Asian Social Work and Policy Review最新文献

The main objective of this study was to explore the status of social behavior practices for child protection and well-being among low-income urban households in Bangladesh. This study used a survey method, and data were collected through a face-to-face structured interview from 378 low-income household heads from 12 wards (Konabari and Kashimpur) of Zone 5 of the Gazipur City Corporation. Results found that the current status of the presence of child protection services is very low (in many cases, this number is zero except children having birth registered). A significant number (55%) of them were married between 15 and 19 years. The study found a low level of access on the components of social behaviors where around 50% to 60% caregivers stated 4 benefits of key behaviors, necessity of hand washing after defecation and before and after taking a meal, the age of boys and girls to get married off, and know the effect and consequences of child marriage. The chi-squared tests confirmed extremely high significance in almost all of the components. Findings will be an important guideline for the policymakers, child service practitioners, and human rights workers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal, reciprocal effects between disability acceptance, self-efficacy, and interpersonal ability and to discuss implications for persons with disability. For this purpose, we used the third (2018–2020) raw data of the second Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED), implemented by the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disability. We used an autoregressive cross-lagged model to test reciprocal effects, and 4420 persons with disability responded to the three above-mentioned waves of the PSED. The findings were as follows. First, disability acceptance, self-efficacy, and interpersonal ability had significant effects on disability acceptance, self-efficacy, and interpersonal ability in the third, fourth, and fifth waves. Second, there was a statistically significant longitudinal, reciprocal relationship between disability acceptance and self-efficacy. In addition, self-efficacy had a significant longitudinal, reciprocal relationship with interpersonal ability. However, interpersonal ability had a statistically significant longitudinal effect on disability acceptance, but not vice versa. Based on these results, we provided suggestions regarding how to improve disability acceptance, self-efficacy, and interpersonal ability among persons with disability.

The specific aims of this systematic review are to (1) understand the prevalence and context for women's unpaid care work in South Asia, (2) explore factors that affect the prevalence of unpaid care work, and (3) identify gaps in the extant research on unpaid care work that influence women's lives. Using the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched 18 databases and identified 13 research studies. Drawing on the devaluation framework, we found three main recurring themes in the selected studies. First, women in South Asia disproportionately share the burden of unpaid care work responsibilities. Second, due to sociocultural norms, unpaid care work is unrecognized and devalued as are those who perform it. Third, flexible working arrangements for women are not currently being offered. We conclude that there is a need for care work policies that incorporate the unique cultures, demographics, and labor markets in South Asian contexts.

Social harmony and community wellbeing can be addressed by promoting life satisfaction and happiness within society. As part of the attempts to understand and promote life satisfaction and happiness within society, this study examined how religiosity can contribute to these two outcome variables. More specifically, this study examined the mediating effect of self-control, self-regulation, and life satisfaction on the relationship between religiosity and happiness. Six hundred and twenty-eight middle (628) adults from Medan, Indonesia were recruited through stratified sampling. They completed five self-report scales on Subjective Happiness Scale; Satisfaction with Life Scale; Centrality of Religiosity Scale; brief Self-control Scale and Self-regulation Scale. Data were analyzed by applying Structural Equation Model (using the LISREL software 8.80), which provides simultaneous examination of variance between endogenous and exogenous variables. Results revealed that people who reported higher level of religiosity also scored high on self-control and self-regulation scales, life satisfaction, which, in turn, are related to more happiness. The finding provides evidence for more specific mechanism in which religiosity contributes to life satisfaction and happiness of the individuals and consequently society wellbeing. Theoretical and practical implications related to the findings are discussed.

The self-care practices of social workers have garnered increasing attention in the literature, yet little is known about the case of China. To explore the self-care practices of Chinese social workers under the COVID-19 pandemic, this study uses the Self-Care Practice Scale (SCPS) to measure the self-care practices of social workers (N = 1066) in Fujian Province, China. The results indicate that Chinese social workers engage in moderate amounts of self-care practices under the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant group differences exist in social workers' self-care practices by marital status, parenting status, age, health satisfaction, years of practicing social work, average hours of work per day, resignation intention, job satisfaction, number of received supervision services in a year, and self-care education. Significant predictors of self-care include marital status, monthly salary, service status, average hours of work per day, number of received supervision services in a year, school self-care education, job satisfaction, and health satisfaction. This study has practical implications for self-care education and practice, including workplace health promotion and the development of self-care practice policies.

