scholarly journals Strangers in Their Own World: Exploring the Relation Between Cultural Practices and the Health of Older Adults in Native Communities in Chile

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 920-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena P Gallardo-Peralta ◽  
Esteban Sánchez-Moreno ◽  
Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Native Communities ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Health Related

Abstract In recent years, social gerontology has emphasised the concept of cultural diversity with the purpose of understanding how there is a differentiated ageing process in the life pathways of ethnic minorities. This study analyses the implications of Indigenous cultural practices for the health of a cross-sectional sample of 569 Indigenous Chileans (Aymara = 201 and Mapuche = 368) aged sixty and over. Measures were applied for depression, health problems, consumption of medication, cultural practices and resilience. The data analysis consisted of a linear and logistic regression analysis for scores on health-related measures. The results show significant differences amongst the Indigenous groups. Mapuche participants have more depressive symptomatology, more health problems and lower consumption of medication. There are differences in the explanatory variables for mental and physical health, but the results generally confirm that maintaining Indigenous medical practices, being resilient and engaging in intergenerational transmission of Indigenous culture are related with better health. These results suggest the need to incorporate an Indigenist and/or multicultural perspective into anti-oppressive social work practice by designing interventions and policies that help to maintain and perpetuate Indigenous health practices in community spaces.

scholarly journals Roles of Positive Psychology for Mental Health in UK Social Work Students: Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Better Mental Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 2002-2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Kotera ◽  
P Green ◽  
D Sheffield
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Self Compassion

Abstract Despite high shame about mental health symptoms among UK social work students, positive psychological approaches to their mental health have not been investigated in depth. Emotional resilience has been a core skill in social work practice; however, its relationship with mental health is still unclear. Therefore, the primary purposes of this cross-sectional study were to (i) examine the relationships between mental health and positive psychological constructs, namely resilience, self-compassion, motivation and engagement and (ii) determine predictors of mental health in UK social work students. An opportunity sampling of 116 UK social work students (102 females, 14 males; 96 undergraduates, 20 postgraduates) completed 5 measures about these constructs. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Mental health was associated with resilience, self-compassion and engagement. Self-compassion was a negative predictor, and intrinsic motivation was a positive predictor of mental health symptoms. Resilience did not predict mental health symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of self-compassion to the challenging mental health of UK social work students; they caution against the overuse and misunderstanding of resilience in the social work field.

scholarly journals Controversies in preparing for end-of-life in Nsukka town of Nigeria and suggestions for Nigerian based social work practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-112
Author(s):  
Uju Patricia Agbawodikeizu ◽  
Uju Patricia Agbawodikeizu ◽  
Prince Chiemeka Agwu ◽  
Uzoma Okoye ◽  
Uzoma Okoye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Life Planning ◽  
End Of Life Planning

Death is regarded as a natural phenomenon of life, but its consequences for the bereaved are often times very bitter. One way to circumvent this bitter experience is through making plans before dying. However, not everyone seems to appreciate this, which has generated lots of controversies. Thus, end-of-life planning attitude among adult residents in one of Nigeria’s Igbo area was examined using cross-sectional survey. Data was collected from 587 adults and also analyzed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative tools. Age, level of education, marital status and sex were shown to have statistically significant relationships with attitude toward end-of-life planning, while cultural beliefs were discovered to also exercise overbearing influence. The study further discovered some cultural practices that deter people from planning for end-of-life and therefore advocates for social protection and reorientation which should principally involve social workers. Suggestions were made for introduction of end-of-life planning education in the curriculum of institutions of secondary and tertiary learning in Nigeria, as a measure to help reform attitudes of persons toward preparing for end-of-life in future. 

scholarly journals The Experiences of Ethiopian Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children in Yemen

1970 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Bekele Molla ◽  
Zena Berhanu
Keyword(s):  
Group Discussion ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Military Recruitment ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological

International child migration has become a modern form of brutality. Ethiopia is also one of the source countries for thousands of young migrants leaving their villages in search of better opportunities elsewhere. The article aims to explore the experiences of Ethiopian unaccompanied and separated migrant children in Yemen. The study was conducted using constructivist research paradigm qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry with a cross sectional exploratory study design. Twelve purposefully selected unaccompanied and separated migrant children returnees from Yemen, with the registered age of sixteen and seventeen, had participated in the study. Data collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and observation were analyzed thematically. The finding indicated dreadful experiences such as detention; bomb attack; physical abuses; emotional problems; imprisonment; starvation; military recruitment; and sexual abuse which were part of the lives of unaccompanied and separated migrant children in Yemen. The study concluded that the experiences of the migrant minors in Yemen were against the universally declared basic human and child rights that recognize the inherent dignity of all human beings and the developmental needs of children in particular. Findings implied points for comprehensive social work practice, and further research endeavors on the topic under investigation.Keywords: Child migrants, Unaccompanied Child, Separated Child, Ethiopia, Experiences, Yemen

scholarly journals Health Inequality between Migrant and Non-Migrant Workers in an Industrial Zone of Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiet Tuan Huy Pham ◽  
Long Hoang Nguyen ◽  
Quan-Hoang Vuong ◽  
Manh-Tung Ho ◽  
Thu-Trang Vuong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Industrial Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Inequality In Health ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Self Reported Health Status

Vietnam has experienced massive internal migration waves from rural to industrialized zones. However, little efforts have been made to understand differences in health conditions and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between local and migrant industrial workers. This study aimed to examine the inequality in health status and HRQOL between these workers. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 289 Vietnamese workers at three industrial areas in Hanoi and Bac Ninh. Self-reported health status and HRQOL were measured using the EuroQOL-5 dimensions-5 levels (EQ-5D-5L) instrument. Sociodemographic, working, and environmental factors were also investigated. Overall, the mean EQ-5D index was 0.74 (SD = 0.21) and the average number of health problems in the last 12 months in our sample was 1.91 (SD = 1.63) problems. Migrant people had a lower EQ-5D index (β = −0.08, p < 0.01) and more health problems (β = 0.20, p < 0.05) compared to local workers. Those being male, working in the same posture more than 60 min, and exposed to more hazards at work were correlated with a lower EQ-5D index and higher number of health problems. The results highlighted inequalities in health status and HRQOL between migrant and local workers. Reinforcing regular health check-ups, ensuring sufficient protective equipment and working conditions may help improve the health outcomes of the workers.

Is social work a green profession? An examination of environmental beliefs

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry V Shaw
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

• Summary: Social work has developed to meet the needs of an industrializing society. As environmental concerns have increased, national, and international social work organizations have called on social workers to incorporate issues of the environment into their professional practice. Although there is a small body of literature related to social work and the environment, the profession has not fully embraced the need to incorporate these issues into social work education or practice. This cross-sectional survey in the United States of a random sample of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members ( n = 373) was designed to gauge the environmental knowledge and attitudes of social work professionals. • Findings: Though social work shares many of the same underlying tenets of groups interested in environmental justice, results suggest that social workers as a profession are no more, nor less, environmentally friendly than the general population. • Applications: By failing to incorporate ecological issues facing the United States and abroad, our current social policies are at best not sustainable, and at worst dangerous for our continued social well-being. Social workers can play a leading role through an understanding of the interrelationship that exists between people and the environment, the integration of environmental issues into their social work practice, and advocating for vulnerable populations.

