Exploring social workers’ personal domains in rural practice

Research within the disciplines of Social Work and Education has for sometime acknowledged the tragedy, trauma, conflict and misery that can be experienced by workers in their associated professions. More recently, there has been an aligned interest in the role of passion, emotion and energy in sustaining these professionals through such experiences. This paper contributes to the growing literature in this area by reporting on a study conducted with five social workers and six teachers who work in Australian lower socioeconomic, urban-fringe and communities. It also engages the concept of the 'personal domain' to explore how these social workers and teachers cannot only survive, but can actually thrive in demanding work contexts. The methodology adopted for the study was an appreciative enquiry approach, where these professionals, each with over a decade of experience in urban-fringe communities, were recruited via non-probability, purposive, snowballing techniques and interviewed about what sustained them in their work during November 2008-February 2009. Thematic analysis of the interviews found that participants not only identified specific survival strategies, but could also articulate how their life experiences, ideologies, beliefs, values and other life resources informed their work in ways that aided their flourishing as professionals. The paper concludes by calling for further research into the work of social work and teaching professionals from a 'personal domain' perspective and considering the potential implications of such research for these professions, particularly in terms of promoting professional trajectories characterised first by endurance, and then by development and triumph.

Suicide is a major public health concern. It is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Social workers serve as the largest group of mental health care providers, and commonly intervene with suicidal clients. Despite the high rate of suicide and social workers interface with client suicidality, there is no research on the attitudes of social workers toward rational suicide. The notion of rational suicide challenges traditional views on suicide intervention and has complex ethical implications for the social work profession. Social workers adhere to the ethical standards set forth by the NASW and rational suicide involves two of those ethical standards, client self-determination and commitment to clients. This quantitative research study examined the attitudes of 2,157 licensed clinical social workers toward rational suicide. Findings revealed that social workers broadly agree (67.1%) that individuals can make a rational decision to die by suicide. Social workers’ personal characteristics (gender, age, race/ethnicity, state residency, religious affiliation and having personal thoughts of suicide) were found to predict their attitudes about rational suicide. The findings suggest that social workers’ attitudes about rational suicide are related to their personal characteristics. These findings have ethical considerations for the social work profession when intervening with suicidal persons with physical and psychological pain as well as value neutral practice. Keywords: Rational suicide, ethics, clinical social work, physical, psychological pain

Even though there is substantial agreement about the nature of rural contexts, practice principles, and factors influencing practice we still do not have a framework for organising this knowledge in a way that can directly inform the practitioner in their day-to-day work. In this paper, we introduce the concepts ‘practice domains’, ‘domain location’, and ‘domain alignment’ that, taken together, provide such a framework. We suggest that each practitioner works within a number of practice domains. A domain is a discourse about practice comprising narratives about how a social worker should practise and which factors they should take most account of in their practice decision making. Each practitioner, and each practice process, can be located somewhere within each domain (domain location) and also situated amongst domains according to their relative alignment with each of them (domain alignment).In this paper, we present this framework and show how it is useful for practitioners in understanding practice, identifying factors influencing it, and making practice decisions in immediate, concrete situations.

