J. Mathias, John Doering-White, Yvonne S. Smith, Melissa Hardesty
This article considers how ethnography can contribute to developing causal theories relevant to social work practice. Social work researchers typically reserve causal inferences for studies that rely on certain quantitative study designs, and ethnography tends to be seen as insufficient for making causal claims. Integrating data from three ethnographies of social work practice, this article posits that ethnography is particularly well equipped to (a) identify causal processes that do not fit existing academic theories, (b) document causal theories implicit in social action, and (c) examine how competing causal theories are contested. Such contributions can enrich causal inquiry that has traditionally prioritized prediction (what is the likelihood of this happening?) over explanation (how does this work?). This is consistent with recent calls for attention to causal mechanisms in implementation science and other fields. Ethnography can expand the causal vocabulary of social work research, bringing depth and nuance to causal theories while also making these theories more amenable to uptake by practitioners.
{"title":"Situated Causality: What Ethnography Can Contribute to Causal Inquiry in Social Work","authors":"J. Mathias, John Doering-White, Yvonne S. Smith, Melissa Hardesty","doi":"10.1093/SWR/SVAA027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/SWR/SVAA027","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This article considers how ethnography can contribute to developing causal theories relevant to social work practice. Social work researchers typically reserve causal inferences for studies that rely on certain quantitative study designs, and ethnography tends to be seen as insufficient for making causal claims. Integrating data from three ethnographies of social work practice, this article posits that ethnography is particularly well equipped to (a) identify causal processes that do not fit existing academic theories, (b) document causal theories implicit in social action, and (c) examine how competing causal theories are contested. Such contributions can enrich causal inquiry that has traditionally prioritized prediction (what is the likelihood of this happening?) over explanation (how does this work?). This is consistent with recent calls for attention to causal mechanisms in implementation science and other fields. Ethnography can expand the causal vocabulary of social work research, bringing depth and nuance to causal theories while also making these theories more amenable to uptake by practitioners.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"61 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82990295","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}
A. Lavery, L. Hasche, Anne P. Deprince, Kerry Gagnon, Tejaswinhi Srinivas, E. Boyce
This study examines whether the experience of financial exploitation is associated with increased likelihood of mental health consequences and subsequent use of mental health services. Interviews were conducted with 99 participants, age 60 and older, at risk for elder abuse. The authors and research team administered standardized measures of elder mistreatment, depression, trauma, social support, and service use. Older adults who experienced financial exploitation reported worse trauma symptoms and depression than those who did not experience financial exploitation. Those with increased functional impairment were least likely to rely on mental health services. The findings highlight the importance of interventions to address and enhance response to depression, trauma, and social support in older adults who are victims of financial exploitation.
{"title":"Mental Health Consequences and Service Use of Older Adults at Risk of Financial Exploitation","authors":"A. Lavery, L. Hasche, Anne P. Deprince, Kerry Gagnon, Tejaswinhi Srinivas, E. Boyce","doi":"10.1093/swr/svaa018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svaa018","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This study examines whether the experience of financial exploitation is associated with increased likelihood of mental health consequences and subsequent use of mental health services. Interviews were conducted with 99 participants, age 60 and older, at risk for elder abuse. The authors and research team administered standardized measures of elder mistreatment, depression, trauma, social support, and service use. Older adults who experienced financial exploitation reported worse trauma symptoms and depression than those who did not experience financial exploitation. Those with increased functional impairment were least likely to rely on mental health services. The findings highlight the importance of interventions to address and enhance response to depression, trauma, and social support in older adults who are victims of financial exploitation.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"190 1","pages":"257-265"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76099997","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}
{"title":"Guidelines for Using Child Welfare Administrative Data from a Measurement Perspective","authors":"Daniel Ji, S. Marshall","doi":"10.1093/swr/svaa008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svaa008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"1 1","pages":"279-284"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91195037","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}
With the widespread adoption of social media, researchers are finding new ways to conduct research involving human subjects. Health-related fields have begun to use social media for participant recruitment. However, the social work profession has been slow to adopt the use of social media recruitment techniques. This article describes experiences of a team of social work researchers who used social media to recruit participants for a national survey of social workers using four social media platforms to recruit participants: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit. After three weeks of recruitment, 1,757 participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia had completed the survey. Facebook and LinkedIn were the most effective social media platforms for recruitment. Authors discuss these results in light of their limitations to provide implications for future research using social media within the fields of social work and related health professions.
