Social Work Commons^™

When Is Statistical Significance Meaningful? A Practice Perspective, Robert W. Weinbach

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Statistically significant relationships may be quite small in the absolute sense. The practitioner who faces the issue of when to utilize a finding for practice must consider more than mathematical arguments. The place of practice considerations in decision making for utilization is discussed.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 16, No. 1 (March 1989)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

• A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING KNOWLEDGE UTILIZATION IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE - Craig W. LeCroy, Jose B. Ashford, & Mary Wirtz Macht
• CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCIENTIFIC SOCIAL WORK - Stanley L. Witkin & Shimon Gottschalk
• WHEN IS STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE MEANINGFUL? A PRACTICE PERSPECTIVE - Robert W, Weinbach
• WORK, VIOLENCE, INJUSTICE, AND WAR - David G. Gil
• STREET CHILDREN PROGRAMS IN LATIN AMERICA - Mark W Lusk
• THE LIMITS OF THE WELFARE STATE: NEW YORK CITY'S RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS - Joel Blau
• OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION OF A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT - Dennis L. Peck & John W. …

Injured Workers: From Statutory Compensation To Holistic Social Work Services, Pallassana R. Balgopal, Michael P. Nofz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite legal and technical advances in assuring safe work settings, on-the-job accidents still occur. These events, which impose emotional and financial hardships as well as physical injury, have been given minimal attention by social workers. Existing services to accident-injured workers include monetary compensation through federal and state programs, trade union negotiation for broader benefits, and counseling and referral provided by Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Yet each of these service areas falls short in establishing a holistic, personin-environment approach to the injury. Here it is argued that an ecologically based social work practice can address many of the shortcomings of existing …

Marginal Women Unite! Organizing The Disabled Womens Network In Canada, Sharon D. Stone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses the Disabled Women's Network's (DAWN) history, issues, goals, structure, organizing tactics and ongoing problems. DAWN is an example of the ability of oppressed people to organize and advocate for their rights against overwhelming odds.

Work, Violence, Injustice And War, David G. Gil

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This essay explores links between work, societal violence, social and economic injustice at home and abroad, and the propensity to resort to war. It clarifies the concept societal violence and traces its roots to coercively established and maintained exploitative modes of work, exchange and distribution. It suggests that overcoming violence in human relations requires transformations of work, exchange, and distribution in accordance with egalitarian, democratic, humanistic and ecological values in order to eliminate obstacles to human development. Social policies and political strategies toward these ends are discussed in the concluding sections of the essay.

Street Children Programs In Latin America, Mark W. Lusk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The growing problem of street children is among the most important child welfare problems today. Estimates are that there are as many as 25 million street children in Latin America alone. This paper, which is based on over five months of fieldwork in Latin America, is a study of the problem of street children. Life on the streets is described in relation to the developmental stages of street children. The paper emphasizes the types of programs that have emerged as the countries of the region seek to ameliorate and prevent this social problem. A program typology is developed and discussed.

Official Documentation Of A Sexually Transmitted Disease (Std): An Empirical Assessment, Dennis L. Peck, John W. Bardo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using data from clinic records of patients examined and treated at a public health facility, the reporting of unconfirmed cases is examined and the correspondence between public health profiles of patients at risk to sexually transmitted disease and the data are discussed. Implications relating to the findings and to public health policy are also discussed.

The World According To Nambla: Accounting For Deviance, Mary Deyoung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is a pedophile organization that advocates adult sexual behavior with male children. Given the considerable consensus in this society that such sexual behavior with children is exploitative and victimizing in nature, the techniques that NAMBLA uses to justify, rationalize and normalize its philosophy and its members' practices in order to avoid or neutralize censure and stigma, are of particular sociological interest. This paper uses Scott and Lyman's (1968) concept of "accounts" as a theoretical framework for the analysis of these techniques that are found in the publicly disseminated literature of the NAMBLA organization.

