Solving individual, group, or societal problems through social intervention in practice settings is a complex task. The extent to which this end is achieved depends heavily on the effectiveness of ...

Purpose: Thousands release from imprisonment every day but no specialized measures of progress during reentry exist beyond criminal risk. This study investigates a new measure of well-being during ...

Purpose: Bibliometric analysis has been widely adopted to measure individual productivity and discipline development. This study aims to advance the application of this method in the social work di...

Purpose: Authors discuss program theory and the crafting of long-term care based educational trainings, derived from implementing New Jersey’s mandated legislative policy. Method: This article appl...

Program theory reconstruction is an often-overlooked aspect of social intervention research. In this paper, we argue that intervention research benefits if the research design is informed by the sp...

Purpose: This impact evaluation report describes the effects of the “Parenting Program for Disadvantaged Families” in the Czech Republic. We provide a detailed look at the quantitative data on trea...

Objectives: This article describes the process used to adapt the only group-based, computer-assisted, HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention intervention designed for drug-using Black...

Objectives: To assess the effects of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) among maltreated children, and to examine the role of potential moderators. Methods: A search of eight data...

Purpose: This article focuses on the evaluation of youth empowerment projects from the perspective of the educators themselves. Method: HEBE Rubric (collects quantitative and qualitative data) was ...

Purpose: Few interventions focus on the unique developmental contexts specific to Black adolescent girls living in the United States. This article conducts a scoping review to identify intervention...

Simulation-based learning is important in social work education. Most common is human-based simulations. In recent years, computer-based simulations have emerged as alternative. A question is if co...

Purpose: This article reviews research work on special education needs in Greater China during the past 5 decades. Methods: All searches are done on online search engines to determine the (a) volum...

Purpose: This pre-pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessed a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI, “REMIND1.0”) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Twenty mental health service users were...

Purpose: Child neglect is prevalent in children's social work and assessing neglect is complex because it is multifaceted and opaque. This systematic review identifies and evaluates evidence of too...

Purpose: While stepped care trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (SC-TF-CBT) is an effective service delivery model, understanding predictors of Step One, a parent-led therapist-assisted tre...

Purpose: The study aimed to assess families’ resource use and to explore parents’ experiences of the Sofia model, a family-based intervention for parents with substance use disorder (SUD). Methods:...

Purpose: This study identified the top 100 most impactful global contributors to social work journal scholarship. Methods: To conduct this descriptive study, we used a publicly available database o...

Purpose: This study used a linear mixed model and descriptive analysis of quantitative, archival data to evaluate improvement among clients receiving graduate trainee-delivered individual psychothe...

Purpose: This paper examines differences in attitudes, stigma, and discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLWH) in needle and syringe programs (NSPs) in Kazakhstan to help inform HIV care i...

Objective: Kunjing children are children in need. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot trial to promote the self-recognition, self-efficacy, and confidence of kunjing children ...

Objective: To adapt and validate the original English version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-version for older adults (WHOQOL-OLD) in Igbo language, culture, and env...

Purpose: The current study seeks to investigate the extent to which factors such as income and child support along with relationship factors such as family structure and communication with the cust...

Purpose: Using situational leadership theory, this study examined the innovation of social workers in community-level social work institutions under different leadership styles. Methods: We conduct...

Purpose: Women engaged in sex work (WESW) who use drugs face barriers to HIV testing. HIV self-testing (HST) may empower sex workers to learn their HIV status; however, it is not scaled up among WE...

Purpose: This article provides a brief overview of social work regulation and the context surrounding calls for greater transparency of demographic data related to social work licensing exam pass r...

Purpose: Shifts in the rates of divorce, marriage, and childbirth are accompanied by shifts in rates of diverse family structures. The science to date is mixed on the predictors of father involveme...

We compare African-American and White clients receiving services at 13 rural and semi-rural community mental health agencies (CMHAs) and the impact of Medicaid on the use of crisis and outpatient s...

Purpose: Nonviolent communication (NVC) has been increasingly recognized as a potentially beneficial approach that could promote empathy, resolve conflicts, and improve psychosocial well-being. No ...

Incarcerated individuals, who are overrepresented among those infected with HIV, experience multiple barriers to optimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence after incarceration. Substance use is...

Multiple fields including social work, public health, psychology, and education have been researching school safety issues for the past 40 years. Findings from research and intervention have been a...

Treatment as usual has historically been used as control arms for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but utilizing wellness interventions as active comparison conditions can advance the evidence ...

Purpose: This study examined feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a pilot randomized controlled trial (BRIDGES) designed to improve HIV care outcomes among syndemic-affected women...

Purpose: Social work practice and its regulation pose special challenges in rural areas. The present study reports findings from a statewide assessment of the social work labor force in a midwester...

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore existing frameworks and practices for addressing discrimination in supervision as well as patterns of discriminatory treatment in supervision identi...

Objective: This study evaluated the Thank You, Sorry, Love (TSL) program's effect on child abuse and the levels of oxidative stress hormone (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) among North Ko...

The recent release of the Association of Social Work Boards’ (ASWB) licensure examination pass rate data by demographic characteristics and academic program (ASWB, 2022a) confirms what most already suspected. Differentials in pass rates disadvantage those from oppressed and marginalized groups, such as those who are Black, older, non-native English speakers, and women. Issues of systemic inequities

The advent of antiretroviral therapy and biomedical prevention has transformed HIV from a fatal disease to a chronic condition where people with HIV (PWH) can live long, healthy lives. Yet, there r...

Purpose: We aimed to help community stakeholders develop a shared understanding of the opioid crisis through qualitative system dynamics (SD) modeling to inform local strategies for prevention and treatment. Methods: As part of the HEALing Communities Study-New York State, we used secondary qualitative data from community stakeholder interviews and coalition meeting notes to develop qualitative SD

Intimate partner violence (IPV), HIV, and substance use are serious intersecting public health issues. This paper aims to describe the Social Intervention Group (SIG)'s syndemic-focused interventions for women that address the co-occurrence of IPV, HIV, and substance use, referred to as the SAVA syndemic. We reviewed SIG intervention studies from 2000 to 2020 that evaluated the effectiveness of syndemic-focused

Purpose: This paper reports a review of couple-based behavioral HIV interventions conducted by the Social Intervention Group (SIG); and addresses gaps, future directions, and implications for couple-based HIV interventions. Method: We performed a literature review for SIG research on intervention and prevention studies involving couples/partners. Results: We identified nine couple-based interventions

Purpose: There is limited research on social work licensing especially the profession's attempts to define clinical social work practice. This article seeks to investigate definitions of clinical social work for clinical licensure in the United States. Methods: Statutes were searched and cross-referenced with data from the Association of Social Work Boards to determine (1) categories of licensure per

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently developing a social work licensure process to serve as a quality assurance mechanism and enhance the quality of care for service beneficiaries. This article outlines the opportunities, challenges, and contextual issues associated with the UAE regulation such as differing licensing processes and structures in three of seven emirates that are progressing licensure

Randomized control trials are considered the pinnacle for causal inference. In many cases, however, randomization of participants in social work research studies is not feasible or ethical. This paper introduces the co-twin control design study as an alternative quasi-experimental design to provide evidence of causal mechanisms when randomization is not possible. This method maximizes the genetic and

By further analysis of a subset of data collected from licensed social workers from six selected states, this article explores the effect of respondents’ licensure state and board membership on their perceptions of professional misconduct vignettes. Using a simplified factorial survey design, 5,388 licensed social workers evaluated versions of vignettes involving social worker misconduct. Respondents

Objective: To determine, by using a naturalistic experiment resulting from Covid and Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, if a previously completed comprehensive intervention within a Mozambiqian village by the Non-Governmental Organization Care-for-Life (CFL), resulted in community empowerment in the community's response to these disasters, as defined by World Bank. Method: Over a nine-month period, beginning

Purpose: This article intends to review the literature to address the concern that prevalent licensure exemptions in social work undermine public safety. Methods: It reviews (1) the rationales for licensure exemptions, (2) the effects of exemptions on the public and the social work workforce, and (3) critical gaps in the extant evidence to recommend future research agendas to fill the gaps. Results:

This study aims to evaluate the perceptions of clinical social workers compared to other mental health professionals (OMHPs). This exploratory survey research evaluates the perceptions of clinical licensure from social workers (N = 519) and OMHPs (N = 624) in a midwestern state. The results indicate that most respondents believe that universities should be evaluated based on whether students pass licensing

The first Viewpoint Editorial of mine that appeared in this journal was intended to be my last. In it, I shamelessly confessed an open secret—my career-long, love affair with practice research. In it, I once again called for a more positive relationship—this time, a “virtue friendship”—between practitioners and researchers and among researchers themselves (Epstein, 2022a).

Purpose: The aim of this study was to make an adaptation of the Spirituality Measurement Scale into Turkish to evaluate the spirituality of clients for social workers. Methods: A total of 385 students from the Department of Social Work at Ankara University, were included in the research. The online survey method was used as a data collection method. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a

Purpose: Rigorous adaptation methods are needed to revise existing evidence-based behavioral interventions for implementation for new target populations, revised/updated outcomes, new delivery modalities, recent advances, and new technologies. We describe an adaptation method designed to overcome the real-world challenges of having very limited existing expertise, resources, and time. Method: This

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are designed to answer causal questions with internal validity. However, threats to internal validity exist for even well-designed RCTs. In this article, we focus on how preregistration can help address some specific threats to internal validity related to the reporting of results. Preregistration involves researchers publicly posting critical decision points in

Purpose: This study examined the impact of community service on latent deprivation and mental health of long-term unemployed receiving social assistance by using a two-wave quasi-experimental design with an untreated control group. According to the latent deprivation model, we hypothesized that unpaid participation in community service for the period of three months would alleviate the participants’

The purpose of this paper is to summarize 15 years of intervention science in combination HIV prevention and microfinance among women engaged in sex work (WESW) in Central Asia, identifying gaps in our understanding and recommendations for future studies. We begin by describing the emergence of HIV/STI risk among WESW in the Central Asia region, specifically Mongolia and Kazakhstan, and bridge to the

The Center for Mental Health Research and Innovation in Treatment Engagement and Service (MH-RITES Center) at the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston is an international multidisciplinary research center focused on improving treatment engagement and outcomes for those experiencing mental health concerns. Established in 2017, the mission of the MH-RITES Center is to drive empirically

Purpose: HIV-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kazakhstan face many challenges to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Interventions that leverage social support from an intimate partner, family member, or friend may be effective in improving ART adherence among this population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation process of a dyad-based intervention among HIV-positive

Purpose: This systematic review examines the literature related to digital interventions and applies the findings to the mental health and well-being of international migrants. Method: A total of 1,854 articles were found during the initial search. Removing duplicates (n = 95) produced a sample of 1,759 articles for review. Next, 1,750 articles were excluded based on inclusion criteria. The final sample

Purpose This evidence and gap map collates evidence reporting on the effectiveness of interventions aimed to prevent, disclose, respond to, or treat child maltreatment occurring in institutional settings. Methods A comprehensive and systematic literature search identified primary studies and systematic reviews meeting the review’s eligibility criteria. Literature screening, data extraction and critical

Purpose: There has been increasing interest in the academy to assist social work graduates to become licensed which is likely to grow as the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) cites licensure pass rates as a post-graduation outcome required for accreditation by newly adopted standards. This study determines the ability of academics to reliably link Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities statements that

Lee E., Kourgiantakis T., Hu R., Greenblatt A., Logan J., (2022). Pedagogical methods of teaching social justice in social work: A scoping review. Research on Social Work Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315221085666

Purpose: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) predispose individuals to adult-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with amplified arousal and reactivity symptoms (A&R). This review aimed to identify interventions for reducing A&R symptoms in adults diagnosed with PTSD and a history of ACEs. Method: Systematic scoping review of RCT and quasi-experimental studies in peer-reviewed journals using