Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 0360-7283 - ISSN (Online) 1545-6854 Published by Oxford University Press[411 journals]
Authors:Rine C; LaBarre C. Pages: 5 - 8 Abstract: The Grand Challenges for Social Work introduced by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) propose an array of opportunities for the profession to confront widespread societal dilemmas. Each of these challenges addresses a different large-scale aim for social work that requires collaborative and focused efforts across policy, practice, and research. The challenge to end homelessness is no different and in fact may be among the most compelling goals the social work profession can readily adopt (AASWSW, 2017). Although policies and strategies to reduce homelessness in the United States abound, considerable refinement is vital to maximize innovative and interdisciplinary cross-sector alliances that draw on traditional and emerging areas of social work practice in conjunction with criminal justice, education, and medicine. At the onset, social work can begin with efforts to dispel the notion that homelessness can only be managed, rather than ended. Since the 1980s, this misconception has steadily risen, gained acceptance, and persists today regardless of prominent shifts in policymaker and researcher perspectives (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2012). Likewise, efforts to halt homelessness are forestalled by erroneous perceptions about those who are affected. To appropriately address this problem, it is crucial to understand that homelessness and housing instability affect a large and diverse demographic including families, youths, veterans, chronically homeless single adults, and many others. Each of these populations require an individualized approach, but all share the need for concerted attention to early detection, intervention, and service provision not only for those who are already homeless, but also for those at risk of homelessness (Henwood et al., 2015). Social work is well positioned to meet the challenge to end homelessness through policy, practice, and research efforts that span across micro, mezzo, and macro interventions. PubDate: Sat, 25 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz041 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Taylor S. Pages: 9 - 11 Abstract: It is ironic that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 by a Republican President (Nixon). Also, that the first congressionally confirmed agency director (William Ruckelshaus, a Justice Department attorney and a Republican) made it a top priority to abate the rampant industrial water and air pollution occurring across the country. He did this by using his authority to fine polluters and regulate industrial discharge. The Clean Water Act of 1972 and Clean Air Act of 1970 gave Ruckelshaus the political cover and statutory tools he needed to develop regulations to hold industry accountable for new and legacy pollutants. Ruckelshaus and his colleagues’ contributions to improving public health still stand as models of successful policy frameworks and regulation strategies to rein in profit motive at the expense of human health. PubDate: Sat, 25 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz042 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Zlotnick C; Dryjanska L. Pages: 13 - 22 Abstract: Although the link between immigrants’ health status and employment is well established, there is little information on the combined impact of three components of acculturation (that is, dual self-identity, language proficiency, and realized expectations) on this link. Immigrants who came to Israel from English-speaking countries (N = 377) were categorized into three groups based on the work–retirement continuum (that is, working, same occupation; working, changed occupation; or retired). Using a cross-sectional design, this study examined whether the link between health and acculturation varied by immigrants’ location on the work–retirement continuum. Bivariate analyses revealed group differences for two acculturation components, language proficiency (p < .0001) and dual self-identity (p < .05). Multivariable analyses indicated an interaction effect between the acculturation component of realized expectations and work–retirement continuum group status on health status. As a result, good health was related to higher levels of realized expectations for the retired group; related to lower levels of realized expectations for the “working, changed occupations” group; and unrelated to realized expectations for the “working, same occupation” group. The acculturation component of realized expectations varies depending on the immigrant’s location on the work–retirement continuum. Health and social welfare professionals can promote health in working or retired immigrants by providing clear and realistic information to better align with immigrants’ expectations. PubDate: Sat, 25 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz039 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Wood D; Wood B, Watson A, et al. Pages: 23 - 30 Abstract: Veteran suicide is a serious public health problem. Some data suggest that veteran suicide risk profiles differ from those of nonveterans. Records for veteran (n = 21,692) and nonveteran (n = 83,430) men who died by suicide were examined from 17 U.S. states using the National Violent Death Reporting System data. Seventeen precipitating factors were examined and combined through meta-analysis of proportions. Many precipitating factors were found to be less frequent for veterans. A smaller number of factors were found to be higher in the veteran population, including physical health problems. A sizable cumulative effect size (1.02) was observed, suggesting that veteran and nonveteran men show meaningful and substantive differences in their risk profiles—differences that should be considered when planning and implementing suicide prevention and intervention efforts. The conspicuous role of physical health problems among veterans who die by suicide is discussed. The article concludes with specific practice recommendations for social workers. PubDate: Sat, 18 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz037 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Cheng T; Lo C. Pages: 31 - 39 Abstract: This study sought associations between maltreated children’s receipt of needed health care and five other variables or sets of variables: medical need, social structural factors, access to care, demographic factors, and child welfare intervention. Data for this study came from longitudinal records derived for a sample of 1,465 children (extracted from all records in a national data set) for whom maltreatment had been substantiated. Children in the sample had, following substantiation, either remained in the home or been placed in kinship care or other out-of-home setting. Generalized estimating equations were applied to the data. The results supported a negative association between the sample’s receipt of needed health care and three factors: general physical health, age, and remaining in the home after substantiation. Data analysis also supported a positive association between receiving needed care and Medicaid receipt, family income of between 100 percent and 200 percent of federal poverty level, family income above 200 percent of federal poverty level, needed health care services included in child