Kimberly Stauss

Voices of Latino parents and teens: Tailored strategies for parent–child communication related to sex

Parent–child communication around sex-related topics is relevant to the promotion of health. But there is little research on the perspectives that Latino parents and teens have regarding talking about sex. The aim of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the perspectives of first-generation Latino parents and their adolescents on the effects their personal experiences and culture have on conversations about sex-related topics. Four primary themes emerged and were reflected consistently in the five groups studied. The themes were culture, personal experiences, gender differences, and changes in beliefs and attitudes. Woven together, these themes paint a dynamic yet logical picture of the ways in which the participants’ culture and experiences shape their beliefs and practices. Our findings suggest that immigration, level of acculturation, and gender and family roles shape communication about sex-related topics and therefore should be considered when developing teen pregnancy prevention programs.

Multi-Systems Life Course: A New Practice Perspective and Its Application in Advanced Practice With Racial and Ethnic Populations

To better respond to social works directive of increased sensitivity to cultural and ethnic diversity, it is imperative that theory development includes explicit consideration of the complex experiences of racial and ethnic minorities. For a more advanced and culturally relative practice, the authors posit the development of an encompassing perspective referred to as multi-systems life course (MSLC). Using a case example, this article applies a MSLC perspective to practice with women of color experiencing intimate partner violence. Implications for social work practice and an overview on incorporating a MSLC perspective into a graduate social work curriculum are included.

Implementing and evaluating a rural community-based sexual abstinence program: challenges and solutions

Informing both program evaluation and practice research, this paper describes lessons learned during the planning, implementation, and pilot phases of an abstinence education program based in a rural community in a southern state in the USA. Although a number of challenges can emerge in successfully implementing and evaluating such a program in a school and community setting, few publications have focused on bringing these challenges to light and highlighting strategies that were used to overcome them. This paper fills this knowledge gap by describing a community-based abstinence education evaluation project, outlining the challenges in implementing and evaluating the pilot phase of the project, and presenting strategies to address these challenges.

Implementing a Knowledge Management System in a School of Social Work: The Possibilities, Challenges, and Lessons Learned

Managing emerging scientific, professional, and applied practice knowledge has become increasingly more important in the 21st century because economic and social connections in organizations are becoming more complex, associated with greater global connectivity. One approach to this growing complexity and emerging need involves the development of a technology-based knowledge management (KM) system. This paper describes one human service organizations attempt to implement and capture the complex knowledge needs and requirements for a knowledge management system. The implementation described is in the third year of a five year process. The challenges when incorporating such reorganization will be addressed. This case example also illustrates the complexities, possibilities, and lessons learned while implementing a knowledge management system within a school of social work and subsequently its capacity to be transferred to human service organizations.

A Participant-Informed Model for Preventing Teen Pregnancy in a Rural Latino Community

Recognizing the need for health prevention efforts that are tailored to the needs of Latinos in rural communities, the researchers utilized focus groups to ascertain the perspectives of Latino children and their parents who participated in a teen pregnancy prevention program. This article presents a Latino-driven conceptual design of an evidence-informed comprehensive, community-based, and culturally sensitive teen-pregnancy prevention program. The new model, called the Family-Festival Prevention Model, (1) used culturally relevant and experiential learning activities, (2) promoted community connections, (3) incorporated strategies that engaged fathers, and (4) engaged important faith-based and community stakeholders to involve the whole community in prevention efforts.

Exploring Knowledge Management and Knowledge Sharing in a Non-Profit Human Service Organisation

Non-profit, human service organisations are continuing to struggle for limited money and are being held accountable more than ever before to prove an increase in quality and efficacy of services. Agency administrators have to think creatively in order to help their agencies stand out. Efforts include tapping not only into the knowledge of their employees but also knowledge of their consumers. Utilising qualitative methods, with a highly successful non-profit agency, this document investigates the information sharing activities and the knowledge gained from consumers when knowledge transfer backflow was allowed. Shared are findings on how public service agencies, often dealing with those individuals in need, can use knowledge management processes to inform and improve future service delivery. The thick descriptions provided in this document give context to the multi-layered knowledge dimensions involved. Highlighted is the importance of the embedded knowledge their participants come in with and the need for agencies to consider the intricacies of this knowledge. Noticeably, this study also delineates how the historical and current oppression experienced contributes to this complexity. The data reported in this study is the first step in understanding the individual and organisation factors contributing to the collaboration efforts of non-profit agencies.

Letters to Children project: A letter-writing group designed to help incarcerated women develop or reinforce their roles as mothers

ABSTRACT There are few evidence-based treatment programs for incarcerated mothers with promising outcomes. Recognizing this failure and the neglect of the children left behind, the researchers present a conceptual model focused on mothers in prison. The model, Letters to Children, was developed to help female prisoners reconnect with their children through the process of a letter-writing group. The model incorporates the importance of the gendered experience and employs strategies to empower incarcerated women as they attempt to strengthen their relationships with their children. Theoretical underpinnings, an overview of the model’s components, participants’ feedback, conclusions, limitations, and future implications are presented.

Comparing the Effectiveness of an Online Human Diversity Course to Face-to-Face Instruction

ABSTRACT This study expands the literature of online human diversity courses in social work by comparing the effectiveness of these courses to face-to-face instruction. To measure effectiveness, pre- and posttests were completed by 117 students. The instrument used measured awareness of and ability to recognize cultural diversity and oppression and the level of belief that our society is just. The findings suggest that online and face-to-face students showed an increase in their awareness of diversity and oppression issues with little to no significant difference between the two groups. Although not statistically significant, the online students’ belief in a just world decreased, whereas their face-to-face counterparts showed an increase, which was an unexpected finding. Implications for online social work classes are discussed.

Letters to Children: Findings of a Program to Enhance Communication of Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children

ABSTRACT There is a scarcity of studies exploring treatment modalities specifically designed for the incarcerated mother. This paper presents findings from a program designed to help incarcerated mothers develop their ability to communicate and subsequently bond with their children by engaging in group discussions during a letter-writing process. Using mixed research methods from 16 incarcerated mothers, the participants reported (1) gaining insight into personal emotions and strengths around parenting, (2) strengthening of positive parenting strategies, (3) increasing ability to empathize with their children, and (4) increasing tools to enhance communication. The quantitative data showed significant improvement in the areas of seeing themselves as better parents and decreasing anxiety around parenting issues. The participants gave feedback for models developed for incarcerated mothers.

Ourtown for teens: Long-term impact of a youth diversity program

ABSTRACT This study fills a gap in the literature in regards to the effectiveness of youth diversity programs by exploring the sustaining effects of a week-long youth diversity camp program. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study results suggest the camp achieved positive, sustaining impacts. Some of these findings include (1) enhancement of leadership skills; (2) greater understanding of “the other”; and (3) increased communication skills, particularly when oppression was observed. These effects were observed in the respondents who had recently attended the camp, as well as those who had attended a long time prior. Such impact reported in the study reiterates that more diversity programs for youth should be developed, implemented, and evaluated.