Social Work and Social Welfare

Social workers and community planners in the U.S.: Connecting in the academy and in the field

Elizabeth Shay — 2024-12-19

The professions of social work and regional planning, as practiced in the U.S., have overlapping and intertwining professional interests and shared goals. And yet, there are few examples of U.S. academic programs formally linking students preparing for careers in social work and planning. These two service-oriented fields use different tools and strategies, but have common aspirations to promote healthy, lively, and just communities. In particular, professional planners and community practice social workers in the U.S. cross paths relatively infrequently and may fail to recognize their own shared interests in domains such as dignified affordable housing, healthy safe environments, transportation equity, and more. We argue for greater exposure to and integration of the work of students and practitioners in these two professions.

Mapping on discourses on the relationships between gender, sexuality and demand for paid-sex in Spain

Francisco Gómez Gómez — 2024-12-12

This article mapping the explores the relationship that emerges from social discourses between the social construction of gender, the social construction of affective-sexual relationships and the demand for paid sex of men who pay for sex in Murcia (Spain). The methodology has a qualitative approach, based in case studies, throught analysis of the social and individual discourses of participants (focus groups and in-depth interviews). Among the main conclusions is that the institution of prostitution reproduces a message of inequality between women and men although this is not always reproduced at the individual level at the time of exchanges between prostitutes and clients. More research is needed on the real situation of women in prostitution in order to address this phenomenon and, at the same time, to reduce gender inequality and protect the rights of women in prostitution.

Poverty for profit: Comparing the former Australian Coalition Federal Government's representations of Coronavirus Supplement and Cashless Debit Card recipients

Tom Griffiths — 2024-04-19

This paper reports key findings of a critical discourse analysis (CDA) that compares the dominant constructions of both groups of welfare recipients. A total of 17 artefacts from the former ACFG press engagement were analysed. It should be noted that as of 6 March 2023, the Labor Federal Government replaced the CDC with the mostly voluntary SmartCard (remaining involuntary in the Northern Territory, as well as Cape York and Doomadgee in Queensland) (Department of Social Services (DSS) 2023). However, the findings of this study remain instructive, as they highlight hostile and anti-welfare recipient discourses that problematise individuals receiving social security payments evident in many Western Anglophone countries and point to the importance of promoting critical literacy among policy makers, the helping professions, and society generally.

Trajectory model of adherence to cervical cancer treatment in central Mexico during the COVID-19 era

Felipe de Jesús Vilchis Mora — 2024-03-29

Background: Cervical Uterine Cancer is a disease that explains the vulnerability in which women find themselves in terms of reproductive health with an impact on occupational health and public health, even though in Mexico the prevalence rate is lower than the other member countries. of the OECD, its impact on Human Development and Local Development shows the importance that the disease has in communities more than in cities where prevention policies through check-ups and medical examinations seem to stop the trend, but they show the lack opportunities and capabilities of health centers in rural areas.
Target: To establish the reliability, validity and correlations between the variables reported in the literature with respect to their weighting in a public hospital.
Method: A non-experimental, cross-sectional, and exploratory study was carried out with a non-probabilistic selection of 104 patients from a public hospital in the State of Mexico. The Scale of Psychosocial Variables Determining Adherence to Treatment of Cervical Cancer was constructed.
Results: From a structural model [χ2 = 490.330 (28 df) p = 0.000; GFI = 0.927; CFI = 0.970; RMSEA = 0.003] the fit of the trajectories of determinant relationships in which knowledge influenced treatment adherence behavior was demonstrated (β = 0.50).
Conclusion: The limits of the design, sampling and analysis of the study are noted, and it is recommended to include organizational and psychological variables based on theories of organizations and theories of personality.

Adapting to change during the pandemic: The impact of COVID-19 on people living with HIV, and their coping strategies

Tam Chipawe Cane — 2023-08-14

Background: COVID-19 lockdowns led to people living with HIV experiencing lack of social connectedness, social isolation, difficulties with using technology and accessing health care and support services easily. The presented study sought to understand the challenges caused by COVID-19 and coping strategies. Methods: The study was conducted using focus groups with nineteen participants. Participants lost social connectedness, struggled to learn technology, and felt isolated in the absence of face to face peer support activities provided by HIV community support services. Participants employed a range of positive coping strategies including appreciation of the outdoors and volunteering. Conclusion: People living with value social contact and face-face support offered through HIV voluntary sector organisations. The absence of this led to compromised social and emotional wellbeing. This focus group-based research with provision of communal lunch however, played a part in addressing isolation, appreciation of social contact and limiting the psychological impact caused by COVID-19 lockdowns.

