Subjective evaluations of alcohol-related consequences among college students: Experience with consequences matters

Objective: Research suggests college students rate some alcohol-related consequences less negatively than others, yet it is unclear how or when these differences in perception develop. The current study compared college students' subjective evaluations of alcohol-related consequences that they had and had not experienced in order to test the hypothesis that students become desensitized to the consequences they experience. Participants: Participants were 269 undergraduate students enrolled at a large, public, Midwestern university. Methods: Participants completed measures of drinking behaviors, consequences experienced, and subjective evaluations of consequences via an online survey. Results: Participants rated the consequences they had personally experienced more positively than those they had not experienced. Similarly, individuals who reported experiencing consequences rated them as significantly more positive than those who had not experienced the same consequences. Conclusions: Experience with consequences is associated with more positive evaluations of those consequences. Therefore, it may be important to consider individuals' experiences with, and evaluations of, alcohol-related consequences in college student drinking interventions.     

A Pseudofolliculitis Barbae Clinic for the Black Male who Has to Shave

Abstract

We conducted focus group interviews with students who were current peer health educators at a mid-sized university to determine what factors motivate individuals to volunteer for a peer health education program. Specifically, we asked the participants questions designed to explore their life experiences, their expectations of the peer education program, and their motivations. Constructs from social learning theory were used to categorize and contribute to our understanding of the responses. Many participants specified experiences with family members or friends, such as alcoholism or other illnesses, that had influenced their decisions. Participants' expectation of the program varied greatly and did not indicate a strong link to the decision to volunteer. The peer health educators' motivations for volunteering were altruistic, such as wanting to help others; egoistic, such as wanting job training; or related to self-efficacy beliefs, such as satisfying a personal need for health education. This study indicated that life experiences, a belief in the effectiveness of peer health education programs, and positive reinforcement to join influence the decision to volunteer. Implications for coordinating peer education programs are discussed.     

When the Management of Grief Becomes Everyday Life: The Aftermath of Murder

This study examines how others indicate that our emotions violate social norms and how people feel about and respond to those indications. The data come from in‐depth interviews with thirty‐two people who had recently lost a loved one to murder (“bereaved victims”). Through the symbolic interaction process, bereaved victims came to appreciate the burden their grief imposed on others, and some of them took steps to minimize that burden. Despite their awareness of the burden, however, many of the bereaved expected others to express heartfelt sympathy for their loss. Instead, people offered inappropriate (and even hurtful) responses, including avoiding the topic of their loss, offering unnecessarily dramatic responses to the loss, and telling them to move on. The responses suggest that current feeling rules and emotion norms surrounding grief do not reflect the true extent of bereaved people's actual experiences, creating awkward situations for potential supporters and the bereaved.     

Gorgons,cars and the frightful fiend: Representations of fear in social work and counselling

Two main themes can be traced throughout this paper. One concerns the way in which material can emerge from research data and come to shape a study in a way that was not anticipated at the outset. The other is that experiences of distress and fear can be considered and understood only indirectly and this process is aided by encouraging participants' free-associations to material rather than by asking direct questions. The paper begins with an explanation of how interest in researching the impact of fear on social workers and counsellors emerged from research into social workers' experiences of distress. A surprising finding of the research into fear was the number of times cars and driving featured in participants' responses. These mentions seemed a way of drawing attention to deeper resonances and meanings of integral significance. Substantive quotations from data are provided and analysed to illustrate ways in which cars might have been used to express fears of the fracturing of basic trust, the violation of the secure base and the uncanny. The paper concludes with the contention that an approach allowing the importance of participants' free associations to material is likely to be helpful when researching sensitive subjects.     

Child abduction, parents' distress, and social support

This study examines how parents of family and nonfamily abducted children cope with stress due to the disappearance of their child. The results show that all parents experience distress, regardless of whether it was a family or nonfamily abduction. Associated with parental distress are factors such as prior family stress, age of the child, recovery status of the child, and measures of social support. More specifically, helpful support from friends has been found to decrease parents' levels of distress, whereas unhelpful support from family and attorneys may increase distress. Mothers and fathers responded to event circumstances and social support in significantly different ways. The need for further research is discussed in the study's conclusions.     

Therapy for child sexual abuse:women talk about helpful and unhelpful therapy experiences

Women with histories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were asked to describe what was helpful and unhelpful to them in therapy. From 191 completed postal questionnaires, a subsample of 20 participants was interviewed. This paper focuses on three specific areas of therapy raised by interviewees: (1) Establishing a therapeutic relationship; (2) talking about experiences and effects of CSA; and (3) dealing with errors in therapy. Findings suggest that to avoid making serious therapy errors, therapists (1) need special skills to be aware of the dynamics and effects of CSA and of abuse-focused therapy and to deal with abuse-related material, and (2) need to develop an equal and open therapy relationship that includes ongoing consultation with clients about their experiences of therapy. doi:10.1300/J070v15n04_03.     

