Search

The two aims of this study were to: 1) identify the 100 most impactful contributors to English-language gerontological journals, and 2) map their respective disciplinary affiliations to help illuminate the perspectives shaping gerontological discourse. Toward that end, we conducted a secondary data analysis of a publicly available database of the world's leading scientists. After extracting all scientists in the gerontological category, we rank ordered them according to a composite measure of scholarly impact that controls for self-citations and author order while also calculating other bibliometric statistics. Disciplinary affiliations were assigned based upon the Classification of Instructional Programs codes developed by the National Center for Education Statistics at the United States Department of Education. The results reveal the mean contributor to the gerontological literature published 241.15 ( SD  = 203.95) papers and - after correcting for self-citations - had an h-index of 50.05 ( SD  = 25.00), and an hm-index 23.67 ( SD  = 7.50). A diverse array of professional affiliations characterized the contributors with a plurality being located in the health professions category, followed by the biological and biomedical science, and social sciences categories. The results reveal that gerontology is home to some of the world's leading scientists. Leveraging their expertise can help advance the field's collective knowledge development.

Despite the growing size of the American Muslim community, little research exists on the provision of culturally relevant services to members of this population. The purpose of this study was to identify American Muslims' perceptions regarding what practitioners should know about Muslims and Islamic culture to provide successful mental health services to members of this community. To conduct this study, a purposive snowball sampling method was employed to obtain a national sample of community-dwelling American Muslims (N = 213). Qualitative analysis identified eight interlaced themes, which can be summarized as follows: (1) know basic Islamic beliefs, (2) recognize intragroup ethnic/cultural differences, (3) develop self-awareness of personal biases, (4) respect Islamic gender roles, (5) avoid making assumptions, (6) use Islamic beliefs/practices as strengths, (7) understand bias in the larger secular culture, and (8) consult with Muslim therapists/Imams. The findings equip practitioners with the information they need to provide effective, culturally relevant services to members of the unique American Muslim community from a posture of respect and cultural humility., (© 2023 National Association of Social Workers.)

Hate crimes against members of the Jewish community have increased dramatically over the past few years. According to federal data, the number of hate crimes directed at Jews now appears to exceed those directed at many, if not most, minority groups. Yet, despite the number of hate crimes aimed at Jews, little recent scholarship has considered the issue of anti-Semitism. To address this gap in the profession's literature, this article examines the issue of anti-Semitism in the United States. Toward that end, the Jewish population is described and data on anti-Semitism are reviewed along with factors that contribute to this prejudice. The article concludes by discussing strategies that social work educators, practitioners, and researchers might pursue to help create a more socially just society for the Jewish community in the United States and elsewhere. For instance, social workers might seek to address spiritual microaggressions aimed at members of the Jewish community. As part of this process, social workers might help create a culture that respects religious freedom, a fundamental human right, and advocate for equitable portrayals of Jewish people and perspectives in diverse media. Particular attention should be paid to Orthodox Jews, who are often targets of anti-Semitism., (© 2021 National Association of Social Workers.)

This study examined the relationship between eight dimensions of spirituality (and religion) and people with four different types of disability status: hearing, vision, physical mobility, and emotional or mental disabilities. The overarching aim was to identify specific spiritual-religious profiles within each disability population relative to the general population. To conduct this cross-sectional examination, the authors used nationally representative data from the General Social Survey in the United States. The results reveal unique spiritual and religious profiles across the four types of disability status examined, although people with emotional or mental disabilities may have the most distinct profile. Compared with their counterparts among the general public, people with hearing, physical, and emotional disabilities were more likely to report praying several times a day; people with all four types of disability were more likely to report having a turning point when they became less committed to religion. Understanding which spiritual and religious dimensions are disproportionately more likely to exist among a given population with a particular disability helps practitioners provide more effective services to members of that group., (© 2018 National Association of Social Workers.)

