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The purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of social work services in a large public medical center serving an impoverished multicultural population. This monitoring evaluation was developed and conducted within the context of a research collaboration between a School of Social Work and a team of clinical workers, supervisors, and administrators from the social work department of the medical center. The paper includes a description of the development of the assessment instrument as well as the findings, including the categories of sociodemographics, assessments, and services delivered by medical social workers. Conclusions emphasize the degree of anxiety and depression in the patients and their families and the need for clinical social workers to be skilled in the multicultural assessment and treatment of these problems. This need is then put into the context of the current health care climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the long-term (18-22 month) follow-up outcomes of a previously published controlled study of cognitive-behavioral social group work treatment of patients experiencing chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the efficacy of a structured group treatment for the management of chronic pain. The author remarks that the importance of using random assignment with appropriate outcome measures, of attending to clinical as well as statistical significance, and of follow-up to assess the permanent effects of interventions have been stressed. The rationale for development of this model is based on the fact that chronic pain, in spite of its severity and prevalence, has not been recognized sufficiently by social workers. Development and evaluation of social work treatment models for chronic pain are lacking in spite of research studies that indicate that cognitive-behavioral strategies are frequently successful in improving clients' subjective perceptions of pain and functioning, although they do not directly address environmental factors and issues of secondary gain. Results of the pilot study indicated that clients made statistically significant improvements in levels of physical and psychosocial dysfunction and negative mood states while not significantly changing their perceived levels of pain.

This article describes a short term psychoeducational group for low-income Latina mothers with HIV-infection who were undergoing treatment in an outpatient medical setting. Issues involved in recruitment and planning for the group are discussed as well as the predominant clinical issues raised by the mothers. The need for special attention to women in poverty is addressed and suggestions are offered for further development of this group model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The stressful effects of both poverty and racism contribute to the fact that heart disease is a leading cause of death for poor and minority populations. In spite of this, there is an absence of reported psychosocial interventions with these vulnerable populations. This paper describes a structured group treatment model based on cognitive-behavioral interventions for lower SES Anglo, Black, and Hispanic patients who have had a heart attack. The rationale for using this approach is developed through a review of the literature, and the treatment strategy is described in some detail. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

No abstract available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

No abstract available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

No abstract available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Spouses of patients with chronic pain face major challenges in learning to cope with the subsequent changes that occur in family life. This study examined the impact of those changes on the chronic pain patient's spouse, examining the extent and severity of psychosocial adjustment problems and the relationship of social support to the level of adjustment. For the twenty spouses in the study, results indicated that they were adversely impacted in multiple areas of their lives and that high levels of perceived partner support were related to better psychosocial adjustment. A multidimensional assessment instrument is evaluated for clinicians and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]