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Towards A Social Justice Agenda: Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural, African American Women, Shani Collins Woods

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The social work profession is rooted in community-based work that seeks to eradicate social injustice everywhere. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global phenomenon which impacts women from diverse socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds. It involves power and control, economic abuse, and physical and sexual violence. When compared to other racial and ethnic groups, African American women are likelier to experience physical violence, rape, and homicide. Intimate partner violence among African American women is a social justice issue.

When compared to other racial and ethnic groups, rural and/or low-income African American women are likelier to experience IPV. They are also likelier …

Promoting Environmental Justice Research And Practice For Social Workers In A Rural State: Methodology And Findings Of A Pilot Qualitative Study, Monika Leininger, Kirsten Havig

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Environmental justice work is an emerging field of practice that recognizes the interrelationship between social, economic, racial, gender, and environmental injustice and the impact social workers can have for policy and practice. Despite inclusion of environmental justice knowledge and practice as critical elements of ethical social work, little research exists on the topic in the professional knowledge base. Additionally, little research exists to date that specifically examines environmental justice knowledge and practice in a rural area. This pilot study examines awareness and knowledge of environmental justice issues and practice amongst licensed social workers in a rural western state using focus …

Recollections And Voices: An Appalachian Community Revisited, Kristina M. Hash, Christine E. Rittenour, Catherine Gouge, Tamba M'Bayo, Lori Hostuttler, Tyler Redding

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Scott’s Run has a rich history as a tight-knit, coal-built community in the heart of rural Appalachia. To learn more about the lives of the community members during the Depression Era, an interdisciplinary research team from five departments at a major university in the state conducted an oral history project focused on historical photos of the community. Individuals who grew up in the area reviewed photographs taken early in the 20^th century and provided information and shared stories related to the time and place of the images for context. The interviews uncovered key themes that told a much more …

Rural Social Work And Environmental Justice, Pamela C. Twiss

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

While social work education and literature includes a growing body of work focused on environmental justice and the role of social work in addressing environmental injustices, limited attention has been paid to the disproportionate impact of these issues in rural areas. Many rural places can be more accurately described as rural-industrial in character. They produce the world’s food through highly mechanized agro-businesses, its timber, and much of its fossil fuels through large mining and drilling operations, each presenting threats to the surrounding environment and local peoples. This work describes environmental issues and injustices common to select large-scale rural industries, discusses …

Contemporary Mental Health Care In Rural Areas: Challenges And Strategies, Whitney Cassity-Caywood

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Mental health care and illness prevention present distinct challenges in rural areas with limited resources. This paper examines rural-specific mental health care concerns and uses a public health prevention model to discuss the most current and prolific strategies to address these issues. The unique role of the social work profession in implementing these strategies is highlighted.

A Community And University Collaborative: Responding To The Opioid Crisis, John Conahan, Chelsea Toth, Sheryl Mcklveen

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

One of the 12 Grand Challenges of Social Work, as identified by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (2018), is Ensuring Healthy Development for all Youth. This article explores the importance of community-wide prevention efforts in meeting this challenge by utilizing grassroots coalition action in concert with engaged universities. Through perspectives of the Communities that Care Model and an Engaged University Model, this case study examines one community’s response to reduce the prevalence of youth substance abuse behaviors. Recommendations include effective coalition building strategies.

Social Workers’ Evidence-Based Practice Use And Challenges In Rural Environments: A Systematic Review, Mingun Lee

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Over the past decade, the demand for Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in the social work field has increased. Previous studies indicate that EBP promotes clinical decision making based on current best evidence and decreases the use of ineffective interventions. However, social workers still face a variety of barriers to become evidence-based practitioners. Particularly, social workers practicing in rural areas face increased barriers to make use of evidence in practice. This study conducted a systematic review of current literature to find evidence related to social workers’ use of EBP and their barriers in rural settings. Reviews were limited to social work studies …

Working With Latinos In Rural Communities: “Nuts And Bolts”, Wilma Cordova, Aparecida De Fátima Cordeiro Dutra

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Latinos currently compromise 16% of the entire U.S. population and 9.3% live in rural areas ((U.S. Census, 2010). These current percentages indicate that most social workers will work with this population at least once during their careers. Therefore, it is important that social workers develop skills and knowledge to work effectively with Latinos. Working with Latinos in our current sociopolitical climate poses many challenges for social workers working in rural areas. However, if social workers adhere to the guidelines and standards initially established by the profession and implement best practices many of their efforts will be successful. This chapter aims …

Reinventing Social Work Education And Service Delivery In Rural Areas: An Interdisciplinary Model For Serving Vulnerable Populations, Wayne R. Moore, Fran Pearson, John C. Rife, K. Jay Poole, Lelia S. Moore, Antonia M. Reaves

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This article presents an interprofessional case study approach to serving the social service and health needs of vulnerable persons living rural communities. This project, the Congregational Social Work Education Initiative (CSWEI), is funded by a health care foundation. Persons in rural areas are often at risk for poverty, homelessness and lack of access to needed health and social services. The case study demonstrates the opportunities for collaboration between professional social work, religiously affiliated organizations (RAOs) and nursing in order to reduce health and mental health disparities among residents in rural areas.

