Characteristics of the Social Support Networks of Maltreated Youth: Exploring the Effects of Maltreatment Experience and Foster Placement

Little is known about the social support networks of maltreated youth or how youth in foster care may compare with those who remain with their parent(s). Social network characteristics and perceived social support were examined between (1) maltreated and comparison youth, (2) maltreated youth who remained with their biological parent, those with a foster parent, or a those with a kin caregiver, and (3) youth in stable placements and those who have changed placements. Data came from a sample of 454 adolescents (241 boys, 9–13 years old at enrollment) who took part in a longitudinal study of child maltreatment. Participants completed three assessments approximately 1 year apart. Results showed that on average, maltreated adolescents named significantly fewer people in their network than comparison adolescents. At Time 2, comparison adolescents reported more same‐aged friends. In the maltreatment group, youth with a foster parent reported significantly more older friends than maltreated youth with a kin caregiver. Fewer maltreated youth named a biological parent on the social support questionnaire at all three time points. More youth in kinship care described their caregiver as supportive than those in foster care. These findings indicate that despite heterogeneous placement histories, social support networks among maltreated youth were very similar.     

Examining individual‐level academic risk and protective factors for foster youth: School engagement,behaviors, self‐esteem,and social skills

Students' school engagement is widely regarded as critical for positive school adjustment and overall academic success. Foster youth persistently face poorer educational outcomes than peers and demonstrate lower levels of school engagement and higher levels of academically threatening behaviors. The goals of the present study were (a) to explore relationships amongst various child‐level correlates of school engagement and problem behaviors—namely, self‐esteem and social skills—and (b) to respectively investigate the protective potential of self‐esteem and social skills in the association between school engagement and behavior problems that threaten educational trajectories. Results indicate significant associations between school engagement and problem behaviors, as well as between self‐esteem, social skills, and school engagement. Further, self‐esteem mediated the association between school engagement and both youth‐ and foster parent‐reported externalizing behavior, and social skills mediated the association between school engagement and both youth‐ and foster parent‐reported externalizing behavior. Implications for future practice, research, and policy are discussed.     

Effects of a Solution-Focused Program on the Reduction of Aggressiveness and the Improvement of Social Readjustment for Korean Youth Probationers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this investigation was to explore appropriate intervention methods for helping Korean youth probationers reduce their aggressiveness and increase their social adjustment. This study examined the effectiveness of solution-focused group treatment with Korean youth probationers using a pre- and post-test control group design. The researcher randomly assigned the consented 40 participants either to an experimental group that received the solution-focused session or to a control group that took individual supportive sessions on a needed basis. The pre- and post-test scores of each group were compared using the Aggressiveness and Social Readjustment Questionnaire to confirm the levels of statistical significance between the two groups. Results indicate that solution-focused group treatment was followed by positive changes with the participants' aggressiveness and social adjustment problems. This study also suggests that a solution-focused program is an appropriate short-term intervention for Korean probation youth.     

Cumulative patterns of well-being among young social assistance recipients versus other youths

What are the levels of living conditions of young social assistance recipients compared to the youth population at large? This paper investigates living conditions among young social assistance recipients in Norway, compared to a similar age group within the total population. The overall distribution indicates a cumulative rather than compensatory pattern. Social assistance recipients trail behind the population at large across all indicators. They lag more behind the overall population with regard to cumulative levels-of-living scores than with regard to each and every indicator. This lends support to the notion that one should adopt an integrated approach in the treatment of youth living on social assistance, rather than focus on any single issue as “the” problem to assess.     

