Social Work Commons^™

The Increase In Intergenerational African American Families Headed By Grandmothers, Dorothy S. Ruiz, Iris Carlton-Laney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article analyzes census data on grandparent heads of household. Information on African American grandparents, grandmothers in particular, is the focus of this analysis. The data include a profile of African American grandparent householders, reasons for the increase in households headed by grandparents, challenges and problems, living arrangements/household characteristics, and implications for practice. African American children are more likely to live in the home of their grandparents than are White or Hispanic children. In 1993, 12 percent of African American children lived in the home of their grandparent in comparison to 4 percent for Whites and 6 percent for Hispanics. …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 26, No. 4 (December 1999)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE URBAN ECOLOGY OF HOSPITAL FAILURE: HOSPITAL CLOSURES IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO, 1970-1991 - Gunnar Alm gren & Miquel Ferguson
• THE SOCIAL PROCESS OF "PASSING" TO MANAGE STIGMA: ACTS OF INTERNALIZED OPPRESSION OR ACTS OF RESISTANCE? - Valli Kalei Kanuha
• CONTRIBUTIONS OF FOREIGN-BASED AUTHORS TO SELECTED SOCIAL WORK JOURNALS IN THE UNITED STATES - Muammer Cetingok
• USING PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED ACTORS IN SOCIAL WORK ROLE-PLAY SIMULATIONS - Helen E. Petracchi
• THE INCREASE IN INTERGENERATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES HEADED BY GRANDMOTHERS - Dorothy S. Ruiz & Iris Carlton-LaNey
• MELTING MULTICULTURALISM? LEGACIES OF ASSIMILATION PRESSURES IN HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS …

Review Of Shifting The Color Line: Race And The American Welfare State. Robert C. Lieberman. Reviewed By Jill Quadagno, Florida State University, Jill Quadagno

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Shifting the Color Line: Race and the American Welfare State. Robert C. Lieberman. Reviewed by Jill Quadagno, Florida State University

Perceiving Oppression: Relationships With Resilience, Self-Esteem, Depressive Symptoms, And Reliance On God In African-American Homeless Men, Jill Littrell, Elizabeth Beck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Empowerment has been proffered as a desirable goal for many disadvantaged populations. The process of empowerment can include encouraging disadvantaged individuals to recognize the structural factors in society (e.g., discrimination, oppression, injustice) which contribute to disadvantaged status. Two studies sought to determine the impact that recognition of oppression has on a disadvantaged individual's (1) self-esteem; (2) level of depressive symptoms; (3) resilience which includes a sense of master y and optimism; (4) anger; and (5) reliance on God. These issues were investiga ted in a sample of African-American men seeking services at a soup-kitchen ministry. Perceptions of racial discrimination were …

The Social Process Of "Passing" To Manage Stigma: Acts Of Internalized Oppression Or Acts Of Resistance?, Valli Kalei Kanuha

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In order to manage social stigma, some individuals construct and enact a social interaction strategy known as passing, which is "a performance in which one presents himself as what one is not" (Rohy, 1996). Based on interviews with lesbians and gay men of color, this article suggests that the process of passing is not based upon a rejection of stigmatized identity, but situationally employed to resist social oppression.

Review Of Cultural Awareness In The Human Services: A Multi-Cultural Approach. James Green. Reviewed By Yuhwa Eva Lu, New York University., Yuhwa Eva Lu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of J. W. Green. (1999). Cultural Awareness in the Human Services: A Multi-Cultural Approach (3rd ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. $33.95 papercover.

Melting Multiculturalism? Legacies Of Assimilation Pressures In Human Service Organizations, Darlene L. Piña, Laura Canty-Swapp

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines non-profit human service agency workers' discussions of their work with diverse clients. These conversations are understood within the competing social agendas of multiculturalism and assimilation, and they suggest how service providers may resist or perpetuate the social control of people of color. Findings revealed that people of color were often excluded from providers' notions of American identity. It was common for providers, both whites and people of color, to both wittingly and unwittingly describe pressures to assimilate their clients. Providers disagreed on the merits and consequences of these assimilation pressures, with some seeing harm done to themselves …

