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Social Work Commons

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Journal

Murray State University

Rural

Articles 1 - 21 of 21

Full-Text Articles in Social Work

Lessons Learned From Covid-19: Provider Suggestions For Improving Service Delivery In Sexual Violence Resource Centers And Children's Advocacy Centers In Kentucky, Whitney Cassity-Caywood, Matthew Woodward, Austin Griffiths, Alecia Hatfield Jan 2022

Lessons Learned From Covid-19: Provider Suggestions For Improving Service Delivery In Sexual Violence Resource Centers And Children's Advocacy Centers In Kentucky, Whitney Cassity-Caywood, Matthew Woodward, Austin Griffiths, Alecia Hatfield

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for human service providers, especially as face-to-face services were limited by both formal and informal efforts to protect public health. Telehealth has emerged as a main strategy to ensure continuity of care. This study explored adaptations to services in child advocacy centers (CACs) and sexual violence resource centers (SVRCs) across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, particularly using telehealth. This study highlights respondents’ suggestions about improving these service delivery systems and the particular emphasis on challenges and strengths of telehealth for reaching those in rural areas.


Women Ascending To Leadership Positions In Rural Nonprofit Organizations, Jose Carbajal, Kristin Bailey-Wallace, Bonita B. Sharma, Tiffany Bice-Wigington, Wilma Cordova, Shanta Scott, Aparecida De Fatima Cordeiro Dutra Jan 2019

Women Ascending To Leadership Positions In Rural Nonprofit Organizations, Jose Carbajal, Kristin Bailey-Wallace, Bonita B. Sharma, Tiffany Bice-Wigington, Wilma Cordova, Shanta Scott, Aparecida De Fatima Cordeiro Dutra

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study investigates women’s experiences as they ascended to leadership roles in nonprofit organizations in rural communities, primarily in East Texas. The aim of this study is to understand the lived experiences of women in top management as they ascend into leadership positions, as the characteristics and experiences of effective leaders in rural nonprofits may differ from those of urban nonprofit agencies. There is limited research regarding women’s leadership experiences in rural nonprofit organizations. Using a phenomenological inquiry approach, we interviewed 32 women currently serving in leadership roles in rural nonprofit organizations. The research question guiding this phenomenological study was: …


Rural Social Work: Recruitment, Job Satisfaction, Burnout, And Turnover, Aaron Raymond Brown, Jayme Walters, Aubrey Jones, Omotola Akinsola Jul 2017

Rural Social Work: Recruitment, Job Satisfaction, Burnout, And Turnover, Aaron Raymond Brown, Jayme Walters, Aubrey Jones, Omotola Akinsola

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural agencies have unique challenges related to recruitment and retention of social workers. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine job satisfaction, burnout and turnover among rural social workers. Based on 28 included articles, results indicate: (a) rural social workers tend to be from rural areas or have completed training in rural settings; (b) poor job satisfaction predicts turnover among rural social workers; (c) rural vs. urban differences for satisfaction, burnout, intention to leave, and turnover are mixed; and (d) greater work-life balance and supervisory support increase retention among rural social workers. This study provides recommendations for informing education, …


Building The Health Capability Set In A Purépecha Community To Assess Health Interventions, Marco Ricardo Téllez Cabrera Sep 2016

Building The Health Capability Set In A Purépecha Community To Assess Health Interventions, Marco Ricardo Téllez Cabrera

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Health capabilities can be viewed as the ability and opportunity to achieve health states according to the different styles of life valued by people. This paper contrasts and explores the dimensions that could be included in the health capability set to assess health interventions in Cuanajo, Mexico, expanding upon a previous work and using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Cuanajo is a semirural indigenous Purépecha community located in western Mexico. While the final objective is to generate measures of outcomes in economic evaluations of health interventions to be carried out in this community, this study reinforces the dimensions that could be employed …


Systematic Review Of Veterans' Coping Strategies: How Can Rural Veterans Improve Their Quality Of Life?, Tracey Marie Barnett, Alexa Smith-Osborne, Freda Barnett-Braddock Sep 2016

