Implications For Social Work Intervention Research Articles

Parents Caring for Adult Children with Physical Disabilities: The Impact of Hope and Closeness on Caregiving Benefits

In the present study, we examined 82 parents of adult children with physical disabilities. The parents described the benefits of caregiving, and reported positive feelings about their involvement in caregiving as well as a sense of personal growth as a result of caregiving. When parents perceived caregiving as causing less emotional strain (subjective burden), and when they felt higher levels of closeness with their offspring and expressed higher levels of hope, they were more likely to indicate that caregiving yielded benefits. In the discussion, we focus on the importance of developing closeness and hope among parents who care for their adult offspring with physical disabilities. The implications for social work intervention are also discussed.

Risk and Resilience Ecological Framework for Assessment and Goal Formulation

This paper describes the use of the risk and resilience ecological framework as an assessment and goal setting tool for social workers. A rationale for the framework is provided, along with identification of risk and protective factors across the micro, meso, and macro level systems. Goal formulation from identification of factors follow, with implications for social work interventions.

Factors affecting the life satisfaction for permanent colostomy patients & its implication for social work intervention

This paper examines what kind of factors directly influence the life satisfaction for permanent colostomy patients, thereby trying to help them to experience less problems when adjusting to the community rehabilitation. Data are collected during the period between Feb. 2001 and April, 2001 through survey method from the 80 permanent colostomy patients undergoing treatment in Seoul area hospital. Various statistical analysis including Frequency Distribution, Pearson Correlation, Multiple Regression, Principle Component Analysis are performed using SPSS 10.0 for Windows Findings are summarized as follows; First, the highest satisfaction are - shown in the area of

Perceptions of Domestic Violence in a Chinese American Community

Thirty-one Chinese adults (16 men and 15 women) were randomly selected using a 1995 telephone directory for the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County. A telephone questionnaire on perceptions of domestic violence was administered. Respondents defined domestic violence as physical or sexual acts of aggression between spouses as opposed to psychological aggression. Chinese men and women did not agree with the use of violence in the home or that hitting is an effective problem-solving strategy. However, they tended to justify it in cases of self-defense and defense of a child. Domestic violence was attributed to individual and environmental factors. Minimal gender differences were found; however, age and length of residence in the United States were significantly related to various perceptions of domestic violence. The cultural context of domestic violence and implications for social work interventions and research are discussed.

Postpartum Depression

SUMMARY Postpartum depression is a common and treatable clinical syndrome which effects up to fifty percent of all women and which can best be considered as a triad of disorders. Postpartum blues, postpartum affective disorders or major depressions, and postpartum psychosis have distinct symptoms with corresponding implications for social work interventions and treatment strategies. The role of prevention can be pivotal in terms of reducing negative impacts of psychological problems after birth and minimizing adverse consequences for the new baby and all family members.

Perceived social support and adjustment to mastectomy in socioeconomically disadvantaged black women.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women and is the second leading cause of death of women in the United States. This study examined the relationship between perceptions of social support and adjustment to breast cancer for 100 socioeconomically disadvantaged black women and it explored the relationship between diverse demographic features as they influenced the breast cancer experience. Two groups of women were interviewed after their mastectomies: one group at three months and a second group at twelve months. Implications for social work intervention for socioeconomically disadvantaged women are explored.

Social work intervention with bereaved children

Abstract Bereavement in childhood can seriously affect a child's development. There is a tendency to diminish the child's experience of loss because bereaved parents are often less sensitive to their children and because children express their grief in a more discreet manner than is typical of adult grief. This tendency leads to the child's needs being underestimated and under-reported. A model of social work intervention which advocates short-term involvement has been shown to have a significant effect upon the well-being of the child and his family. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature on mourning, which highlights various perspectives on the role and nature of the process. A model of mourning which embraces the differences between adult and child mourning will be proposed which is informed by the principles of attachment theory and defined as a continuing process of adjustment rather than a resolvable experience of loss. This model of mourning has implications for social work intervention and is the foundation of the practice model. The practice model involves six bereavement counselling sessions with the parent, six play sessions with the child and formal and informal involvement with the child's teacher. It has four aims: (I) to enhance sensitivity in the parent to the child's experience of loss and mode of mourning, (2) to develop an improved pattern of communication within the child-parent relationship, (3) to develop resources for the child in his personal environment and (4) to enhance the child's resourcefulness within his mourning thus enabling him to feel more competent in the longer term. The model is founded upon an awareness of the need for short-term intervention within the context of a long-term issue and seeks to address both perspectives simultaneously. Some of children's commoner responses to bereavement will be outlined within the context of the play sessions and methods for resolving the problems associated with them will be discussed. Finally the nature of reasonable outcomes for the work will be considered.

Gender Differences in Drug Addiction and Treatment: Implications for Social Work Intervention with Substance-Abusing Women

This article draws on current addiction research to describe the unique characteristics and treatment needs of chemically dependent women and how they differ from those of chemically dependent men. It explores similarities between women who are drug addicted and all women who experience gender-based oppression. The authors suggest that drug use is a coping strategy that some women adopt to manage this oppression. Finally, the article looks at traditional drug treatment programs, which have been designed to treat male addicts and fail to address the treatment needs of women. The authors offer an alternative treatment model designed to meet those needs. Parallels between characteristics of this alternative treatment model and social work practice are drawn, and opportunities and strategies for social workers to intervene with female addicts are identified.

