Mary K Twis
Biographic Data
| ID | 126479 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mary K Twis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mary K |
| FAMILY NAME | Twis |
| SIGNATURE | TWIS M K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Texas Christian University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1056-0856 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Reclaiming Zionism as a rights-based social justice movement
Social work’s commitment to human rights and social justice rests historically on Enlightenment principles of universality, rational inquiry, and the inherent dignity and worth of all persons. In recent decades, postmodern philosophy and critical theoretical frameworks have gained prominence within the profession, reshaping how social justice and human rights are conceptualized. This article argues that tensions between Enlightenment humanism and…
Correlates of Youth Sex Trafficking in the United States
This study explores potential correlates of youth sex trafficking (YST) within the exosystem and macrosystem of the social-ecological model (SEM). A literature review of studies ( n = 25) published between 2012 and 2024 identified factors linked to YST vulnerability and demand, including factors related to land use, concentrated disadvantage, the digital environment, and the built and social environment. Protective factors in the exosystem and ma…
Epistemic Pluralism, Open Inquiry, and Constructive Disagreement
Achshav, ani mevinah
A Qualitative Exploration of Sex Trafficking Myths in Israeli Newspaper Media
Media coverage often provides an incomplete or inaccurate picture of sex trafficking and its impact. This study explores how myths about sex trafficking are propagated in Israeli media and how newspapers construct this concept. A thematic analysis was conducted on 90 articles from the past decade. The findings reveal two themes: (a) forms of sex trafficking and (b) characteristics of key figures. Israeli newspaper coverage tends to conflate sex t…
Universality Lost
Response to Comment on “So, You’re a Zionist? Reflections on Philosophy, Theory, Ethics and Values in Social Work Education and Social Justice Advocacy”
So, You’re a Zionist
Beyond Victim Identification
Thousands of youth are sexually trafficked each year in the United States. In order to address this concern, anti-trafficking advocates often emphasize the importance of uniform screening protocols to assist with the identification of survivors. Unfortunately, an oft-overlooked component of sex trafficking identification is what to do once a victim has been identified, and how to best meet survivors' complex needs. In this article, the authors pr…
Perceptions of homelessness and housing solutions
Discrepancies between homelessness perception and reality, as well as policymakers’ assumptions about their constituents’ perceptions, may contribute to policies that exacerbate homelessness and its negative outcomes. To counter these discrepancies, this manuscript introduces a mixed-methods, cross-sectional research protocol that is designed to assess local community member perceptions of and attitudes towards homelessness and potential housing …
Race and retention in permanent supportive housing
Despite the overrepresentation of People of Color among people experiencing homelessness and ongoing housing discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities, research has paid scant attention to the intersections of race and homelessness, including assessments of race-related outcomes of permanent supportive housing (PSH), a mainstay homeless assistance program in the U.S. The purpose of this study, therefore, framed by the Public Health Crit…
Enhancing Student Commitment to the Micro-Mezzo-Macro Continuum
Despite the importance of macro practice to the social work profession, research related to social work students' preparation and enthusiasm for macro practice suggests that there is significant room for improvement within macro social work education. The purpose of this report is to describe and explore a novel macro social work pedagogy that is designed to encourage student engagement within macro practice social work courses. The Macro Practic…
Training preferences of homelessness assistance service providers
This brief report presents results from a study that evaluated trainings provided by a local Continuum of Care lead agency to homelessness assistance service providers. The study explored types of trainings desired by participants, benefits and drawbacks of existing trainings and how they are offered, and ways in which trainings and the training delivery system could be improved. Data were collected through semistructured focus groups attended by…
Trafficked by a Friend
Practice with people experiencing homelessness
People experiencing homelessness often present to social service providers with trauma histories. As they seek services, their service providers may be secondarily exposed to their clients’ trauma, thereby impacting the level of care these service providers are able to offer. Unfortunately, little research examines the stress burden carried by homelessness service providers, nor the factors that contribute to their stress burden. The purpose of t…
A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of evangelical Christian sex trafficking narratives