welfare case plan, and wave 2 interview. The study’s implications for social work practice include the necessity of accurately identifying children’s health problems, of addressing health needs in the case plan, and of coordinating meaningfully with health professionals. PubDate: Wed, 22 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz035 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Sanchez N. Pages: 40 - 46 Abstract: The National Institutes of Health has identified polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as a major public health problem for women in the United States and recommends establishing multidisciplinary programs to improve the awareness of the public and health care providers regarding management for women with PCOS. This article argues that individuals with PCOS are marginalized due to the syndrome’s misleading name; its underrepresentation in research; lack of culturally and gender-sensitive standards of care; debates about the contraceptive mandate; and stigmatization due to symptoms that do not conform to dominant social constructs of beauty, femininity, and womanhood. The article directs readers to key publications on the assessment and treatment of patients with PCOS, discusses a case study that illustrates the role of a social worker in treating an adolescent with PCOS as part of a multidisciplinary team, and emphasizes the importance of integrating behavioral health in the treatment of patients with PCOS. PubDate: Sat, 18 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz033 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Cook M; Ramseyer Winter V, O’Neill E. Pages: 47 - 53 Abstract: Research suggests that body image is related to health behaviors and health care use, but possible mechanisms for this relationship remain unclear. The current study examined the presence of a relationship between body appreciation and avoiding the doctor to avoid being weighed, using a diverse sample of women (N = 499). Controlling for body size and determinants of health care utilization, logistic regression results suggested that women with higher body appreciation were less likely to avoid health care to avoid being weighed (odds ratio = 0.38, p < .001). In addition, differences in avoiding the doctor to avoid being weighed were found for the covariates (that is, age, race, body mass index, and socioeconomic status). These results inform knowledge regarding barriers to health care use and the relationship between body image and health care use. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for future research, social work interventions, and social work education to promote women’s health and well-being. PubDate: Sat, 18 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz036 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Campbell R. Pages: 55 - 58 Abstract: As a profession, social work emphasizes the importance of cultural competence in education, practice, and research. The ability to view the ways in which people understand, interpret, and communicate their distress through a cultural lens is paramount to being a culturally competent scholar and clinician. However, one’s view is only as sharp as the lens is clear. During the tasks of writing an article and updating the brochures in my university office on African American mental health, I noticed that there was a disconnect between the ways in which my respondents were naming and describing their distress and the language being used in the mental health publications. In this Viewpoint, I will note and discuss these stark differences and the implications for social work researchers and practitioners in mental health and their potential respondents and clients. PubDate: Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz038 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Hunter H, Jr; O’Leary V, Denes S, et al. Pages: 59 - 61 Abstract: ocial isolation is a key social justice issue for older adults who are no longer working and are living alone. When older adults feel lonely and isolated, their self-esteem suffers. Older adults who live alone also have the highest risk of suicide (Yur’yev et al., 2010). A decisive component of social exclusion is the social dimension, which focuses on relationships with others, such as family members, friends, neighbors, and so on. This relationship network represents social capital at the individual level. It can serve as a “life net” that can be activated when necessary during emergencies or transitional challenges to obtain not only emotional support, but also material assistance (Pirani, 2013). Older adults often are treated as second-class citizens who have little to offer society. This negative view of older adults can result in ageism, a type of bias that can affect older adults’ daily lives (Yur’yev et al., 2010). GROUPE SOS (2018), a social enterprise based in Paris, France, developed “the concept of plural solidarity,” which means that “each individual has something to offer to the society in which he or she lives” (para. 2). GROUPE SOS reported that social exclusion can be reduced by “providing innovative solutions.” More Than Meals is an example of this type of innovation for providing an intergenerational friendship between younger and older adults. PubDate: Wed, 22 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz032 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Authors:Allen-Meares P; Lowry B, Estrella M, et al. Pages: 62 - 64 Abstract: Health literacy refers to the extent to which an individual has the skills “to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services” (Institute of Medicine [IoM, now National Academy of Medicine], 2004, p. 32). Low health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes and poorer use of health care services. In 2004, the IoM’s landmark report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion highlighted the need to address health literacy barriers in the U.S. health care system (IoM, 2004). Over the following decades, various national initiatives have similarly advocated for addressing health literacy with the ultimate goal of promoting health equity and social justice (IoM, 2015; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010; Wilson-Stronks, Lee, Cordero, Kopp, & Galvez, 2008). However, low health literacy continues to be a barrier to obtaining effective and high-quality care for many individuals from disadvantaged groups. Moreover, its importance remains largely ignored by the increasingly complex U.S. health care system. Lack of structural attention to health literacy affects the potential of individuals to engage in health prevention and promotion activities while also limiting opportunities for social workers to deliver optimal services to patients who need it most. Indeed, it is likely that low health literacy is a greater obstacle in providing services than perceived by practitioners. In this Viewpoint, we seek to increase the awareness of health literacy among social workers by discussing relevant literature on its role in health outcomes and the complex process of navigating the health care system. We conclude by suggesting strategies for social workers to address health literacy barriers in the health care system. PubDate: Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz034 Issue No:Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020)
Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
[411 journals]