人本疗法与认知行为疗法相结合的探讨——社会工作介入社交恐惧症的案例报告

社交恐惧心理障碍是青少年群体中较为常见的心理问题,它严重影响青少年的身心健康。本文通过一个典型案例对青少年群体的社交恐惧心理障碍进行社会工作介入：采用人本疗法与认知行为疗法相结合的方法,对案主的认知、行为和情绪等各个方面进行系统、全面的咨询与干预。从而帮助他们克服心理障碍,并取得较为满意的效果。     

Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students and commentaries

Two proposed U.S. federal laws would provide explicit protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students in public schools. These federal laws follow actions by many states and school districts to define and implement laws or policies to protect the safety of LGBTQ students in schools. Research during the past decade has shown that LGBTQ youth are a vulnerable population, and that the negative school experiences of LGBTQ students often contribute to their vulnerability. This Social Policy Report reviews research relevant to these federal, state, and local laws and policies. Research on sexual orientation/identity development is reviewed, with attention to the growing numbers of youth that “come out” or disclose their LGBTQ identities to others during their school-age years. Schools are often hostile environments for LGBTQ students; this evidence is considered along with research on the consequences for compromised achievement and emotional and behavioral health. We then review strategies in education policy and practice that are associated with well-being for LGBTQ (and all) students.     

Social Networks and Self Enhancement in Chinese Children: A Comparison of Self Reports and Peer Reports of Group Membership*

Children's self reports of social groups were compared with the social groups identified by a consensus judgment of their peers. The subjects were 138 Chinese 4th grade students (mean age = 9.91) from a primary school and 167 Chinese 7th grade students (mean age = 13.09) from a secondary school, both located in Hong Kong. Following the Social Cognitive Map (SCM) procedure, students were asked to identify the social groups within their grades, including their own groups. The subjects also rated themselves on multiple domains of competence. Their teachers rated them on the same domains. Subjects tended to be biased toward self-enhancement when reporting their own groups: They omitted members who had low school scholastic rank and unfavorable scores on teacher ratings of competence. There was a strong effect of propinquity and gender on group membership, in that all groups were comprised of children from the same classroom and virtually all (98%) of the same sex. Members scored similarly on teacher ratings of competence. In elementary school, conventional values and academic achievement provided the behavioral bases for peer group cohesion. By early adolescence, peer-related concerns supplemented rather than replaced conventional values as the bases for group cohesion.     

Collective empowerment: A comparative study of community work in Mumbai and Stockholm

Mumbai and Stockholm are worlds apart in terms of public services, infrastructures and standard of living. However, both cities have known common problems of social exclusion and marginalisation related to neo‐liberal globalisation. Social workers are facing similar challenges regarding collective empowerment as a strategy for community work. This comparative study explored how collective empowerment is undertaken by community workers. The research participants were 13 informants from community‐work organisations in the two settings. Semi‐structured interviews were used and were analysed with the help of Atlas‐ti 6.2 (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH D‐10623 Berlin Germany). Social work in Mumbai is in a context of extreme poverty and mainly within the informal sector, whereas in Stockholm most social work is done in relation to a public welfare model. In Stockholm, interventions are aimed towards strengthening social networks, without direct aim at social change. In Mumbai, community workers organise people for collective empowerment to strengthen marginalised groups and achieve social change.     

On (Not) "Coloring in the Outline"

This article provides an overview and analysis of 10 studies on violence and injustice from the perspective of youth. These articles are contained in the issue of Journal of Social Issues entitled Youth Perspectives on Violence and Injustice and, in the articles, the authors offer a unique opportunity to go far beyond the current discursive terrains of youth and violence. Through a reinterpretation of what is conceptualized as normative, an expansion of the conceptualization of "youth" and an exploration of a broad range of topics, contexts and methods, the issue explores five provocative and significant critical themes. These themes are: methodology is critical; youth as subject, not object; gift and danger of a clinical approach; centrality of school? and at the intersection of social justice and development . The impact of popular culture on youth and violence and the importance of examining what adults value as "entertainment" are discussed also.     

