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Levels Of Depression In West Massachusetts Capstone Project

DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS

Summary

The presentation of the findings has focused on the expected study results based on the criteria specified. The researcher expects that they will answer the proposed study questions to uncover why older immigrant African women struggle to access mental health services in West Massachusetts. Armed with the information, the researcher can then propose service modification as recommended by the social workers interviewed in the study. All the interviews were conducted using internet services like GoToMeeting, Skype, or Zoom. The study had a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 10 social workers. This researcher believes that the study population though small is representative of the population under study. All interviews would last 45 minutes, and the participants would be asked ten questions. The recruitment of the study participants was done using social media services like Facebook and LinkedIn, where the researcher posted a flier requesting interested study participants to get in touch with him.

The study will use quota sampling when it comes to selecting study participants from the interested pool of participants. Data analysis will comprise of transcribing the data, coding, and generating themes. Peer debriefer will be used to determine the validity of the study. The researcher will investigate the data to discover anomalies and check for assumptions with the help of graphical representations. Study findings will be based on the data, and the researcher will try to avoid making any unfounded or unsupported assumptions. The findings will demonstrate that social workers struggle to deliver services to the older immigrant African women due to culture. Therefore, we will propose that better cultural competencies training be conducted to increase the social workers' knowledge on the different cultures present in Africa and how the cultures differ. The study will promote social change by encouraging other social workers to embrace cultural competency training and become interested in different cultures. The older African women will benefit in that they will now receive the assistance and counseling they need to overcome their depression.

Section 3: Presentation of the Findings

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to explore the views of social workers regarding depression in older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts. In this study, I will also gain insights into ways the social workers sector can assist to meet the emerging needs of the population. The study findings will enhance access to quality mental health services and ensure the women understand the implications of not seeking mental health services. Armed with the study results. insights will be gained into the issues the women face within the population and solutions directly targeted to the population can be developed (Agbemenu, 2016). In section 3, I will present the findings of this study and I used the data to answer the following research questions:

1. From the perspective and benefits of social workers, what factors influence older immigrant African womens adaptive capacity in Metro West Massachusetts?

2. From the social work perspective, what mental health services do social workers offer to older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts?

3. How do social workers assess the need for mental health services for older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts?

4. What service modifications can social workers introduce in practice to enhance mental health service delivery for older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts?

I will also discuss the data analysis techniques used to conduct this study, the sample population, and demographics of the sample, thematic analysis and the summary.

Data Analysis Techniques

The data collection process will begin after receiving authorization from Walden University's Institutional Review Board. Thereafter, the study

Running head: DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS

DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS

Summary

The presentation of the findings has focused on the expected study results based on the criteria specified. The researcher expects that they will answer the proposed study questions to uncover why older immigrant African women struggle to access mental health services in West Massachusetts. Armed with the information, the researcher can then propose service modification as recommended by the social workers interviewed in the study. All the interviews were conducted using internet services like GoToMeeting, Skype, or Zoom. The study had a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 10 social workers. This researcher believes that the study population though small is representative of the population under study. All interviews would last 45 minutes, and the participants would be asked ten questions. The recruitment of the study participants was done using social media services like Facebook and LinkedIn, where the researcher posted a flier requesting interested study participants to get in touch with him.

The study will use quota sampling when it comes to selecting study participants from the interested pool of participants. Data analysis will comprise of transcribing the data, coding, and generating themes. Peer debriefer will be used to determine the validity of the study. The researcher will investigate the data to discover anomalies and check for assumptions with the help of graphical representations. Study findings will be based on the data, and the researchr will try to avoid making any unfounded or unsupported assumptions. The findings will demonstrate that social workers struggle to deliver services to the older immigrant African women due to culture. Therefore, we will propose that better cultural competencies training be conducted to increase the social workers' knowledge on the different cultures present in Africa and how the cultures differ. The study will promote social change…

Running head: DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS

DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS

Summary

The presentation of the findings has focused on the expected study results based on the criteria specified. The researcher expects that they will answer the proposed study questions to uncover why older immigrant African women struggle to access mental health services in West Massachusetts. Armed with the information, the researcher can then propose service modification as recommended by the social workers interviewed in the study. All the interviews were conducted using internet services like GoToMeeting, Skype, or Zoom. The study had a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 10 social workers. This researcher believes that the study population though small is representative of the population under study. All interviews would last 45 minutes, and the participants would be asked ten questions. The recruitment of the study participants was done using social media services like Facebook and LinkedIn, where the researcher posted a flier requesting interested study participants to get in touch with him.

