Lynn C. Holley

Spirituality as a Coping Resource

Abstract Qualitative findings from face-to-face interviews of a subset of participants in a large quantitative study are used to explore the perspectives of 10 professional Black women (PBW) regarding their definitions of spirituality and their experiences using this resource to cope with work-related stress. Findings include that many PBW do not differentiate between spirituality and religion and that they utilize spirituality-particularly prayer, meditation, and inspirational readings-to gain personal strength, inner peace, and guidance and to reflect on and reappraise stressful situations in the workplace. Further, many PBW view spirituality as a problem-focused, rather than an emotion-focused, coping strategy. Implications for social work practice and future research are offered.

She was family: Women of color and animal-human connections

Most families with companion animals regard them as family members, and affectionate relationships with pets can enhance health. Research suggests that these relationships are complicated and vary, depending on many factors, including ethnicity, but there has been little research on animal-human relationships in communities of color in the United States. This qualitative study explored beliefs about and experiences with companion animals of women of color. A central theme that emerged was the reciprocity that existed in womens relationships with their animals. A model for understanding multiple influences on womens views about animals and implications for research and practice are offered.

“It’s Not Scary” Empowering Women Students to Become Researchers

To increase their research skills and confidence, students in a nonresearch-focused elective MSW course gathered qualitative data through cross-ethnic interviews for a formal research project. Qualitative findings from a focus group of students were used to examine the perspectives of the students, all but one of whom were women, about (a) changes in their knowledge of and attitudes toward research, (b) the struggles they experienced, and (c) whether such projects should be integrated into other courses. Implications for social work educators who are seeking to empower social work students, especially women, to conduct research are discussed.

Evaluating Teaching: Listening to Students while Acknowledging Bias.

Despite questions about their reliability and validity, student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are a primary measure of instructor performance. The current study examines SETs, including a thorough list of potentially relevant variables. The findings suggest that how much students perceive they learned in a course is an important predictor of SET scores. Further, a number of variables outside of the instructors control appear to introduce bias into SETs. Nonetheless, social work norms imply the necessity of seeking input from students. Suggestions are given for possible methods of dealing with this dilemma, and for needed future research.

Career Decisions and Experiences of Social Work Faculty: A Gender Comparison.

This study uses quantitative and qualitative findings from a mail and online questionnaire to examine the experiences and perspectives of 76 doctoral-degreed social work faculty about the factors that affected their career decisions. The authors discuss similarities and differences between women and men in job-related decision making. Respondent perceptions of gender-related barriers and organizational supports when working toward career goals are presented and implications for social work education programs are explored.

Combining caregiving and career: Experiences of social work faculty

This article explores the findings from a survey of 75 social work faculty with doctoral degrees about the family and caregiving factors that affected their career decisions and experiences. Qualitative analyses indicated that both the women and the men had family- and caregiving-related concerns that pertained primarily to the regular care of children but also to the care of individuals with disabilities and of frail elders. Forty-seven percent of the participants described helpful family-related university policies, and 28% described institutional barriers to achieving their career goals. Suggestions for creating family-friendly institutions are presented.

“They're There for You”: Men's Relationships With Companion Animals

Most people in the United States living with companion animals consider them family members (GfK Roper, 2009), however little is known about what this means. This study explores the beliefs about and experiences with companion animals of 12 men from various ethnic and social class groups, national origins, and geographic settings. Findings include that most men considered their pets to be members of the family, though not necessarily on a par with human members. Mens attitudes and relationships appeared to vary by race/ethnicity, social class, type of geographic community, and national origin. Implications are offered for social work practice and research so that social workers might develop more accurate assessments and effective interventions by taking these relationships into account.

Racism and Classism in the Youth Justice System: Perspectives of Youth and Staff

ABSTRACT Although numerous quantitative studies have examined racial disparity in the youth justice system, studies have ignored the perspectives of youth about whether racism exists within the system. This study used focus groups with system staff and focus groups and individual interviews with system-involved youth of color to explore perceptions of race and class bias within one states youth justice system. Findings indicate that the majority of both staff and youth perceive that race and class bias are present, and that staff demonstrated apparently unintentional racism and classism during the focus groups. Implications for research and for addressing individual and institutional racism and classism are offered.

Mental Illness Discrimination in Mental Health Treatment Programs: Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Sexual Orientation

People with mental illnesses (PWMI) who are of color and/or lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) experience mental health disparities, including within mental health treatment programs (MHTPs). Informed by a critical framework with attention to intersectionality and microaggressions, this qualitative study asked 20 PWMI and family members who also are of color and/or LGB whether they had experienced mental illness discrimination in MHTPs, a possible factor in disparities. We also asked participants about aspects of MHTPs that supported recovery. Participants reported that they were ignored/not listened to, not viewed as complex individuals, experienced condescension/lack of respect and violations of privacy or other rights, and were presumed to lack intelligence. In addition, identifying mental illness discrimination was complex due to intersections of identities. Despite these perceptions of discrimination, participants described supportive aspects of MHTPs. Implications for practice and research are offered.

Social Work Faculty and Mental Illness Stigma

ABSTRACT Stigma is a significant barrier to recovery and full community inclusion for people with mental illnesses. Social work educators can play critical roles in addressing this stigma, yet little is known about their attitudes. Social work educators were surveyed about their general attitudes about people with mental illnesses, attitudes about practice with people with mental illnesses, and attitudes about students with mental illnesses. On average, educators’ general and practice attitudes were not negative. However, respondents did view a student with a mental illness differently from a “typical social work student.” Findings suggest that we, as social work educators, must raise our awareness and address our own attitudes to support students and uphold our social work values.