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A Life Course
Approach to Understanding Poverty Among Older American Adults
Mark R. Rank and James Herbert Williams
A relatively new strategy for studying the prevalence of poverty
in America is to analyze it as a potential life course event.
The approach is used in order to examine the likelihood of both
income and asset poverty for individuals between the ages of 60
and 90. Nearly half of all elderly Americans will encounter at
least 1 year of poverty or near poverty across these ages. In
addition, 58% of those between the ages of 60 and 84 will at
some point fail to have enough liquid assets to allow them to
weather an unanticipated expense or downturn in income. The
policy and practice implications of these findings are
discussed.
Working Toward
Sustained Employment: A Closer Look on Intermittent Employment
of Rural, Low-Income Mothers
Yoshie Sano, Mary Jo Katras, Jaerim Lee, Jean W. Bauer, & Ann A.
Berry
Working at one point of time does not always mean sustained
employment among low-income mothers. The purpose of this study
is to investigate what contributes to the different patterns of
longitudinal employment by tracking a sample of 131 rural,
low-income mothers with intermittent employment over 3 waves.
The intermittent employment trajectories are categorized as job
change, job loss, and job gain. A mixed-methods approach was
chosen to maximize the complementary nature of quantitative and
qualitative data. The findings of both multinomial logistic
regression and inductive analysis show that individual, family,
and structural characteristics play important roles for
sustained employment. Case studies vividly illustrate
similarities and differences across the 3 patterns of
intermittent employment.
Gender
Empowerment Measure and Policy Choice
Michael M. O. Seipel
Despite gains made in social circumstances, women in the world
still face political inequalities. There are a limited number of
women in positions of power. As a consequence, many policy
outcomes of the states (governments of countries) reflect
masculine values. This study reviews women’s influence in
states’ policies and examines the relationship between the
degree of gender inequality, as measured by the Gender
Empowerment Measure (GEM) and public priority on spending. It is
postulated that countries with smaller gender inequality will
have a higher ratio of domestic spending (health and education)
over military spending. Implications for narrowing the gender
gap are presented.
Economic Human
Rights Violations Experienced by Women With Children in the
United States
Sarah Twill & Samantha Fisher
In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was
adopted by the United Nations. Economic human rights are
expressed in Articles 23, 25, and 26. The UDHR requires that
poverty be seen not just as an unfortunate living condition but
also as a violation of human rights. In this study, 20 women
with children were educated about the UDHR and interviewed in
order to understand their stories of poverty through the lens of
rights violations. Implications for reframing poverty as a
rights violations and how social workers can advocate for
policies that promote the well-being of families are discussed.
When African
American Teen Girls’ Friends Are Murdered: A Qualitative Study
of Bereavement, Coping and Psychosocial Consequences
Celeste M. Johnson
This qualitative study examines how African American teen girls
grieve the loss of their friends who die from murder.
Semistructured interviews were held with 21 African American
teenage girls who experienced such a loss. The data analysis was
guided by grounded theory. The emergent themes were classified
into 3 major areas: mourning, coping, and psychosocial
consequences. The mourning experiences ranged from uncomplicated
bereavement to traumatic grief and depression. Three coping
strategies emerged from the data: private strategies, public
strategies, and context support strategies. Psychosocial
consequences included associated losses, living challenges, and
aspects of resilience consisting of constitutional factors,
meaning-making efforts and contextual supports of the
participants. The implications for social work practice and
social work education are discussed
The Buffering
Effect of Nonparental Adults on the Relationship Between
Parent–Adolescent Communication and Adolescent Risk Behavior
Carrie W. Rishel, Lesley Cottrell, Bonita Stanton, Scott
Cottrell, & Steven Branstetter
The current study tests the hypothesis that nonparental adults
serve as a buffer for adolescents by examining the moderating
role of nonparental adults in the relationship between
parent–adolescent communication and adolescent risk behavior.
