Pub Date : 2023-08-13DOI: 10.1177/14680173231194439
Shunichiro Nakao, Yuji Fukumori, Yumi Takahashi, H. Ogura, Jun Oda
When elderly patients are admitted to a hospital, they may require support from medical social workers during hospitalization. This study examined the association between patient characteristics and support provided by medical social workers in applications for social welfare benefits during hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients aged 65 years or older between October 2018 and September 2021 who had involvement by a medical social worker during their hospitalization at a tertiary care hospital in Japan. We evaluated associations between background factors and support in applying for social welfare benefits by medical social workers using logistic regression analysis. Among 485 eligible patients, 79 (16.3%) received support from a medical social worker in an application for social welfare benefits. Early elderly age (65–74 years) and living alone were independently associated with receiving support from medical social workers (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–3.37, P = .012; 3.86, 95% CI 2.26–6.62, P < .001, respectively), regardless of sex, activities of daily living before admission, and presence of a regular doctor. The findings suggest that early elderly individuals who live alone may not be able to utilize the available welfare benefits and not have adequate support from family members when admitted to a tertiary care hospital, even if they have adequate activities of daily living and a regular doctor. Early intervention to improve social vulnerability may be required for early elderly individuals who live alone.
{"title":"Medical social worker support for elderly patients in a tertiary care hospital in Japan","authors":"Shunichiro Nakao, Yuji Fukumori, Yumi Takahashi, H. Ogura, Jun Oda","doi":"10.1177/14680173231194439","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231194439","url":null,"abstract":"When elderly patients are admitted to a hospital, they may require support from medical social workers during hospitalization. This study examined the association between patient characteristics and support provided by medical social workers in applications for social welfare benefits during hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients aged 65 years or older between October 2018 and September 2021 who had involvement by a medical social worker during their hospitalization at a tertiary care hospital in Japan. We evaluated associations between background factors and support in applying for social welfare benefits by medical social workers using logistic regression analysis. Among 485 eligible patients, 79 (16.3%) received support from a medical social worker in an application for social welfare benefits. Early elderly age (65–74 years) and living alone were independently associated with receiving support from medical social workers (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–3.37, P = .012; 3.86, 95% CI 2.26–6.62, P < .001, respectively), regardless of sex, activities of daily living before admission, and presence of a regular doctor. The findings suggest that early elderly individuals who live alone may not be able to utilize the available welfare benefits and not have adequate support from family members when admitted to a tertiary care hospital, even if they have adequate activities of daily living and a regular doctor. Early intervention to improve social vulnerability may be required for early elderly individuals who live alone.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41375717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-21DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180308
Alfonso Chaves-Montero, Octavio Vazquez-Aguado
Summary This article is a systematic review of the Spanish scientific production in social work hosted in the Web of Science. Findings The article analyzes the current state of social work research in Spain. Since the creation of the European Higher Education Area, Spanish social work has had to meet university research requirements, including the publication of papers in journals indexed in the world's leading databases. Spanish scientific production is analyzed from its beginnings until 2020. The main findings were that most of such research that was published by Spanish social work academic was in Spanish, while other categories of authors, such as nonsocial work Spanish academic, publish more in English. Spanish-language journals were mostly indexed in Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), while those in English were in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) or Scopus, consistently receiving few citations. Women as main authors exceeded men in percentages of indexed articles. Bibliometric quality measures constructed with Scopus were slightly better than those with JCR. The most developed topics in the area were general and transversal issues such as immigration, social services, social intervention, and social policies. Applications The study demonstrates to Spanish social work researchers that they have greater likelihood of obtaining better quality indexes if they publish in English in JCR- and Scopus-indexed journals, resulting in enhanced academic career visibility.
