mississippi State University, 1984 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Social Work Walden University February 2019 Abstract Addiction is a national problem in the United States that impacts public health and social and economic welfare. The purpose of this case study was to identify barriers that impede treatment and hinder the success of client recovery from addiction. The research question focused on social work clinicians’ perceptions of barriers to effective treatment with substance abuse clients in Coastal South Mississippi. The theoretical framework for thisAddiction is a national problem in the United States that impacts public health and social and economic welfare. The purpose of this case study was to identify barriers that impede treatment and hinder the success of client recovery from addiction. The research question focused on social work clinicians’ perceptions of barriers to effective treatment with substance abuse clients in Coastal South Mississippi. The theoretical framework for this research was the reasoned action theory. Data was collected from a focus group, personal interviews, and the review of literature. Purposeful sampling was used to select 13 social workers for interviews and for a focus group. The social workers needed to have obtained a bachelor or higher degree and a minimum of one year professional experience working with substance abuse clients. Data analysis was conducted by evaluating transcripts of audio recordings from the focus group. The results were then further developed using common words and phrases among the participants to assist in the development of themes. Three themes emerged from this research study: the counselor attitudes/perceptions to treatment, client identified barriers to successful treatment, and the identification of environmental barriers to treatment. The findings of this study might bring about social change by helping social workers to identify factors that influence substance abuse treatment delivery and adapt successful treatment approaches to serve clients by providing social workers with the knowledge and awareness of practitioners’ perceptions on treating substance abuse clients. This should lead to enhanced clinical practices by empowering treatment outcomes for the benefit of substance abuse clients. Social Workers’ Perceptions of Barriers to Substance Abuse Treatment in Mississippi by Catherine Jean Pacher MS, University of Southern Mississippi, 1988 BS, Mississippi State University, 1984 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Social Work Walden University February 2019 Dedication I would like to dedicate this research study to my mother, Patricia Rogers. She instilled in me the importance of education and following your dreams. I only wish she would have lived to see this accomplishment. I would also like to dedicate this to my children, Billy, Bradley, Benjamin and Briana. I kept going because of you. You helped me in moments of crisis and kept me laughing. Finally, I dedicate this to Billy Pacher Sr. You have been a loving supportive part of my educational endeavors through listening to me whine and complain and yet remained encouraging. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge Lindy Lewis, my committee chair, for his guidance along the way of my journey. You kept me focused when I managed to get side tracked on so many occasions. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Debra Rice. You helped me to keep pushing forward and get the confidence I needed to finish this degree. I have too many professors to name individually but the experience I have had at Walden has been wonderful. I would like to acknowledge my work family. Brenda Monroe, Evangeline Vizzini, Ray Collier, George Cooper, Ciara Huot, and Barry Willbrandt. You are the best. You have provided me with joy and laughter so I could continue my educational journey. I truly appreciate and love you all. I thank each of you for caring enough to be a part of my life.

/pdf/social-workers-perceptions-of-barriers-to-substance-abuse-1bgx9eorcs.pdf

Social Workers' Perceptions of Barriers to Substance Abuse Treatment in Mississippi

espanolEvaluar la creatividad de las campanas de comunicacion integrada no es tarea facil A pesar de que la creatividad es un aspecto de especial relevancia en el sector, la subjetividad juega un papel determinante a la hora de valorar el potencial creativo de una campana En el entorno profesional, los creativos establecen valoraciones subjetivas basadas en su experiencia para filtrar las distintas alternativas generadas en la agencia En los grados en Publicidad y RRPP los estudiantes no poseen experiencia previa y, ademas, es necesario traducir dicha evaluacion cualitativa a una calificacion numerica que la represente El objetivo de esta investigacion es identificar las dimensiones implicitas en la evaluacion de la creatividad para desarrollar un recurso que, alineado con los requerimientos de la industria, contribuya a reducir la brecha academico-profesional El metodo comprende entrevistas a profesionales y una extensa revision de la literatura La codificacion de los datos se realizo simultaneamente a la revision bibliografica y dio lugar a la identificacion de cuatro dimensiones centrales de evaluacion y 14 subdimensiones, que constituyen el modelo que se presenta que, en su aplicacion en el ambito docente, puede contribuir a evaluar y guiar el trabajo creativo de los estudiantes, asi como a reforzar su dominio de la materia mediante la integracion, a traves de la practica, de las dimensiones propuestas en dicho modelo EnglishEvaluating the creativity in the integrated communication campaigns is not an easy task Despite creativity being one of the most important aspects in the sector, subjectivity plays a decisive role when assessing the creative potential in a campaign In the professional environment, creatives es-tablish subjective assessments based on their experience to filter the different alternatives generated in the agency In the Advertising and PR degrees, students do not have previous experience and it is also necessary to translate the qualitative evaluation into a numerical grade that represents it The objective of this research is to identify the implicit dimensions in the evaluation of creativity in or-der to develop a resource that, aligned with the requirements of the industry, contributes to re-duce the academic-professional gap The method includes interviews with professionals and an ex-tensive review of the literature The data coding was carried out simultaneously to the bibliographic review and the result was the identification of four core evaluation dimensions and fourteen facets They constitute the model presented which by its application in the teaching field, can contribute to evaluate and guide the students creative work The students can also reinforce their mastery in the subject by integrating, through practice, the principles proposed in this model