Systematic Review Of Veterans' Coping Strategies: How Can Rural Veterans Improve Their Quality Of Life?, Tracey Marie Barnett, Alexa Smith-Osborne, Freda Barnett-Braddock

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This systematic review examines the empirical literature on an emerging body of coping strategies (CS), both civilian readjustment and health-risk related, experienced by United States military veterans exposed to combat stress and other military lifestyle stressors. Studies that met inclusion criteria were selected among quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) criteria and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) were applied to all studies. Seventeen reports meeting a priori inclusion criteria were extracted from 107 studies accessed through 9 electronic databases. Data were synthesized to investigate two research questions informing …


Ideas For Capacity Building And Educational Empowerment Of Female Children In Rural Butaleja, Uganda: Applying The Central Human Capability Approach, Renuka Mahari De Silva Sep 2016

Ideas For Capacity Building And Educational Empowerment Of Female Children In Rural Butaleja, Uganda: Applying The Central Human Capability Approach, Renuka Mahari De Silva

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Building upon the concepts of Capability Approach, this paper discusses how these ideas can be effectively utilized within the setting of a small rural village in Uganda, Africa to empower female children to create a valuable life that affects positive social change. Colonization left a devastating blow to the socioeconomic conditions among many ethnic communities in Uganda. However, Uganda’s political outlays and social constructs further deepened the inequity gap between female and male children. This paper explores ways in which female children may be given the capacity to create agency for themselves as a stepping stone towards building a life …


Building Collaboratives With Southern Rural African American Churches Through The Integration Of The Interorganizational Collaborative Framework, Alex D. Colvin, Angela Burdock Sep 2015

Building Collaboratives With Southern Rural African American Churches Through The Integration Of The Interorganizational Collaborative Framework, Alex D. Colvin, Angela Burdock

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The rural Black church often plays an important role in the lives of many African Americans and frequently functions as an informal helping network in meeting emergency service needs for this group. This article provides a review of the constructs of the Bailey and McNalley-Koney Interorganizational Community-Based Collaborative Framework. Additionally, this paper explores action-oriented measures for integrating constructs into practice to build interorganizational collaboratives with southern rural African American churches.


Qualitative Experiences Of Rural Postpartum Women And Implications For Rural Social Work, Christopher D. Gjesfjeld, Addie Weaver, Kathy Schommer Sep 2015

Qualitative Experiences Of Rural Postpartum Women And Implications For Rural Social Work, Christopher D. Gjesfjeld, Addie Weaver, Kathy Schommer

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Geographic barriers and shortages of healthcare professionals in rural America have been well documented. These barriers and shortages influence rural women’s access to maternity and associated healthcare services during pregnancy and mothers’ postpartum period, but their perspectives about these realities have been overlooked. Semi-structured interviews with 24 mothers residing in a rural North Dakota county were conducted to understand their perspectives about both accessing healthcare services and parenting children in a rural context, with emphasis on understanding these mothers’ experiences using non-rural maternity care. Thematic analysis of qualitative interview data led to the emergence of three core themes. First, mothers …


Evaluation Of The Demographics, Socioeconomics, And Satisfaction Levels Of Recipients At A Rural Food Bank, Michael J. Lyman Msw, Ph.D., Jeongah Seo Bsw Sep 2015

Evaluation Of The Demographics, Socioeconomics, And Satisfaction Levels Of Recipients At A Rural Food Bank, Michael J. Lyman Msw, Ph.D., Jeongah Seo Bsw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The present study assesses the demographics, socioeconomics, behaviors, environment, and satisfaction of food bank clients as a way to inform food bank administrators about where their services could be more efficiently focused. Unfortunately, very little has been published in the research literature about levels of recipient satisfaction at food banks in any settings, but especially in rural settings. This descriptive study used existing demographic and socioeconomic data from intake forms at a rural food bank, in addition to the responses of a convenience sample of 44 foodbank recipients to the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). The data were used to assess …


