Missing Data: A Comparison of Online and Classroom Data Collection Methods With Social Work Students

ABSTRACT

Missing data (item nonresponse) is prevalent in survey research and likely regardless of the researcher's efforts. Problems associated with missing data include but are not limited to low statistical power, biased results, and limited external validity. The present study compared online (n = 125) and classroom (n = 74) data collection methods to determine the extent of missing data between the two cohorts. The total sample consisted of 199 master's of social work and bachelor's of social work students, each of whom were asked to respond to 91 survey items (the majority of which pertained to research in social work practice). A logistic regression model demonstrated a significant relationship between the total number of completed survey items and the data collection methods. The study shows an empirical association between the classroom data collection method and the lower levels of missing data. Study limitations are discussed, and recommendations for future research are made.     

A study of traits predictive of economic success 1

Abstract

In this paper it is argued that the family's sense of its own power is highly contingent on its relationship to the surrounding community. Power is conceptualized as both an external situation and an internal process of constructing meaning. Traditional approaches to the study of power are reviewed, as well as relevant theoretical and research models. It is suggested that a social constructionist perspective, in‐depth interviewing, ethnography, and family assessment techniques can inform an approach for gaining better access to family constructions of power.     

Microfinance Participation and Women's Decision-Making Power in the Household in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

This study draws from bargaining theory to examine whether microfinance, a range of financial instruments such as micro-loans to support micro-enterprises, affects women's participation in household decision-making operationalized by whether women play a role in household decisions about large purchases, small purchases, going out to meet friends and family, and health care among a nationally representative sample of 6,150 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years in Bangladesh. Bargaining theory suggests that decision-making in households is conflictual but conflict can be mitigated through bargaining. Central to bargaining power of women is control over resources, assuming that household decision-making involves making economic decisions. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the interaction effect of microfinance and control over resources on decision-making power in the household utilizing the nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Results revealed that microfinance participants with control over resources reported higher odds of decision-making power (OR = 4.3, p < 0.05) when compared to microfinance participants without control over resources (OR = 1.22, p < 0.05) but less than women who did not participate in microfinance but had control over resources (OR = 5.2; p < 0.05). In conclusion, control over resources play an important role in bargaining that increases odds of having decision-making power in the household, even for women who do not participate in microfinance. The study findings contribute to both social work practice and research on low-income populations as it allows an understanding of the importance financial access and financial know-how while it sheds light on how precarious women's lives can be as they navigate income-generating financial systems that interfere with gender norms, which may have negative consequences. These findings are particularly important for practitioners working in the area of women's empowerment who would do well to emphasize the need for building financial capability so that women are able to garner control over their own and familial resources, whether or not they participate in empowerment programs like microfinance, which in turn gives women voice and agency. Meanwhile, future researchers are well positioned to examine the kinds of specific skills that best predict increases in women's decision-making power in the household as well how gender dynamics play into the decision-making process.     

A Dual Process Model of Grief Counseling

Summary

This paper tests Stroebe and Schuf s Dual Process Model of Bereavement using data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC), a prospective study of 1,532 married persons over the age of 65. This analysis focused on a weighted sample of 104 widowers and 492 widows at six months, 18 months, and four years later. Bradburn's Affect Balance Scale was used as the dependent variable, and the independent variables were based on Stroebe and Schut's bereavement model. The multiple regression analyses revealed that loss- and restoration-oriented activities were important throughout bereavement. Implications for bereavement counseling are discussed.     

Six-Month Follow-Up Changes for TANF-Eligible Clients Involved in Kentucky's Targeted Assessment Program

ABSTRACT

Welfare reform has been successful in helping clients achieve self-sufficiency. However, some individuals experience problems associated with basic needs, physical health, mental health, substance abuse, and intimate partner violence (IPV) that can impede transitioning from welfare to work and/or interfere with parental responsibilities. The Targeted Assessment Program (TAP) was created more than a decade ago to identify and address these problems and help clients move off the welfare rolls in Kentucky. Self-reported interview data were used to examine changes and effect sizes between baseline assessment and 6-month follow-up from a sample (n = 322) of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families-eligible clients participating in Kentucky's TAP. Using McNemar's test for correlated proportions, paired-sample t-tests, and measures of effect size, significant changes with varied effect sizes were found for selected basic needs, as well as physical health, mental health, substance use, and IPV barriers. Findings suggest that social service practitioners could incorporate strengths-based case management and motivational interviewing into their practice. Further research is suggested utilizing longitudinal and controlled studies on evidence-based practice that address pretreatment and assessment strategies involving case management and motivational interviewing.     

