Social Work Commons^™

Pathways Across The Work-Life Boundary: How Parents With Children With Mental Health Challenges Avoid Stigmatization And Reach Flexibility, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Anna M. Malsch, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Eileen M. Brennan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Slides from a presentation delivered at the 13th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Research that Promotes Sustainability and (Re) Builds Strengths, New Orleans, LA.

Policy Supports For Working Parents Of Children With Disabilities: A Cross-National Comparison, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Jean Mollenkamp Kjellstrand, Daniel Coleman

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the Community, Work and Family III International Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands, April 2009.

Where Professional Meets Personal: A Curriculum To Improve Conversations Between Human Resource Professionals And Employed Parents, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch, Eileen M. Brennan, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Kathryn L. Mills

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at Building on Family Strengths: Research and Services in Support of Children and their Families. Portland, OR, June 2009.

Taking It On: Disclosure, Stigmatization, And Self-Esteem, Eileen M. Brennan, Anna M. Malsch, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Julie M. Rosenzweig, John Conley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Employed parents of children with emotional or behavioral disorders face many potential challenges when striving to find balance between their work and family responsibilities. While responding to the demands of the workplace, they must also attend to the unique caregiving needs of their children such as facilitating on-going treatment, responding to frequent emergencies, and arranging adequate child care (Rosenzweig, Brennan, Huffstutter, & Bradley, in press). These parents often develop strategies to gain the flexibility at work they need in order to care for their child while still maintaining a high level of job performance (Rosenzweig, Brennan, & Ogilvie 2002). Whether …

A Professional's Guide To Supporting Families Of Children With Mental Health Disorders, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch, Lisa Maureen Stewart, Kayti Mills

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at Building on Family Strengths: Research and Services in Support of Children and their Families, Portland, OR, June 2009.

Breaking The Silence: Parents' Experiences Of Courtesy Stigmatization In The Workplace, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article discusses "courtesy stigmatization," defined as the prejudices, negative judgments, and discrimination extended to others -- particularly partners, family members, and close friends -- who are caring for, or significantly connected to, an individual with a mental health disorder. The author explores how this affects parent, caregivers and the workplace, and brings to light an area of study that human resource professionals are just beginning to address.

"It's Personal:" Does Disclosure Of Family Circumstances Influence Organizational Response To Employee's Requests For Flexibility?, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Eileen M. Brennan, Anna M. Malsch, Katherine J. Huffstutter

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the Community, Work and Family III International Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands, April 2009.

Differences In Physical And Mental Health Symptoms And Mental Health Utilization Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Vs. Child Abuse, Christina Nicolaidis, Bentson H. Mcfarland, Maryann Curry, Martha Gerrity

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: There is ample evidence that both intimate-partner violence (IPV) and childhood abuse adversely affect the physical and mental health of adult women over the long term. Objective: The authors assessed the associations between abuse, symptoms, and mental health utilization. Method: The authors performed a cross-sectional survey of 380 adult female, internal-medicine patients. Results: Although both IPV and childhood abuse were associated with depressive and physical symptoms, IPV was independently associated with physical symptoms, and childhood abuse was independently associated with depression. Women with a history of childhood abuse had higher odds, whereas women with IPV had lower odds, of …

Making Aid Work, Siew Huey Ko

Social Space

What is needed is a different take on aid to poor countries. Through a case study of a project in Vietnam titled ‘Spring of Life’, Ko Siew Huey describes how a non-governmental organisation is attempting to create real choices by offering aid via solutions that are sustainable, suitable and scalable.

The Changing Face Of Social Consciousness In Singapore: An Interview With Ann Wee, Ann Wee

Social Space

Social consciousness and the provision for social needs have grown in Singapore, creating an urgency to develop creative ways to keep meeting evolving needs. Having made Singapore her home for 59 years, social work veteran Ann Wee shared with Social Space interesting snippets of her early life in Singapore, in the midst of sharing her views on the rapid changes taking place in the social sphere.

Lack Of A Will Or Of A Way? Taking A Capability Approach For Analysing Disability Policy Shortcomings And Ensuring Programme Impact In Afghanistan, Jean-Francois Trani, Parul Bakhshi, Ayan A. Noor, Ashraf Mashkoor

Brown School Faculty Publications

The present paper attempts to analyse some of the shortcomings that have impeded efforts in the field of disability in Afghanistan. After an overview of recent disability initiatives, this article presents elements that have contributed to the limited impact. The context of a Conflict Affected Fragile State (CAFS) makes particularly intricate the development of state-capacity as well as the delivery of basic services for the population. To overcome identified gaps, it is argued that Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) constitutes a relevant framework for designing disability policy and implementation. While the definition of human development has evolved considerably over the …

Increased Racial Differences On Breast Cancer Care And Survival In America: Historical Evidence Consistent With A Health Insurance Hypothesis, 1975-2001, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

PURPOSE: This study examined whether race/ethnicity had differential effects on breast cancer care and survival across age strata and cohorts within stages of disease.

METHODS: The Detroit Cancer Registry provided 25,997 breast cancer cases. African American and non-Hispanic white, older Medicare-eligible and younger non-eligible women were compared. Successive historical cohorts (1975-1980 and 1990-1995) were, respectively, followed until 1986 and 2001.

