Samira Ali
Biographic Data
| ID | 4227343 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Samira Ali |
| GIVEN NAMES | Samira |
| FAMILY NAME | Ali |
| SIGNATURE | ALI S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Houston |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3995-7761 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 40 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Implementation outcomes of trauma-informed organizational change among HIV service organizations in the Southern United States
Trauma-informed organizational change (TIOC) is possible in HIV service settings ● TIOC was achieved through changes to organizational culture and structure ● Organizational changes demonstrated fidelity to principles of trauma-informed care ● Feasibility of TIOC was impeded by competing organizational priorities ● Feasibility of TIOC was enhanced through effective TIOC trainers and coaches
'People who do this work care deeply… and that makes it harder'
Caught between crisis and criminalization
The landscape of trauma informed care in community-based HIV service organizations in the United States south
Among people living with HIV, trauma is associated with increased viral loads and obstructed access to HIV care. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), a SAMHSA Evidence Based Practice, responds to the impact of trauma for service users by focusing on all aspects of service delivery systems and structures. TIC could be potentially lifesaving in regions where HIV rates continue to rise, like the U.S. South. Thus, the purpose of this study is to (1) understan…
Multilevel factors associated with anxiety symptoms among people living with HIV in the US South
People living with HIV are more likely than people not living with HIV to experience Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Symptoms. Scholars have found that 19%-23% of people living with HIV experience GAD Symptoms. Current studies overwhelmingly examine individual factors among national samples and are not conducted in the US South, where HIV rates have increased significantly in recent years. Even fewer studies examine the multilevel factors that…
Sexual health communication between sex worker mothers and their children in India
In India, relatively little is known about sex worker mothers' beliefs regarding sexual health communication with their children. Using qualitative data collected in Kolkata, India, this study used the Parent Expansion of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine sex worker mothers' beliefs about sexual health communication and factors shaping these beliefs. Sex worker mothers' beliefs about sexual health communication were shaped by societal no…
Striving toward Community-Engaged and Participatory Methods
Community-engaged and participatory methods are increasingly used by academic researchers. Power dynamics in academia shape the landscape in which researchers implement these methods, yet are rarely understood and intentionally addressed. Through the lens of social work researchers at different career stages, this article describes how power relations within academia present challenges to community-engaged and participatory research across four s…
HIV and Mental Health Services in the US South
Learn Harm Reduction
The US South continues to face increases in HIV diagnoses and drug overdose deaths (predominantly opioids). There is a need for organizational changes that enhance quality of care for impacted communities. Harm reduction approaches have the potential to transform organizations to ultimately ultimately provide high quality care. However, little is known about the use of harm reduction approaches in the US South, and there are no known intervention…
Critically Understanding South Asian Sexual Health
This paper responds to the call to better understand sexual health among South Asians in the United States. Utilizing the sexual health model as a guiding framework, this paper examines the state of research on South Asian sexual health, discusses the research gaps and makes practice, policy, and research recommendations. Recommendations for future research include a need for disaggregated data to capture nuances among South Asian ethnic groups; …
Like, What Else Could Go Wrong?” Multiple Contextual Stressors in Food Insecure Households
Food insecurity is often considered in isolation from other stressors, limiting our contextual understanding of individual or familial experiences. Hence, this study examined families in their unique contexts, recognizing the myriad of hardships they experienced. Informed by the cumulative risk framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with 59 caregivers recruited from food pantries in New York. Analytic induction techniques were used for dat…
Examining the Role of a Community-Led Structural Intervention in Shaping Mothering Among Sex Workers in India
The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which community-led structural interventions (CLSI) shape the mothering experiences of sex workers. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 sex worker mothers from Kolkata, India. Participants were recruited from Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a CLSI. Elements of constructivist grounded theory were employed. Results revealed DMSC mobilization (re)shaped mothering for fem…
Getting by in New York City
A lack or low level of social capital is associated with negative outcomes for communities impacted by poverty. However, less is known about how different types of social capital operate on the ground in poverty–impacted urban neighborhoods. This article explores the ways in which bonding, bridging, and linking capital manifest among residents of two poverty–impacted neighborhoods in New York City. Findings of the study reveal that urban neighbor…
Rationalizing poverty in New York