A Path Analysis Of The Effect Of Welfare On Infant Mortality, Michael A. Lewis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social epidemiologists have found a relationship between poverty and infant mortality. Welfare policy experts have found that welfare benefits affect work effort, family structure, migration, and the rate of intergenerational transmission of welfare receipt. Social epidemiologists have paid little attention to the effects of poverty policies on infant mortality. Welfare policy experts have paid little attention to the effect of welfare on infant mortality. This paper merges the concerns of social epidemiologists and welfare policy experts by examining the relationship between welfare and infant mortality. The key finding is that welfare directly and indirectly affects infant mortality rates. States with …

Review Of Social Work With Children And Their Families: Pragmatic Foundations. Christopher G. Petr. Reviewed By Dorinda N. Noble, Louisiana State University., Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Petr, Christopher G. (1998). Social Work with Children and their Families: Pragmatic Foundations. New York: Oxford University Press.

Woman Battering And Welfare Reform: The View From A Welfare-To-Work Program, Lisa D. Brush

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research compares employment training program staff estimates (N = 118) and enrollee reports (N = 122) of woman battering, that is, the physical violence and other abuse men deploy against their wives and girlfriends. The vast majority of staff estimate that woman battering obstructs the transition from welfare to work for at least some of their clients. Overall, staff respondents' relative sense of the frequency of battering quite accurately reflects enrollee reports. However, staff are especially reluctant to give estimates of physical violence and injury. Moreover, many give very low estimates for those items that are obvious markers of …

Review Of Overcoming Welfare: Expecting More From The Poor And From Ourselves. James L. Payne. Reviewed By James Midgley, University Of California At Berkeley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review James L. Payne, Overcoming Welfare: Expecting More from the Poor and From Ourselves. New York: Basic Books, 1998. $26.50 hardcover.

Hate Crime Laws And Sexual Orientation, Elizabeth P. Cramer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article provides definitions for hate crimes, a summary of national data on hate crime incidents, and descriptions of federal and state hate crime laws. The author presents various arguments in support of and against hate crime laws, and the inclusion of sexual orientation in such laws. The author contends that it is illogical and a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to exclude sexual orientationf rom hate crime laws. The perpetratorso f hate crime incidents, regardess of the target group, have similar motives and perpetrate similar types of assaults; the victims experience similar physical and psychological harm. Excluding a class …

Review Of Social Work In Rural Communities. Leon H. Ginsberg (Ed.). Reviewed By Marie D. Hoff, Boise State University., Marie D. Hoff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Leon H. Ginsberg (Ed.). Social Work in Rural Communities. Council on Social Work Education: Alexandria, VA. 1998. $17.00 papercover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 26, No. 3 (September 1999)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• HATE CRIME LAWS AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION - Elizabeth P. Cramer
• AMERICANIZATION AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION IN SEATTLE'S SETTLEMENT HOUSE: A JEWISH ADAPTATION OF THE ANGLO-AMERICAN MODEL OF SETTLEMENT WORK - Alissa Schwartz
• WOMAN BATTERING AND WELFARE REFORM: THE VIEW FROM A WELFARE-TO-WORK PROGRAM - Lisa D. Brush
• A COMMENTARY: WHY CIVIL COMMITMENT LAWS DON'T WORK THE WAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO - Philip D. Arben
• "HE'S NOT MR. RIGHT, HE'S MORE LIKE MR. NOW": PATRIFOCAL AND MATRIFOCAL DISCOURSES AMONG HOMELESS MOTHERS IN KENTUCKY - Joanna M. Badagliacco
• THE PLACE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH IN SOCIAL WORK - Robert Fisher & …

"He's Not Mr. Right, He's More Like Mr. Now"* Patrifocal And Matrifocal Discourses Among Homeless Mothers In Kentucky, Joanna M. Badagliacco

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

What strategies do homeless mothers use to cope with their situations? In-depth interviews in Kentucky of 68 homeless mothers with children revealed similarities and differences among the women, as well as a con tinuum of approaches to gender relations. Although differing in race/ethnicity and place of origin (rural vs. urban) among other factors, the overwhelming majority of the women experienced unstable and abusive households and social relationships while growing up. Most did not complete high school and had their first births while still teenagers. Moreover, two primary approaches to gender relations were observed. These approaches delimit a continuum along which …

