The work-related well-being of social workers has become a central concern in international psychosocial literature. The majority of studies have focused on the negative outcomes of social work (for example, work-related stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction) and only a few studies have considered the positive work-related health outcomes. In an attempt to address this gap, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of both psychological well-being (PWB)—from a eudaimonic paradigm (that is, person's optimal functioning)—and job resources in promoting social workers’ work engagement (WE). Following the job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory, authors hypothesized that job resources mediate the relationship between PWB and WE. The study sample was composed of 140 social workers provided with a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Structural equation models and mediational analyses were applied and confirmed that job resources fully mediate the association between PWB and WE. PWB acts as a personal resource that endorses perception, identification, and even promotion of job resources. Job resources, in turn, were associated with WE. The article concludes with proposals of systemic interventions aiming at improving social workers’ work-related health.

Journal Article Editorial Board Get access Social Work Research, Volume 40, Issue 4, 1 December 2016, Page NP, https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svw026 Published: 02 December 2016

The parent–infant relationship begins during pregnancy as parents prepare psychologically for the birth of their child. Father involvement, beginning in pregnancy, is associated with positive maternal and infant outcomes. Less is known about fathers’ experiences as they prepare to parent a new baby, especially fathers who are parenting in contexts of risk. The current study interviewed 44 expectant fathers to gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts and experiences during the prenatal period. Fathers described the importance of preparing their children to be productive citizens and described their anticipated parenting roles with their child as an older child (that is, beyond early childhood). For many fathers a sense of increased responsibility and the need to provide financially for their family weighed heavily. When seeking parenting support, the majority of fathers described a reliance on women in their lives for advice. Fathers’ focus on their parenting role with older children during interviews conducted in the prenatal period suggests that the importance of active engagement with their infant may be overlooked. Interventions that help fathers identify and engage in parenting roles with their infants have the capacity to support the early father–infant relationship, which forms the foundation for a long-lasting father–child relationship.

After contributing to an editorial titled “The Future of Social Work Education,” (Robbins, Regan, Williams, Smyth, & Bogo, in press), I thought I would take a similar approach for this editorial on social work research. There has been tremendous growth in recent years in knowledge development in social work. The scientific literature relevant to social work practice has grown expansively. The growth in the number of social work peer-reviewed journals, the widespread availability of electronic bibliographic databases, improved indexing services, and the increased acceptance of systematic reviews and evidence-based practice (EBP) guidelines have made the best available research accessible and available to practitioners. In the mid-1990s scholars introduced EBP in the lexicon of social work. This introduction was probably a natural progression from a very careful national emphasis that was being targeted on social work research and developing and improving research infrastructure in schools of social work. In addition to social work researchers embracing the concepts of and the systematic approach to EBP, schools of social work began integrating EBP into curriculums (National Association of Social Workers, 2016). The introduction of EBP was considered to be a new paradigm for social work research and education. The introduction of these concepts prompted much discourse across the profession nationally. However, introducing a new paradigm can be challenging. EBP has both its proponents and opponents. The diversity of thoughts and practice methods, and the emerging scholarship, presented some challenges for the implementation of EBP across the profession. There were several questions to be answered: Given the diverse field of practice in social work, is there adequate evidence to support evidence-based interventions in all areas of practice? Is there adequate evidence with diverse populations to support evidence-based interventions with the diverse populations and systems served by the profession? Is EBP too highly aligned with the medical model and randomized clinical trials to make the right practice model for social work? How do research and science affect and integrate practice knowledge/wisdom and experience into this new model of knowledge development and practice?

Resilience is conceptualized as a dynamic process that leads to positive outcomes in the face of adversity. The resilience process consists of the activation and interaction of protective and vulnerability factors after encountering adversity. The present study seeks to integrate and synthesize the findings of existing qualitative studies premised in highlighting and exploring the protective factors associated with resilience in an older adult population through the systematic process of qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis. Results revealed nine distinct protective factors: (1) external connections, (2) meaningfulness, (3) previous experience with hardship, (4) grit, (5) self-care, (6) self-acceptance, (7) positive perspective on life, (8) independence, and (9) altruism. Findings offer researchers and practitioners a greater understanding of the protective factors associated with resilience among older adults and contribute to the advancement of resilience theory.

