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Social Work In A Very Rural Place: A Study Of Practitioners In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Paul Force-Emery Mackie Msw, Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study focuses on characteristics, challenges, and benefits of practicing social work in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. Using a mixed-methods design, data were analyzed to determine demographic descriptors, seek differences between groups, and learn why social workers pursue and remain in social service employment in the UP. In addition, challenges and benefits of rural practice and perceptions of living and working in this region are addressed. Quantitatively, differences were found between younger and older social workers regarding where they currently live and where they grew up, and whether or not they were raised in a rural location. Qualitative …

The Service Use Index: A Tool For Examining Rural/Urban Differences, Rosemary K. Chapin Ph.D., Beth Anne Baca Msw, Skye N. Leedahl Ma, Roxanne Rachlin Mhsa, Xanthippe Wedel Bs, Mary K. Zimmerman Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Development of tools for identifying and tracking differences in older adult service utilization by race, ethnicity, income, and geographic area is vital in the face of current demographic and economic changes in rural areas, particularly in areas experiencing rapid demographic changes. In this conceptual article, we explain how to calculate a service use index that compares service utilization of a specific group of older adults to that of the entire older adult population. We then illustrate its usefulness with a case example using geographic information systems (GIS). This unique approach can be utilized to understand differences across fields of practice, …

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 …

The New Stigma Of Relocated Public Housing Residents: Challenges To Social Identity In Mixed-Income Developments, Mark L. Joseph

Faculty Scholarship

Public housing residents have long experienced stigma as members of an urban “underclass.” One policy response is the creation of mixed-income developments; by deconcentrating poverty and integrating residents into communities in which their residences are indistinguishable from neighbors, such efforts might reduce stigma associated with residency in traditional public housing. Through in-depth interviews with 35 relocated public housing residents and 184 field observations at three mixed-income developments in Chicago, we find this is not the case. Stigma associated with living in public housing is ameliorated, yet residents report that their experience of stigma has intensified in other ways. The negative …

Review Of With Liberty And Justice For Some: How The Law Is Used To Destroy Equality And Protect The Powerful. Glenn Greenwald. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Glenn Greenwald. With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful (2011). NY: Henry Holt & Co., Metropolitan Books. $26.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Reimagining Equality: Stories Of Gender, Race, And Finding Home. Anita Hill. Reviewed By Wilma Peebles-Wilkins., Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Anita Hill. Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home (2011). Boston, MA: Beacon Press. $25.95 hardcover.

Capacity Building Legacies: Boards Of The Richmond Male Orphan Asylum For Destitute Boys & The Protestant Episcopal Church Home For Infirm Ladies 1870-1900, F. Ellen Netting, Mary Katherine O'Connor, David P. Fauri

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

What strategies did early boards of managers of charitable human service agencies pursue to build capacity in a way that sustained their efforts for more than a hundred years? Using primary and secondary documents to focus on two organizations- The Male Orphan Asylum (1846) and the Protestant Episcopal Church Home (1875)-three norms emerged: run it like a business, keep it like a house, and base it in the community, along with a host of associated activities. Based on these norms and activities, three strategies were identified: diversification of resources, working boards, and leadership continuity, all of which have implications for …

Review Of Gendered Hate: Exploring Gender In Hate Crime Law. Jessica P. Hodge. Reviewed By Twila L. Perry., Twila L. Perry

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jessica P. Hodge. Gendered Hate: Exploring Gender in Hate Crime Law (2011). Northeastern University Press. $29.95 (paperback).

Review Of Coming Apart: The State Of White America, 1960-2010. Charles Murray. Reviewed By Rebecca Joyce Kissane., Rebecca Joyce Kissane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 (2012). New York, NY: Crown Forum. $27.00 (hardcover).

Patterns Of Residential Mobility Of People With Schizophrenia: Multi-Level Tests Of Downward Geographic Drift, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study tests the geographic drift hypothesis that the negative SES-MI correlation results from individuals first developing conditions such as schizophrenia and then moving frequently because of their disability to low income and urban areas, and to neighborhoods with high concentrations of SMI persons. This is a secondary analysis of hospital records of 1,667,956 individuals in Massachusetts, USA, between 1994 and 2000. It employs a longitudinal cohort design and techniques of multi-level modeling. Downward geographic drift of those with schizophrenia was found to be small, but greater than other groups examined. The small level of drift was best explained by …

Employee Benefits And Policies: Do They Make A Difference For Work/Family Conflict?, Dina Banerjee, Carolyn Cummings Perrucci

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines both the prevalence of employee benefits and whether the existence of any of numerous work/family policies is related to reduced perceived work/family conflict among a 2002 national sample of U.S. employees. We compare the impact of relatively standard employee benefits with more "controversial" work/family policies regarding flexible work time and child care. We determine whether the impact still remains when typical individual employee characteristics, human capital variables, workplace culture variables, and workplace support variables are controlled statistically in multiple regressions. We find that it is the relatively conventional benefits that are most available to employees. However, it …

Review Of Whither Opportunity: Rising Inequality, Schools And Children's Life Chances. Greg J. Duncan & Richard Murname, (Eds.). Reviewed By Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides., Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Greg J. Duncan & Richard Murname, (Eds.). Whither Opportunity: Rising Inequality, Schools and Children's Life Chances (2011). New York & Chicago: Russell Sage & Spencer Foundations. $49.95 (paperback).