Background: The potential relevance of personality factors on atopic dermatitis (AD) has long been a focus of psychodermatological research. A central premise underlying this line of research is that AD sufferers show a distinct personality profile that may increase the vulnerability to develop or to exacerbate AD especially under stress. Objective: The specific goal of the present study was to assess specific personality traits in AD sufferers and their possible relationship to biological stress responses. Material and Methods: 36 AD patients, 23 patients suffering from psoriasis (PSO) and 37 non-atopic controls were investigated. To determine different personality domains, Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Questionnaire for Competence and Control (FKK) and the Questionnaire for Stress Vulnerability (MESA) were administered. In order to investigate whether these personality dimensions are related to biological stress responses, AD subjects and healthy controls were confronted with a standardized laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test; TSST). Blood and saliva samples were obtained before and after the stress test to measure endocrine (cortisol, ACTH, catecholamines) and immunological (immunoglobulin-E, cytokines, leukocyte subsets) stress responses. Furthermore, heart rate responses to the stressor and morning cortisol after awakening were recorded. Results: When compared to healthy controls, AD and PSO patients showed significantly higher scores in trait anxiety (STAI) and stress vulnerability (MESA) in situations characterized by failure, job overload, social conflicts and uncertainness. In addition, they scored significantly lower in positive self-concept (FKK). No difference in these personality traits could be detected between AD and PSO subjects. When confronted with the laboratory stressor (TSST), significantly altered endocrine and immune responses in AD patients could be determined which are described elsewhere [J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87:4245–4251; J Neuroimmunol 2002;129:161–167]. However, Pearson correlational analysis indicated no significant correlation between the different personality domains and any of the endocrine, immunological or physiological stress responses. The cortisol response to awakening in the morning, however, was significantly correlated with the stress vulnerability in situations characterized by job overload and criticism. Conclusions: AD patients show a distinct personality pattern, which does not differ from that found in PSO patients suggesting that there may be no specific ‘atopic’ personality type but rather a personality pattern linked to chronic inflammatory skin disorders.

This complete evidence-based practice documents the planning and implementation process used by one institution in redeveloping its first-year general engineering courses. The required two-course sequence provides an introduction to engineering knowledge and skills as well as an opportunity for over 2,000 students per year to explore the more than 15 different majors from which they can choose. In an effort to provide consistency in the student experience across individual sections of the course, instructors teach from a common course structure and general scope for content and course assessment. Nevertheless, individual instructors have the opportunity to individualize their sections of the course. Meeting the purpose of the course and functioning within a structure that supports the number of students (multiple teachers, multiple sections of the course, graduate teaching assistant support, undergraduate graders, etc.), can be challenging to continuous improvement and on-going course development processes. Through this study, we will share and critically examine our process for revamping the core courses (Foundations of Engineering I and Foundations of Engineering II) over the past two years. This paper answered the research question: What are the individual, collective, and pragmatic outcomes from engaging faculty from a variety of backgrounds in on-going continual course development and improvement in a large first-year engineering program? This fills a gap in current literature because many descriptive papers and research studies alike focus primarily on course content but less on the structure of the program and how it evolves and develops Furthermore, this paper provides the combined but individual experiences of the professors of practice that completed the curriculum restructuring. Our goal is to provide advice from first-hand experience to assist in the implementation of a similar process at other institutions or in different fields. Our study is guided by the central constructs in the Interconnected Model of Teacher Growth. While this model focuses on the individual growth of the teacher, it is also a relevant perspective for reflecting on instructor engagement with course development. The model considers 4 domains in which teachers function and grow: personal domain (knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes), the external domain (external sources of stimulus or information), the domain of practice (professional experimentation), and the domain of consequence (salient outcomes). This is an appropriate model to use for this work because in recent years the program has experienced considerable changes that align with the elements of this framework. In the personal domain, we have a large teaching team that brings variety in personal experiences. In the external domain, we have had changes in leadership at several levels and large changes in student enrollment numbers. In the domain of practice, we have experimented with different approaches with varying degrees of similarity and differences across individual sections of the course. In the domain of consequence, we have been reconsidering our approaches to assessment fueled both by program changes and an upcoming ABET review. Our study is an analysis of autoethnographies completed by those involved in the courses’ development process. Individually, participants reflected on a series of questions informed by the theory guiding the study. In addition to pragmatic questions about what worked well and what did not, we used the framework to make invisible or behind the scenes considerations visible: Where and how in this process did personal beliefs (yours or others) come into play (including previous personal experiences)? What external factors contributed to course development decisions (positive and negative)? What, if any, experimentation was involved? What salient outcomes were considered for students, faculty and other stakeholders? These reflections were collectively, qualitatively analyzed for themes and patterns to yield a series of lessons learned. Our results provide an insight into what went well, and what didn’t go well. We offer useful and specific advice for others looking to replicate the process. For example, at the beginning of the revamping process, the personal domain (knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes) of the team was quite diverse. While Engineering Education experience was well represented, the team also included people with a variety of qualifications in engineering and beyond, at all career stages, and in some cases with extensive or recent industry experience. The team, then, had experience with a variety of pedagogical methods, each according to the concurrent needs and traditions of their disciplines as they took or facilitated courses. As the revamping process progressed, the entire team had opportunities to be exposed to both familiar and unfamiliar guiding philosophies.

