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

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between risk factors (limited health literacy and limited English proficiency), protective factors (social support from family and friends, and smartphone and Internet use), and gastric cancer knowledge among Korean immigrant adults in midlife and older in the U.S.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 120 Korean immigrants aged 55 and older. Data were collected on participants' health literacy, English proficiency, social support, technology use, gastric cancer knowledge, and several socio-demographic characteristics. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine associations between predictive factors and gastric cancer knowledge.

Results: Findings indicated that higher levels of limited health literacy were significantly associated with lower gastric cancer knowledge. Conversely, greater social support from friends was significantly related to increased gastric cancer knowledge. Limited English proficiency and technology use showed no significant associations with cancer knowledge in the multivariate models.

Discussion: The study highlights the critical role of health literacy and friends-based social support in enhancing gastric cancer knowledge among older Korean immigrants. While limited health literacy poses a barrier, supportive relationships with friends may facilitate access to health information, potentially improving cancer awareness and preventive behaviors.

Conclusion: These results underscore the importance of targeted interventions addressing health literacy limitations and leveraging social support systems to improve gastric cancer knowledge in this high-risk population. Social service and healthcare providers should consider culturally sensitive strategies that enhance social connectivity and education to reduce cancer-related health disparities for the high-risk population.

Purpose: This study analyzes professionalization processes and interdisciplinary collaboration of social work professionals within Chilean family and criminal justice systems following judicial reforms implemented in the 2000s.

Materials and methods: An exploratory-descriptive qualitative design employed semi-structured interviews with 21 social workers across Metropolitana and Biobío regions (2020-2022). Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling from family courts (n = 14) and criminal justice settings (n = 7). Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti software, applying integrated deductive-inductive approaches grounded in sociology of public action, law and society studies, and feminist ethics of care frameworks.

Results: Three fundamental transformations emerged: social workers introduced gender perspectives and care ethics into judicial practices, catalyzing shifts from punitive toward relational interventions prioritizing human dignity and social complexity; active collaboration developed between social workers and lawyers, generating productive tensions that enhanced each profession's expertise in addressing complex social-legal issues; differentiated professional roles materialized, with social workers functioning as judicial partners in family cases and community-legal mediators in criminal contexts.

Discussion: Care ethics integration constitutes a fundamental challenge to traditional juridical capital, promoting contextually-sensitive justice models. Social workers operate as institutional entrepreneurs, employing street-level bureaucratic practices to gradually transform institutional cultures despite persistent professional hierarchies and resource constraints.

Conclusion: Chilean judicial reforms facilitated social work integration, contributing to justice system humanization through structural transformations. Social workers consolidated their role as agents of institutional change, though sustained investment in human resources and policies prioritizing social perspectives remains essential for advancing paradigmatic shifts toward inclusive, people-centered justice models.

Purpose: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to increased risk of dissociative experiences. Evidence suggests that Black Americans report higher levels of dissociative experiences than their White counterparts, yet the factors contributing to this disparity are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effect of perceived racial discrimination on the relationship between ACEs and dissociative experiences among a sample of adults from predominantly Black communities in rural Alabama.

Materials and methods: Participants completed paper-and-pencil surveys across 5 rural sites in Alabama (N = 184). Adverse childhood experiences were measured by the 10-item ACE Study Questionnaire. Dissociative experiences were assessed by the 8-item Brief Dissociative Experiences Scale and perceived racial discrimination was measured by a 5-item subscale of the African American Historical Trauma Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression examined the moderating effect of perceived racial discrimination on the relationship between ACEs and dissociative experiences while controlling for depressive and anxious symptoms as well as sociodemographic factors.

Results: Ninety-two percent of participants were Black Americans. ACEs (b = .32, SE = .04, p < .001) and depressive and anxious symptoms (b = .26, SE = .04, p < .001) were significantly associated with dissociative experiences in the regression model. Perceived racial discrimination moderates the relationship between ACEs and dissociative experiences.

Discussion and conclusion: Findings underscore the need to screen for race-based traumatic stress as a component of equity-centered, trauma-informed mental health care.

Purpose: This scoping review aimed to synthesize evidence on the factor structure and reliability of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), a widely used measure of disruptive behavior in children. It specifically examined how the ECBI performs across diverse populations, linguistic adaptations, and analytic methods.

Materials and methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across four databases and 19 empirical studies were included following PRISMA guidelines. Studies using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), bifactor modeling, Rasch analysis, or ESEM were considered if they explicitly analyzed the ECBI's latent structure.

Results: While the ECBI demonstrated consistently high internal reliability (α > .90) across most samples and language versions, its factor structure varied considerably across contexts. Unidimensional, three-factor, and bifactor models were supported depending on population characteristics, item set (22 vs. 36 items), and analytic strategy. EFA studies often revealed culturally distinct factor patterns, and only one study evaluated bifactor-specific reliability. Measurement invariance testing was largely absent.

Discussion: Inconsistencies in factor structures across studies suggests that the ECBI's underlying dimensions may not generalize across populations without empirical validation. These inconsistencies raise concerns about the validity of subscale interpretation in diverse contexts.

Conclusion: The ECBI is psychometrically robust in terms of reliability, yet its factor structure demonstrates inconsistency across cultural and methodological contexts. Given its widespread application across culturally diverse settings, assessing factor structure and measurement invariance is essential for culturally appropriate use and accurate clinical interpretation.