{"title":"A systematic review of Spanish academic production in the field of social work","authors":"Alfonso Chaves-Montero, Octavio Vazquez-Aguado","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180308","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180308","url":null,"abstract":"Summary This article is a systematic review of the Spanish scientific production in social work hosted in the Web of Science. Findings The article analyzes the current state of social work research in Spain. Since the creation of the European Higher Education Area, Spanish social work has had to meet university research requirements, including the publication of papers in journals indexed in the world's leading databases. Spanish scientific production is analyzed from its beginnings until 2020. The main findings were that most of such research that was published by Spanish social work academic was in Spanish, while other categories of authors, such as nonsocial work Spanish academic, publish more in English. Spanish-language journals were mostly indexed in Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), while those in English were in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) or Scopus, consistently receiving few citations. Women as main authors exceeded men in percentages of indexed articles. Bibliometric quality measures constructed with Scopus were slightly better than those with JCR. The most developed topics in the area were general and transversal issues such as immigration, social services, social intervention, and social policies. Applications The study demonstrates to Spanish social work researchers that they have greater likelihood of obtaining better quality indexes if they publish in English in JCR- and Scopus-indexed journals, resulting in enhanced academic career visibility.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45645755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-20DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180271
M. Collins, Adrianna Spindle-Jackson
Summary Youth who are disconnected from both education and work are at risk for a difficult life trajectory. This population requires policy and practice attention from social work. In this article, we report results from two research studies in the United States focused on the workforce development system serving the disconnected youth population. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 61 respondents in various geographic areas. Findings The focus of the analysis was data related to youth strengths and employment-related realities. Additionally, we examined the extent to which social work was reportedly engaged in this work. Respondents identified strengths of the youth population to include resilience, creativity, and willingness to contribute their perspectives. The described realities of employment suggest many challenges (e.g., employer reluctance, limited information on opportunities, and immediate economic realities). Social work was only mentioned in a few instances but in a positive light. Applications The findings have direct application for guiding further social work engagement in this practice and policy area. These applications include providing leadership to workforce development systems in the use of strengths perspectives, meeting youth where they are at, engaging in holistic interventions to address basic needs, and strengthening collaborations. Applications to social work research and education are also identified.
{"title":"Understanding youth circumstances in workforce development programs: Opportunities for social work","authors":"M. Collins, Adrianna Spindle-Jackson","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180271","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Youth who are disconnected from both education and work are at risk for a difficult life trajectory. This population requires policy and practice attention from social work. In this article, we report results from two research studies in the United States focused on the workforce development system serving the disconnected youth population. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 61 respondents in various geographic areas. Findings The focus of the analysis was data related to youth strengths and employment-related realities. Additionally, we examined the extent to which social work was reportedly engaged in this work. Respondents identified strengths of the youth population to include resilience, creativity, and willingness to contribute their perspectives. The described realities of employment suggest many challenges (e.g., employer reluctance, limited information on opportunities, and immediate economic realities). Social work was only mentioned in a few instances but in a positive light. Applications The findings have direct application for guiding further social work engagement in this practice and policy area. These applications include providing leadership to workforce development systems in the use of strengths perspectives, meeting youth where they are at, engaging in holistic interventions to address basic needs, and strengthening collaborations. Applications to social work research and education are also identified.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43426137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-15DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180280
Diana Cedeño
Although Latinx families comprise the largest growing population in the United States, research has not examined how the lack of social inclusion (e.g., multidimensional term comprising economic, political, and cultural dimensions, among others) influences the lives of low-income Latina mothers. Social inclusion, which is a term born as a counterpart to social exclusion, has been overlooked as an alternative construct that allows the development of personal agency. Contrary to social exclusion paradigms which often focus on deficits, social inclusion focuses on recognizing inherit strengths among vulnerable families. The first purpose of this research is to explore social inclusion (a strength perspective) as a much-needed alternative to social exclusion (deficit view). The second is to describe the experiences of low social inclusion among low-income urban Latina mothers via two interviews, a focus group, recollection of artifacts from participants, and reflective journaling, which were documented within a context of a feminist action research intervention. Participants consisted of 12 low-income Latina mothers ( N = 12) who participated in a financial literacy intervention. Via thematic analysis, findings confirmed two new dimensions of low social inclusion not found in traditional literature: low language and technological inclusion. Recommendations for social work practitioners and future research include developing culturally relevant interventions among minoritized communities and families, for instance, by promoting bilingual curricula and implementing technology in current interventions, which can have significant positive effects on the social inclusion of vulnerable communities.
