COLLEGE OF

Education and Human Development

McNair Scholar 2024 - Nyalaam Jok

Nyalaam Jok is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin-Cities, double majoring in youth studies and family social science. Her research interests include child maltreatment prevention and adolescent substance use. Ms. Jok plans on getting a master’s degree in social work.

Quote from Nyalaam Jok

Baraa Al-Jasim

My dream is to work within the child welfare system and to earn a master’s of social work. I want to be involved with youth aging out of the child welfare system, and help navigate resources for those youth to be successful even despite their various risk factors.

Nyalaam Jok

Research project

Addressing Health and Social Service Barriers 
  

Abstract

Health and social service barriers negatively affect child and family development. Understanding how family characteristics and service barriers affect service access may promote child and family wellbeing. This study utilized secondary data from a family navigator intervention study to explore factors associated with family service access. Twenty-nine caregivers participated. Measures included a family service plan, service barriers checklist, navigator check in notes, and lab meeting notes. Thematic analysis was used to explore the qualitative data, and descriptive statistics was used to explore the quantitative data. Findings were mixed to uncover factors associated with service access. On average families experience 10.4 (4.1) barriers to care. Every participant that completed the study identified the lack of awareness about available service options was a barrier to care, and the majority of these families reported needing services for mental health care. Based on the check-in notes and the lab meeting notes family dynamics also played a role in barriers. Families systems that didn’t function smoothly had a delay to accessing services. 

Faculty mentor

Dr. Jeff Waid is currently an associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Waid attended the University of Pittsburgh where he received his master’s in social work, and then he attended Portland State University where he received his Ph.D. His research focuses on child maltreatment prevention, family navigation, health and social equity, intervention and services research, and prevention science. Dr. Waid is published in numerous research journals, and has presented his work at conferences both nationally and internationally. This is Dr. Waid’s first time being a McNair faculty mentor.