2017 Walden University Research Symposium

Welcome to the 2017 Walden University Research Symposium. We are glad you can join us in celebrating our 10th anniversary of this Walden University tradition. The Research Symposium is an annual event that showcases research projects from our academic community, especially work by our recent graduates. If there is a theme this year, beyond their shared focus on social change, it would be research aimed at “assuring success” for a variety of people and groups. The presentations at a symposium appear in two different formats • Poster presentations provide an opportunity for researchers to engage with all individuals attending the symposium and potentially to network with other interested researchers. New to this year’s symposium are poster presentations by local alumni who have continued the research they started as doctoral students. • Using a roundtable presentation format, a select group of researchers is available for interactive discussions of their work, with handouts and visual materials available to support the discussion. For this symposium, we are highlighting the in-progress research by fellows associated with Walden University’s Center for Social Change. The “magic” of a research symposium can be found in the interactions between presenters and audience, however. So, please, don’t be shy—step up, ask questions, make comments, and enjoy the experience.https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/current/1000/thumbnail.jp

Psychosocial predictors of current drug use, drug problems, and physical drug dependence in homeless women

We examined risk and protective factors associated with three qualitatively different drug use constructs describing a continuum of drug use among a sample of 1,179 homeless women. Relationships among positive and negative sources of social support, positive and negative coping strategies, depression, and the drug constructs of current drug use, drug problems, and physical drug dependence were assessed using structural equation models with latent variables. Current drug use was predicted by more negative social support (from drug-using family/friends), depression, and less positive coping. Drug Problems were predicted by more negative coping, depression, and less positive coping. Physical Drug Dependence was predicted by more negative social support and depression, and less positive social support. Results highlighted the importance of investigating both the positive and negative dimensions of psychosocial functioning, while suggesting that empowering homeless women and offering tangible resources for coping with the stress of being homeless may be beneficial to them

Motivation to stop substance use and psychological and environmental characteristics of homeless women.

Characteristics associated with wanting to permanently quit their alcohol, cocaine or heroine use were examined in 748 homeless women. Only a third of Latinas wanted to stop using alcohol; they were also at relatively high risk for continued heroine use. Recognition that their substance use was an extremely serious problem was a consistent predictor of wanting to quit substance use. Other important predictors of desiring to quit two substances included not hanging out with other drug users, lifetime hospitalization for drug use and recent substance use treatment. Findings from this study may be helpful for selecting relative good candidates for the limited number of substance abuse treatment slots available for homeless women and providing supplementary assistance to those already in treatment

Motivation to stop substance use and psychological and environmental characteristics of homeless women.

Characteristics associated with wanting to permanently quit their alcohol, cocaine or heroine use were examined in 748 homeless women. Only a third of Latinas wanted to stop using alcohol; they were also at relatively high risk for continued heroine use. Recognition that their substance use was an extremely serious problem was a consistent predictor of wanting to quit substance use. Other important predictors of desiring to quit two substances included not hanging out with other drug users, lifetime hospitalization for drug use and recent substance use treatment. Findings from this study may be helpful for selecting relative good candidates for the limited number of substance abuse treatment slots available for homeless women and providing supplementary assistance to those already in treatment

Self-Generated Drug Outcomes in High Risk Adolescents

Continuation high schools form a natural demarcation of youths who are at relatively high risk for substance abuse (Sussman et al., 1995). In California and several other states, high school age youths who are unable to remain in the regular school system for functional reasons, including substance use, are transferred to this type of school. When developing drug abuse interventions for students enrolled in these schools, it is imperative to ascertain the students\u27 perceived costs and benefits of drug use. Assessments of perceived costs help the investigator understand what negative outcomes of drug use these adolescents are already well aware of and which negative outcomes appear to be of very low salience. Subsequently, intervention activities may then use this information in a variety of ways, for example, in attempts to make certain negative outcomes more accessible from memory (e.g., Stacy, Dent, et al., 1990). Assesments of perceived benefits allow for the development of intervention activities that may provide healthy alternatives or that may challenge deeply ingrained, but erroneous, beliefs (e.g., Darkes & Goldman, 1993; Smith & Goldman, 1994)

Predicting positive attitudes about quitting drug and alcohol use among homeless women.

Two separate path models for alcohol and drugs were tested in which psychosocial, environmental, and sociodemographic variables predicted behavioral and substance abuse related factors as well as the key outcome of positive attitudes about quitting drugs (N = 620) or alcohol (N = 526) in a sample of 709 homeless women. A positive attitude about quitting alcohol was predicted by more Addiction Symptoms, fewer Positive Effects from using alcohol and not having a partner who uses alcohol. A positive attitude about quitting drugs was predicted by more Drug Problems, greater Drug Use in the Past 6 Months, more Active Coping, more education, less Emotional Distress, not having a partner who uses drugs, and fewer Addiction Symptoms. Implications of the results for drug and alcohol interventions are discussed

Immediate Impact of Thirty-Two Drug Use Prevention Activities among Students at Continuation High Schools

Those teenagers who are unable to remain in the regular school system for reasons including substance use are transferred to a continuation high school. Generic comprehensive social-influence-drug-use-prevention-activities are less likely to be effective for use with these at risk youth. Thus, both classroom and self-instruction (main mode of instruction at continuation high schools) versions of 16 activities derived from different theoretical sources were tested and ranked on immediate outcome variables. 388 students from six continuation high schools were provided with a pretest-activity-posttest “component study” protocol. The scores on perceived quality ratings were standardized and averaged to permit easy comparisons across lessons. While yielding similar knowledge changes, students who received the health educator led activity consistently reported higher scores on perceived quality. Social influence-oriented lessons, in general, were rated of relatively low perceived quality. The present approach assisted in selection of the lessons with the greatest overall immediate impact

Immediate Impact of Social Influence-Oriented Substance Abuse Prevention Curricula in Traditional and Continuation High Schools

This study examines the immediate impact of nine social influence-oriented activities on drug related knowledge and beliefs for students at six traditional and six continuation high schools from the same southern California school districts. The relative effectiveness of two program delivery methods (active versus passive) also was examined. Continuation high school students reported much higher levels of overall drug use. Across school type, the activities showed the most impact on knowledge change. The activities exerted a relatively greater impact on traditional high school students and when the active delivery mode was used. Potential limitations of the effectiveness of social influences-oriented substance abuse prevention programming with continuation high school youth are discussed

Implementation and Process Evaluation of a Student School-as-Community Group: A Component of a School-Based Drug Abuse Prevention Program

Little documentation exists regarding the functioning of formalized adolescent groups as drug abuse prevention agents. Two studies are described that were conducted at high schools whose students are at high risk for drug abuse. Twenty-one schools were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) standard care, (b) classroom drug abuse education only, or (c) classroom plus school-as-community. Results of the first study indicated that the school-as-community component—which involved weekly meetings and periodic events at seven schools—was implemented as planned, drug abused focused, and perceived as productive in discouraging drug abuse. In the second study, staff in the classroom plus school-as-community condition self- reported involvement in the greatest number of community activities across the school year, compared with staff from the other two conditions. These two studies support the feasibility of formalized groups of high-risk youth to promote drug-free events