Kristen F. Bean

Evaluating the Productivity of Social Work Scholars Using the h-Index

Objectives: This article reports the first estimated h-index values for social work faculty. Methods: Multiple raters blindly assessed two samples of faculty (1) tenure-track faculty at institutions listed in the U.S. News and World Report top 10 (n = 337) and (2) tenure-track editorial board members of 5 highly ranked social work journals (n = 215). Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients for h-index values among the multiple raters ranged from .83 to .92, indicating good reliability. For faculty at top 10 institutions, mean estimated h-index values were 3.97 (SD = 2.87) for assistant professors; 8.59 (SD = 3.72) for associate professors; and 16.14 (SD = 8.35) for full professors. Values for editorial board members were generally similar. Conclusions: These are the first such published data; further research is needed.

The Impact of Housing First and Peer Support on People Who Are Medically Vulnerable and Homeless

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a local initiative, Project H3, which used housing first, harm reduction, and peer support models to provide housing for 47 homeless people who were medically vulnerable. METHOD Comparisons of interviews with participants who were housed at the day of their move-in, and 6-months and 12-months after their move-in, were conducted. RESULTS Ninety-eight percent of the participants remained in housing after 12 months. Individuals who were housed reported significant increases in their access to and utilization of planned health care services and quality of life, and reductions in their involvement in the criminal justice system. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Housing first, harm reduction, and peer support models demonstrate effectiveness in decreasing substance use and improving the quality of life of people who are homeless over time.

The Relationship Between Environment, Efficacy Beliefs, and Academic Achievement of Low-Income African American Children in Special Education

African American students are overrepresented in special education. Ecological systems theory, social cognitive theory, and a literature review demonstrate that childrens environments, particularly school, and self-efficacy impact the educational outcomes of African American children. Interventions have aimed to improve childrens environmental resources and efficacy. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of environment, efficacy beliefs, and the Nurse–Family Partnership intervention on the educational achievements of African American children in special education. A secondary data analysis of 126 African American children in special education found that self-efficacy and the number of hours spent in special education were associated with their academic achievement.

Knowledge of undisclosed corporate authorship ("ghostwriting") reduces the perceived credibility of antidepressant research: a randomized vignette study with experienced nurses

BackgroundThere is much concern regarding undisclosed corporate authorship (“ghostwriting”) in the peer-reviewed medical literature. However, there are no studies of how disclosure of ghostwriting alone impacts the perceived credibility of research results.FindingsWe conducted a randomized vignette study with experienced nurses (n = 67), using a fictional study of antidepressant medication. The vignette described a randomized controlled trial and gave efficacy and adverse effect rates. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two authorship conditions, either (a) traditional authorship (n = 35) or (b) ghostwritten paper (n = 32), and then completed a perceived credibility scale. Our primary hypothesis was that the median perceived credibility score total would be lower in the group assigned to the ghostwritten paper. Our secondary hypotheses were that participants randomized to the ghostwritten condition would be less likely to (a) recommend the medication, and (b) want the psychiatrist in the vignette as their own clinician. We also asked respondents to estimate efficacy and adverse effect rates for the medication.There was a statistically significant difference in perceived credibility among those assigned to the ghostwriting condition. This amounted to a difference of 9.0 points on the 35-point perceived credibility scale as tested through the Mann–Whitney U test. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of recommending the medication, wanting the featured clinician as their own, or in estimates of efficacy or adverse effects (p > .05 for all such comparisons).ConclusionIn this study, disclosure of ghostwriting resulted in lower perceived credibility ratings.