Objectives: This study identified the prevalence of depression and tested the influence of acculturation and family dynamics on depressive symptoms, among a community sample of older Chinese Americans., Method: Data came from a survey of 385 Chinese Americans aged 55 and older (Mage = 72.4 years, SD = 8.7) living in a large metropolitan area in the American Southwest. The survey was administered in 2013 through face-to-face interviews. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 12-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale., Results: Approximately 19.5% of the sample reported mild depressive symptoms and an additional 8.5% reported moderate depressive symptoms. Three-step hierarchical regression analyses indicated that smaller family support network size and more family conflict were risk factors for depressive symptoms. The effect of acculturation was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms after controlling for family dynamics., Discussion: Family support and conflict play a prominent role in explaining depressive symptoms among Chinese American older adults. The effect of acculturation is minimal when older adults have supportive families and good health. Interventions or services aimed at promoting family harmony for members of this population should be considered.

Hijab or veiling is commonly practiced by Muslim women but remains controversial in the broader secular society. Some Western feminists argue that veiling is an oppressive behavior that negatively affects women by, for example, engendering depression. This article tests this hypothesis with a national sample of American Muslim women (N = 194). The results of the regression analysis did not support the hypothesis. Indeed, women who veiled more frequently reported lower, rather than higher, levels of depressive symptoms. In other words, wearing the hijab appears to be a protective factor in the area of depression. Given the prevalence of depression among women, the results have important implications for practice with Muslim women at both the micro and the macro levels., (© 2017 National Association of Social Workers.)

Depression is a widespread challenge that affects people in all cultures. Yet, despite the growth of the Muslim population in the United States, little research has been conducted on this topic with members of this cultural group. To address this gap in the literature, the present study examines the effect of discrimination and spirituality on depression with a sample of self-identified Muslims (N = 269). Consistent with our expectations, discrimination was a risk factor and spirituality was a protective factor. For instance, Muslims who reported being called offensive names were more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 3.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.82, 6.32) to report clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms compared with those who were not called offensive names, whereas saying daily prayers was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting elevated levels of symptoms (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55, 0.97). The article concludes with a discussion of the implication of the results as they intersect social work practice and of avenues for future research.

This study validates an existing spirituality measure--the intrinsic spirituality scale (ISS)--for use with Muslims in the United States. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with a diverse sample of self-identified Muslims (N = 281). Validity and reliability were assessed along with criterion and concurrent validity. The measurement model fit the data well, normed χ2 = 2.50, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.07, and SRMR = 0.02. All 6 items that comprise the ISS demonstrated satisfactory levels of validity (λ > .70) and reliability (R2 > .50). The Cronbach's alpha obtained with the present sample was .93. Appropriate correlations with theoretically linked constructs demonstrated criterion and concurrent validity. The results suggest the ISS is a valid measure of spirituality in clinical settings with the rapidly growing Muslim population. The ISS may, for instance, provide an efficient screening tool to identify Muslims that are particularly likely to benefit from spiritually accommodative treatments., ((c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).)

Spirituality is instrumental to health and wellness in many American Indian (AI) cultures. Although the Joint Commission requires spiritual assessments to identify and address clients' spiritual needs during hospitalization, little is known about the operationalization of this process for American Indians (AIs). To address this gap in the literature, the present study employed a national sample of AIs (N = 1,281) to identify predictors of satisfaction with the manner in which their spiritual needs were addressed. The results suggest the discharge process, physicians, room quality, and nurses play important roles in satisfactorily addressing AIs' spiritual needs. Of these, the discharge process had the largest effect on satisfaction, underscoring the salience of social workers in addressing the spiritual needs of hospitalized AIs.

