Faculty Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between child sexual abuse (CSA) and components related to the CSA experience, betrayal, dissociative amnesia, and childhood autobiographical memory loss (CAML). The a priori hypothesis was that components related to the CSA experience (such as abuse characteristics, disclosure characteristics, betrayal, and dissociative amnesia) would act as direct risk factors/predictors for CAML. It was further hypothesized that betrayal and dissociative amnesia would each act as a mediator of the relationships between these components related to the CSA experience and CAML. This retrospective survey was conducted online, anonymously, and contained a sample of 297 participants who were adult survivors of CSA. Data was analyzed using logistic and linear regressions, as well as path analysis. The results of this study suggest that betrayal, dissociation, duration of abuse, and dissociative amnesia had direct effects on CAML, and age at onset of abuse had indirect effects on CAML through dissociative amnesia. These results have both research and clinical implications, in terms of both prevention and intervention with survivors of CSA.

Despite extensive documentation of the adverse impacts of child sexual abuse (CSA), less is known about long-term effects of CSA, that is, the impact in middle and late adulthood, when one is further removed from the CSA. This study describes coping strategies and positive outcomes reported by adult female survivors of child sexual abuse ages 50+ (n=58). Responses came from an anonymous online survey of adult survivors of CSA. We conducted a qualitative “RADaR” rapid analysis on the survey’s open-ended questions. Survivors employed both internal attitudes and specific activities to cope with their childhood CSA. Most (n=55) reported positive outcomes from CSA: self, others, and relational and/or emotive strengths. Due to survey limitations, we were unable to identify factors that contributed to survivors reporting positive outcomes and survivors who reported negative or no positive outcomes. This study suggests CSA survivors in middle and late adulthood may feel stronger as a result of abuse. More research is needed to identify factors that contribute to resilience.

This study examines the design and implementation of an AI Sales Assistant (AISA) in several companies to understand the relationship between value sensitive design and successful implementation of AI assistants. While the AISA was designed to help and support collaboration, this study found that rather than supporting sales associates, the AISA evolved into a system to exclusively track and monitor them. This study reveals that while values important to the sales associates were considered in its design, a Value Sensitive Design approach to include all stake-holders and their values in the design process might have led to better outcomes.

This article relates the story of a first grade teacher and a child who was the only deaf student in the entire school. Because he had no one who could communicate with him--not teachers, not students, no one, this situation tugged at the hearts of a committed team of professionals. A teacher of the deaf, a first grade general education teacher, a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, and an interpreter, none of whom had worked with a deaf student before or co taught, began to work collaboratively to provide services. As professionals they looked back on the experience as one of their most rewarding--and decided to take a closer look and reflect on that year to improve their own practices and hopefully help others. Here they explore why this collaborative model worked and how a group of professionals from different disciplines, each with different goals for the student and with no experience working with a deaf child with a cochlear implant, came together to make Jeffery's year a success. Further, they wanted to see if they could use this experience to develop a co-teaching model to support other students with cochlear implants in a general education classroom. In retrospect they also ask one another, "What did we do just right?"

Librarians collect data to evaluate system performance, illustrate relationships between users and resources, create descriptive statistics, describe collections, identify commonalities and rarities in material usage, and for other goals or outcomes directed to improve library services. One common method of data collection is the COUNTER report. COUNTER acronym stands for: Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources. The report is based on a well-documented code of conduct; unlike publisher in-house reports that can be vaguely defined. The COUNTER initiative is a third-party, community-based code of practice, that is designed to control how publishers count and report usage of electronic resources.2 However, using the COUNTER report can be a daunting task and without manipulation, the data lacks a story. Analytic platforms are great at compiling data, but some are better than others at visualization.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement continues to bring attention and direct action to incidents of racially motivated aggression and police violence. Although BLM is a not a formal centralized organization, numerous branded bodies, such as the international BLM Global Network (BLM Global Network, n.d.), use the term “Black Lives Matter” to represent the mandate of their group. Regardless, BLM operates as a collection of individuals and organizations that commonly promote change aimed at combatting police brutality while supporting an overall agenda of Black liberation. The movement began in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of  Travon Martin, an African American teenager. Over the past eight years, BLM has taken action following law enforcement– related deaths of other African Americans across the United States (Day, 2015). In 2020, the movement gained national attention during protests that resulted from the killing of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. BLM has emerged as one of the largest social movements the country has seen to date (Buchanan, Bui, & Patel, 2020).