Helpful actions seen through the eyes of parents of children with disabilities

Parents of children with disabilities interact with a wide range of service providers in order to assure appropriate services for their children. While some actions performed by professionals are viewed as helpful, many are viewed as obstructive. Surveys completed by over 120 parents identified past actions perceived to be helpful and those thought to be unhelpful as well as identification of professionals associated with those actions. Using the critical incident technique, narrative responses were based on actual experiences that parents described. Parents were also asked to articulate specific actions they would like professionals to take in the future. Over half of the responses request desired relationships with professionals that focus on respect, collaboration, communication and information sharing. Implications for pre-professional training are discussed.     

Dementia at the Intersections: A unique case study exploring social location

Research exploring the experiences of persons living with dementia has been criticized for failing to situate individual experience in a broader socio-cultural context. In particular, little attention has been devoted to examining how social location shapes the subjective experiences and responses of persons with dementia. This paper examines how one woman's position as a younger, aboriginal woman of lower socio-economic status living with a same-sex partner, helped construct her experiences with dementia. Data for this unique case study are based on in-depth personal and family interviews and video-taped participant observation. Three themes dominated her story. First, receiving a diagnosis of dementia triggered this woman's desire to connect with her cultural heritage. Through this claiming of her cultural identity as an aboriginal woman, the dementia was reinterpreted as facilitating a closer connection with her ancestors and this released for her a sense of creativity, productivity and peacefulness. Second, the refusal of this woman to adopt a more conventional interpretation of dementia, compounded by her younger age and atypical presentation, resulted in a tendency by others to discount the impact of the dementia in her life. Finally, the lack of recognition afforded to her female partner increased her partner's isolation and created challenges for their relationship. This paper will focus on embedding this woman's lived experience within a broader socio-cultural context in order to demonstrate how aspects of one's identity and social location interact to construct one's subjective experience.     

Self-Determination and Confidentiality

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to further clarify the ambiguous nature of two of social work's most important values: self-determination and confidentiality. Previous research indicates that many ethical decisions in social work practice are difficult to make; and, many times decisions are made based on the worker's values and experiences rather than on written ethics, laws, and agency policy. To explore this concept further, an open-ended survey instrument was distributed to 82 social work students after completing the required practice classes. The participants were asked whether they would break confidentiality based on a specific vignette and describe what decision was made and why. Results indicated that degree level (MSW versus BSW) proved to be a significant factor related to whether and/or why the respondent would break confidentiality. In addition, students with more paid work experience were more likely to question the issue of confidentiality and were more likely to break it. Two issues reflected in the decision-making process involved ensuring client safety and self-determination. In conclusion, this article explores possible reasons for breaching confidentiality and pitfalls that can occur for all professionals in making these types of decisions. Furthermore, it explores the ambiguous nature of problem solving in this area, and suggests ways that social workers can improve their decision-making skills.     

Obtiuary

Abstract

This paper summarizes a qualitative research project which was undertaken by the author for a Research Masters' Degree in Social Work at The University of Sydney It reports the results of a comparative study of two groups of mothers with babies under two years in age. One group consisted of women who had been diagnosed as having postnatal depression within the previous 12 months, while the women in the other group had not. Discussion focuses on the similarities and differences between these two groups, in terms of their expectations and experience of motherhood, the help and support they received, and what they found helpful or unhelpful. The value of medical versus non-medical intervention is discussed in the light of these findings.     

Choices,Challenges, and Tensions

ABSTRACT

No research has examined the challenges faced by lesbian women seeking to adopt from the perspective of lesbian couples themselves. The current qualitative study utilized data from 70 women (from 35 same-sex couples) who were in the process of adopting to explore how lesbian women experience and navigate the challenges they encounter during this critical life transition. Ecological, minority stress, and feminist perspectives informed our analysis. Results indicated that many women experienced tensions between their desire to be “out” in the adoption process and the legal and social realities of adoption. Based on their reports, women in this sample faced numerous barriers to adopting but engaged in multiple forms of resistance to legal and social inequities. Women also identified supportive practices by agencies that facilitated the adoption process. Findings suggest the importance of considering lesbian women's experiences as a starting point in understanding how heteronormative social practices shape the experiences of same-sex couples striving to adopt.     

Academic resilience and caring adults: The experiences of former foster youth

As a result of being removed from their homes and moving between different placements and schools, foster youth can experience high levels of stress and challenges as they struggle to cope with such extreme emotional turbulence. The experience of trauma and instability in turn, can have consequences on foster students' academic progress. As it is seemingly uncommon for foster youth to matriculate to postsecondary education, this study examines how successful foster youth transitioned out of care and furthered their education at an academically rigorous institution. From high-achieving former foster students, this study uncovers their experiences while in out-of-home care that helped them enroll in a university, including how adult supporters provided guidance, emotional support, and stability, which allowed students to move out of their negative past experiences. Adults' willingness to assist youth and be a part of their lives provided students with a transformative academic and social emotional environment, furthering their ability to persist through high school and gain acceptance to a top-tier university.     

