Social Work Settings Research Articles

“Your crisis is our crisis; we take those on!” Exploring the profound role of spiritual diversity in social work

ABSTRACT Spiritual Diversity (SD) is transformative when integrated into the epistemic context and practice. SD’s transformative potential can significantly enhance clients’ quality of life when harnessed. The profound lived experiences of social workers must be unearthed to embrace spiritual diversity as a holistic resource fully. Therefore, this study aimed to delve into the lived experiences of social workers, explore the profound role of spiritual diversity, and uncover diverse perspectives in different social work contexts. Seven in-depth, semi-structured Zoom interviews with spiritually informed social workers were conducted. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the exploratory comments and observations of the participants were drawn. The study generated 122 codes from the data and developed fourteen emergent themes. These themes were then clustered into four major themes: 1. Spiritual turn among social workers, 2. Spirituality as a strength-based mechanism, 3. Creating access to spiritual resources, and 4. Increased vitality in the healing process. Demonstrating the seamless integration of the spiritual diversity approach and critical discourse on social work practices, this study adds to the growing body of research that underscores the benefits of a spiritual diversity approach in social work settings.

The influence of artificial intelligence within health-related risk work: a critical framework and lines of empirical inquiry

In this editorial we highlight the need for empirical studies into the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare and social work settings, especially studies which are theoretically informed by critical social science studies of risk and uncertainty. In setting out the importance of interpretative and critical traditions for research into such AI-oriented forms of risk work, we propose three important conceptual lines of inquiry which empirical studies might follow. First, we sketch ways in which the enactment of AI in healthcare work may be changing how risk is handled amid professional decision-making, and creating new categories of patient/service-user. Patients may be evaluated as being at lower or higher risk depending, respectively, upon their engagement or non-engagement with AI-technologies. These questions of (non-)engagement lead us to consider, second, the trust and distrust dynamics around AI-technologies, exploring the potential inequalities that can emerge as a result of (non) engagement. We then consider drivers of this technological embrace in terms of hope and magical thinking in technological-imaginaries, connecting these cultural tendencies to broader structures of ideology and political-economic interests. We conclude this editorial with a plea to social scientists to be cautious to avoid both techno-optimistic narratives and alarmist warnings regarding the implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, we argue that our focus should be a theoretically informed and detailed examining of how expectations (pertaining to risk, trust, and hope) materialise in practice, particularly in the daily experiences of those who develop and enact AI technologies in care settings.

Aboriginal Practitioners’ Perspectives on Culturally Informed Practice for Trauma Healing in Australia

Colonisation continues to impact Aboriginal children and families through perpetual cycles of transgenerational trauma. To achieve culturally safe and effective healing, practitioners working with Aboriginal people must be culturally competent, yet existing research suggests culturally informed practice (CIP) is often poorly understood and implemented by many practitioners. Centring Indigenous perspectives, the present study explored how Aboriginal practitioners in Australia conceptualise and use CIPs when supporting Aboriginal children and families to heal from trauma. Six Aboriginal women practitioners from mental health and social work settings participated in individual research yarns. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate four themes, including centring Aboriginal ways, approaches to healing, creating space for healing, and reflexive and responsive practice. CIPs are embedded within Aboriginal approaches to healing, consider the impacts of trauma and colonisation, and require all practitioners to actively engage with Aboriginal people and their ways of knowing, being, and doing.

Untangling the Web: A Phenomenological Analysis of Social Workers’ Critical Reflections on Racism in Social Work and Antiracism Efforts in Contemporary Practice

Racism has been deemed a public health crisis in the United States, which has often led to racial trauma, warranting a need for adequate support within social work settings. Using critical reflection and a phenomenological approach, seven frontline social workers shared their lived experiences with antiracism in their practice and how racism impacts social work. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate the ways institutional and systemic racism continue to operate in social work organizations and identify barriers in social work organizations that impede antiracism efforts. The participants’ introspective reflections explore their coming into the awareness stage in their antiracism journey. Social workers expose the discriminatory behaviors toward Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) service users in their organizations. Social workers expressed that racism impedes BIPOC from getting equitable mental health care.

