Scott E. Wilks

Perceived stress and resilience in Alzheimer's disease caregivers: Testing moderation and mediation models of social support

Objective: The study examined whether social support functioned as a protective, resilience factor among Alzheimers disease (AD) caregivers. Moderation and mediation models were used to test social support amid stress and resilience. Method: A cross-sectional analysis of self-reported data was conducted. Measures of demographics, perceived stress, family support, friend support, overall social support, and resilience were administered to caregiver attendees (N = 229) of two AD caregiver conferences. Hierarchical regression analysis showed the compounded impact of predictors on resilience. Odds ratios generated probability of high resilience given high stress and social supports. Social support moderation and mediation were tested via distinct series of regression equations. Path analyses illustrated effects on the models for significant moderation and/or mediation. Results: Stress negatively influenced and accounted for most variation in resilience. Social support positively influenced resilience, and caregivers with high family support had the highest probability of elevated resilience. Moderation was observed among all support factors. No social support fulfilled the complete mediation criteria. Conclusion: Evidence of social support as a protective, moderating factor yields implications for health care practitioners who deliver services to assist AD caregivers, particularly the promotion of identification and utilization of supportive familial and peer relations.

Resilience in undergraduate social work students: Social support and adjustment to academic stress

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze the relationship between academic stress and resilience in American, undergraduate social work students (N = 145), and to identify whether social support functioned as a protective factor amid this relationship. Testing social support within models of mediation and moderation served this purpose. Surveys were submitted to three social work programs and solicited empirical data on academic stress; social support and two subsystems, family and friend support; and perceived resilience. The sample reported moderate levels of academic stress, social support, and resilience. Academic stress significantly (p < 0.05), negatively influenced social support and resilience. Social support systems exerted significant, positive influence with each other and with resilience. No social supports mediated the negative stress effect on resilience. Friend support moderated the academic stress–resilience relationship. Implications for social work educators and field agency practitioners regarding enhancement of supportive peer relationships among undergraduate students are discussed.

Social support and immunosuppressant therapy adherence among adult renal transplant recipients.

Chisholm‐Burns MA, Spivey CA, Wilks SE. Social support and immunosuppressant therapy adherence among adult renal transplant recipients.
Clin Transplant 2010: 24: 312–320.

Reference List Accuracy in Social Work Journals

This exploratory study investigated the rate of citation errors in the reference lists of five social work journals. High error rates have been found in journals in fields such as medicine and psychology but have not yet been investigated in social work journals. A stratified, computer-generated random sample was selected (N = 500, 100 per journal), and each reference was verified against the original work for accuracy in six fields: article title, author name(s), journal title, pagination, volume, and year. In examining the total sample of 500 references across the five journals, 206 references (41.2%) contained at least one error. Suggestions for reduction of error rates are discussed, as are suggestions for future study in this area.

Private prayer among Alzheimer's caregivers: mediating burden and resiliency.

ABSTRACT This study examined whether the coping method of private prayer served as a protective factor of resiliency among a sample (N = 304) of Alzheimers caregivers. Participants in caregiver support groups completed questionnaires that assessed a number of constructs, including caregiving burden; prayer frequency; use of private prayer as a means of coping; and perceived resiliency. The sample averaged a moderate level of burden and a great extent of prayer usage. Caregiving burden had positively affected the extent of prayer usage and negatively influenced perceived resiliency. Findings from hierarchical regression analysis showed that caregiving burden and private prayer significantly influenced variation in perceived resiliency scores. Results from a regression equation series and path analysis provided support for prayer as a mediator between burden and perceived resiliency. Implications for social work practice and education are discussed.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Shortened Resilience Scale Among Alzheimer's Caregivers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the shortened Resilience Scale (15-item version RS15) among a sample of Alzheimers caregivers. Self-reported data were collected from 229 participants at 2 Alzheimers caregiver conferences. RS15 principal axis factoring indicated a single-dimensional solution with all items loaded. Reliability was strong. Convergent validity for the RS15 was suggested through its correlations with stress, family suppport, and friend support. Odds ratios showed significant likelihoods of high resilience given low stress and high social support. The results confirmed the RS15 to be a psychometrically sound measure that can be used to appraise the efficacy of adaptability among Alzheimers caregivers.

Increasing Aging Content within the Social Work Curriculum: Perceptions of Key Constituents

Summary This mixed methodology study examines the perceptions of key constituents regarding methods for effectively integrating aging content into the foundation curriculum of the BSW and MSW program at the University of Georgia School of Social Work. Students were asked to complete a survey to determine their perception of geriatric content that existed within the foundation coursework. Following an analysis of the survey results, eight semistructured focus group discussions were conducted with a purposeful sample of students, faculty, field instructors, social work alumni, older adults from the community, and representatives from aging agencies. The intention of these focus groups was to find out what aging content should be infused within the curriculum. The focus group meetings were held in various locations throughout Northeast Georgia and in one remote location in South Georgia. Participants were interviewed about the necessary skills and knowledge for social workers practicing with an aging population in the areas of: essential intervention skills, program policies and regulations, critical information needed to develop client service plans, strategies for addressing service delivery fragmentation, and community collaboration to support intergenerational family needs. The results of this study will be discussed to provide suggestions on how existing foundation courses can integrate aging content.

Support for Alzheimer's Caregivers: Psychometric Evaluation of Familial and Friend Support Measures.

Objective: Information on the shortened, 20-item version of the Perceived Social Support Scale (S-PSSS) is scarce. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the S-PSSS Family (SSfa) and Friends (SSfr) subscales. Method: Because of their common coping method of social support, a cross-sectional sample of Alzheimer’s caregivers was relevant for this evaluation. Self-reported data were collected from 229 participants at two caregiver conferences. Results: Factor analysis on each measure indicated a three-factor solution with all items loaded. Reliability was satisfactory. Correlational analyses and odds ratios indicated preliminary construct validity for SSfa and SSfr. Conclusion: The S-PSSS subscales appear to be psychometrically appropriate for potential use in appraising family and friend support among Alzheimer’s caregivers.

Rotational Field Placements: Integrative Review and Application to Gerontological Social Work

Despite the long held social work tradition of year-long field placements, there is a growing trend among social work programs in the United States to include a rotational field placement (RFP) track, particularly for gerontology students. Through the RFP program, students rotate systematically between multiple placement sites within the academic school year. Inclusion of RFP models represents a decisive break from traditional field practicum models, raising fundamental questions with regards to educational outcomes and student experience. This article provides a comprehensive review of available empirical data on social work RFP programs, summarizing the benefits, risks and problem areas associated with such models as well as model design options and added structural supports social work programs have used to bolster the success of their RFP programs.

Burden among male Alzheimer's caregivers: effects of distinct coping strategies.

Focusing on the understudied, increasing population of male Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caregivers, the purpose of this study was to identify their likelihood of utilizing 3 coping strategies (task focused, emotion focused, and avoidance focused) and to examine the effects of each coping strategy on caregiving burden. Data were collected from 138 male AD caregivers in southern United States, including geographically proportional representation of African Americans in the sample. Stepwise regression revealed effects of each coping strategy on caregiving burden, controlling for demographics. The sample reported high burden. Task focused was the highest reported coping strategy. Yet, regression models indicated no significant effect of task-focused coping on burden outcomes. Emotion-focused and avoidance-focused coping each showed significant proportional effects on burden. Implications suggest that emotion- and avoidance-focused coping among male AD caregivers may be maladaptive, that is, reinforcing burden. Male AD caregivers may benefit from more task-focused coping, such as planning and active problem solving.