Suchergebnisse

Collecting accurate data is a challenge for researchers, and securing sufficient response rates can be especially difficult, particularly when asking respondents to reveal sensitive information. This paper will review the relevant literature and illustrate the issues by reporting the methodes used to collect data for Work and Well Being: A Study of North Carolina Social Workers. By following a rigorous protocol, the study achieved a 75% response rate (N=751), a sample that was representative of the population, and minimal response bias. The results highlight the ways in which social work researchers can explore difficult substantive arenas and yet achieve an excellent response.

The purpose of this article is to explore the motivations behind some men's recreational use of illicit drugs from a gender standpoint. The rationale for this analysis stems from men's predominance as illicit drug users and their likelihood of experiencing problem drug use and becoming a part of an over-represented population in drug treatment services. Explanations for men's problematic/addicted patterns of drug use often point to marginalisation, disadvantage, and/or men's tendency towards problematic health behaviours. This article argues that men's illicit recreational drug use is often glossed over as a gendered activity and receives less scrutiny than problematic/addicted patterns of drug taking. It examines the drug-taking motivations of 20 Irish men who identified as illicit recreational drug users to expand on and deepen current explanations for men's illicit recreational drug use. The article demonstrates how men engage in drug use for complex and contradictory reasons that include embodied quests for pleasure and excitement, achieving connection with other men, and performing or contravening masculinities in homosocial contexts.

The authors propose a novel theoretical approach for conceptualizing gender differences in depression. Although the empirical literature documents an array of variables that are related to depression, most theories focus on microlevel variables at the expense of macrolevel variables in their conceptualization. This article focuses on the potential importance of power differentials in the etiology of depression in women who cohabit with men and presents an integrated theoretical model that will be useful for both practice and research.

Objective: This article reports the validation of the Caregiver Role Identity Scale, designed to measure the prominence of helping professionals'identity as personal and professional caregivers. The authors developed the measure to test its application to burnout, depression, and professional impairment among social workers. Method: Data from a probability sample of 751 practicing social workers were collected in an anonymous survey about social workers' health and work issues. The authors split the sample to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: The exploratory analysis demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, good content validity, and preliminary discriminant validity. The confirmatory analysis demonstrated excellent factorial validity for a revised scale, retaining reliability and demonstrating convergent validity. Caregiver role identity was related to burnout, depression, professional impairment, and not seeking help for personal problems. Conclusions: This scale may be a useful tool for early identification, prevention, and intervention strategies for impairment among social workers.