Asian Social Work and Policy Review最新文献

This article reports an evaluation study of co-parenting education services in a pilot project on co-parenting support services in Hong Kong. Based on the Cooperative Parenting Institute (CPI) model, there are two levels of education program: Level 1 is an information-based program delivered through talks or lecture format; and Level 2 is participatory, interactive workshops. The study results would provide preliminary support to the effectiveness of the CPI-based education programs in reducing inter-parental conflicts with additional effectiveness on the reduction of putting children in the middle for parents participating in the Level 2 program. In response to the findings, it is recommended to match the participants’ level of conflicts with the appropriate level of program. Parents with high conflict need more intensive program. Consequently, a range of mutual support and booster sessions is recommended to maintain the parents’ commitment to co-parenting after the education. The CPI-based model is recommended to be the reference or protocol for training the social workers of related services. Moreover, cross-disciplinary training may equip supporting professions such as judges, lawyers, and mediators with a common framework to facilitate appropriate court order or advice on the appropriate level of the education program.

In India, sanitation work is predominantly undertaken by persons from oppressed castes whose customary roles relegate them to stigmatized occupations. Women sanitation workers, comprising nearly half of the urban workforce, grapple with multiply marginalized identities and social positions. Marginalized at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation, they contend with violence and socio-economic discrimination. The literature on the occupational and psychosocial risks of sanitation workers indicates that the mental health concerns of women sanitation workers remain largely unaddressed in research and public policy. This paper draws on an analytical review of research on women sanitation workers’ occupational and psychosocial risks with the objective of conceptualizing the relationship between marginalization and mental health. Utilizing intersectionality and social systems theories to present women sanitation workers as a critical case, their experiences of marginalization at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation are analyzed. Consequently, a conceptual model of mental health outcomes at the intersections of multiply marginalized identities and social positions is developed to analyze the implications of marginalization for mental health. Guidelines for action to inform public policy and social work practice are suggested, emphasizing the need for intersectional interventions and a social justice framework in mental health care for marginalized groups.

This study aimed to explore the association between the experience of polyvictimization in childhood and physical/mental health during early adulthood (between the ages of 18–39). Retrospective cross-sectional data from 406 respondents aged 18–39 were selected from the 2012 Korean General Social Survey. Following standards set in previous studies, polyvictimization is defined in this study as experiencing five or more types of violence. The outcomes of this study included self-rated health, depression, and suicidal ideation. The results indicated that 8.37% (n = 34) of the total respondents were polyvictimized. This study found that all health-related outcomes in adulthood were significantly associated with polyvictimization in childhood, and women who experienced polyvictimization in childhood faced greater the risk of suicidal ideation and depression than men. In conclusion, this study suggests the importance of taking into account the lasting association of childhood polyvictimization with health into adulthood. Practical implications for social work and suggestions for future studies are described.

After the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese central government has issued a series of policies and regulations to guide the prevention and control of the epidemic in the elderly care industry. Social workers provided a series of services for older adults in nursing homes and in the community. All efforts made by government agencies and social workers have helped older adults go through the difficult time.

Taking a nomadic community in Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China as an example, this paper analyzes the local characteristics of chronic diseases suffered by families and nomads in the nomadic area of Inner Mongolia and puts forward the problem of ignoring the local cultural and ecological factors in the social welfare system dealing with the chronic diseases of nomadic area. The paper describes disregard of the welfare system, institutions, communities, families, and individuals of chronic diseases in the nomadic area and points out that social work practice research should be carried out based on the cultural and ecological relevance and local knowledge of the nomadic area. It is believed that the family healthcare model suitable for nomadic area has practical significance for effectively dealing with chronic diseases in the nomadic area.

Based on a large-scale survey conducted with parents from Japanese language schools in Sydney in 2015, this paper aims to review multiple dimensions of social cohesion in the Japanese ethnic community in Australia. Looking at several indices such as economic, political, and cultural integration, the paper describes the social profile of the Japanese ethnic community, questioning the generic perception of the community as a coherent body of middle-class migrants in Australia. This was achieved through a comparative analysis with outcomes of a national survey of the Australian population on social cohesion and draws attention to the ways in which a particular sense of social cohesion with Australian society is constructed by Japanese migrants. The study found a differentiated sense of belonging to the local community, country of residence (Australia), and nation of origin (Japan). It found communal diversity in the Japanese community resulting from there being a majority of women migrants who were part of cross-border marriages and their children living in multicultural family circumstances. It was concluded that this configuration within the community leads to advocacy related to a re-identification as a possible ethnic group of migrants that should be recognized in an inclusive migration settlement policy in Australia.

This paper extends the Active Aging Index (AAI) to China to measure active aging among men and women over the age of 55. The strength of the AAI approach lies in its selection of a dashboard of multidimensional indicators of active aging, which are then aggregated into composite measures. The analysis used here considers the differences between men and women on 22 AAI indicators and their aggregations. China scores high on the first domain of the AAI (employment), is comparable with the EU countries on the second (participation in society), and scores lower on the third and fourth domains (independent and health living, and capacity and enabling environment). China has one of the largest gender gaps in active aging, especially in employment, but also in the domain of “Independent Living.” The comparison with EU countries points to a number of policy priorities and learnings, including the removal of disincentives to women working longer, namely differential mandatory and occupational retirement ages, and the introduction of measures to make workplaces more age and gender friendly.

Abu Dhabi's transformation to a modern society in recent decades provides an ideal context to explore the interplay of tradition, transition, and modernization at various levels, which shapes the trajectory of the development of social trust. This study offers multilevel analyses of the effects of social, psychological, and ethnical factors on social trust by using data from Abu Dhabi General Social Survey conducted in 2018. The results sustain the validity of both social capital and social network theories in explaining social trust. Contrary to the findings in other Middle East countries, in Abu Dhabi, the full-time employed and people who are more satisfied with their household income tend to show a higher level of trust. A negative but insignificant relationship is found between community ethnic fragmentation and social trust.

There is growing interest in adopting basic income as a new social protection policy in many countries. South Korea is no exception. There have been heated discussions on the benefits and costs of adopting basic income as a universal income support program among policy makers and academics in South Korea. However, one of the problems in the discourse of basic income discussion in South Korea has been a lack of clear definition of basic income. In this study, we develop a basic income fidelity index (BIFI) that can be applied to basic income programs to show how fully a program fits to the basic income concept. Such an index can be useful in making the terminologies and concepts of basic income clearer. We test feasibility of BIFI by applying it to four different case examples of basic income; Alaska Permanent Fund, UK Child Trust Fund, Switzerland’s Basic Income Plan, and Finland’s Basic Income Experiment. We show BIFI can be a useful tool to differentiate various types of basic income. It can be also used to identify strengths and weaknesses of a basic income scheme.

The importance of preventive health examinations for older adults has been well emphasized due to an increase in chronic diseases associated with age. In this study, we estimated the preventive health examination participation rate and its associated factors among the elderly with specific focuses on the moderating effects between age and socioeconomic status. We used data drawn from the first to sixth waves (4164 people) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging for the elderly aged 65 and over. A generalized linear model was used to address research questions. The results showed that the participation rate decreased as older adults age. The interaction between age and education was also significant, indicating that older adults with higher education were more likely to use a preventive health examination compared to those with lower education. There were no significant interaction effects between income and age. Based on the findings, implications for theory and practice were discussed with specific focuses on age-specific approaches in preventive healthcare services for older adults.