Broadening the mind: Cross-national activities in social work

Cross-national activities in social work are claimed to be valuable because they 'broaden the mind' of participants. This paper argues that cross-national activities have as a result been uncritically valued, and proposes a more critical analysis. Drawing on examples of the authors' experiences, they argue that cross-national activity often misunderstands difference as cultural. Careful analysis of structural contexts, knowledge and process is crucial to evaluating cross-national work; this paper focuses on structure. Participants, their objectives and their power need to be examined: roles of stakeholders and 'ringmasters' distinguish different positions. To be successful, objectives need to progress towards more mutual, equal and committed participation of partners.     

Aspects of guilt and self-reported substance use in adolescence

The use of addictive substances is undergoing moralization in American society-behaviors once viewed as personal preferences now carry moral significance. Research has shown that sociomoral emotions like guilt, thought to be reflective of one's internalized standards and societal mores, can be an important influence on behavior. The present study explored the relationship between college students' self-reports of adolescent substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) and scores on indices tapping different aspects of guilt (Standards, Situational, and Chronic Guilt). Participants were 230 undergraduate students (mean age = 19; 55 percent female; 69 percent White). Substance users had lower scores on Standards and Situational Guilt than non-users, but no difference was observed in Chronic Guilt. The present results suggest that a stronger internalization of societal standards, as reflected by higher scores on Standards and Situational Guilt, may prove a useful tool in the prevention of substance use.     

Conceptualizing anxiety among social work students: implications for social work education

Student anxiety is frequently discussed within social work education. Due to its potentially devastating impacts, social work educators need to have a full understanding of anxiety in this context, in order to determine the best way to support students. Research on student anxiety from a broad body of literature provides implications for social work classrooms and field education. Key underlying concepts from previous social work and related research on student anxiety inform a conceptual model to help educators develop a more complex understanding of student anxiety. Implications for further research and important next steps in the development of support strategies for social work students are identified.     

Family risk and resiliency factors, substance use, and the drug resistance process in adolescence

Recent approaches to drug prevention have emphasized risk and resiliency factors. Two models have been developed to explain these factors, one which posits that separate elements make up each set and the other which posits that a single factor can be either a risk or a resiliency factor depending on, for example, if it is present (resiliency) or absent (risk). This study tested these models and attempted to compare the effects of risk and resiliency across gender and ethnicity. Results support the model in which risk and resiliency are discrete sets of factors and demonstrate that overall resiliency factors play a larger role than risk factors in substance use and drug resistance processes. However, gender proved to be an important moderator of these effects. For adolescent males, resiliency has an indirect effect on overall substance use through age of first use, while risk has a direct effect on overall substance use. For adolescent females, resiliency has a direct effect on overall substance use and risk has an indirect effect through age of first use. This indicates that while early interventions are important for both genders, resiliency factors must be dealt with before initiation of substance use for males. Findings did not differ substantially across ethnicity, although the small African-American sample size may have limited power to detect differences.     

Personal and social motivations as predictors of substance use among college students.

The Drug Use Survey was administered via a direct mail to a simple random sample of 2200 students enrolled at a large southwestern U.S. university. A purpose of the study was to determine the predictability of self-reported drug use utilizing motivations (personal and social) commonly reported by substance users. Two subscales were developed, one for each category of motivations. Reliability for each subscale as estimated by coefficient alpha was .80 and .86, respectively. A series of step-wise multiple regression analyses were computed in which individual drug use indices served as criterion variables, while the predictor variables were the personal motivations subscale (PMS) and the social motivation subscale (SMS) for each model. The results indicated that the PMS was the stronger predictor in every model with the exception of the model that predicted the alcohol use index. The SMS was the best predictor for alcohol use.     

Parental substance misuse and child care social work: research in a city social work department in England

This research set out to establish evidence about the scale and impact of and response to parental substance misuse in child care social work teams in a city social services department in England. The article draws on some aspects of the data collected in the research, which includes: a snapshot survey of all child care social work caseloads in the city; group interviews with practitioners and parents in recovery; individual interviews with parents using a pilot project that focused on parental substance misuse. The research provides evidence of parental substance misuse as a key factor that needs greater consideration within child care social work assessments and as an issue to target in developing preventative responses to child welfare concerns. Child care social workers are shown to need specialist support in undertaking this task to best effect. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Retraining programmes in social work: career considerations,factors influencing the decision to study social work and professional preferences among students

The current study sought to examine the differences between retraining programme (RP) students in social work (SW) and mainstream programme (MP) students regarding career considerations, factors influencing the decision to study SW and professional preferences. RPs are similar to fast-track training programmes known in the UK, as they offer graduates from other disciplines a qualification in SW. This study was conducted among 125 SW students in Israel: 56 in the RP, where studying SW was their secondary choice (after graduating in a different academic discipline) and 69 MP students for whom SW was their first choice for a profession. Both groups were examined in their final year of studies. When choosing their profession, RP students attributed greater importance to considerations such as personal development, satisfaction and interest in treating people, while for MP students, working conditions were more important. In addition, RP students also preferred to engage in individual therapy and policy practice. Furthermore, there were several differences between the groups’ preferences regarding types of populations, services and sectors. Correlations were found between various preferences of populations, services and fieldwork training. Lastly, a higher percentage of RP students compared to MP students had expressed their intention to work as social workers once they complete their studies.     

