School of Social Work

This study aimed to examine the relationship between licensed clinical social workers' (LCSWs) skepticism and knowledge about dissociative identity disorder (DID) and their accurate diagnosis of the disorder as moderated by specialized training about DID and/or postmaster’s experience with diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. The following research questions guided the study.
• RQ1a. Is there a relationship between LCSWs’ level of skepticism and level of knowledge about DID.
• RQ1b. Is there a relationship between LCSWs’ level of skepticism and accurate diagnosis of the disorder?
• RQ1c. Is there a relationship between LCSWs’ level of knowledge about DID and accurate diagnosis of the disorder?
• RQ2a. Does specialized training about DID affect the diagnostic accuracy of the disorder?
• RQ2b. Does post-master’s clinical experience with diagnosing and treating DID affect the diagnostic accuracy of the disorder?
Using a cross-sectional research design and informed by philosophical underpinnings of epistemology and skepticism and Kahneman’s model of diagnostic reasoning (Kahneman, 2011), the data for this study were collected via an online survey of randomly selected LCSWs (N=85) in Florida. The survey consisted of a diagnostic vignette with a very short answer (VSA) response, the Skepticism and Knowledge Scales (SKS) comprising 11 items that assess skepticism, six items that assess knowledge, and 13 distractor items (Hayes & Mitchell, 1994), and a demographic questionnaire with 12 items, two of which quantified specialized training about and clinical experience with DID.

Delinquency is a major social and public health problem for families, young people themselves, and law enforcement agencies, and it is a threat to public safety. Juveniles often present with multiple issues during arrest, such as mental illness, substance abuse, low socio-economic status, family dysfunction, academic problems, and poor peer relationships. One of these justice-involved youths more prevalent mental health issues is conduct disorders (CD). Research has shown that 50%-90% of justice-involved youth are diagnosed with CD. Growing research supports the integration of spirituality into professional social work practice. This study aims to bring awareness that spirituality is essential to these justice-involved youths’ lives through the lived experiences of Direct Service Providers. This study aimed to understand better programming designed to meet the spiritual needs of juveniles with CD who were in juvenile residential treatment programs. This study examined the following questions: RQ1: How do DSPs describe the current spirituality programming offered to juveniles diagnosed with Conduct Disorder (CD) who are in a juvenile residential treatment facility? RQ2: What recommendations do DSPs have for enhancing programming to better meet juveniles’ spiritual needs?
A cross-sectional qualitative research study utilized a thematic analysis to explore DSP’s perceptions of the role of spirituality in the lives of juveniles diagnosed with CD and impacted by juvenile justice services. This study’s results showed spirituality was critical and impactful to the lives of justice-involved youth. It also demonstrated the usefulness of Fisher’s four-domain model in assessing spirituality in justice-involved youth. This study concluded six primary themes from the analysis. The researcher deductively coded the first two themes to explore the research questions in this manuscript. The last four themes resulted from inductive coding of the interviews: (a) programming and resources available to youth (RQ1); (b) recommendations for enhancing spirituality programming and resources for youth (RQ2); (c) viewing spirituality as religion; (d) support for religion and spirituality for youth; (e) facilitators to youths’ spiritual development; and (f) barriers to youths’ spiritual development.

The purpose of this study was to explore older adults’ perception of relational empathy in their healthcare providers and its relationship to medication adherence. In addition, the study examined whether older adults’ perception of relational empathy in their healthcare providers was associated with medication adherence, beyond predictive factors including medication beliefs, gender, and level of education. The sample consisted of 72 participants in a community-based program in an adult day center setting in South Florida. Correlation and linear regression analysis were used to test the two research questions. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between older adults’ perception of relational empathy in their healthcare provider and medication adherence (p = .344) and no significant predictor variables of change in medication adherence, with all p values in the regression model greater than .202. Although present study findings were inconclusive in supporting the association between relational empathy and medication adherence, secondary findings or considerations related to the low perception of relational empathy with healthcare providers and moderately low medication adherence provided a context for a thoughtful consideration of the implications of this study. Ideas for designing future research initiatives, specifically initiatives that promote a framework for understanding and practice of empathy during the clinical encounters with older adults are also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors associated with academic achievement in at-risk high school students attending one of four charter schools in south Florida geared toward dropout prevention. Several factors were identified through a thorough review of the literature to identify the common demographic variables associated with lower academic achievement including race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and an identified learning disability. Each of these variables became the control variables in this study. More recent research has examined the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience (via protective factors) in predicting academic outcomes. None of the studies found examined the role of ACEs, resilience, and academic achievement in a student population that has been identified as being at risk for high school dropout. In addition, it was explored whether ACEs (by type) and resilience (by type) varied by life stage.
Administrative data was collected on 160 randomly selected students, 80 of whom were considered adolescents (15-17), and 80 who were considered emerging adults (18-21). Descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean, and standard deviation) were examined. Multiple regression with hierarchal entry was then used to test the first two research questions, and 5 hypotheses, analyzing the impact of total ACEs (and then ACEs by type) and total resilience (and then resilience by type) on academic achievement. Results were not statistically significant for either question. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was then run to explore whether ACEs by type or resilience by type varied based on life stage (adolescence or emerging adult). The results were not statistically significant. Outcomes of the study are discussed as are the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

