The Mindfulness-Based Social Work and Self-Care Programme: A Mixed Methods Evaluation Study
This study also examined the effects of MBSWSC on a number of mindfulness-based mediators of change in these outcomes. Participant perceptions of the benefits of the MBSWSC programme on their well-being and social work practice are further explored via a thematic analysis of an open-ended questionnaire. Statistically significant changes in all variables were found post-programme except for depression and loss of empathy/depersonalisation, a facet of burnout. The qualitative data provided a deeper insight into the potential benefits of the programme for the enhancement of student well-being, mental health and anti-oppressiv...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 21, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
A Leadership Model for Social Work: Drawing on Health Care to Inform Social Work Leadership
We present models of compassionate leadership and consider their usefulness for the current social work knowledge base. We suggest that compassionate leadership may prove useful for social work practice and academia. (Source: British Journal of Social Work)
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 14, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Using Complex Adaptive Systems Theory to Understand the Complexities of Hospital Social Work Practice in Rural and Remote South Australia
This study explored how rural social work practitioners experience complexity in their professional judgement and decision-making, giving voice to the unique understandings and perspectives of rural health social workers (RHSWs). Complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory is used to conceptualise participants ’ experiences. An interpretive critical research paradigm valued the unique viewpoint of rural social workers whilst also disrupting the urban-centric focus of social work practice. The participants were recruited via their involvement in the Country Health South Australia social work leadership g roup. Data collected us...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 11, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Soft Cops or Social Justice Activists: Social Work ’s Relationship to the state in the context of BLM and Neoliberalism
AbstractIn the current dual context of Black Lives Matter/defund the police and calls for accountability to those whom social work has harmed as part of the state machinery, this article returns to the debate on state theory. The article explores three state-linked forms of care, coercion and control: stealth coercion/control (in aged-care); population-linked coercion/control, and police and carceral-linked coercion/control. The article analyses what is missing in state theory in a neoliberal world and argues that social work needs models of practice and theory that are themselves a form of resistance and relative autonomy...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 11, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Called to the Crisis: The Experiences of Hospital-Based Social Workers Providing on-Call Services
AbstractSocial workers who are based in hospitals regularly participate in on-call services whereby they respond to crisis or emergency presentations outside of usual working hours. A social work research team across four metropolitan hospitals in a Local Heath District in Sydney, Australia, investigated the experience of participating in an on-call service and the impact this had on the wellbeing of the social workers involved. By utilising a Participatory Action Research methodology that included in-depth interviews and reflective co-analysis, the findings showed evidence of risk for on-call social workers, as well as tw...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 9, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Anxiety and Depression amongst African-Americans Living in Rural Black Belt Areas of Alabama: Use of Social Determinants of Health Framework
AbstractThe present study utilised the social determinants of health (SDH) framework to see whether indicators of the framework have an impact on anxiety and depression of people living in rural Black Belt communities in Alabama. Data from a convenient sample of 159 African-Americans aged 18 or older were from two sites in rural Alabama. The levels of anxiety and depression were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9). Multiple linear regression model was used to examine the association between SDH and anxiety and depression level of participants. The mean PHQ9 score of participants was 5.57 out of twenty-sev...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 3, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The Social Services of Spain after the neoliberal period: Longitudinal analysis from the perspective of Social Work (2012 –2018)
AbstractThe article presents a longitudinal analysis of the Social Services in Spain during the period characterised by neoliberal policies (2012 –2018), as well as the situation and reactions of the professional social workers. The quantitative results of three surveys promoted by theGeneral Council of Social Work from Spain on data from 2012, 2013 and 2018 were compared. The sample allows extrapolating the results to all the social workers in Spain. There is a loss of effectiveness and a worsening of the quality of care of the social services. However, social workers do not attribute the deterioration of the system to ...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 3, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Mental well-being and quality of working life in UK social workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A propensity score matching study
This article compares the mental well-being and quality of working life of social workers in the United Kingdom (UK) before and during the pandemic. Data were collected in 2018 (N = 1,195) and 2020 (N = 1,024) using two cross-sectional surveys. To account for the differences between the datasets, propensity score matching was employed prior to effect estimation, utilising demographic and work-related variables common to both datasets. The differences between the two time-points were estimate d using multiple regressions. Both mental well-being and quality of working life were significantly higher during the COVID-1...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 2, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The Perfect Storm? COVID-19 and Substance Use amongst Social Work Students in the USA
AbstractDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, health risk behaviours related to substance use have been recognised as a significant public health concern amongst university students. Understanding the mechanisms of substance use behaviours, including those used to cope with COVID-19-related stressors, is imperative to curate targeted prevention efforts. To that end, we examined substance use prevalence and its associations with socio-demographic characteristics, preventive behaviours, and mental health amongst US social work students. We collected data from 457 students across all degree levels (BSW, MSW and PhD) from July to Augu...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - October 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
‘I Married a Gay Man’: Tongqi’s Agency in Marital Decisions
AbstractThere has been an increasing interest in the ‘tongqi phenomenon ’ in China. The ‘tongqi phenomenon ’ is usually described in research as mixed-orientation marriages (MOMs).Tongqi refers to a group of heterosexual women who unwittingly married non-straight men. While the literature on the ‘tongqi phenomenon ’ has mainly focused on the adverse effects and victimisation ontongqi, this qualitative study aimed to understand howtongqi construct their reality/perplexity within a MOM on how they determined conjugal relationships after discovering their husband ’s sexual orientation. We adopted the virtual eth...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 28, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Social Work as a Transformative Science: The Importance of Relevance Structures in Knowledge Production
This article focuses on the question of how cooperative knowledge production takes place and, in particular, how novel knowledge is formed and implemented in organisational action. According to the current state of knowledge, this process, which results in a change in the way an organisation acts, is called social innovation. The framework for argumentation and reflection is provided by studies from the social work sciences on cooperative knowledge production and social innovation, as well as studies on the hybridity of knowledge and its interaction with the knowledge resources of scientific and non-scientific actors. Rele...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 27, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
A Systematic Review of Empirical Research on Transracial Adoption in South Africa
We report on the scientific nature, rigour, quality and scope of studies of the items found and outline the themes which emerge from the empirical research. These include attitudes towards transracial adoption, the experiences of adoptive parents and transracial adoptees as well as recommendations for practice. Different theoretical paradigms, variable methodology, small sample sizes of poorly defined target groups impact negatively on comparability and generalisability of results. This research fails to engage with the specificities that might impact on successful outcomes for transracially adopted families and guide prof...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 27, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
‘Marriage is Going to Fix It’: Indigenous Women’s Experiences with Early Childbearing, Early Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence
AbstractIntimate partner violence (IPV), early childbearing (ECB) and early marriage (EM) are interconnected to the historical oppression of patriarchal colonialism imposed upon Indigenous peoples throughout the world by colonising nations, such as the UK. The artefacts of colonial oppression persist in both colonising nations and those that have been colonised through social norms of patriarchal oppression perpetuated upon women with far-reaching consequences. Indigenous women of the US experience higher rates of IPV, ECB and EM than any other ethnic group —which pose risks to women’s physical, psychological, socioeco...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 27, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Cumulative Childhood Adversity and Long-Term Educational Outcomes in Individuals with Out-of-Home Care Experience: Do Multiples Matter for a Population Defined by Adversity?
AbstractPrevious research has demonstrated a graded relationship between cumulative childhood adversity and adverse later outcomes. Individuals with out-of-home care (OHC) experience constitute a population characterised by both childhood and educational disadvantages. Based on a fifty-year follow-up of a Stockholm cohort born in 1953, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations between cumulative childhood adversity and long-term educational outcomes in this group. The cumulative disadvantage perspective suggests that there would be a negative association, while the disadvantage saturation perspective implie...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 27, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
‘My Contributions Made a Significant Difference’: Young Carers’ Reflections on Their Participation in Social Work Admissions
AbstractWhilst the participation of service users and carers (SUCs) in Social Work admissions (SWAs) has significantly developed over the past decades, concerns have been raised about the tokenistic nature of SUC involvement (Barnes, D., Carpenter, J. and Bailey, D. (2000)‘Partnerships with service users in interprofessinal education for community mental health: A case study’,Journal of Interprofessional Care, 14(2), pp. 189 –200) particularly in relation to young people (YP). Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in partnership with Barnardo’s Action with Young Carers Liverpool have (BAWYC) worked to develop mea...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 21, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