The purpose of the present qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) is to explore, categorize, and confront one of the powerful narratives present within the counter-trafficking movement—that of evangelical Christian communities in the United States. The authors focused on the analysis of scholarly ethnographies and autoethnographies (N=7) of the evangelical Christian counter-trafficking culture. The QIMS yielded four themes that can be use…
Paths to Peace
Most people will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Considering outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder, the question emerges as to what helps people thrive and find peace posttrauma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the essence of healing for individuals who have survived and thrived in the face of trauma. The content analysis of previously written accounts of healing revealed two major themes:…
Predicting Different Types of Victim-Trafficker Relationships
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 18 within the borders of the United States. The purpose of the present study is to explore how various forms of oppression and risk predict DMST victimization, particularly specific subcategories of DMST victimization by traffickers. This study focuses on whether risk factors can predict victims’ trafficking by a family member, friend, romantic…
Risk Factor Patterns in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Relationships
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor citizen or legal resident within United States borders. Officials often view DMST as a monolithic crime, rather than a problem driven by victims’ variable experiences with poverty, racism, and family dysfunction. The purpose of this study is to explore how various risk factors are associated with one another and with DMST victimization, particularly within spec…
A community of singers
This exploratory study employed cluster analysis to identify profiles of resilience, social support, stress, and mental health among members of a homeless and formerly homeless street choir; we examined the association between choir attendance and cluster membership, and the interaction of cluster membership and race. Respondents (N = 111, 66% African American, 84% homeless) had participated in the choir for an average of 12 months (SD = 12.02). …
So, You’re a Zionist
Risk Factor Patterns in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Relationships
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor citizen or legal resident within United States borders. Officials often view DMST as a monolithic crime, rather than a problem driven by victims’ variable experiences with poverty, racism, and family dysfunction. The purpose of this study is to explore how various risk factors are associated with one another and with DMST victimization, particularly within spec…
Predicting Different Types of Victim-Trafficker Relationships
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 18 within the borders of the United States. The purpose of the present study is to explore how various forms of oppression and risk predict DMST victimization, particularly specific subcategories of DMST victimization by traffickers. This study focuses on whether risk factors can predict victims’ trafficking by a family member, friend, romantic…
A community of singers
This exploratory study employed cluster analysis to identify profiles of resilience, social support, stress, and mental health among members of a homeless and formerly homeless street choir; we examined the association between choir attendance and cluster membership, and the interaction of cluster membership and race. Respondents (N = 111, 66% African American, 84% homeless) had participated in the choir for an average of 12 months (SD = 12.02). …
Predicting Different Types of Victim-Trafficker Relationships
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 18 within the borders of the United States. The purpose of the present study is to explore how various forms of oppression and risk predict DMST victimization, particularly specific subcategories of DMST victimization by traffickers. This study focuses on whether risk factors can predict victims’ trafficking by a family member, friend, romantic…
Risk Factor Patterns in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Relationships
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor citizen or legal resident within United States borders. Officials often view DMST as a monolithic crime, rather than a problem driven by victims’ variable experiences with poverty, racism, and family dysfunction. The purpose of this study is to explore how various risk factors are associated with one another and with DMST victimization, particularly within spec…
Trafficked by a Friend
Practice with people experiencing homelessness
People experiencing homelessness often present to social service providers with trauma histories. As they seek services, their service providers may be secondarily exposed to their clients’ trauma, thereby impacting the level of care these service providers are able to offer. Unfortunately, little research examines the stress burden carried by homelessness service providers, nor the factors that contribute to their stress burden. The purpose of t…
A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of evangelical Christian sex trafficking narratives