How do developed countries motivate volunteering: A comparative analysis of national recognition awards for volunteers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Ireland

Yulin Tong — 2022-10-31

Purpose: With the rapid growth of volunteering in worldwide, the question of how to recognize volunteers at the national level to motivate volunteering has become a pressing matter. In a few of developed nations, volunteering is motivated by the establishment of national recognition awards for volunteer. As a result, the goal of this paper is to aid decision-makers in enhancing volunteering by drawing on the experience of these developed countries.
Methods: This paper adopts a literature-based approach and presents a comparative analysis of national recognition awards for volunteer in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, and Ireland. The comparison factors include the objectives of awards, categorization criteria, eligibility prerequisites, nomination requirements, and the evaluation process. Following that, an examination of similarities and differences between the awards will be presented, and the article will end with some suggestions.
Results: Each of these four countries has established standardized and effective criteria for volunteers’ recognition awards, despite that each country's practices vary to some extent. Based on these circumstances, nations conscious of the importance of volunteer recognition which should expedite the establishment of national recognition awards for volunteers, broaden participation, focus on the effectiveness of service, establish reasonable application standards while ensuring the transparency of the selection process, and actively seek to expand cooperation with other social organizations.

The three-legged pot and the lasting impact of the Gukurahundi: Shona Ndebele inter-tribal families in England

Chipo Maendesa — 2022-09-14

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of Shona/Ndebele inter-tribal families in England, the challenges they face, and their responses to these. The findings show that the atrocities of the Gukurahundi continue to cast their shadow on some of these families. Disapproval of the marriage from one or both sides of the couple's parents leads to the couple's parents' subsequent lack of interest in the children born in these families. This is then extended to the wider family. Gender imbalances, culture shock and communication difficulties were other challenges faced by such couples. Couples learned to compromise and bring their cultures together, for example through cooking. The three-legged pot' metaphor was used by older women to teach younger, mainly Ndebele, women to accept male infidelity. This study will inform practitioners working with such couples as well as other mixed couples, especially those originating from areas of conflict.

Studying opinion polarization on social media

Tianji Jiang — 2022-08-22

Opinion polarization on social media raises a lot of concerns today. In this study, the author provides a systematic review of publications about the issues since 2013 to show the achievements in the existing research on the topic, to sort out the relevant knowledge, and to provide some inspirations for future research in this area. This paper finds that opinion polarization on social media is initiated by three patterns of factors: increasing the homophily in discussions, increasing conflict in social media discussions, and facilitating the spread of misinformation. It also summarizes the existing findings on how to detect and measure opinion polarization in social media, and comes up with opportunities for further researches on this topic.

Social work organizations’ initiatives towards community empowerment among rural migrant workers in Xiamen, China

Shanshan Hong — 2022-08-18

Social work organizations (SWOs) are under rapid development in Mainland China, and they are characterized as both non-government organizations (NGOs)' features and Chinese features. This research investigates SWOs' capacity to develop community empowerment through a case study on two SWOs in Xiamen China. The study found that SWOs organized individual activities, family activities, group activities, and community activities; their community empowerment strategies are soft and modified in the Chinese practical environment and political background; SWOs' empowerment approach emphasizes personal empowerment but not organizational or institutional empowerment; SWOs' interventions are not that successful but are still under development towards community empowerment with their path, and their over-dependence on government leads to their sluggish promotion in community empowerment. The study suggests that SWOs in China should change their development strategies, diversify their funding sources, and explore their professional methods to develop equal connections with other organizations, especially governmental departments. It is necessary to re-conceptualize the definition of community empowerment in China.

Rural grandparenting: A Wellness approach

Tamara Woods — 2022-08-10

The study examined the experiences of African American grandmothers living in rural settings providing care to their grandchildren, in the mist of their own chronic health issues. The study explored the health, physical functioning, well-being, support, and resources of these grandmothers. The custodial grandmothers reported challenges and needs which included their own health issues, lack of support, financial concerns, transportation and childcare issues. The findings revealed that developing health education programs and other formal supports focusing on health, and resources have a positive effect on the grandmother’s perceptions regarding their health and support.