Journal of Evidence-informed Social Work

This article describes how implementation science and intervention research guided the process of selecting and implementing an evidence-informed intervention (Tuning in to Teens; TINT). TINT was provided as a selective prevention effort offered to families with youth aged 10 to 13 years old, with characteristics that suggest an elevated risk for post-permanency discontinuity. Usability testing findings: Contact was made with 54% of families, and 12% participated in the intervention. Multivariate results found no statistically significant differences between families who responded to outreach efforts and those who did not; families who participated in TINT and those who did not...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the 18-month effectiveness of the Parent and Child Enhancement (PACE) program through an 18-month follow-up of the participants. METHODS: Participants included parents and children who participated in the PACE program in 2013-2014, where they were randomized into intervention (n = 76) and control (n = 73) groups. At the 18-month follow-up, participating parents completed questionnaires on their children's learning and behavior, and their own parenting...

Social work practice is an industry based mostly on therapist intuition and gut feelings. There are virtually no real-time, reliable data showing the performance of any patient outcomes or on therapists providing treatment services. In this paper a new system is recommended, performance-based practice. In the future, the New Social Work proposed will not operate as a system in which patients enter community facilities to sit in waiting rooms and interact with a randomly assigned therapist for one hour a few times weekly...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This study explored both how changes are made and what encourages the maintenance of change after psychotherapy, from the perspective of a sample of former clients, using a mixed methods sequential design. Wampold & Imel's (2015) contextual model was used as a conceptual framework. Using secondary data analysis, quantitative analysis was used to explore the degree to which clients made and maintained progress from pretest to post test and 12 to 18 month follow-up. Fourteen interviews were used to hear from former clients about their impressions of what supported their efforts at change and how they maintained these gains post treatment...

This paper (a) examines the evidence base around rehabilitation of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), (b) identifies the extent that India's proposed 2016 Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection, and Rehabilitation) Bill reflects scientific and experiential evidence, and (c) discusses how gaps in the proposed bill can be informed by evidence. A rapid review of empirical studies on policies and interventions addressing rehabilitation of CSE victims was conducted. Although evidence is lacking, research suggests that cross-sectoral collaboration, training and monitoring law enforcement, psychotherapeutic interventions and care provided by short-term shelters, reintegration, and recognizing victims' rights improve the success of rehabilitative efforts...

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy of heal-change group (HCG) intervention-brief trauma-recovery group intervention applying a gender-specific cognitive behavioral approach-for Chinese-abused women in refuge centers was examined in a pretest-posttest comparison study. METHODS: A total of 100 women at three refuge centers in Hong Kong participated. Among them, 50 women from two centers joined the HCG and 50 women from the remaining center participated in a comparison mutual support group...

PURPOSE: Extreme weather events are increasing with climate change. The physical and mental health of people served by social workers may be especially at risk from these hazards. This exploratory study examines if specific types of human, financial, physical, and social capital are associated with health impacts from excessive summer heat and extreme winter weather. METHOD: Data from resident surveys (N = 424) in low- and moderate-income areas of a Southeastern US city are analyzed with descriptive statistics and logistic regression...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Evidence suggests parental support mitigates the association between community violence exposure and internalizing symptoms in adolescents. This study investigates this moderation of parental support for emerging adults and compares it with that for adolescents. Data were drawn from the Pathways to Desistence Study using community violence, parental support, and their interaction to predict internalizing symptoms in a series of regression models for adolescents and emerging adults. Results suggest that exposure to community violence during adolescence and emerging adulthood had a significant association with internalizing symptoms...

Cancer is the leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women. Although cancer disparities among AI women are alarming, there is littlle research focused on the topic of social support and cancer treatment and outcomes. A community advisory board was used to develop and administer the project, and a qualitative descriptive study methodology was used. This research was conducted in partnership with two community-based hospitals in the Northern Plains. The sample included 43 AI female cancer survivors who were interviewed with a semi-structured interview guide...

PURPOSE: Youth with early onset schizophrenia (EOS) are eligible for an individualized education plan (IEP) in school settings, yet often have declining academic performance over time. This study examines the impact of IEP and comorbid conditions on educational outcomes for youth with EOS. METHOD: We used mixed models and logistic regression to answer the research questions using data from 129 youth with EOS who participated in a longitudinal study from 1998 to 2006...

PURPOSE: This study assessed the critical aspect of individual staff attitudes and readiness for change within staff at a non-profit human service organization in Anchorage, Alaska, committed to adopting trauma-informed care (TIC). Organizational research has highlighted that staff attitudes and readiness impact the success of change efforts. METHOD: An online survey was used to measure staff knowledge about trauma, attitudes toward TIC, and readiness for change...

Despite the emerging literature documenting gains in clinician competence following consultation, little empirical work has examined consultation as an implementation strategy. To this end, the present study examined consultation in the context of implementing motivational interviewing in four community child and youth mental health organizations. We used qualitative methods with a dual goal: to describe the consultation process and to explore trainees' perspectives on consultation. Participants included 22 clinicians and 9 supervisors who received monthly, group, phone-based consultation for seven months following training in motivational interviewing...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) among victim advocates and to determine if risk factors (for the development of STS) that have been cited in the literature (with other populations) are applicable to victim advocates. METHODS: Data was collected from 135 victim advocates using an online survey. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of STS among victim advocates is approximately 50% and risk factors include number of hours worked per week, direct service hours, and working with adult survivors of child sexual abuse...

Research ethics provide important and necessary standards related to the conduct and dissemination of research. To better understand the current state of research ethics discourse in social work, a systematic literature search was undertaken and numbers of publications per year were compared between STEM, social science, and social work disciplines. While many professions have embraced the need for discipline-specific research ethics subfield development, social work has remained absent. Low publication numbers, compared to other disciplines, were noted for the years (2006-2016) included in the study...

PURPOSES: This study extends previous findings on a measure of competencies based on Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. The Inventory of Competencies in Social Work with Groups (ICSWG) measures confidence in performing the Standards. This study examines the latent structure of the Inventory, while illuminating the underlying structure of the Standards. METHODS: A multinational sample of 586 persons completed the ICSWG. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), reliability estimates, standard error of measurement estimates, and a range of validity tests were conducted...

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the usefulness of the trauma intervention, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), for adolescents in residential treatment. METHOD: The study employed a secondary analysis of 132 adolescent trauma cases collected from youth while in a residential treatment facility in Mississippi. RESULTS: Analysis indicated that clients showed significant decreases in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity scores after receiving TF-CBT in residential care...

GenerateHope (GH) is a San Diego-based 501c3 nonprofit organization providing fully integrated, comprehensive rehabilitation services to adult female survivors of sex trafficking. While best practices for working with survivors of sex trafficking are slowly emerging, to date, there have been few publications on this subject and little data on either short- or long-term outcomes from the many and varied programs nationwide. This paper examines the GH residential program and provides early outcome results for residents living at the GH program between six and 12 months...