Street-Based Female Adolescent Puerto Rican Sex Workers: Contextual Issues And Health Needs, Margarita Burgos, Donna L. Richter, Belinda Reininger, Ann L. Coker, Ruth Saunders, Margarita Alegria, Mildred Vera

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Adolescent sex workers potentially have many health needs but are included rarely in health assessments; therefore, little is known about their needs or how to reach them. This study examines the motivations, social context, and health needs of street-based adolescent sex workers. The results show these youths are more likely to experience negative health outcomes, such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, when they are using drugs or are depressed. These findings suggest the need for comprehensive programming to include individual, interpersonal, and greater environmental interventions. Examples for reaching adolescent sex workers are discussed.

E. Franklin Frazier And The Interfacing Of Black Sociology And Black Social Work, Jerome H. Schiele

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

E. Franklin Frazier is known almost exclusively for his scholarly contributions after the publication of his seminal book, The Negro Family in the United States. Less is known about Frazier's professional life and scholarly contributions during the period when he was Director of the Atlanta School of Social Work between 1922 and 1927. Frazier was part of that generation of black scholars who benefited from the fluid interfacing of sociology and social work characteristic of the early part of the 20th century. While director of the Atlanta School, Frazier made significant contributions to the knowledge base of social work and …

Legislators' Perceptions About Poverty: Views From The Georgia General Assembly, Elizabeth L. Beck, Deborah M. Whitley, James L. Wolk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study sought to explore legislators perspectives about causes of poverty. Members of the Georgia General Assembly rated the importance of 10 behavioral and structural explanations of poverty, and indicated whether they thought poor women and children would be better served under AFDC or TANF. Whereas all groups of legislators found behavioral explanations moderately important, there was significant variation by race, gender, and political party about the importance of structural explanations of poverty. Support for several structural explanations of poverty correlated with a preference for AFDC, but no correlations were found with behavioral explanations. This study holds implications for affecting …

Already Hit Bottom: General Assistance, Welfare Retrenchment, And Single Male Migration, Thomas Vartanian, Joe Soss, Sanford Schram, Jim Baumohl

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The claim is often made that welfare recipients move to states where benefits are more readily available in more generous amounts. To test that claim, this study uses data on state General Assistance (GA) programs, as well as data on single men from the Public Use Microdata Set of the 1990 U.S. Census. We find only slight evidence that men who lack access to GA seek it elsewhere, and overall we find that the availability of GA has no more than a marginal effect on the location decisions of the men we studied. It seems that poor people, like other …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 26, No. 2 (June 1999)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• SOCIAL WORK AND DOWNSIZING: THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES - Samuel J. Rosenberg
• THE WILLINGNESS TO SEEK HELP: ITS ROLE IN SOCIAL WORKERS' PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT - Ben-Zion Cohen
• HISTORICAL TRENDS IN STATE-LEVEL ADC/AFDC BENEFITS: LIVING ON LESS AND LESS - Sandra Wexler & Rafael J. Engel
• PROMOTING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MASS MEDIA - Edward A. Brawley & Emilia E. Martinez-Brawley
• PERCEPTIONS ABOUT POVERTY: VIEWS FROM THE GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY - Elizabeth L. Beck, Deborah M. Whitley & James L. Wolk
• E. FRANKLIN FRAZIER AND THE INTERFACING OF BLACK SOCIOLOGY AND BLACK SOCIAL WORK - …

America's Changing Attitudes Toward Welfare And Welfare Recipients, 1938-1995, Laurie Macleod, Darrel Montero, Alan Speer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines American national public opinion on welfare, welfare recipients, and the government's role in welfare programs. The data were gathered from published public opinion polls of national samples of adults taken between 1938 and 1995. The findings indicate that public opinion has remained relatively stable over this 57-year period, with the majority of Americans believing that the government has a responsibility to help those in need. At the same time, the majority of those polled believed that the government spends too much on welfare. The findings also show that the public is in favor of reducing income differences …

Review Of Confronting Racism: The Problem And The Response. Jennifer L. Eberhardt And Susan T. Fiske (Eds.). Reviewed By Eric Swank, Morehead State University., Eric Swank

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jennifer L. Eberhardt and Susan T. Fiske (Eds.), Confronting Racism: The Problem and the Response. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998. $29.50 papercover.

