Organizational Capacity of Nonprofit Organizations in Rural Areas of the United States: A Scoping Review

Rural America is facing a plethora of problems related to poverty, crime, health, and education. Nonprofit organizations serve a vital role in rural communities by providing services and advocacy to residents. Yet, it is unknown if rural nonprofits have the means to effectively address the complex issues before them. This study examines the results of scoping review which characterizes the state of empirical knowledge regarding the organizational capacity of rural nonprofits in the United States. Fifteen articles from the past decade uncovered challenges and strengths related to organizational capacity, though more research is necessary to inform funders and educators

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis dissertation examines the effects of race, neighborhood poverty, and racial segregation on homelessness and housing instability in the U.S. African Americans are disproportionately represented in the American homeless population, yet little research has explored this racial inequality. This study contributes to the literature by examining Black-White disparities for multiple measures of housing instability, including homelessness, and the individual pathways underlying these differences. In addition, community-level segregation and poverty have helped to explain racial disparities in other outcomes for health and wellbeing. I also examine the effects of community-level segregation and poverty on housing instability and homelessness in general and on racial disparities in particular. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) longitudinal survey, I find that Black mothers have higher odds of experiencing homelessness and doubling-up with others for financial reasons, but no such differences were found for odds of eviction or frequent moves. Additionally, neighborhood poverty and segregation are significant for some measures of housing instability over and above individual socioeconomic characteristics. For homelessness specifically, due to the difficulty obtaining sufficient and quality data, I use two datasets to explore race and place effects for this outcome. Using administrative data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, I find that racial segregation contributes to the disproportionate number of Black persons in the homeless population. Finally, using a restricted sample from the FFCW survey to mirror program targeting, I find that risk factors differ for Black and White mothers for homelessness

Covariant EBK quantization of the electromagnetic two-body problem

We discuss a method to transform the covariant Fokker action into an implicit two-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian for the electromagnetic two-body problem with arbitrary masses. This dynamical system appeared 100 years ago and it was popularized in the 1940's by the still incomplete Wheeler and Feynman program to quantize it as a means to overcome the divergencies of perturbative QED. Our finite-dimensional implicit Hamiltonian is closed and involves no series expansions. The Hamiltonian formalism is then used to motivate an EBK quantization based on the classical trajectories with a non-perturbative formula that predicts energies free of infinities.Comment: 21 page

Cultivating Acute Care Rehabilitation Team Collaboration Using the Kawa Model

Purpose: Effective healthcare team collaboration is imperative for quality client-centered care, job satisfaction, and overall morale. Rehabilitation team collaboration can be impacted by high productivity demands, differing backgrounds of individual team members, and the unpredictable healthcare environment. The Kawa (river) model, a culturally-neutral model of occupational therapy practice, has been shown to improve communication and collaboration with its use of metaphors, but its utility in various contexts to enhance collaborative practice is still being explored. The purpose of this study was to implement an evidence-based teambuilding intervention with use of the Kawa model to investigate the impact on acute care rehabilitation team collaboration. Method: A 5-week pretest-posttest study was completed with a group of eight rehabilitation team members, consisting of occupational therapists, physical therapists, and a speech language pathologist, in an acute care setting. Pre and post-surveys were utilized to gather quantitative and qualitative data on perceptions of team collaboration, knowledge of the Kawa model, and the model’s utility for collaboration. Results: Outcomes showed overall mean improvements in agreement that the Kawa model provides a common method of communication, and 100% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that use of the Kawa model can improve acute care rehabilitation team collaboration. Qualitative post-survey responses indicated an enhanced understanding of the components of effective team collaboration. Conclusions & Recommendations: Team collaboration was cultivated with use of the Kawa model. The model provided a successful method for the acute care team to openly discuss and collaboratively problem-solve how to maximize their team flow. Further study of the Kawa model’s utility to improve collaboration in various contexts with broader participant groups is recommended, as well as study of longitudinal effects of a teambuilding intervention with use of the Kawa model

Minimizers with discontinuous velocities for the electromagnetic variational method

The electromagnetic two-body problem has \emph{neutral differential delay} equations of motion that, for generic boundary data, can have solutions with \emph{discontinuous} derivatives. If one wants to use these neutral differential delay equations with \emph{arbitrary} boundary data, solutions with discontinuous derivatives must be expected and allowed. Surprisingly, Wheeler-Feynman electrodynamics has a boundary value variational method for which minimizer trajectories with discontinuous derivatives are also expected, as we show here. The variational method defines continuous trajectories with piecewise defined velocities and accelerations, and electromagnetic fields defined \emph{by} the Euler-Lagrange equations \emph{% on} trajectory points. Here we use the piecewise defined minimizers with the Li{\'{e}}nard-Wierchert formulas to define generalized electromagnetic fields almost everywhere (but on sets of points of zero measure where the advanced/retarded velocities and/or accelerations are discontinuous). Along with this generalization we formulate the \emph{generalized absorber hypothesis} that the far fields vanish asymptotically \emph{almost everywhere%} and show that localized orbits with far fields vanishing almost everywhere \emph{must} have discontinuous velocities on sewing chains of breaking points. We give the general solution for localized orbits with vanishing far fields by solving a (linear) neutral differential delay equation for these far fields. We discuss the physics of orbits with discontinuous derivatives stressing the differences to the variational methods of classical mechanics and the existence of a spinorial four-current associated with the generalized variational electrodynamics.Comment: corrected minor typo: piecewise differentiable on closed instead of open interval