Results confirm the buffering hypothesis; there is a significant
relationship between parent–adolescent communication and
adolescent engagement in risk behavior, but this relationship is
weaker for adolescents who report strong relationships with
nonparental adults. These findings inform social work practice
with adolescents, families, and communities by suggesting the
importance of encouraging the development of relationships
between youth and nonparental adults. Implications for
practitioners, policymakers, and future research are discussed.
Exploring
Perceptions of Family Relationships by Individuals With
Intellectual Disability and Psychiatric Disorders
Eric D. Widmer, Nadine L. Kempf-Constantin, & Giuliana Galli
Carminati
Based on social network methods, this article explores the ways
in which individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and
psychiatric disorders perceive their family relationships
compared with the perceptions of those relationships by family
members. A sample of 17 individuals with mild ID and psychiatric
disorders, compared with a sample of 17 nonclinical individuals,
perceived their family as presenting less emotional support and
fewer influential relationships, but the same number of conflict
relationships. For the most part, interviews with family members
confirmed these results; however, a significant difference
exists in perceptions of size and density between patients and
their family members. We discuss the importance of these
findings for research on family relationships of individuals
with ID.
Patterns and
Predictors of Support Use by Custodial Grandmothers and
Grandchildren
Gregory C. Smith, Julian Montoro Rodriguez, & Patrick A Palmieri
Despite increasing popularity of support groups for custodial
grandfamilies, the few published studies to date raise questions
regarding actual support group usage and disregard predictors of
such use. This study examined patterns of self-reported use,
need, and unmet need of both grandparent and grandchild support
groups. The Andersen Social Behavioral Model was used to
identify predisposing, enabling, and need factors that predicted
use in a national sample of 733 grandfamilies recruited by
either convenience or population-based strategies. Reported use
and need for support groups were lower in the population-based
sample, and predictors varied by sampling strategy. The findings
are discussed in terms of how they inform service providers and
researchers regarding factors that influence support group use
by custodial grandfamilies.
Underclass Men
in Batterer Intervention Programs: Disorders and Disparities
Larry W. Bennett, Chang-Ming Hsieh, & Charles Stoops
The criminal justice system has come to rely on a batterer
intervention program (BIP) in sentences for domestic violence
offenders, but BIPs suffer from a reputation problem, with both
completion and re-offense rates hovering around 50%. The role of
social class in battering and in legally mandated BIPs, although
indirectly referenced in most studies, is rarely examined as an
explanatory factor. This article discusses the results of a
study of 540 men arrested for domestic violence and sentenced to
a BIP. Results suggest that social class is a significant
predictor of program completion, with program completion for
those categorized as overclass being twice those categorized as
underclass. The authors discuss implications for community and
criminal justice response to domestic violence.
Caregiver
Substance Use and Trauma Exposure in Young Children
Ginny Sprang, James J. Clark, & Michele Staton-Tindall
This study examines the differential experiences of three groups
of children: children living in homes with caregivers who had
used methamphetamine, those living in homes with caregivers who
used other drugs, and those in homes where there was no evidence
of caregiver substance misuse. A random sample of 1127 children
was selected from the public child welfare log of open cases in
fiscal year 2005-2006. Results indicate that caregiver
methamphetamine use was a robust correlate of trauma exposure,
with interpersonal violence being the most prevalent form of
trauma exposure. Practice and policy implications are presented
for a wide range of professionals working with these children.
The Effect of
Psychosocial Stressors on the Mental Health Status of African
American Caregivers of the Elderly
Sheridan Quarless Kingsberry, Agnes Richardson, & Marlene A.
Saunders
Previous studies focused on African American caregivers of the
elderly indicated that they experience less caregiver burden,
stress, and strain than caregivers of other ethnic groups. But
newer studies point to the stress, strain, burden, and
depression among contemporary African American caregivers. A
review of the literature reveals three key stressors: limited
economic resources, multiple caregiving roles, and dwindling
social support. These stressors appear to affect the mental
health status and well-being of African American caregivers in
negative ways. This article discusses in detail the stressors
and their effect on the psychosocial functioning of a population
at risk.
