Psychodynamic-based practice (PBP), including approaches informed by attachment theory, is a widely used therapeutic modality in clinical social work for addressing trauma. Yet, in some clinical spaces, PBP has faced cha...Psychodynamic-based practice (PBP), including approaches informed by attachment theory, is a widely used therapeutic modality in clinical social work for addressing trauma. Yet, in some clinical spaces, PBP has faced challenges due to its process-oriented nature, particularly in an era that increasingly favors manualized, short-term interventions. Meanwhile, sociocultural neuroscience has emerged as a field providing evidence for trauma interventions. Recently, both clinical social work and sociocultural neuroscience have begun highlighting the impact of structural trauma on mental health and the need to alleviate harms stemming from experiencing such trauma. Integrating neuroscience insights and methods may offer an opportunity to enhance PBP in clinical social work practice, particularly in addressing structural trauma. This article reviews recent developments in sociocultural neuroscience that is relevant for clinical social work practice with clients who have experienced trauma, outlines how these insights can inform PBP grounded in attachment theory, and discusses the potential implication of integrating sociocultural neuroscience with PBP in addressing structural trauma underpinning the place attachment framework.
Given the widespread interest and ongoing study on MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for PTSD, its implications for unique populations-such as adolescents-require further understanding. Social workers will likely play a cr...Given the widespread interest and ongoing study on MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for PTSD, its implications for unique populations-such as adolescents-require further understanding. Social workers will likely play a crucial role in the potential implementation of this intervention, but their perspectives remain unknown. The study includes 222 social workers randomized to read one of two vignettes about MDMA-AT or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-assisted therapy (SSRI-AT) for treating adolescent treatment-resistant PTSD. Participants rated each treatment's acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility, followed by drug stigma, perceptions of drug risk, and psychedelic knowledge. Participants in the SSRI-AT condition reported significantly higher mean ratings of treatment acceptability (p < .001; d = .72), appropriateness (p < .001; d = .72), and feasibility (p < .001; d =. 64). In the MDMA-AT condition, perceptions of MDMA risk were greater (p < .001; d = .59) and psychedelic stigma positively correlated with perceived risk of MDMA (r = .46, p < .001). Moreover, greater psychedelic knowledge was significantly related to less stigma (r = -.33, p < .001) and less perceived risk of MDMA (r = -.21, p < .001). Concerns among social workers about the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of MDMA-AT for adolescents with PTSD may limit clinical trial recruitment, engagement, and future implementation.
Social work practitioners have experienced increased rates of burnout, fatigue, and occupational stress. To combat deteriorating mental health, the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics has called for a...Social work practitioners have experienced increased rates of burnout, fatigue, and occupational stress. To combat deteriorating mental health, the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics has called for a renewed focus on self-care practice. Yet, self-care education often fails to consider how to integrate practices into the workplace, especially with constrained resources and increasing caseloads. The purpose of this study was to examine healthcare social workers' perceptions of self-care in the workplace. Semistructured virtual interviews were conducted with healthcare social workers (N = 43) across the state of Texas. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and redacted to protect participant confidentiality. Through content analysis, the research team analyzed transcripts by selecting meaningful units of text to create codes and categories. Themes were then developed, and the research team refined codes, discussed inconsistencies, and reached consensus. Findings demonstrate self-care in the workplace includes (a) individual strategies, identified by strong and trustworthy peer support systems and boundary management; (b) intrapersonal strategies, identified by formal supervision and advocacy and activism; and (c) institutional strategies, identified by ethical workplace cultures that invest in mental health and explicitly value social work. These data inform a framework to adapt self-care from an individual necessity to a shared responsibility among organizational leadership.
Social workers are uniquely positioned to support clients in crisis to reduce firearm access. However, many report needing support in navigating conversations and awareness of available options. Authors sought to underst...Social workers are uniquely positioned to support clients in crisis to reduce firearm access. However, many report needing support in navigating conversations and awareness of available options. Authors sought to understand the decision-making process social workers use, to choose which interventions (e.g., out-of-home storage) are appropriate to reduce firearm access for clients in crisis. Ten individual and group semistructured interviews were conducted with 29 social workers in Washington State; participants discussed experiences with clients at risk of harming themselves and/or others with a firearm and responded to two case examples. Grounded theory was used to develop an action plan model describing how social workers choose which interventions to pursue. Participants described two categories that influence their decision-making process for reducing firearm access for clients in crisis. The first category, sociopolitical context, included structural intersectionality, policies, professional ethics, workplace environment, and values. These influenced the second category, collaborative safety planning intervention for reducing firearm access, a process that included considering client factors, social worker actions, and options for reducing firearm access. This model can be used to develop trainings for social workers to educate them on processes to reduce firearm access for clients in crisis.
