Jacquelyn Lee

Self-care among healthcare social workers: An exploratory study

ABSTRACT Despite growing interest in self-care, few studies have explicitly examined the self-care practices of healthcare social workers. This exploratory study investigated self-care among practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Overall, data suggest that healthcare social workers only moderately engaged in self-care. Additionally, analyses revealed significant differences in self-care practices by financial stability, overall health, and licensure status, respectively. Interestingly, perceived health status and current financial situation were significant predictors for overall self-care practices. After a brief review of the literature, this narrative will explicate findings, elucidate discussion points, identify salient implications, and conclude with areas for future research.

Integrating exercise and mindfulness for an emerging conceptual framework: The intuitive approach to prevention and health promotion (IAPHP)

Body image, which predicts increased risk for eating disorders and obesity, has been intricately linked to one’s relationship with food and exercise (Neumark-Sztainer, 2012). This connection should not be overlooked when generating potential solutions for prevention and health promotion (Austin, 2011). Underscoring the challenging nature of addressing eating disorders and obesity, strong prevention approaches are needed to promote positive body image as well as a healthy relationship with both food and exercise. Marked increases in dysfunctional eating and exercise behaviors over the past several decades have been associated with concomitant rises in obesity, eating disorders, disordered eating and dysfunctional exercise patterns (Irving & Neumark-Sztainer, 2002). Disordered eating behaviors exist along a continuum ranging from overly restrictive (e.g., dietary restraint; anorexia nervosa) to overeating (e.g., emotional eating; binge eating disorder) (Emery, King, Fischer, & Davis, 2013). Disordered eating can result in patterns of oscillation between restrictive and overeating, conditions such as being overweight or obese, and mental health issues (Muazzam & Khalid, 2011). Like disordered eating, dysfunctional exercise patterns represent a spectrum of behaviors from a lack of physical activity (i.e., sedentary) to excessive and compulsive exercise behaviors. Although being inactive or not engaging in enough physical activity can lead to overweight and obesity, exercising too much can be hazardous (Calogero & Pedrotty-Stump, 2010). For male and female clients, overexercise can represent a purging method as well as a common pathway to more severe eating disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Feeling compelled to exercise to the extreme yields negative consequences such as overuse injuries, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and problems with social relationships (Taranis & Meyer, 2011). Furthermore, these “disordered” exercise behaviors can be de-motivating

Exploring the deployment and reintegration experiences of active duty military families with young children

ABSTRACT Active duty military families are experiencing increased stress as service members deploy to and return from lengthy and repeated deployments to multiple war zones. These deployments have a cumulative impact on the behavioral health and well-being of not only the service member, but also the family, particularly in families with very young children (Lester et al., 2016). Emergent research concerning families with young suggests that greater attention to the military spouse is needed to ensure effective, supportive service provision for these families. The purpose of the present study is threefold: (1) to identify the challenges faced by families with young children during and after deployment, (2) to understand resource utilization by these families, and (3) to explore the strengths and strategies used during these experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 active duty Marine Corps family members with young children (under 5 years old) and 10 key program providers on or near a large military base in the southeast region of the United States. Findings reveal significant social isolation, which is consistent with the literature, the need for formal and informal social supports as well as self-care for the at-home parent, challenges in co-parenting and utilizing known resources, and a range of strategies used to manage deployment and reintegration. Implications for practice are discussed.

Exploring the self-compassion of health-care social workers: How do they fare?

ABSTRACT Indubitably, the challenges facing health-care social workers are becoming increasingly complex. Whilst these problematic professional circumstances compound the need for self-compassion among health-care social workers, few studies, if any, have explicitly examined self-compassion among this practitioner group. This cross-sectional study explored self-compassion among a sample of practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Results indicate that health-care social workers in this sample engage in self-compassion only moderately. Further, occupational and demographic/life characteristics (e.g., age, years practicing social work, average hours worked per week, health status, and relationship status, among others) are able to predict self-compassion scores. After a terse review of relevant literature, this paper will explicate findings from this study, discuss relevant points derived from said findings, and identify salient implication for health-care social work praxis.

Predicting personal self-care in informal caregivers

ABSTRACT Caregiver research often focuses on negative health outcomes, yet little is known about the self-care practices of caregivers. The present study investigates self-care practices among family caregivers and the relationships between personal self-care, perceived stress, and other health variables. Data were collected from informal caregivers through self-administered Internet and paper surveys that included the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item Health Survey, Perceived Stress Scale, and Self-Care Practices Scale. Personal self-care was most strongly associated with emotional well-being, pain, perceived stress, and general health. The relevance of study findings to strengthening family caregiver programs and future research is discussed.

Self-identified strengths among youth offenders charged with assault against a non-intimate family member

ABSTRACT Youth involved in the criminal justice system are particularly vulnerable to increased risk for continuing offending behaviors since aggressive and/or violent behavior compromise developmental growth. The present study seeks to build on the current literature related to youth offenders by using an exploratory qualitative approach to analyze strength-based asset interviews completed by youth referred to a diversion program. Results revealed four distinctive themes: 1) hardiness, 2) grit, 3) social competence, and 4) empathy. Broadening the scope of research focusing on youth offenders, the present study offers a number of implications for social work practice.