The Estimation of Task Performance and Reward Recommendations as a Function of Status Ranks

Abstract

A recurrent concern among social psychologists is to determine how individuals react to status ranks of others. This study presented 144 college students with a hypothetical situation and asked them to recommend an reward allocation to a person in the situation and to estimate that person's future task performance. Subjects were presented with information about either a diffuse status characteristic (educational level), or specific status characteristic with task relevance (performance on a related task), or both for an individual in comparison to a standard comparison other. When information was available on only one status rank, rewards were allocated and task performance estimated consistent with the single status rank. When information about both status ranks were available, specific status significantly affected both the reward distribution and performance expectations, while diffuse status significantly affected the reward distribution and had a marginally significant effect on performance expectations. The results are discussed in terms of status expectancy theory (Berger et al.), Kimberly's modification and extension of that approach, and equity theory (Adams).     

Learning at the edge

This article describes the metaphors persons used to describe their experiences within a three year training project in family therapy. Questions were posed of trainees that had asked them to describe their experiences of training as if they represented the title of a book, movie or journal article. Responses reveal how they construct or ‘story’ their experiences from both a first and second-order cybernetic perspective.     

Great Expectations: The Growing Divide between Students and Social Work Educators

This article examines and reflects upon initial findings from a longitudinal study evaluating the experiences and views of students on professional social work programmes across four higher education institutes in the North West of England, on the BA and the MA routes. The paper focuses on one aspect of this study; the students' experience of assessment. In particular it examines how students experienced the process of learning, assessment, support and feedback, which was found to be in part shaped by previous educational experiences. The range of assessment methods previously experienced by students was diverse, some of which were more helpful than others in preparing them for their professional training. Lack of foundation subject knowledge presented a challenge to students on both courses, in particular for MA students who were being assessed at ‘M’ level. Unmet expectations of both the amount and type of support created anxiety, frustration and even anger for some. The ‘search for certainty’ led to anxiety amongst many first year students who believed that academics could facilitate the assessment process by providing ‘the answer’. This exploration of assessment reveals, we believe, a growing divide in the expectations of social work students and their educators.     

Strengths And Struggles: Overseas Qualified Social Workers' Experiences In Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

A growing number of professionals practise in a country other than the one where they obtained their professional qualification. A mixed-methods study explored the experiences of one group of such professionals, overseas-qualified social workers practicing in New Zealand. This article reports findings from four key informant group interviews and an online survey (N = 294), including this population's satisfaction with their employment, their introduction to local practice, and experiences of mistreatment and discrimination. The study highlights migrant social workers' desire for better access to information and induction opportunities to orient them to the local practice environment and notes their experience of discrimination in the workplace. Such findings require a thoughtful response from practitioners and professional bodies and is worthy of further research and discussion. We argue that migrant social workers in New Zealand require orientation activities tailored to meet their needs and a more welcoming system of recognition of the skills and experience they bring.     

Service user or service provider? How social work and human services students integrate dual identities

Students studying undergraduate social work and human services (SWHS) degrees may have used health and human service agencies, before and during their university education. Using services provides them with insights that are useful for professional practice. However, this article identifies that they experience a fear of shame and stigma revealing this during their studies. In examining interview data from 15 undergraduate SWHS students they recounted how they integrated their experience of being a service user into their professional development. It is argued that insider knowledge of services can provide them with valuable insights for practice. Students spoke about how positive experiences motivated them to study and provided models of effective practice, exemplifying its potential power to assist those in need. Negative experiences of service use can also be beneficial for learning what ‘not to do’. Although students found the experience of service use invaluable, they felt it was never acknowledged within the curriculum. Consequently, students interviewed in this study identified service users as ‘others’. They feared disclosing their own use of services due to perceived shame and stigma. Failing to provide opportunity for students to integrate their service user experience into their professional development creates a false dichotomy which does not acknowledge the intersection of these dual identities.     

The Role of Managers in Critical Incident Stress Management Programmes: A Qualitative Study of New Zealand Social Workers

This paper reports part of a larger exploratory research study of social workers' preferred models of critical incident stress management and experiences of critical incident stress debriefing. Social workers were invited to contribute to the research through an advertisement in the national association's newsletter for Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers. Using a qualitative methodology involving in-depth interviews with 13 social workers, participants were asked about their experiences of critical events encountered within their workplaces over the last five years. Interviews were recorded by audiotape with consent and analysed using thematic analysis. Four main themes emerged: the importance of preparation for critical incidents, the role of relationship between line managers and social workers, specifically the line manager's support immediately after the critical incident, and the availability of peer/colleague networks. An unexpected finding was that social workers interviewed noted that the pre-existing relationship with the line manager influenced their experience of the debriefing process itself. The more engaged and emotionally aware the manager was seen, the more the social worker claimed the debriefing process had been successful from their perspectives. The implications for social workers and their employing agencies are discussed.     

The Use of Cervical Caps at the University of California/Berkeley

Abstract

The higher rates of disease and death associated with male gender have been widely documented, yet little is being done in the college health setting to address men's health issues. Many of men's health risks are related to social isolation and prohibitions on showing weakness. The authors describe the Virginia Tech University experience with 3 Man Alive groups that were developed to (a) create a supportive social structure for male college students who may otherwise be socially isolated, (b) model healthy expression of emotions, such as anger, fear, sadness, and joy; (c) create a safe space for men to discuss sensitive issues, such as relationships with significant others, sexuality, and substance abuse.