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Publication Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Financial Capability and Health in Later Life: Evidence From Hong Kong(Oxford University Press, 2023-07-07) Chen, Yu-Chih; Sun, SicongBackground and Objectives Financial capability, comprising financial literacy, access, and behavior, can influence an individual’s ability to effectively use financial resources, thus affecting their health and well-being. However, studies have predominantly focused on financial literacy and overlooked a more comprehensive measure of financial capability and its health impacts. Furthermore, although financial capability is shaped profoundly by gender, there is limited knowledge of the role of gender in these associations. Research Design and Methods This study investigated how gender may moderate the links between financial capability and health. The study recruited 1,109 community-dwelling adults (aged 45+) in Hong Kong to take part in an online survey employing multivariate linear and logistic regression to examine the gender differences in the associations between financial capability and physical (perceived health and mobility limitations), mental (life satisfaction and depression), and financial (retirement worry and financial satisfaction) health. Results The results showed that financial access and behavior had a more significant influence on health outcomes than financial literacy. Gender differences in financial capability were identified through simple slope analyses. Financial literacy was more important for men’s self-rated health and life satisfaction, whereas financial behavior was more critical for women. Additionally, although financial access was not related to retirement worry among men, it was significantly associated with lower retirement worry among women. Discussion and Implications The findings suggest that gender-specific pathways to financial capability may lead to health disparities. Policies and programs to improve population health and well-being, particularly for women, should target financial literacy, strengthen financial inclusion, and encourage responsible financial behavior.Publication Discursive Constructions During COVID-19: Calling for the Critical Analysis of Discourse in Social Work During and After the Pandemic(University of Chicago Press, 2021-10-19) Jen, Sarah; Harrop, Erin; Galambos, Colleen; Mitchell, Brandon; Willey-Sthapit, Claire; Storer, Heather L.; Gonzalez Benson, Odessa; Barber, Christine; Kim, Jessica C.; Zhou, YuanjinAt the Society for Social Work and Research 2021 Annual Conference, the authors of this commentary presented at or attended a roundtable discussion to critically examine discourses around age, race, and gender that had emerged or been impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by the richness of their discussion and diverse areas of interest, they coauthored this commentary to argue for the utility and relevance of critical discourse analysis (CDA) in shaping the role of social work and our pursuit of social justice during and beyond the pandemic.Publication Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Men’s Gender-Related Attitudes, Employment and Housework, and Demographic Characteristics(2022-11-03) Casey, Erin; Hoxmeier, Jill C.; Willey-Sthapit, Claire; Carlson, JulianaBackground and objective: Globally, men are at greater risk of mortality and serious physical consequences from COVID-19 infection than women, but are less impacted by the pandemic’s impact on labor force participation and increased childcare responsibilities. Outside of gender identity, however, it is unclear whether men’s beliefs about gender may be related to the kinds of COVID-19-related impacts they report. This study sought to describe the employment, income, and household responsibility-related impacts of the pandemic on a sample of young men in the U.S. and to examine relationships between the men’s gender ideologies and attitudes toward gender equity with self-reported stress impacts of the pandemic. Methods: The data are from an online survey of 481 young men from across the U.S. Measures included scales assessing masculinity ideology, modern sexism, support for traditional divisions of labor by gender, and attitudes toward gender equity. New items developed for this study assessed COVID-19-related changes in employment, household responsibilities, and childcare duties as well as levels of stress. Hierarchical regression examined the relative roles of demographic characteristics, changes in employment and household work, and gender-related attitudes on COVID-related stress. Results: Descriptive findings showed that under 50% of the men in the sample experienced negative COVID-related impacts on employment, but that a majority of the men reported at least some COVID-related stress. Results of the hierarchical regression suggest that higher levels of stress were predicted by having a minoritized sexual identity, less religiosity, experiencing employment or household responsibility-related changes, and not endorsing modern sexism or a traditional, gendered division of labor. Conclusions: Experiencing COVID-19-related stress was normative in this sample of young men. However, endorsing traditional notions of a gendered division of labor was slightly protective against higher levels of COVID-related stress. These findings add to existing evidence that gender analysis must be a central component of ongoing COVID-related policy and programming development.Publication