Preparing Social Workers to Confront Social Injustice and Oppression: Evaluating the Role of Social Work Education

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel W Goode ◽  
Mariah Cowell ◽  
Dielle McMillan ◽  
Tonya Van Deinse ◽  
Courtney Cooper-Lewter
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Faculty Preparation ◽  
Student Preparedness ◽  
Implicit Curriculum

Abstract Since the presidential election of 2016, bias-related incidents, hate-filled rhetoric, and extremist violence have been increasing in the United States. Because social workers are often working with individuals and communities affected by these incidents, practitioners may have increasing responsibility to confront social injustice and oppression. However, limited evidence on the preparedness of social workers to assume this responsibility, particularly among those who are still students, exists. To address this gap, this study used focus group and survey data from the Diversity and Oppression Scale to explore the preparedness of MSW students (N = 22) to confront oppression. Six themes were identified as integral to student experiences in their programs: (1) social worker responsibility to confront oppression, (2) use of dominant group discourse on oppression, (3) variation in faculty preparation and comfort, (4) a focus on knowledge of oppression versus skills and process, (5) role of personal responsibility and experience in student preparation, and (6) strategies to increase student preparedness to confront oppression. Factors identified to enhance students’ level of preparedness include faculty opportunities for development, changes to the explicit and implicit curriculum, and creating a formalized way to integrate topics on oppression and diversity into all facets of the curriculum.

High Risk Community—Men’s Perceptions of Black Infant Mortality: A Qualitative Inquiry

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn P. Quinn ◽  
Euna M. August ◽  
Deborah Austin ◽  
Candace Keefe ◽  
Christina Bernadotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
The Past ◽  
Black Infant

Infant mortality has been identified as a key public health concern in the United States. Although infant mortality rates (IMRs) in the United States have declined during the past 10 years, the rates among Blacks are more than two times higher as compared with other racial and ethnic groups. This study used focus groups to explore Black men’s awareness and perceptions of the rising IMR in their community. Twenty-five men participated in an initial and follow-up focus group, which revealed that men had limited awareness of infant mortality, reduced sense of personal responsibility for pregnancy outcomes, and perceptions that stress, the age of the mother, and the health care system were responsible for poor birth outcomes. The role of the community and possible interventions to involve and educate men were also explored.

Health in the United States: Are Appeals to Choice and Personal Responsibility Making Americans Sick?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 643-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cayce J. Hook ◽  
Hazel Rose Markus
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Choice ◽  
Cultural Narratives ◽  
Government Action ◽  
Lifestyle Disease ◽  
Current Science

The United States suffers high rates of preventable lifestyle disease despite widespread calls for people to take responsibility for their health. The United States also stands out in its rejection of government action to guide industry practices and consumer choices. Why? We examine how deeply rooted cultural narratives about “free choice” and “personal responsibility” infuse policymaking, advertising, media, social norms, and individual attitudes about health in the United States. We argue that these narratives contribute to ill health in the United States: They encourage stress and worry over health, blame and stigmatization of the unhealthy, widened health disparities, and the failure to adopt policies that could save lives. Psychologists can play a major role in expanding narratives about health so that they include the role of personal choice and responsibility but also reflect current science about the physical, social, and cultural drivers of health. These broader narratives can be used to promote a more comprehensive understanding of health and to better inform the design, communication, and implementation of effective health-supportive policies.

The Role of Women in Cancer Control and Cancer Care in the Early 20th Century

Affilia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-330
Author(s):  
Melissa Lundquist
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Cancer Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Archival Data ◽  
The Social

In the early 20th century, thousands of women in the United States were involved in the cancer control movement as volunteers in the Women’s Field Army and as professional social workers caring for patients living with the disease. Yet their stories are largely untold in the social welfare literature. Using primary archival data and published writings from the era, this article examines the parallel and complementary work of these women and describes how these early efforts shaped the way we approach cancer care today.

Advocacy, Activism, and Policy Practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 229-240
Author(s):  
Marissa McCall Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Systems ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Chattel Slavery ◽  
The People ◽  
Criminal Legal System ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Policies And Practices

This chapter will discuss the role of social workers as activists in the pursuit of reforms to criminal legal system policies and practices, the disparities that social workers must advocate against, and the need to empower the people and communities most impacted by the issues. Disparity and injustice have been entrenched in criminal legal systems in the United States since chattel slavery ended at the end of the 19th century. Up until approximately 30 years ago, though, social workers were instrumental in the development of policies and practices that promoted fairness, dignity, and rehabilitation for impacted people and communities. While social workers in criminal legal systems have been on the decline for decades, the recent reforms of the last 15 years and the return to policies aimed at reducing incarceration and improving community-based treatment offer great opportunities for social work activists to reengage in advocacy efforts to improve these systems.

The Changing Role of Libraries: How Social Workers Can Help

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Wahler ◽  
Mary A. Provence ◽  
John Helling ◽  
Michael A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Changing Role

Public libraries in the United States are visited daily by vast numbers of people experiencing unmet psychosocial needs including poverty, homelessness, immigration concerns, mental health, substance abuse, and health problems. While some libraries have begun to hire or partner with social service personnel, many library staff are facing patron psychosocial crises without adequate training or resources. Various studies examine different facets of this issue; however, none examine how library staff perceive their role, patron psychosocial needs, library responsibility to address psychosocial needs, and policy and program recommendations. This study addresses that gap and presents needs assessment results from a large metropolitan public library system. Recommendations are included for how social workers can help libraries meet patron psychosocial needs.

The Role of Gender and Sensation Seeking in Film Choice

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita C. Banerjee ◽  
Kathryn Greene ◽  
Marina Krcmar ◽  
Zhanna Bagdasarov ◽  
Dovile Ruginyte
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Happy Mood

This study demonstrates the significance of individual difference factors, particularly gender and sensation seeking, in predicting media choice (examined through hypothetical descriptions of films that participants anticipated they would view). This study used a 2 (Positive mood/negative mood) × 2 (High arousal/low arousal) within-subject design with 544 undergraduate students recruited from a large northeastern university in the United States. Results showed that happy films and high arousal films were preferred over sad films and low-arousal films, respectively. In terms of gender differences, female viewers reported a greater preference than male viewers for happy-mood films. Also, male viewers reported a greater preference for high-arousal films compared to female viewers, and female viewers reported a greater preference for low-arousal films compared to male viewers. Finally, high sensation seekers reported a preference for high-arousal films. Implications for research design and importance of exploring media characteristics are discussed.

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