Grandparent Caregivers' Perception of the Stress of Surrogate Parenting

Abstract

This paper examined the relationship between sociodemo-graphic factors, Stressors, and resources, and the perception of stress by grandparents caring for their grandchildren. A sample of 129 grandparents had face-to-face interviews. A hierarchical block regression analysis produced a model that accounted for 49 percent of the variance. For the first block (sociodemographic factors) younger age and being white were significant, but in the context of the second block, these variables disappeared and being employed, having conflict with the grandchildren's parent, and grandchild problems were significant. The final block, in which resources were added, found that being employed, having conflict with the children's parent, grandchild problems, and lack of family resources were associated with high perception of stress. These findings suggest strategies for social work intervention.     

An Exploratory Study of Soldiers' Attitudes Toward a Matched Savings Program in Korea

ABSTRACT

This study explores the possibility of implementing a saving program for military soldiers in Korea. Over the past decade, asset-based programs have been expanded in Korea. Using a vignette method describing a military matched savings program and logistic regression, this study examines soldiers' attitudes toward a matched savings program. This study with a final sample of 224 soldiers in a Brigade in Korea found that 67% of survey participants are willing to join a savings program. In addition, most soldiers expect the program to have a positive impact on their military life, saving habits, and life after army service. A logistic regression analysis found that family relationship, duty type, rank, and age are significantly related to a soldier's willingness to join the program. The study provides policy and practice implications in that a military savings program may help soldiers to adapt to army service and prepare for life after army service. This study concludes with possibilities for future research when examining soldiers' attitudes toward a military savings program.     

Perceptions of Preparedness to Assist Elders with End-of-Life Care Preferences

Abstract

Using a systematic sample of Florida licensed clinical social workers (N = 272), this study found that respondents perceived themselves capable of assisting elders with end-of-life care decisions and considered themselves moderately knowledgeable of resources available to elder clients. Respondents indicated slightly positive attitudes for work with elders and elders with Alzheimer's disease, and most respondents believed that elders should have the right of physician-assisted suicide. Using multivariate analysis, four predictor variables were identified that account for 61.3% of the adjusted variance of the dependent variable of preparedness to assist elders with end-of-life care preferences. These predictor variables were (a) knowledge of resources available to elders, (b) desirability of working with elders, (c) desirability of working with elders with Alzheimer's disease, and (d) attitude toward assisted suicide.     

A Primer for Social Worker Researchers on How to Conduct a Multinomial Logistic Regression

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to explain how to conduct a multinomial logistic regression (MLR) to increase its usage among social work researchers. A challenge for social work researchers carrying out practice-based research is to incorporate statistical analyses that are comprehensible to clinicians. Another challenge is that categorical variables, as opposed to continuous, commonly occur in clinical settings, yet their usage is seldom taught in social work education. This article will discuss MLR, a categorical data analysis used when there are three or more unordered categories in the outcome variable. Multinomial logistic regression determines differences across client groups, and can be useful in assessment, case planning, and examination of outcomes.     

Filipinas as Residential Long-Term Care Providers

Summary

This exploratory study investigated reasons why Filipinas in Hawai'i have become the primary caregivers of elders in residential care homes and if they thought their children would follow them in this profession. A random sample of 173 Filipina care home operators (CHO), of which 95% were first-generation immigrants, was interviewed using telephone survey methods. Data were collected: to profile caregivers; to identify motivations for becoming a care home operator; and to gauge if they or their children would continue in this line of work. The sample was composed of middle-aged Filipina CHO with training and experience in elder care who concurred that the job fit their cultural values. About a third also felt that this job was open to immigrants and helped them buy a house. Twenty percent or less felt discriminated against because of this work. Although half the sample felt that women were better caregivers than men, only 38% felt that caregiving was primarily the responsibility of women. Almost 90% planned to continue with this work, but only 12% said it was likely that their children or grandchildren would become CHO, supporting the notion that choosing this profession had less to do with cultural values and gender expectations than with economic opportunities available to the current cohort of CHO. Given these findings, Hawai'i's capacity to meet future residential long- term care needs is discussed.     