Job satisfaction is a vital factor associated with better physical health and subjective well-being among social workers. This study aims to explore the job satisfaction of social workers from China's Mainland and Macao...Job satisfaction is a vital factor associated with better physical health and subjective well-being among social workers. This study aims to explore the job satisfaction of social workers from China's Mainland and Macao and the role of attitudinal professionalism on regional differences. A cross-sectional survey collected data from 292 social workers in Mainland and 108 from Macao one year after the outbreak of COVID-19; 72 percent were female, less than half were married (44.8 percent), the average age was 32.64 years old, and the average working time was 6.07 years. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t tests, and mediation analysis. Results indicated that Mainland social workers reported a significantly higher level of job satisfaction and attitudinal professionalism than Macao social workers. Moreover, attitudinal professionalism helped explain the regional difference in job satisfaction. The evidence from this study highlights the need to nurture professional beliefs and values among social workers, especially for Macao social workers, and also underscores the importance of developing continuing education programs to enhance social workers' identification with and commitment to the profession. We also need to improve financial compensation and social status for Mainland social workers to sustain their professionalism.
The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of burnout and type A behavior pattern (TABP) among social workers in Spain and to examine their relationship with sociodemographic variables in a sample of 442 mem...The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of burnout and type A behavior pattern (TABP) among social workers in Spain and to examine their relationship with sociodemographic variables in a sample of 442 members of professional social workers' associations in Spain. The Spanish version of the Jenkins Activity Survey, form H (JASE-H) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used as instruments to measure TABP and burnout, respectively. Bivariate correlation test, analysis of variance, and logistic regression were carried out to analyze the data. The results showed that variables associated with TABP (competitiveness, hostility, impatience, and workload) increase the risk of burnout, with hostility and workload being identified as predictive risk factors. Gender differences impacted burnout, with women experiencing greater emotional exhaustion, while age and time in the job influenced type A behavior, with older age associated with heightened hostility and decreased workload, and longer time in the job linked to reduced competitiveness. Conducting this study was crucial to determine whether there are aspects of TABP that impact the development of burnout, in order to design interventions and prevention strategies that promote the health and well-being of affected individuals.
As the United States faces burgeoning behavioral health needs and a growing recognition of the inextricable link between social conditions and health outcomes and quality-of-life indicators, a current representative prof...As the United States faces burgeoning behavioral health needs and a growing recognition of the inextricable link between social conditions and health outcomes and quality-of-life indicators, a current representative profile of the MSW workforce with respect to sociodemographic and employment characteristics can provide a reference point for ongoing assessments of that workforce. The profile also can establish a baseline by which efforts to bolster the diversity and strength of the MSW workforce can be grounded. The core aim of the current study was to generate a nationally representative, descriptive profile of MSW graduates in the United States using a sample of 1,028 MSW graduates (representing a subpopulation of 691,061 individuals) from the 2021 National Survey of College Graduates. Weighted univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to generate a descriptive profile of MSW graduates with respect to sociodemographic, education, and employment characteristics. Study findings can help employers, health services researchers, policymakers, and practitioners understand the context of the MSW workforce as it relates to diversity, labor workforce projection data, and student loan and salary considerations. This information can guide future policy and training goals to support the future vitality of the social work profession.
Income inequality has been increasing for decades and is now known to be related to many downstream health outcomes, where greater inequality is a predictor of poorer health. Results of investigations into the relationsh...Income inequality has been increasing for decades and is now known to be related to many downstream health outcomes, where greater inequality is a predictor of poorer health. Results of investigations into the relationship between income inequality and suicidality have been mixed. This study leverages the most recent data available from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study to investigate the relationship between state-level income inequality and suicide mortality. A series of rigorously controlled logistic regression models, employing multiple measures of inequality, and various suicide mortality case-control specifications are used to investigate the phenomenon. Results indicate that the odds of suicide mortality increase with inequality, and this result is invariant across all models. A reduction in the Gini coefficient from the highest to lowest values of income inequality observed in U.S. states may reduce the odds of suicide mortality by 20 percent to 55 percent or more. Findings have application for social workers and other mental health professionals with respect to clinical assessment and treatment. Likewise, community organizers, policy advocates, and legislators should be aware that policy solutions reducing income inequality in the United States are a mechanism for alleviating the suicide mortality burden.