Although poverty rates in the US are among the highest in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), there is limited public support for a new war on poverty and persistent opposition of the provision of generous welfare. This article addresses the long-standing puzzle of why such attitudes have proved so resistant to change. Based on focus groups discussions, this article offers the suggestion that this resistance may be …
Feeling Less Than a Second Class Citizen
It has been argued that individuals living in poverty are shamed, and thus, experience it in various social and institutional spaces. However, little is known about this dynamic in the United States. This study examined the relationship between poverty and shame among individuals living in poverty. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 60 participants in New York, NY. The results reveal that participants experience shame, anger…
Individual, social and community-level predictors of wellbeing in a US sample of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals
In the last decade, increased attention has been paid to the physical and mental health needs of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. However, despite this surge of research, scant literature addresses factors associated with wellbeing among members of this population. Using data from the US Social Justice Sexuality Survey, this study examines predictors of wellbeing in a sample of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. …
Diversity in Social Work Doctoral Programs
Students of color (SOC) face multiple barriers to being admitted and retained in social work doctoral programs. We describe these hurdles and propose approaches to circumvent them. Admission challenges include a lack of guidance, financial hurdles, underpreparedness, and racism directed at applicants. Retention challenges include a dearth of mentorship, financial hardship, lack of academic support, and discrimination experienced by students. We p…
Parental Nonstandard Work Schedules, Parent-Child Communication, and Adolescent Substance Use
The purpose of this study was to examine the cumulative impact of parental nonstandard work schedules (NWS) on adolescent alcohol and cigarette use, with a focus on the mediating role of parent-child communication. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and its Child Supplement, our path analyses revealed that (a) parental NWS affected adolescent alcohol and cigarette use via the openness of parent-child communication rather than th…
It's good to know that you got somebody that's not going anywhere
Child Welfare Professionals’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Child Welfare-Based Natural Mentoring for Older Youth in Foster Care
This qualitative study is the first to explore child welfare professionals’ attitudes and beliefs about implementing natural mentoring as a promising way to smooth the road to independence for older foster youth. The term “natural mentor” refers to a nonparental, caring adult whom a youth identifies in his/her existing social network (e.g., teachers, coaches, adult relatives). Five focus groups were conducted with 20 child welfare professionals f…
Depression and anxiety among HIV-positive sex workers in Kolkata, India
We examine how the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was modified to measure anxiety and depression among HIV-infected sex workers in India. Supervised by a community advisory group, HADS was translated and administered to 100 HIV-infected sex workers in Sonagachi, Kolkata, India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine validity. Results indicate that the inability to remain calm is experienced as depression rather than anxiet…
It's good to know that you got somebody that's not going anywhere
Getting by in New York City
A lack or low level of social capital is associated with negative outcomes for communities impacted by poverty. However, less is known about how different types of social capital operate on the ground in poverty–impacted urban neighborhoods. This article explores the ways in which bonding, bridging, and linking capital manifest among residents of two poverty–impacted neighborhoods in New York City. Findings of the study reveal that urban neighbor…
Diversity in Social Work Doctoral Programs
Students of color (SOC) face multiple barriers to being admitted and retained in social work doctoral programs. We describe these hurdles and propose approaches to circumvent them. Admission challenges include a lack of guidance, financial hurdles, underpreparedness, and racism directed at applicants. Retention challenges include a dearth of mentorship, financial hardship, lack of academic support, and discrimination experienced by students. We p…
Striving toward Community-Engaged and Participatory Methods
Community-engaged and participatory methods are increasingly used by academic researchers. Power dynamics in academia shape the landscape in which researchers implement these methods, yet are rarely understood and intentionally addressed. Through the lens of social work researchers at different career stages, this article describes how power relations within academia present challenges to community-engaged and participatory research across four s…
Feeling Less Than a Second Class Citizen
It has been argued that individuals living in poverty are shamed, and thus, experience it in various social and institutional spaces. However, little is known about this dynamic in the United States. This study examined the relationship between poverty and shame among individuals living in poverty. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 60 participants in New York, NY. The results reveal that participants experience shame, anger…
Like, What Else Could Go Wrong?” Multiple Contextual Stressors in Food Insecure Households