The study will use quota sampling when it comes to selecting study participants from the interested pool of participants. Data analysis will comprise of transcribing the data, coding, and generating themes. Peer debriefer will be used to determine the validity of the study. The researcher will investigate the data to discover anomalies and check for assumptions with the help of graphical representations. Study findings will be based on the data, and the researcher will try to avoid making any unfounded or unsupported assumptions. The findings will demonstrate that social workers struggle to deliver services to the older immigrant African women due to culture. Therefore, we will propose that better cultural competencies training be conducted to increase the social workers' knowledge on the different cultures present in Africa and how the cultures differ. The study will promote social change by encouraging other social workers to embrace cultural competency training and become interested in different cultures. The older African women will benefit in that they will now receive the assistance and counseling they need to overcome their depression.

Section 3: Presentation of the Findings

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to explore the views of social workers regarding depression in older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts. In this study, I will also gain insights into ways the social workers sector can assist to meet the emerging needs of the population. The study findings will enhance access to quality mental health services and ensure the women understand the implications of not seeking mental health services. Armed with the study results. insights will be gained into the issues the women face within the population and solutions directly targeted to the population can be developed (Agbemenu, 2016). In section 3, I will present the findings of this study and I used the data to answer the following research questions:

1. From the perspective and benefits of social workers, what factors influence older immigrant African womens adaptive capacity in Metro West Massachusetts?

2. From the social work perspective, what mental health services do social workers offer....... the need for mental health services for older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts?

4. What service modifications can social workers introduce in practice to enhance mental health service delivery for older immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts?

I will also discuss the data analysis techniques used to conduct this study, the sample population, and demographics of the sample, thematic analysis and the summary.

Data Analysis Techniques

The data collection process will begin after receiving authorization from Walden University's Institutional Review Board. Thereafter, the study invitation flyer will be posted on Facebook and LinkedIn social media websites to obtain the 10-12 study participants with experience working with elderly immigrant African women in Metro West Massachusetts. During these contemporary times of COVID-19, all the interviews will be conducted using internet services like GoToMeeting, Skype, Zoom, or any other web-based service. The recruitment flyer will be adjusted to indicate this decision.

I have to rely solely on the responses received via email showing interest in participating in the study. For each potential study participant who meets the inclusion criteria and responds to the study invitation, I will explain to them via email the next steps and attach in the response the consent form. I will screen for vulnerabilities since the study targets a population of adults and any minors who respond should not be allowed to take part in the study. Also, the recruitment flyer contains information on who can participate in the study, which will assist in screening for vulnerable populations. My study will not be seeking any individuals in the vulnerable categories to take part in the study. However, my sample might include vulnerable adults if they meet the inclusion criteria. It is anticipated that we will receive enough participants willing to participate in the study within a week of posting the flyer.

The consent form and screening will take place as the emails stream in to ensure that each participant receives communication in timely manner. I will try to respond to each potential study participant within two hours of them sending me an email indicating their willingness to take part in the study. The potential study participants will have to respond to the email with the consent form and indicate they consent to take part in the study. Only those who indicate their consent will be contacted and scheduled for a virtual interview. I will begin scheduling the interviews based on how the study participants respond indicating their consent to take part in the study. I will also be looking for those social workers who have more experience working with older immigrant African women and they have indicated their willingness to take part in the study. These women will be given first priority since they can give us more information than social workers with about three years.

I plan on only having 10 study participants, and I will only include the other two if I feel the data collected is not enough.

Sampling and Sample Characteristics

Quota sampling will be used as I have a specific criterion of the participants I would like to have for this study (Etikan & Bala, 2017). Social workers who show interest in the study will be requested to provide information regarding the number of years worked in the area, the clientele they work with the most, and the vital insights they might bring to the study. I will have to reduce the number of study participants to ensure I will have adequate time to interview the proposed number and get adequate social workers information. Since quota sampling will be used, I will select the participants based on the social workers characteristics I am looking for. Samle sizes are fixed in quota sampling, and there is no room for increasing the number of participants.