Review Of Human Rights In The United States: Beyond Exceptionalism. Shareen Hertel & Kathryn Libal, (Eds). Reviewed By Judith Blau., Judith Blau

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Shareen Hertel & Kathryn Libal, (Eds). Human Rights in the United States: Beyond Exceptionalism (2011). Cambridge University Press. $99.00 hardcover; $36.99 paperback.

Review Of Accounting For Hunger: The Right To Food In The Era Of Globilisation. Olivier De Schutter & Caitlin Y. Cordes, (Eds.). Reviewed By Christina Schiavoni., Christina Schiavoni

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Olivier De Schutter and Caitlin Y. Cordes (Eds.). Accounting for Hunger: The Right to Food in the Era of Globilisation (2011). Hart Publishing. $100.00 (hardcover).

The Feminization Of Social Welfare: Implications Of Cultural Tradition Vis-À-Vis Male Victims Of Domestic Violence, Ronald E. Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As pertains to feminization of social welfare, the inability to acknowledge male victims of domestic violence is attributed less to personal preference and more to cultural traditions of the Western patriarch. Yet, according to scholarly literature, men in the U.S. are equally as likely to be the victims of domestic violence by women as are women by men. Solutions to cultural tradition aimed at eliminating male victims of domestic violence must necessarily begin with acknowledgement of the characteristic warning signs and symptoms. Moving beyond the feminization of social welfare as pertains to domestic violence can be accomplished by the recognition …

A Social Justice Perspective On Medicare Part D In An Age Of Reform: Critical Implications Of Trends In Health Care Policy And Advocacy, Louanne Bakk, Marya R. Sosulski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) in its current form and explains why a critical perspective is useful when analyzing the policy and reform efforts. Using this approach, we consider the development of the policy and describe ways that gender and racial differences may hinder equal access to medications for some of the most vulnerable older adults. This article explores the implications of gender and racial disparities under the MMA and ramifications of health care reform efforts that could potentially impede, rather than promote, a social justice agenda. Beyond the political advantage …

Competency And Voters With Psychiatric Disabilities: Considerations For Social Workers, Jennifer K. Davis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The ability of those with psychiatric disabilities to vote is an important activity impacted by competency issues and potentially overlooked by social workers. The purpose of this article is to assist social workers in making informed decisions about preserving and supporting voter participation among those with psychiatric disabilities. Common issues regarding the voting rights of individuals with psychiatric disabilities within the legal system and other systems of interest to social workers are explored.

Zones Of Exclusion: Urban Spatial Policies, Social Justice, And Social Services, Karen H. Bancroft

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Across the United States homeless persons, prostitutes, and drug and alcohol users are subject to policies that severely limit their freedom of movement. These new policies create spatial exclusion zones that deny these groups the right to inhabit or traverse large areas of their cities, particularly in the downtown cores, where treatment centers, shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, government services, and other social services are typically concentrated. In this paper, I examine these new spatial exclusionary policies (with a focus on Washington State's policies), present a brief historical account of socio-spatial practices, contextualize the current spatial laws, and end with …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 39, No. 3 (September 2012)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE FEMINIZATION OF SOCIAL WELFARE: IMPLICATIONS OF CULTURAL TRADITION VIS-À-VIS MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - Ronald E. Hall
• A SOCIAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE ON MEDICARE PART D IN AN AGE OF REFORM: CRITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE POLICY AND ADVOCACY - Louanne Bakk and Marya R. Sosulski
• COMPETENCY AND VOTERS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES: CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS - Jennifer K. Davis
• ZONES OF EXCLUSION: URBAN SPATIAL POLICIES, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND SOCIAL SERVICES - Karen H. Bancroft
• LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE BEYOND THE CLASS PROGRAM - Amy Restorick Roberts, David B. Miller, and Merl C. "Terry" …

Long Term Care Insurance Beyond The Class Program, Amy Restorick Roberts, David B. Miller, Merl C. "Terry" Hokenstad Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Community Living Assistance and Supports (CLASS) program, created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, established a federally-administered, voluntary insurance program that allows for working adults to purchase insurance to cover the cost of long term support services. The CLASS program is the first step towards moving away from a welfare-based system, improving consumer choice, and creating a stable funding source for long term care needs. Enrollees in the CLASS program who meet benefit eligibility requirements and need care assistance will receive a cash benefit to pay for supportive services such as home health care, adult day services, …

Assessment Of Co-Occurring Depression And Substance Use In An Ethnically Diverse Patient Sample During Behavioral Health Intake Interviews, Sarah Darghouth, Ora Nakash, Alisa Miller, Margarita Alegría