RESULTS: African American disadvantages on survival and treatments increased significantly, particularly among younger women who were much more likely to be uninsured. Within node positive disease all treatment disadvantages among younger African American women disappeared with socioeconomic adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS: Growth …

Welfare-To-Work Programs In America, 1980 To 2005: Meta-Analytic Evidence Of The Importance Of Job And Child Care Availability, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

This meta-analysis extended a Campbell Collaboration review of welfare-to-work programs. Its synthesis of 65 randomized trials in America over the past generation replicated a small overall intervention effect. Moreover, it found (1) there was no long-term employment effect of interventions in areas where jobs were relatively unavailable, and (2) programs that provided child care were more effective than those that did not in the short and long term, even in areas of high labor market withdrawal. The availability of jobs as well as such supports as child care that enable their access seem to be key elements of welfare-to-work programs …

Urban Community-Based Services In China: Tensions In The Transitions, Muh Bi Lin, W Jay Gabbard, Yuan-Shie Hwang, Jeremiah Jaggers

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

Instead of claiming responsibility in caring for its citizens from cradle to grave, China now emphasizes ‘small government and big society’ in its allocation of social services. In one southwest province of China, as a result of the urban Community Residents Committee (CRC) Organization Acts of 1989, the CRC has become the core of social services in this region and is on the front line of social service delivery. This paper reports the results of a field study on the CRC at a number of pilot demonstration sites in this province. Focus group discussions were conducted in order to identify …

Stigma And The Cycle Of Avoidance: Why Young People Fail To Seek Help For Their Mental Distress, Lucy Biddle, L. Kris Gowen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Illness behavior is the set of purposeful actions taken by someone when faced with being unhealthy. According to Dingwall,3 the three stages of illness behavior are: evaluating symptoms, deciding to act, and monitoring the effects of the chosen actions. Although presented in a linear fashion, these stages are in fact cyclical, as reassessment occurs when symptoms change or unsuccessful actions require new approaches.

However, it is common that people never act, or delay acting, on their symptoms; this is especially true for people experiencing mental distress. Young people in particular are unlikely to seek professional care for mental health concerns—it …

State Agency Promising Practice: Pennsylvania’S Employment Newsletter - A Communication Strategy To Promote Employment, Jennifer Bose, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

The State of Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) created a monthly newsletter called The Employment Update, which covers state- and nationwide news about the employment of people with disabilities, including intellectual/developmental disabilities. The Employment Update is sent via email to state agency contacts and a large stakeholder community, including individuals with disabilities, service providers, state associations, employers, advocacy groups, family members, representatives from academia and others. The Employment Update contains information about employment trends, employment policy, trainings and conferences throughout Pennsylvania and nationwide. The newsletter also contains information about employment grants and project activities, including links to articles covering …

State Agency Promising Practices: North Carolina - Using An Outcomes-Based Long-Term Vocational Services Funding Model, Allison C. Hall, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

In North Carolina, counties have been consolidated into Local Management Entities (LMEs). These entities contract for services with community providers and provide oversight on access, utilization, best practices, and community collaborations. The Mecklenberg County LME established the Best Practices Community Committee, comprising service providers, individuals and family members, advocacy agencies, community partners, interested community volunteers, and LME staff. Sub-committees addressed several areas, including employment. Based on their recommendations, a pilot project that uses an outcome-based funding model for follow-along employment services was developed. Follow-along employment supports are ongoing supports that are necessary to assist a person with an intellectual/developmental disability …

State Agency Promising Practice: Delaware’S Early Start To Supported Employment Pilot Project, Susanne Freeze, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

The Early Start to Supported Employment (ESSE) pilot started in 2005 with the goal of providing a more seamless transition for students who would benefit from supported employment services when leaving school and entering the adult workforce. An interagency project team was established to guide the pilot work and ensure all required parties knew their role and shared information and equal responsibility within the project.

State Agency Promising Practice: Oklahoma - Contracting With Industry For The Provision Of Job Coaching Supports, Monica Cox, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Contracts with Industry, implemented in the 1990s as the Natural Supports Initiative, is a program option that allows the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) to contract directly with businesses to provide job coaching supports that become a part of the natural workplace. Individuals participating in this program are employed by a business and are paid minimum wage or better. The name change to Contracts with Industry was an effort to distinguish the program from other DDSD employment options that involve employment service providers and paid job coaches.

Rudd Chair Annual Report, 2008-2009, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

The first Annual Report of the activities of the Rudd Chair for 2008 - 2009

How To Make After School Programs Work: A Study Of Successful After School Programs In Five States, Caitlin Laboissonniere

Honors Projects

Explores the factors that make a high school after school program successful. Eight programs from five states participated by completing a voluntary survey. Half of the programs are categorized as being a success, with results indicating that the types of activities offered to teens is the most important aspect in ensuring a successful after school program.

Prevention Of Elder Mistreatment In Nursing Homes: Competencies For Direct-Care Staff, Dana Dehart, Jennifer Webb, Carol Cornman

Faculty and Staff Publications

Existing training on elder mistreatment in nursing homes focuses on detection and reporting of abuse, with little training specifically targeted toward prevention of mistreatment before it occurs. We used qualitative interviews with nursing home staff, policymakers, and related professionals to identify training needs. Based on participant accounts, we drafted a number of competencies essential for caregiver training to prevent mistreatment in nursing homes. Competencies include those dealing with: definitions and policies; risks for mistreatment; communication and respect; and development of a cooperative working environment. Competencies are discussed along with illustrative examples, and implications for practice and policy are addressed.

Emotional Exhaustion And Workload Demands Of Kidney Transplant Social Workers, Joseph R. Merighi, Teri Browne, Sarah Keenan

Faculty and Staff Publications

This exploratory study examined training issues, emotional exhaustion and workload demands in U.S. kidney transplant socialworkers. Online survey data were obtained from 91 respondents who represented all 18 End-Stage Renal Disease networks.Findings indicated that the majority of the respondents’ employers provided resources for educational training and paid timeoff associated with these trainings. With regard to hours per week spent on specific job tasks, respondents indicated that pretransplantactivities were the most time-consuming, followed by post-transplant and inpatient work. Generally, emotionalexhaustion and workload demands were slightly lower than reported for dialysis social workers. Implications for social workpractice and research are discussed.