Social Determinants of Health & Racial Equity(2023-02-27) Mazzetti, Sophia; Brook, Jody; Liming, KileyThe objective of this assessment was to determine community agency awareness, documentation, and implementation of efforts to address social drivers/determinants of health. Stakeholders were able to identify internal formal programs or policies with distinct initiatives, but shared that workforce turnover and staffing shortages in behavioral health were creating challenges in implementing programs and practices.Publication A Preliminary Look at the Value-Based Payment Initiative(2023-02-27) Brook, Jody; Liming, Kiley; Mazzetti, SophiaValue-Based Payment structures were implemented for mental health agencies receiving funding from the Jackson County, MO Community Mental Health Fund. These structures focus on key performance indicators developed based on agency values related to client access and clinical outcomes of behavioral health treatment. Agency personnel and key stakeholders provided feedback to leadership regarding training and implementation experiences, as well as describing key challenges and supports.Publication Quality of Professional Interaction (Operational Performance)(2023-02-27) Brook, Jody; Liming, Kiley; Mazzetti, SophiaThis study utilized a mixed methods research design with sequential data collection to assess community stakeholder impressions of the Jackson County, MO Community Mental Health Fund personnel and operations. Survey questions asked if the organization was smoothly functioning, if the quality of personnel interactions was professional, and assessed how fund personnel availability, responsiveness and collaboration were experienced by community based stakeholders.Publication “I Ran to Make a Point”: Predicting and Preventing Youth Runaway from Foster Care(Springer, 2023-06-07) Byers, Kaela; Barton, Jared; Grube, Whitney; Wesley, Jessica; Akin, Becci A.; Hermesch, Emily; Felzke, Erin; Roosevelt, RachelleYouth who run away from foster care experience danger to health and safety and increased risk of adverse child welfare outcomes. By applying a concurrent mixed-methods approach, this study aimed to develop a deeper understanding of runaway risk that used a person-centered lens and amplified youth voices. Collectively, this approach can inform service innovations to support youth placed in out-of-home care. Working with a foster care agency in Kansas, data sources comprised administrative data for youth ages 12 + in care, and interview data with 20 youth, 12 + in care. Quantitative analyses involved latent class analysis followed by multinomial logistic regression to investigate whether the population of youth in care was comprised of subpopulations with differential runaway risk and whether subpopulations would predict runaway behaviors. Qualitative analyses applied modified analytic inductive thematic analysis to explore critical life experiences that may act as risk or protective factors of running away from care. Results revealed four sub-populations which were characterized by their previous family and system experiences. Additionally, class membership, gender, number of siblings, and age were statistically significant predictors of runway behaviors. Youth interviews revealed five key themes on life experiences that mitigate or exacerbate youths’ runaway behaviors. Recommendations resulting from this study were provided in three key areas: (1) improving family visitation and maintaining youth connections with self-identified family and non-relative kin; (2) supporting service approaches for youth that honor and amplify their voices, choices, and family connections; and (3) improving placement quality and individualization of services.Publication Gripped by the Drum: The Inspiring Artistry of Master Percussionist Kim Byeong Seop in the Korean Tradition of Nongak(University of Kansas Libraries, 2023-08) Canda, Edward R.This book presents an introduction to the Korean tradition of nongak (농악), which is a form of group percussion and dance performance rooted in agricultural lifestyle and shamanistic/animistic worldview. It is based on my research and experience as a former student of Kim Byeong Seop (1921-1987), who was a renowned and nationally awarded expert performer, innovator, and teacher of this music tradition. He is especially esteemed for his prowess as a lead janggu hourglass drum performer in group percussion and dance and as an innovator in solo janggu performance. He has been described as possibly the most highly profiled lead janggu (장구) drum performer of modern history. Master Kim grew up and learned nongak in the rural context of North Jeolla Province and later became a nationally prominent performer and teacher based in Seoul. His masterful artistry continues to inspire performers and researchers to this day. This book presents a detailed introduction to his cultural context, life story, and teaching style plus his inspirational impact on my life. My primary purpose in writing this book is to honor my teacher, his legacy, and the tradition he represented. He had encouraged me to spread knowledge and appreciation of nongak. Accordingly, my second purpose is to make freely available information, documents, photographs, and audio and video recordings related to Master Kim’s teaching and performance style in order to support the study and continuation of his musical legacy.Publication Activism in Southwestern Queer and Trans Young Adults After the Marriage Equality Era(Sage, 2019-06-19) Gandy-Guedes, Megan E.; Paceley, Megan S.In 