Over the past few decades, a large number of studies have been conducted to explain variations in subjective well-being (SWB). Most of these studies emphasised socio-demographic factors, which were consistently found to be able to explicate only a small amount of variation in well-being. To find a better explanation, researchers have recently focused on the personality of individuals. However, these studies are mainly based on adults. There is little evidence on how personality characteristics are related to children’s SWB. This study aims to fill this gap by bringing together socio-demographic characteristics and individual personality within a single framework to explain variation in children’s SWB. Data for this article were obtained from a national survey among 2,400 young people aged 10 to 15 from mainstream schools in England. A two-stage multiple regression analysis indicated that the socio-demographic characteristics in model 1 accounted for 15 % of the variation in SWB. Model 2, containing both socio-demographic and personality characteristics, explained 33.5 % of the variation, of which personality contributed to explaining additional 18.5 % variation. Overall the personality factor explained slightly more variation (3.5 %) in SWB compared to the socio-demographic characteristics. However, looking at the standardised regression coefficient value for each factor separately, it was observed that some socio-demographic factors (e.g., material deprivation, age) were more influential in children’s SWB than some personality domains such as openness, extraversion and conscientiousness. These findings are discussed in the context of previous empirical studies and theories on SWB. Suggestions for future research are also put forward.

BackgroundEmergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics experience critical incidents which evoke distress and impaired functioning but it is unknown which aspects of incidents contribute to their impact. We sought to determine these specific characteristics by developing an inventory of critical incident characteristics and testing their relationship to protracted recovery from acute stress, and subsequent emotional symptoms.MethodsEMT/paramedics (n = 223) completed a retrospective survey of reactions to an index critical incident, and current depressive, posttraumatic and burnout symptoms. Thirty-six potential event characteristics were evaluated; 22 were associated with peritraumatic distress and were retained. We assigned inventory items to one of three domains: situational, systemic or personal characteristics. We tested the relationships between (a) endorsing any domain item and (b) outcomes of the critical incident (peritraumatic dissociation, recovery from components of the Acute Stress Reaction and depressive, posttraumatic, and burnout symptoms). Analyses were repeated for the number of items endorsed.ResultsPersonal and situational characteristics were most frequently endorsed. The personal domain had the strongest associations, particularly with peritraumatic dissociation, prolonged distressing feelings, and current posttraumatic symptoms. The situational domain was associated with peritraumatic dissociation, prolonged social withdrawal, and current posttraumatic symptoms. The systemic domain was associated with peritraumatic dissociation and prolonged irritability. Endorsing multiple characteristics was related to peritraumatic, acute stress, and current posttraumatic symptoms. Relationships with outcome variables were as strong for a 14-item inventory (situational and personal characteristics only) as the 22-item inventory.ConclusionsEmotional sequelae are associated most strongly with EMT/paramedics’ personal experience, and least with systemic characteristics. A14-item inventory identifies critical incident characteristics associated with emotional sequelae. This may be helpful in tailoring recovery support to individual provider needs.