/pdf/dimensiones-en-la-evaluacion-de-la-creatividad-en-campanas-1dihlmkdqf.pdf

Dimensiones en la evaluación de la creatividad en campañas de comunicación integrada. Una aportación para la evaluación en el entorno docente.

Stigma can affect many aspects of life for those who are subject to stigmatization. As contact with stigmatized groups increases, less stigmatization occurs. Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illegal substances and is growing in popularity. Relatively few studies have examined the relations between stigma and specific substance use or particular characteristics of non-users that may influence stigma. Additionally, current anti-stigma interventions targeted at the general population have been largely unsuccessful in the reduction of stigma. The current study assesses a 25minute online psychoeducational module designed to increase knowledge and reduce the stigma of recreational marijuana users in a more efficient, practical, engaging, and costeffective way which can be easily applied to any anti-stigma intervention program. The module surveyed 201 college students from a public Midwestern university where participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups; a module group (N = 104) and a control group (N = 97). Specifically, the module was shown to increase knowledge regarding marijuana, however, there was little to no impact on stigma (i.e., preferred social distance, perceived dangerousness, negative emotions regarding marijuana use). Additionally, findings indicate strong associations between the level of familiarity, the level of contact, and stigma. Specifically, as the level of familiarity or level of contact increases, less stigmatization occurs. In addition, limited support was found for the moderating role of gender, past marijuana use, and age on the established association between the level of familiarity and level of contact on stigma levels. Furthermore, we explored the relationship between the level of familiarity, the level of contact, and the likelihood of future use. After establishing this strong relationship, we examined whether sex, any past marijuana use, and age would moderate this potential relationship. Results indicate that when familiarity is high, individuals will have a higher likelihood of future use if they already have a prior history of marijuana use. However, there were little to no differences in the likelihood of future use when familiarity was low, even with a prior history of marijuana use. No other characteristics seemed to impact this relationship. Findings have implications for anti-stigma interventions.

/pdf/psychoeducational-module-to-promote-knowledge-and-reduce-2xegqqyqth.pdf

Psychoeducational module to promote knowledge and reduce stigma towards recreational marijuana users

Researchers have estimated that on any given college campus, 4% of students are in recovery from alcohol and/or other drug addiction (Harris, Baker, & Thompson, 2005). Over the past several years, Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRCs) have started to become more widespread, focusing on the welfare of those students who identify as being in recovery from alcohol and/or other drug addiction. Despite the growing number of CRPs/CRCs in the country, many students have reported that the negative stigma associated with substance use disorders (SUDs) has stopped them from utilizing these recovery-based services (Mackert, Mabry, Hubbard, Grahovac, & Holleran Steiker, 2014). Although this statement has not yet been supported by empirical evidence, the effects of stigma on students seeking mental health services have been demonstrated. In fact, stigma has been identified as one of the greatest barriers to seeking mental health services for college students (Martin, 2010). It is also noteworthy that several studies have shown that substance use disorders are viewed as more stigmatized than any other mental health disorder (Corrigan, Kuwabara, & O’Shaughnessy, 2009; Livingston, Milne, Fang, & Amari, 2011; Room, 2005; Schomerus et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the stigma experienced by college students in recovery from alcohol and/or other drug addiction. The researcher conducted a qualitative research study using Photovoice methodology to gain an in-depth, foundational understanding of how stigma was experienced by the participants involved in the study. Wang and Burris (1997), the founders of Photovoice, stated that this approach may be “particularly powerful for . . . people with socially stigmatized health conditions or status” (p. 370). Participants in this study included undergraduate college students who self-identified as being in recovery from alcohol and/or other drug addiction. They were asked to take photographs that represented their experiences of stigma and to answer questions related to the portrayal of these experiences. The participants then shared and discussed these photographs in a focus group. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data. Participants identified several common themes that were present in both the focus group discussions and the photographs. These themes were then placed into categories and mapped onto Frost’s (2011) model of social stigma in order to create a conceptual framework for understanding how college students in recovery from alcohol and/or other drug addiction experience stigma. The categories include: sources of stigma, experiences of stigma, consequences of stigma, coping and support strategies and intersectionality. Finally, implications for practice and research are discussed.

