Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Technologies And Social Intervention: Ethical Considerations, Sandra Barros

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article addresses the use of Information and Communication Technologies within the Social Work discipline. It highlights the necessity to reanalyze and reconceptualize our intervention strategies, due to the widespread use of digital technologies, and the importance of having academic study plans that include the necessary digital rights and abilities. The challenges associated with the use of Information and Communication Technologies within the current historical-social context demand that we adopt and maintain a critical ethical attitude. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of reassessing available methods and tools to improve social work practice and education.

Digital Social Work: Towards Digital Disruption In Social Work, Joaquín Castillo De Mesa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The digital transformation is posing a challenge to organizations, professionals, and the scientific community within Social Work. Until now, digital solutions have been incorporated spontaneously and arbitrarily, without models to contemplate and guide their incorporation. This has generated great uncertainty amongst social workers, who do not know what media should be adopted, in what form, and under what circumstances. In this article, we will review three digital solution models which Social Work has been adopting in an evolutionary manner: adaptation, transition, and digital disruption. Digital adaptation has meant spontaneously incorporating digital media which were not specifically intended for professional practice. …

Using Big Data To Manage Social Inclusion Programs, Esther Raya Diez, Manuel Trujillo Carmona, Domingo Carbonero Muñoz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Technological developments based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and empirical science in all areas of society are opening new opportunities for social work and social inclusion programs. AI relies on Big Data management systems, which in turn provide opportunities for descriptive inference and preventative measures, as well as data-informed decision making.

This article outlines the characteristics of Big Data and describes the process of designing a tool for diagnosing social exclusion, the SiSo scale. The tool consists of a scale that uses 25 variables to assess situations of social difficulty on the inclusion-exclusion spectrum. It is currently being used in the …

Home Visit Training In Social Work With Virtual Reality, Mª Ángeles Minguela Recover, Pedro Hernández Lafuente, José Miguel Mota Macias

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The incorporation of virtual reality and mobile learning methodology in university teaching facilitates the teaching-learning process of concepts and complex visualization processes for students, as is the case in social work. The goal of this article is to present the iSWAPP© application aimed at social work students training in complex skills such as observation, active listening, and interviewing through home visits. Among the results, we find how the student recreates the process of assessing situations of dependence. The main finding is how virtual reality becomes an additional learning tool by allowing students to assume the social worker’s role and design …

Could Whatsapp Be An Intervention Tool For Digital Social Work? A Case Study, Antonio Eito Mateo, María José Gómez Poyato, Antonio Matías Solanilla

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ensuring that individuals who exhibit difficulties or problems are able to stay in their family and community environments has been an issue of concern for governments and welfare states for several decades. Authorities now seek to reverse the impact of periods or years of institutionalization and concealment of a variety of personal and social realities.

It should be highlighted that two phenomena, in particular, have increased interest in helping to keep individuals in their homes and community. First, aging populations and increased life expectancy, and second, the possibilities afforded by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The aging population is a …

Digital Intervention, Covid-19, And Critical Realism: Toward A Science Of Digital Social Work, Antonio López Peláez, Chaime Marcuello Servós

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the pace of the digital transition process in which we have been immersed. In a context of generalized lockdown, our organizations have been forced to go digital and many of the activities social workers perform must now be done remotely. As a result, e-social work, or digital social work, has gone from being an emerging specialization to a critical specialty across organizations and activities. In this article, we examine some basic scientific and methodological foundations to develop a science of social work from the perspective of critical realism, with special attention to digitalization. Establishing …

An Introduction To The Special Issue, Antonio López Peláez, Héctor Luis Díaz, Chaime Marcuello Servós, Joaquín Castillo De Mesa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

