Spotlight on SSW research
Wendy Haight, Bailey Jader
"Parent Mentoring Relationships As a Vehicle for Reducing Racial Disparities: Experiences of Child-Welfare-Involved Parents, Mentors and Professionals"
Authors: Ruth Soffer-Elnekave, Wendy Haight, and Bailey Jader
The Gamble-Skogmo Research Group, chaired by Professor Wendy Haight, was invited to participate on a project with Parent Mentor Program of Minnesota. Ruth Soffer-Elnekave, a current PhD student, received her BSW and MSW from The Ben-Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, Israel. Bailey Jader just graduated from our MSW program.
Participants argued that by positioning their program outside of the formal child welfare system, they were better able to build trust and engage parents from African American and Indigenous communities, more flexibly address parent needs, and include parent mentors with a wide variety of life experiences.
Soffer-Elnekave, R., Haight, W., Jader, B. (2020). Parent mentoring relationships as a vehicle for reducing racial disparities: Experiences of child-welfare-involved parents, mentors and professionals. Children and Youth Services Review, 109 doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104682.
"Estimating the Relational Well-Being of Siblings Separated by Out-of-Home Care"
Author: Jeffrey Waid
This article uses novel methods to develop profiles of relational well-being for siblings In foster care to Inform assessment and Intervention planning. Useful for practitioners who want to understand the nuances of and variations of relational well-being for siblings in foster care.
"Significant differences were observed for the proportion of youth in a particular profile based on their current out-of-home care status, permanency plan goal, and the survey respondent's relationship to the youth."
Waid, J. (2020). Estimating the relational well-being of siblings separated by out-of-home care. Journal of Public Child Welfare. 1-19. doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2020.1717715
"Literacy of Breast Cancer and Screening Guideline in an Immigrant Group: Importance of Health Accessibility"
Author: Young Ji Yoon
This study found that Korean immigrant women had high screening awareness (78-89%) and literacy of breast cancer (M=4.17). Annual checkup and marital status were associated with breast cancer awareness. Age and years of residence In the US were associated with breast cancer literacy.
"Marital status was a predisposing factor of mammogram awareness, and age and years of residence in the US were predisposing factors of breast cancer literacy. The findings of the study illuminate probable avenues of intervention to promote breast health knowledge for Korean American women."
An, S., Leo, H. Y., Choi, Y. J., & Yoon, Y. J. (2020). Literacy of breast cancer and screening guideline in an immigrant group: Importance of health accessibility. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 22, 563–570 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-00973-z
Young Ji was also awarded a 2020-2021 Leadership in Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Fellowship for PhD candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to diveristy, equity, inclusion and/or social justice through school activity and/or climate enhancing initiatives. Read more about her award.
"Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Virtual Engagement Methods for African Immigrants"
Researchers: Saida Abdi, PhD, and Chioma Nnaji, MEd, MPH
The national Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) awarded a grant for Saida Abdi, SSW assistant professor, and Chioma Nnaji, program director at the Multicultural AIDS Coalition in Boston, to lead a study to determine culturally and linguistically appropriate methods for African immigrants to receive health care virtually.
COVID-19 has highlighted health disparities consistently experienced by Black communities. However, disparities experienced by African immigrants are too often subsumed in data for all Black/African Americans. Several factors place African immigrants at greater risk of both acquiring coronavirus and experiencing severe symptoms or death: working high-contact jobs as essential or frontline workers, living in high-density housing, stigma, lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate information, and fears related to immigration status.
The proposed project will document the experiences of African immigrant patients in accessing and using virtual platforms. It also will use an African-based cultural model to bring together stakeholders to develop practical recommendations for patient centered and clinically effective engagement and information dissemination.