Journal of Evidence-informed Social Work

PURPOSE: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often viewed as the "gold standard" for proving the efficacy and effectiveness of new interventions. However, some are skeptical of the generalizability of the findings that RCTs produce. The characteristics of those willing to participate in research studies have the potential to affect the generalizability of its findings. This study examined factors that could influence consent among families recruited to participate in a randomized field trial in a real-world child welfare setting...

Identifying dissociation is important for mental health services because it could fundamentally affect one's diagnosis and treatment plan. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) is a widely-used self-report scale for measuring dissociative experiences. It has been translated into many languages and used in many countries. However, there is no validated Hong Kong Chinese version of the DES available in the field, and there is no other validated Hong Kong Chinese instrument for assessing dissociative disorders...

Implementation literature has under-reported bottom-up dissemination attempts of research-supported interventions (RSI). This study examined factors associated with individual clinicians' implementation of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), including CPP social network (SN), supervision, and self-efficacy. Seventy-seven (90%) CPP graduates completed a cross-sectional survey, including measures regarding social network, receiving supervision, and CPP self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was significantly associated with CPP implementation; CPP SN and supervision were not...

OBJECTIVE: Adults with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders have poor outcomes in important quality of life areas, including hospitalization, incarceration, employment, and community housing. Integrated dual disorder treatment (IDDT) is a research-supported intervention for individuals with co-occurring disorders associated with improvements in outcome measures when implemented with high fidelity. Research-supported intervention IDDT was not designed with peer services, provided by people with lived experience with mental illness, but the practice has been altered to include peers...

This study examined the impact of gestalt intervention groups for anxious Chinese parents in Hong Kong. A non-randomized control group pre-test/post-test design was adopted. A total of 156 parents participated in the project. After 4 weeks of treatment, the intervention group participants had lower anxiety levels, less avoidance of inner experiences, and more kindness towards oneself and mindfulness when compared to control group participants. However, the dimension of self-judgment remained unchanged. The adaptation of gestalt intervention to suit the Chinese culture was discussed...

The relationship between compassion fatigue and mindfulness in mental health professionals compared to Master of Social Work (MSW) students is explored. A convenience sample of mental health professionals (n = 40) and MSW students (n = 111) completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and Professional Quality of Life Scale. Results indicate a medium, negative correlation between compassion fatigue and mindfulness, with high levels of compassion fatigue associated with lower levels of mindfulness. There was no statistically significant difference between mental health workers and MSW students on the combined dependent variables...

PURPOSE: Improvements to intrapersonal development of clients involved with substance use disorder treatment programs has widely been recognized as contributing to the intended goal of reducing substance misuse behaviors. This study sought to identify a broad framework of primary outcomes related to the intrapersonal development of clients in treatment for substance misuse. METHOD: Using qualitative research methods, individual interviews were conducted with program participants (n = 41) at three treatment programs to identify the ways in which respondents experienced intrapersonal development through participation in treatment...

As an intervention for adolescents, adventure therapy has evolved considerably over the last three decades with support from multiple meta-analyses and research input from both residential and outpatient services. Tainted by a history of unethical practice and issues of accountability, this article explores the question of how adventure therapy can meet a standard of evidence preferred by policymakers and funding bodies on the international stage. In this case, feedback-informed treatment (FIT) is presented as a means for routine outcome management, creating a framework for adventure therapy which aims to improve the quality of participant engagement while maintaining and operationalizing today's definitions for evidence-based practice...

PURPOSE: This study assessed the citation impact of scholarship of African American faculty in the top 25 ranked schools of social work cited in the 2012 U.S. News and World Report. METHOD: The citation impact scores (Hirsch h-index) of these scholars were examined. RESULTS: The overall mean h-index score for the top 25 ranked schools of social work and African American scholars was 6.62 and 12.14, respectively. The individual h-index for almost 80% of these scholars exceeded their respective school mean h-index scores...

PURPOSE: This article examines the publication productivity of the (N = 14) top-ranked U.S. Black/African American scholars in the U.S. News and World Report Schools of Social Work, as identified by Huggins-Hoyt, Holosko, Briggs, and Barner (2015). METHOD: Publication information for each participant were taken from the Publish or Perish software site with an "author impact" search criteria that examined their lifetime publication history. RESULTS: Results suggested that these authors: (a) published collaboratively, (b) published highly on issues pertaining to Black/African American inequality, and (c) published in journals with both high-impact scores and high-impact readership...

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has had a major influence on U.S. social work while it has rarely been adapted in German-speaking countries. This study investigates how knowledge about EBP is diffused within and across geographical contexts. Network analysis methods reveals different diffusion patterns and provide reasons for these differences. For example, the U.S. discourse is self-contained and based on a more homogeneous knowledge base, while the German discourse is more heterogeneous and focuses on a notion of reflexive professionalism...

The present article describes an investigation of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) by Hackman and Oldham (1976) for the prediction of job satisfaction of employees in social work areas. While there is considerable evidence for the JCM with respect to profit-oriented organizations, it was tested whether it can also be applied to the non-profit sector. The present study surveyed 734 holders of jobs in social work in Germany in order to assess their job satisfaction and the core variables of the JCM (i.e., the five job characteristics and the three psychological states)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of domestic violence on the economic condition of the families. This cross-sectional study utilized a non-probability sampling procedure (purposive sampling) that included 30 women who have sought services from the Coalition Against Domestic Violence Agency. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which was comprised of 21 questions. The questions sought information on socioeconomic conditions and impact on domestic violence on the financial position. The study revealed that more of domestic violence victims were at an early age...

INTRODUCTION: Gender inequality means unequal distribution of wealth, power, and benefits among women and men. The gender inequality index (GII) measures the lost human development in three important dimensions: reproductive health, political empowerment, and economic status. The first purpose of this study was to calculate the index for provinces of Iran, and the second purpose was to survey the appropriateness of that, for comparing different regions, through regression estimations...

Using data and research to drive and evaluate clinical decision-making continues to slowly gain prominence across social work settings. This article shares insights and recommendations from a novice social work investigator to encourage other social workers to consider the value of researching while in practice. Practitioners new to research need encouragement and support. This article provides ideas for easing the first steps towards research to avoid potentially discouraging pitfalls.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Through this qualitative, empirical study the authors aim to explore and describe the sources of knowledge that are used to guide intervention practice by social workers in Chile. Particular attention was paid to factors that may facilitate or hinder the use of research-based evidence to guide social interventions design, implementation, and outcome evaluation. In order to explore these issues, 25 semi-structured interviews with social workers from Chilean social service non-profit organizations were conducted...

Despite numerous studies documenting the benefits of music, hospice social workers are often unfamiliar with evidence-based music practices that may improve end of life care. This mixed method study tested an intervention to teach hospice social workers and chaplains (N = 10) an evidence-based music protocol. Participants used the evidence-based practice (EBP) for 30 days, recording 226 journal entries that described observations of 84 patients and their families. There was a significant increase in EBP knowledge (35%)...

The objective of the author in this article was to examine possible differences in knowledge and attitudes toward evidence-based practice (EBP) among social workers across geographic regions. A random national sample of 180 NASW members was obtained from mail and Internet groups. MANOVA analysis was performed to determine possible differences in knowledge and attitudes toward EBP among these social workers. Findings suggest that knowledge and attitude toward EBP did not differ among these practitioners. Despite increasing efficacy and widespread knowledge of EBPs, there is little or no empirical evidence to support any differences in attitudes and knowledge of EBP among social workers across geographic regions...