Research on Social Work Practice

This article reports on the prevalence and frequency of use of a set of drug-resistance strategies among a sample of Mexican adolescents. The keepin' it REAL (refuse, explain, avoid, and leave) strategies are part of a model drug-prevention intervention program originally developed by and for youth in the United States. The present study tests the applicability of these drug-resistance strategies among Mexican youth from Monterrey, Mexico. The sample consisted of 327 adolescents, mostly aged 15 and 16, attending two public high schools. Findings indicate that most Mexican adolescents in this sample utilized each of the REAL strategies to deal with offers of alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana, and other types of strategies were used only in combination with the REAL strategies. Use of the strategies varied by gender, age, and level of exposure to offers of substances, but there were no differences by socioeconomic status or academic performance.

Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy of Entre Dos Mundos/Between Two Worlds (EDM) prevention for Latino adolescents. Method: In an experimental trial to compare implementation formats, 41 Latino families were randomly assigned to EDM action-oriented skills training groups, and 47 families were randomly assigned to unstructured EDM support groups. Both groups addressed identical EDM session themes. Results: No significant differences between the intervention delivery methods were found; both EDM groups showed improvements. Statistically significant dosage effects occurred from pretest to posttest. Controlling for pretest scores, family income, parent education, and time spent in the United States, parents who attended more group sessions reported significant decreases in their adolescent child's aggression, oppositional defiant behavior, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and attention problems, with concomitant gains in family adaptability, bicultural support, and bicultural identity integration. Effect sizes for high-dosage families were moderate to large. Conclusions: Initial evidence suggests that EDM is efficacious for immigrant Latino adolescents.

Objective: This article is a review of outcome studies focusing on three social work fields of service—health, substance abuse, and mental health—in which Latinos were significantly represented in the sample and interventions developed to attend to cultural factors. Method: Data were collected from a search of several English language social science indexes to identify experimental or quasi-experimental studies published between 1999 and 2005 focusing on measuring the effect of cultural adaptations of interventions with Latino populations. Results: Twenty-three studies were located and reviewed. Findings are discussed in this article. Conclusions: Most studies with positive outcomes for Latinos used some culturally tailored variation of cognitive theory in the therapeutic intervention. The authors advocate for a mixed methods approach to future studies of Latinos.

This article reviews and assesses the existing research literature on the efficacy of motivational interviewing (MI) to promote lifestyle changes and improve functioning among older adults confronting serious health challenges. A comprehensive literature review was conducted of intervention studies that tested the use of MI to achieve behavioral change among older adults with acute and chronic illnesses. Although limited in number, the studies revealed a significant improvement in physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure and glycemic control, and increased smoking cessation following MI. MI and its derivatives can be useful in dealing with a range of health issues faced by older adults. Further research to extend findings and address methodological issues is recommended. The integration of MI into social work courses focused on practice with older adults should be considered.

The actuarial method is the gold standard for risk assessment in child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. It produces risk classifications that are highly predictive and that may be robust to sampling error. This article reports a revalidation study of the Arizona Risk/Needs Assessment instrument, an actuarial instrument for juvenile offenders. Results of this study (N = 29,711) show that the actuarial model provided stable predictive validity estimates for recidivism up to 7 years after its initial validation and that predictive validity did not vary appreciably for males, females, White offenders, Latino youth, African American youth, and Native American youth. These findings lend further support to the actuarial approach to risk assessment and clarify the literature about risk assessment across gender and race/ethnicity.

Objective: The authors report a validation study of the Index of Attitudes toward Homosexuals (IAH) to examine its ongoing usefulness. Method: Students (n = 331) completed surveys anonymously. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted and group differences analyzed. Results: Content validity was established conceptually, and preliminary discriminant validity was established statistically. Factor analyses suggest a shortened 19-item measure (α = .92) with two subscales. Convergent validity was established by comparing the scores on the IAH and another measure of antigay bias. Groups differed on sex, age, religiosity, parenthood, race, and childhood urbanicity. Conclusion: The revised IAH demonstrates sound psychometric properties. It can be useful to evaluate antigay bias, it can prompt discussion, and it can be used as an outcome measure in intervention studies.

Objective: The present study provides psychometric data for the Trauma Practices Questionnaire (TPQ). Method: A nationally randomized sample of 2,400 surveys was sent to self-identified trauma treatment specialists, and 711 (29.6%) were returned. Results: An exploratory factor analysis (N = 319) conducted on a randomly split sample (RSS) revealed a 19-item, six-factor structure. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for the six-factor model on the second RSS (N = 320). The hypothesized model demonstrated adequate fit (comparative fit index [CFI] = .94 and root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .07). Post hoc modifications significantly improved model fit (CFI = .95 and RMSEA = .06). Alpha reliabilities ranged from .72 to .82. Conclusions: The TPQ has evidence of validity for assessing trauma practice patterns among clinical social workers and clinical psychologists.

In an effort to bridge the long-standing schism between social work researchers and practitioners, Research on Social Work Practice (RSWP) presents an additional structured abstract for inclusion in their published articles called the practitioner knowledge abstract (PKA). Its conceptualization and rationale are presented, as are some case examples. Its intent is to assist in disseminating empirical knowledge in nonthreatening ways to our practitioners, who are the very persons most likely to use and implement such information. This concept was developed by the author with the full endorsement of the editor and editorial board of RSWP. The journal felt the need to respond to current publication concerns voiced about the standards, review practices, scholarship, editorial processes, and readership of our professional social work journals. It is hoped that other core journals in the profession follow suit, if this idea is amenable to their mandates.

Objective: This study examines the influence of therapist and youth characteristics on post-discharge outcomes from intensive in-home therapy. Method: Data for 1,416 youth and 412 therapists were obtained from a behavioral health services provider. The Huber—White method was used to account for nested data; ordered logistic regression was employed to assess outcomes. Results: Therapist gender and employment stability were significantly associated with youth outcomes. The likelihood of an undesirable outcome was significantly less for cases with female therapists. Conclusion: Findings underscore the need for additional study concerning the impact of therapist characteristics and stability on youth outcomes, and to improve the understanding of the relationship between the two. Future studies in these areas would advance social work practice in family-based treatment programs.

Objective: This study attempts to uncover barriers to participation in a marital enrichment program that had been expected to be attractive to eligible couples. Method: Work products associated with a multiyear demonstration project were subjected to ethnographic analysis. Results: Eligible couples did not see congruence between the program's goals and their needs, and some were alienated from community agencies. Also, program personnel and the social systems in which they were embedded could not use feedback to change. Conclusions: Recruitment success requires shared goals, good-enough personal relationships to support work on those goals, and subsystem flexibility, throughout the intervention system.

Client satisfaction surveys give clients a voice in the planning and management of services. While their use is quite widespread, they have hardly at all been used in the evaluation of shelters for homeless youths. In this article, the authors present findings of a client satisfaction survey conducted among residents of a shelter for homeless youths in Tel Aviv, Israel, shortly after their departure from the shelter. Satisfaction was affected mainly by three aspects of life in the shelter—the staff, the food, and the other residents. Satisfaction was related to adjustment to the shelter but not to outcomes. The survey highlights the potential and limitations of client satisfaction surveys with young persons in distress.