Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Immigrant Health Disparities: Does Neighborliness Improve Health?, Kofi Danso

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using data from the California Health Interview Survey, this cross-sectional study examined the differential role of neighborhood social capital and other socio-demographic variables in predicting the health of immigrants and native-born Americans. The results revealed a statistically significant association between age, marital status, and poverty level, English proficiency, education and employment, self-reported health, and immigrant and non-immigrant status. With the exception of neighborhood trust, neighborhood social capital indicators such as social cohesion, neighborhood safety, and civic participation were found to significantly predict both immigrant and non-immigrant health. Neighborhood trust was significant for non-immigrants, but was not predictive of immigrant health. …

The Influence Of Socio-Cultural Factors On College Students’ Attitudes Toward Sexual Minorities, Mark D. Olson, Eros Desouza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research has indicated that age is a significant predictor of tolerance toward sexual minorities. However, outdated measures and social desirability may hinder attempts to accurately detect bias. This study explores attitudes toward gay males among a sample of students in the Midwestern United States. We investigate the influence of gender, religiosity, and political orientation on students’ attitudes. Students’ political orientation was found to be the strongest predictor of attitudes. In contrast to previous research emphasizing the relationship between age and tolerance, our study suggests that socio-cultural factors have the greatest influence on bias. This has critical implications for social work …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 44 No. 2

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Serving No One Well: TANF Nearly Twenty Years Later- Kristin S. Seefeldt

Barriers to Food Security Experienced by Families Living in Extended Stay Motels- Stephanie Gonzalez Guittar

Impact of Short Lifetime Limits on Child Neglect - Vicky N. Albert and William C.

King The Policy Nexus: Panhandling, Social Capital and Policy Failure- Amanda R. Tillotson and Laura Lein

The Impact of Concentrations of African Americans and Latinos/Latinas on Neighborhood Social Cohesion in High Poverty United States Neighborhoods -Laurie A. Walker and Daniel Brisson

The Association Between Neighborhood Factors and Mexican Americans’ Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review - Kai Wei …

Review Of Behind From The Start: How America’S War On The Poor Is Harming Our Most Vulnerable Children. Lenette Azzi-Lessing. Reviewed By Kristen Ravi., Kristen Ravi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Lenette Azzi-Lessing, Behind from the Start: How America’s War on the Poor is Harming Our Most Vulnerable Children. Oxford University Press (2017), 248 pages, $29.95 (hardcover).

Review Of The Money Cult: Capitalism, Christianity, And The Unmaking Of The American Dream. Chris Lehmann. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty., Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Chris Lehmann, The Money Cult: Capitalism, Christianity, and the Unmaking of the American Dream. Melville House (2016), 398 pages, $28.95 (hardcover).

Guest Perspective: U.S. Secretary Of Education John B. King Jr., John King Jr.

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

Editorial: A Call For Research, Bob Leighninger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A Call for Research from editor Bob Leighninger

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 44, No. 1 (March 2017)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITORIAL: A CALL FOR RESEARCH -Bob Leighninger

CONGREGATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY: A CASE STUDY OF SOCIAL WELFARE PROVISION - Sarah B. Garlington

CAREER DEVELOPMENT, WELL-BEING AND COPING STRATEGIES OF ZIMBABWEAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES: A RESEARCH NOTE- Josphine Chaumba

THE SOCIAL EXCLUSION OF DUALLY-INVOLVED YOUTH: TOWARD A SENSE OF BELONGING - JoAnn S. Lee and Jessie Patton

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE PREVENTION OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR AMONG MIGRANT CHILDREN IN SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A POLICY NOTE - Tsz Ki K. Tang, David Engstrom, and Sompong Srakaew

SOCIAL WORK IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY: …

Congregations In The Community: A Case Study Of Social Welfare Provision, Sarah B. Garlington

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A complex mix of community and government activities address social welfare needs. Even with structural changes, communities are active in assessing and providing for their own members’ needs, though in widely variable forms. Religious organizations are key in community social welfare. This project investigates the role of religion in social welfare provision at the local community level. Examining religion’s participation contributes to the understanding of religion’s role in the public sphere as moral commentator, contributor to the common good, and identity legitimation. This article uses a functionalist theoretical framework and case study data to discuss congregations and social welfare provision.

Career Development Wellbeing And Coping Strategies Of Zimbabwean Immigrants In The United States, Josphine Chaumba

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study combined quantitative and qualitative data to understand perceptions of career development, life satisfaction, and strategies for enhancing career development among Zimbabwean immigrants in the United States. Participants completed a survey on their perceptions of career development in the United States. Twelve participants selected from those who had completed the survey participated in in-depth interviews that asked about their life experiences. Spearman’s rho correlations revealed inverse relationships between career development difficulties and life satisfaction and time in the United States. Qualitative results revealed specific strategies that participants used to build their careers. Implications for practice are also suggested.

