Abused Latina Women's Perceptions of Their Postdivorce Adjustment

This qualitative study explores the postdivorce adjustment of battered Latina immigrants. Three focus groups were conducted. Data were analyzed utilizing a grounded theory approach. Five conceptual themes were unearthed including: (a) intimate partner violence (IPV) as the precipitator for divorce; (b) motivations for leaving; (c) the impact of the Latino culture on marriage, separation, and postdivorce; (d) immigration and other legal and social issues; and (e) postdivorce/post-IPV experiences. Implications for practice are drawn.     

“They Treat us Like Pests:” Undocumented Immigrant Experiences Obtaining Health Care in the Wake of a “Crackdown” Ordinance

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of Latino immigrant experiences seeking health care services in the wake of an anti-immigrant “crackdown” ordinance similar to Arizona's SB 1070. Prince William County, Virginia's 2007 “Rule of Law” ordinance escalated law enforcement efforts that targeted this population for deportation and ordered staff to ensure that no one receive social services other than those required by federal law. This article sought to answer the questions: (1) Were undocumented immigrants able to obtain health care? (2) How do immigrants characterize their experiences with health providers? Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews (n = 57) with Latinos in a low-income neighborhood. Analysis of Spanish-language narratives found that many were dissuaded from seeking care because of high costs as well as lack of familiarity with the health care system. Others perceived that they were treated with insensitivity or outright hostility—and believed this treatment was a deliberate effort to discourage them from seeking help.     

Acculturation attitudes and affective workgroup commitment: evidence from professional Chinese immigrants in the Australian workplace

The Australian workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and it is important to understand the role of individuals’ acculturation attitudes in the workplace. The appreciation of the relationship between acculturation attitudes and affective workgroup commitment is critical for mangers to facilitate the performance of employees with diverse backgrounds. To gain a better understanding of this relationship, we assessed the acculturation attitudes of professional Chinese immigrants and the relationship between these attitudes and affective workgroup commitment in the Australian workplace. Our survey of a sample of 220 professional Chinese immigrants in the Australian workplace revealed that, even though many of them favor integration, the majority adopt separation and marginalization, which were found to be related with low affective workgroup commitment. This study underscored the importance of acculturation attitudes to cultivate positive job-related outcomes, and provided useful information for organizations to manage immigrant employees via effective acculturation programs.     

Social Service Needs of Hispanic Immigrants

Abstract

Large numbers of poor Hispanic immigrants have come to the U.S. in recent years with many social service needs. This qualitative, pilot study of Hispanic immigrants in the Washington Heights community in New York City identifies their perceived needs and barriers for accessing services. Seven face-to-face interviews with community-based professionals and four focus group interviews with thirty Hispanic immigrants provide the data. Both groups of informants report many unmet service needs, especially in the areas of health care and housing. Data support the view that Hispanic immigrants often require micro-and macro-level advocacy that can best be performed by Spanish speaking social workers.     

浅析高职院校高技能型人才培养模式

随着社会科技的日趋进步,对高技能人才的需求越来越旺盛。高职院校培养技能型人才是社会的需要,是企业的需要。以湖南化工职业技术学院为例,从技能人才的内涵、社会需求及构建技能人才培养模式几个方面进行了分析。     

‘Sweden Might Be a Haven,But It's Not Heaven’: American War Resisters in Sweden During the Vietnam War

This article examines the experience of the 1000 or so Americans who sought refuge from the Vietnam War in Sweden between April 1967 and March 1973. At the time the public discussion surrounding these men was not easily disentangled from the larger political debate being waged between the right and left about the war, and such polemics ultimately distorted the media's reporting on the exiles. Above all, this politicised coverage exaggerated the war resisters’ adjustment problems in Sweden, and it also obscured the reality that many of the challenges that these men faced in exile were common to those of most newly arrived immigrant groups in Sweden during this period.     

Writing diversity: Ethnicity and race in Australian Social Work, 1947-1997

Abstract

In 1997, Australian Social Work celebrated 50 years of publication. This paper provides a content and discourse analysis of 50 years of articles on Indigenous and immigrant Australians in the journal and its predecessors. The analysis critically evaluates the published accounts of cross-cultural social work research, policy and practice and identifies the meanings these articles convey of race and ethnicity in Australian professional identity and practice. The analysis found little published analysis of social work practice with Indigenous Australians and that articles written about Indigenous Australians are either more negative or more positive than the generally approving tone of articles about immigrants. Only one or two articles in either category proposed a structural or community development approach to practice.

An early draft of this paper was given at the AASWWE Conference, Cairns, 1998.     

An Examination of Older Immigrants' Use of Dental Services in the United States

The recent influx of immigrants aged 65 and older in the United States triggers an increasing need to understand older immigrants' dental services use. This paper uses data (n = 9,617) from the 2004 and 2006 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine the dental services use of older Americans. In particular, this study focuses on differences in dental services use between immigrants and natives and potential contributing factors. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed, contrary to expectation, that older immigrants were more likely to use dental services than older natives despite numerous barriers (odds ratio = 1.30 in 2004). The results in 2006 confirmed these findings. The results from 2004 and 2006 analyses showed dental insurance coverage, sex, and marital status were associated differently with dental services use for immigrants and natives. Implications for current oral health policies and future research of older Americans are discussed, as well as methods for meeting older immigrants' growing dental services needs.