Social Work Commons^™

Minority Stress Theory: An Examination Of Factors Surrounding Sexual Risk Behavior Among Gay And Bisexual Men Who Use Club Drugs, Michael Dentato, Perry Halkitis, John Orwat

John Orwat

Background: Few studies have examined the impact of minority stress theory (MST) upon sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men using club drugs. Similar studies have focused on ethnic minorities and women; however, gay and bisexual men demonstrate greater likelihood for risk behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS. Objective: This study examines sexual risk behavior from the perspective of minority stress theory upon substance-using gay and bisexual men and their partners. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis examined minority stress associations with participant sexual risk behaviors, drug use, and partner type, controlling for demographics. Results: 396 gay and 54 bisexual respondents, ages …

12. Interviewing Victims And Suspected Victims Who Are Reluctant To Talk., Irit Irit Hershkowitz, Michael E. Lamb, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Reciprocity And Social Capital In Sibling Relationships Of People With Disabilities, John Kramer, Allison Hall, Tamar Heller

John Kramer

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Older Gay And Bisexual Men Living With Hiv Disease, Charles A. Emlet, Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen

Charles Emlet

No abstract provided.

Poverty Knowledge, Coercion, And Social Rights: A Discourse Ethical Contribution To Social Epistemology, David Ingram

David Ingram

In today’s America the persistence of crushing poverty in the midst of staggering affluence no longer incites the righteous jeremiads it once did. Resigned acceptance of this paradox is fueled by a sense that poverty lies beyond the moral and technical scope of government remediation. The failure of experts to reach agreement on the causes of poverty merely exacerbates our despair. Are the causes internal to the poor – reflecting their more or less voluntary choices? Or do they emanate from structures beyond their control (but perhaps amenable to government remediation)? If both of these explanations are true (as I …

Ethical Dilemmas For School Social Workers In An Electronic Age, Eleanor Pepi Downey, Sue Martin, Kim Marie Jordan

Sue Martin

No abstract provided.

Goal-Free Evaluation: A Potential Model For The Evaluation Of Social Work Programs, Brandon W. Youker Ph.D, Allyssa Ingraham B.S.

Brandon W. Youker Ph.D

Goal-free evaluation (GFE) is an evaluation model where the evaluator is deliberately kept from the stated (or implied) goals and objectives of the program; this is accomplished by appointing a screener to keep goal-related information from the goal-free evaluator. Screening the evaluator from program goals is designed to control bias inherent in goal-based evaluation (GBE), a bias that contaminates the evaluator’s ability to see the program’s true outcomes and true merit. Although GFE has been around for more than half a century, GBE continues to dominate evaluation practice and the literature on GFE remains sparse and highly theoretical. This article …

31. How Attorneys Question Children About The Dynamics Of Sexual Abuse And Disclosure In Criminal Trials., Stacia N. Stolzenberg, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

“There's No Participation In ‘Our’ Participatory-Action Research Project”: Overcoming Hierarchies In Service-Learning Partnerships, Julia Van Der Ryn, Omar Carrera

Julia van der Ryn

While strategic planning is widely recognized as a central component in the development of sustainable service-learning partnerships and university programs, institutions working to create organizational change often do not have a framework for how to address the power differentials among a diverse group of constituencies. Further, this framework should include all stakeholders in the analysis of the social, historical, and political contexts around service-learning partnerships.

In this study, participants in the service-learning program at Dominican University of California (DUC) explored the complexity of the social forces that influence communication and collaboration in service-learning. DUC faculty members designed a multiphase research …

Voucher Users And Revitalized Public Housing Residents Six Years After Displacement, Fred Brooks, Terri Lewinson, Jennifer Aszman, Jim Wolk

Terri Lewinson

Six years after displacement by a HOPE VI project this research examines residents who returned to the redeveloped community and residents who decided to keep their vouchers and were living in private sector housing. Respondents were compared on the following variables: application process and decision to move back, satisfaction with housing, material hardships, and perception of economic well-being. The study employed a static group comparison research design. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 56 respondents through five focus groups. Residents who moved back to the revitalized public housing were highly satisfied with their housing, had significantly fewer material hardships, …

Social Service Barriers Experienced By Low-Income Extended-Stay Hotel Residents, Terri Lewinson, Carol Collard

Terri Lewinson

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of 14 individuals residing in extended-stay hotels after housing displacement. Framed in ecosystems and structuration theory, the purpose of this study was to understand social service barriers experienced by help-seeking residents. Participants were engaged in in-depth interviews and asked about challenges faced when they reached out for assistance to prepare for stable housing. Reported barriers included negative interactions with social service personnel, cumbersome agency processes, and insufficient/inappropriate resources. Hotel residents identified guidance, compassion, and advocacy as interventions practitioners can use to support client transitions to stable housing.