Physical Violence During Pregnancy: Maternal Complications And Birth Outcomes, Vilma E. Cokkinides, Ann L. Coker, Maureen Sanderson, Cheryl Addy, Lesa Bethea

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objective: To assess the association between physical violence during the 12 months before delivery and maternal complications and birth outcomes.

Methods: We used population-based data from 6143 women who delivered live-born infants between 1993 and 1995 in South Carolina. Data on women's physical violence during pregnancy were based on self-reports of partner-inflicted physical hurt and being involved in a physical fight. Outcome data included maternal antenatal hospitalizations, labor and delivery complications, low birth weights, and preterm births. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to measure the associations between physical violence, maternal morbidity, and birth outcomes.

Results: The prevalence …

A Comparative Assessment Of The Status, Structure And Process Utilized By Nevada's Family Support And Preservation Consortia To Achieve Collaboration, Marlys A. Morton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper presents a framework for understanding inter-organizational collaboration and describes and analyzes how collaboration was used as a method to build new service networks, the characteristics of the consortia, and the status of the collaborative processes.

Although the literature on inter-organizational collaboration in the human services is increasing, little is known about how regional consortia view the process of working together towards a common purpose. The results reported in this paper are intended to help fill that gap.

The findings reported in this study are based on a survey process using a standardized questionnaire to study the collaborative status. …

Aging In China, Nelson W. S. Chow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on a description of aging in China, in general, and Shanghai, in particular, with contrasts to the aging taking place in Hong Kong. Focused upon are the consequences of population aging on informal and formal support systems in the present and for the future. The efforts in the two cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong reflect differences in systems but are both influenced by traditional practices of a Chinese society.

Population Aging, Changes In Living Arrangement, And The New Long-Term Care System In Japan, Wataru Koyano

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

During the last five decades, family life of the Japanese elderly and longterm care have drastically changed. As a response to the rapid population aging and the increasing difficulty of family care, a new universalistic system of long-term care services is going to be introduced in 2000. The new system, called the Insurance Against Care, acknowledges societal responsibility for long-term care, and guarantees a certain level of provision of care services. While the insurance is a response to the changes in family life of the elderly, symbolized by the decrease of co-residence with adult children, it may further stimulate and …

Review Of Double Burden: Black Women And Everyday Racism. Yanick St. Jean And Joe R. Feagin. Reviewed By Wilma Peebles-Wilkins, Boston University., Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Yanick St. Jean and Joe R. Feagin, Double Burden: Black Women and Everyday Racism. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1998. $35.00 hardcover.

Confronting Ageing As A Caribbean Reality, Joan M. Rawlins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article acknowledges the increased life expectancy which Caribbean populations presently experience. It draws upon data collected throughout the region and identifies some of the main concerns which families, communities and governments need to address, in order to ensure that the elderly will not be severely disadvantaged as a consequence of their increased life expectancy. The article recommends closer cooperation between governmental agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) in determining the needs of the elderly, as well as the provision of services for them.

Opportunities For Social Workers In An Aging World, Jordan I. Kosberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is believed that there are professional opportunities for gerontological social workers in an aging world. To be discussed are potential social work roles within international organizations, multi-national businesses, foreign social service and academic institutions, with newly-arrived elderly immigrants, and in social work education, research, and training. It is concluded that-given global aging-if gerontological social workers do not respond to career opportunities, they will lose out to those from other professions.

Getting Old In The U.S.: Dilemmas Of Indo-Americans, Pallassana R. Balgopal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Adapting to old age is an arduous task in every society. For Asian immigrants because of drastically different value systems getting old in the U.S. poses a number of dilemmas. For the Indo-American elderly and their families a major dilemma is whether to expect and abide by the value orientation of collectivism or follow the main stream American value of individualism. In this study the ethnographic approach operationalized through Interpretive Interactionism for an understanding of the interaction between the elderly and their families and their overall coping and adaptation process in the United States is presented.