The Impacts of Acculturative Stress and Social Competence on the Mental Health of Mainland Chinese Immigrant Youth in Hong Kong

Correspondence to Dr Daniel Fu Keung Wong, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Adminstration, 1317 K K Leung Building, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.E-mail: dfkwong{at}hkucc.hku.hk Summary Attempts were made to examine migration stressors, social competence,and mental health status of immigrant youth in Hong Kong andto examine the effects of social competence on stress and themental health of immigrant youth. Data on 106 immigrant youth,which were collected through a structured questionnaire, wereanalysed. It was discovered that immigrant youth found survivalissues and losses, rather than cultural differences and unfulfilledexpectations, to be stressful. Male immigrant youth exhibitedmore psychological distress symptoms than female immigrant youth.Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that social competenceexerted moderating effects on stress and the mental health ofimmigrant youth. Immigrant youth who had a higher level of socialcompetence, in terms of self-control, empathy, assertivenessand the ability to read social cues, had less stress and enjoyedbetter mental health. In conclusion, personal and socio-culturalreasons are put forward to explain the findings. Practice andpolicy implications are also discussed.     

A Leadership Training Group for at Risk Fifth & Seventh Graders: Results from A Brief Strength-Based Group Program

ABSTRACT

An increasing number of youth are exhibiting social, emotional, and behavioral problems that hinder their ability to function at grade level. Subsequently, school mental health services have not been able to address the need for services particularly among students who are minority and poor. A mixed methodology study was conducted to determine the treatment outcomes from a brief strength-based leadership training group for primarily students who are African American and poor. Pre–post scores on three scales and focus group data revealed significant positive changes in regard to internal areas of functioning and social skills, anger management skills, and school attitude. Gender and age significantly impacted outcomes.     

Assessing Use of the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups by School Social Workers: A National Study

The International Association for Social Work with Groups Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups specify the core knowledge, skills, and values needed for effective professional practice. These Standards are intended to serve as a guide to group work practice. The extent to which the Standards inform and are employed in practice, however, remains a question. This article focuses on the extent to which the Standards are utilized by social workers employed within primary and secondary schools. Focus is placed on how the Standards are perceived, understood, and practiced by school social workers.     

The role of social support when giving up drug abuse: a female perspective

This article contains a presentation and analysis of the results from two qualitative studies, which examined female drug abusers' everyday lives and the social support available to them within their close relationships. Both studies concerned women who were participating in work-training or treatment programmes and who were in the process of giving up drug abuse. The two main questions concerned the supply of social support from the women's social networks and whether the amount of support available or lack of support had any impact on the exit process. Social support within different relationships of the women's social networks is presented, as well as different types of professional social support and treatment. The results in relation to previous research about female drug abusers and social support from gender and class perspectives are discussed. Conclusions about three important factors when creating a new life after drug abuse are drawn.     

The Effectiveness of Social Work in an Alternative School for High School Dropouts

A Graduate School of Social Work and a Private Alternative School collaborated to develop an educational treatment program for high school dropout youth. The treatment program incorporated a mutual aid framework which was administered in the context of a multi-component treatment program. The treatment program is described in some detail including a Social Group Work approach for intervening with the youth. The outcomes of participants were evaluated utilizing several pretest to post-test measures of behavioral and academic functioning. An external criteria for success was also used. T-test analysis of pretest to post-test changes showed statistically significant progress on several measures. Analysis of the external criteria indicated a 73% success rate.     

Differential Impacts of Stressful Life Events and Social Support on the Mental Health of Mainland Chinese Immigrant and Local Youth in Hong Kong: A Resilience Perspective

Based on a resilience perspective, this study attempted to explorethe risk and protective factors influencing the mental healthof immigrant and local youths in Hong Kong. A structured questionnairewhich consisted of The Chinese Adolescents Life Events Checklist,The Perceived Satisfaction of Social Support Scale and The BriefSymptoms Inventory was used. Two hundred and ten local and immigrantyouths between the age of 15 and 20 were individually interviewedby the trained interviewers. Contrary to our hypotheses, thefindings revealed that immigrant youth had better mental healthand similar levels of stress than local youth. Moreover, peersupport was found to exert a strong impact on the mental healthof immigrant youth. While ‘Interpersonal relationshipdifficulties’ was identified as a common risk factor facedby local and immigrant youths, immigrant youth faced additionalrisk factors in relation to a change to a new school and parentalconflicts. On the other hand, endurance of hardship, socialcompetence and peer support were considered as the protectivefactors that might be associated with better mental health inimmigrant youth. The implications of this study included: toadopt a resilience perspective to understand the protectivemechanisms that enhance the mental health of immigrant youth;to develop a national strategy to build up the interpersonalrelationship skills of youth in a society; and to organize specificprogrammes to strengthen the peer system and tackle parentalconflicts in immigrant youths.     