{"title":"Participant Recruitment in Social Work: A Social Media Approach","authors":"Aubrey E. Jones, Jayme E. Walters, Aaron R. Brown","doi":"10.1093/SWR/SVAA017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/SWR/SVAA017","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 With the widespread adoption of social media, researchers are finding new ways to conduct research involving human subjects. Health-related fields have begun to use social media for participant recruitment. However, the social work profession has been slow to adopt the use of social media recruitment techniques. This article describes experiences of a team of social work researchers who used social media to recruit participants for a national survey of social workers using four social media platforms to recruit participants: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit. After three weeks of recruitment, 1,757 participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia had completed the survey. Facebook and LinkedIn were the most effective social media platforms for recruitment. Authors discuss these results in light of their limitations to provide implications for future research using social media within the fields of social work and related health professions.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"124 1","pages":"247-255"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77455491","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}
The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of violence on trauma among forced-immigrant women from the northern triangle of Central America (NTCA) resulting from direct and indirect violence in their country of origin and during the migratory journey through Mexico. In trauma theory the concept of compounding stressors is an important framework for understanding aspects of human development, especially among low-socioeconomic-status and oppressed populations. Authors hypothesized that violence would have an impact on trauma and conducted interviews with 108 women ages 18 to 65 from the NTCA who traveled by land across Mexico before entering the United States. A survey instrument captured demographic information and types of violence experienced in the home country and during the migratory journey. A standardized screening tool was used to measure trauma symptoms. A hierarchical regression model for trauma was entered in the following order: (a) demographics and (b) violence. Violence was found to be a significant predictor for trauma. Findings suggest that having experienced violence in the country of origin and through the migratory journey had a powerful role in predicting trauma symptoms among immigrant women from the NTCA.
{"title":"Effects of Violence on Trauma among Immigrant Women from Central America","authors":"Arlette Vila, E. Pomeroy","doi":"10.1093/swr/svaa019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svaa019","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of violence on trauma among forced-immigrant women from the northern triangle of Central America (NTCA) resulting from direct and indirect violence in their country of origin and during the migratory journey through Mexico. In trauma theory the concept of compounding stressors is an important framework for understanding aspects of human development, especially among low-socioeconomic-status and oppressed populations. Authors hypothesized that violence would have an impact on trauma and conducted interviews with 108 women ages 18 to 65 from the NTCA who traveled by land across Mexico before entering the United States. A survey instrument captured demographic information and types of violence experienced in the home country and during the migratory journey. A standardized screening tool was used to measure trauma symptoms. A hierarchical regression model for trauma was entered in the following order: (a) demographics and (b) violence. Violence was found to be a significant predictor for trauma. Findings suggest that having experienced violence in the country of origin and through the migratory journey had a powerful role in predicting trauma symptoms among immigrant women from the NTCA.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"65 1","pages":"221-232"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83571827","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}
{"title":"Looking Back, Looking Ahead: 2020 and What Comes Next","authors":"C. Bright","doi":"10.1093/swr/svaa020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svaa020","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"65 1","pages":"219-220"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88845116","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}
In this study, authors analyzed data from the 2012 National Congregations Study (NCS) to explore what factors are predictive of a congregation’s engagement in programs serving people experiencing homelessness. Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,328 congregations derived from the third wave of the NCS, authors applied multivariate logistic regression to identify congregational characteristics associated with programming for homeless adults. Approximately one-fourth of all congregations in our sample reported some type of homeless programming. The authors’ final model indicates that 10 variables predict greater likelihood of congregations having programs serving the homeless, which include factors such as larger annual spending and lower percentage low-income congregants; recent formation of a nonprofit entity; collaboration with another organization; certain religious traditions; and the presence of other sponsored programs such as (a) services targeting a specific gender, (b) services helping sexual assault and domestic violence victims, and (c) services for older adults. Given the ongoing U.S. homelessness crisis, this study may help housing authorities and local continuums of care identify congregations for potential partnership to help achieve the Housing First policy priorities and meet specific homeless subpopulation needs.
