Perry W. Benson

A Comparative International Analysis of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: A Survey of UK and US Social Workers

As service populations have changed, the social work profession in the UK and the US has attempted to respond to the needs of diverse cultures, which often include issues of religion and spirituality. This can be problematic, however, due to the extrication of religious and spiritual concerns from the public social services that resulted from the process of secularization. Members of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in the US were sampled to explore the attitudes and perceptions of social workers regarding the placement of religion and spirituality in practice and education. In general, US social workers in this sample were more accepting of religion and spirituality than their UK counterparts, even among those respondents who expressed non‐religious world views (e.g. atheism). A majority of the respondents in the UK (76%) and the US (73%) indicated that their training programs lacked content on religion and spirituality. In the UK, 57% of the respondents believed that social workers should increase their knowledge on spirituality, compared with 90% of the US respondents. The lower level of acceptance of religion and spirituality among UK social workers may be related to higher levels of secularism in UK society.

Characteristics of childhood sexual abuse in lesbians and heterosexual women

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a strong predictor of adverse physical and mental health outcomes (Koenig, Doll, O’Leary, & Pequegnat, 2004; Lalor & McElvaney, 2010). Recent research has found that CSA is reported more frequently by lesbians than by heterosexual women (Austin et al., 2008; Balsam, Rothblum, & Beauchaine, 2005; Stoddard, Dibble, & Fineman, 2009). Possible reasons for lesbians’ higher CSA rates include childhood maltreatment (e.g., physical and sexual abuse) because of gender atypical behavior (Tjaden, Thoennes, & Allison, 1999), and involvement in behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, running away from home) that increase risks of sexual victimization, following family and peer rejection due to same-gender orientation (Ryan, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2009). More limited research suggests that lesbians may also experience more severe CSA than heterosexual women. Austin and colleagues (2008) and Balsam and colleagues (2005) found that lesbians exceeded heterosexuals to a greater extent in reports of more severe forms of CSA (e.g., forced sexual activity) than in reports of less severe forms (e.g., sexual touching). Hughes, Johnson, and Wilsnack (2001) found that lesbians reported more different types of CSA experiences than heterosexual women. Understanding CSA severity is important because the few studies that assessed CSA severity found a “dose-response” relationship between severity (e.g., genital CSA, physical coercion) and adverse outcomes (Bulik, Prescott, & Kendler, 2001; Zink, Klesges, Stevens, & Decker, 2009). Previous research is inconclusive about perpetrator characteristics that might be severity indicators. Some studies have found more negative long-term outcomes following abuse by a father figure (Casey & Nurius, 2005; Ketring & Feinauer, 1999) or by perpetrators who are strangers or authority figures, caretakers, or parents’ friends (Zink et al., 2009). Tomeo and colleagues (2001) found that lesbians were more likely than heterosexual women to be abused by a female perpetrator (cf. Stoddard et al., 2009). Although this research is neither extensive nor consistent enough to suggest specific hypotheses, we present descriptive information about CSA perpetrators for comparison with previous findings. Higher rates of CSA among lesbians may be at least partly related to their greater willingness to acknowledge this experience. In coming to terms with their sexual orientation, sexual minority women often spend considerable time reflecting about identity and authenticity. Research suggests that the majority of lesbians have been in therapy or counseling (Cochran, Sullivan, & Mays, 2003), which may increase their awareness of and comfort about disclosing painful and stigmatized experiences, including CSA. The present study tests the hypothesis that, among women reporting CSA, lesbians will report more severe CSA than heterosexual women. Because information is limited about CSA perpetrators among sexual minority women, we also present descriptive information about perpetrators reported by samples of lesbians and heterosexual women. Finally, we present exploratory analyses of associations between psychotherapy experience and self-perception of CSA among women who meet researcher-defined criteria for CSA.

An International Analysis of the Role of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice

As service populations have changed, social workers in Norway and the United States have attempted to respond to the needs of diverse cultures, which often include issues of religion and spirituality. Members of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO) and the U.S. National Association of Social Workers (NASW) were sampled to explore attitudes and perceptions of social workers regarding the placement of religion and spirituality in practice. In general, U.S. social workers were more accepting of religion and spirituality than their Norwegian colleagues. Factors such as secularism, functional differences of church and state relations, and different historical trajectories in the social work professions development in both countries may contribute to differences between the U.S. and Norway.

Religion and spirituality in social work practice and education in a cross-cultural context: findings from a Norwegian and UK study

As service populations have changed, social workers in Norway and the UK have responded to the needs of diverse cultures, which often include issues of religion and spirituality. Members of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO) and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) were sampled to explore attitudes regarding the placement of religion and spirituality in practice and education. UK workers were generally more accepting of religion and spirituality than their Norwegian colleagues. Factors such as secularism, differences in the educational systems, and different historical trajectories in the professions development may contribute to differences between the UK and Norway. The authors recommend additional research in each country regarding the role of religion and spirituality in social work education and practice, the general culture, the bureaucratic delivery of social services, client and social worker interactions, and in the stratification of social class.

Validating a Hazardous Drinking Index in a Sample of Sexual Minority Women: Reliability, Validity, and Predictive Accuracy

ABSTRACT Background: Although sexual minority women (SMW) are at increased risk of hazardous drinking (HD), efforts to validate HD measures have yet to focus on this population. Objectives: Validation of a 13-item Hazardous Drinking Index (HDI) in a large sample of SMW. Methods: Data were from 700 adult SMW (age 18-82) enrolled in the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study. Criterion measures included counts of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, average daily and 30-day ethanol consumption, risky sexual behavior, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) measures of alcohol abuse/dependence. Analyses included assessment of internal consistency, construction of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to predict alcohol abuse/dependence, and correlations between HDI and criterion measures. We compared the psychometric properties (diagnostic accuracy and correlates of hazardous drinking) of the HDI to the commonly used CAGE instrument. Results: KR-20 reliability for the HDI was 0.80, compared to 0.74 for the CAGE. Predictive accuracy, as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for alcohol abuse/dependence, was HDI: 0.89; CAGE: 0.84. The HDI evidenced the best predictive efficacy and tradeoff between sensitivity and specificity. Results supported the concurrent validity of the HDI measure. Conclusions: The Hazardous Drinking Index is a reliable and valid measure of hazardous drinking for sexual minority women.

A comparative analysis of Norwegian and American social workers’ views about inclusion of religion and spirituality in social work

ABSTRACT This article presents results from a comparative analysis of national surveys of Norwegian and American social workers’ views and practice with regard to inclusion of religion and spirituality in their professional work with clients. Findings include views about professional values, educational preparation, raising the topics of religion and spirituality with clients experiencing oppression, and use of related interventions. Overall, American social workers are more likely to address religion and spirituality than Norwegians. International comparative statistical and conceptual analyses consider influences of differences in practice settings, respondents’ age and length of experience, and cultural contexts.