The characteristics being sought in the social workers to be included in the study are:

1. Social worker must have been working in the Metro West Massachusetts area for a minimum of three years.

2. The social worker should be a graduate-level or higher.

3. Social worker is working with older African immigrants.

The study participants will be given the pseudo name Social Worker and assigned a unique number. The use of pseudo names is to ensure privacy and protect the social workers' confidentiality. I will not use the social workers actual names in any of the questionnaires or during the interview. During the virtual interview, the social worker will be requested to not use actual names of clients and they should not mention their name as well. Only after they have agreed and understood this requirement will the interview recording begin. The table below will present the sample characteristics of the potential study population.

Table 1

Study Sample Characteristics

Participant

Education Qualifications

Experience in Years

Social Worker 0021

BSW and MSW

6

Social Worker 0022

BSW

4

Social Worker 0023

BSW

4

Social Worker 0024

BSW and MSW

5

Social Worker 0025

BSW and MSW

5

Social Worker 0026

BSW

3

Social Worker 0027

BSW and MSW

3

Social Worker0028

BSW

3

Social Worker 0029

BSW and MSW

5

Social Worker 0030

BSW and MSW

5

Data Collection Procedures

Quota sampling will be used to select the study participants. All the recruited study participants will be sent the consent form via email. Once the potential study participants respond to the email with the words "I consent" they will receive a link with calendar dates and times for the virtual interview. The participant will select a date and time slot that is convenient for them. Once they do this, I will receive an email and they will also receive a confirmation email for the scheduled virtual interview.

All the interviews will be conducted using internet services based on the preference of the participant. However, I will limit these choices to Zoom or Skype. I will update the consent form to indicate that all the interviews will be conducted virtually using either Skype or Zoom. For the Zoom interview, I will create a password that will be sent to the study participants for them to join the virtual interview. There will be a unique meeting ID for each study participant to ensure there is no chance of mix up when sending the interview invites. The study participants will be requested to access the interview link in a private and secluded area for c

Sources used in this document:

References

Agbemenu, K. (2016). Acculturation and Health Behaviors of African Immigrants Living in the United States: An Integrative Review. ABNF Journal, 27(3).

Castleberry, A., & Nolen, A. (2018). Thematic analysis of qualitative research data: Is it as easy as it sounds? Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 10(6), 807-815.

Cheng, A., Grant, V., Huffman, J., Burgess, G., Szyld, D., Robinson, T., & Eppich, W. (2017). Coaching the debriefer: peer coaching to improve debriefing quality in simulation programs. Simulation in Healthcare, 12(5), 319-325.

De Kock, C. (2020). Cultural competence and derivatives in substance use treatment for migrants and ethnic minorities: what’s the problem represented to be? Social Theory & Health, 18(4), 358-394.

Etikan, I., & Bala, K. (2017). Sampling and sampling methods. Biometrics & Biostatistics International Journal, 5(6), 00149.

Farooq, M. B., & De Villiers, C. (2017). Telephonic qualitative research interviews: When to consider them and how to do them. Meditari Accountancy Research.

Foo, S., Tam, W., Ho, C., Tran, B., Nguyen, L., McIntyre, R., & Ho, R. (2018). Prevalence of depression among migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(9), 1986.

Kiger, M. E., & Varpio, L. (2020). Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No. 131. Medical Teacher, 42(8), 846-854.

Lorenz, W. (2019). European Social Work–between universal principles and cultural sensitivity. Párbeszéd: Szociális munka folyóirat, 6(3).

Luther, A. K. (2018). Visual meta-data in qualitative analysis. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 33(3), 604-611.

Mirick, R. G., & Wladkowski, S. P. (2019). Skype in qualitative interviews: Participant and researcher perspectives. The Qualitative Report, 24(12), 3061-3072.

Mortelmans, D. (2019). Analyzing qualitative data using NVivo. In The Palgrave Handbook of Methods for Media Policy Research (pp. 435-450). Springer.

National Association of Social Workers. (1996). National Association of Social Workers code of ethics. Insert to NASW News, 41(10), 4.

Richards, K. A. R., & Hemphill, M. A. (2018). A practical guide to collaborative qualitative data analysis. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 37(2), 225-231.

Saasa, S. K. (2019). Discrimination, coping, and social exclusion among African immigrants in the United States: A moderation analysis. Social work, 64(3), 198-206.

Viola, E., Biondo, E., & Mosso, C. O. (2018). The role of Social Worker in promoting immigrants’ integration. Social work in public health, 33(7-8), 483-496.

Watkins, D. C., Hawkins, J., & Mitchell, J. A. (2015). The discipline’s escalating whisper: Social work and Black men’s mental health. Research on Social Work Practice, 25(2), 240-250.

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