scholarly journals Oral health-related quality of life of athletes with disabilities: a cross sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. e37008
Author(s):  
Luciana Paula Do Carmo Ferruzzi ◽  
Letícia Resende Davi ◽  
Daniela Cristina Braga de Lima ◽  
Marcelo Tavares ◽  
Alessandra Maia de Castro
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Severity Score ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Athletes With Disabilities ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Several studies have suggested that athletes with disabilities experience more difficulties having access to oral health care than the population in general. The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of socio-demographic/socio-economic factors, oral hygiene habits and clinical oral health conditions on the OHRQoL – Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (assessed with the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 – OHIP-14) on a sample of athletes with heterogeneous types of disabilities. Altogether, 105 athletes with disabilities were evaluated. Cross-sectional data was collected including interviews to obtain socio-demographic/socio-economic data, the OHIP-14 and clinical oral examinations parameters. The outcome variable was the OHIP-14 severity score. The explanatory variables were sex, age, monthly household income, level of schooling, frequency of toothbrushing and flossing, gingival bleeding, periodontal disease, trauma in incisors, prosthesis wearing and needs, number of sound teeth, DFMT (decayed, filled and missing teeth) index and its isolate components. Mann-Whitney, Kruskall-Wallis and Spearman tests used to compare OHIP-14 severity scores associated with the explanatory variables. The mean OHIP-14 severity score for the sample was 9.32 (SD 8.99) and the most affected domain was Physical Pain (mean 2.63; SD 1.97), followed by Psychological Discomfort (mean 1.81; SD 2.02). Significant differences in mean OHIP-14 scores were found for periodontal disease, need for complete dentures, number of sound teeth, DFMT index and its components. These results suggest that these clinical parameters can be related to impaired OHRQoL for this population.

scholarly journals Mad studies and social work: Conceptualising the subjectivities of service user/survivors who experience significant mental health problems

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-118
Author(s):  
Stephen J Macdonald ◽  
Anne Charnock ◽  
Jane Scutt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Mad Studies

This article draws on contemporary and classical psycho–political theorists to conceptualise ‘mental illness’ as a social construct. The research employs a Mad Studies and anti-psychiatry perspective to reframe ‘mental illness’ from an individualised pathological defect to a socially constructed reality (Foucault, 1967; Menzies et al., 2013). The study applies a qualitative biographical methodology to analyse the subjectivities of people with severe mental health problems, their family members and mental health practitioners. In this study, once individuals were conceptualised as pathologically ‘ill’ they were then medicated and often institutionalised as a form of ‘treatment’. The findings present a theoretical analysis of participants’ subjectivities to examine historic and contemporary psychiatric practices. The article will conclude by discussing how Mad Studies can offer social work practice an alternative theoretical standpoint to conceptualise ‘mental illness’ as a social rather than a pathological phenomenon.Keywords: mad studies; anti-psychiatry movement; ‘mental illness’; biographical methodology; institutionalisation; medicalisation; family

scholarly journals The prevalence, severity and chronicity of abuse towards older men: Insights from a multinational European survey

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250039
Author(s):  
Maria Gabriella Melchiorre ◽  
Mirko Di Rosa ◽  
Gloria Macassa ◽  
Bahareh Eslami ◽  
Francisco Torres-Gonzales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Physical And Sexual Abuse

Background Elder abuse is a growing public health question among policy makers and practitioners in many countries. Research findings usually indicate women as victims, whereas male elder abuse still remains under-detected and under-reported. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, severity and chronicity of abuse (psychological, physical, physical injury, sexual, and financial) against older men, and to scrutinize factors (e.g. demographics) associated with high chronicity of any abuse. Methods Randomly selected older men (n = 1908) aged 60–84 years from seven European cities (Ancona, Athens, Granada, Kaunas, Stuttgart, Porto, Stockholm) were interviewed in 2009 via a cross-sectional study concerning abuse exposure during the past 12 months. Results Findings suggested that prevalence of abuse towards older men varied between 0.3% (sexual) and 20.3% (psychological), with severe acts between 0.2% (sexual) and 8.2% (psychological). On the whole, higher chronicity values were for injury, followed by psychological, financial, physical, and sexual abuse. Being from Sweden, experiencing anxiety and having a spouse/cohabitant/woman as perpetrator were associated with a greater “risk” for high chronicity of any abuse. For men, severity and chronicity of abuse were in some cases relatively high. Conclusions Abuse towards older men, in the light of severe and repeated acts occurring, should be a source of concern for family, caring staff, social work practice and policy makers, in order to develop together adequate prevention and treatment strategies.

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