This chapter introduces Trauma-Informed Pedagogies: A Guide for Responding to Crisis and Inequality in Higher Education, which is an equity-centered, evidence-based guide to trauma-informed teaching and learning in higher education. First, the chapter contextualizes the book in understanding that trauma is not just in past but also in the present and discusses the prevalence and impact of trauma on college students and educators. Next, the chapter explores what it means to respond to trauma, crisis, and inequality using a trauma-informed approach. The chapter then describes the origins and aims of the book and the book’s contents.

This chapter introduces Lessons from the Pandemic: Trauma-Informed Approaches to College, Crisis, Change, a collection of narratives about trauma-informed approaches to teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, this chapter posits that COVID-19 has been a wake-up call on crisis in higher education and describes two main lessons learned: (1) that college teaching has always encompassed crisis and (2) that college students and educators are resilient. Next, the authors describe the rationale, aims, and intended audience of the book, highlighting the importance of amplifying diverse voices and representing multiple methods of meaning-making on the road to resilience and healing. The next section summarizes the book’s contents and helps orient readers to format and style differences among chapters. Lastly, the chapter concludes with a call to action.

The purpose of this article is to share the results of a qualitative research study designed to shed light on the perspectives of inclusive prekindergarten classroom teachers in the United States. This study used surveys, interviews, and classroom observations to explore understandings of recently adopted learning standards and accountability reforms, as well as perceptions of the benefits and challenges of today’s inclusive prekindergarten settings. Data revealed four primary themes: early childhood teachers in inclusive prekindergarten settings value collaboration; they believe inclusive settings have the potential to benefit all children; inclusive prekindergarten teachers are facing significant new challenges; and, they need additional resources to address the challenges and realize the benefits. Building on these data, the authors provide an argument for the field of early childhood education in the United States to help build the capacity of inclusive prekindergarten settings to meet existing challenges and new demands.

While there has been great deal of research conducted on the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on trauma symptoms in children and adults, there is less knowledge on the effects on trauma symptoms in female older adult CSA survivors. The aim of this study was to investigate current symptoms of trauma in adult female survivors of child sexual abuse across each successive decade, beginning with eighteen year olds. This retrospective, anonymous online study gathered a sample of 223 adult female survivors of CSA (38 of whom were aged 50–59 (17%), and 20 of whom were 60 + years of age (9%)), and surveyed their trauma history and their current symptomology. In our sample, the survivors with the most severe trauma symptoms were between 18 and 29 years old. Each subsequent decade reported fewer trauma symptoms, with respondents in the 60+ age group reporting the lowest trauma symptom severity. While a cross-sectional study does not allow us to evaluate individuals’ experiences over time, these results suggest that the negative impacts of CSA may abate over the life course. Future research should consider these questions longitudinally to explore whether these results are related to survivorship (those with worse outcomes dying younger) and whether these effects endure as female older adults experience physical and mental challenges in later life.

Aspiring physicians face a large amount of information that must be learned and retrieved in real time. The skills that helped medical students reach residency may not be the enough to succeed as a physician. For example, like many students, cramming the night before an exam probably helped achieve a satisfactory score. Unfortunately, cramming does not require that the information be retained and applied overtime. The content acquired in medical school is cumulative, that is, the information learned remains relevant months and even years later. Not only does content need to remembered, the knowledge must be constantly updated as new research makes some information more relevant and other information less important. Finally, the stakes as a physician are high. Forgetting a critical piece of information will not result in a lower test score, it can seriously harm patients. This article is a practical approach to teaching medical doctors, based on a literature review, including practical, scientific, and applied research and strategies ways in which teaching can be done that result in depth of learning in the resident.

The Grand Challenges for Social Work outlined by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare offer a multitude of opportunities for our profession to develop active responses for pressing societal ails. Each challenge charges social workers to engage in innovative and wide-reaching professional endeavors that span research, practice, and policy. Efforts for addressing the grand challenge to “eradicate social isolation” rely on the uniquely “social” dimension of our work pertinent to increasing and strengthening connections across diverse demographic groups (Lubben, Gironda, Sabbath, Kong, & Johnson, 2015).

The Grand Challenges for Social Work developed by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AAS-WSW) offer opportunities for the profession to confront pervasive societal issues. Although these challenges outline varying large-scale aims for social work, each also advocates for innovative strategies that can be readily implemented throughout areas of practice. The challenge to “promote smart decarceration” is no exception with the overarching goal of reimagining the current criminal justice system through progressive evidence-based approaches that transcend discipline and professional divisions (AASWSW, 2017). The need is clear as the United States has the largest incarcerated population in the world by both number and ratio incapacitated.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of literature continues to emerge that addresses the effects of COVID-19 on various populations of interest to social work policy and practice. A substantial number of such articles have been and will be published in Health & Social Work and other journals central to the discipline. This growing body of literature addresses a wide range of presenting concerns across varied settings with attention to particular disparities faced by vulnerable populations. While the focus of social work practice centers around the needs of those we serve, it is essential to consider how COVID-19 has affected—and may enduringly affect—us, both as individuals and professionals.