"New" Directions In The Welfare Reform Debate: The Problems Of Federalism, W. Joseph Heffernan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper reviews the problem of federalism and welfare and presents statistical data about the relative welfare practices among the states over the last 25 years. The relevance of these problems and practices to the current hopes for welfare reform and policy conflicts within Congress are discussed.

Health And Social Service Needs In A Northeastern Metropolitan Area: Ethnic Group Differences, Paul D. Cleary, Harold W. Demone Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data from a representative sample of Boston area residents were analyzed to examine differences among ethnic populations in perceived needs and use of services for eight problem areas. The areas studied were: employment problems; financial problems; problems of the aged living alone; alcohol problems; personal; family or marital problems; child behavior or education problems; the need for homemaker services; and the need for a home nurse. The results indicate substantial differences between perceived needs and reported use of services, and both those factors varied by ethnic identification.

The Relationship Of Race, Socioeconomic Status And Marital Status To Kin Networks, Ferol E. Mennen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data from a purposive sample of families of elementary school children in New Orleans regarding contact and assistance with extended family members was analyzed to see if race, socioeconomic status or marital status predicted involvement in a kin network. Analysis of variance revealed that black and lower class families had higher levels of contact and black families had higher levels on one of the assistance measures. However when the distance from the extended family was used as a covariate the relationship disappeared. Marital status had no ability to predict.

Neil Brock, Social Worker: Twenty-Five Years Later, Janice Andrews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews the role of the social worker, Neil Brock (played by George C. Scott) in the TV series, East Side/West Side which aired in 1963/64. The series is placed within the context of the social, political, economic environment of the 1960s. The analysis includes how Brock's character was developed, the role played by NASW, responses to the series by TV critics and social workers, and the role of television in portraying a profession.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Psychiatric Symptom Expression Using Langner's Twenty-Two Item Index, Robert Nishimoto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An analysis of psychiatric symptom response using Langner's twentytwo item index was conducted across three cultural settings. Respondents were Anglo-American, Vietnamese Chinese, and Mexican. Some similarities did exist in response patterns and in those symptom items highly correlated with the total psychiatric screening score. Close examination revealed between-group differences indicating that not all twenty-two items were valid indicators of psychological disorder across cultures. The study highlights issues in the development and use of symptom checklists to measure and assess mental health constructs across cultures.

Community Mental Health: A View From American History, Mary Ann Jimenez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The limitations of the movement for deinstitutionalization of the chronically mentally disordered have been the subject of a repeated series of investigations and analyses in the last 10 years. These critiques can be summed up in the undeniable observation that the chronically mentally disordered have by and large failed to benefit from deinstitutionalization in the ways that the original advocates and planners of this policy had hoped. The promise of community mental health, at least as articulated by the scores of witnesses before Congressional committees in the early 1960's, has not been realized for this population.

Unemployment And Social Integration: A Review, Loring Jones

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A review of the literature identifies the loss of work as a stressful life event that has been linked to a number of psychosocial ills. The paper examines the loss of social relationships, a major noneconomic cost of unemployment, as a major contributor to the development of those ills. Practice implications of this finding are identified.

Economic Motivators For Shoplifting, Joann Ray, Katherine Hooper Briar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Shoplifting has been attributed to many psychological and physiological factors, especially when women are involved. This article examines the many factors that account for shoplifting behavior focusing on research findings which suggest economic and employment precipitants of the problem. Changes in policy and programmatic responses to shoplifters are suggested.