30. Facilitating Maltreated Children's Use Of Emotional Language., Elizabeth C. Ahern, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Utilizing Trauma Informed Practice To Build Resilience In Youth/Children, Raymond Mullenax

Raymond Mullenax

No abstract provided.

Pathways Into Caregiving For Rural Custodial Grandparents, Nancy Kropf, Margaret Robinson

Nancy P. Kropf

Although one-quarter (25%) of custodial grandparents live in rural areas, less is known about these families than their urban counterparts. This qualitative study was conducted to determine pathways into care with rural families; that is, the reasons and process into custodial grandparenting roles. Based upon interviews with fourteen grandparents, three major pathways were identified. The most common was co-residential, where the parent generation exited a multi-generational household. In the incremental pathway, grandparents had attempted multiple strategies with the culmination of taking physical custody of the grandchildren. A final pathway, immediate care, was typically the result of a family crisis situation. …

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Diverse Population, Nancy Kropf, Stacey Kolomer

Nancy P. Kropf

The number of grandparents who are raising grandchildren has risen dramatically as the result of several social trends. Within this article, diversity aspects of this population are explored including characteristics of the grandparents and grandchildren. In addition, support groups, the primary intervention for custodial grandparents, are overviewed with specific attention to models that have relevance for subpopulations of care providers. Finally, child welfare and kinship care policies are examined and critiqued from a diversity perspective.

Increasing Aging Content Within The Social Work Curriculum: Perceptions Of Key Constituents, Stacey Kolomer, Terri Lewinson, Nancy Kropf, Scott Wilks

Nancy P. Kropf

This mixed methodology study examines the perceptions of key constituents regarding methods for effectively integrating aging content into the foundation curriculum of the BSW and MSW program at the University of Georgia School of Social Work. Students were asked to complete a survey to determine their perception of geriatric content that existed within the foundation coursework. Following an analysis of the survey results, eight semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with a purposeful sample of students, faculty, field instructors, social work alumni, older adults from the community, and representatives from aging agencies. The intention of these focus groups was to …

Life Review With Families Who Care For Developmentally Disabled Members: A Model, Nancy Kropf, Roberta Greene

Nancy P. Kropf

While adult caregiving has recently received greater attention, parents who continue to provide care for an adult child with a developmental disability have been an omitted group of care providers. In this article, life review is discussed as an interventive technique which can aid these parents with their late life caregiving responsibility. Six practice principles are derived for using life review techniques with these parents. Using an ecological framework, four case examples are included that demonstrate how life review can assist these parents with stress associated with the caregiving role.

Stigmatized And Perpetual Parents: Older Parents Caring For Adult Children With Life-Long Disabilities, Nancy P. Kropf, Timothy B. Kelly

Nancy P. Kropf

Common misconceptions in the popular press focus on the dependency of the aged population, or cast the elderly in the role of the "greedy old geezer." However, large numbers of elders provide care for family members rather than receive care. This paper explores the unique stresses and strains in the caregiving relationships between older parents and their adult children with developmental disabilities or mental illness. Implications for practice and policy are drawn.

The Future Of Aging In Social Work: "Everything Old Is New Again", Nancy Kropf, Margaret Adamek

Nancy P. Kropf

With the aging of the baby boom generation, the number of older adults in the U.S. will increase substantially. Using a biopsychosocial framework, this article presents cutting-edge issues of older adulthood and considers emerging roles of social workers with older adults and their families. Research, education, and policy perspectives that will advance social work knowledge, skills and resources in aging are proposed. Social work as a profession is challenged to lead the way in making "everything old new again."

An Infusion Model For Including Content On Elders With Chronic Mental Illness In The Curriculum, Nancy Kropf, Sherry Cummings

Nancy P. Kropf

Older people with chronic mental illness (CMI) are experiencing longer life expectancies that parallel those of the general population. Due to their experience of having CMI, these older adults present unique issues that affect service delivery and care provision. Content on this population is often omitted in the curriculum, which leaves students unprepared to practice with these clients. This article proposes an infusion model that can be used in baccalaureate or graduate foundation courses to increase exposure to elders with CMI.