Pathways to Retention: Job Satisfaction, Burnout, & Organizational Commitment Among Social Workers

Purpose: Job satisfaction, burnout, and organizational commitment remain concerns for human service organizations. Few studies have utilized a large sample of social workers to investigate these factors while also considering practice setting. In the present study, work-related burnout, satisfaction with workload, and satisfaction with organizational environment are examined as factors contributing to organizational commitment while comparing the measurement and predictive strength of these factors based on practice setting. Method: Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to estimate and compare factors related to organizational commitment with a sample of 1,786 social workers practicing in the United States. Results: Satisfaction with organizational environment showed a strong positive relationship with organizational commitment. Work-related burnout was confirmed to have a negative relationship with organizational commitment. No measurement or structural model differences existed between social workers from different types of practice settings. Discussion: Findings suggest that increasing satisfaction with organizational environment is a better target for retaining employees than reducing workloads. Results emphasize the need for human service organizations to foster work environments which provide a climate of wellness, support, and recognition of employees\u27 contributions at work

Use of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory with Social Workers: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Burnout among social workers continues to be a relevant issue as it can lead to major problems: personal health issues, service deterioration, and turnover. This study examined the use of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory with U.S. social workers (N = 1774) in direct-service and non-direct-service roles. The CBI is a no-cost alternative to the commonly employed Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results revealed that the CBI is a suitable tool to measure burnout among social workers regardless of position. Screening, identifying sources, and action planning to reduce burnout are critical steps for organizations to ensure a quality atmosphere for employees and clients

Work Experiences of Rural Social Workers in the United States

Rural social workers face unique challenges and opportunities as they seek to address the needs of rural Americans. Using social media, rural social workers in the U.S. were recruited to describe their characteristics and explore factors related to their job satisfaction, burnout, and organizational commitment. Analyses included univariate descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regression. The sample (N = 192) represented 146 counties in 36 states. Participants tended to be White, female, MSW-degreed direct-service providers. Participants were moderately satisfied with their organizational environments and workloads. Age, being Black, and working in settings other than child welfare were most strongly related to satisfaction with workload. Personal burnout scores were highest followed by work-related and client-related burnout. Age and not working in child welfare were most strongly related to lower burnout scores. Being Black and having more tenure in one’s current job were associated with less client-related burnout. Participants indicated moderate levels of commitment to their organizations, with higher salaries and more tenure being the most strongly associated factors. Future research is necessary to examine more closely the work experiences of rural social workers who are younger, identify as racial or ethnic minorities, and employed in child welfare settings

Over the Hills and Through the Hollers: How One Program is Assisting Residents of Appalachian with Opioid Use Recovery

Introduction: The consequences of increasing opioid misuse in the U.S. over the last two decades have been severe, contributing to hundreds of thousands of lives lost and heavy tolls on individuals, families, and society. The Appalachian Region has been hit particularly hard, with its predominantly rural landscape seeing disproportionate increases in opioid misuse and overdoses. These cases have been difficult to address due to poor treatment access and capacity constraints in many areas of Appalachia. Purpose: The current study focuses on evaluating The Kentucky Access to Recovery Program (KATR), which provides services to individuals recovering from opioid addiction residing in several counties in Eastern Kentucky. Its purpose is to understand the impact of KATR on service recipients’ access to recovery services and supports. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 service recipients, three service providers, and four vendors of support services related to housing, transportation, medical/dental care, employment, and childcare. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Themes related to individual-level impacts were identified and discussed, including behavioral changes related to recovery, physical and mental health improvements, relationship repair, regaining custody of children, provision of needed supports, and ability to gain employment and improve finances. Study findings showed that KATR had meaningful impacts on the lives of service recipients by helping meet needs and reducing barriers to their ongoing recovery. Implications: Through its use of vouchers for support services and basic-needs provision, KATR demonstrates a potentially effective strategy for increasing access to health-related social services for persons in recovery in predominantly rural areas

An Empirical Demonstration of the Existence of Measurement Dependence in the Results of a Meta-Analysis

Objective: Findings from meta-analytic studies that use standardized mean differences (SMDs) may be overly dependent on the original measures that were used to generate SMDs. This may be particularly true when measures have arbitrary metrics or when measures fail to meet measurement equivalence. We test the hypothesis that in such cases, meta-analytic results may vary significantly— statistically and practically—as a function of the measures used to derive SMDs. Methods: We conducted 5 secondary random-effects meta-analyses of SMDs—each under a different measurement scenario—from a published meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of cognitive–behavioral therapy with that of reminiscence therapy for depression in older adults. In each scenario, SMDs were based on scores from measures with arbitrary metrics, some of which failed to meet measurement equivalence. Results: Consistent with the hypothesis, meta-analysis results differed significantly—statistically and practically—between the measurement scenarios under conditions of measurement nonequivalence. Conclusions: Results of meta-analyses involving measures with arbitrary metrics may depend on the measures that the SMDs are based on when measurement equivalence fails to hold. Inferences concerning the relative efficacy of different treatments can be measurement dependent