노인 저장행위에 대한 메타리뷰: 개입과 영향요인

This study sought to identify practical methods and influencing factors for intervening in hoarding behavior. To achieve this, a meta-review was conducted. A meta-review is a research methodology that summarizes and presents findings from existing systematic reviews. An electronic search was conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science, using the following search phrase: “hoarding” OR “self-neglect” OR “squalor” AND “older adults” AND “systematic review.” A narrative synthesis was conducted to identify effective interventions and influncing factors. The initial search yielded 102 studies. After the screening processes, four studies were eligible for review. The analysis revealed that cognitive-behavioral therapy emerged as an effective intervention method for hoarding behavior. From the data synthesis, four factors that positively influence the intervention emerged: 1) adherence to manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy; 2) demographic characteristics (gender, age); 3) individual and group therapy, treatment duration, and frequency of home visits; and 4) pharmacological treatment. Conversely, factors that negatively affected the intervention included: 1) a small sample size; 2) higher dropout rates; and 3) a lack of focus on intervention. Based on the results, this study provides an effective intervention method and implications applicable in social work settings. Also, it proposes strategies to mitigate factors that negatively impact interventions and suggests the establishment of an educational system to enhance practitioners’ capabilities.

Clinical Evaluation of 51 Patients with Cleft Lip and/or Palate in Social Work at Syariah Hospital.

The study aims to evaluate the surgical outcomes, including post-operative complications, in patients undergoing cleft lip and palate surgery in social work. The study was conducted on 51 patients in three social work settings, with inclusion criteria of age over 3 months, weight over 10 pounds, and normal chest x-ray results. Patients with syndromic or cardiac abnormalities were excluded from the study. The surgery was performed by a team of oral and maxillofacial surgeons with a minimum of 2 years of surgical experience. The study found that post-operative complications were relatively rare and could be managed well. This study has important implications for improving the quality of healthcare services for patients with cleft lip and palate, as well as increasing public awareness of the importance of proper medical care for this condition.

Conflicting Expectations of Interpreters’ Roles in the Interaction between Guardians and Unaccompanied Minors

Abstract Public service interpreters assume a key role in rendering accessible social services to newcomer clients. They could even be considered inherent to social work settings that are multilingual in nature, such as the interactional context of unaccompanied minors and their legal guardians. However, despite the intrinsic linguistic diversity and the unique position of interpreters in this setting, guardian–minor encounters remain unexplored in research. The current study therefore aims to provide insight into the multilingual needs and challenges in these encounters, focussing particularly on the roles interpreters play in this setting and how they are perceived to affect the interaction. To this end, the study draws on twelve semi-structured interviews with guardians of unaccompanied minors, collected as part of a research project examining the impact of multilingual strategies on the communication and relationship between guardians and minors in Belgium. Through thematic analysis, the study explores guardians’ insecurities, revealing confusion about the professional status of interpreters, concerns about interpretation quality and conflicting expectations of what interpreters should (not) do. The study provides recommendations with a view to improving both the confidence of guardians and the efficiency of guardian–minor interactions, and highlights the relevance of the findings for various other social work settings.

Preventing smoking initiation in adolescents living in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions: Study protocol of the KickAsh!-intervention.

Adolescents living in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions are confronted with tobacco-related health disparities. As school-based interventions appear to be less effective among these youngsters, other approaches are necessary. One promising avenue is youth social work settings that offer sport and recreational activities (SR-settings). SR-settings have been examined as a levering context for health promotion, but evidence regarding smoking prevention is currently lacking. This study describes the protocol of a non-randomised cluster controlled trial evaluating a smoking prevention intervention for adolescents. At least 24 SR-settings are needed for the intervention and control group. A mixed-method design will be used. Quantitative measures will be used to assess effectiveness, involving validated questionnaires on smoking initiation behaviour and influencing factors (i.e. attitude, self-efficacy, social influence and risk perception). In addition, feasibility will be assessed with regard to intervention fidelity, dose and reach. Data will be collected at baseline, three and nine months following the intervention. To gain deeper understanding on the impact and underlying processes of the intervention, we will conduct qualitative interviews with users (adolescents) and implementers (youth workers within the SR-settings) of the intervention. Conducting this trial will offer novel insights into the effectiveness of a smoking prevention intervention designed for adolescents living in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. A mixed-method design will enable to measure impact, implementation and underlying processes of the intervention. Overall, this design will enhance our understanding on the suitability of SR-settings as contexts for smoking prevention initiatives targeting hard-to-reach youth. This trial is registered on Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05920772.

Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction: The Underlying Mechanisms Between Work-Related Violence Exposure and Turnover Intention in the Social Work Setting

ABSTRACT Work-related violence exposure has been identified as one of the risk factors for social workers’ turnover intention, but little is known about its underlying mechanisms. This study aims to distinguish compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue from a dual perspective and investigate the mediating effects of these two co-existing constructs in the relationship between work-related violence exposure and turnover intention. A sample of 1023 Chinese social workers in H city, China (mean age = 36.24 years, SD = 7.11) is obtained by multistage cluster random sampling. Findings demonstrate that the relationship between work-related violence exposure and turnover intention is partially mediated by compassion satisfaction (b = 0.023, 95% CI [0.007, 0.045]) and compassion fatigue (b = 0.139, 95% CI [0.093, 0.187]). The present study clarifies two influencing paths between work-related violence exposure and turnover intention, adding knowledge to the social work profession. Practical implications for reducing turnover intention are suggested in the social work setting.