{"title":"Congregations Serving Homeless Populations: Examining Predictive Factors and Policy Implications","authors":"Catherine Fisher, L. Ortiz, Qais Alemi, N. Malika","doi":"10.1093/SWR/SVAA016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/SWR/SVAA016","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this study, authors analyzed data from the 2012 National Congregations Study (NCS) to explore what factors are predictive of a congregation’s engagement in programs serving people experiencing homelessness. Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,328 congregations derived from the third wave of the NCS, authors applied multivariate logistic regression to identify congregational characteristics associated with programming for homeless adults. Approximately one-fourth of all congregations in our sample reported some type of homeless programming. The authors’ final model indicates that 10 variables predict greater likelihood of congregations having programs serving the homeless, which include factors such as larger annual spending and lower percentage low-income congregants; recent formation of a nonprofit entity; collaboration with another organization; certain religious traditions; and the presence of other sponsored programs such as (a) services targeting a specific gender, (b) services helping sexual assault and domestic violence victims, and (c) services for older adults. Given the ongoing U.S. homelessness crisis, this study may help housing authorities and local continuums of care identify congregations for potential partnership to help achieve the Housing First policy priorities and meet specific homeless subpopulation needs.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"54 1","pages":"234-245"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80145141","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}
The persistent and systemic inequities within the U.S. public education system have grave implications for children’s and youth’s outcomes, yet these inequities go far beyond academics. Marginalized and vulnerable students experience injustices across the educational system, including disproportionality in school discipline, unequal access to advanced courses, and poor conditions for learning. Social work has a solid history of addressing issues that intersect across families, schools, and communities, but the profession has had little engagement in the recent educational justice movement. As educational scholars advance a movement to address educational inequities, it will be increasingly important for social work researchers to provide valuable insight into the multiple components that make up youth development and support positive well-being for all individuals within a democratic society. This article encourages social work researchers to extend lines of inquiry that investigate educational justice issues by situating social work practice and research within educational justice and suggesting an agenda for future social work research that will advance equity for all students.
{"title":"Calling Social Work to the Movement for Educational Justice","authors":"Anna L. Ball","doi":"10.1093/swr/svaa014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svaa014","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The persistent and systemic inequities within the U.S. public education system have grave implications for children’s and youth’s outcomes, yet these inequities go far beyond academics. Marginalized and vulnerable students experience injustices across the educational system, including disproportionality in school discipline, unequal access to advanced courses, and poor conditions for learning. Social work has a solid history of addressing issues that intersect across families, schools, and communities, but the profession has had little engagement in the recent educational justice movement. As educational scholars advance a movement to address educational inequities, it will be increasingly important for social work researchers to provide valuable insight into the multiple components that make up youth development and support positive well-being for all individuals within a democratic society. This article encourages social work researchers to extend lines of inquiry that investigate educational justice issues by situating social work practice and research within educational justice and suggesting an agenda for future social work research that will advance equity for all students.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"108 1","pages":"267-277"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78654276","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}
This study examined the inclusion of content on spirituality and religion in leading social work journals. To accomplish this aim, the authors preformed a content analysis of 10 years of publication (2008 to 2017, inclusive) in nine discourse-shaping journals (Social Work, Social Work Research, Families in Society, Social Service Review, Child Welfare, Research on Social Work Practice, Journal of Social Service Research, Journal of Social Work Education, and Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research). In addition to determining the prevalence of spirituality and religious content, the authors examined the frequency with which various religious groups are depicted, the substantive area of focus (for example, micro, macro), and methodological characteristics (for example, conceptual, empirical). The results suggest that spirituality and religion receive minimal attention in the profession’s most prestigious journals, which, in turn, may negatively affect the profession’s ability to comply with its ethical and educational standards regarding spirituality and religion.
{"title":"Spirituality and Religion in Leading Social Work Journals: A 10-Year Content Analysis","authors":"D. Hodge, B. Carpenter, R. Yepez, Bryan C. Lietz","doi":"10.1093/SWR/SVAA026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/SWR/SVAA026","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined the inclusion of content on spirituality and religion in leading social work journals. To accomplish this aim, the authors preformed a content analysis of 10 years of publication (2008 to 2017, inclusive) in nine discourse-shaping journals (Social Work, Social Work Research, Families in Society, Social Service Review, Child Welfare, Research on Social Work Practice, Journal of Social Service Research, Journal of Social Work Education, and Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research). In addition to determining the prevalence of spirituality and religious content, the authors examined the frequency with which various religious groups are depicted, the substantive area of focus (for example, micro, macro), and methodological characteristics (for example, conceptual, empirical). The results suggest that spirituality and religion receive minimal attention in the profession’s most prestigious journals, which, in turn, may negatively affect the profession’s ability to comply with its ethical and educational standards regarding spirituality and religion.","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87429702","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}
{"title":"Social Work Education in 2021","authors":"C. Bright","doi":"10.1093/SWR/SVAA021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/SWR/SVAA021","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47282,"journal":{"name":"Social Work Research","volume":"146 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86023565","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}