Purpose: This study investigates the utilization and perceptions of general counseling and evidence-based parenting programs within Norway's Child Welfare and Protection Services (CWPS). It aims to explore the interventions employed, their justifications, and the attitudes of CWPS workers.

Materials and methods: The study combines results from two studies, a cross-sectional case file study (n = 1,365) and a survey of CWPS workers (n = 240). Case files were coded for intervention types, justifications, and outcomes. The survey assessed workers' practices, knowledge, and attitudes toward evidence-based programs.

Results: General counseling was the most frequently used intervention (71.2%), often justified by concerns about parental functioning and child development. Evidence-based parenting programs were rarely utilized, despite positive attitudes among CWPS workers. Significant barriers included resource limitations and lack of training. Logistic regression revealed that general counseling was more likely when concerns about parenting were substantiated.

Discussion: The findings highlight the reliance on general counseling, which is often tailored by individual workers, leading to variability in content and delivery. While evidence-based programs are underutilized, their integration could enhance service quality. The study underscores the need for clearer definitions of general counseling and greater support for implementing structured interventions.

Conclusion: Addressing barriers to evidence-based program implementation and standardizing general counseling practices are critical for improving child welfare services in Norway.

Purpose: In recent years, the increasing challenges faced by families have led to the emergence of psychological issues that have particularly negative effects on young family members. These negative effects influence young individuals' life satisfaction and social media usage habits. The aim of the study is to examine the relationships between family cohesion, social media addiction, depression, anxiety levels, and life satisfaction among university students.

Materials and methods: A quantitative research method was employed. A sample of 812 students studying in Turkey was selected.

Results: The analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between depression and social media addiction (p < .05), while a significant negative relationship was found between depression and anxiety severity, life satisfaction, and family cohesion (p < .05). Additionally, a positive relationship was identified between anxiety severity and social media addiction, whereas negative relationships were observed between anxiety severity and the other variables (p < .05). A negative relationship was found between life satisfaction and social media addiction, while life satisfaction exhibited a positive relationship with the other variables (p < .05). Furthermore, a strong correlation was identified between age and income with all variables. The structural equation modeling results indicated that the CMIN/DF, CFI, SRMR, RMSEA, NFI, and GFI values met the criteria for goodness of fit, and significant effects were observed for all values.

Conclusion: Based on the study's findings, recommendations were provided for experts, researchers, and social policymakers. In this context, proposed solutions include increasing individual therapy sessions by specialists to reduce social media addiction and alleviate anxiety severity, as well as encouraging policymakers to expand projects in this field.

Purpose: School social workers and counselors support parents of children with disabilities during transitions. This study investigates diverse parent involvement methods and innovative strategies to create a school-like home environment that fosters children's learning and development.

Materials and methods: Through semi structured interviews, the perspectives of nine Chinese caregivers and three social workers were explored regarding parent involvement in their children's transition process.

Results: Using content analysis, the researchers identified major themes: (a) areas of parent involvement in the transition process; and (b) factors influencing parent' involvement. Parent involvement in the transition process can be categorized into three main areas: involvement at home, involvement within school or social service agencies, and involvement in future planning.

Discussion: The study highlights parents' active, diverse involvement in their children's transition, emphasizing strong school-family partnerships and ongoing support.

Conclusion: This research offers valuable insights for school social workers and counselors in developing supportive measures. These measures include equipping parents with the necessary knowledge and skills to create a school-like environment at home and actively participating in home training.

Background: Trauma is an extreme stress associated with overwhelming experiences resulting in a lack of safety, power and freedom among the survivors. The individuals' lifetime exposure to traumatic events accounts between 70% to 80.7%. Consequently, Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is promulgated in human service delivery to resist re-traumatisation and foster empowerment among trauma survivors. Social work professionals often experience vicarious and secondary trauma due to prolonged empathetic exposure to client's trauma narratives. Recently, the lack of self-care practice among the service providers has become public health burden. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate self-care as part of learning and practice in social work.

Method: The authors find TIC framework to be emphasising on service seekers' care perspective which indirectly shadows the 'self-care' of service providers. Trauma-informed approach in educational and training curriculum at educational institutions are just emerging. As a result, in this editorial, authors propose Self-Care Based guidelines and framework making trauma-informed approach more accessible for budding social work professionals.

Discussion: In this article, the guidelines and framework (S-GPS) for Self-Care Based Trauma-Informed Social Work (TISW) pedagogy and practices are discussed. Firstly, the Self-Care domain addresses the essence of trauma-proofing social work practitioners by nurturing self-regulation, self-compassion, resilience and overall well-being. Secondly, the General Pedagogy domain addresses trauma and its impact through education and training with implications for self-care skill acquisition for service providers during field works. Thirdly, the Specific Practices domain targets redressal of highly challenging experiences and ethical issues encountered during social work practice by embodying self-care. Finally, the Ongoing Supervision domain emphasises on the essence of continued support and collaboration of individuals and organisations to foster learning and competency among the budding social work professionals whilst giving due consideration to Self-Care.

Conclusions: The Self-Care Based TISW framework (S-GPS) lays foundation for embodying 'Self-Care is Social-Care' in education and training of budding social work professionals, wherein self-care acts as trauma (secondary and vicarious) buffer while efficiently engaging in empowerment of trauma survivors.