Jayshree S. Jani

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: A TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL FOR TEACHING DIVERSITY

Rapidly changing demographics in the United States, the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, and recent developments in the literature that question the effectiveness of multiculturalism and cultural competence suggest social work education, research, and practice are in need of a new approach to diversity. In conceptualizing diversity, social workers need to address a broad social context that includes institutional/structural arrangements, recognize the intersection of multiple identities, and integrate an explicit social justice orientation. This article presents critical race theory as a paradigmatic framework that focuses on both institutions and the pain they create for marginalized people. The critique is multidimensional, addressing root causes and personal distress while pursuing transformational change.

Access to Intersectionality, Content to Competence: Deconstructing Social Work Education Diversity Standards.

This article provides an assessment of the current situation in social work education regarding the teaching of content on diversity, with a focus on implications for social work theory, practice, and education. The article provides a critical analysis of the historical development of approaches to teaching diversity content in social work education as reflected in several iterations of CSWEs Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) since the late 1960s. In addition, the article critiques long-standing approaches to teaching this content that have been based largely on modernist theories and assimilationist assumptions about difference in the United States. It concludes with a discussion of the challenges and opportunities social work education faces today that have opened up as a result of the 2008 EPAS.

Latino Outcome Studies in Social Work: A Review of the Literature.

Objective: This article is a review of outcome studies focusing on three social work fields of service—health, substance abuse, and mental health—in which Latinos were significantly represented in the sample and interventions developed to attend to cultural factors. Method: Data were collected from a search of several English language social science indexes to identify experimental or quasi-experimental studies published between 1999 and 2005 focusing on measuring the effect of cultural adaptations of interventions with Latino populations. Results: Twenty-three studies were located and reviewed. Findings are discussed in this article. Conclusions: Most studies with positive outcomes for Latinos used some culturally tailored variation of cognitive theory in the therapeutic intervention. The authors advocate for a mixed methods approach to future studies of Latinos.

Assessing an Interdisciplinary Health Care Model: The Governor's Wellmobile Program

This article assesses the applicability of Bronsteins (2003) generic model of interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of a newly created collaboration providing community-based health care services, the Governors Wellmobile Program. An analysis of the programs quarterly reports and interviews with faculty and students involved in the collaboration offers an assessment of the model and implications for interdisciplinary social work practice in community health care delivery.

Mental Health, Poverty, and Agency in Managua, Nicaragua: A Gendered Perspective

The Global Burden of Disease Unit estimates that mental and neurological disorders will soon cause almost 15% of peoples disabilities worldwide and that women are twice as likely to experience major depression, and have a higher prevalence of other common mental disorders (CMD) (World Health Organization, 2006). The high correlation between CMD and poverty predicts higher rates of CMD in developing nations (Chant, 2003). Utilizing feminist theory and an adapted Beiser (2006) model, this study examines gender role, social support, and self-esteem as predictors of mental health among 227 adults in Managua, Nicaragua. Respondents exhibited high levels of CMD, but womens scores were significantly higher. Self-esteem was negatively correlated to CMD and the only significant predictor of CMD. The findings highlight the substantive agency of “oppressed” women even when they lack formal power within traditional power structures. The importance of culturally and contextually appropriate measurement and theory are discussed.

Beyond "Writing to Learn": Factors Influencing Students' Writing Outcomes.

Social work educators concur that writing and critical thinking are basic components of effective practice, yet students are often deficient in these skills. Although there is agreement among educators about the need to enhance students’ writing skills, there is little understanding of the nature of students’ problems—a necessary step in the development of effective educational approaches. This article reports on a qualitative study that sought to understand which factors contributed to the weak writing skills of a group of social work undergraduates. Based on its findings and analysis of previous literature, the authors suggest a set of interrelated components that influence students’ writing. The study’s findings may contribute to the development of potential solutions to this persistent problem.

Reunification Is Not Enough: Assessing the Needs of Unaccompanied Migrant Youth

Unaccompanied migrant youth enter the United States daily to escape violence, political oppression, extreme poverty, and chronic instability in their native countries, or as victims of human trafficking. While some research has investigated why they leave their home countries, very little is known about what happens to them after they begin the process of community integration. The research reported in this article sought to understand how sponsors of children with no postrelease services access and use community services during their first year of integration into a new U.S. community. Findings highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of family reunification and community integration as dynamic, ongoing processes rather than onetime events, and for services to support such integration.

Contextually Appropriate Measurement as the Basis for Culturally Appropriate Interventions: A Case Study in Managua, Nicaragua

Despite recent advances in U.S. health care, racial and ethnic minorities experience significantly worse health and mental health outcomes. Policy responses to this problem are based on available research, which is often premised on a misinterpretation of the cultural concepts that underlie peoples health and mental health. Health researchers often rely upon measurements with questionable cultural validity. This contributes to a lack of understanding of health disparities that nondominant populations experience and creates obstacles to the development of effective policies to alleviate them. Even statistically valid or literally translated measurements often fail to account for different social and cultural contexts and/or neglect to consider vital information about the population studied or its history. This article reports on the content validity of measures used in a study that investigated predictors of mental health in Managua, Nicaragua. Results reveal a polarized response structure and lack of cultural relevance in underlying concepts measured.