The Social Exclusion Of Dually-Involved Youth: Toward A Sense Of Belonging, Joann S. Lee, Jessie Patton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We use an institutional life course perspective to explore the social exclusion of dually-involved youth. We begin by defining the concept of social exclusion and present one mechanism of social exclusion, the set of institutions operating in the lives of dually-involved youth. We use the social exclusion framework to extend the implications of studies of dually-involved youth, and propose three stages of social-exclusion for dually-involved youth. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of broad investments in families, schools, and communities to ensure that dually-involved youth develop a sense of belonging and the capabilities necessary to live meaningful lives.

Social Work In The Black Community: A Collective Response To Contemporary Unrest, Stephenie Howard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The frequent outpour of civil unrest in the Black community in response to instances of social injustice is a manifestation of outrage and exhaustion with systems that perpetuate socioeconomic disparities and human rights violations in this community. Lessons learned from historical practices of social work in the Black community may enhance the potential of contemporary social workers to shepherd this social consciousness into sustained social change. Toward this goal, this paper will synthesize and juxtapose the parallel paths taken by early Black social workers and their majority counterparts. This paper will also identify strategies for integrating the legacy of early …

Mixed-Status Families And The Threat Of Deportation, Eloisa P. Haynes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article offers a description of deportation, explores the effects of deportation in the lives of mixed-status families, as well as, outlines the social and economic cost of deportations to American communities. This article argues that the toll imposed on U.S. citizens, both relatives of those deported and members of the community, renders deportation, in most circumstances, an unfavorable policy that does more harm than good. A policy which is intended to protect Americans and curtail unauthorized migration, instead creates injustice, fragments families and communities, and creates a significant negative impact on the U.S. economy.

Blurring Professional Borders In Service Of Anti-Poverty Collaboration: Combining Social Work Skills And An Anti-Oppressive Feminist Lens With Legal Aid, Andrew C. Schoeneman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The history of legal aid is contested and gendered. Like social work, since the late 1800s professionalization and broader political forces have pushed legal aid toward greater focus on individual-level interventions to alleviate poverty. As a result, the capacity of contemporary legal aid programs to work collaboratively with low-income communities to address their legal and non-legal concerns is limited. This article traces the shared histories and commitments of legal aid and social work, calls for an increased collaboration between legal aid programs and social workers, and proposes an anti-oppressive, feminist theoretical perspective to guide this collaboration. By embracing collaboration across …

Review Of The Latinos Of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break The Rules Of Race. Anthony Christian Ocampo. Reviewed By Yin Liu., Yin Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anthony Christian Ocampo, The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race. Stanford University Press (2016), 257 pages, $22.95 (paperback).

Review Of The Fourth Amendment In Flux: The Roberts Court, Crime Control, And Digital Privacy.Michael C. Gizzi And R. Craig Curtis. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael C. Gizzi and R. Craig Curtis, The Fourth Amendment in Flux: The Roberts Court, Crime Control, and Digital Privacy. University of Kansas (2016), 188 pages, $19.95 (paperback).

Review Of Vanishing Eden: White Construction Of Memory, Meaning, And Identity In A Racially Changing City.Michael T. Maly And Heather M. Dalmage. Reviewed By Weiyu Mao, Weiyu Mao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael T. Maly and Heather M. Dalmage, Vanishing Eden: White Construction of Memory, Meaning, and Identity in a Racially Changing City. Temple University Press (2016), 170 pages, $74.50 (hardcover), $28.95 (paperback).

Review Of Making Immigrant Rights Real: Non-Profits And The Politics Of Integration In San Francisco. Els De Graauw. Reviewed By Sizhe Liu., Sizhe Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Els de Graauw, Making Immigrant Rights Real: Non-Profits and the Politics of Integration in San Francisco. Cornell University Press (2016), 238 pages, $22.95 (paperback).

Serving No One Well: Tanf Nearly Twenty Years Later, Kristin S. Seefeldt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The 1996 welfare reform law transformed the nation’s cash welfare system into a time-limited, work-based program. Welfare caseloads dropped by more than half, but in more recent years and in the wake of the Great Recession, relatively little research has focused on TANF program participation, particularly from the vantage point of clients and potential clients. This paper uses qualitative data from interviews with very low-income single mothers conducted in 2013. Analysis of the interview data yielded three different narratives regarding how TANF did not meet their needs: it did not help them find jobs; it did not assist those with …

Barriers To Food Security Experienced By Families Living In Extended Stay Motels, Stephanie Gonzalez Guittar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Families who are food insecure do not have regular access to food, access to enough food to satisfy their hunger, or have to resort to extraordinary measures to access food such as traveling to food pantries and other emergency food sources. This article focuses on low-income families with children who live in extended stay motels and experienced food insecurity. Families reported several indicators of food insecurity and discussed the barriers to food security they experienced as a result of living in a motel. Families reported that the locations of the motels, lack of transportation, the lack of storage space and …

Impact Of Short Lifetime Limits On Child Neglect, Vicky N. Albert, William C. King