Purpose: Although spirituality is typically intertwined with health in Native cultures, little research has examined the relationship between American Indians' spiritual needs and overall satisfaction with service provision during hospitalization. This study examined this relationship, in tandem with the effects of 8 potential mediators, to develop a model of spiritual care for older hospitalized American Indians., Design and Methods: Structural equation modeling was used with a sample of American Indians (N = 860), aged 50 and older, who were consecutively discharged from hospitals across the United States over a 12-month period., Results: As posited, addressing spiritual needs was positively associated with overall satisfaction with service provision. The relationship between spiritual needs and satisfaction was fully mediated by 4 variables: nursing staff, the discharge process, physicians, and visitors., Implications: As the first study to develop and test a model of spiritual care for older hospitalized American Indians, this study provides practitioners with the information to provide more effective, culturally relevant services to older American Indians., (© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Human trafficking is a pressing social justice concern. Social work is uniquely situated to address this problem. However, despite the profession's commitment to social justice, the scholarship to equip social workers to address this issue has been largely absent from professional discourse. To address this gap, this article helps social work practitioners to assist victims of human trafficking. After orienting readers to the scope and process of human trafficking, the topics of victim identification, exit from trafficking, and the restoration of psychological wellness are discussed. By equipping themselves in these three areas, practitioners can advance social justice on behalf of some of the most exploited people in the world.

This study used stress coping theory to examine the effects of spirituality and religion on depression among a sample of Latino family members caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the United States. Participants consisted of 209 Latino caregivers (CGs) drawn from baseline data from the Resource for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregivers Health (REACH) II clinical trial. The findings indicate that church attendance moderates the relationship between subjective forms of stress and depression in tandem with exhibiting direct effects on depression. Consistent with the central role religion plays in Latino culture, the results imply that religious involvement may play an important role in mitigating depression through indirect and direct pathways.

Abrin is a heterodimeric toxin present in the seeds of the Abrus precatorius plant. The easily obtainable seeds can yield a highly toxic product that can be used in various types of biocrimes and terrorism-related activities, including "white-powder" letters. Although the vast majority of these threats are hoaxes, the lack of rapid and reliable detection assays for abrin, such as lateral flow assays (LFAs), can be an impediment to accurate and rapid hazard assessment. One of the complicating factors associated with LFAs is the use of antibodies of poor affinity and specificity that cross-react with near neighbors or that bind to plant lectins, which are capable of nonspecifically cross-linking the capture and detector antibodies. Because of the critical need to promote public safety and public health, we conducted a comprehensive laboratory evaluation of a commercial LFA for the rapid detection of abrin. This study was conducted using comprehensive inclusivity and exclusivity panels of abrin and near-neighbor plant materials, along with panels of lectins, related proteins, white powders, and environmental background material, to determine the sensitivity, specificity, limit of detection, dynamic range, and repeatability of the assay for the specific intended use of evaluating suspicious white powders and environmental samples for the presumptive presence of abrin.

Relatively little is known in terms of the relationship between religiosity profiles and adolescents' involvement in substance use, violence, and delinquency. Using a diverse sample of 17,705 (49 % female) adolescents from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, latent profile analysis and multinomial regression are employed to examine the relationships between latent religiosity classes and substance use, violence, and delinquency. Results revealed a five class solution. Classes were identified as religiously disengaged (10.76 %), religiously infrequent (23.59 %), privately religious (6.55 %), religious regulars (40.85 %), and religiously devoted (18.25 %). Membership in the religiously devoted class was associated with the decreased likelihood of participation in a variety of substance use behaviors as well as decreases in the likelihood of fighting and theft. To a lesser extent, membership in the religious regulars class was also associated with the decreased likelihood of substance use and fighting. However, membership in the religiously infrequent and privately religious classes was only associated with the decreased likelihood of marijuana use. Findings suggest that private religiosity alone does not serve to buffer youth effectively against involvement in problem behavior, but rather that it is the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic adolescent religiosity factors that is associated with participation in fewer problem behaviors.

Spiritual needs often emerge in the context of receiving health or behavioral health services. Yet, despite the prevalence and salience of spiritual needs in service provision, clients often report their spiritual needs are inadequately addressed. In light of research suggesting that most social workers have received minimal training in identifying spiritual needs, this study uses a qualitative meta-synthesis (N=11 studies) to identify and describe clients'perceptions of their spiritual needs in health care settings. The results revealed six interrelated themes: (1) meaning, purpose, and hope; (2) relationship with God; (3) spiritual practices; (4) religious obligations; (5) interpersonal connection; and (6) professional staff interactions. The implications of the findings are discussed as they intersect social work practice and education.