Resilient Social Work Practice: From the Experiences of Filipino Social Workers

'Resilience' refers to a person's capacity to handle difficulties, demands and pressure without experiencing negative effects. The concept of resilience draws from and reinforces a strengths perspective. The term refers to the belief that we have personal wisdom and capacity to persevere and grow from experience. Adopting a resilience mindset helps us to tap into these capacities and to flourish, even in the face of challenge. The pressures and demands of social work practice requires social workers to remain steadfast and strong despite all the personal and professional challenges. Since our country experiences many challenges like natural and manmade disaster and the COVID 19. There are evidence that social workers had experience mental and emotional fatigue. A study which aims to describe Resilient social work practice and actual experiences of Filipino Social Workers both personally and professionally amidst challenges and pandemic is needed to shed some light on how Filipino Social Workers deals with all these difficulties. Specifically, the study answers the following questions: 1. What is their perspective of resilient social work? 2.What are examples of resilience as practice by social workers on a personal and professional level? 3.How do social workers build resilience in professional practice? 4. In what ways (what aspect of their personal and professional level) did the participants practice Resiliency? Through online platform social workers in Davao Region from different social work settings participated in the study descriptive-qualitative research and concluded that social workers utilized various resiliency tools both personal and professional in their practice in dealing with clients in various organizations.

An Online Photovoice Study Designed by Researchers from Art and Social Work to Better Understand the Experience of Chronic Pain by Women of Color

In 1980s British feminist artist-photographer Jo Spence used phototherapy to challenge normative and medicalized constructions of the female cancer patient by documenting her illness and was then employed as a consultant by hospitals who, through her work, recognized the need to change physicians’ practices and attitudes, which objectified patients. Photovoice, a Community Based Participatory Design method where participants take photographs and combine them with short text narratives, is similar to Spence’s artistic method. It has been used widely in health and social work settings. Healthcare professionals are aware of the power of images as catalysts for meaning making in medical encounters with people in pain; as part of multidisciplinary analysis, because images can enhance a person’s sense of agency in relation to their pain, especially in clinical contexts. Photographs can also establish a common ground for discussing meaning, therefore Photovoice can make the hidden experience of pain visible through collaborative photo-texts. These are subsequently shared with other patients and healthcare workers to aid them in specialist consultations. However, few studies have addressed gender and race-related health disparities in treating chronic pain. This paper draws on the authors’ study with twenty women of color who created photo-text works about their experiences living with and being treated for chronic pain. In this novel online Photovoice study, participants engaged with asynchronous videos created by an artist-professor about the meanings viewers make of a photograph, including how perspective, angle, and lighting can affect the viewer’s emotional response to photographs. Participants then deployed Photovoice through six synchronous sessions led by a social work professor with extensive experience designing and facilitating Photovoice studies. The resulting image-text works by study participants address health inequity and argue for health equity as a hallmark of social justice in healthcare by focusing on exposing and reducing healthcare disparities.

Social workers as targets for integration

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to write against normative discourses and interpretations of ‘integration’ by nominating social workers and social work as the main subject of ‘integration’ and find ways to overcome exclusionary and discriminating social work practices. To do that, we use material collected when observing public service interpreters giving lectures to social workers about their experiences from encounters in social work settings. In a critical analysis, we found two ‘integration’ problems, that is, certain problems that social workers have in making themselves accessible and where they risk reinforcing exclusion and discrimination. One problem is ‘the failure of handling perceptions that social services take children’. The other is ‘the failures of (re)producing bureaucratically driven social assistance’. These problems might lead to exclusionary practices towards migrant families, often with disastrous outcomes. The analysis shows that these problems appear due to social workers’ lack of institutional self-awareness, language competencies, and emphatic ability. To overcome these shortcomings, the interpreters emphasized the impact of encounters that social workers were already involved in during their everyday work. The interpreters recognize that social services are unknown to most families who are newly arrived in Sweden and point out the importance of making more efforts to be clear, rephrasing questions, explaining, avoiding abbreviations, and becoming proactive in dialogue outside of the offices, i.e. recognizing that social work is language work.