The Interlinkage Between Blood Plasma Donation And Poverty In The United States, Analidis Ochoa, H. Luke Shaefer, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In 2019, plasma centers in the United States received a record 53.5 million blood donations, roughly triple that collected during the Great Recession. Recent ethnographic research and journalistic accounts connect plasma sales and poverty, an association that would carry important public health implications given the vulnerability of disadvantaged populations. This study is the first to examine a range of socioeconomic characteristics of communities where commercial plasma centers situate. We geocode locations of all U.S. commercial plasma centers and merge with census tract demographic data from the American Community Survey. Findings indicate greater odds that plasma centers will locate in urban …

Are Non-Religious College Students The New Anti-Racists On The Block?: An Exploration Of The Effects Of Non-Religiosity On College Students’ White Racial Identities, Paula K. Miller

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of non-religiosity on white college students’ racial identities. Previous research on this topic is minimal and has focused on the impact of non-religiosity on attitudinal components of white racial identity. We expand this work using the White Racial Identity Scale, which measures white racial identity through a variety of attitudes, behaviors, and cultural preferences. We found that non-religious white students were more likely than religious white students to report racially progressive attitudes, behaviors, and cultural preferences, including less investment in American and ethnic practices, less trust in mainstream American institutions, …

Reconceptionalizing The Knowledge Base Of Social Work: The Imperative For Critical Theories And Perspectives In Social Work Education, Kristie L. Seelman, Elizabeth L. Beck, Shane R. Brady, Karimah Dillard, William Lane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As the U.S. continues to grapple with the need for a racial reckoning, and with a growth of progressive voices and movements—especially those lead by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—now is an important time to re-examine social work’s knowledge base. Students, researchers, and practitioners need the tools to challenge hegemony, inequity, injustice, and White supremacy from a structural position. Critical theory is an important tool for such work, yet it is not well integrated into social work textbooks, and many students still have limited exposure to it. In this paper, we explore critical theory’s roots and evolution and discuss …

Parental Financial Assistance To Young Adult Children And The Black-White Wealth Gap, Yunju Nam, Darrick Hamilton, Christopher Famighetti

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We examine the roles of parental financial assistance to young adult children for college, homeownership, and “other reasons” in explaining the Black-White wealth gap. Using Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, we run Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions. Results show that the socioeconomic position of Black parents, not their proclivity to give, explains lower receipt of parental assistance for Black adult children—especially in the form of assistance for college and homeownership, which in turn, translates into the intergenerational reproduction of the racial wealth gap. Accordingly, policies should focus on equalizing resource endowments for adult children across racial lines. The findings support a structural/stratification …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 2

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Complete issue of Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume 48, Number 2

Importance Of Education As A Coping Strategy To Sudanese Refugee Women: A Qualitative Study From Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, Jessica Gladden, Allyson Dykstra

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research shows the level of importance that education plays in refugee youths’ lives. However, most research is completed with refugees who have resettled to a developed nation and rarely examines the needs and desires of refugee women living in refugee camps. This sub-section of a study examines the importance of education, as well as a hope of education, in a population of young Sudanese women living in Kakuma Refugee Camp. This study shows that the younger refugee women’s primary goal was education, although most were not able to participate in formal education at the time of the study. A hope …

Development Of Palestinian Social Work In Israel: The Formative Years (1968–1982), Ibrahim Mahajne, Anwar Khatib, Arnon A. Bar-On

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on primary and secondary sources and interviews with Arab social workers employed in welfare bureaus during the time under review, the article describes the development of Palestinian social work in Israel in its formative years (1968–1982). The primary finding is that this development took place under a "policy of contempt" towards the Palestinian community's needs. The authorities acknowledged these needs but perpetuated a discriminatory allocation of resources in meeting them compared to Jewish Israelis and disregarded the society's narrative by maintaining a dual welfare system: one for the country's Jewish citizens and a lesser one for their …

Exploited And Empowered Inclusion: Contesting The Flawed Consumer In The United States, Wendy A. Wiedenhoft Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Compared to affluent consumers, the consumption practices of poor and low-income consumers have received less attention in the global North, where they have been marginalized as flawed. This paper hopes to address this neglect by providing an exploratory profile of poor and low-income consumers in the United States. It will challenge that these consumers are flawed by explaining how they participate in consumer society via exploitative inclusion and empowered inclusion. It concludes by suggesting ways that less-affluent consumers can experience expanded empowerment.

Narratives In Sex Offender Management Laws: How Stories About A Label Shape Policymaking, Mauricio P. Yabar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Serious scholarly inquiry regarding the role of social constructions and narratives in sex offender management laws is relatively a new undertaking. In the last two decades, a myriad of studies exploring the negative effects of Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) policies were added to the literature, a trend that appears to be slowing down today. The purpose of this paper is to recommend the integration of the narrative policy framework (NPF) with Schneider and Ingram’s (1993) theory of social construction of target populations in the analysis of SORN policies. The author provides a critical review of SORN policies while …

Family Preservation Strategies: Regendering Labor In Mixed-Status Marriage After Co-Deportation, April M. Schueths, Nathan Palmer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harsh U.S. deportation policies disproportionately target Latin American immigrant working-class men and subsequently divide families. The unique experiences of co-deported mixed-status couples are missing from the deportation literature—that is, U.S. citizens, primarily women, who live outside of the United States with their deported Latin American immigrant spouses (what we call co-deportation) rather than living separately. Using hegemonic masculinity, this research qualitatively analyzes the experiences of eleven mixed-status couples internationally co-deported. Findings suggest couples' gender dynamics shift paid and unpaid labor to sustain family life living as co-deportees. Co-deported couples are a testament to how adaptable heterosexual gender dynamics can be, …

The Social Construction Of Happiness: A Mixed-Methods Research Study In Mexico, Oscar A. Martínez-Martínez, Margaret Lombe, Ana María Vázquez-Rodríguez, Javier Reyes-Martínez, Araceli Ramírez-López

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study analyzes how happiness is built in Mexico in a context of concentrated poverty. The study uses a mixed-methods approach and incorporates two techniques of data analysis. The first analysis employs an ordinal logistic model with data from the Self-Report Well-being Survey (N=44,518), while the second draws upon semi-structured interviews in four Mexican states (N=247). The results show that six important categories influence the level of happiness in Mexico: (1) emotional life; (2) self-perception of health (the health status of family members and close friends); (3) religiosity and religious affiliation, or both; (4) having the freedom to decide and …

Ethnic Comparisons In Perceptions Of Health, Happiness, Hope, And Related Social Determinants Of Health In A Majority-Minority Midwestern Town, Virginia Chaidez, Yumou Qiu, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Julie A. Tippens, Gilbert R. Parra, Patrick Habecker, Kimberly Gocchi Carrasco, Jordan Soliz, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Kirk Dombrowski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a rural Midwestern community sample (n=273), large proportions of Somalis and Whites ranked overall health as "Very good" (57% and 50%, respectively), while Hispanics (42%) considered it "Good". Across all groups, most are either "Happy" or "Very happy" with their jobs—64%, 91%, 83%—or their families—85%, 93%, 91.6%— with reference to Hispanics, Somalis, and Whites, respectively. When asked “In the past 30 days, how often did you feel hopeless?”, 83% of Somalis and two-thirds (67%) of Whites responded, "None of the time", while half (50%) of Hispanics indicated the same. Overall, Hispanics appeared to be less …

Social Work And Diverse Models Of Public Safety: Advocating With And On Behalf Of African American Communities, David R. Hodge, Stephanie Clintonia Boddie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

George Floyd’s death sparked an intense national debate about policing practices. In social work, the discussion has generally focused on whether the profession should partner with, or shun, law enforcement. While affirming the need for structural change, this paper suggests a different approach; that social workers should advocate with and on behalf of African American communities to implement a public safety model that reflects their preferences. After discussing how practitioners can facilitate structural reform in this arena, five alternative models of public safety are reviewed to familiarize readers with options that may have some degree of currency with African Americans: …

