Research

School of Social Work Extends Partnership with Office of Early Childhood

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UConn School of Social Work announces the continuation of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC)–UConn Research Partnership, through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in the amount of $1.366 million through June 30, 2024. This MOA is funded through a combination of both state and federal sources.

The OEC-UConn Research Partnership was established in 2018 as a multidisciplinary team of researchers, data analysts, social workers, and program management specialists who conduct rigorous assessments of federal and state-funded early childhood initiatives — as well as research projects related to child development, child services policies, and the early education system. Together, these projects advance OEC's vision of “all Connecticut children are healthy, learning and thriving,” by providing actionable insights for Connecticut programs, policies, and practices to better serve children and families from birth to age five.

The OEC-UConn Research Partnership Team includes SSW Assistant Research Professor Dr. Kathryn Parr and Carrie Gould-Kabler as Co-PI’s; Dr. Samantha Lawrence, Research Lead; Juliany Polar, Research Manager, and Bonnya Mukherjee and Harini Buch, Research Assistants.

Read more about OEC.

Study Finds “Enduring Relationships” Reduce Risks for Older Foster Youth

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Associate Professor Nate Okpych led one of the first large-scale representative studies about the effects of long-lasting, supportive relationships on older foster youth. His research found enduring relationships reduced the risk of negative outcomes in early adulthood.

The more than 700 youth interviewed were participants in the CalYOUTH Study, which evaluated the impact of extending the foster care age limit from 18 to 21 on youth outcomes in early adulthood.

The study, published in Social Service Review, found that slightly less than half – 48 percent – of the youth studied had an enduring relationship, defined as a relationship with an individual who has a long-standing presence in their life and who is a reliable source of support. Black and Native American foster youth were less likely to have such a relationship.

Enduring relationships had real consequences for foster youth, reducing the risk of negative outcomes in early adulthood, such as food insecurity, economic hardship, and homelessness. “It’s really about the enduring quality of the relationships – that you have people that have been there with you, through thick and thin, over a period of time,” Okpych says.

Read more about this study at UConn Today.

Read more about Okpych’s research.

Ph.D. Student Awarded Training Grant through NIDA

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Ph.D. student Cynthia Nichols has been awarded a NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing Behavioral Sciences Training in Drug Abuse Research (BST) T32 program grant of $26,352 through the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The BST program provides intensive training to 16 fellows from various behavioral disciplines to gain hands-on experience conducting research, building their publication records, and writing grants for outside funding.

“This grant support will aid in the continuation of my dissertation research investigating factors impacting the implementation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in recovery residences (RR),” says Nichols. “With overdose deaths on the rise, long-term, supportive recovery programs are imperative. While RR have been expanding eligibility requirements to include residents using MOUD, limited research has investigated the use of MOUD within these settings.”

National Wraparound Implementation Center Expands to 16th State

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The National Wraparound Implementation Center (NWIC) at the UConn School of Social Work’s Innovations Institute has expanded the implementation of Wraparound — a support strategy for meeting the needs of young people with complex mental health needs — to 16 states across the United States as part of broad health reform strategies.

NWIC’s expertise in the research-based drivers of implementation — policy, financing, evaluation, and workforce development — are critical supports for states and organizations seeking to build and advance effective systems for supporting young people and families. 

“This new partnership involves supporting youth with complex behavioral needs in their homes, schools, and communities through Wraparound installation and building families’ natural networks,” says NWIC Director and UConn SSW Assistant Extension Professor Kimberly Estep. “We are also working to reduce out-of-home placements and use of congregate care settings. Our research has shown the importance of peer support networks and we are expanding these networks in Maine so that more families can be supported by other families who have struggled with similar challenges and who have benefitted from Wraparound.”

Read more about NWIC’s work.

National SOGIE Center Research on Impact of Justice-Involved Staff

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Leaders of the National Center for Youth with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE), a collaborative of social justice organizations led by UConn School of Social Work’s Innovations Institute, have published “The influence of juvenile justice workforce’s knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs on behaviors toward youth with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions,” in Children and Youth Services Review.

