Identifying the knowledge base in social work practice with traumatic brain injury

The problem The International Network for Social Workers in Acquired Brain Injury sought to determine the formal knowledge base produced by social workers addressing practice in the field of Traumatic Brain Injury. The project aimed to identify the breadth of knowledge, the types of interventions employed and the quality of the evidence base. Method To capture the widest number of articles, a scoping review was conducted, and study quality evaluated through assessment frameworks drawn from both social care and the United Kingdom’s national service framework for long-term conditions. Results Seventy three items published between 1970 and 2009 met the search criteria, of which nine were experimental studies, 30 observational studies, 22 expert opinion works, four literature reviews, one insider account and seven addressed health policy/service provision. Articles focused on family and individual adjustment, community integration and health policy. Interventions included counseling, group work, case management, education and social networking. The experimental studies were rated as high quality, the observational studies of mixed quality, and the four literature reviews were rated as poor. Conclusions Mapping and analysis of social work’s contribution to the field highlighted central areas of practice and intervention strategies. The high quality studies provide exemplars for further development of the knowledge base

Social work-generated evidence in traumatic brain injury from 1975 to 2014: a systematic scoping review

The International Network for Social Workers in Acquired Brain Injury (INSWABI) commissioned a systematic scoping review to ascertain the social work-generated evidence base on people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) of working age. The review aimed to identify the output, impact and quality of publications authored by social workers on this topic. Study quality was evaluated through assessment frameworks drawn from the United Kingdom National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions. In the 40-year period from 1975 to 2014, 115 items were published that met the search criteria (intervention studies, n = 10; observational studies, n = 52; literature reviews, n = 6; expert opinion or policy analysis, n = 39; and others, n = 8). The publications could be grouped into five major fields of practice: families, social inclusion, military, inequalities and psychological adjustment. There was a significant increase in the number of publications over each decade. Impact was demonstrated in that the great majority of publications had been cited at least once (80.6%, 103/115). Articles published in rehabilitation journals were cited significantly more often than articles published in social work journals. A significant improvement in publication quality was observed across the four decades, with the majority of studies in the last decade rated as high quality

Understanding recovery: client's experiences in religious drug rehabilitation programs

published_or_final_versionSocial Work and AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

Psychological Distress, Coping and Perceived Social Support in Social Work Students

The purpose of this study was to assess psychological distress, perceived social support and effective coping strategies among undergraduate students enrolled in social work programme, and to identify the factors that impact psychological distress. Data were collected from 234 junior (third-year) and senior-year (fourth-year) undergraduate social work students from a large public university in central California. Data on demographics,psychological distress (in terms of depression, anxiety and stress), coping and perceived social support were collected voluntarily through survey questionnaires. The sample reported moderate levels of depression and anxiety and a fairly high level of perceived social support. Perceived social support was negatively correlated with depression,anxiety and stress. Female students reported utilizing more emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies compared with male students. Avoidant coping emerged as a significant predictor for psychological distress. Students in junior year reported lower perceived social support and higher mean scores on psychological distress compared to students in senior year. The current findings demonstrate the importance of enhancing social support and encouraging positive strategies of coping among social work students. The importance of enhancing support among students to cope with the stress and pressure of academic demands are highlighted. Implications for social work educators and administrators are discussed

Do Stress and Coping influence Resilience in Social Work Students? (A longitudinal and comparative study from India)

Background: Stress among social work students is an issue of concern and is known to have adverse outcomes. Method: This study used a longitudinal design to assess stress, resilience and coping inundergraduate social work students in India and a comparative cohort of non-social workundergraduates using standardised instruments.Findings: Moderate levels of stress and resilience were seen in the social work cohort, but no incremental progression in their manifestation as students progressed through their studies. Stress, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies emerged as significant predictors of resilience.Conclusion: There is a need to develop resilience in social work students to enable them deal more effectively with various stressors.<br/