Shifts In Practice Based On Rapid Re-Housing For Rural Homelessness: An Exploratory Study Of Micropolitan Homeless Service Provision, Margaret F. Sloan Ph.D., Karen A. Ford, Daisha M. Merritt Ph.D. Sep 2015

Shifts In Practice Based On Rapid Re-Housing For Rural Homelessness: An Exploratory Study Of Micropolitan Homeless Service Provision, Margaret F. Sloan Ph.D., Karen A. Ford, Daisha M. Merritt Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Based on interviews with rural homeless service providers, the authors examine in this practice note how policy has created shifts in practice for organizations serving homeless populations. Homeless individuals find a decreasing opportunity for assistance while awaiting Rapid Re-Housing. Some organizations, dependent on Rapid Re-Housing monies, are facing a lack of funding to pay for general homeless care provision. Organizations are creating care networks to address requirements of the new policy in addition to pooling resources in underserved areas.


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 Jan 2015

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 …


Ethical Guidelines For Social Work Supervisors In Rural Settings, Elizabeth T. Blue, Ann M. Kutzler, Suzanne Macron-Fuller Jan 2014

Ethical Guidelines For Social Work Supervisors In Rural Settings, Elizabeth T. Blue, Ann M. Kutzler, Suzanne Macron-Fuller

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Little research literature exists integrating ethics, supervision, and rural/small community practice. This paper reports results of a study conducted by a joint student-faculty team. The study engaged supervisors in rural and small communities in two Midwestern states in semi-structured interviews. Interview data were then used to develop guidelines for BSW students about what constitutes ethical supervisory practice in rural environments.


“They Can Only Do So Much:” Use Of Family While Coping With Rural Homelessness, Deanna L. Trella, Timothy P. Hilton Jan 2014

“They Can Only Do So Much:” Use Of Family While Coping With Rural Homelessness, Deanna L. Trella, Timothy P. Hilton

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This research explores individual and family reliance on non-homeless family members in coping with homelessness in a rural area. Drawing on 114 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with homeless adults and families in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we found that almost all participants relied on non-homeless family members for assistance, but with variation in the amount of help sought and received. Some participants displayed high thresholds for help-seeking, only relying on family under extreme circumstances and generally asking for modest assistance. This was common among childless single homeless adults who often had different support. Other participants displayed low thresholds for help-seeking, frequently asking …


Racial And Ethnic Diversity In Undergraduate Social Work Programs: How Are Programs In Rural Areas Faring?, David L. Beimers Ph.D., Brian Warner Msw, Paul Force-Emery Mackie Ph.D. Sep 2013

Racial And Ethnic Diversity In Undergraduate Social Work Programs: How Are Programs In Rural Areas Faring?, David L. Beimers Ph.D., Brian Warner Msw, Paul Force-Emery Mackie Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social work programs have a long-standing commitment to recruiting and educating racially and ethnically diverse students. However, some programs in rural areas have greater difficulty meeting this commitment. This study examined racial and ethnic diversity within baccalaureate social work (BSW) programs, focusing primarily on student enrollment, faculty, perceptions of diversity, and interventions to attract students. Program directors of BSW programs from 10 Midwestern states were surveyed. Forty-two programs responded. The results indicate that as a whole, social work programs differ in their levels of racial and ethnic diversity. However, BSW programs in rural areas tend to have fewer students and …


Rural Food Pantry Users’ Stigma And Safety Net Food Programs, Lori L. Nooney, Elisabetta Giomo-James, Peter A. Kindle, Debra S. Norris, Ryan R. Myers, Alyssa Tucker, Robert Jon Stanley Sep 2013

Rural Food Pantry Users’ Stigma And Safety Net Food Programs, Lori L. Nooney, Elisabetta Giomo-James, Peter A. Kindle, Debra S. Norris, Ryan R. Myers, Alyssa Tucker, Robert Jon Stanley

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Increasing numbers of individuals in our community have been seeking local food pantry assistance. Previous studies of food pantries found that users show low rates of governmental aid receipt, especially in rural areas. We assessed evidence that suggests that post-recession need has mitigated rural reluctance to pursue government assistance. The inadequacy of government and local food assistance to address the problem of food insecurity in our community is discussed.