For greater insight into the personality characteristics and problem behaviours of Dutch sexually violent forensic psychiatric outpatients, a group of 105 sexually violent and a group of 69 non-sexually violent outpatients were studied. All had been required by the court to undergo treatment. It was found that together all outpatients scored higher than normal subjects on the neuroticism personality domain and lower on the agreeableness and conscientiousness domains. They also had a greater propensity to become angry. When sexually violent outpatients were compared with non-sexually violent outpatients, the scores of sexually violent patients were found to be higher than those of non-sexually violent patients on the neuroticism and agreeableness personality domains. Sexually violent outpatients reported less hostile and aggressive behaviour and more social anxiety. The scores of sexually violent outpatients on the Static-99 showed that most ran a low average risk of recidivism. Treatment programmes for sexually violent forensic psychiatric outpatients with a relatively low risk of recidivism need not primarily focus on anger management. As sexually violent outpatients are still less “agreeable” than the general Dutch population, it is recommended that moral reasoning training with problem sexual situations be part of the treatment programme for these patients.

This study found that social work students in Hong Kong are insensitive to gender issues in both their practice and life experiences. It has been suggested that feminism should be integrated into social work curricula to enable students to question the way in which their life experiences lead them to construct gender, which is a crucial step in the development of nonsexist social work practice. However, in Hong Kong, there are two barriers to the development of nonsexist practice. First, social work education is insensitive to gender inequalities and tends simply to add women's issues to the traditional curriculum, and second, students tend to opt for more practical options when they choose electives for professional training and are thus less likely to take elective courses on gender.

COVID-19 is not only a health-related issue but it has come along with a couple of problems to everyone may it be children, youth, adults (women, men), or elderly but only youth and students of social work in particular are considered in the present study. The researcher has taken into consideration the students of social work as students are viewed as the future of any nation and when the students are from the field of social work, they are expected to work for the betterment of society, hence their perception and their viewpoints both are important. Many researches have been made to acknowledge the situation of youth, their coping strategies, and suggested interventions during this pandemic, while majority of researches focus on mental health and fewer studies shows the overall challenges on youth and on social work students in particular nor about the contribution of social workers towards society betterment. The present study is designed keeping in view the above-mentioned gaps and thus framed the objectives based on these gaps pertaining to the purpose of the study. Objectives: The present study aimed to focus on the following domains of the pandemic situation: 1. To explore the lived experiences of social work students during lockdown. 2. To determine the various challenges faced by the social work students during COVID-19 Pandemic. 3. To ascertain any contribution(s) made by the social work students towards society during COVID-19 Pandemic. 4. To know about any change into the lives of social work students in post-lockdown period. 5. To collect a viewpoint of social work students about their perception of public reaction during and after lockdown. Methodology: The present study was conducted with the students of social work and was purely quantitative in nature. The questionnaire pertaining to the independent and dependent variables and related to the objectives of the study was prepared via google forms and the link was then sent to 120 social work students from different universities of north India through email out of 87 were received back with fully informed consent. The spread sheet of the data collected was then extracted from google forms which was then edited, classified and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and tabulated for univariate and multivariate data analysis. Results: Results shows that the students of social work have experienced various challenges during the lockdown period. These challenges were categorized as physical, psychological, financial and the studies related issues. Major problems experienced by the social work students were physical inactivity (60.9%) and due to that they are gaining weight leading to obesity (42.5%). To cope up with these problems, majority of the students opted for yoga, and exercise (43.68%). Talking about psychological problems, the students developed stress (56.32%) and anxiety (40.23%). Attending online classes is an added challenge for students as it is a new concept and out of the routine activity and thus, they face difficulty in concentration (63.22%) as there are several distractions present at home (44.83%). Majority of the students complained that their studies got affected in online classes as there was signal problem (66.67%). Sitting at one place for the whole day leads to back pain and increased screen time for the attending online leads to impact the eyesight of the students (32.18%). Besides, the student social workers reported that they have developed a distance from their social relations (37.93%) and they are experiencing social isolation (20.69%). Financial depreciation was most common among general public and so on students as they reported that they were not getting pocket money due to financial crisis in their families. Besides all these problems the student social worker have done their duty and majority have contributed to the society in one or the other way. When lockdown got over, majority (74.71%) of the student got relaxed and felt that their life will get resumed now while 25.29% were still anxious. Majority (80.46%) have started their concurrent fieldwork with all the precautionary measures. The students’ perception regarding public behavior was also assessed and they perceived that 59.77% public was relaxed to hear that the lockdown is over and feel that COVID-19 is over while the rest 40.23% were showing the same behaviour as earlier; aggressive, irritable and anxious about the disease.

