Research on Social Work Practice

Objective: A total of 6 years after displacement by a Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE VI) project, this research examines residents who returned to the redeveloped community and residents who decided to keep their vouchers and were living in private sector housing. Respondents were compared on the following variables: application process and decision to move back, satisfaction with housing, material hardships, and perception of economic well-being. Method: The study employed a static group comparison research design. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 56 respondents through five focus groups. Results: Residents who moved back to the revitalized public housing were highly satisfied with their housing, had significantly fewer material hardships, and perceived their economic well-being more positively compared to residents remaining in the voucher program. Conclusions: Our results both support and expand upon previous empirical findings on the complex comparisons between voucher users and revitalized public-housing residents.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate pretreatment differences between treatment completers and dropouts among a large sample of women ordered into a 26-week batterer intervention program (BIP). Method: The study employed a nonequivalent, control-group design (comparing program completers to dropouts) in a secondary analysis of 485 women mandated into a BIP. Results: Analysis indicated that (a) there are specific psychosocial risk factors associated with an increased probability of program attrition in both women and men batterers; (b) these risk factors increase attrition rates for women in treatment programs; and (c) the level of supervision dictated by the referral source is correlated to program completion for women in this study. Conclusion: These findings reveal characteristics of women batterers as they relate to the likelihood of completing treatment programs.

Purpose: This review examines the effectiveness of narrative exposure therapy (NET) , a short-term intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in survivors of mass violence and torture, who have often suffered multiple traumas over several years. Methods: Randomized control trials were reviewed if they measured PTSD outcome and were published in English-language, peer-reviewed journals since 2000. Eight studies reviewed here report results with 482 diverse participants, including Sri Lankan children, Rwandan orphans, adult African refugees, and elderly Romanian prisoners. Results: NET produces a significant decrease in PTSD as compared to other treatments, waitlist, or treatment as usual (TAU) . Study strengths include treatment fidelity, use of standard measures, and experimental design. Applications to Practice: Preliminary evidence supports use of NET; evidence may be strengthened by larger trials, independent researchers, and further attention to blinding. Social workers who are concerned with refugee mental health should be trained to use effective methods.

Background: Women with developmental disabilities are much less likely than nondisabled women to receive cervical and breast cancer screening according to clinical guidelines. One barrier to receipt of screenings is a lack of knowledge about preventive screenings. Method: To address this barrier, we used a randomized control trial (n = 175 women) to test Women Be Healthy, an intervention designed to promote cervical and breast cancer screening for women with developmental disabilities. Women assigned to the experimental group participated in weekly health education program for 8 weeks. Women assigned to the control group participated in their regular vocational training or educational activities. Results: Unadjusted findings indicated modest gains for both groups in knowledge related to cervical and breast cancer screening. Regression results indicated statistically significant but modest knowledge gains for the experimental group related to breast cancer screening. Implications: These findings indicate that the Women Be Healthy curriculum is promising but needs to better address cervical cancer.

This effectiveness study examined the course of treatment longitudinally and outcomes associated with psychodynamic psychotherapy for a sample of 1,050 people undertaking this treatment in a community setting, over the course of 4 years, at 3-month intervals, using the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ)-45.2. The authors used multilevel modeling to look at the nature of change over time and at potentially meaningful moderating variables. Results show a robust general improvement, though a more moderate one than described in recent meta-analyses including primarily prospective studies. The treatment was followed by broad improvements, over time, with a general trend and few notable interaction effects. The treatment involved little deterioration, particularly in the first year. Subgroup analysis suggested that (a) clients with more initial symptom severity showed greater improvement and a unique course of recovery with (b) clients who stayed over a year constituting a potentially unique subgroup.

Purpose: Student-mothers from low-income families are three times as likely to drop out of college as female students without children. Yet, the economic and social benefits of postsecondary education for low-income mothers underscore the importance of examining environmental barriers to completing college for these women. Methods: The intent of this study, therefore, is to develop and validate an instrument, the school support scale, aimed at measuring the perception of emotional and tangible college support among student-mothers from low-income families. Results: Findings show excellent reliabilities for emotional (α = .944) and tangible (α = .888) subscales and indicate that student-mothers who perceive faculty and staff as supportive tend to have strong commitments to the institution (p = .01). Applications: The 22-item scale can be used as an “early-warning” tool for college counselors and administrators to support student-mothers in identifying and removing barriers that contribute to problems associated with college retention of low-income mothers.

Objectives: This study examines the factor structure and scale quality of data collected with the online Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) for Teachers from a sample of teachers of 1,145 third through fifth graders. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Mplus and weighted least squares means and variances adjusted (WLSMV) estimation took into account the ordinal and clustered nature of the data. Models were tested on four random subsamples. Results using maximum likelihood (ML) estimation are presented for comparison. Results: A five-factor, first-order model demonstrated superior fit. Scores from the five scales demonstrated acceptable reliability. Conclusions: Results suggest the ESSP for Teachers provides school practitioners with quality data to guide intervention choices in schools. Implications for future research are discussed.

There has been an increasing focus on the process of translating research into practice in all fields of health and social services. This focus has shed considerable light on the potential for social workers to play a pivotal role in conducting translational research and facilitating research translation. This article examines new opportunities, directions, and methods for engaging in translational research and research translation; provides examples of social worker leadership in specific translational research studies, methods development, training programs, and National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical and Translational Science Institutes; and describes a strategy for research that meets the specific needs and draws upon the specific strengths of our profession.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the need for incorporating perceived importance of service elements into client satisfaction measures. Method: A secondary analysis of client satisfaction data from 112 clients of an elderly case management setting was conducted. Results: This study found that the relationship between global client satisfaction and the composite of satisfaction with service elements differed significantly, depending on perceived importance of service elements. Conclusions: These results call into question the practice of simply adding or averaging scores from satisfaction items to produce global satisfaction scores without considering perceived importance of the service elements.

Federal social programs are rarely evaluated to determine whether they are actually accomplishing their intended purposes. As part of its obligation to spend taxpayers’ dollars wisely, Congress should mandate that experimental evaluations of every federal social program be conducted. The evaluations should be large-scale, multisite studies to guard against mistakenly assuming that a program that works in one location or with one population will automatically work in other situations. Congress should place substantially less emphasis on funding evaluations based on less rigorous types of research designs, because their conclusions are much less reliable. Finally, Congress should exercise strict oversight to ensure that the evaluations are conducted and the results reported in a timely manner.

Social work is increasingly embracing evidence-based practice (EBP) as a decision-making process that incorporates the best available evidence about effective treatments given client values and preferences, in addition to social worker expertise. Yet, social work practitioners have typically encountered challenges with the application of manualized evidence-supported treatments. For social work, the path to implementing the delivery of science-informed practice remains at a crossroads. This article describes two emergent strategies that offer a plausible means by which many social workers can integrate an EBP model into their service delivery—common factors and common elements. Each strategy will be presented, and related evidence provided. Tools to implement a common elements approach and to incorporate client feedback consistent with a common factors perspective will also be described. These strategies will be placed in the broader context of the EBP framework to suggest possible advances in social work practice and research.