Although social work practitioners are increasingly likely to administer spiritual assessments with Native American clients, few qualitative assessment instruments have been validated with this population. This mixed-method study validates a complementary set of spiritual assessment instruments. Drawing on the social validity literature, a sample of experts in Native culture (N = 50) evaluated the instruments' cultural consistency, strengths, limitations, and areas needing improvement. Regarding the degree of congruence with Native American culture, verbally based spiritual histories ranked highest and diagrammatically oriented spiritual genograms ranked lowest, although all instruments demonstrated at least moderate levels of consistency with Native culture.The results also suggest that practitioners' level of spiritual competence plays a crucial role in ensuring the instruments are operationalized in a culturally appropriate manner.

This study signifies an initial step at giving family therapists an important assessment tool as they seek to increase cultural competence with Native American families and children. To determine the relevancy and consistency of utilizing a spiritual ecogram assessment tool with Native Americans, 50 Native American participants, with extensive experience with this population, reviewed, rated, and gave feedback on its use. Although some limitations were noted, results showed that spiritual ecograms were moderately consistent with Native American culture and, if used properly, can help family therapists develop culturally appropriate interventions with Native American families and children., (© 2011 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.)

At the turn of the century, the Joint Commission--the nation's largest health care accrediting organization--began requiring spiritual assessments in hospitals and many other mental health settings frequented by Native Americans. Despite high levels of service use, culturally unique forms of spirituality, and a history of oppression in mainstream settings, no research has explored how to best implement this new requirement with Native Americans. Accordingly, this mixed-method study asked recognized experts in Native American culture (N = 50) to identify the degree of cultural consistency, strengths, and limitations of the new assessment framework and a culturally valid question protocol to operationalize the requirements. The results indicate that the framework is moderately consistent with Native American culture, and a number of practice-oriented suggestions and tools are offered to implement the requirements in a culturally valid manner.

Mental health practitioners are increasingly called on to administer spiritual assessments with Native American clients, in spite of limited training on the topic. To help practitioners better understand the strengths and limitations of various assessment instruments from a Native perspective, this study used a sample of recognized experts in Native American culture (N = 50) to evaluate a complementary set of spiritual assessment instruments or tools. Specifically, each instrument's degree of consistency with Native culture was evaluated along with its strengths and limitations for use with Native clients. A brief overview of each instrument is provided, along with the results, to familiarize readers with a repertoire of spiritual assessment tools so that the most culturally appropriate method can be selected in a given clinical context.

Despite Census Bureau projections that youth from minority cultures will comprise the majority of the nation's youth in approximately a decade, little research has been conducted on culturally sensitive interventions (CSIs). Accordingly, this study sought to determine: (1) the effectiveness of CSIs designed to address health and behavioral health outcomes, (2) whether effectiveness varies depending on the class or type of outcome, and (3) whether race/ethnicity moderates effectiveness. The results suggest that CSIs (n = 21) are modestly effective (Hedges' g = .239, 95% C.I. = .139 to .339, p < .001). Effectiveness did not vary significantly by outcome class or by race/ethnicity. Especially in the latter case, however, the pattern of point estimates raises the possibility of moderation with an increase in power. Suggestions for future research conclude the article.

At best, mainstream mental health services are often ineffective with Native American clients, and, at worst, they are a vehicle for Western colonization. As such, the authors explore the notion of abandoning the Western therapeutic project and rebuilding the helping process on the basis of indigenous knowledge foundations. To this end, they discuss a Native perspective on wellness that emphasizes balance among the interconnected areas of spirit, body, mind, and context or environment. From this perspective, mental health is a product of balance and harmony among these four areas. The authors conclude with a discussion of the practice implications of this relationally based perspective in which practitioners target interventions toward improving balance and harmony.

Growing consensus exists regarding the importance of spiritual assessment. For instance, the largest health care accrediting body in the United States, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), now requires the administration of a spiritual assessment. Although most practitioners endorse the concept of spiritual assessment, studies suggest that social workers have received little training in spiritual assessment. To address this gap, the current article reviews the JCAHO requirements for conducting a spiritual assessment and provides practitioners with guidelines for its proper implementation. In addition to helping equip practitioners in JCAHO-accredited settings who may be required to perform such an assessment, the spiritual assessment template profiled in this article may also be of use to practitioners in other settings.

