Perceptions of efficacy in the use of contemporary film in social work education: An exploratory study

This article discusses the use of contemporary film in social work education, including the theoretical rationale for the inclusion of film from the perspective of narrative and adult learning theory as well as the application of the case method to the use of film. The student viewpoint and perspective is provided through the results of an exploratory research study with 109 Baccalaureate social work students who completed a survey questionnaire following a classroom activity involving a contemporary film. Analysis of the quantitative data and qualitative comments indicates that students believe that film is a beneficial adjunct to textbook and lecture content.     

A Two-Phase Exact Algorithm for MAX-SAT and Weighted MAX-SAT Problems

We describe a two-phase algorithm for MAX-SAT and weighted MAX-SAT problems. In the first phase, we use the GSAT heuristic to find a good solution to the problem. In the second phase, we use an enumeration procedure based on the Davis-Putnam-Loveland algorithm, to find a provably optimal solution. The first heuristic stage improves the performance of the algorithm by obtaining an upper bound on the minimum number of unsatisfied clauses that can be used in pruning branches of the search tree.We compare our algorithm with an integer programming branch-and-cut algorithm. Our implementation of the two-phase algorithm is faster than the integer programming approach on many problems. However, the integer programming approach is more effective than the two-phase algorithm on some classes of problems, including MAX-2-SAT problems.     

Exploring the ethics of treatments for depression: The ethics of care perspective

This article explores the ethics of current treatments for depression through the lenses of social work values and ethics. As a vehicle for analysis, the approach associated with ethics of care will be utilized. Particular attention is paid to ethical dilemmas in the treatment of depression under the auspices of managed care companies. A case example is presented to help social workers understand these dilemmas in the context of practice. Adopting an ethics of care perspective would mandate that social workers become more politically active, and work toward integrating direct and indirect practice approaches in treating people who suffer from depression and similar problems.     

A Comparative International Analysis of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: A Survey of UK and US Social Workers

As service populations have changed, the social work profession in the UK and the US has attempted to respond to the needs of diverse cultures, which often include issues of religion and spirituality. This can be problematic, however, due to the extrication of religious and spiritual concerns from the public social services that resulted from the process of secularization. Members of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in the US were sampled to explore the attitudes and perceptions of social workers regarding the placement of religion and spirituality in practice and education. In general, US social workers in this sample were more accepting of religion and spirituality than their UK counterparts, even among those respondents who expressed non‐religious world views (e.g. atheism). A majority of the respondents in the UK (76%) and the US (73%) indicated that their training programs lacked content on religion and spirituality. In the UK, 57% of the respondents believed that social workers should increase their knowledge on spirituality, compared with 90% of the US respondents. The lower level of acceptance of religion and spirituality among UK social workers may be related to higher levels of secularism in UK society.     

Examining Interpersonal Relationship Predictors Of Delinquency Across Ethnic and Racial Samples

This study examined the associations between self-reported delinquency and elements of control theory. The subjects used for this study were adolescent males participating in an intervention program for youth at risk for alcohol and drug use. This study included quantitative measures of adolescents’ self-reports and referring agencies’ reports, which were administered during intake interviews. A regression analysis was used to determine whether elements of control theory predict self-reported delinquency. The measure was also utilized to explore whether the predictors are consistent across ethnic and racial sub-groups. The results support other empirical studies that suggest there is a statistically positive relationship between interpersonal relationships and delinquency.     

Interparental Conflict and Adolescents' Romantic Relationship Conflict

This study examined associations between interparental conflict and adolescents' romantic relationship conflict. High school seniors ( N =183) who lived with married parents completed questionnaires about their parents' marriage and their own romantic relationships. A subset of 88 adolescents was also observed interacting with their romantic partners. Adolescents' perceptions and appraisals of interparental conflict were related to the amount of conflict in romantic relationship and adolescents' conflict styles. Adolescents' appraisals of interparental conflict (i.e., self-blame, perceived threat) moderated many of the associations between interparental conflict and conflict behavior with romantic partners. The patterns of moderated effects differed by gender. These findings suggest that the meanings boys and girls ascribe to interparental conflict are important for understanding how family experiences contribute to the development of romantic relationships.     

Social Constructivist Practice with Youth

Social constructivism is an important and creative perspective for helping social workers in their work with adolescents. This paper demonstrates how theoretical orientations and clinical techniques that adhere to a social constructivist perspective can be integrated with the developmental realities of adolescence to provide effective social work interventions. Fundamental assumptions are discussed and are related to problems of practice. Case studies are utilized to demonstrate social constructivist principles in clinical work with adolescents.