Rural Domestic Violence: An Interdisciplinary Model For Rural Practice, Britt E. Rhodes Sep 2012

Rural Domestic Violence: An Interdisciplinary Model For Rural Practice, Britt E. Rhodes

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social workers have a long history of modeling the person in environment perspective in rural communities. One issue that is addressed from multiple system levels by social workers in rural areas is domestic violence. The Coordinated Community Response model, developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, MN, focuses on victim safety and offender accountability from a multidimensional interdisciplinary systems perspective and is consistent with social work practice in rural areas. The model’s focus on interdisciplinary partnerships makes this a solid model for rural social work practice addressing a range of issues while embracing the person in environment perspective.


Employment Supports For Newcomers In Small And Middle-Sized Communities Andrural Areas: Perspectives Of Newcomers And Service Providers, Bharati Sethi, Robert Gebotys Sep 2012

Employment Supports For Newcomers In Small And Middle-Sized Communities Andrural Areas: Perspectives Of Newcomers And Service Providers, Bharati Sethi, Robert Gebotys

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In recent years there has been an increased migration of highly skilled and educated cohort of men and women from their initial port of entry—large urban centers such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal—to smaller urban/rural communities as a result of regionalization of the Canadian immigration policies. This article examines the employment supports for newcomers in Grand Erie—an urban/rural area in Ontario—which is now a home to an unprecedented number of newcomers. Using a community-based participatory research methodology, data were gathered from 212 newcomers and 237 service providers through quantitative and qualitative responses in the survey questionnaires. Results show that newcomers …


Addressing Health And Social Disparities Through Community-Based Participatory Research In Rural Communities: Challenges And Opportunities For Social Work, Tiffany D. Baffour Ph.D. Sep 2011

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.


Social Work Student Interests In Rural Practice, David D. Barney Msw, Mph, Phd, Timothy Barnett-Queen Mdiv, Msw, Phd, Betty E.S. Duran Msw, Mph, Iván De La Rosa Msw, Phd Apr 2010

Social Work Student Interests In Rural Practice, David D. Barney Msw, Mph, Phd, Timothy Barnett-Queen Mdiv, Msw, Phd, Betty E.S. Duran Msw, Mph, Iván De La Rosa Msw, Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study of BSW and MSW students (N = 122) in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University reports student attitudes, concerns and interest in rural social work practice and rural social work practice curriculum. Strong support for rural social work practice and concomitant rural curriculum was evidenced by 93% who believed that social workers should practice in rural areas and 22% who ideally want to practice only in a rural community. Originally conceptualized and conducted to gather background data in support of a rural social work practice curriculum minor, its broader implications for rural social work …


A Case Study Of Health Risk Behaviors In A Sample Of Residents In Rural Appalachia, Gretchen E. Ely, Patricia G. Cook-Craig, Mark B. Dignan, Carol R. White, Sandy Good, Shelli Deskins Apr 2010

A Case Study Of Health Risk Behaviors In A Sample Of Residents In Rural Appalachia, Gretchen E. Ely, Patricia G. Cook-Craig, Mark B. Dignan, Carol R. White, Sandy Good, Shelli Deskins

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The purpose of this paper was to examine health risk behaviors from a sample of adults living in one of the nation’s poorest counties in Central Appalachia. A descriptive secondary analysis of data collected for a public health surveillance project was conducted to determine the most pressing health problems and risk behaviors affecting this unique population. Residents reported high rates of hypertension, back pain, and sleep problems. They also reported very low levels of physical activity. A discussion of results is provided, including a comparison of the study population to information from national surveys. The limitations of the study and …


Voices Of Women In Rural India: Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, And Education, Joanne Riebschleger Ph.D., Lmsw, Brittany Fila Basw Apr 2009

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 …