Using a nationally representative U.S. sample, this study examined the extent to which neighborhood characteristics affected length of inpatient stay (LOS) in the United States. Data were obtained from the 2012 Area Health Resource Files. A total of 3,148 U.S. counties were included in the study. Generalized linear models and the geographically weighted regression model were used to examine the extent to which neighborhood characteristics affected LOS and its spatial variation. Exploratory spatial data analysis was also conducted to examine the geographic patterns in LOS. Hospital bed capacity was found to be the strongest predictor of LOS. Counties with a lower poverty rate, a lower uninsured rate, a higher proportion of female residents, a higher proportion of residents living in urban areas, and more diverse racial groups had a longer LOS. Significant spatial clustering pattern of LOS was also found. Findings suggest that social work professionals should be aware of spatial disparity in health care resources and develop ways of providing equitable health care for vulnerable populations in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Journal Article Editorial Board Get access Social Work Research, Volume 40, Issue 1, March 2016, Page NP, https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svv040 Published: 01 March 2016

This article seeks to establish time-based trajectories of health and behavioral health services utilization for community corrections-involved (CCI) adults and to examine demographic and clinical correlates associated with these trajectories. To accomplish this aim, the authors applied a latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to services use data from a sample of rural CCI adults who reported their medical, mental health, and substance use treatment utilization behavior every 60 days for 1.5 years. LCGA established 1.5-year trajectories and demographic correlates of health services among rural CCI adults. For medical services, three classes emerged (stable-low users, 13%; stable-intermediate users, 40%; and stable-high users, 47%). For mental health and substance use services, three classes emerged (stable-low, 69% and 61%, respectively; low-baseline-increase, 10% and 12%, respectively; high-baseline decline, 21% and 28%, respectively). Employment, gender, medication usage, and depression severity predicted membership across all services. Results underscore the importance of social workers and other community services providers aligning health services access with the needs of the CCI population, and highlight CCI adults as being at risk of underservice in critical prevention and intervention domains.

At the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) 2016 conference, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) will officially announce the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW). AASWSW did a soft rollout of a preliminary set of Grand Challenges at the SSWR 2015 conference. After the 2015 preliminary rollout, additional adjustments were conducted and additional feedback was incorporated in preparation for the official announcement. The introduction of GCSW has the potential to be a watershed event for social work. I previously discussed them in an editorial on the unification and defining of the profession (Williams, 2015). GCSW are committed to developing a scientific base for our profession that supports social resolutions for positive change in several important areas of need (AASWSW, n.d.). Recently, the United Nations (UN) released its goals for 2030 in Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015). In reviewing the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the reader will notice that many of the UN goals overlap with GCSW (AASWSW, n.d.). This would suggest that the profession is on the right path in developing a comprehensive set of challenges where social work can focus its fiscal and intellectual resources to transform our systems. In this editorial, I would like to highlight one of the GCSW—creating social responses to a changing environment (AASWSW, n.d.). There are three goals in the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development directly related to this challenge: (1) take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; (2) conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development; and (3) protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems; sustainably manage forests; combat desertification; and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015). Climate change, sustainable use of ecosystems, and biodiversity loss are not generally considered to be areas in which social workers have the skills, knowledge, and abilities to make a significant impact. However, there is a growing literature in social work and social science on sustainable development, biodiversity, and the environment ( Jones & Williams, 2011; Kemp et al., 2015; Kumssa, Jones, & Williams, 2009; Kumssa, Williams, Jones, & Des Marais, 2014; Miller & Hayward, 2014; Peeters, 2012; Swim, Clayton, & Howard, 2011). Creating social responses to environmental changes is one area in which social work can make tremendous impact.