Sex Offender Registry and Notification (SORN) and Sex Offender Residency Restrictions (SORR) laws and policies were developed and implemented with the intention of keeping communities and children safe, however many studies illustrate that these policies are in fact resulting in negative consequences for registrants and their families. All the existing studies focused on both registrants and family members, in most cases, spouses. A gap in the literature about the possible impacts on mothers of adult registrants was identified. Further, there was a lack of qualitative research, which, in highlighting the lived experiences and stories of mothers, is powerful and can have a significant impact on increasing social awareness.
The number of registered citizens continues to grow in Florida each year, and there are increasing numbers of families and loved ones of registered citizens that will need supportive and specialized therapeutic services. As a doctoral capstone, this qualitative narrative research involved one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 15 mothers of registered citizens throughout the state of Florida between March and November 2021. The aims of the study were to determine if mothers experienced the same impacts as other family members, or if their experiences were unique to mothering a registered adult child; to learn about how mothers coped with having an adult child on the Florida registry; and finally, what service providers need to know to adequately support this population.

Social workers are exposed to trauma and suffering through experiences that are retold to them through their clients. This secondary exposure to suffering can have a negative impact on the practitioner resulting in compassion fatigue. The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-compassion is significantly correlated with lower levels of compassion fatigue among social work interns. The researcher examined levels of self-compassion and compassion fatigue amongst undergraduate, generalist, and clinical specialist graduate social work interns. Next, demographic characteristics (age, number of hours employed, gender, race, and religion) associated with self-compassion and compassion fatigue in social interns were identified. Finally, while controlling for the effects of the demographic characteristics, the linear relationship between self-compassion and compassion fatigue was examined in social work interns.
The sample comprised of 156 social work interns at two universities in South Florida. Descriptive statistics including mean, standard deviation, median, Cronbach’s alpha, range (minimum-maximum), skewness and kurtosis were calculated for continuous variables. Frequency and percentages were calculated to describe the categorical variables. ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, independent-samples t test, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine additional relationshipsin this study.

There is an increasing trend of using Complementary and Alternative Interventions (CAI) to address mental health conditions. This research aims to bring awareness to how social workers integrate and utilize CAI in practice with clients. This study examined the following questions: (1) Do LCSWs use CAI in professional assessment and practice with clients, as well as in their own lives (i.e., in their personal/non-professional practice)?; (2a) What levels of CAI beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge do LCSWs report?; (2b) What demographic characteristics are associated with CAI beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge?; and (3) Controlling for relevant demographic characteristics (years of post-master’s practice, personal use of CAM/CAI, gender), what beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge are associated with CAI use in assessment and practice?

Addiction is a pervasive health and economic issue in the United States. Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured and client-centered intervention that can be a useful addition to a comprehensive treatment plan for clients with substance use disorder. However, little research has explored EMDR and its effects on addiction. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility of conducting EMDR and to test its effects on cravings and perseverations associated with addiction and irrational cognitions related to addiction compared to treatment as usual (TAU).
This study used a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with an experimental group (EMDR + TAU) and a control group (TAU only). With nonprobability convenience sampling, participants were recruited from a residential program or a partial hospitalization program (PHP) with AION Health Group in Palm Beach County, Florida. Thirty participants at the treatment center were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the experimental group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The control group received TAU, comprised of weekly individual and group therapy sessions. The reliability of each instrument for measuring outcome variables showed high internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach’s α > .90.

The purpose of this study was to explore several personal and work-related variables associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) levels in professional firefighters employed in a large fire district in south Florida. First, the researcher identified common factors in professional firefighting research that were associated with PTG in firefighters (independent variables: perceived supervisor support, occupational stress, coping style, and sense of belongingness). Second, the researcher determined if there was a significant relationship between these independent variables and the dependent variable (PTG). Then the researcher examined whether demographic variables identified from the literature moderated PTG in professional firefighters, such as: number of years of service, trauma history, and military history prior to joining the fire service. The sample consisted of 63 firefighters in a large Fire District in south Florida. The sample size was small and underpowered, and the response rate was low due to the concurrent eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic during the data collection period. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, internal consistency, range, and bivariate correlations) and multiple regression with hierarchical entry were used to test the six proposed hypotheses. The results indicated that perceived supervisor support had a statistically significant relationship with PTG levels in the sample (p = .027). Two of the controlling variables, prior trauma and military history, showed contradictory effects than was indicated in prior research. The present study’s sample reported lower incidences of prior trauma and military history prior to joining the fire service. Clinical implications, ideas for future research, practice, and policy were discussed.

A qualitative examination of the lived experiences of clinical social workers’ use of self in practice was completed. The current study was designed to examine how LCSWs defined and utilized use of self in practice. Additionally, the study was focused on how LCSWs’ use of self evolved from introduction in graduate education to postgraduate practice. Informed by Mead’s (1934) theory of self, as well as Walters’ (2008) distilled definition of Dewane’s (2006) operational definition of use of self, fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted from a purposive sample of licensed clinical social workers from a southeastern region of the United States. Using constant comparative analysis to synthesize the findings, two themes emerged. First, participants described individual development of the use of self as clarified by subthemes of educational instruction and application in practice. Second, participants discussed how they integrated the use of self in practice, clarified by personal and professional factors of Dewane’s definition, such as personality traits and skills gained in social work education. With this study, the researcher aimed to contribute to the practice literature by systematically examining the operational definition of the use of self and to suggest implications to inform educational curricula and practice standards for professional development. Study limitations were discussed, in addition to implications for future research.