Voices of recovery: an exploration of stigma experienced by college students in recovery from alcohol and/or other drug addiction through photovoice

Maintaining sobriety and a positive quality of life is a challenge for adults in recovery from addiction, but it is even more challenging for adolescents. Post-treatment resumption of substance-related problems for adolescents range from 60-90%. Adolescent recovery programs have struggled with the best mix of services to assure recovery stability and to promote healthy functioning and a positive quality of life. Although research is limited, evidence suggests that a continuum of care model that incorporates peer supports such as APGs (APG) to replace alcohol and drug-using peers is critical for successful recovery. If the model includes attendance at a high school designated for students in recovery, positive outcomes may be even greater. This article outlines the existing models of adolescent recovery support and provides a case study of the augmentation and development of services to adolescents and emerging adults who desire recovery in Austin, TX.

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/transforming-austin-augmenting-the-system-of-care-for-adolescents-inrecovery-from-substance-use-disorders-2329-6488-1000203.pdf

Transforming Austin: Augmenting the System of Care for Adolescents inRecovery from Substance Use Disorders

For college students recovering from substance addiction, the path to sobriety is fraught with challenges. Many campuses offer recovery support resources, but students indicate stigma associated with recovery prevents them from using these services. This problem could be ameliorated through communication campaigns addressing misperceptions of substance abuse and recovery. The purpose of this study was to understand how students’ perceptions of addiction and recovery vary based on their experience and background. A quantitative survey was employed to examine stigma beliefs among 2 subpopulations of college students at a large Southwestern university. Findings indicate students with exposure to issues surrounding substance abuse and recovery held fewer stigmatized beliefs, emphasizing the importance of identifying and researching a target audience before developing a health promotion campaign.

Perceptions of Substance Abuse on College Campuses: Proximity to the Problem, Stigma, and Health Promotion

While academics bemoan the academic–practitioner gap, there is still little research into this topic despite the conversation that has been ongoing for more than 30 years. Advertising creatives (i....

The Academic–Practitioner Gap … Is It as Vast as It Sounds?: A Creative Perspective

As China launches its second COVID-19 booster campaign and races to bring new vaccine technologies to protect against severe COVID-19 infections, there is limited research on how Chinese residents search for vaccine-related information. This study examined the factors influencing Chinese residents’ information-seeking behaviors regarding COVID-19 boosters with a sample of 616 respondents with a mean age of 31.53 from a research panel. Structural equation modeling was used to report factors that influenced respondents’ seeking intent. The results indicated that seeking-related subjective norms (β = −0.55, p < 0.001), negative affect (β = 0.08, p < 0.05), positive affect (β = 0.18, p < 0.001), and perceived knowledge insufficiency (β = 0.10, p < 0.001) are strong predictors of one’s seeking intent. We also discovered that there was an inverse relationship between risk perception and positive affect (β = −0.55, p < 0.001) and between negative and positive affect (β = −0.19, p < 0.01), while all measurements were either directly or indirectly related to information-seeking intent. A few more indirect but important relationships were also included in our discussion. In conclusion, the present study helps understand what motivates Chinese residents to seek COVID-19 booster information when limited information is available.

/pdf/information-seeking-behavior-for-covid-19-boosters-in-china-ci2g2k38.pdf

Katharine Hubbard

Papers

Perceptions of Substance Abuse on College Campuses: Proximity to the Problem, Stigma, and Health Promotion

The Academic–Practitioner Gap … Is It as Vast as It Sounds?: A Creative Perspective

Information-Seeking Behavior for COVID-19 Boosters in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey