The Effect of Graduate School on Identity Issues

Abstract

Objectives: To provide a critical review of the efficacy of brief interventions for alcohol use in college health centers. Methods: Studies were included if (a) they examined brief intervention trials that were conducted in college- or university-based student health centers or emergency departments, and (b) they provided pre–post data to estimate change. Results: Twelve studies suggested that screening and brief interventions in these settings are acceptable, feasible, and promote risk reduction. Conclusions: Findings support continued use of time-limited, single-session interventions with motivational interviewing and feedback components.     

Self-Reported Incidence of Physical Violence in College Students

Abstract

A survey of a college student population indicates that physical abuse is prevalent in our society. The self-reported data were found to be similar to that occurring in the literature on parent-reported child abuse, documenting that approximately one-third of college students had a history of moderate abuse and 5 to 10% had a history of a severe abuse during their developmental years. Through an awareness of its high prevalence, the health care provider will question a history of physical violence when evaluating a student with a medical or psychosocial complaint and appropriately plan a management program including therapeutic counseling to decrease the effect of the prior or current physical abuse.     

Self-reported Barriers to Professional Help Seeking Among College Students at Elevated Risk for Suicide

Abstract

Objectives: This study sought to describe self-reported barriers to professional help seeking among college students who are at elevated suicide risk and determine if these barriers vary by demographic and clinical characteristics. Participants: Participants were 165 non–treatment seekers recruited as part of a Web-based treatment linkage intervention for college students at elevated suicide risk (from September 2010 through December 2011). Methods: Data were collected using Web-based questionnaires. Two coders coded students’ responses to an open-ended question about reasons for not seeking professional help. Results: The most commonly reported barriers included perception that treatment is not needed (66%), lack of time (26.8%), and preference for self-management (18%). Stigma was mentioned by only 12% of students. There were notable differences based on gender, race, and severity of depression and alcohol abuse. Conclusions: Efforts aimed at reaching students at elevated risk for suicidal behavior should be particularly sensitive to these commonly described barriers.     

Elder Abuse: What Coroners Know and Need to Know

This article presents findings from a survey examining knowledge of elder abuse among Georgia's coroners. More than half of the 116 respondents indicated that they know “almost nothing” or “a little” about distinguishing signs of physical abuse from signs of aging (54%) and mandatory reporting laws and related elder abuse statutes (63%). When asked the frequency with which older adult cases were referred to the medical examiner, 49% indicated “rarely if ever.” Study findings reveal specific opportunities for enhancing training efforts aimed at coroners, who play a critical role in the identification of elder abuse.     

Perceived Family Functioning and Family Resources of Hong Kong Families: Implications for Social Work Practice

This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1,015 respondents) that aims to identify the perceived general family functioning and family resources of Hong Kong Chinese families and their linkage to each other in a rapidly transforming society. The perceived general family functioning of the respondents was average, and the five types of family resources—time, income, human capital, psychological capital, and social capital—of the respondents ranged from average to good. The following family resource domains, in descending order, have accounted for significant variance in perceived general family functioning: income, time spent with family, stress coping efficacy, religion, and satisfaction with the living environment. Our findings provide empirical support for policy formulation and social work practice.     

Midlife and Older Gay Men Living with HIV/AIDS: The Influence of Resiliency and Psychosocial Stress Factors on Health Needs

HIV/AIDS research has mostly focused on younger gay men. This cross-sectional study originated from a larger study of 316 respondents to include a subsample of 38 midlife and older gay men living with HIV/AIDS. The study explores physical and mental health utilization rates, including physical and mental health status. Resiliency, internal health locus of control beliefs, and psychosocial stressors of age and sexual orientation discrimination, stigma, and internalized homophobia were also examined. A total of 65.8% of the HIV/AIDS participants received no mental health services the past year, despite reporting higher mental health distress. Of those reporting an HIV status, 10.5% indicated having no health visits in the preceding year and more delays in seeking care when needed and unmet health needs for which services were not sought. Participants reporting higher resiliency indicated less mental health distress and better health access indicators. Stigma and internalized homophobia negatively affected resiliency. Implications for practitioners working with midlife and older gay men are provided.     

A taxonomy of gambling and casino games via social media and online technologies

The increased popularity of casino games on social media platforms has prompted international jurisdictions to consider the extent to which these games may be similar to Internet gambling activities and therefore subject to regulatory action. Gambling themes are popular in video and computer games, and simulated-gambling activities are commonly offered by gambling operators as a way of enticing users to gamble online with money. However, little research has evaluated the impact of the digital convergence of gambling and gaming. The lack of a clear definition of online gambling-themed activities to guide such research undertakings represents a significant hurdle to the fields of gambling and gaming. Based on a review of the extant literature, this article proposes a taxonomy to distinguish between many types of online activities with gambling-themed content. This taxonomy suggests that the principal features that differentiate online gambling games include the requirement for payment, the role of skill, the type of platform and the centrality of the gambling theme. The proposed hierarchical framework aims to promote clear and consistent discussion to guide ongoing investigation of new and emerging Internet gambling and gaming technologies.     

Book reviews

’Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction’: Slavery in Richmond, Virginia, 1782–1865. Midori Takagi. Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia. 1999. xi, 187 pp. $37.50 (cloth). ISBN 0–8139–1834–0.

Hidden Lives: The Archaeology of Slave Life at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest. Barbara J. Heath. Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press. 1999. x, 81 pp. $12.50 (paper). ISBN 0–8139–1867–7.

Disowning Slavery: Gradual Emancipation and ‘Race’ in New England, 1780–1860. Joannk Pope Melish. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1998. xvii, 296 pp. £26.50 (cloth). ISBN 0–8014–3413–0.

American Slaves in Victorian England: Abolitionist Politics in Popular Literature and Culture. Audrey A. Fisch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2000. x, 139pp. £35.00/$59.95. (cloth). ISBN 0–521–66026–2.

Slaves and Slaveholders in Bermuda, 1618–1782. Virginia Bernhard. Columbia. Missouri: University of Missouri Press. 1999. xviii, 316pp. £29.95. ISBN 0–8262–1227–1.

Centering Woman: Gender Discourses in Caribbean Slave Society. Hilary McD. Becklks. Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle Publishers; Princeton: Marcus Weiner Publishers; Oxford: James Currey Publishers. 1999. xxv, 211 pp. £15.95 (paper). ISBN: 976–8123–78–8.

Empire and Antislavery: Spain, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, 1833–1874. Christopher Schmidt‐Nowara. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. 1999. xiii, 239 pp. $50.00(cloth). ISBN 0–8229–4089–2; $22.95 (paper), ISBN 0–8229–5690 X.

Shaping the Discourse on Space: Charity and Its Wards in Nineteenth‐Century San Juan, Puerto Rico. Teresita MartíNez‐Vergne. Austin: University of Texas Press. 1999. xv, 235 pp. $32.50 (cloth). ISBN 0–292–75220–2; $17.95 (paper). ISBN 0–292–75221–0.

The Colonial Caribbean in Transition: Essays on Postemancipation Social and Cultural History. Edited by Bridget Brereton and Kevin Yelvington. Kingston and Gainesville: The Press, University of the West Indies and the University Press of Florida. 1999. xxiii, 319 pp. $49.95 (cloth) ISBN 0–8130–1696–7; $30.00 (paper) ISBN 976–640–030‐X.     

Being Known in Undergraduate Social Work Education: The Role of Instructors in Fostering Student Engagement and Motivation

Most undergraduate students pursue a social work major because of their desire to help others. Students tend to be more interested in doing than in understanding the research and knowledge of the profession and the complexities of social work practice. Instructors are often faced with the challenge of enhancing student motivation to learn challenging course material. This study explored student perceptions of instructor influences on their motivation and engagement in learning. Through online surveys, students described their experiences of being known and how those experiences affected their participation in practice, research, and human behavior in the social environment courses. Results showed that instructor caring (providing recognition, expressing relational qualities, and responding to students) positively influences student motivation and affective learning by increasing comfort, willingness to ask questions, take risks, and overall participation. Conversely, of those who reported mixed experiences or who felt unknown, most reported a negative impact on their motivation and participation. These findings suggest that social work faculty can influence student motivation and engagement with essential social work curriculum by expressing care and helping students feel known in the classroom.