Findings indicate that juvenile justice staff who exhibited greater knowledge about LGBT populations, and those who had an LGBT youth on their caseload, were significantly more likely to report that they would demonstrate protective and supportive behaviors toward youth with diverse SOGIE. Conversely, staff who had more negative attitudes were less likely to report that they would protect and support youth with diverse SOGIE.

“There is evidence in the literature that LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system and that they too often experience inadequate care. This study found that knowledge plays a role in staff providing protection and support to these young people which has implications for training, education, practice, and policy reform within the juvenile justice system,” says SOGIE Center Principal Investigator and UConn SSW Associate Research Professor Marlene Matarese.

Read more about this new research.

NIMH Loan Repayment Grant Supports Study on Gender Minority Youth Mental Health

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Associate Professor Meg Paceley has been awarded a National Institute of Mental Health/National Institute of Health Loan Repayment grant of $29,111 to study the relationship between gender minority youth’s social environments and mental health disparities.

This study utilizes data from the 2022 LGBTQ National Teen Survey to conduct regression analyses and identify risk probability profiles to explicate the complex relationships between transgender youth's family, school, and community and their disordered eating behaviors. Using this data, Paceley will develop a longitudinal mixed-method study to explore the relationships between transgender youth's disordered eating behaviors and their social environments.

“This study is particularly timely and important given the national backlash against transgender people, particularly youth,” says Paceley. “Understanding how factors in transgender youth’s communities, schools, and families impacts their wellbeing will help us identify strategies to intervene within these systems to promote positive change.”

Read more about Paceley’s research.

Study Finds Benefits to Mindfulness Intervention for LGBTQIA+ Youth

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LGBTQIA+ youth experience significant mental health disparities compared to peers. Assistant Professor Gio Iacono’s research has found that LGBTQIA+ youth who participated in a virtual mindfulness-based mental health intervention experienced improvements in anxiety and depression.

Gio Iacono was awarded a UConn Office of the Vice President for Research grant of $50,000 as well as a Mind & Life Varela Grant of $20,000 to study Tuned In!, a virtual mindfulness-based intervention collaboratively developed with LGBTQIA+ youth and community stakeholders. LGBTQIA+ youth experience mental health disparities and are subject to political attacks and violence across the United States. They are simultaneously overlooked in social work research and practice.

“There are significant mental and sexual health disparities among LGBTQIA+ youth that require urgent attention,” he says. With Tuned In! “we saw improvements in depression, anxiety, and internalized oppression. We also saw improvements in sexual self-efficacy, or the ability to refuse certain unsafe sexual practices.” Iacono also observed significant improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion among youth, which is a critical component of the program’s mechanism of change.

Read more about this study at UConn Today.

Read more about Iacono’s research.

Research: Young Adult Perceptions of Climate Change, Here and Abroad

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The School of Social Work’s Center for International Social Work Studies (CISWS) has received an award to support research on the perceptions and attitudes of young adults toward climate change. The research is supported by UConn Hartford Director’s Office for Student Research.

Melting iceberg“We hope to learn about the youth’s involvement with climate activism, as well as any anxieties or concerns with climate change broadly. By looking at youth and young adults from varying nationalities, we hope to learn about what motivates or hinders them from being actively engaged in addressing climate change. Learning from the perspectives of the participants, we plan to develop an intervention research project to train young community leaders to better engage with others in climate activism,” says Rebecca Thomas, professor and director of the CISWS.

Graduate student interns involved in the research project include Christine Deschamps, Fizza Saghir, and Fernando Ricardo Valenzuela.

Goal of the Study: As the consequences of climate change increasingly impact all parts of the globe—and disproportionately BIPOC populations in the Global South—its effects on mental and physical health, forced migration, and how this impacts people’s willingness to engage in preventative advocacy, needs to be explored. As more research on climate change’s impact on survival surfaces, we want to examine how youth and young adults’ positive or negative perceptions of climate change impact their desire to engage in advocacy.

Project Summary: This project, using a critical participatory qualitative framework, aims to explore youth and young adults’ (18 – 29) attitudes and feelings around climate change, particularly their degree of hope and/or hopelessness regarding adequate mitigation/prevention strategies.