From The Editor, Peggy Pittman-Munke Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work

Volume 8, Number 2

2016

From the Editor: Peggy Pittman-Munke, Murray State University

Book Review: Planning For Rural Resilience: Coping With Climate Change And Energy Futures, Kala Chakradhar

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Book Review: Planning for rural resilience: Coping with climate change and energy futures Wayne. J. Caldwell (Ed.) 2015 Winnipeg, Canada: University of Manitoba Press 165 pages Softcover: $31.95 US ISBN-13: 978-0-88755-780-4

Teaching Macro Practice Through The Use Of Experiential Instruction And Collaboration: A Formula To Create Sustainable Community Resources, Timothy O. Davis Ph.D., Kendal L. Carswell

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

While delivering an organizations and communities class to a cohort of students in an outlying rural area, a social work program explored ways to educate students effectively while simultaneously exploring and devising strategies to fill local gaps in community services. The project utilized evidence-based learning strategies focusing on experiential instruction and collaboration with local community agencies. Using aspects of the flipped classroom as well as service learning, the course was particularly interested in engaging with community stakeholders to identify issues arising from the realities of a rural service environment. Students identified a project, worked with community partners, and delivered recommendations …

Longitudinal Description Of Developmental Youth Assets And Substance Use: A Cohort Study Of Rural Youth, Michael P. Vimont

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural communities seeking strategies to enhance the well-being of their youth must have local data for guidance. As a concept, developmental youth assets is increasingly used in measuring the psycho-social health of adolescents. This longitudinal study focuses on a cohort of over 200 youths residing in a rural community located in northeast Ohio. This five-year study observes trends of eight assets and the use of three substances. Results show that a decrease in asset scores took place between the sixth and eighth grade while the use of substances increased between the eighth and tenth grades. Additionally, outcomes show that youths …

Social And Environmental Justice And The Water-Energy Nexus: A Quest In Progress For Rural People, Karen V. Harper-Dorton Ph.D., Stacia J. Harper

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Access to affordable and reliable clean water and energy is necessary for economic development, health, and well-being of all people worldwide. Unavailable, unaffordable, or unreliable water and energy resources represent social and environmental injustices that disproportionately burden poor people, especially those in rural areas. Furthermore, there is an inextricable link between water and energy: clean water requires power for delivery and sanitation, and power production requires large amounts of water. This water-energy nexus connects two vital resources for humanity with more attention to economic concerns than to human or environmental issues. This paper addresses social and environmental justice issues that …

Rural Community Transition And Resilience: What Now For Social Work?, Jonathan Scherch

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural communities, like all communities, face myriad social, economic and ecological challenges as they endeavor to resolve precarious dependencies on critical, energy-intensive and supply-chain extensive resource systems. With increasing impacts of climate change and related incidents of human and more-than-human displacements, including losses of life and habitat, rural communities have become beset with frequent, prolonged and persistent recovery and coping obligations. The progressive resolution of injustices will need to occur in the face of serious ecological stressors. Designing for and increasingly demonstrating social work practices that prioritize the multi-modal skills of sustainable living may well be the most effective means …

Differences Between Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders: Rural Social Work Implications For Prevention, Assessment, And Treatment, Susan M. Ryan, George S. Leibowitz, Jeanne M. Nauheimer, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This literature review examined nine quantitative research studies published between 1992-2013 that compared children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to identify: (a) the differences between these children (e.g., intellectual, behavioral); and (b) the diagnostic tools that may be used to distinguish between them, thereby providing a differential diagnosis. Special focus was placed on rural treatment implications. These studies revealed differences between the intellectual, executive functioning, adaptive behavior, motor, and behavioral skills of children with FASD and ADHD. This review identified neurodevelopmental assessments used in these nine research studies that appear to support learning …

Building University-Community Partnerships In Rural Settings Through A Community-Based Learning Assignment, Karen Rice Phd, Lsw, Acsw, Kathleen Walsh

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Universities located in or near rural settings are uniquely positioned to partner with their community to offer invaluable resources often lacking within rural social service agencies. This teaching note describes a community-based research assignment implemented within an MSW advanced research methods course. The goal of this class was to teach students, through service learning, each phase of the evaluation process, and strategies to build and sustain rural community partnerships. Lessons learned and implications for social work practice and education are discussed.

