Karen M. Sowers

Student Reports of Peer Bullying Victimization in a Rural School

Three rural schools located in Appalachia, United States, were the site for this research study that examined the prevalence of bullying among children. A convenience sample of students in grades 3 through 8 completed the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Results found that of the 192 students included in this study, 158 children (82.3%) reported experiencing some form of bullying at least once in the past three months. This prevalence rate is substantially higher than the figures reported in other U.S. studies. Such a significant finding may confirm that school bullying is a bigger problem in rural communities than in urban areas. Given variations in the definition of bullying and measures of frequency, comparisons to other studies should be made cautiously. Instead, this finding should be viewed as a validation for further research rather than as a definitive conclusion.

Prevalence and Bullying Experiences of Victims and Victims Who Become Bullies (Bully-Victims) at Rural Schools

Abstract One of the most significant findings of school bullying research is the identification of bully-victims, or those students who are both bully and bullied. While researchers have hypothesized that this group has unique characteristics and experiences, limited research compares the perceptions and bullying experiences of this group to those of bullied children who do not bully others. This study seeks to fill such a research gap by contrasting the characteristics and bullying experiences of victims and bully-victims. Among 192 children at rural elementary and middle schools, 31 percent are victims while 11.5 percent are bully-victims. Based on chi-square and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) comparisons of bullying victimization, bully-victims experience more total bullying. They are also more likely to experience name-calling or teasing, physical assault, having money or items taken or damaged, and bullying based on race or color. They experience many of these behaviors with greater frequency than nonbullying victims. The authors discuss these findings and their implications for bullying research and antibullying interventions at rural schools.

School-Based Violence Prevention Programs

Abstract School violence in the United States is an issue of grave concern for educators, students, parents, and communities. Many schools have responded to the problem by initiating prevention interventions without empirical evidence of effectiveness, assuming it is better to do something rather than to do nothing. In some cases though, more harm than good may result when such intervention strategies and programs are implemented only for the sake of doing something in response to the problem. The literature review examines research on school violence and provides a review of selected school-based violence prevention programs with beginning empirical support of their effectiveness. The authors stress the importance of schools implementing school-based violence prevention programs that have produced empirical evidence of effectiveness.

Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare

The Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review of this constantly evolving field, featuring contributions from renowned national and international experts. Organized by major foundational areas within the social work curriculum, each volume includes cutting-edge information related to all aspects of the profession to guide practice and policy decision-making across the field. Social work researchers, educators, practitioners, and students will gain important insight as well as practical resources related to this dynamic profession.

Profile-Based Intervention: Developing Gender-Sensitive Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abusers

Objective To identify differential treatment profiles between genders among adolescent substance abusers and make treatment recommendations based on those profiles, if identified. Method The sample included 137 adolescents in a residential treatment facility. Psychosocial Problems and problem behaviors were examined using a cluster analysis of 23 variables. When differential profiles were identified, the literature was reviewed for treatment implications. Results: Important implications for treatment based on the profiles were identified and discussed. Conclusions The current study suggests that treatment for adolescent substance abusers should have different characteristics for each gender. The findings have important implications for micro, policy, and research practitioners.

Optimizing Treatment Effects for Substance-Abusing Women With Children: An Evaluation of the Susan B. Anthony Center

Substance abuse among women is a significant national problem. Historically, the treatment of this condition has been difficult, but it has been even more challenging when the woman in treatment has had children. This article reports the results of an evaluation of the Susan B. Anthony Center (SBAC), a residential treatment facility for recovering women and their children. Researchers studied outcomes for 41 women who were first treated in a detoxification program, then referred to either SBAC or a day treatment program. Although random assignment to groups was not possible, the groups were comparable on four major demographic variables. The SBAC groups reported better outcomes on three psychosocial variables: abstinence, arrest, and employment. They improved their total score on the Functional Assessment Rating Scale substantially more than did the comparison group. Consumer satisfaction was also high.

Steering Currents for the Future of Social Work

In considering the future of the social work profession, three influences must clearly be considered: increasing cultural diversity, expanding technological development, and managed care. Although the profession of social work has responded successfully to many challenges in the years since its inception, it has faced perhaps no greater challenges than these. As the diversity of the population of the United States increases, social workers must respond with flexibility and openness. As the already burgeoning field of electronic technology continues to enhance information storage and processing, communication, and perhaps even therapeutic processes, social workers must be willing to learn, adapt, and implement.

Social Work Education: Status Quo or Change?.

The authors believe that Stoesz and Karger did not go far enough in their critique. The struggling state of the profession and of social work education is symptomatic of a much larger and fundamental systemic problem that cannot be addressed solely by fixing the Council on Social Work Education or increasing requirements for Social Science Citation Index publications. Social work must build a broad-based capacity for rigorous scientific inquiry and train the next generation of faculty researchers and practitioners to carry on this essential work.

“Hotspots” for Bullying

Abstract Bullying is a chronic and ubiquitous problem that has ignited concern about childrens safety at school. Most studies completed thus far have focused on the interpersonal psychological characteristics of bully and victim, but little has been examined regarding common locations or hotspots for bullying. This study found location to be of import in that hotspots can be identified at each school and differ with regard to gender and grade. Schools can prevent and intercede more effectively with bullying if they can identify their particular hotspots, target those specific locations, and educate school personnel. Our full development of this area has yet to be achieved. Research is critically needed, in order to further understand hotspots, their relation to types of bullying behaviors, and their implication for prevention of bullying.

A review of PTSD and shame in military veterans

ABSTRACT Traumatic military experiences can create ethical dilemmas that result in moral injury. Moral injury is strongly correlated with interpersonal problems, social anxiety, isolation, depression, and suicide. Shame, considered the primary component of moral injury, amplifies the impact of trauma across every category. Shame relates to the trauma experience and is fortified by poor homecomings and the years following veterans’ return from battle. Self-criticism acts as a barrier to care and existing assessment and treatment procedures may require modification in order to be fully effective for treating moral injury.