Journal of evidence-based social work (2019)最新文献

Background: Immigrants comprise a sizable proportion (15%) of the population living in the United States (U.S.). Given these proportions, it is imperative that we understand immigrant experiences of well-being and stress toward improved well-being and integration.

Methods: To examine the experiences of first- and second-generation immigrants using a comparative approach, we utilized data from two surveys collected under Trump (n = 490) and Biden (n = 306) administrations. Both studies employed non-probability quota and convenience sampling techniques. Questions about experiences of stress (PSS-4), discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale), resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), border stress (Border Community and Immigration Stress Scale), immigration policies (general questions) were included in the surveys. Each study sample included diverse racial groups across both immigrant generations. We report frequencies, descriptive statistics, and ANOVAs/post hoc test results.

Results: Findings highlight that levels of both stress and discrimination among non-White participants under the Trump administration were significantly higher than those of White participants, though neither relationship was significant under the Biden administration. Further, White participants exhibited higher resilience under the Trump administration, but not under the Biden administration.

Discussion and conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to comparatively examine immigrant experiences under the two most recent federal administrations. This study is seminal in highlighting discussions and making policy recommendations to limit immigrant exclusion, curtail exclusionary policies regarding travel bans, and improve pathways to citizenship, enhancing immigrant integration in the U.S. Roles of social workers in supporting immigrant communities and pathways for future research with immigrants are discussed.

Purpose: The current study reports intervention from the perspective of abused South Asian women in the United States (U.S.) aligning with the Center for Disease Control (CDC's) ecological model.

Material and methods: In-depth telephonic interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 20 South Asian women in the U.S. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Utilizing the CDC's ecological model, the following themes emerged for prevention at the individual level: walk away the first-time abuse occurred; at the relationship level: pre-marital counseling and at the societal level: act on the red flags before the wedding, address the stringent gender roles, socialization, and blame. For protection, the following themes emerged at the individual level: self-determination and strength, protection of children, and financial independence. At the relationship level, the theme of marital counseling emerged and at the community level, the theme of community resources emerged.

Discussion: The South Asian natal family or family members in positions of power can recognize red flags, raise their voice, take constructive action to address misogyny, rigid patriarchal attitudes, and prevent abuse before it occurs.

Conclusion: There is an urgent need to recognize and work at both preventative and protective levels to address the abuse among South Asian women in the U.S.

Purpose: This paper reports on how service providers and academic researchers partnered to support the journey of a primary prevention organization in western Canada as they reviewed their programming against an evidence-based practice (EBP) framework. The process allows the organization to increase their EBP culture by encouraging staff understanding and uptake of their nine family support programs. It also informs service users and other stakeholders of the evidentiary status of different kinds of support services. In this way, the families become more informed and engaged partners who might easily evaluate the respective risks and benefits of the various applications.

Method: As part of the process, an evidence-based framework used a common language to assess the efficacy of the respective nine programs.

Results: All nine programs are now mapped into the EBP framework.

Conclusions: This review allows staff to become more intentional and informed about the EBPs they employ to support vulnerable families and to use this knowledge to better inform the families with whom they work. This paper and the process the agency followed can be a model for other organizations who serve families experiencing short-term housing crisis, provide infant nursery care, and other support services for families with young children.

Purpose: Language, as an integral aspect of human interaction, plays a pivotal role in the reformation process within the correctional setting. Nigerian correctional centers consist of a diverse population of incarcerated individuals originating from various cultural backgrounds, each possessing distinct linguistic abilities and comprehension. However, a conspicuous gap in the literature remains concerning the language practices of instructors in Nigerian correctional education programs and the active participation of incarcerated individuals in shaping their own educational experiences. The present study investigates the complex dynamics of language utilization in the correctional education system, with a specific focus on the perspectives and experiences of convicted incarcerated individuals.

Materials and methods: The study gathered data from a sample of 20 convicted incarcerated individuals who were actively participating in correctional education programs, using semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection. Information on the various forms of language utilization within correctional institutions, the impact of language on the learning experiences of incarcerated individuals, and linguistic obstacles encountered in accessing high-quality education were thematically analyzed.

Results: The study revealed that formal language, technical language and everyday language are the various forms of language used in correctional centers. However, the form of language used by the instructor can make or mar the incarcerated person's learning experience thereby defeating the main goal of correctional education.

Discussion and conclusion: Correctional educators should employ clear language to convey information. Insights into the influence of language on the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals can inform the development of social work curricula.

Purpose: Veteran empowerment may include connection, community impact, and personal growth. At least one valid and reliable tool has been developed to measure the aforementioned framework: the empowered veteran index (EVI). However, there is a need for a shorter measure to prevent survey fatigue.

Materials and methods: We recruited military veteran members of a nonprofit (n = 316), The Mission Continues, for participation in this cross-sectional online survey study. Participants completed the 35-item EVI. A short form of the EVI (EVI-SF) was developed through bifactor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results: The 10-item EVI-SF model demonstrated satisfactory performance (χ² p = 0.68, SRMR = 0.02, RMSEA = 0.01, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99). All factor loadings in this model were ≥ 0.30, providing evidence for the validity of the interval structure. Internal consistency reliability was good for all three subscales (omegas >0.7).

Discussion: Analysis of the EVI-SF showed that the instrument was valid and reliable. The EVI-SF contains 10 items with seven-point Likert scale response options. Use of the instrument may provide for the opportunity to measure empowerment of military veterans.

Conclusion: This study provides preliminary psychometric validation of the EVI-SF.