Target populations will include both international and domestic-born participants to compare any similarities or differences in responses during analysis. We will conduct semi-structured focus groups and surveys with participants to hear their general thoughts and feelings about climate change, frequency of these thoughts, material changes they’ve made to “do their part (if any),” how hopeful/hopeless they feel climate change is being adequately addressed, and if these feelings impact their level of involvement with climate advocacy.

Analysis will include comparing international students/participants with local (USA) participants to see if any differences in perceptions, feelings, and advocacy are related to cultural/geographic backgrounds, and/or the impact climate change has had/will have on those areas compared to the USA.

Methodology: The methodology will involve recruitment of youth and young adults from the broader Connecticut community through in-person and social media outreach efforts. Participants will be a mix of both international and U.S. residents and will participate in semi-structured focus groups of about six people. Qualitative programs (NVivo or Dedoose) will be used for a thematic analysis.

SSW Faculty and Students Present at SSWR Conference 2023

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Several UConn School of Social Work faculty and students are presenting their research at the 27th annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) conference in Phoenix, Arizona, from January 11 to 15. The theme of the conference is "Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities and Building Solutions." The research presented by SSW covers a wide range of areas and our expertise, including child welfare, foster care, sexual and gender minority youth mental health, and substance use, among others.

 

Thursday, January 12

Time: 3:15 – 4:45 PM
Presentation: Factors Associated with Child Welfare Diversion for Substance-Exposed Infants
Location: Hospitality 2 – Room 444
Author(s): Margaret Lloyd Sieger, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Cynthia Nichols, LCSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Melissa Sienna, UConn Health; Marilyn Sanders, MD, UConn School of Medicine

 

Friday, January 13

Time: 7:00 – 8:30 AM
Presentation: Acamamas: Academic Mothers
Location: Paradise Valley
Author(s): Cristina Mogro-Wilson, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Nalini Negi, PhD, University of Maryland Baltimore; Danielle Parrish, PhD, Baylor University

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Presentation: Changes in Social Support over Time and Attention to Congregate Care Placement Among Older Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Ages 17-24
Location: Hospitality 3 – Room 432
Author(s): Keunhye Park, PhD, Michigan State University; Nathanael Okpych, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Mark Courtney, PhD, University of Chicago

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Presentation: Emerging into Parenthood While in Foster Care: Correlates of Active Parenting Behaviors at Ages 21 and 23
Location: Hospitality 3 – Room 432
Author(s): Justin Harty, PhD, Arizona State University; Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Nathanael Okpych, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Mark Courtney, PhD, University of Chicago

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Presentation: Examining Prevalence and Predictors of Food Insecurity for Transition-Age Foster Youth
Location: Hospitality 3 – Room 432
Author(s): Melanie Nadon, University of Chicago; Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Nathanael Okpych, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Justin Harty, PhD, Arizona State University; Mark Courtney, PhD, University of Chicago

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Presentation: The Role of Enduring Relationships in Early-Adult Outcomes Among Youth Transitioning out of Foster Care
Location: Hospitality 3 – Room 432
Author(s): Nathanael Okpych, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Jenna Powers, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Justin Harty, PhD, Arizona State University; Mark Courtney, PhD, University of Chicago

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Presentation: The Impact of a Teaching Peer Support Group on Doctoral Student Instructors: A Collaborative Autoethnography
Location: Hospitality 1 – Room 443
Author(s): Madri Hall-Faul, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work;
Cindy Dubuque-Gallo, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Grace Felten, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Maritza Vasquez Reyes, MA, LCSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Time: 9:45 – 11:15 AM
ePoster Presentation IV: Fear and Stigma with Home Visiting: Barriers to Participation
Location: Phoenix C
Author(s): Megan Feely, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Grace Felten, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Kathryn E. Parr, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Time: 9:45 – 11:15 AM
Presentation: A Whole Health Model of Care to Promote Health Equity and Social Justice
Location: Camelback B
Author(s): Anna Faul, PhD, University of Louisville; Pamela Yankeelov, PhD, University of Louisville;
Madri Hall-Faul, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Samantha G. Cotton, PhD, University of Louisville Trager Institute; Joseph D'Ambrosio, PhD, University of Louisville Trager Institute; Barbara Gordon, MA, University of Louisville Trager Institute

 