{"title":"Language and technological inclusion among immigrant low-income Latina mothers: A feminist action research intervention","authors":"Diana Cedeño","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180280","url":null,"abstract":"Although Latinx families comprise the largest growing population in the United States, research has not examined how the lack of social inclusion (e.g., multidimensional term comprising economic, political, and cultural dimensions, among others) influences the lives of low-income Latina mothers. Social inclusion, which is a term born as a counterpart to social exclusion, has been overlooked as an alternative construct that allows the development of personal agency. Contrary to social exclusion paradigms which often focus on deficits, social inclusion focuses on recognizing inherit strengths among vulnerable families. The first purpose of this research is to explore social inclusion (a strength perspective) as a much-needed alternative to social exclusion (deficit view). The second is to describe the experiences of low social inclusion among low-income urban Latina mothers via two interviews, a focus group, recollection of artifacts from participants, and reflective journaling, which were documented within a context of a feminist action research intervention. Participants consisted of 12 low-income Latina mothers ( N = 12) who participated in a financial literacy intervention. Via thematic analysis, findings confirmed two new dimensions of low social inclusion not found in traditional literature: low language and technological inclusion. Recommendations for social work practitioners and future research include developing culturally relevant interventions among minoritized communities and families, for instance, by promoting bilingual curricula and implementing technology in current interventions, which can have significant positive effects on the social inclusion of vulnerable communities.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42425819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-12DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180307
S. Karim
This article reviews the existing literature on power within a social work context and extends the analysis to broader sociological understandings through which to rethink the ways in which social work professionals understand and work with power within everyday practice. The review argues that prevailing dichotomies, which feature so centrally in theoretical conceptualisations of power, offering binary positions of power as ‘good or bad’, ‘positive or negative’ and ‘productive or limiting’ are limiting in themselves. It is argued that power must also be recognised as a construct which operates in a synchronous way; whereby it can impact in limiting and productive ways at the same time. To support this position, the Power-informed Practice (PiP) framework, which recognises power at the individual, professional and structural levels is offered. The utility of the framework in providing a clearer understanding of power is then presented in relation to working with children who have experienced abuse. As a tool, the framework enables social workers to structure their analysis of power within all areas of contemporary social work practice, in order to promote and support processes of empowerment.
{"title":"Power-informed practice in social work","authors":"S. Karim","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180307","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180307","url":null,"abstract":"This article reviews the existing literature on power within a social work context and extends the analysis to broader sociological understandings through which to rethink the ways in which social work professionals understand and work with power within everyday practice. The review argues that prevailing dichotomies, which feature so centrally in theoretical conceptualisations of power, offering binary positions of power as ‘good or bad’, ‘positive or negative’ and ‘productive or limiting’ are limiting in themselves. It is argued that power must also be recognised as a construct which operates in a synchronous way; whereby it can impact in limiting and productive ways at the same time. To support this position, the Power-informed Practice (PiP) framework, which recognises power at the individual, professional and structural levels is offered. The utility of the framework in providing a clearer understanding of power is then presented in relation to working with children who have experienced abuse. As a tool, the framework enables social workers to structure their analysis of power within all areas of contemporary social work practice, in order to promote and support processes of empowerment.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43501636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-02DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180277
Yongjin Wang
{"title":"Book Review: Men, families, and poverty: Tracing the intergenerational trajectories of place-based hardship by Kahryn Hughes and Anna Tarrant","authors":"Yongjin Wang","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180277","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41590598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-02DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180290
Melanie Akello
{"title":"Book Review: My journey to becoming a Black male social worker: Challenges, reflections and lived experiences by Debonico Aleski Brandy-Williams","authors":"Melanie Akello","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180290","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42067300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-31DOI: 10.1177/14680173231180269
Anwar Lubis
{"title":"Book Review: Social work practice in health: An Introduction to contexts, theories, and skills by Melissa Petrakis","authors":"Anwar Lubis","doi":"10.1177/14680173231180269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231180269","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41339925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-29DOI: 10.1177/14680173231165929
R. Holler, Chen Bondorevsky-Heyman
Summary People with intellectual disabilities still struggle to enjoy intimate and sexual relationships. Social workers have a potentially key role in realizing the intimate and sexual rights of people with intellectual disabilities, particularly in residential settings. However, we still know relatively little about the meaning social workers attribute to such relationships. The present study addresses this lacuna by examining the perceptions and practices of 15 Israeli social workers in residential settings. Findings Drawing on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, two key themes are identified: (1) Intimate relationships as a human need, and (2) Intimacy with a question mark. Combined, these themes depict an ambivalent position toward residents’ intimate and sexual relationships. Applications The study's findings highlight the need to incorporate intimacy and sexuality within social work education, with a particular focus on people with intellectual disabilities and positive aspects of intimacy and sexuality. From a policy perspective, the findings urge state and professional authorities to develop national guidelines on realizing intimate rights.