The Environmental, Economic, And Social Impacts Of Resort Development And Tourism On Native Hawaiians, Jon Matsuoka, Terry Kelly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Hawaii is currently undergoing major changes associated with land and industrial development. A shift in focus from agriculture to tourism has led to massive land development throughout the islands in order to accommodate this growing industry. The people affected most by these environmental changes are the indigenous people of Hawaii who exist in close harmony with the land and sea. As natural habitats are destroyed, fish and other food sources disappear. This has profound affects upon the behavior and practices of Hawaiian people who must look to other means for subsistence. Changes in the environment are inherently tied to changes …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 15, No. 4 (December 1988)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• "NEW" DIRECTIONS IN THE WELFARE REFORM DEBATE: THE PROBLEMS OF FEDERALISM - W. Joseph Heffernan
• THE ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF RESORT DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM ON NATIVE HAWAIIANS - Jon Matsuoka and Terry Kelly
• A CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOM EXPRESSION USING LANGNER'S TWENTY-TWO ITEM INDEX - Robert Nishimoto
• HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICE NEEDS IN A NORTHEASTERN METROPOLITAN AREA: ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES - Paul D. Cleary and Harold Demone, Jr.
• THE RELATIONSHIP OF RACE, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND MARITAL STATUS TO KIN NETWORKS - Ferol E. Mennen
• NEIL BROCK, SOCIAL WORKER: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER - Janice Andrews …

The Frustrations Of Family Violence Social Work: An Historical Critique, Linda Gordon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contrary to the view that social work has been characterized by substantial shifts in treatment methods over the last hundred years, an historical study of case records from child protection agencies in Boston, 1880 to 1960, revealed very little improvement or change in the social-work response to family violence cases. The continuity in socialwork response rested, at its best, on workers' common-sense apprehension of the complex (intrapsychic, relational, and environmental) causes of family violence, and, at worst, on several constricting ideologies about proper family life: gender assumptions that made women's domesticity and mothering essential; and a public/private dichotomy which assumed …

Profits, Welfare, And Class Position: 1965-1984, Marcus D. Pohlmann

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The study utilizes an extended version of a Charles V Hamilton paradigm in order to estimate yearly income transfers between classes in America's system of "welfare state capitalism." Analyzing the period from 1965 to 1984, what becomes most obvious is the substantial annual transfer from the middle/working class to the owning class. The transfer rose to more than $150 billion by 1984-a full 10% of middle/ working class income. Yet when looking at the implications, an interesting paradox emerges. Although the amount of transfer has increased some over the period, it has not grown nearly as fast as the after-tax …

Behavioral Impacts Of The Fear Of Aids: A Sociological Model, Raghu N. Singh, N. Prabha Unnithan, James D. Jones

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The paper demonstrates the conceptual meaning and utility of a sociological model for identifying correlates of the fear of AIDS and its consequent changes on peoples' behaviors. A sociological notion of levels of analysis is employed for classifying correlates of AIDS' fears under structural and individual categories. A tentative list of these correlates and their projected relationship with peoples' fears is suggested to illustrate the model.

Strategic Planning In Human Service Agencies, Stephen A. Webster, Mary Wylie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recent public policy initiatives including deinstitutionalization, deregulation, decentralization, and privatization have resulted in: (a) rapid growth in the number of private not-for-profit organizations; and, (b) competitive environments. These conditions have forced agencies to examine their planning processes to determine if agency goals are appropriate for meeting market demands. An exploratory study of 154 human service agencies examined if and how strategic planning was used to respond to these conditions. The Chief Executive Officers for those agencies reported that strategic planning was replacing incremental planning as a preferred planning model. However, the choice resulted because of pressure from outside influentials not …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 15, No. 3 (September 1988)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• PROFITS, WELFARE, AND CLASS POSITION: 1965-1984 - Marcus D. Pohlmann
• BEHAVIORAL IMPACTS OF THE FEAR OF AIDS: A SOCIOLOGICAL MODEL - Raghu N. Singh, N. Prabha Unnithan, and James D. Jones
• STRATEGIC PLANNING IN HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES - Stephen A. Webster and Mary Wylie
• CHALLENGING THE PROPOSED DEREGULATION OF P.L. 94-142: A CASE STUDY OF CITIZEN ADVOCACY - James G. McCullagh
• MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT REFUSAL IN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS: A SOCIOLOGICAL AND LEGAL ANALYSIS - Rudolph Alexander, Jr.
• "OUR TOWN": A CASE STUDY OF IDEOLOGY AND THE PRIVATE WELFARE SECTOR - William M. Epstein
• RECISIONS, ORGANIZATIONAL CONDITIONS AND …