Saturday, January 14

Time: 9:45 – 11:15 AM
ePoster Presentations IX: Affirmative CBT: Longitudinal Change Processes for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth
Location:
Author(s): Shelley L. Craig, PhD, LCSW, University of Toronto; Vivian Leung, MA, University of Toronto; Jenny Hui, MA, University of Toronto; Frank Dillon, PhD, Arizona State University; Ashley Austin, PhD, Barry University; Rachael Pascoe, MSW, RSW, University of Toronto; Gio Iacono, PhD, MSW, RSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Nelson Pang, MSW, University of Toronto

Time: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Presentation: Annual Social Policy Forum: Democracy?!?!
Location: Phoenix D/E
Author(s): Darcey Merritt, PhD, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work; Maria Blunt-Carter, MSW, Rutgers School of Social Work; Justin Hodge, MSW, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; and Tanya Rhodes Smith, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Presentation: Direct Scribing as a Rigor-Promoting Technique: Centering Youth Voice throughout Data Collection and Analysis
Location: Encanto A
Author(s): Jenna Powers, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Presentation: The Relationship between Legal Permanency Among Older Foster Youth and Their Outcomes
Location: Ahwatukee A
Author(s): Mark Courtney, PhD, University of Chicago; Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Nathanael Okpych, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Justin Harty, PhD, Arizona State University

 

Sunday, January 15

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
ePoster Presentations XI: Risk, Race/Ethnicity and Subsequent Reports in a State’s Differential Response System
Location: Marquis BR Salon 6
Author(s): Megan Feely, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Brenda Kurz, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Patricia Carlson, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Melissa Ives, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Joshua Pierce, BA, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Kimberly Nilson, State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families

Time: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
ePoster Presentations XI: Doulas: A Possible Solution to Birth Inequities Among Families of Color
Location: Phoenix C
Author(s): Mollie Lazar Charter, PhD, MSW, Fordham University; Kathryn E. Parr, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work, Jane Lee, University of Connecticut School of Social Work, Juliany Polar, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Time: 9:45 – 11:15 AM
Presentation: State-Level Predictors of Core Priorities Spending in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program: Implications for Human Rights and Equity
Location: Laveen B
Author(s): Madri Hall-Faul, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Anna Faul, PhD, University of Louisville

Time: 9:45 – 11:15 AM
Presentation: Critical Time Intervention for People Leaving Residential Substance Use Treatment: The Feasibility and Preliminary Impact of a Pilot Randomized Trial
Location: Hospitality 1 – Room 443
Author(s): Jennifer Manuel, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Khadija Israel, MSW, New York University; Yeqing Yuan, PhD, LCSW, New York University; Laura Esquivel, MSW, New York University; Laura Curran, MA, New York University; Daniel Herman, Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work

Time: 9:45 – 11:15 AM
Presentation: Writing and Reviewing for Refereed Journals: Discussion with Editorial Advisory Board Members
Location: Valley of the Sun E
Author(s): Cristina Mogro-Wilson, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Sondra Fogel, PhD, University of South Florida; and Kirstin Anderson, Social Current

Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Presentation: Rates of Infants Reported to CPS at Birth for Prenatal Substance Exposure: A Panel Data Analysis
Location: Estrella
Author(s): Rebecca Rebbe, PhD, University of Southern California; Margaret Lloyd Sieger, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; John Prindle, PhD, University of Southern California

Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Presentation: Connect: Plans of Safe Care for Substance-Exposed Infants
Location: Estrella
Author(s): Margaret Lloyd Sieger, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Cynthia Nichols, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Ira J. Chasnoff, MD, NTI Upstream

Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Presentation: A Primer on Conducting Scoping Reviews: Purpose, Guidelines, and Resources
Location: Camelback A
Author(s): Jon Phillips, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Daniel Gibbs, MSW, JD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Kalah M. Villagrana, MSW, MPA, Arizona State University; and Elizabeth Jurczak, MSW, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Social Work Faculty Presentations at CSWE Annual Program Meeting

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CSWE APM 2022

We are proud to announce the presentations that UConn School of Social Work faculty will lead at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2022 Annual Program Meeting (APM), from November 10 through 13.  The following list of presentations and sessions represents the wide range of scholarship that School of Social Work researchers are engaged in, including human rights, child welfare, COVID-19, political social work, refugee and immigrant rights, and more.