The purpose of the present qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) is to explore, categorize, and confront one of the powerful narratives present within the counter-trafficking movement—that of evangelical Christian communities in the United States. The authors focused on the analysis of scholarly ethnographies and autoethnographies (N=7) of the evangelical Christian counter-trafficking culture. The QIMS yielded four themes that can be use…
Paths to Peace
Most people will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Considering outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder, the question emerges as to what helps people thrive and find peace posttrauma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the essence of healing for individuals who have survived and thrived in the face of trauma. The content analysis of previously written accounts of healing revealed two major themes:…
Training preferences of homelessness assistance service providers
This brief report presents results from a study that evaluated trainings provided by a local Continuum of Care lead agency to homelessness assistance service providers. The study explored types of trainings desired by participants, benefits and drawbacks of existing trainings and how they are offered, and ways in which trainings and the training delivery system could be improved. Data were collected through semistructured focus groups attended by…
Race and retention in permanent supportive housing
Despite the overrepresentation of People of Color among people experiencing homelessness and ongoing housing discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities, research has paid scant attention to the intersections of race and homelessness, including assessments of race-related outcomes of permanent supportive housing (PSH), a mainstay homeless assistance program in the U.S. The purpose of this study, therefore, framed by the Public Health Crit…
Enhancing Student Commitment to the Micro-Mezzo-Macro Continuum
Despite the importance of macro practice to the social work profession, research related to social work students' preparation and enthusiasm for macro practice suggests that there is significant room for improvement within macro social work education. The purpose of this report is to describe and explore a novel macro social work pedagogy that is designed to encourage student engagement within macro practice social work courses. The Macro Practic…
Beyond Victim Identification
Thousands of youth are sexually trafficked each year in the United States. In order to address this concern, anti-trafficking advocates often emphasize the importance of uniform screening protocols to assist with the identification of survivors. Unfortunately, an oft-overlooked component of sex trafficking identification is what to do once a victim has been identified, and how to best meet survivors' complex needs. In this article, the authors pr…
Perceptions of homelessness and housing solutions
Discrepancies between homelessness perception and reality, as well as policymakers’ assumptions about their constituents’ perceptions, may contribute to policies that exacerbate homelessness and its negative outcomes. To counter these discrepancies, this manuscript introduces a mixed-methods, cross-sectional research protocol that is designed to assess local community member perceptions of and attitudes towards homelessness and potential housing …
Achshav, ani mevinah
A Qualitative Exploration of Sex Trafficking Myths in Israeli Newspaper Media
Media coverage often provides an incomplete or inaccurate picture of sex trafficking and its impact. This study explores how myths about sex trafficking are propagated in Israeli media and how newspapers construct this concept. A thematic analysis was conducted on 90 articles from the past decade. The findings reveal two themes: (a) forms of sex trafficking and (b) characteristics of key figures. Israeli newspaper coverage tends to conflate sex t…
Universality Lost
Response to Comment on “So, You’re a Zionist? Reflections on Philosophy, Theory, Ethics and Values in Social Work Education and Social Justice Advocacy”
So, You’re a Zionist
Reclaiming Zionism as a rights-based social justice movement
Social work’s commitment to human rights and social justice rests historically on Enlightenment principles of universality, rational inquiry, and the inherent dignity and worth of all persons. In recent decades, postmodern philosophy and critical theoretical frameworks have gained prominence within the profession, reshaping how social justice and human rights are conceptualized. This article argues that tensions between Enlightenment humanism and…
Correlates of Youth Sex Trafficking in the United States
This study explores potential correlates of youth sex trafficking (YST) within the exosystem and macrosystem of the social-ecological model (SEM). A literature review of studies ( n = 25) published between 2012 and 2024 identified factors linked to YST vulnerability and demand, including factors related to land use, concentrated disadvantage, the digital environment, and the built and social environment. Protective factors in the exosystem and ma…
Epistemic Pluralism, Open Inquiry, and Constructive Disagreement
Psychology (15 works) · Political science (13 works) · Medicine (12 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Criminology (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Sex work and related issues (7 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (6 works) · Poison control (6 works)