Jan Ligon

Academic Affiliations of Those Published in Social Work Journals: A Productivity Analysis, 1989-1993.

Abstract The academic affiliations of the authors of all articles published in six social work journals between 1989 and 1993 were reviewed and tabulated to produce a ranking of the colleges and universities whose faculty are making the most substantive contributions to the social work literature. The results of this analysis are compared with the findings of two similar, previously published studies covering the five-year periods of 1979-1983 and 1984-1988.

Computer anxiety and social workers: differences by access, use, and training

ABSTRACT This study investigated the prevalence of computer anxiety by area of practice, hours of weekly use, access to equipment, and availability of training for social workers (N = 244) in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina. Measured by the Computer Anxiety Index (CAIN), levels of anxiety were found to be lowest for those who have computers in their work areas, received training, and use computers to accomplish work tasks. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between anxiety levels and high levels of training need as well as the number of hours of weekly use and training received. A significant negative correlation was found between anxiety levels and weekly hours of use.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Teaching Techniques with Lesbian and Gay Content in the Social Work Curriculum

This study investigated the levels of homophobia before and after a single lecture on the topic in one undergraduate and two graduate social work classes. Using the Index of Attitudes Towards Homosexuals (IAH), pretest levels of homophobia were found to exceed the cutting point of 50 for 75% of the students in the undergraduate class. Although pretest-posttest mean scores were not found to be statistically significant, the percentage of students exceeding the IAH cutting score decreased in all three courses following a single lecture. The effect of two additional teaching units in the undergraduate course is discussed as well as recommendations for future research.

Academic affiliations of social work journals authors: a productivity analysis from 1994-1998

Abstract The academic affiliations of the authors of all articles published in six social work journals between 1994 and 1998 were reviewed and tabulated to produce a ranking of the colleges and universities whose faculty made the most substantive contributions to the social work literature. The results of this analysis are compared with findings of three identical, previously published studies, which cover the five-year periods of 1979-1983, 1984-1988, and 1989-1993.

Fighting for Field: Seven Threats to an Important Component of Social Work Education

Field education programs have historically been viewed as the single most important component of social work education at both the baccalaureate and graduate levels. However, a number of factors may affect the ability to execute quality field education programs. This article identifies and discusses seven significant threats to field education in social work programs, including the academization of schools of social work, loss of autonomy in the larger academic systems; the devaluation of field directors; growth of programs; gatekeeping; changes in the student population; and a lack of faculty commitment to field education. Two of six recommendations to address these problems are also challenged.

Interrater reliability of the brief psychiatric rating scale used at a community‐based inpatient crisis stabilization unit

In 1993, the State of Georgia passed a law reforming the mental health system to include more consumers of services and their families on local boards, to provide services in the community, and to measure and report the outcomes of these services. As mental health services expanded in the community, it became necessary to extend the use of reliable and valid instruments appropriate to a brief treatment setting. This field study investigates the usefulness of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) using paired ratings to measure the level of psychiatric symptoms of clients treated in an urban community inpatient crisis stabilization unit. Interrater agreement for all paired assessments exceeded .85 comparing favorably with previous studies reported in the literature. The BPRS was found to be a useful and efficient instrument in this community setting.

A National Study of the Field Liaison Role in Social Work Education Programs in the United States and Puerto Rico

This study investigates the liaison role in social work field education from the perspective of those presently working in that capacity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels from the United States and Puerto Rico (N = 408). On average, undergraduate liaisons have more years of liaison experience, are more likely to be full‐time status, spend less time driving to sites, and devote more overall time to the role. Undergraduate program liaisons spend less time on problems and rate the quality of sites, field instructors, and overall levels of learning higher than graduate programs. Undergraduate liaisons report more institutional support, a higher level of value for field education in the curriculum, and a higher level of satisfaction with their liaison roles than graduate program liaisons.

Differences in Refugee Anxiety and Depression

ABSTRACT Using the HSCL-25, the lev els of anx i ety and de pression were mea sured for ref u gees from Viet nam, So ma lia, and the for mer Yugoslavia (N = 60) who were clients of a community social services agency. De pression and anx i ety lev els were high est among the Viet nanr ese cli ents, anx i ety lev els were high est among the Somalians, and both anxiety and depression level were lowest for former Yugoslavians. Based on gen der, anx i ety lev els were high for both the Viet nam ese and Somalian males, while de pression lev els were high est for the Viet nam ese males. Single fe males as a group ex ceeded the cut ting score at higher rates than single males; in con trast, mar ried males ex ceeded the cut ting score at a higher rate than mar ried fe males. A highly cor re lated re lation ship was dem on strated between anx i ety and de pression (£ = 0.70, p < 0.001). Using ANO VA, de pression sig nif i cantly differed be tween the ref u gee groups (p = 0.007); differ ences in anx i ety be tween ref u gee groups were not sta tis ti callysignificant.

Academic affiliations of social work journal article authors from 1999-2003 : A productivity analysis spanning 25 years of social work scholarship

Abstract The academic affiliations of the authors of all articles published between 1999 and 2003 in six major social work journals were tabulated to produce a ranking of the colleges and universities whose faculty made the most substantive contributions to the social work literature. The results of this analysis are compared with findings of four identical, previously published studies, which cover the five-year periods of 197–1983, 1984–1988, 1989–1993, and 1994–1998. The limitations of this method of analysis are discussed, as are its merits.

Bibliometrics and social work: a two-edged sword can still be a blunt instrument.

Abstract In order to improve the productivity and impact of social work scholarship, the profession must look beyond bibliometrics to other issues that must be considered. These include the lag time between acceptance and publication of articles, the quality of peer review experienced by social work authors, and the overabundance of journals being published in social work.