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Background: Co-occurring disorders present a challenge for providers who often fail to diagnose them with accuracy. This study explores the assessment process of co-occurring depressive and substance use disorders in community health clinics serving ethnically diverse patients. The goals are to identify how symptoms discussed in intake, as well as patient and provider characteristics, are associated with receiving a diagnosis of co-occurring disorders or not. Methods: Participation in the study consisted of videotaping the intake, conducting a semi-structured interview, and completing demographic and clinical measures. Quantitative analyses were conducted based on information coded from videotapes of intakes with 119 patients …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Drug Use Among Women In Rural North Carolina, Martin T. Hall Ph.D., M.S.S.W., Debra Skinner Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study describes perceptions and experiences of drug use among 32 women residing in three non-urban counties in eastern North Carolina. Participants described drug use in their families and communities as pervasive, citing both individual (e.g., depression) and systemic (e.g., few opportunity structures) causal factors. Participants with personal drug use histories described factors that helped them reduce drug use as well as the challenges of maintaining recovery in small communities. Contributions of this research include rural women’s assessment and attribution of drug use problems in both their personal lives and larger communities. Recommendations for rural drug treatment providers are offered.

Prospective Patterns And Correlates Of Quality Of Life Among Women In Substance Abuse Treatment, Elizabeth M. Tracy, Alexandre Laudet, Meeyoung Oh Min, Hyunsoo Kim, Suzanne Brown, Min Kyoung Jun, Lynn Singer

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background Quality of life (QOL) is increasingly recognized as central to the broad construct of recovery in sub- stance abuse services. QOL measures can supplement more objective symptom measures, identify specific service needs and document changes in functioning that are associated with substance use patterns. To date however, QOL remains an under investigated area in the addictions field, especially in the United States.

Methods This study examines patterns and predictors of QOL at 1 and 6 months post treatment intake among 240 women enrolled in substance abuse treatment in Cleveland, Ohio. The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) measure …

"That's What Families Do": Rewards And Challenges Of Informal Kinship Care, Betsy Hay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Informal kinship caregivers take on the responsibility of raising a relative's children in situations where those children cannot remain with their parents and are not in the custody of child welfare. The phenomenon is increasing; however it is difficult to obtain information from these families because of the difficulty locating them. As a result, there is limited research on this specific group of kinship care families. The purpose of this study was exploratory, using qualitative methods to gather information from informal kinship caregivers about their experiences caring for a relative's children, with a focus on the rewards and challenges within …

Juvenile Delinquency: An Investigation Of Risk Factors And Solutions., Lauren Cardoso

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This article proposes that educational and community based programs can help juveniles stay away from crime and prevent recidivism. A presentation of federal and state statistics, along with an analysis of the risk factors for delinquency, will be provided in order to illustrate the important areas that should be addressed in successful programs. Testimonies, including personal interviews with those who have experience working at the RI Training School, DCYF, Boys' Town, Child and Family Services will be shared as evidence of the research found. Finally, recommendations based on the findings will be proposed.

Household Assets, School Enrollment And Parental Aspirations For Children's Education In Rural China: Does Gender Matter?, Suo Deng, Jin Huang, Minchao Jin, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Using rural household data from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) 2002, this paper provides an analysis of different effects of household assets independent of family income on children’s school enrollment and parental aspirations for education, examining both outcomes by child’s gender. The study first compares the responsiveness of boys’ and girls’ enrollment to the improvement of household assets, measured as liquid assets and net worth, relative to family income. The multivariate regression analysis further detects the effects of household assets on both boys’ and girls’ school enrollment and parental aspirations for children’s future education by child’s gender. Statistical results …

Validity Of Infact Race/Ethnicity From Birth Certificates In The Context Of U.S. Demographic Change, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Nam, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

In this study, we examined consistency of infant race/ethnicity across two data sources (N=2,63) using measures of sensitivity and positive predictive value. First we created and compared conventional measures of infant race/ethnicity from 2007 Oklahoma birth certificates and SEED for Oklahoma Kids baseline survey data, classifying infants as White, African American, American Indian, Asian, or Hispanic. Then we created and tested alternative measures with a biracial classification, based on biological parentage from birth certificates or parent report of infant biracial identity in the survey. We find that, for conventional measures, sensitivity is highest for Whites and African Americans and lowest …

Youth In The Ghana Experiment: Characteristics And Living Conditions, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier Masa, Isaac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Youth in the Ghana Experiment: Characteristics and Living Conditions

Socioeconomic Status And Early Savings Outcomes: Evidence From A Statewide Child Development Account Experiment, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

Socioeconomic Status and Early Savings Outcomes: Evidence From a Statewide Child Development Account Experiment

Indicated Truancy Interventions: Effects On School Attendance Among Chronic Truant Students., Brandy R. Maynard, Katherine Tyson Mccrea, Terri D. Pigott, Michael S. Kelly

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

BACKGROUND
Truancy is a significant problem in the U.S. and in other countries around the world. Truancy has been linked to serious immediate and far-reaching consequences for youth, families, and schools and communities, leading researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to try to understand and to address the problem. Although numerous and significant steps have been taken at the local, state, and national levels to reduce truancy, the rates of truancy have at best remained stable or at worst been on the rise, depending on the indicator utilized to assess truancy rates.
The costs and impact of chronic truancy are significant, …