This article describes how social work and social group work strategies are used to enhance social work student participation in an interprofessional education program (IPE) that includes social work and five health care disciplines. Concurrently, social work students take part in a small group to assist them in the application of their social group knowledge to their IPE experience. Interprofessional collaborations between social work and health care can work toward alleviating health inequalities and poor access to health services. Social work has a crucial and significant role within these teams because of the profession’s focus on individual well-being, within the context of their social environment and support systems.

This article presents a discussion of the concept of emotional intelligence and provides a rationale with reference to the relevant literature on the concept and significance of emotional intelligence in social work education. In this piece I argue that emotions can influence moral decision making in social work and may act as moral markers and motivators for social work practitioners and students. It offers my viewpoint on emotional intelligence based on my practice experience as a registered social worker, a social work educator and a learner completing a PhD in social work. Finally, I explicate some suggestions to further include emotional intelligence in the social workers’ ongoing professional development and social work students’ education.

Social work education in Vietnam faces various challenges, including a shortage of qualified educators, limited teaching resources, and a reliance on traditional pedagogical methods. These issues are not unique to Vietnam but are common in many social work programs worldwide, particularly in resource-limited settings. Such challenges can negatively impact social work training programs and students’ learning motivation. Based on the Self-Determination Theory, this study examines the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including students’ boredom at field placements, faculty encouragement, and emotional support on learning motivation among social work students in Vietnam. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted using a convenience sample of 541 social work students, ages 18 to 28, from 11 universities across the country. The findings reveal that faculty encouragement and emotional support significantly enhance students’ learning motivation, while boredom at field placements negatively affects motivation. These results underscore the importance of supportive faculty–student interactions and engaging field experiences in fostering student motivation, not only in Vietnam but also in other social work programs. The study’s findings offer valuable insights for improving social work education by highlighting the need for faculty support and more engaging practical training opportunities to enhance student motivation and learning outcomes.

Due to the impact of natural and human-caused disasters, for example, climate change, social workers are increasingly needed at the frontline of disaster management. However, some social workers feel unprepared for responding to the needs of vulnerable communities experiencing a disaster. Alongside this, many rural communities that experience disasters also live with social disadvantages, resulting in added layers of difficulty. In response to a gap in social work curricula, the authors residing in both Ireland and Australia decided to conduct a student-led, rural-focussed co-operative inquiry into the research question: How can social work curricula support emerging social workers in developing their competency for working in disaster-affected rural communities to enable resilience? In addressing this question, we propose that social work education include learning the four phases of disaster management (prevention, preparation, response and recovery) through the lens of social work ethics. We posit that social work students need to graduate with an awareness that disasters can exacerbate the issues of distance and social isolation, especially in rural communities. Further, students interested in rural practice would benefit from the cognizance of the factors that increase community vulnerability and the acquisition of strategies and skills associated with strengthening community resilience.

In this study, we investigated what Slovenian social workers understand by self-care and what barriers to self-care are the most common. Almost all respondents in our sample agreed that self-care is very important for social workers’ well-being and professional practice. However, only 38% fully agreed that they know how to take care of their well-being, and only 23% of social workers surveyed take care of themselves on a daily basis. The most frequently mentioned self-care practices in the personal domain are eating a regular and healthy diet, spending quality time with enjoyable others, and spending time in nature. The least-mentioned practices are time away from the telephone, journal writing, engaging in personal psychotherapy, and meditation. Engaging with co-workers and attending supervision are the most mentioned practices in the organisational self-care domain, while negotiation skills and setting boundaries with users and co-workers are the least mentioned practices. The most common barriers to self-care are work overload and lack of time. As the field of self-care among social workers in Slovenia is still unexplored and unregulated, we have suggested the first possible steps on micro, mezzo, and macro levels.