Ethical Beliefs of Social Work Researchers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the beliefs of social work researchers about ethical practices. Surveys were mailed to a random sample of 240 members of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) to elicit their views about ethical practices in social work research. Responses from 160 members (67% response rate) yielded information regarding the appropriateness of dual relationships, authorship practices, informed consent procedures, and other conduct in social work research. Age, gender, educational level, years of social work research experience, and current teaching of social work research were related to respondents' ethical views about practices with students and sexual relationships with research subjects. The need for additional resources on ethics in social work research is highlighted.     

The Relevance of the Structural Approach to Group Work with Immigrant and Refugee Women

ABSTRACT

This article applies a structural approach to social work with immigrants and refugees. Specifically, the use of structural principles and procedures is illustrated in work with an Hispanic Women's Support Group.     

Physicians' Understanding of Consent Requirements for Phase I Clinical Trials in Cognitively Impaired or Highly Vulnerable Patients

We investigated physicians' attitudes about entering patients who cannot give informed consent or who are of a vulnerable population into clinical trials. A survey instrument asked a nationwide sample of practicing physicians about whether ten hypothetical patients could be enrolled in a phase I clinical trials. The impact of demographic variables on the number of scenarios viewed as completely or somewhat acceptable was analyzed via student's T tests or analysis of variance (ANOVA) as applicable. All significant (p < 0.01) variables were entered into a multiple logistic regression model. Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated that at least one case scenario was acceptable. A majority of those who conduct clinical trials (62%), who had training in the ethics of clinical research (78%), and who sit on institutional review boards (IRBs) (83%) approved of at least one case scenario. Physicians approved of the entry of some patients who cannot give informed consent or who are of a vulnerable population into clinical trials. More effective education on the guidelines involving clinical research should be available to practicing physicians, residents, and medical students. There should also be assurance that physicians who conduct clinical trials or who sit on IRBs have the requisite knowledge about the ethics of clinical research.     

The Effects of Parenting Stress,Perceived Mastery,and Maternal Depression on Parent–Child Interaction

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to test a model that delineated the interrelationships among parenting stress, perceived mastery (defined as the belief that one's life chances are under one's own control), maternal depression, and parent–child interaction. A secondary data analysis of the Fragile Family and Child Well-Being Study was conducted, using a sample of 2,650 mothers. Results suggest that parenting stress undermines one's sense of perceived mastery which, in turn, resulted in depression. Moreover, the results also indicated that parenting stress directly affected maternal depression and parent–child interaction. There was no support for the hypothesis that parenting stress undermines one's sense of perceived mastery which, in turn, resulted in depression, which affected one's parent–child interaction. Implications of these findings for professionals working with mothers of young children are discussed. Future research should test this model using other forms of parenting behavior.     

Caregiving and Our Inner Elder

Abstract

Dutch Priest Henri Nouwen, who died in 1996, has a large following of devoted readers. Though not formally a gerontologist, he wrote one small book, Aging: The Fulfillment of Life, full of remarkable insights into the meaning of growing old. Two approaches to caring for older people have special resonance. First, a person must appropriate his or her own aging, coming to grips with one's aging self. Secondly, one must allow the old person to enter into one's own life. Incorporating these two principles into service of elders gives it a spiritual value that goes beyond merely routine contact.     

Attitudes Toward Gays and Lesbians: A Latent Class Analysis of University Students

ABSTRACT

The profession of social work advocates for civil rights for gay men, lesbians, and bisexual persons. However, a number of social work students and practitioners harbor antigay bias that in prior variable-centered research has been determined to be related to race, relationship status, and age. The purpose of this research was to use latent class analysis (LCA), a person-centered statistical technique, to cluster 394 university student survey responses to the Attitudes Toward Lesbian and Gays short-form instrument. The analyses indicated three groups that can be profiled as unbiased, moderately biased, and highly biased. Analysis of variance and multinomial regression verified LCA findings that are consistent with prior research. The importance of selecting appropriate educational approaches to address antigay bias among social work students and practicing social workers is discussed, and recommendations for continued research, including a national random survey of social work students and licensed social workers, are made.     

Nonmarried Aging Parents' and Their Adult Children's Characteristics Associated with Transitions Into and Out of Intergenerational Coresidence

Abstract

Using data from the 1993-1995 waves of the Asset and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), this study focuses on analyzing elderly parents' and their children's characteristics associated with the transitions into and out of intergenerational coresidence. Multinomial logistic regression results show that transition into coresidence was primarily initiated by the parents' old age and deteriorating health and/or health-related crises. Transition out of coresidence into parents' institutionalization was also likely to have been triggered by the parents' health problems. In addition, other things being equal, divorced/separated or never-married parents were more likely but African American and Hispanic parents were less likely to have moved into an institution over a 2-year period. Children in the newly coresiding pairs and those of institutionalized parents were more likely to be married than children in the continuously coresiding pairs. The implications of these within-group differences for social work practice are discussed.     

Policing Urban America: A New Look at the Politics of Agency Size*

Objectives. This article analyzes competing explanations for variation in the relative size of contemporary police forces in larger U.S. cities. The featured explanation is conflict theory, which previously provided much evidence for a racial threat thesis but limited evidence that racial insurgency affected police mobilization in the 1960s and 1970s. Methods. The study sample consists of the 66 cities with a population of at least 250,000 in 2000. Aggregate data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Congressional Quarterly's America Votes, and the U.S. Census Bureau are combined with a content analysis using the Lexis‐Nexis regional news database to generate the data set. OLS regression modeling is applied to the analysis of this cross‐sectional data set. Results. This analysis shows that the size of contemporary police forces is substantially shaped not only by the legacy of the 1960–1970 wave of racial unrest in the United States, but also by reaction to racial disorders in the 1980s and 1990s and by the prevalence of racial minorities in the current population. Conclusions. Police departments' relative force size in 2000 is not only a result of incremental growth from the size attained by 1980, but also is dramatically shaped by whether the city experienced a race riot from 1980–2000 and, to a lesser extent, the size of the minority population and the violent crime rate. City wealth is a less robust indicator; and there is no evidence that either community ideology or the degree of uptake of community policing matters.     

Redefining Success: A Qualitative Investigation of Therapeutic Outcomes for Noncompleting Drug Court Clients

ABSTRACT

Utilizing a convenience sample from a drug court program, the authors investigated the benefits of treatment for noncompleting drug court clients (n = 30). Using an as-treated design, the qualitative investigation assessed whether noncompleters received any benefit from their drug court experience. In-depth interviews were conducted to determine both benefits gained and reductions in harm that occurred as a result of drug court participation. Data analysis was guided by the grounded theory method. Outcomes of coding indicated that participants' motivation and self-efficacy were enhanced through the intervention. Further, participants reported that their relationships with family, therapists, or peers were improved as a result of their involvement with drug court. Individuals in the study sample reported abstinence or decreased substance use, as well as improvements in employment and/or educational attainment. Participants’ perceptions of barriers to program completion were also noted. Study outcomes suggest that expansion of a harm reduction approach in social service practice may have utility for drug-abusing populations. Limitations of the research, including lack of generalizability, are discussed. Further research of harm reduction effects with a larger, heterogeneous sample size is recommended.     

Spirituality Among Alzheimer's Caregivers: Psychometric Reevaluation of the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to reevaluate psychometric properties of the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (ISS) and to compare its results to the original psychometric report. Attendees of Alzheimer's caregiver support groups constituted the sample, relevant to this measure given their traditional, frequent use of spirituality as a coping resource. Data were randomly split for factor and reliability analyses (N ₁= 152) and validity analysis (N ₂= 152). Factor analysis on the ISS loaded all items on a single dimension of spirituality. Reliability was strong. Convergent validity was suggested via significant correlations with prayer measures. Enhanced with the original findings, these results lend credibility to the ISS as a viable spiritual assessment tool. The ISS offers social service professionals a valuable tool for assessing spirituality that is inclusive of individuals whose spirituality is nontheistic or for whom spirituality exists independently from, or outside of, organized religious structures. Future analyses with additional populations may broaden the ISS applicability among persons with diverse demographic and spiritual backgrounds.