Adolescents and their networks of social support: real connections in real lives?

Social support is widely seen as an integral component for coping with the stresses of everyday life. While there are various sources and types of support potentially available to young people, it is perhaps less obvious the extent to which young people differentially experience these sources and types. Anecdotal evidence suggests that context, culture and other factors unique to local life shape the many dimensions of social support for youth. In this paper, we seek to examine this research need in more detail by focusing on a broad range of factors shaping youth social support and youth well‐being. Drawing on mixed methods research, we examine social support evidence for adolescents in Florida, USA, and Offaly, Ireland. Through this research, we investigate how the connection between social support and well‐being bears out in these two different socio‐cultural contexts; second, we seek to understand whether types and sources of social support differ among youth in both countries; and what relationship exists between well‐being and types and sources of support. Comparing similar measures of social support across two distinct societal contexts allows us to determine similarities and differences, while also providing suggestions for application that can shape future programmes and policy.     

Unsociability in Chinese adolescents: Cross‐informant agreement and relations with social and school adjustment

We examined cross‐informant agreement of unsociability and associations of unsociability with social and school adjustment. Participants were 229 (48% girls; M _age = 14.25, SD = .78 years) seventh‐ and eighth‐graders in Liaoning, China. Unsociability and shyness were assessed with self‐reports and peer nominations. Social and school adjustment data were obtained from multiple sources (self‐, peer‐, teacher‐reports). Peer‐reported unsociability was not significantly correlated with self‐reported unsociability, but was positively correlated with self‐reported shyness. Path models indicated that controlling for shyness and demographic covariates, peer‐, but not self‐reported, unsociability was associated with low peer acceptance, high peer rejection and exclusion, low school liking, and low academic performance and achievement. The findings suggest that unsociable Chinese adolescents may have multifaceted adjustment difficulties with peers and at school, but only when perceived as unsociable by peers. Methodological and theoretical implications of the results and the lack of correspondence between self‐ and peer‐reports were discussed.     

Reflections and Prospects of the Gerontological Social Work Training and Education: The AGESW Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program

ABSTRACT

The demand for professional training, mentorship, and research in the field of aging is expected to increase remarkably. Recent statistics indicate that less than 8% of social work students nationwide specialize in gerontology; however, a significant amount of social work graduates, regardless of their specialization at school, serve older adults in various health care settings. In addition, the aging populations that social work graduates serve are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. In order to address this issue, it is critical to support students and emerging scholars to not only become more competent in gerontological social work, but also engage in culturally competent research and practices. In this commentary, I described my experiences as a former fellow of the AGESW (Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work) Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program that fosters doctoral students in the field of gerontological social work. The program helps its fellows comprehend basic principles of doctoral education, develop strong professional networks with other colleagues and mentors across the country, and respect diversity in the population we serve as well as those within our own fellow group.     

Attachment and Social Functioning: A Longitudinal Study from Infancy to Middle Childhood

A longitudinal sample of 96 children was followed from 15 months of age to 8–9 years. Attachment relationships were studied in infancy with the Strange Situation and at school age with the Separation Anxiety Test. Social functioning was studied at school age through mother and teacher ratings, observations at school, and in children's self-reports. Predictive results showed that infants who had been secure as infants were more socially active, positive and popular at school age, and tended to report less social anxiety than children who had been insecure. Outcomes did not differentiate between children who had been anxious-avoidant and anxious-ambivalent. In spite of nonsignificant continuity between attachment security at infancy and school age, the associations to social functioning were similar.