Food insecurity is often considered in isolation from other stressors, limiting our contextual understanding of individual or familial experiences. Hence, this study examined families in their unique contexts, recognizing the myriad of hardships they experienced. Informed by the cumulative risk framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with 59 caregivers recruited from food pantries in New York. Analytic induction techniques were used for dat…
Examining the Role of a Community-Led Structural Intervention in Shaping Mothering Among Sex Workers in India
The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which community-led structural interventions (CLSI) shape the mothering experiences of sex workers. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 sex worker mothers from Kolkata, India. Participants were recruited from Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a CLSI. Elements of constructivist grounded theory were employed. Results revealed DMSC mobilization (re)shaped mothering for fem…
Child Welfare Professionals’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Child Welfare-Based Natural Mentoring for Older Youth in Foster Care
This qualitative study is the first to explore child welfare professionals’ attitudes and beliefs about implementing natural mentoring as a promising way to smooth the road to independence for older foster youth. The term “natural mentor” refers to a nonparental, caring adult whom a youth identifies in his/her existing social network (e.g., teachers, coaches, adult relatives). Five focus groups were conducted with 20 child welfare professionals f…
Parental Nonstandard Work Schedules, Parent-Child Communication, and Adolescent Substance Use
The purpose of this study was to examine the cumulative impact of parental nonstandard work schedules (NWS) on adolescent alcohol and cigarette use, with a focus on the mediating role of parent-child communication. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and its Child Supplement, our path analyses revealed that (a) parental NWS affected adolescent alcohol and cigarette use via the openness of parent-child communication rather than th…
Depression and anxiety among HIV-positive sex workers in Kolkata, India
We examine how the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was modified to measure anxiety and depression among HIV-infected sex workers in India. Supervised by a community advisory group, HADS was translated and administered to 100 HIV-infected sex workers in Sonagachi, Kolkata, India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine validity. Results indicate that the inability to remain calm is experienced as depression rather than anxiet…
Depression and anxiety among HIV-positive sex workers in Kolkata, India
We examine how the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was modified to measure anxiety and depression among HIV-infected sex workers in India. Supervised by a community advisory group, HADS was translated and administered to 100 HIV-infected sex workers in Sonagachi, Kolkata, India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine validity. Results indicate that the inability to remain calm is experienced as depression rather than anxiet…
It's good to know that you got somebody that's not going anywhere
Child Welfare Professionals’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Child Welfare-Based Natural Mentoring for Older Youth in Foster Care
This qualitative study is the first to explore child welfare professionals’ attitudes and beliefs about implementing natural mentoring as a promising way to smooth the road to independence for older foster youth. The term “natural mentor” refers to a nonparental, caring adult whom a youth identifies in his/her existing social network (e.g., teachers, coaches, adult relatives). Five focus groups were conducted with 20 child welfare professionals f…
Parental Nonstandard Work Schedules, Parent-Child Communication, and Adolescent Substance Use
The purpose of this study was to examine the cumulative impact of parental nonstandard work schedules (NWS) on adolescent alcohol and cigarette use, with a focus on the mediating role of parent-child communication. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and its Child Supplement, our path analyses revealed that (a) parental NWS affected adolescent alcohol and cigarette use via the openness of parent-child communication rather than th…
Individual, social and community-level predictors of wellbeing in a US sample of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals
In the last decade, increased attention has been paid to the physical and mental health needs of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. However, despite this surge of research, scant literature addresses factors associated with wellbeing among members of this population. Using data from the US Social Justice Sexuality Survey, this study examines predictors of wellbeing in a sample of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. …
Diversity in Social Work Doctoral Programs
Students of color (SOC) face multiple barriers to being admitted and retained in social work doctoral programs. We describe these hurdles and propose approaches to circumvent them. Admission challenges include a lack of guidance, financial hurdles, underpreparedness, and racism directed at applicants. Retention challenges include a dearth of mentorship, financial hardship, lack of academic support, and discrimination experienced by students. We p…
Rationalizing poverty in New York
Although poverty rates in the US are among the highest in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), there is limited public support for a new war on poverty and persistent opposition of the provision of generous welfare. This article addresses the long-standing puzzle of why such attitudes have proved so resistant to change. Based on focus groups discussions, this article offers the suggestion that this resistance may be …
Feeling Less Than a Second Class Citizen