The Impact of Hate Violence on Victims: Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Attacks

Criminal acts stemming from prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity--frequently referred to as "hate violence"--have increased during recent years. This study explored the nature of hate attacks and victims' responses to them. The sample consisted of 59 victims and included black, white, and Southeast Asian people. Data were obtained through focus group meetings, individual interviews, and questionnaires. More than half of the victims reported experiencing a series of attacks rather than a single attack. Anger, fear, and sadness were the emotional responses most frequently reported by victims. About one-third of the victims reported behavioral responses such as moving from the neighborhood or purchasing a gun. The responses of hate violence victims were similar to those of victims of other types of personal crime. Implications for social work intervention are discussed.

Caregivers of elderly relatives: spouses and adult children.

A problem in the provision of home health care for elderly people is the limited number of family members available for caregiving. Current trends in federal, state, and local policy formation suggest an increasing emphasis on the family as an appropriate caregiver. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how family relationships affect the caregivers' responses to their caregiver situation. Data are presented from 206 caregivers enrolled in a larger longitudinal study of family members caring for elderly dependent relatives. The sample is divided into four caregiver groups: (1) spouses who have children, (2) spouses who have no children, (3) adult children who have siblings, and (4) adult children who have no siblings. Measures selected for comparison were perception of burden, caregiver involvement, affective social support, mental health status, and use of community services. Differences were found among the four groups of caregivers. Implications for social work intervention are discussed.

Personal Power in Black Mothers of Handicapped Sons

This article presents findings from a study of black urban mothers that delineate three patterns of acceptance toward their handicapped sons: active, passive, and limited. Locus of control, which involves a sense of personal power, was found to be central to these patterns, affecting self-esteem, attitudes toward the child, and ability to gain access to resources. Implications for social work interventions include guidelines for delivering differential services that are based on patterns of acceptance and locus of control.

Adolescent mothers: Racial differences in childrearing support

This article presents a study of racial differences in the types of support that families and babies' fathers give to teenage mothers. The sample is 203 inner city adolescent mothers were using public health clinics in three midwest cities. Black mothers were younger than white mothers and were less likely to live with a male partner. Although only one black father lived with his baby, while 2/3 of the white fathers lived with their babies, similar percentages of both black and white fathers provided support in a variety of different areas of childcare and financial aid. Thus, there was substantial childcare involvement from absent black fathers. The families of black mothers provided a wider variety of child care and financial support. Multivariate analyses demonstrate that the greater number of different types of support for black mothers from family of origin persisted despite differences in the teen mother's age, the age of the baby, and the family's socio-economic status. Implications for social work interventions are discussed.

Research on the Effect of Parental Bereavement: Implications for Social Work Intervention

An increasing body of research suggests that the death of a child results in a unique form of bereavement for surviving parents. This article reviews research findings on parental bereavement, including the author's ongoing longitudinal study. Differences among types of parental bereavement and predictors of adjustment are identified. Implications for social work practice are developed.

Emergency Calls to Police: Implications for Social Work Intervention

Nondispatched calls constitute over half of all calls received by a law enforcement communications center in a city in the Northwest. Such calls are analyzed and implications for social work intervention are suggested. Because these calls reflect community needs, they may be useful to policymakers and planners in developing effective community helping systems. The role of social work in promoting improved, integrative responses to human needs is also discussed.

Sexually active adolescents: implication for social work intervention and family planning services.

There are considerable data documenting the devastating consequences of school age parenthood on the young mother's life and that of her child. Yet, to deal effectively with the increasing incidence of adolescent sexuality, more knowledge is necessary regarding the characteristics of young females who effectively use contraceptives and those who are sexually active, without protection and become pregnant. Exploratory research focusing on these 2 groups was conducted to provide these data. Profiles of these 2 groups are offered and implications for social work intervention and family planning services are discussed.

Internal and external barriers to obtaining prenatal care.

Few studies have examined the reasons women do not obtain medical care during their pregnancies. A retrospective case review of 70 patients in a large metropolitan hospital who received minimal prenatal care examined demographic variables and reasons women gave for not seeking care. Data suggested there are both internal and external barriers to care. More women cited reasons including depression, denial, and fear than cited financial or transportation problems. Implications for social work intervention in the hospital and in the community are drawn from the data and discussed.

Factors related to preventive health behavior: implications for social work intervention.

As acute and infectious diseases become controlled, further improvement in the health status of a population increasingly depends on prevention. Social workers are frequently involved in activities designed to influence individuals and groups to use preventive services or engage in health-maintaining practices. Understanding the determinants of preventive health behavior should contribute to the effectiveness of these social work activities. Therefore, this article reviews numerous empirical studies of preventive health behavior and attempts to integrate them into a theoretical framework. A series of factors that may serve as barriers or supports to preventive health behavior are identified, and their implications for social work intervention are discussed.