Indicators of
Quality in Kinship Foster Care
Lydia A. Falconnier, Nicole M. Tomasello, Howard J. Doueck,
Susan J. Wells, Heather Luckey, & Jean M. Agathen
Kinship care for at-risk children is an increasingly popular
alternative to traditional foster care. Despite the rationale
for such placements, questions remain about the quality of
kinship care compared to other foster placement alternatives and
about how to evaluate its quality. The purpose of this study was
twofold: a review of the literature to explore the
characteristics of children and caregivers in kinship homes, and
an examination of existing tools for measuring kinship care
quality. A total of 25 predictive, correlational, qualitative,
and meta-analytic research studies were reviewed. Children in
kinship care were found to experience unique circumstances that
should be considered when developing a comprehensive instrument
for measuring quality of kinship care. Development should
include collaboration among kinship care stakeholders in order
to address the unique real-life circumstances of both caregivers
and their kin.
Improvisational International
Research: Seeking to Help Children in Ukrainian Orphanages
Sooner Than Later
Judith Norman & Zita Bathori-Tartsi
Throughout the past decade’s tumultuous sociopolitical
transitions in Ukraine, the number of orphaned children
increased dramatically. Ukrainian orphanages commonly provide
care for children without parents. While much data exist
demonstrating the negative impact of institutional living on
child development and functioning in adult life, more limited
data reflects the mental status of children while
institutionalized. Ascertaining the mental health needs of
children in orphanages would inform practitioners and
policymakers regarding programmatic interventions needed to
mitigate social and emotional challenges in this population.
Strategies could then be developed to increase social and
emotional skills required for adjustment and adaptation into the
larger community upon leaving institutional life. Support for
such research and planned interventions seems an appropriate
social work endeavor.
Defining a Foster Care
Placement Move: The Perspective of Adults Who Formerly Lived in
Multiple Out-of-Home Placements
Yvonne A. Unrau, Ruth Chambers, John R. Seita, & Kristin S.
Putney
Several studies have demonstrated that children who experience
multiple placements are more likely to experience behavioral
problems and are less likely to achieve reunification. However,
little is known about how move transitions—from one foster home
to another, from foster care to birth family home, or between
family placements and group care facilities—are perceived or
experienced by children in foster care, or those formerly in
foster care. This qualitative study examines the definition of
foster care placement moves from the perspective of adults
formerly in foster care. Participants identify both physical and
psychological shifts as key dimensions of the placement change
experience. Some study participants viewed returning home as
“just” another placement. Implications for child welfare policy,
research, and practice are briefly discussed.
Is There Really a Problem With
Hiring Rural Social Service Staff? An Exploratory Study Among
Social Service Supervisors in Rural Minnesota
Paul Force-Emery Mackie & Renee Anastasia Lips
A convenience sample of rural-based social service supervisors
was surveyed using an exploratory design to investigate problems
associated with hiring and retaining rural social service staff.
Findings suggest that geographic distance from standard
metropolitan statistical areas predicts an increase in
difficulty of hiring. Evidence also suggests that there is a
preference for hiring degreed social workers, and the
educational level of staff hired differs significantly from the
educational level of workers that supervisors stated they would
prefer to hire. Additionally, supervisors were asked open-ended
questions about successes and challenges of hiring workers. The
responses suggested that supervisors prefer to hire employees
who are familiar with rural environments. Hiring challenges
cited were lack of qualified applicants, low wages, and rural
agencies being used as employment “stepping stones.”
Data Management System
Selection in a Family Service Agency
Peter Lyons & Christy L. Winter
This case study examines how a medium-sized, nonprofit family
service agency in Atlanta, Ga., used social work knowledge and
skills in the selection of a data management system. The
problem-solving model was used as a practical and conceptual
framework. Using a social work approach to system selection
helped harness agency strengths and involved representatives
from all levels of the system. Determining available vendor
resources and relationships with other system purchasers, and
defining the contract very clearly were all keys to success. In
addition, the recognition that selection of a new data
management system is an organizational change, a technical
upheaval, and a major purchase that requires active senior
management support were all important lessons.
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