Thursday, November 10

Time: 3:00 – 3:30 PM
Presentation: “Academic Mothers: A Discussion on More Equitable Structural Policies in the Academy”
Session: The Social Work Gaze and Academy
Author(s): Cristina Mogro-Wilson, Ph.D. and Nalini Negi, Ph.D.

Friday, November 11

Time: 7:45 – 8:15 AM
Presentation: “A Human Rights-Based Policy Analysis of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families”
Session: SNAP and Temporary Assistance Reviews
Author(s): Madri Hall-Faul, MSW

Time: 8:15 – 8:45 AM
Presentation: “Fulfilling the Right to Adequate Food: Examining SNAP through a Qualitative Lens”
Session: SNAP and Temporary Assistance Reviews
Author(s): Emily Loveland, MSW

Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Presentation: “Writing and Reviewing for Refereed Journals: Strategies for Successful Publishing and Ethical Peer Review”
Session: Writing and Reviewing for Refereed Journals: Strategies for Successful Publishing and Ethical Peer Review
Author(s): Cristina Mogro-Wilson, Ph.D., Danielle Parrish, Ph.D., Elissa Madden, Ph.D., and Jeremiah Jaggers, Ph.D.

Time: 11:15 – 11:45 AM
Presentation: “Building Pedagogical Identities Across Cohorts: A Collaborative Autoethnography of a Doctoral Peer Support Group”
Session: American Higher Education and Pedagogical Identities
Author(s): Lukas Champagne, MSW, Elizabeth Jurczak, MSW, and Breana Bietsch, MSW

Time: 11:15 – 11:45 AM
Presentation: “The Importance of Critical Relational Teaching in Social Work Education During the COVID-19 Era”
Session: Teaching and COVID-19
Author(s): Gio Iacono, Ph.D. and Emily Loveland, MSW

Time: 1:15 - 1:45 PM
Presentation: “Increasing Early Childhood Disability Content in Social Work Education: Traumatic Brain Injury and how to Create Interdisciplinary Teams and Family Partnerships”
Session: TBD
Presented by: Emily Longo, LMFT

Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM
Presentation: “Resurgence of Radical Extremism: Critical Conversations on Human and Global Rights by Social Workers”
Session: Connect
Author(s): Rebecca Thomas, Ph.D., Golam Mathbor, MSS, MSW, Ph.D., RSW, Connie Gunderson, Ph.D., LISW, Sister Angela Kim, IHM, Ph.D., and Johny Augustine, MSW, M.Phil, Ph.D.

Saturday, November 12

Time: 12:00 – 12:30 PM
Presentation: “At the Table or on the Menu: Political Social Work Since 2016”
Session: TBD
Author(s): Shannon Lane, LMSW, Ph.D., Tanya Rhodes Smith, MSW, Kathryn Krase, JD, MSW, Ph.D., and Katherine Hill, MSW, Ph.D., MPP, LISE

Time: 3:45 – 4:15 PM
Presentation: “Providing Students and Professionals with a Conceptual Foundation and Empirical Justification for Cross-Systems Collaboration”
Session: Cross-Systems Collaboration and Global Conflict Resolution
Author(s): Jon Phillips, Ph.D., Daniel Gibbs, JD, MSW, Elizabeth Jurczak, MSW, and Kalah Villagrana, Ph.D.

Sunday, November 13

Time: 9:30 – 10:30 AM
Panel Presentation: “Deservingness, Differential Treatment, and Dehumanization of Refugees, Asylees, and Asylum-Seekers”
Session: Deservingness, Differential Treatment, and Dehumanization of Refugees, Asylees, and Asylum-Seekers
Author(s): Kathryn Libal, Ph.D., S. Megan Berthold, Ph.D., David Androff, Ph.D., Scott Harding, Ph.D., and Cherra Mathis, MSW

Time: 10:45 – 11:45 AM
Panel Presentation: “Fulfilling U.S. Children’s Human Rights through the UN Children’s Rights Convention”
Session: Fulfilling U.S. Children’s Human Rights through the UN Children’s Rights Convention
Author(s): Kathryn Libal, Ph.D., S. Megan Berthold, Ph.D., and Madri Hall-Faul, MSW