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The role of social workers in political activism has been characterized with ambivalence, and few studies have addressed political activism within the social work academic setting. The purpose of the current study was to explore how social work educators responded to the war with Iraq from an educational perspective as well as a personal perspective. Undergraduate social work faculty (N = 65) from accredited social work programs in each state throughout the USA completed a brief quantitative survey via email about the war with Iraq including the following topics: educational responses; personal responses; personal views; academic freedom; and demographic data. Findings revealed that 70% of respondents felt that social work faculty had a responsibility to educate students about the war with Iraq, however, only 36% of respondents felt that social work faculty had a responsibility to advocate for or against the war with Iraq. The majority of the faculty surveyed incorporated the war with Iraq in their class activities (88%) and participated in war activities outside of class on their own campus (80%). A significant minority of faculty felt restricted by their institution from expressing their views of the war with Iraq during class time (14%) and on their own campus (17%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses African Americans, their being representative of one-third of all cumulative AIDS cases in the U. S., and how prevention and treatment have continued to be problematic because of a general distrust of mainstream social services. Traditional middle class European American intervention treatment models do not consider the barriers to prevention and intervention facing African Americans. Research has emphasized the need for promoting prosocial motives, including re-entry into a moral community, renewed spirituality, self-esteem, and establishment of one's role in the family.

The governing body of international social work, the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), provides ethical standards by which social workers around the globe are to abide. In terms of political activism, IFSW lays out guidelines that state that member associations are responsible for promoting debate, education and research regarding ethical questions (Healy, 2001). Furthermore, in terms of social work standards for agencies and organizations, it states that if necessary remedies are not achieved after channels have been exhausted, appropriate appeals to higher authorities or the wider community interest should be initiated (Healy, 2001). Therefore, social workers are encouraged to get involved in political activism. Issues that were once viewed as local or national are now being recognized as global issues impacting all levels of society (Lyons, 2006). However, many writers have documented how social workers have abandoned their mission of social and political action for a more clinical or therapeutic approach with clients (Gil, 1990; Hawkins et al., 2001; Schriver, 1987; Specht and Courtney, 1994), and how radical social work has changed paradigms in the current social work framework (Fook, 1993; Healy and Leonard, 2000; Leonard, 1995, 1996). Another issue of consideration is that many social workers who are employed by the government or seeking federal funds are hampered by real and perceived limits imposed by the federal government on their ability to engage in political activism, particularly when linked to the employment setting (Thompson, 1994). This may have an impact on social work educators who are employed by state-funded universities, seeking federally-funded grants or collaborating with federally-funded agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African American women involved in high-risk, substance use-related behaviors are affected by extremely high rates of HIV infection. While research has demonstrated that HIV is preventable, in order for prevention efforts to be successful in reducing disparities, perceptions of African American women who use crack cocaine need to be taken into account. This qualitative study presents results of eleven focus groups with eighty-nine African American women respondents presenting their perceptions of service needs and preferences for service delivery. The results indicate two important findings for social service providers: the respondents' lack of a perceived need for HIV prevention services as a spontaneously identified need, and respondents' desires for more basic services such as childcare, safe shelter, basic necessities, and especially substance abuse treatment before they could be approached about HIV prevention services. The findings are relevant for developing gender- and culture-specific prevention strategies to reduce the spread of HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on spiritual mechanisms underlying substance abuse behavior change in faith-based substance abuse treatment. Several definitions of faith-based organizations are being discussed. An integrative conceptual framework articulating connections between spiritual intervention components, behavior change processes and substance abuse outcomes is presented. Faith-based substance abuse treatment programs concerns the distinction between religion and spirituality. The article states that the ecological perspective and the model of social work practice provide for the incorporation of the element of personal spirituality, and therefore spiritual change, in viewing any individual presenting for services. A number of human and social service organizations have been addressed by faith-based programs. It has been found that religious or spiritual involvement may serve as a protective factor against the development of substance abuse problems. During substance abuse treatment some spiritual changes occur and substance abuse interventions may be effective for those for whom religion or spirituality is salient.

This study explores the impact of managed care on the substance abuse service system by reviewing the current status of the programs that were among the elite service providers in 1988. A survey was conducted assessing the status of the one hundred centers touted as "the 100 best treatment centers for alcoholism and drug abuse" (Sunshine & Wright, 1988). Findings include the following: Almost a third of these centers (31 %) are no longer providing services, the majority of the programs who reported data continue to provide services primarily at a residential level of care (92%); however occupancy rates haye dropped, the number of annual inpatient admissions have risen, and the length of treatment episodes has significantly decreased. In 1988, almost all (97.5%) facilities adhered to the 28-day treatment regiment, as evidenced by average treatment episodes of 26 days or longer. However, in 2001, the majority of programs (57.5%) reported treatment episodes of 25 days or less. While these facilities represent a fraction of the number of facilities that provide substance abuse services, they do exemplify elite programs that should be insulated from economic troubles, and help to document the changes that have occurred in the delivery system. Awareness of these changes is important for every social worker that advocates for substance abuse services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of beliefs and attitudes on poverty and housing is important to researchers and social workers interested in examining the role that belief structures have on the development of policy and programs in these areas. This article reports pilot study findings of a new scale, The Poverty and Housing Scale (PHS), that measures this concept and evaluates its psychometric properties. Preliminary reliability was in the very good range. Examinations of content and face validity provided support of the instrument as a valid measure of beliefs and attitudes on poverty and housing. The factor analysis emerged a one factor, 13-item scale. Unlike other related scales, the PHS attempts to link the social factor of poverty and housing together. Theoretical and methodological strengths and weaknesses are considered and the implications for social work practice are discussed. The authors provide recommendations for additional testing of the instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides information on harm reduction, a recent development in substance abuse services in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The author outlines abstinence and harm reduction perspectives and the stages of change model and discusses how these perspectives can be integrated in social work practice. He proposes using harm reduction strategies for individuals for whom the abstinence perspective may not be appropriate. Together, the traditional abstinence and harm reduction perspectives provide a basis for a more comprehensive continuum of care for individuals experiencing problems related to their substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is estimated that approximately half of all new HIV infections are related to injection drug use (Holmberg, 1996), as used syringes can harbor blood with traces of viable HIV for over 4 weeks (Abdala, Stephens, Griffith, & Heimer, 1999). Due to this concern, Syringe Exchange Programs (SEPs) and other related HIV prevention programs for active injection drug users have been developed and expanded in many urban areas of the United States over the past 15 years. Based on the Harm Reduction model of service provision, SEPs seek to reduce the harm associated with injection drug use through the elimination of the primary means by which HIV risk is spread, the shared syringe. Despite extensive research supporting the efficacy of SEPs, significant barriers exist to the delivery of these services, as SEPs are often viewed as being outside the traditional continuum of care for HIV/AIDS and/or substance abuse. All social workers involved in HIV/AIDS services should be aware of these programs and continued expansion and integration with other HIV/AIDS services should be a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]