Challenging The Proposed Deregulation Of P.L. 94-142: A Case Study Of Citizen Advocacy, James G. Mccullagh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, considered by many to be the most significant federal legislation for children in need of special education, was proposed for deregulation by the Reagan administration in 1982. This study examines actions taken by citizen advocates-consumer/advocacy/parent (CAP) organizations and groups, parents, and other advocates for exceptional children-who gave testimony in opposition to the proposed changes at public hearings held by the United States Department of Education in late 1982. The most controversial proposed rules were withdrawn on September 29, 1982, while the remaining proposed changes were not implemented. Citizen …

Mental Health Treatment Refusal In Correctional Institutions: A Sociological And Legal Analysis, Rudolph Alexander Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recently, the courts have recognized the right to a minimum level of mental health treatment for individuals confined in both mental and correctional institutions, utilizing a different rationale for each system. As mental health administrators in state mental hospitals accepted that they were responsible for providing an increased level of mental health services, they were disappointed that courts had subsequently ruled that individuals in state hospitals had a right to refuse treatment. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate, sociologically and legally, upon treatment refusal in the correctional system since most of the attention on treatment refusal has focused …

"Our Town": A Case Study Of Ideology And The Private Social Welfare Sector, William M. Epstein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This case study explores the relationship between ideology and the performance of the voluntary social welfare sector in Western New York. Data were collected from the directors of 22 of the largest and most important voluntary social welfare agencies relating to their own social attitudes and those of their boards. The common expression of similar agency attitudes toward a variety of social policies were in narrow conformity with the conservative values of the current national administration. The common core of conservative values, suggesting that the agencies perform an ideological role within the community in addition to their service role, may …

Recisions, Organizational Conditions And Job Satisfaction Among Black And White Human Service Workers: A Research Note, R. L. Mcneely

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the growing attention evident in the human services literature on the related topics of job satisfaction and burnout, virtually none of the empirical studies published to date have examined the possible influences of recent federal and state cutbacks in human service funding levels on the job satisfaction of human service workers. One outcome of these cutbacks has been the curtailment of services offered by county welfare departments, often achieved by reducing the number of public welfare workers through hiring freezes, attrition, layoffs, etc. The remaining public welfare workers often have then been placed in the unenviable position of trying …

What Social Workers Do: Implications For The Reclassification Debate, Charles Green

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The reclassification trend is one of the most formidable issues facing American social work today. Social work's vulnerability stemming from a general ambiquity about its distinct role and boundaries, competition from emerging helping occupations, and its debated professionalism is a major contributing factor. Often ignored in recent efforts to address reclassification is empirical evidence of social work's distinct performance in the human services versus other occupational groups. In this article comparative research findings supporting social work's unique performance are presented and their relevance for reclassification discussed.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 15, No. 2 (June 1988)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• SYMPOSIUM ON THE WELFARE-WARFARE STATETEN YEARS LATER - Editorial - NORMAN N. GOROFF
• The Warfare-Welfare Tradeoff: Consequences of Continuing the Nudear Arms Race and Some Policy Alternatives - SAM MARULLO
• Social Democracy, War, and the Welfare State - PAUL ADAMS
• Making War Thinkable - SHIMON S. GOTTSCHALK
• Social Work Concerns Related to Peace and People Oriented Development in the International Context - DANIEL S. SANDERS
• Beyond War: Empowerment for Senior Citizens in a Nuclear Age - SUSAN RICE
• Transcending Despair: A Prelude to Action - NORMAN N. GOROFF
• ADDITIONAL PAPERS
• What Social Workers Do: Implications for the …

Making War Thinkable, Shimon S. Gottschalk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper identifies significant cognitive elements in Western thought which appear to undergird and lend an aura of legitimacy and credence to discussions of defense, armaments, and the preparation of war.