Increasingly, social workers are being called on to conduct spiritual assessments, yet few assessment methods have appeared in academic literature. This article reviews five complementary assessment approaches that have recently been developed to highlight different facets of clients' spiritual lives. Specifically, one verbal model, spiritual histories, is discussed, along with four diagrammatic approaches: spiritual lifemaps, spiritual genograms, spiritual ecomaps, and spiritual ecograms. An overview of each approach is provided along with a discussion of its relative strengths and limitations. The aim here is to familiarize readers with a repertoire of spiritual assessment tools so that the most appropriate assessment method in a given client-practitioner setting can be selected.

Emerging professional and cultural developments underscore the importance of spiritual assessment. Most marriage and family therapists, however, appear to have received little training on the topic. Consequently, this article overviews a complementary family of six recently developed qualitative assessment approaches or tools, an initial brief assessment tool and five comprehensive assessment tools, and presents a methodological framework for using the six tools. To help decide whether or not a comprehensive assessment is warranted after conducting an initial brief assessment, two general guidelines are offered. Suggestions for selecting the appropriate comprehensive assessment tool are also presented, and summarized graphically in the form of a decision tree. The overall methodological framework is designed to be congruent with the recent spiritual assessments recommendations issued by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the largest healthcare accrediting organization in the United States.

Some gay men, lesbians, and other progressives view orthodox religious believers as perpetrators of oppression. Conversely, many orthodox believers, or as they might self-identity, people of faith, believe that gay men, lesbians, and other progressives wish to marginalize people of faith. Using Hunter's epistemologically based distinction between progressive and orthodox worldviews to understand the differences in perceptions, this article explores how numerous people of faith understand reality as it intersects the issue of homosexuality, both in the wider culture and in social work. The author suggests that to provide effective services to an increasingly diverse society and to remain grounded in the Code of Ethics, social work must work toward a more inclusive profession that accepts both progressives and people of faith.

Despite the media attention focused on the Islamic community after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Muslims remain one of the most misunderstood populations in the United States. Few articles have appeared in the social work literature orienting practitioners to the Islamic community, and much of the mainstream media coverage misrepresents the population. This article reviews the basic beliefs, practices, and values that commonly characterize, or inform, the House of Islam in the United States. The organizations that embody and sustain the Muslim communities that constitute the House of Islam are profiled, and areas of possible value conflicts are examined. The article concludes by offering suggestions for integrating the article's themes into practice settings. Particular attention is given to enhancing cultural competence and to suggestions for spiritual assessment and interventions.

Although social work is witnessing growing interest in spiritual and religious issues, little guidance has appeared in the literature to assist practitioners in addressing the unique spirituality of rapidly increasing non-Western populations. This article discusses the significant cultural/spiritual beliefs, practices, and values of Hindus, the largest Asian religion in the United States. Possible conflicts emanating from the lack of congruence between the values of Hindu consumers, derived from the dharma--the sacred moral order--and the values of social workers, derived from a Western Enlightenment discourse, are highlighted. The author offers practice-oriented suggestions to facilitate cultural sensitivity and to further integrate the spiritual strengths of Hindus into the clinical dialogue.

This article argues that social work, informed by "new class" ideology, oppresses Evangelical Christians. The article discusses the rise of the "new class," along with its attendant ideology, which sanctions and legitimizes discrimination against Evangelicals and other people of faith. The role of social work, a "new class" profession, in the oppression of Evangelicals is profiled, and its inability to extend tolerance to this population is traced to its "new class" ideology, which inhibits it from functioning in accordance with its professed values and ethics. Consequently, the article suggests that social work is losing touch with numerous ethnic and religious minority groups, and unless the profession deconstructs the ideology that informs it, it will be unable to provide services to or facilitate dialogue among the increasingly diverse populations of North America.