As the world undergoes its fourth industrial revolution, digital media are becoming more prevalent in both rural and urban communities. This shift has had a profound impact on our daily lives, transforming the way we liv...As the world undergoes its fourth industrial revolution, digital media are becoming more prevalent in both rural and urban communities. This shift has had a profound impact on our daily lives, transforming the way we live, work, and communicate. Although technology now plays a crucial role in our daily routine, it can lead to interference in human relationships, a phenomenon referred to as technoference. This interference has significant consequences, particularly in parent-child relationships, as it can adversely affect children's emotional and behavioral development and the mental health and overall functioning of parents. Thus, for children to grow up healthy and for families to be harmoniously balanced, all the family subsystems need to be aligned in a healthy manner. This study conceptualizes how family health is affected when technological devices are brought as a subsystem into a family system. The researchers developed a conceptual multidimensional framework based on several interrelated theoretical concepts, and this framework is presented in three sequential frames for better comprehension, to identify how the interference, in particular, impacts the various dimensions of a healthy family system and contributes to dysfunctional family functioning and mental health issues in both parents and children.
As climate change continues to displace greater numbers of people, transnational ties are important sources of social protection for climate migrants. Migrants assemble unique configurations of formal and informal social...As climate change continues to displace greater numbers of people, transnational ties are important sources of social protection for climate migrants. Migrants assemble unique configurations of formal and informal social protections depending on the resources available within their sending and receiving communities. However, the specific constellations of social protections that climate migrants use following disaster and displacement remain underexamined. Authors conducted semistructured interviews with Puerto Ricans who migrated in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria (N = 41) and used qualitative content analysis to trace the assemblages of formal and informal social protections used to navigate the resettlement process. Results suggest that informal support from migrants' transnational ties was instrumental in successfully making use of formal sources of support, including federal emergency relief programs, to leave the island and resettle on the U.S. mainland. This reliance on informal social protections often strained participants' informal networks and raised questions of equity for people internally displaced by climate change. These findings highlight the need for a more equitable and effective linkage of climate migrants with public resources.
Guided by the theory of dyadic illness management, this study examined the association between the within-couple incongruence regarding perceptions of pain experienced by adults with fibromyalgia (AwFM) and symptoms of d...Guided by the theory of dyadic illness management, this study examined the association between the within-couple incongruence regarding perceptions of pain experienced by adults with fibromyalgia (AwFM) and symptoms of depression and anxiety in AwFM and their partners. Participants included 204 couples. Three second-order dyadic variables were created from the couples' perceptions of pain interference experienced by AwFM: (1) absolute magnitude of incongruence in perception of pain, (2) average perception of pain, and (3) direction of incongruence (i.e., who perceives pain to be higher). Structural equational modeling was used to examine the association between the three dyadic variables and AwFM and partner symptoms of depression and anxiety, adjusting for covariates. These steps were repeated for pain severity. Higher average perception of pain interference within the couple was associated with greater symptoms of depression and anxiety in AwFM and partners. AwFM exhibited greater symptoms of depression when their perception of their pain interference was higher than their partner's. Incongruence variables were not significantly associated with AwFM or partners' anxiety symptoms. Near identical results were found for pain severity. A dyadic approach to mental health treatment, which includes enhanced communication skills, should be adopted to optimize the mental health of couples living with fibromyalgia.
This study investigated the correlations between social workers' levels of religiosity and their professional attitudes toward discussing sexual health. The focus was particularly on the potential mediating role of their...This study investigated the correlations between social workers' levels of religiosity and their professional attitudes toward discussing sexual health. The focus was particularly on the potential mediating role of their attitudes to heteronormative beliefs. A random sample of 150 social workers from Israel (Jewish [63.3 percent], Palestinian-Arab [36 percent], and those who self-identified as "other" [0.7 percent]) completed a self-administered questionnaire. The findings revealed significant correlations among professional attitudes toward discussing sexual health, attitudes toward heteronormativity, and degree of religiosity. Social workers with higher levels of religiosity exhibited higher levels of heteronormative beliefs, which, in turn, influenced their professional attitudes toward discussing sexual health. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of challenging heteronormative perspectives for all social welfare service users. Social work must establish culturally sensitive training to challenge the hegemony of heteronormative perspectives while connecting to religious and conservative values and perceptions.