Motivations, career decisions, and decision-making processes of mid-aged master of social work students

ABSTRACT Professionals working in health and social care in the United Kingdom face long-term stress and burnout. Some staff decided to leave the health and social care profession, particularly since the United Kingdom left the European Union. While Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the insufficient human resources in health and social care and the shortage of qualified social workers, the resultant stress and burnout is the long-term issues. This study aims to understand the motivations and reasons why second-career Master of Social Work students decide to join the social work profession during their mid-age. Phenomenology was employed and twenty Master of Social Work students at three British universities were invited. Using social cognitive career and motivation theory and a two-step data analysis procedure, the four main findings resulting from this study were the success of the internship arrangement in boosting careers in populated rural communities, the ability of rural social workers to improve the lives of aging populations, and the advantages of being part of a supportive work community, including experiencing a supportive managerial style. This study will fill the gaps in identifying issues related to workforce shortage, social work education, and internship placements in social work settings.

Essential Workers Balancing Life and Work during the COVID-19 Syndemic in Spain: A Qualitative and Gender-Based Study

Rationale. During the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain, healthcare workers have experienced productive work overload, as well as an increase in reproductive work, which has worsened their mental health. Little research has been done on nonhealthcare essential workers although they have been exposed to similar conditions. Objective. To explore the experiences of essential workers after the first year of the COVID-19 syndemic in Spain on work-life balance, considering different professions and reproductive work responsibilities. Methods. Exploratory qualitative study using a gender perspective. Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted via telephone or videoconference between January and March 2021. Interviews included essential workers in healthcare, social work, food related, and other settings, eleven women and seven men. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results. The disposition of essential workers for reproductive work, task sharing, and work-life balance differed according to gender. Reproductive work was predominantly the responsibility of women; work-life balance was especially challenging for single-mother families and families with children. Being an essential worker, performing face-to-face productive work during lockdown seemed to allow a sense of “normality” and personal space. However, it appeared to lead to feelings of exhaustion due to unsustainable working conditions and pressure on reproductive work during the first year of the COVID-19 syndemic. A lack of social recognition was perceived, especially among social workers. Conclusion. This study raises awareness of the difficulties of combining productive work that has become essential with reproductive work in a context of extreme social isolation and little social and institutional support. It questions the role of women in reproductive work, brings visibility to professions such as social work, and highlights the need to improve their working conditions. It is urgent to implement policies to mitigate effects on mental health and its determinants in the short term and long term to reduce gender inequity.

Smoking prevention within social work organizations: a qualitative study about youngsters' and youth workers' perceptions.

Tobacco smoking uptake is still a major public health concern, especially among youngsters living in vulnerable situations. Finding optimal ways to engage youngsters in smoking prevention is important. Compared to traditional settings such as schools, social work settings providing sports-based and recreational activities (SR-settings) tend to reach and engage youngsters more. This study aimed to gain insight into the reasons for smoking uptake among youngsters living in vulnerable situations and the conditions through which SR-settings are potentially beneficial for smoking prevention initiatives. Data were collected in two SR-settings in Flanders, Belgium, by means of five focus group discussions and six individual interviews with youngsters (n = 38, mean age = 12.9 ± 2.61 years, 69.7% boys) and eight individual interviews with youth workers (n = 8, mean age = 27.5 ± 7.95 years, 87.5% men). A thematic analysis (TA) approach was applied to analyse the data. Besides individual factors, such as attitudes towards smoking, the desire to be part of a group and conformity to group norms seem to be important drivers of smoking uptake among youngsters in vulnerable situations. The presence of powerful role models in SR-settings with whom youngsters identify may counteract group norms by encouraging healthy behaviour. SR-settings seem suitable for questioning perceptions of vulnerable youngsters, unlike other settings where they may struggle to be heard. The conditional characteristics of SR-settings, such as authentic group processes, having meaningful roles, and being heard, make these contexts promising venues for smoking prevention efforts among vulnerable youngsters. Youth workers who have established trusting relationships with youngsters seem well-suited to communicate smoking prevention messages. A participatory approach, in which youngsters are involved in developing smoking prevention programs, is desirable.

Reimagining Social Work’s Digital Future: The Critical Role of Interdisciplinary Tech Partnerships

ABSTRACT The social work field is a relative latecomer to the digital revolution. To advance the Social Work Grand Challenge “Harnessing Technology for Social Good,” the social work field needs a transformative reorientation—towards seeing itself not only as critical adopters of technology but as necessary contributors in interdisciplinary tech partnerships. The purpose of this article is to describe the collective contributions the social work and tech fields can make through interdisciplinary collaboration. We will discuss the potential of technological innovations in social work settings. Then we will describe how social work’s emphasis on structural inequity and social justice can develop equity-focused technologies. Strategies will be discussed to overcome barriers to partnerships in the interest of creating a more just society.