Second Generation Parenting: Grandparents Who Receive Tanf, Vanessa Robinson-Dooley, Nancy Kropf

Nancy P. Kropf

A review of the scholarly literature indicates that the number of grandparents who are second generation parents (e.g., raising their grandchildren) has increased dramatically. These grandparents often return to parenting with a variety of financial and physical health issues that need to be addressed within the context of their caregiving role. The current study is a secondary data analysis of a sample of grandparent caregivers that received TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) using data from a larger study conducted on welfare reform. The research is primarily descriptive, providing a summary of these grandparents' functioning. Finding and implications for understanding …

Knowledge Of And Attitudes Toward Aging Among Non-Elders: Gender And Race Differences, Nancy Kropf, Sherry Cummings, Kevin Deweaver

Nancy P. Kropf

Although the aging process begins at birth, fears about late adulthood can foster anxiety in younger cohorts about this time of life. This study examines the relationship between non-elderly subjects' (n = 884, 18-55 years) knowledge of and anxieties regarding personal aging and their gender and race. We hypothesized that nonelderly women and persons of color, those who will experience multiple jeopardy in their own late life, would report greater anxiety about their own aging process than did men and majority group members. Women did report lower income and education levels, less knowledge of aging, greater anxiety related to their …

Community Caregiving Partnerships Promoting Alliances To Support Care Providers, Nancy Kropf

Nancy P. Kropf

Although greater numbers of families are providing support to older adults, a lack of comprehensive programming in resource allocation continues to exist at the social policy level. This chapter explores how community care giving partnerships may contribute to a solution.

Evidenced-Based Treatment For Older Adults, Sherry Cummings, Nancy Kropf, Kimberly Cassie, Brian Bride

Nancy P. Kropf

Over the past several decades, the number of older adults has grown at an unprecedented rate. As the number of older adults continues to increase with the aging of the baby boom generation, it is essential that social workers have knowledge of effective strategies for promoting quality of life and treating later-life mental health disorders among older adults and their family members. In order to promote such knowledge, this article reviews the outcomes research literature related to individual and group treatments for older adults and their familial caregivers. Empirically based research studies published between 1985 and the present were examined …

Strategies To Increase Student Interest In Aging, Nancy Kropf

Nancy P. Kropf

Due to changing demographics, all social workers will have experience working with older clients and their families within professional roles. Unfortunately, social work education continues to lag in preparing students to be effective in practice with aging clients. Several strategies are presented with the goal of increasing student interest in the field of aging. At the program level, initiatives include using experiential learning, infusing aging content into required courses, and enhancing faculty capacity in aging. In addition, social work programs can build collaborations within the university setting and practice community. Overall, the goal is to present aging as an exciting …

Life Expectancy: Social Work With Centenarians, Nancy P. Kropf, Katherine L. Pugh

Nancy P. Kropf

Although the older population as a whole is increasing faster than any other age group, the most dramatic growth is in the oldest old. Centenarians, those individuals who have survived 100 or more years, have increased ten times in size over the past forty years. This population trajectory is expected to accelerate even more into the next century. Unfomately, social work with the older population rarely includes practice issues related to work with these older adults who have survived well past the average lie expectancy. This article provides a description of the current cohort of centenarians from a biopsychosocial framework …

Interdisciplinary Practice In Developmental Disabilities, Nancy Kropf, D. Michael Malone

Nancy P. Kropf

This article explores the development of interdisciplinary team practice within the field of development disabilities. Various interdisciplinary models are described, and the role of the social worker is specifically reviewed. As social workers practice as members of teams in a variety of contexts, a greater understanding of an interdisciplinary approach is warranted.

Future Training And Education Recommendations For Rural Gerontological Social Workers, Nancy Kropf

Nancy P. Kropf

With the increasing number of older adults, social work students need to be prepared to work with this population in a variety of settings. Rural areas may have high concentrations of older adults including those who age-in-place, and those who relocate to retirement areas in small towns and rural communities. Within the curriculum, content on health care, economics, and leadership/decision making need to be included to prepare students for practice in these areas. In addition, programs need to actively seek students who have an interest in working within more rural practice settings.

Factors Affecting Burden Of South Koreans Providing Care To Disabled Older Family Members, Minhong Lee, Eunkyong Yoon, Nancy Kropf

Nancy P. Kropf

This study examined the determinants of caregiving burden among South Koreans who care for their disabled older family members. A sample of 1,000 primary caregivers taken from the Comprehensive Study for Elderly Welfare Policy in Seoul, South Korea was analyzed. Independent variables included the demographic characteristics of caregivers and care recipients, the severity of cognitive impairment among care recipients, care recipients' functional abilities, financial adequacy and caregivers' degree of social support. Hierarchical regression was used to predict the levels of caregivers' burden. Similar to western care providers, South Korean caregivers who were in poor health and who had little informal …

Grandparents As Family Caregivers: Lessons For Intergenerational Education, Nancy Kropf, Denise Burnett

Nancy P. Kropf

The number of grandparents who have responsibility for raising grandchildren has increased dramatically over the past several decades. From an educational perspective, content on custodial grandparents can promote an increased interest in, and understanding of, the complexities of aging by stressing the intergenerational aspects of this family form. This paper describes the growing population of custodial grandparents, and the larger socio environmental contexts of these families. In addition, it highlights instructional approaches for including content on grandparent-headed families within didactic and experiential courses.