2015, marriage equality in the United States was a big win for the gay and lesbian movement. Marriage equality as a primary focus of the movement, however, was not without its critiques, particularly as an issue affecting mostly white, gay, economically secure individuals. Given the history of the movement, it is essential to ask what is next. Young queer and trans people represent the next generation of potential activists and advocates for queer and trans liberation, yet little empirical attention has been paid to their goals for the movement and motivations to be actively involved, particularly among young adults in rural, conservative states. Therefore, this study sought to understand the social, economic, and environmental issues deemed important by queer and trans young adults (aged 18–29), as well as their motivations to get involved in activism efforts. Data came from a mixed-methods program evaluation, which presents a picture of the issues and motivations that led study participants (n = 65) toward activism in one conservative, highly rural, Southwestern state in the United States. The findings of this study are discussed in light of theoretical and empirical literature and then implications for the queer and trans movement, activists, and organizers are offered.Publication Opening the Word-Gate: The Innovative Style of a Korean Shaman(Cross-Cultural Shamanism Network, 1995) Kang, Nam-Chu; Canda, Edward R.This article provides a detailed description of a Korean shaman’s life story and her performance of a Spirit Marriage ritual that was designed to resolve two families’ experiences of conflict, bad fortune, and suffering. The shaman, Pak Jung-Suk, lived and practiced in South Kyongsang Province of the Republic of Korea. She recounts her life experiences of tribulations and suffering during World War II; a youth marked by family conflict, inexplicable illnesses, psychological distress, and spiritual turmoil; embarkation on spiritual searching; continued conflict with parents and a husband she was pressured to marry; and finally initiation as a shaman and resolution of her shamanic initiatory crisis. She explains the divination process that led two families to agree to hold a Spirit Marriage ritual that would complete two marriages between couples, including spirits of deceased, whose families were experiencing bad fortune due to the untimely deaths and unresolved pain of family members. The ritual took place in a small cove between ocean and mountain. It involved practices that combined Buddhist and shamanic elements and performers. Percussion music accompanied the shaman’s trance dancing, channeling of the spirits’ messages, conducting of the marriage ceremonies, and returning of the spirits to peaceful rest in the afterlife.Publication Understanding the social and community support experiences of sexual and gender minority individuals in 12-Step programs(Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-01-25) McGeough, Briana L.; Paceley, Meg; Zemore, Sarah E.; Lunn, Mitchell R.; Obedin-Maliver, Juno; Lubensky, Micah E.; Flentje, AnnesaSexual and gender minority individuals (e.g., gay, bisexual, non-binary, transgender; SGMI) are 2-6 times as likely as cisgender heterosexual individuals to experience alcohol or other substance use disorders. SGMI participate in 12-Step groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), at high rates. Though social support is an established mechanism through which 12-Step programs support reductions in substance use, little is known about SGMI’s experiences of the social support in 12-Step programs. This qualitative study aims to understand the experiences of social and community support among SGMI involved in 12-Step programs. This study employed thematic analysis to interpret open-ended responses from 302 SGMI who had participated in 12-Step programs. Data was from The PRIDE Study, a large, national, online. longitudinal, cohort study of SGMI. Two themes emerged about how SGMI experienced social and community support in 12-Step programs: beneficial connections and harmful environments. Beneficial connections included a sense of community, shared experiences, and skills provision. Harmful environments included marginalization, oppression, violence, and bullying. This study highlights the variability of experiences of SGMI participating in 12-Step programs. These findings suggest that many SGMI may benefit from 12-Step programs but may need support in coping with potential harms that can emerge through participation.Publication Racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between wealth and health across young adulthood(Elsevier, 2023-03-21) Sun, Sicong; Lee, Hedwig; Hudson, Darrell L.Background Although the relationship between socioeconomic position (SEP) and health has been well documented, very few prior investigations have examined the time-varying association between wealth and health across race/ethnicity. This study examined the racial/ethnic differences in the wealth–health associations during young adulthood. Method Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 with three time points, when respondents were aged 20, 25, and 30. The primary dependent variable was dichotomized self-rated health (SRH). Two indices of wealth were calculated: respondents’ own reported net worth and reported parental net worth in 1997. Other SEP indicators included household income, education, employment status, and parental education. Three racial/ethnic groups were examined: nonHispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic. Two-level logistic regression was performed, stratified by race/ethnicity. Results In the whole-sample analysis, racial/ethnic differences in SRH were not statistically significant, after controlling for wealth. For self-reported net worth during young adulthood, wealth has a incremental consistent effect on health among non-Hispanic White respondents and Hispanic respondents but not among Black respondents. Individual net worth and parental net worth were only significantly associated with health among the highest wealth quartiles among non-Hispanic Black respondents. Only individual net worth, not parental net worth, was significantly associated with SRH in the Hispanic sample. Conclusion This study examined racial/ethnic differences in time-varying relationship between wealth and health during young adulthood. Findings indicate that there are notable racial/ethnic differences in the patterning of wealth–health association that appear to emerge in early adulthood. Implications for asset-based policy and programs are discussed.Publication Imagining Queer Futures Beyond Boundaries: A Narrative Analysis of Creative Writing(Oxford University Press, 2022-12-20) Jen, Sarah; Jones, RebeccaScholars have called for “queering aging futures” beyond normative assumptions or scripts (Sandberg & Marshall, 2019), which is well-aligned with queer theory’s Cruising Utopia which suggests “cruising ahead” toward a queer utopian future that is not yet possible (Muñoz, 2009). Due to emphasis on form rather than content, narrative analyses enable the reimagining of queer futures not bound by material realities. This study presents a narrative analysis of 40 pieces of creative writing in Bi Women Quarterly (BWQ) that examine aging. Authors used writing to queer stories of relationships, activism, and aging. Many used incoherent, non-linear, and dreamlike or omnipotent storytelling to queer narratives, allowing them to “cruise” across time and versions of themselves, imagining futures that were new and unscripted. Narrative analysis allowed researchers to examine choices authors made in taking agency through storytelling. Findings indicate that queer people are well positioned to queer expectations of successful old age.Publication Validation of the Environmental Audit Scoring Evaluation (Ease) Tool for LTC Households(Oxford University Press, 2022-12-20) Kaup, Migette; Calkins, Margaret; Davey, Adam; Wrublowsky, Robert; Zachgo, Ashlyn; Gibson, Samantha; Parker, MadisonThis poster will share the results from a research initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health to assess the validity of the Environmental Audit Scoring Evaluation (EASE) tool in its ability to distinguish between different types of skilled care models based on the environmental and operational practices that can be observed and documented. The EASE tool was compared against three existing tools; PEAP, TESS-NH, and EAT-HC. Twenty-eight living areas in nursing homes across the state of Kansas identified as a traditional, household, or hybrid model were observed. The scores of the EASE were compared against the scores of three existing tools in order to evaluate its construct validity. The EAT-HC was most closely related to the EASE, with an R-value of 0.8817. The PEAP and the TESS-NH were less correlated to the EASE, with R-values of 0.8175 and 0.7097, respectively. Results found that the EASE was able to distinguish between traditional and homelike settings, though it could not identify hybrid models with a high degree of certainty. The analysis of variance between homelike and traditional homes was significant at 0.016, while the variance between homelike and hybrid and between hybrid and traditional were not significant. Inter-rater reliability of the EASE was consistently high (.96 and above). The outcomes demonstrated the EASE tool was able to assess the homelike characteristics of the environment of nursing homes better than or equally as well as previously validated tools.Publication Self-Directed Care in Home-Based Long-Term Care During the Pandemic: Policy and Practice Implications(Oxford University Press, 2022-12-20) Wendel-Hummell, Carrie L.; LaPierre, Tracey; Sullivan, Darcy; Babitzke, Jennifer; Swartzendruber, Lora; Olds, DanielleThe COVID-19 pandemic highlighted strengths and challenges of the self-directed care model for home-based long-term care. We discuss policy and practice implications drawing on interviews with over 50 home-and-community-based-services consumers, caregivers, workers, and providers in Kansas. Low-pay, lack of benefits, rising wages in competing sectors, enhanced unemployment and COVID-19 concerns exacerbated workforce shortages that compromised consumer safety and well-being. The lack of budget authority for self-directed consumers in Kansas limited their ability to address these issues. Furthermore, the self-directed model was excluded from emergency funding sources that would have enhanced pay and benefits for workers, including sick pay for quarantine, pointing to the need for targeted funding. Emergency flexibility allowing paid family caregivers addressed care needs for some but is temporary and should be expanded. In the managed care model, MCOs still kept their capitated payment despite significant unfilled care hours, and thus pay-for-performance incentives need to be revisited.Publication Policies and Perspectives Around Sexual Activities Among Residents with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia in LTC(Oxford University