It has been argued that individuals living in poverty are shamed, and thus, experience it in various social and institutional spaces. However, little is known about this dynamic in the United States. This study examined the relationship between poverty and shame among individuals living in poverty. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 60 participants in New York, NY. The results reveal that participants experience shame, anger…
Getting by in New York City
A lack or low level of social capital is associated with negative outcomes for communities impacted by poverty. However, less is known about how different types of social capital operate on the ground in poverty–impacted urban neighborhoods. This article explores the ways in which bonding, bridging, and linking capital manifest among residents of two poverty–impacted neighborhoods in New York City. Findings of the study reveal that urban neighbor…
Critically Understanding South Asian Sexual Health
This paper responds to the call to better understand sexual health among South Asians in the United States. Utilizing the sexual health model as a guiding framework, this paper examines the state of research on South Asian sexual health, discusses the research gaps and makes practice, policy, and research recommendations. Recommendations for future research include a need for disaggregated data to capture nuances among South Asian ethnic groups; …
Like, What Else Could Go Wrong?” Multiple Contextual Stressors in Food Insecure Households
Food insecurity is often considered in isolation from other stressors, limiting our contextual understanding of individual or familial experiences. Hence, this study examined families in their unique contexts, recognizing the myriad of hardships they experienced. Informed by the cumulative risk framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with 59 caregivers recruited from food pantries in New York. Analytic induction techniques were used for dat…
Examining the Role of a Community-Led Structural Intervention in Shaping Mothering Among Sex Workers in India
The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which community-led structural interventions (CLSI) shape the mothering experiences of sex workers. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 sex worker mothers from Kolkata, India. Participants were recruited from Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a CLSI. Elements of constructivist grounded theory were employed. Results revealed DMSC mobilization (re)shaped mothering for fem…
Learn Harm Reduction
The US South continues to face increases in HIV diagnoses and drug overdose deaths (predominantly opioids). There is a need for organizational changes that enhance quality of care for impacted communities. Harm reduction approaches have the potential to transform organizations to ultimately ultimately provide high quality care. However, little is known about the use of harm reduction approaches in the US South, and there are no known intervention…
Multilevel factors associated with anxiety symptoms among people living with HIV in the US South
People living with HIV are more likely than people not living with HIV to experience Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Symptoms. Scholars have found that 19%-23% of people living with HIV experience GAD Symptoms. Current studies overwhelmingly examine individual factors among national samples and are not conducted in the US South, where HIV rates have increased significantly in recent years. Even fewer studies examine the multilevel factors that…
Sexual health communication between sex worker mothers and their children in India
In India, relatively little is known about sex worker mothers' beliefs regarding sexual health communication with their children. Using qualitative data collected in Kolkata, India, this study used the Parent Expansion of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine sex worker mothers' beliefs about sexual health communication and factors shaping these beliefs. Sex worker mothers' beliefs about sexual health communication were shaped by societal no…
Striving toward Community-Engaged and Participatory Methods
Community-engaged and participatory methods are increasingly used by academic researchers. Power dynamics in academia shape the landscape in which researchers implement these methods, yet are rarely understood and intentionally addressed. Through the lens of social work researchers at different career stages, this article describes how power relations within academia present challenges to community-engaged and participatory research across four s…
HIV and Mental Health Services in the US South
The landscape of trauma informed care in community-based HIV service organizations in the United States south
Among people living with HIV, trauma is associated with increased viral loads and obstructed access to HIV care. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), a SAMHSA Evidence Based Practice, responds to the impact of trauma for service users by focusing on all aspects of service delivery systems and structures. TIC could be potentially lifesaving in regions where HIV rates continue to rise, like the U.S. South. Thus, the purpose of this study is to (1) understan…
Implementation outcomes of trauma-informed organizational change among HIV service organizations in the Southern United States
Trauma-informed organizational change (TIOC) is possible in HIV service settings ● TIOC was achieved through changes to organizational culture and structure ● Organizational changes demonstrated fidelity to principles of trauma-informed care ● Feasibility of TIOC was impeded by competing organizational priorities ● Feasibility of TIOC was enhanced through effective TIOC trainers and coaches
'People who do this work care deeply… and that makes it harder'
Caught between crisis and criminalization
Psychology (16 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Political science (11 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Psychological intervention (7 works) · Nursing (6 works) · Qualitative research (6 works) · Economics (5 works)