Objective: Depression literacy (DL) is increasingly recognized as an important predictor of mental health outcomes, but there remains a noticeable lack of scientific inquiry focusing on Korean Americans in this area. In addition, women are known to be more susceptible to depression, potentially affecting their DL and depressive symptoms differently than men. This study aimed to explore two primary objectives: (1) the potential role of self-rated mental health (SRMH) in mediating the association between DL and depressive symptoms in this population, and (2) whether gender differences exist in the presence and magnitudes of these mediation effects.

Method: Data were drawn from a survey with 693 Korean Americans aged 18 and older residing in New York and New Jersey. The PROCESS macro was used to test the mediation effect of self-rated mental health on the relationship between depression literacy and depressive symptoms in men and women.

Results: Self-rated mental health was found to mediate the relation between depression literacy and depressive symptoms in women but not in men.

Conclusions: Providing evidence-informed, culturally tailored and gender specific depression literacy education and programs for the KA communities may be an important strategy to reduce depressive symptoms in this group.

Purpose: Oral history as a method of understanding the lived experience spans multiple disciplines including education, women and gender studies, history, and disability studies. Oral histories can be a vehicle for people on the periphery to tell their stories, a method well suited to pursuits related to social justice and social work. The purpose of this manuscript is to report on a scoping review that was conducted to better understand how oral history methods have been used in social work.

Material and methods: To answer our review question, we use an established scoping review framework. Based on eligibility criteria, 23 manuscripts were identified - all published in peer-reviewed English language journals between 2005 and 2023 and written by social work-credentialed authors.

Results: The authors identified three themes that reflect the uses of oral history studies in social work: oral history used as a teaching tool in social work education, oral history used to document the experiences and knowledge of social service trailblazers, and commentaries about using oral history and other biographical methods in social work.

Discussion: This review highlights how oral history, as a method, has contributed to social work research and scholarship.

Conclusion: Recommendations are made as to the usefulness of oral history to address social problems and practice issues important to the field of social work.

Purpose: The review had two purposes. The first was to examine the nature and extent of published literature on student loan and the second was to systematically review the literature on student loans and mental health.

Materials and methods: Data from academic databases (1900-2019) were analyzed using two methods. First, topic modeling (a text-mining tool that utilized Bayesian statistics to extract hidden patterns in large volumes of texts) was used to understand the topical coverage in peer-reviewed abstracts (n = 988) on student debt. Second, using PRISMA guidelines, 46 manuscripts were systematically reviewed to synthesize literature linking student debt and mental health.

Results: A model with 10 topics was selected for parsimony and more accurate clustered representation of the patterns. Certain topics have received less attention, including mental health and wellbeing. In the systematic review, themes derived were categorized into two life trajectories: before and during repayment. Whereas stress, anxiety, and depression dominated the literature, the review demonstrated that the consequences of student loans extend beyond mental health and negatively affect a person's wellbeing. Self-efficacy emerged as a potential solution.

Discussion and conclusion: Across countries and samples, the results are uniform and show that student loan burdens certain vulnerable groups more. Findings indicate diversity in mental health measures has resulted into a lack of a unified theoretical framework. Better scales and consensus on commonly used terms will strengthen the literature. Some areas, such as impact of student loans on graduate students or consumers repaying their loans, warrant attention in future research.

Background: This study assessed the potential effectiveness, acceptability and feasibility of a tailored mindfulness-based intervention (MBI, REMIND 2.0) for personal recovery among people with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this pilot mixed methods randomized controlled trial, participants were assigned to either the MBI (n = 14) or the relaxation training (RT) (n = 14). Quantitative measures were used to assess primary outcomes, including personal recovery, mindfulness, self-compassion, resilience, and secondary outcomes, including depression, stress, anxiety, positive and negative moods, quality of life and general health at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1) and one-month follow-up (T2). Quantitative interviews were conducted to explore the experiences and perceptions toward the MBI.

Results: Results indicated significant group and time interactions for all outcomes except anxiety and stress. MBI participants showed significant improvements in all outcomes at T1, which were maintained at T2, except for positive mood. RT participants showed a significant decline in resilience but significant improvements in all secondary outcomes at T1, but all outcomes significantly declined at T2, except for anxiety and stress. MBI participants were receptive toward the programme in all aspects of personal recovery.

Conclusions: The tailored MBI is a potentially effective, feasible and acceptable approach to facilitate personal recovery among people with mental illness. Differences between MBI and RT are discussed.

Purpose: Current trends among college students include compromised mental health and wellness which have been exacerbated due to COVID-19. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a brief, digital intervention focused on social wellness among college students on wellness-related outcomes including perceived wellness, life satisfaction, and happiness.

Materials and methods: A longitudinal, explanatory mixed-methods design was utilized. Quantitative data were collected from a total of 133 participants using questionnaires at baseline and one-week post-intervention. RM-ANOVA and post-hoc pairwise comparisons were employed to assess quantitative data. Qualitative data collection was obtained via semi-structured interviews at six weeks post-intervention and evaluated using Applied Thematic Analysis. A sub-sample (n = 23) from the participant pool (N = 133) completed the interviews.

Results: Results indicated intervention effectiveness as participants experienced significant positive change in perceived wellness, the primary outcome variable. Significant relationships were detected between wellness outcomes and goal attainment (e.g. I am confident in my ability to complete my goals) items. Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to accessibility and convenience of the intervention, increased self-awareness, and increased intentionality of participants.

Discussion: This study demonstrates the utility of a brief, digital intervention on wellness-related outcomes. Benefits were shown of a preventative, self-directed and solution-focused approach in enhancing wellness among college students.

Conclusion: From a social work perspective, employing a salutogenic approach to support college students' wellbeing aligns with the field's core values. Specifically, this social wellness-focused intervention encourages self-determination, dignity and worth of the person, and emphasizes the importance of human relationships.