Contemporary Rural Social Work - 2014 (Volume 6, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2014 (Volume 6, Number 1)

Full issue

Book Review: Rural Social Work: Building And Sustaining Community Capacity, 2nd Edition, Susie Mallard Barnes

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Book Review: Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Capacity, 2nd Edition T. Laine Scales, Calvin L. Streeter, and H. Stephen Cooper (Eds.) 2014 Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Press 384 pages Softcover: $55.00 ISBN-13: 978-1118445167

Promising Practices In Service-Learning With Grant Writing In Rural Communities, Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D., Barbara Thomlison Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This paper describes the teaching practices in a community practice course that was designed for using a grant writing project with a service-learning component in a rural community. The course and assignments are outlined. Four critical success factors are: commitment to a service-learning pedagogy, flexibility regarding course objectives, engaged students, and committed agencies. Strategic partnerships and successful grant applications are the best evidence that enhanced the experience for the students and agencies.

Group Interventions In Rural Schools To Assist With A Community Trauma, Linda Leek Openshaw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural communities and school districts often face traumatic events. These can be the result of accidents, suicides, school bullying, and shootings. This paper documents a group crisis intervention at a rural high school after a horrific traffic accident where a vehicle struck and killed three students. When a crisis takes place in rural schools and communities, group work is an effective tool to offset the effects of grief and distress that students often experience. School personnel must create support groups within a short time following a traumatic event. Interventions are most effective when schools have a pre-determined action plan, have …

The Community Assessment:Students Discovering Strengths And Needs In Small Towns And Rural Areas, Kristina M. Hash Ph.D., Patricia A. Chase Ed.D., Carrie W. Rishel Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This article highlights an evolving assignment given in BSW and MSW Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) courses. The community assessment assignment provides students with the opportunity to become immersed in small towns and rural areas and discover strengths and needs through observation, analysis of census data, interviews with key informants, and giving back. Components of the assignment are discussed as well as keys to success for facilitating the assignment. Common themes discovered across these communities are integrated throughout.

Addressing Health And Social Disparities Through Community-Based Participatory Research In Rural Communities: Challenges And Opportunities For Social Work, Tiffany D. Baffour Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social workers can increase the translational ability of their research efforts to create sustainable community change in rural communities through the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR is a congruent approach to social work values, representing a balance between research and community empowerment. This article focuses on methodological concerns in conceptualization, setting research goals, measurement, data collection, and dissemination of the findings. Recommendations for how interrelated areas of social work education, practice, research, and policy can address rural social and health disparities through CBPR are advanced.

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2011 (Volume 3, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2011 (Volume 3, Number 1)

Full issue

Who Wants To Do Rural Social Work? Student Perceptions Of Rural Social Work Practice, Amy Phillips Mssw, Phd, Andrew Quinn Mssw, Phd, Thomasine Heitkamp Msw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In response to growing concerns about the national shortage of rural social workers, the researchers surveyed and interviewed 115 social work students (97 BSW, 18 MSW) to ascertain their career plans and perceptions of rural social work practice. Although more than half reported living in rural communities at the time of their high school graduation, over 70% indicated a preference for practicing social work in or near an urban area. Students articulated multiple incentives that would attract them to rural social work and expressed a clear understanding of how various systems (social service, legislative, community, and educational) could provide these …

A Retrospective Study Of Teen Pregnancy In West Virginia From 2003 -2008: A Descriptive Analysis, Emily L. Mccave Msw, Phd, Ashlea Shiflet Msw Candidate

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In 2006, West Virginia surpassed the national average birth rate for teens ages 15 to 19 years old. Through the use of the state wide Birth Score data, this article presents a retrospective examination of 8,094 teens who gave birth in West Virginia during the years of 2003-2008. Descriptive data on health issues such as prenatal care, infant birth weight and mortality, as well as demographic characteristics, such a racial background and Medicaid status are presented. Implications of these health issues are discussed along with special considerations for health providers who work within the Appalachian region.

Voices Of Women In Rural India: Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, And Education, Joanne Riebschleger Ph.D., Lmsw, Brittany Fila Basw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Women self-help group participants in rural northern India described living with social and economic challenges, including persistent poverty and discrimination. Self-help group participants, teachers, administrators, and parents discussed rural education. Stakeholders talked with a social work student serving an intensive internship in a grassroots non-governmental organization. A grounded theory approach guided data collection, coding, and analysis. Self-help group participant data themes included the empowerment of women and development of entrepreneurship. Education stakeholders revealed a need for increased access to education, especially for girls and young women. Therefore, recommendations centered on “3 E’s” – empowerment, entrepreneurship, and education. American and Indian …