Stephanie Begun

‘It is Medicine’

Recently, narrative has emerged as an important concept in interrupting the transmission of intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities. For many Indigenous peoples, narrative in the form of storytelling is a fundamental traditional cultural practice. This article presents findings from a community-based digital storytelling (DS) workshop that focused on eliciting stories of resiliency amidst historical trauma (HT) in the Māori community. The principal investigator worked with Māori community members to create digital stories focused on cultural strengths. Post-workshop in-depth interviews were then conducted to explore participant experiences in the workshop. Analyses of narratives reveal the importance of language to name and define HT, describe the transformative nature of the DS workshop and reaffirm the great promise that DS demonstrates as a healing tool in the disruption of HT in future work with Indigenous communities.

Utilizing Technology for Longitudinal Communication With Homeless Youth

The current study investigated forms of technology (phone calls, texts, email and Facebook) for maintaining contact with homeless youth over baseline, 1-week, 6-week, and 3-month follow-up interviews. The study combined quantitative tracking of youths’ response patterns and open-ended interviews regarding youths’ preferred methods of communication. Results indicate that maintaining communication with homeless youth requires persistence, including frequent contact attempts over several days. Cell phone contacts (calls or texts) were most successful in communicating with youth, with e-mail and Facebook messaging useful when phones were lost or stolen. Youth who maintained contact were strikingly similar to youth who discontinued contact.

An exploratory factor analysis of coping styles and relationship to depression among a sample of homeless youth

The extent to which measures of coping adequately capture the ways that homeless youth cope with challenges, and the influence these coping styles have on mental health outcomes, is largely absent from the literature. This study tests the factor structure of the Coping Scale using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and then investigates the relationship between coping styles and depression using hierarchical logistic regression with data from 201 homeless youth. Results of the EFA indicate a 3-factor structure of coping, which includes active, avoidant, and social coping styles. Results of the hierarchical logistic regression show that homeless youth who engage in greater avoidant coping are at increased risk of meeting criteria for major depressive disorder. Findings provide insight into the utility of a preliminary tool for assessing homeless youths’ coping styles. Such assessment may identify malleable risk factors that could be addressed by service providers to help prevent mental health problems.

Pedestal or Gutter Exploring Ambivalent Sexism’s Relationship With Abortion Attitudes

Previous research has examined many aspects of ambivalent sexism theory, although there has been an overall dearth of research conducted on its potential relationship to abortion attitudes. This study aims to compare the extent to which hostile and benevolent sexism, the two primary components of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, predict antichoice attitudes. Data were collected at six U.S. colleges and universities (N = 627), and findings generally support the hypothesis that higher endorsements of either form of sexist beliefs are linked with antichoice attitudes.

Conforming for survival: Associations between transgender visual conformity/passing and homelessness experiences

ABSTRACT Transgender/gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals face widespread discrimination and harassment, and are frequently victims of transphobic acts of violence. Furthermore, transgender/GNC individuals are twice as likely to experience homelessness as other members of the at-large population. This study uses a national survey (N = 6,456) to examine, specifically among transgender/GNC individuals, relationships between homelessness experiences and visual conformity/passing, and how this populations shelter-based experiences may differ based on the level to which an individual visually conforms. Results suggest that lower visual conformity/passing is positively associated with homelessness as well as negative experiences incurred while accessing shelters. Social service implications are subsequently discussed.

The Paradox of Homeless Youth Pregnancy: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities

Compared to their housed counterparts, homeless youth become pregnant at exceptionally high rates. Causes of such pregnancies are multifaceted, while a paradoxically high proportion of these pregnancies are intended. This review discusses causes and risk factors associated with homeless youth pregnancies, and notes experiences of pregnancy decision-making discord, challenges encountered during and following pregnancy, and difficulties faced by homeless youth when or if they become parents. Because homeless youth face a wide array of unique risks, future research would benefit from exploring alternative approaches to prevention to reduce pregnancies and improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes among this population.

On the Margins of Marginalized: Transgender Homelessness and Survival Sex

Transgender and gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals experience homelessness at higher rates compared to the broader population, with many directly attributing homelessness to their transgender/GNC identities. Homeless individuals often engage in survival sex in exchange for food, housing, and other basic necessities. Few research efforts, however, have examined survival sex specifically among homeless transgender/GNC populations. Utilizing the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (N = 6,454), this exploratory study analyzes relationships between homelessness and survival sex among transgender/GNC individuals. Results suggest these individuals experience homelessness at high rates, and their engagement in survival sex is associated with homelessness. Implications for social work are subsequently discussed.

Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Young Adults Who Experienced Foster Care

This study explores rates of early pregnancy and parenthood among a sample of young adults (N = 215), ages 18–22, with a history of foster care. The study also compares the educational attainment, financial resources, and homelessness experiences of young adults who became parents to those who did not. By age 21, 49% of the young women became pregnant, and 33% of young men reported getting someone pregnant. Over a quarter of participants experienced parenthood, which was associated with lower educational attainment, less employment, not having a checking or savings account, and a history of homelessness. Gender moderated the association between parenthood and employment such that males who were parents were more likely than female parents to be employed. Given that these young adults were at risk of early pregnancy and parenthood regardless of emancipation status and across several racial/ethnic groups, the results suggest a need for early pregnancy prevention efforts for all youth with child welfare involvement as well as improving resources and support for those who become young parents.

Exploring U.S. Social Work Students’ Sexual Attitudes and Abortion Viewpoints

Social workers frequently engage with sexual and reproductive health topics, yet a notable paucity of social work research exists regarding abortion. Informed by overlapping theoretical frameworks of human rights and reproductive justice, this study examined a large, nationwide survey of social work students in the United States (N = 504). Linear regressions indicated that students’ endorsements of permissive sexual attitudes and support for birth control are inversely associated with holding anti-choice abortion views. Moreover, distinct relationships were found among sociodemographic characteristics and abortion attitudes and knowledge, suggesting that social work education efforts regarding contentious reproductive and sexual health topics should also focus on nuances of cultural competence and diversity, as well as general human rights principles and professional ethics.

Enhancing Risk Detection Among Homeless Youth A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Promising Pilot Intervention

Homeless youth frequently experience victimization, and youth with histories of trauma often fail to detect danger risks, making them vulnerable to subsequent victimization. The current study describes a pilot test of a skills-based intervention designed to improve risk detection among homeless youth through focusing attention to internal, interpersonal, and environmental cues. Youth aged 18 to 21 years (N = 74) were recruited from a shelter and randomly assigned to receive usual case management services or usual services plus a 3-day manualized risk detection intervention. Pretest and posttest interviews assessed youths’ risk detection abilities through vignettes describing risky situations and asking youth to identify risk cues present. Separate 2 (intervention vs. control) × 2 (pretest vs. posttest) mixed ANOVAs found significant interaction effects, as intervention youth significantly improved in overall risk detection compared with control youth. Post hoc subgroup analyses found the intervention had a greater effect for youth without previous experiences of indirect victimization than those with previous indirect victimization experiences.