The aim of this study was to examine the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the high levels of social service usage by women who are sex trafficked. Fifty (N = 50) women who were sex trafficked...The aim of this study was to examine the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the high levels of social service usage by women who are sex trafficked. Fifty (N = 50) women who were sex trafficked were surveyed using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The ACEs score for respondents ranged from 2 to 10 with an average score of 7.4 (SD = 2.3). Emotional and sexual abuse tied at 88 percent as the most frequently cited ACEs among the women in this sample. The prevalence of ACEs was significantly higher in this sample compared with known estimates in similar populations, ranging from 20 percent to 54 percent (p < .001). Considering the well-established link between ACEs and poor health outcomes, these findings point to the need for innovative and targeted social service provisions to women who were formerly sex trafficked that take into consideration the high level of ACEs of the women. Given the sociodemographic diversity of this sample, there is a need for services that are trauma-informed, innovative, and culturally sensitive in a variety of social service settings.
This article underscores the critical role of social workers in harnessing the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and substance use disorder (SUD). Contemporary trea...This article underscores the critical role of social workers in harnessing the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and substance use disorder (SUD). Contemporary treatments for MDD often have side effects, and the success rate for SUD treatments remains low. The pervasiveness of MDD, combined with the challenges in treating SUD, highlights a need for innovative treatments. This article provides an overview of the resurgence of literature over the past two decades that illuminates the therapeutic promise of psilocybin for mental health treatment; clinical trials elucidate the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy in mitigating MDD and demonstrate great promise in reducing SUD symptoms. The long-lasting posttreatment effect emphasizes its potential as a novel treatment modality. Furthermore, psilocybin's recognition as a "breakthrough therapy" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the accelerating pace of psychedelic reform bills indicate growing acceptance and interest in its therapeutic capacities. Psilocybin-assisted therapy emerges as a potent treatment option, showcasing remarkable effectiveness even after a single dose. Recommendations and pathways for social workers to be involved in psilocybin-assisted therapy investigation, advocacy, and implementation are provided.
The job demands-resources (JD-R) theory explicates factors that facilitated social worker burnout prepandemic. Authors believe the JD-R theory can illustrate how certain factors facilitated social worker job retention in...The job demands-resources (JD-R) theory explicates factors that facilitated social worker burnout prepandemic. Authors believe the JD-R theory can illustrate how certain factors facilitated social worker job retention in the novel context of the pandemic because a sizable group of social workers resisted burnout-related turnover. Disseminating these factors can benefit the profession. Qualitative cross-sectional data were elicited from a semistructured interview about experiences of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient social workers (N = 13) who provided care during the pandemic. Authors conducted content analysis and coded the text into six themes of factors that facilitated retention: (1) commitment to serving veteran population, (2) job flexibility, (3) supportive colleagues, (4) leadership support, (5) maintaining normal routines, and (6) trusting in scientific/evidence-based practices. Application of the JD-R theory illustrated how social workers utilized specific resources that balanced job demands during the pandemic and facilitated job retention. Future work should apply the JD-R theory among larger samples of VA social workers, as well as non-VA social workers, in the context of the pandemic, for comparative purposes. Authors conclude with policy implications related to the impact of permanently allowing telework options and job flexibility options among social workers.
The release of the 2022 Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exam passage rate report confirmed what many test takers who failed their exam believe. The ASWB exams are biased, with differential passage rates based on...The release of the 2022 Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exam passage rate report confirmed what many test takers who failed their exam believe. The ASWB exams are biased, with differential passage rates based on the test taker's race, age, and "English as a second language" status. However, the report only offered basic descriptive statistics and lacked insight into the test takers' experience. The present study addresses this gap. Results are from a 2022 survey of individuals who had taken the ASWB master's level licensing exam (N = 1,045) highlighting test taker identity and experience. Thirty percent of the study sample identified as neurodivergent, 29.1 percent as primary caregivers, and 27.1 percent as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color. White respondents had the highest first-attempt passing rates (95.7 percent), followed by Latinx and Black respondents (84.9 percent and 78.2 percent, respectively). Forty-four respondents reported taking the test three or more times before passing. Among this group, 52 percent identified as Black, 25 percent as White, and 18 percent as Latinx. Respondents were asked how they felt their identity impacted their experience, and three interrelated themes emerged: privilege, challenges, and critique of the exam. Respondents discussed the impact of having or not having privilege; the emotional, physical, and financial challenges of preparing for the exam; and the ways in which they experienced the exam as biased.