{"title":"Social workers’ perceptions of intimate relationships of people with intellectual disabilities in residential settings","authors":"R. Holler, Chen Bondorevsky-Heyman","doi":"10.1177/14680173231165929","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231165929","url":null,"abstract":"Summary People with intellectual disabilities still struggle to enjoy intimate and sexual relationships. Social workers have a potentially key role in realizing the intimate and sexual rights of people with intellectual disabilities, particularly in residential settings. However, we still know relatively little about the meaning social workers attribute to such relationships. The present study addresses this lacuna by examining the perceptions and practices of 15 Israeli social workers in residential settings. Findings Drawing on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, two key themes are identified: (1) Intimate relationships as a human need, and (2) Intimacy with a question mark. Combined, these themes depict an ambivalent position toward residents’ intimate and sexual relationships. Applications The study's findings highlight the need to incorporate intimacy and sexuality within social work education, with a particular focus on people with intellectual disabilities and positive aspects of intimacy and sexuality. From a policy perspective, the findings urge state and professional authorities to develop national guidelines on realizing intimate rights.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43285131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-25DOI: 10.1177/14680173231166112
Gokul Mandayam, M. Nandan, E. Bowen
Summary Social workers engage with marginalized communities impacted by challenges that are intensely complex and dynamic. This necessitates designing strategies and interventions that are sustainable, effective, nonduplicative and collaborative across systems and organizations. This article aims to provide a synthesis of three frameworks that can intersect to facilitate systems-level change: community practice, collective impact, and design thinking. Each framework provides unique contributions for bolstering contemporary macro social work practice. Findings The article provides an overview of the three frameworks and their distinctive features, limitations, and points of intersection. The integration of community practice with collective impact and design thinking frameworks for enabling social workers to come up with innovative solutions that include diverse stakeholder perspectives is elucidated with a case example. Application The article specifies the implications of integrating community practice, collective impact, and design thinking for further strengthening social work practice, education, and research.
{"title":"Convergence of community social work practice, collective impact, and design thinking: What, why, and how?","authors":"Gokul Mandayam, M. Nandan, E. Bowen","doi":"10.1177/14680173231166112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231166112","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Social workers engage with marginalized communities impacted by challenges that are intensely complex and dynamic. This necessitates designing strategies and interventions that are sustainable, effective, nonduplicative and collaborative across systems and organizations. This article aims to provide a synthesis of three frameworks that can intersect to facilitate systems-level change: community practice, collective impact, and design thinking. Each framework provides unique contributions for bolstering contemporary macro social work practice. Findings The article provides an overview of the three frameworks and their distinctive features, limitations, and points of intersection. The integration of community practice with collective impact and design thinking frameworks for enabling social workers to come up with innovative solutions that include diverse stakeholder perspectives is elucidated with a case example. Application The article specifies the implications of integrating community practice, collective impact, and design thinking for further strengthening social work practice, education, and research.","PeriodicalId":47142,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48231419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}