Press, 2022-12-20) Jeong, Mijin; Jen, SarahPublication “Anything that benefits the workers should benefit the client”: Opportunities and Constraints in Self-Directed Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic(SAGE Publications, 2022-12-05) Wendel-Hummell, Carrie L.; LaPierre, Tracey A.; Sullivan, Darcy L.; Babitzke, Jennifer; Swartzendruber, Lora; Barta, Tobi; Olds, Danielle M.Self-directed care (SDC) models allow Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) consumers to direct their own care, thus supporting flexible, person-centered care. There are many benefits to the SDC model but access to resources is essential to successful outcomes. Considering the autonomy and flexibility associated with SDC, it is important to understand how SDC responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resources available to help manage this situation. We conducted 54 in-depth interviews with HCBS consumers, direct support workers, family caregivers, and providers to examine the impact of COVID-19 on HCBS services in Kansas. Findings illuminate how self-directed consumers carried a lot of employer responsibility, with limited resources and systemic barriers constraining self-determination and contributing to unmet care needs, stress, and burden. Policy flexibilities expanding the hiring of family members were beneficial but insufficient to address under-resourced working conditions and labor shortages that were exacerbated by the pandemic.Publication Evaluation of a savings-led family-based economic empowerment intervention for AIDS-affected adolescents in Uganda: A four-year follow-up on efficacy and cost-effectiveness(Public Library of Science, 2019-12-31) Tozan, Yesim; Sun, Sicong; Capasso, Ariadna; Wang, Julia Shu-Huah; Neilands, Torsten B.; Bahar, Ozge Sensoy; Damulira, Christopher; Ssewamala, Fred M.Background: Children who have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS, known as AIDS orphans, face multiple stressors affecting their health and development. Family economic empowerment (FEE) interventions have the potential to improve these outcomes and mitigate the risks they face. We present efficacy and cost-effectiveness analyses of the Bridges study, a savings-led FEE intervention among AIDS-orphaned adolescents in Uganda at four-year follow-up. Methods: Intent-to-treat analyses using multilevel models compared the effects of two savings-led treatment arms: Bridges (1:1 matched incentive) and BridgesPLUS (2:1 matched incentive) to a usual care control group on the following outcomes: self-rated health, sexual health, and mental health functioning. Total per-participant costs for each arm were calculated using the treatment-on-the-treated sample. Intervention effects and per-participant costs were used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Findings: Among 1,383 participants, 55% were female, 20% were double orphans. Mean age was 12 years at baseline. At 48-months, BridgesPLUS significantly improved self-rated health, (0.25, 95% CI 0.06, 0.43), HIV knowledge (0.21, 95% CI 0.01, 0.41), self-concept (0.26, 95% CI 0.09, 0.44), and self-efficacy (0.26, 95% CI 0.09, 0.43) and lowered hopelessness (-0.28, 95% CI -0.43, -0.12); whereas Bridges improved self-rated health (0.26, 95% CI 0.08, 0.43) and HIV knowledge (0.22, 95% CI 0.05, 0.39). ICERs ranged from 224 for hopelessness to 298 for HIV knowledge per 0.2 standard deviation change. Conclusions: Most intervention effects were sustained in both treatment arms at two years post-intervention. Higher matching incentives yielded a significant and lasting effect on a greater number of outcomes among adolescents compared to lower matching incentives at a similar incremental cost per unit effect. These findings contribute to the evidence supporting the incorporation of FEE interventions within national social protection frameworks.Publication Cash Transfers and Health(Annual Reviews, 2021-01-04) Sun, Sicong; Huang, Jin; Hudson, Darrell L.; Sherraden, MichaelFinancial resources are known to affect health outcomes. Many types of social policies and programs, including social assistance and social insurance, have been implemented around the world to increase financial resources. We refer to these as cash transfers. In this article, we discuss theory and evidence on whether, how, for whom, and to what extent purposeful cash transfers improve health. Evidence suggests that cash transfers produce positive health effects, but there are many complexities and variations in the outcomes. Continuing research and policy innovation—for example, universal basic income and universal Child Development Accounts—are likely to be productive.Publication Strengths-based group supervision: Restoring child and adolescent-centered social work team meetings(Texas Medical Center Library, 2020) Grube, Whitney; Mendenhall, AmyChild mental health social workers are inundated on a daily basis with complex family dynamics. Burn-out and cynicism towards change become frequent. Strengths-based group supervision is a client-based alternative to the “team meeting as usual” approach and combats some of the challenges workers often experience. Strengths-based group supervision is based on The Strengths Model, a case management model with four distinct components. The Model has been implemented in adult mental health settings and recently has been adapted for work with youth with mental illness. This paper describes strengths-based group supervision and discusses it’s applicability to different child serving systems.