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Great Recession that officially began in December 2007 nationally resulted in a loss of income on the part of many families with children who in turn, relied on a variety of safety nets, including cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Loss of income has been recognized as a major risk factor of child maltreatment, in particular child neglect. During its 2007 recession, Arizona shortened its TANF lifetime limits substantially which resulted in transfer income losses for many families with children on TANF. Using time-series analysis, the present study determines the relative impact of TANF’s shorter …

The Policy Nexus: Panhandling, Social Capital And Policy Failure, Amanda R. Tillotson, Laura Lein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this paper, we analyze a unique mixed methods data set based on survey responses (n=108) and intensive interviews (n=18) with panhandlers in Austin, Texas. We examine the way in which failures of primary and secondary social capital interact to create the conditions of extreme poverty and homelessness that lead to panhandling. We find that a large majority of these individuals are working-age adults who lack access to social policy supports that would allow them to weather periods of unemployment produced by health issues and other personal difficulties.

The Impact Of Concentrations Of African Americans And Latinos/Latinas On Neighborhood Social Cohesion In High Poverty United States Neighborhoods, Laurie A. Walker, Daniel Brisson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

United States research concludes concentrations of Latinos/Latinas and African Americans have a negative impact on Neighborhood Social Cohesion (NSC); however, European research finds higher levels of NSC when controlling for measures of concentrated disadvantage. This study utilizes a longitudinal stratified random sample of 7,495 households in 430 Census Blocks within 10 United States cities that participated in the Making Connections Initiative. Results show higher NSC is associated with higher percentages of residents who are Latino/Latina, African American, and homeowners when controlling for measures of concentrated disadvantage. The study findings challenge the stigma associated with concentrations of racial minorities in …

The Association Between Neighborhood Factors And Mexican Americans’ Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review, Kai Wei, Jaime Booth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This systematic review seeks to elucidate the association between neighborhood factors and Mexican American mental health outcomes. We searched PsycINFO and Academic Search Premier for studies related to neighborhood factors and mental health. Google Scholar was used to identify additional studies, followed by a manual inspection of the related work. Eleven studies were identified. Nine studies found that neighborhood factors had a significant impact on mental health among this group. Neighborhood compositional factors influenced mental health directly, among which minority concentration was found to be protective for Mexican American mental health. Neighborhood contextual factors influenced mental health directly and indirectly …

The Impact Of Dysfunctional Families And Sexual Abuse On The Psychological Well-Being Of Adolescent Females In Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Research Note, Jabulani G. Kheswa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Owing to fear to report abuse to significant others (e.g. educators), research highlighted that abused female youth tend to be submissive and experience impaired self- acceptance and negative relationships with others. The aim of the study was to investigate the circumstances under which sexually abused adolescent females engage in risk-taking activities. The research used a qualitative method to collect data from 8 purposively sampled participants (aged 15-18 years) from one secondary school in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Results indicated that sexually abused youth are susceptible to neuroticism and substance abuse. In recommendation, the community should be pro-active in ending abuse.

Review Of Barriers And Belonging: Personal Narratives Of Disability.Michelle Jarman, Leila Monaghan And Alison Quaggin Harkin. Reviewed By Iain Hutchinson., Iain Hutchison

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Michelle Jarman, Leila Monaghan and Alison Quaggin Harkin, Barriers and Belonging: Personal Narratives of Disability. Temple University Press (2017), 296 pages, $39.95 (paperback and e-book), $94.50 (hardcover).

Review Of Good Guys With Guns: The Appeal And Consequences Of Concealed Carry. Angela Stroud. Reviewed By Yanqin Liu., Yanqin Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Angela Stroud, Good Guys with Guns: The Appeal and Consequences of Concealed Carry. The University of North Carolina Press (2016), 159 pages, $24.95 (paperback).

Review Of Exiled In America: Life On The Margins In A Residential Motel. Christopher P. Dum. Reviewed By Qianwei Zhao., Qianwei Zhao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Christopher P. Dum,Exiled in America: Life on the Margins in a Residential Motel. Columbia University Press (2016), 320 pages, $34.99 (hardcover).

Experiences And Responses To Microaggressions On Historically White Campuses: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis, Y. Kafi Moragne-Patterson, Tracey M. Barnett

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2011), only 59% of students who sought bachelors’ degrees from four-year postsecondary institutions in 2006 completed the degree within six years, and among African American/Black students, only 40% finished college within six years. Despite efforts to quantify factors that contribute to low retention rates among African American students, less is known about the qualitative experiences of students who remain on campuses across the United States. This qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis examines the microaggressive encounters experienced by African American undergraduate college students (ages 17-22) at historically White, fouryear colleges and universities to better understand how …

Civic Engagement And Institutional Trust Among South Africans, Yoosun Chu, Ce Shen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The importance of institutional trust and its key determinants have been widely acknowledged in developed countries. However, in developing countries, where institutional trust has not been well established, its structural causes have not received adequate research emphasis. The aims of our study are: (1) to examine the direct effect of civic engagement on institutional trust; and (2) to examine the mediating effects of government dysfunction and government performance on the relationship between civic engagement and institutional trust. We conducted a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis using data from the 2004 Afrobarometer Round 2.5 survey in South Africa (N = 2,400). …