Research Paper Assignment Description Choose an “at-risk” population that is more prone to abus ...

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Research Paper Assignment Description Choose an “at-risk” population that is more prone to abusing substances and research the literature to investigate the problem’s clinical presentation.  (Examples of “special populations” include teens, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered,the elderly, and other groups with an empirically documented history of substance abuse.)Specific aspects of this population’s substance abuse to be addressed in the paper include: • Prevalence of substance abuse in this population o What does research indicate is the rate/percentage of substance abuse in this population versus the general population? o What are the primary drugs of choice for this population?  (Provide statistics and data to validate your response.) o Is this population more prone to certain effects (psychosocial, physiological, etc.) of substance abuse? • Factors correlated with increased risk of substance abuse o Why would this population be considered “at-risk” of developing substance use disorders? o What variables are related to this population’s increased rates of substance abuse? o What biopscyhosocial variables may make someone from this population more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol? o What cultural variables may contribute to this trend? • Treatment approaches o What does research indicate are the best treatments for this population?  Explain the theoretical bases of these treatments and why they are effective in treating the identified population. o What evidence-based practices exist to treat this population? o How effectively/often does this population utilize traditional 12-Step programs (e.g.: AA)? • Advocacy o How/Why is this population marginalized by larger society?  How does this relate to the social work value of “social justice”? o What resources/policies are needed to meet this population’s unique needs? o On a state/local level, how might you provide social work advocacy for this population? • Personal application o What are your thoughts about providing social work services to this population? o Why/How might working with this population be appealing to you?  Unappealing? o What steps would you need to take to work effectively with this population? o What counter-transference or personal issues might you have to address when working with this population? o How might this research paper be beneficial to your practice as a social worker?