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

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.

Purpose: The study aimed to examine social work's scholarly attention to rural populations in a global context, given the paucity of rural social work literature in professional journals and earlier reviews showing the dominance of material emanating from the United States of America.

Materials and method: The researchers used a scoping review of articles published in social work journals listed in the Journal Citation Reports for the Social Science (hereafter JCR) (n = 90) between 2009 and 2024.

Results: The study found 152 articles on rural social work published in 48 of the 90 JCR social work journals, 71% of which were research-based. Most publications came from North America (n=61), including 58 from the USA and three from Canada. Following close behind was the Asia-Pacific Region (n=60), with 25 from China. There were 18 from Africa and 10 from Europe and the UK. There were only three from South America, possibly due to the study's restriction to English-language journals. The main themes related to rural social work practice, health, professional issues, and context.

Discussion: The paucity of publications on rural issues contributed to minimal understanding of the complexity and diversity of rural poverty. The findings revealed remarkable similarities in knowledge shaping rural social work practice worldwide, despite regional differences.

Conclusion: The study suggested a consistent lack of focus on rural populations within the social work profession and underscored the importance of understanding and addressing pressing issues facing rural communities across diverse global contexts.

Purpose: Empathy is paramount to good social work practice. Concurrently, "professional distance" and limited empathetic involvement are sometimes believed to protect social workers from detrimental psychological outcomes. However, distinct dimensions of empathy may relate differently to relevant outcomes such as professional quality of life (i.e. compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue). Our first objective was to investigate this relationship in child-protection workers (CPWs) - a population among the most affected by compassion fatigue. Second, we controlled for emotion regulation difficulties, which may also explain individual reactions to distress.

Materials and methods: A convenience sample of French CPWs (N = 245) answered an online questionnaire assessing cognitive (i.e. Perspective-Taking) and emotional (i.e. Empathic Concern and Personal Distress) dimensions of empathy, emotion regulation difficulties and professional quality of life.

Results: Ordinary least squares multiple regression models indicate that Empathic Concern positively predicts compassion satisfaction and negatively predicts compassion fatigue. The opposite pattern is observed with both Personal Distress and emotion regulation difficulties.

Discussion: Polarized representations of empathy in child-protection lose sight of its benefits and conceal its pitfalls. Being concerned for clients may not only be a protective factor against compassion fatigue - it could be at the heart of CPWs' compassion satisfaction. Conversely, self-directed reactions to distress may be the root of the harmful consequences empathy is questioned for. Our nuanced approach clarifies what future interventions should target to foster a better professional quality of life in CPWs. Beyond individual capabilities, improving CPWs' outcomes should also rely on a culture of support from peers, supervisors and organizations.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a competency framework for a bachelor-level social worker, or related degree type, to work in integrated behavioral healthcare settings under clinical supervision. In Washington state, a new bachelor-level certification called a Behavioral Health Support Specialist or BHSS includes social work, psychology, and related degree programs.

Methods: Focus group interviews with stakeholders from across Washington State (n = 49) were conducted in addition to a confidential survey. A thematic analysis of data and validity check preceded interpretation of results.

Results: Qualitative data generated salient recommendations to shape a competency framework tailored to integrated care, and other behavioral health settings. Survey data helped gauge the degree of endorsement for a new mental health provider for integrated care in Washington State.

Discussion: Participants recommended specific action steps related to scope of practice, differentiation from other non-specialists, work setting expansion, supervisor qualifications, and ethics to align the competency framework with real-world practice.

Conclusion: A BHSS competency framework supports the development of a new professional role to prepare a bachelor level social worker to deliver evidence-informed psychosocial interventions under supervision within integrated care settings.