As per the journal’s scope, the articles and columns published in Health & Social Work address health in a broad context with attention to affected populations and related practice and policy implications. While reflecting these aims, this issue also spurs thought into larger social justice challenges within our healthcare system. The cornerstone of social work and what makes our profession distinctly unique is its mandate for social justice, which is plainly stipulated in the National Association of Social Workers’ (NASW, 2021) Code of Ethics. Heightened by our increased knowledge of social determinants of health and the outcomes of disparities, it is widely accepted that healthcare is a social justice issue founded in the general premise that all people should have equal rights and opportunities for treatment (Almgren, 2017; Finn & Jacobson, 2013). This is supported by the Statement of Principles for Ethics in Social Work put forth by the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (Bywaters & Napier, 2009; International Federation of Social Workers, 2018). Articles in this issue bring social justice in healthcare to light in confronting unequal rights, opportunities, and treatment among hospital patients and workers, homeless populations, Latinx families, those in rural settings, and those living in communities at risk for environmental threats. Although we are all well acquainted with the idea of social justice, it remains uncertain whether the profession shares a standard definition of the concept and a distinct understanding of how to translate it into practice (Banerjee, 2011). It is much easier to come to a collective agreement when social justice is lacking, than to truly understand what it is and how to achieve it.

At the start of the Biden–Harris administration and the 117th Congress, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 2021) outlined critical policy recommendations across an array of topics in the 2021 Blueprint of Federal Social Policy Priorities. These resolutions were developed through an evidence-based lens closely aligned with the Grand Challenges for Social Work supported by the profession (American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, 2017). These policy priorities recognize that social workers perform essential functions in mental, behavioral, and physical healthcare within varied settings and among diverse populations across the country. The 2021 blueprint frames health in a comprehensive manner wherein mental and behavioral health are regarded as essential elements in one’s overall health and wellness.

The White House Initiative: Educate to Innovate (2009) outlines the need for school age children (P-12) to focus more intentionally on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math or STEM. The arts and other developmentally appropriate activities (i.e., blocks, painting, music, etc.) are added to STEM to create STEAM. Specifically, this chapter focuses on Technology, Engineering, and the Arts within the contexts of Science and Mathematics in the early childhood setting. By allowing children the time to explore and create, young children will wonder about the worm around them. The chapter concludes with suggestions for early childhood professionals to create environments (physically, temporally, and inter-personally) that encourage and expand the STEM principles.

A project-based art instillation, with the purpose of delivering a message, provided high school students with authentic learning. In an ever-changing world, students need a highly skilled and knowledgeable teacher to be the guide-at-the-side. This case study challenges P-12 teachers to see students as capable learners. Teachers allowed for exploration; shared the power; let students fail; provided guidance, knowledge and inspiration; while additionally encouraged and supported student voice are the future of education. Each stage of the process is outlined to share the teachers’ role in the process. Teachers who value and trust the learning process are the best resources we have for the future.

During lunch, several 4-year-olds begin telling stories about machines that do various jobs. Mrs. Michelson writes down the stories as the children share them. Later, she reads the stories, which include tales about machines that feed the cat and make beds, to the class. After reading the children’s stories, Mrs. Michelson says ,“I really enjoyed hearing about your machines at lunch today. I was wondering what they might look like. I think that you could create these machines in the block center. And before you build your machines, you can plan them on paper in the writing center.”

The children transition to the writing center to draw their plans. As they work, they excitedly discuss their drawings with Mrs. Michelson and each other. Mrs. Michelson takes this opportunity to scaffold their learning by asking questions during the design stage. She says to Jelani, “I see you have gears on your machine. Do you think the unit blocks or the magnetic blocks might work better for your building?” Mrs. Michelson tells Alice, “I noticed your machine has a long, thin base. What shape blocks will you need to create the base?” With a hypothesized plan and some ideas for materials, the children eagerly head to the block center to begin building.

How do we as college educators describe our course syllabi: a contract, an instruction manual, a roadmap, an invitation, a collaboration, a waste of time? What do our syllabi reflect about our teaching style, our authority style, the type of relationship we hope to have with students? What do we mean when we direct students—literally and figurately—to “Read the syllabus”? What explicit and implicit meanings do our syllabi convey? Do we secretly—or not so secretly—want students to like us, respect us, fear us, revere us, understand us, need us, pity us, remember us, leave us alone?