Religion, social support, and health among the Japanese elderly

We address three issues in this paper: (1) Is religion related to self-rated health, (2) do these salubrious effects arise because religion encourages people to provide help to significant others, and (3) is the relationship between religion and helping others more evident among older men than elderly women? We analyze the relationships among religion, support giving, and health with data provided by a national probability sample of 2,153 older people in Japan who were interviewed face-to-face in 1996. Greater involvement in religion is associated with providing help to others more often, but these effects emerge for older men only. Regardless of gender, elders who provide assistance to others more often rate their health more favorably than older adults who are less involved in helping others. These results confirm that religion is related to health, and that helping others may explain at least part of the reason for this relationship.     

Evidence-based practice in social work: perceptions and attitudes among Norwegian social workers

Although the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) eludes precise definition, it is used as a trademark label to ensure that practice is based on science and thereby effective and of high quality. Proponents of EBP have proposed that both education and practice in social work should be transformed according to the principle of EBP. They attribute critical opposition to EBP to a lack of knowledge of what EBP is. In this article, we endeavour to clarify the concept and present results from a survey among social workers (N?=?2060) from Norway. The survey results show that although many have heard of the concept, few have precise knowledge about it. However, the more educated social workers are (master’s level), the clearer their opinions, both critical and non-critical. The results are discussed in relation to neo-liberal governance and development of social work.     

Understanding perceptions of substance use education in social work: an analysis of survey responses from MSW program leaders

ABSTRACT

This article details the findings of a series of analyses regarding how the institutional leaders of Master of Social Work Programs (MSW) in the United States form their perceptions on the role and implementation of substance use concepts in social work education. Five statistical tests were performed on data collected from a 2017 substance use education (SUE) survey of MSW program leaders, and the analyses were used to explore how program leaders form their perceptions on: the importance of SUE to social work, the need for regulatory measures for SUE in social work, the SUE needs of individual MSW programs, the implementation of substance use course content, and graduating students’ substance use intervention capacities. Significant findings from the analyses showed that: the amount of foundational course emphasis on clinical SUE within individual programs is a significant predictor of program leader perceptions on students’ clinical substance use intervention capacities; different categories of substance use intervention preparedness have interconnected effects among domains of preparedness; and perceptions on the importance of SUE to social work have a significant impact on program leaders’ opinions regarding regulatory measures for SUE in social work.     

Relationship of work hours with selected health behaviors and academic progress among a college student cohort

Approximately 57% of college students work while attending school. Health risks related to working while in college have not been widely studied. OBJECTIVE: The authors' purpose in this study was to determine associations between hours worked, binge drinking, sleep habits, and academic performance among a college student cohort. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The authors randomly selected a sample of 1,700 undergraduates from a southeastern US university and mailed to them a survey requesting a variety of self-reported health behaviors and hours worked. A total of 903 completed questionnaires were received, indicating a response rate of 57.3%. RESULTS: Binge drinking, less sleep, and lower academic performance were significantly associated with working 20 or more hours per week. Those variables were not associated with working fewer than 20 hours per week. CONCLUSIONS: Although administrators and others in higher education are aware of the impact of economics on a school's ability to operate, they may not be aware of the impact on students' health.     

Mental health and substance use disorders among foster youth transitioning to adulthood: Past research and future directions

At a time when there is increasing attention being given to systematically integrating the well-being of children with the goals of safety and permanence in child welfare, little is known about the psychosocial functioning of foster youth transitioning to adulthood from substitute care. This article systematically reviews 16 peer-reviewed articles and/or research reports to identify lifetime and past year prevalence rates of mental health disorders and service utilization. At ages 17 or 18, foster youth are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer from lifetime and/or past year mental health disorders compared to transition aged youth in the general population. Findings show that mental health service use declines at ages when the prevalence rate of mental health disorders is peaking. The findings of this review suggest the need to focus future efforts in three main areas: 1) setting a common research agenda for the study of mental health and service use; 2) routine screening and empirically supported treatments; and 3) integration and planning between child and adult mental health service systems.     

Alcohol, drugs, and links to sexual risk behaviors among a sample of Virginia college students

This project was significant in that it administered the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (NCHRBS), a health risk assessment, to a sample of students at three public universities in Virginia. Virginia was never included in the original or subsequent nationwide assessments using this instrument. This health risk assessment is comprehensive, easy to administer, and free. The NCHRBS assesses risk behaviors in six categories including: (1) behaviors that contribute to unintentional and intentional injuries; (2) tobacco use; (3) alcohol and other drug use; (4) sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and STDs, including the HIV infection; (5) unhealthy dietary behaviors; and (6) physical inactivity. This article focuses on student responses to questions about alcohol and other drugs and sexual behaviors linked to the use of these substances. It provided baseline data on health risk behaviors of college students which can help determine wellness/health education course objectives and health promotion programming and services provided to the students within the universities. In addition, this project provided protocol to expand use of the survey statewide.