Understanding How Recipients Of Means-Tested Government Assistance Make The Decision To Vote Or Not To Vote And How Social Workers Can Make A Difference?, Adelaide Sandler

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

When voter turnout of any one particular demographic or social group is significantly less than that of other groups, members of that group lose their power to protect their basic economic and social rights. Low voter turnout among recipients of means-tested government assistance is especially problematic because election outcomes impact the benefits on which they depend. This article presents results from a qualitative study to understand how recipients of means-tested government assistance decide to vote or not to vote. Four themes emerged related to the patterns of voting behaviors and described as: dedicated voter, voter, nonvoter, and dedicated nonvoter. Each …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Social Work And Participation In The Digital Environment, Rafael Acebes Valentín

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, I present a set of communication strategies aimed at creating both online and offline communities based on an analysis of communication and participation in digital environments. These strategies seek to enhance convergence and congregation with the aim of achieving the best possible outcome from a thesis-antithesis-synthesis approach, a priority of digital social work.

Political Efficacy In Social Workers Before And After 2016, Shannon R. Lane, Katharine M. Hill, Kathryn S. Krase, Tanya Rhodes Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since 2016, members of communities traditionally prevented or discouraged from electoral politics have challenged barriers to political power. Social work’s current research base about political action reflects the pre- 2016 political landscape. Survey data collected between 2015 and 2019 examines ways social workers’ political engagement and efficacy reacted to this political environment. We examined political efficacy of social workers and students before and after 2016 to compare their internal efficacy (sense of one’s own power in the political system) and external efficacy (sense of the system’s responsiveness). Political engagement and individual measures of political efficacy increased among certain demographic groups; …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 4

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Preparation And Response To Covid-19: An Exploratory Analysis Of Policy Response Spending And Health Expenditures In 20 Oecd Countries, Anis Ben Brik, Neil Gilbert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the comparative impact of COVID-19 in terms of the number of cases per capita and the per capita mortality rate and analyzes the relationships between these impact estimates and three policy measures in 20 OECD countries, controlling for the population over age 65. The policy measures involve public and private health expenditures prior to the pandemic onset and per capita fiscal expenditures devoted to policies designed to address the pandemic, which are identified in the International Monetary Fund’s policy tracker. The findings show no relationship between the policy measures and COVID-19 when controlling for the population over …

“Growing Up Guerreándola”: On Adolescent Formations Of Conscientização In Colombia, Amy E. Ritterbusch, Melissa Arena Lucía Simbaqueba Gómez, Jhon Restrepo, Nancy Montes, Claudia Rentería, Yirley Velazco, Sandra García Jaramillo, Darío Maldonado

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, we argue that we have much to learn from the adolescent developmental experiences of social justice activists on the frontlines. Our team of authors includes the four youth social leaders at the center of the empirical work emerging from our qualitative research. We ground the Freirean concept of conscientização, roughly interpreted in English as critical consciousness building, in the lived experiences of these four youth social leaders in Colombia who have fought tirelessly for justice in their communities. The social justice stories of these young activists emerge from semi-structured interviews including visual methods designed by our …

Review Of South Bronx Battles: Stories Of Resistance, Resilience, And Renewal. By Carolyn Mclaughlin, Sarah Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Review Of Reversals Of Fortune: Poverty And Shared Prosperity By World Bank, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Reversals of Fortune: Poverty and Shared Prosperity

Bridging The Gaps: Literacy, Media Literacy Education, And Critical Digital Social Work, Gianna Cappello

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Drawing from literacy studies and research in media literacy education, this article contends that a series of conceptual gaps need to be bridged in order to have a better understanding of how these traditions can contribute to redefining the field of digital social work. The field of digital social work should move towards a more critical-oriented dimension so that digital media and the internet should not simply be considered (as it is often the case), as mere tools to improve the professionality of social workers, but rather as life environments and systems of representation shaping individuals’ identities and social relationships.