Families play a significant role in the development of their children. Nearly 16% of children in the industrialized world live in single-parent households, which are mostly comprised of single mothers. Although motherhood is the most beautiful feeling a woman cherishes, this experience can be challenging when the woman has to raise their special-needs child on her own, without the support of her spouse or partner. This study aims to understand the challenges and coping strategies of single mothers while raising their special-needs children. To this end, in-depth case interviews were conducted with three single mothers selected purposively from the Srinagar area in Kashmir, India. The results revealed that multiple roles and responsibilities had an adverse effect on the psychological well-being of single mothers who had to deal with the financial burden of caring for their child's condition, including expenses for doctor visits, special therapies and medication, among other. In addition, they had to experience the social pressure and stigmatization attached to being a single mother. The most widely employed coping strategies include support from family and friends, religious faith, and self-coping. The study recommends the creation of welfare packages like free counseling, stipend support, inclusive education, free medical treatment, and therapies for Children with Special Needs (CWSNs) and their mothers.

Housekeeping and sanitary workers are crucial for the functional efficiency and hygiene of healthcare facilities. In India, women from oppressed castes and backward classes are predominantly recruited in these occupations. The work, regarded as “polluting,” is stigmatized, devalued, and lies at the historical and sociocultural intersections of caste, class, and gender. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper utilizes the concepts of “feminization of labor” and “care ethics” to read caste into an intersectional theoretical analysis of the organization of marginalized women's labor in such essential, yet invisibilized healthcare work. An exploratory narrative review of literature focusing exclusively on marginalized healthcare housekeepers and sanitation workers in India is undertaken and supplemented with a critical analysis of labor laws and policies to trace the sustained reproduction of the caste-based sexual division of labor in these occupations. I propose that their exploitative terms and conditions are sustained by what I refer to as the “feminine caste contract” – a complex sociopolitical and legal arrangement of precarious, casteist, and gendered work conditions. Recognizing the exploitation inherent in this contract, recommendations are made for social work education and practice to play a key role in restructuring marginalized women's labor in essential care work.

Childhood maltreatment is a universal issue impacting developmental outcomes, including the likelihood of experiencing violence in later life. Although previous works have focused on the cycle of abuse, the cycle of revictimization and neglect is less well-understood. In the current study, childhood exposure to maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) are examined as potential risk factors for dating relationships in adulthood. A group of 1200 adults (mean age = 46.60 years; range: 20–84 years) were recruited from the registered residential population of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. Logistic regression analyses were conducted and revealed that childhood physical abuse was associated with physical, emotional, and financial violence in dating relationships. In addition, childhood emotional abuse exposure was associated with physical and sexual dating violence. Although childhood exposure to neglect did not explain any types of adulthood dating violence, it appears that experiencing abuse during childhood is highly related to dating violence in adulthood. Our findings revealed the importance of understanding the different types of childhood maltreatment, especially in terms of how they relate to violence victimization in the context of dating in adulthood. Interventions should address the various types of childhood victimization by family members to help prevent dating violence in adulthood.

This paper explores social work students' perspectives of online fieldwork practice that emerged due to sudden disruption in field placement as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 in India. We have recruited and interviewed 32 Master's students from five north-Indian universities to participate in the research. The study's findings highlight ill-equipped agencies lacking social work components in online/virtual field placement. Also, ethical dilemmas in working virtually, disconnectedness from the field, and superficial supervision were experienced by the students. The study result implies the urgent need to develop and innovate a pedagogical approach to deal with uncertainties and crises like the COVID-19.

This paper aimed to examine the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the distribution of social assistance (SA) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The paper adopts a qualitative case-study approach to explore the best practices in the distribution of SA by five (5) organizations including FBOs, governmental organizations (GOs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), political groups, and private voluntary groups. In this study, 14 beneficiaries of SA were selected by stratified proportionate random sampling method, and five (5) key personnel were selected purposively based on their experiences in the management of SA distribution. The study found that “no-move, no touch” approach followed by FBOs is more likely to establish human rights and social justice and reduce the transmission of diseases. In contrast to the modern idea, which undermines the faith-based charity, the study proved that faith-based charity is gaining attraction as an effective approach combating global pandemic. The findings of this paper will be useful for policymakers, voluntary service workers, GO, and NGO workers to ensure the distribution of SA in a more productive and disciplined way during and after an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic.