Purpose: Despite the already extensive scientific literature on dog-assisted interventions, there is still a need to compile further reviews. In this regard, it should be noted that some of the existing reviews no longer reflect the current state of knowledge. The review presented here takes into account the current state of the literature on this topic. Methods: The present systematic literature search

Purpose: This pilot study examined the preliminary effectiveness of the Empowered Young Parents Program (EYPP) for child welfare and/or legal system involved pregnant, expectant, or parenting youth (PPY) in promoting health outcomes. Method: A one-group pretest–posttest ( N = 25) design was used to evaluate changes in the participants. Results: At posttest participants reported lower perceived stress

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of a spirituality-focused group intervention on the alienation levels of young women and search out exposure to a spirituality-focused group intervention reduces alienation more than no treatment.MethodsAn 8-week spirituality-focused group work was conducted and selected via a randomized controlled sampling method.ResultsFor the sense of alienation

Background: Psychological flourishing has significant attention within positive psychology, emphasizing the need for reliable tools across diverse cultural contexts. Purpose: This study examines the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Flourishing Scale (FS) among Algerian and Moroccan populations. Methods: A total of 758 university students from Algeria and Morocco, representing various

PurposeThis study examines the comparative efficacy of three AI large language models (LLMs)—ChatGPT-4, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot—in clinical social work.MethodBy presenting scenarios of varying complexities, the study assessed their performance using the Ateşman Readability Index and a Likert-type accuracy scale.ResultsResults showed that Gemini had the highest accuracy, while Microsoft Copilot

PurposeThis study aims to use solution-focused cognitive group intervention (SCGI), which combines cognitive behavioral therapy with solution-focused brief therapy, to improve the benefit finding of petitioners.MethodThis intervention includes six sessions and two follow-up tests (at three months and six months). Sixty-four petitioners (mean age = 44.31, standard deviation = 4.43) were randomly assigned

Purpose/AimThis study aims to translate and adapt the Personal and Perceived Public Stigma Beliefs Scale from the Eurobarometer into Urdu, subsequently modifying and evaluating its psychometric properties among Pakistani adolescents and young adults.Methods1328 college students aged 15–24 from Layyah, Punjab, Pakistan participated in this cross-sectional study, using the stigma beliefs scale to measure

The objective was to assess the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in preventing gang membership and gang-related crime among children and young adults under the age of 30. We performed a systematic review and synthesized interventions targeting universal, selective, and indicated populations published between January 2000 and April 2023. We included 42 (seven randomized, 12 nonrandomized

PurposeThe Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative addresses critical social problems through social work science. This scoping review examines the first 5 years (2015–2019) of the Harness Technology for Social Good challenge, mapping literature by social work researchers on technology's role in improving client system outcomes.MethodsWe mapped the existing social work literature published between

Purpose: Under the Council on Social Work Education 2022 Education and Policy Accreditation Standards, social work programs must have a systematic plan to “assess anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion (ADEI) efforts within the program's implicit curriculum”. This article outlines development, piloting, and related statistical analyses of the SWEAP ADEI Instrument. This standardized instrument

PurposeDepression is one of the most commonly treated conditions in mental health practice. However, outcomes have been poor and social workers face a host of treatment-related dilemmas.MethodThis study used factorial survey methodology to disentangle the effects of client, practice, and respondent characteristics on master's in social work (MSW) students’ antidepressant referral decisions. A total

Purpose: This systematic narrative review examines relational approaches to working with interpersonal violence (IPV) within established heterosexual couple relationships at secondary and tertiary prevention levels. Method: Searches were conducted on five bibliographic databases, supplemented by citation searching and field recommendations. Thematic analysis involved reading and re-reading the data

Purpose: This article is a process evaluation of a previously published outcome study. It provides an exploratory analysis of victim–survivor accounts of behavior change among men participating in a combined alcohol and other drug and domestic violence intervention and women's experiences of family safety contact services. Methods: Interviews with victim–survivors ( n = 10) and program participants

Purpose: Many social workers are concerned about public speaking because of their use of speech disfluencies. Perrin et al. (2021) used brief habit reversal to reduce public-speaking speech disfluencies. The study was systematically replicated to evaluate the benefit of brief habit reversal training for social workers in decreasing speech disfluencies. Method: Nine students of social work, divided

Purpose: Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) are a profitable social initiative as a business. However, there are no studies that analyze their effectiveness. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of the support and guidance processes implemented within WISEs. We hypothesized that insertion workers will perceive improvements at the personal employability dimensions as protective behaviors

Purpose: Given the increasing demand for mental health resources and challenges associated with engaging adolescents in therapy, it is crucial to evaluate alternative intervention modalities that empower parents to manage child behavior and enhance parental competency. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a parental guidance book on these outcomes. Method: A convenience sample of 128 Israeli parents

Purpose: This single-arm, pre–post pilot study assessed the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of community-based group psychoeducation for informal caregivers (18+) of individuals with a range of mental illnesses in Denmark. The intervention was delivered by social work and healthcare professionals and aimed to improve well-being and prevent burnout. Keeping within the medical research council's

Seven distinguished respondents have critiqued the invited article titled “The NIMH Task Force on Social Work Research Report: Past Accomplishments and Current Challenges.” The article reviewed significant gains in social work research since publication of the Report in 1991 and, also, identified nine significant challenges that still must be addressed if social work research is to optimally meet the

This study introduces recent advances in statistical power analysis methods and tools for designing and analyzing randomized cost-effectiveness trials (RCETs) to evaluate the causal effects and costs of social work interventions. The article focuses on two-level designs, where, for example, students are nested within schools, with interventions applied either at the school level (cluster design) or

Quantitative research plays an instrumental role in facilitating health and wellness. Effective interventions are developed, assessed, and refined through the application of logic and empirical evidence in a scientific milieu characterized by diverse views. However, the increasing colonization of academic discourse by postmodern/critical theory (PCT) may undermine foundational concepts upon which quantitative

Purpose: This article investigates the extent of effectiveness studies of behavioral, psychological, and social interventions aiming for measurable changes at the individual level in Sweden 1990–2019. Methods: The data stems from a retrospective analysis of published literature on effect studies between 1990 and 2019. Results: The results show an increase in published articles reporting on effect studies

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the overall effects of self-regulation interventions for children living in poverty. Methods: The initial search identified 473 publications of randomized controlled trials, including 25 that met the inclusion criteria. We used a random effect meta-analysis with robust variance estimation to calculate the overall and subgroup effects

Purpose: Over 50% of people with serious mental illness (SMI) smoke cigarettes. This study evaluated whether tobacco use impacted weight loss outcomes during a peer-led healthy lifestyle intervention (PGLB) for people with SMI living in permanent supportive housing (PSH). Method: Data from an effectiveness trial of PGLB examined whether baseline tobacco use moderated the effectiveness of the intervention

Unmentioned challenges to conducting valuable research in social work include the politicization of education and weakened educational standards at all levels. Discovery of what helps clients requires free speech and free inquiry, always a threat to those who prefer authoritarian approaches.

Purpose: Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable abilities in natural language tasks. However, their use in social work research is limited by confidentiality and security concerns when processing sensitive data. This study addresses these challenges by evaluating the performance of local LLMs (LocalLLMs) in classifying and extracting substance-related problems from unstructured child

Feldman's appraisal of the current status of social work research, using as its touchstone the 1991 Austin Report, is a frank and fair appraisal of how the discipline has come short of fulfilling its aspirations to become a more science-based profession. In many ways, Feldman has stood in the center of research developments within our field for the past 40 years or longer. He offers informed and thoughtful

Purpose: This study explores the experiences of youth receiving Child Welfare Services (CWS) in Nova Scotia, Canada and their preferred relationships with different service providers and how these relationships may promote or hinder their resilience at different levels of risk exposure. Method: Qualitative interviews with 23 youth (aged 14–19) were analyzed using grounded theory. Results: The analysis

Purpose: This study delves into the effects of labels, specifically crime-first language, on public attitudes toward adolescent girls within the juvenile legal system. Examining fictional vignettes depicting family conflict, the research explores whether the use of language influences the endorsement of punitive responses and if this effect varies across racial and ethnic lines. Method: A large online

The paper replies to three issues that Fedlman raises in his assessment research since the 1991 National Institute of Mental Health Social Work Task Force Report. Three topics are addressed, the need to expand and better prepare the social work research workforce, the profession's current research infrastructure, and improving research- to-practice research translation. Ideas for workforce growth include

Purpose: This single-system design evaluation study assessed whether 18 Beams to Bridges (BTB) program participants would experience increased mental health literacy (MHL). It was hypothesized that MHL scores would increase significantly between the pre-intervention and intermediate assessments, but there would be no significant difference in scores between the intermediate and post-intervention assessments