The Parents Divorcing Conflict Scale

Practical measures to screen for high levels of pre-divorce conflict offer a unique opportunity for early intervention by forensic social work professionals in divorces where children are at risk of being exposed to high levels of interparental conflict and subsequent maladjustment. There is a lack of validated short screening instruments specifically addressing pre-divorce conflict for parents with at least one minor child. An instrument of this nature would support those in the forensic social work field in identifying families that may be at risk for a high-conflict divorce process. Accordingly, this study describes the development of a self-report measure to assess conflict in parenting couples who are in the process of divorce. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted with data from a sample of parents in the process of divorce (n=114), and multiple factor structures were examined. The EFA confirmed that a one-factor model offered the best fit. The short 8-item Parents Divorcing Conflict Scale (PDCS) is a promising measure for use in forensic social work, research, and clinical and policy settings as it captures pertinent themes of conflict, including communication, social network, parent characteristics, satisfaction with agreements, and mistrust, and can inform early intervention strategies that will serve to support healthy communication practices amongst divorcing couples throughout the marriage dissolution process.

“Please, Mr. Postman:” Exploring the Use of Letter Writing to Address Loneliness

ABSTRACT Purpose Informed by prior research and influenced by concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic heightened social isolation, this project examined the impact of a 12-month long letter writing project on levels of loneliness. Method Through partnerships with local anti-poverty agencies, pen pals were paired between MSW students and community members who utilize services at these organizations. Participants completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale before and after the intervention. Results We found a mean decrease in loneliness at the end of the intervention. Discussion Letter writing was a successful way to attend to loneliness due to its accessibility to the participants. Our letter writing intervention is different in many ways from e-mail and texting. Participants noted that the waiting process between letter gave them time to think more deeply about their response as well as event to look forward to (e.g. getting mail). We found that the low-tech aspects of the project might have been helpful to some participants. Conclusion Letter writing is an easily replicable, low-cost, low-tech activity for use by practitioners, which may be useful in a variety of social work settings to reduce loneliness.

Constrained sense-making in families with parental mental illness and the importance of intra-family communication for positive outcomes

Abstract Recent work in parental mental illness (PMI) has focused attention on mechanisms by which it impacts the lives of family members and is transmitted intergenerationally. This includes arguments for attending to how recovery and experiences of the illness in families are shaped relationally. In this article, we contribute to this area through presenting the results of in-depth qualitative research studying how family communication around PMI shapes families’ experiences of illness and recovery. This comprises thematic analysis of thirty-six semi-structured interviews and eight focus groups with families and multi-agency professionals who worked with them. Findings demonstrate a complex interplay of drivers of lack of communication and of the impacts of this on family relationships and well-being. Notably, families found it difficult to communicate around mental health due to guilt and shame felt by the unwell parent, a belief that concealing the illness will protect children and lack of capacity in families for communication in general. This lack of communication affects how families make sense of one another’s experiences and behaviours and impacts individual coping and family relationships. Fostering positive communication around the illness in social work settings has the potential to improve relationships, reduce perceived burdens of illness and aid recovery.

Maximizing student potential: Lessons for pharmacy programs from the patient safety movement

Higher education institutions (HEIs), including pharmacy programs, are experiencing growing pressure from the public and policy makers to develop student-centered learning experiences that meet societal needs. While HEIs may have in-house initiatives to meet such challenges, there are also opportunities for cross-domain learning and application of useful concepts from other sectors. One such sector that lends itself to cross-domain learning is the healthcare industry. Like HEIs, the healthcare industry has been experiencing pressure from its stakeholders, in this case, to address patient safety gaps. These forces intensified at the turn of the century leading to the emergence of what is now known as the patient safety movement, which enabled increased advocacy, education, and research to reduce healthcare-related harm. Despite persistent challenges, a key achievement of the patient safety movement has been application of a systems framework to understand and solve patient safety gaps. That is, patient safety gaps are often a result of system defects rather than isolated acts of individual workers operating in a complex social and technical work setting (often referred to as sociotechnical system). Commonly used systems frameworks describe a sociotechnical system through its components: 1) structure (e.g., people, tools/technology, physical workspaces); 2) processes (e.g., medication administration); and 3) outcomes (e.g., medication safety, patient satisfaction). At their core, both HEIs and healthcare organizations are complex sociotechnical systems that organize their structures to support specific processes - learning in HEIs and patient safety in healthcare - to ultimately improve outcomes for students and patients, respectively. This paper describes parallels between HEIs and the healthcare domain to illustrate how patient safety concepts and practices from healthcare can be adapted to HEIs in order to enhance educational structures, processes, and learning outcomes.