Suchergebnisse

Precarious employment is on the rise in the United States. Research suggests that young workers are more likely than older workers to be in precarious work. Yet much remains unknown regarding the precarious nature of employment experienced by young workers, despite evidence of the importance of this period for long-term employment opportunities. To address this gap in knowledge, this study used a nationally-representative, longitudinal dataset to create a multi-dimensional measure of precarious employment, and assessed precarious employment trajectories over time for young women and men. Findings revealed that, while there were significant shifts in levels of precarity over time for both males and females, patterns differed by gender. Overall, higher percentages of females than males remained concentrated at the semi-precarious level over time—meaning that they did not move further into or out of precarious employment—while higher percentages of males became either much more precarious or much less precarious over time. These findings challenge the common assumption that young people generally move out of low-wage or otherwise "bad" jobs over time, and suggest that there is a need for additional attention to gendered patterns in job quality among young people. Social workers have an important role to play in helping young people enter non-precarious jobs, and in engaging in advocacy to improve the quality of jobs available.

Abstract
The undetected and untreated PTSD symptoms (difficulty paying attention, nightmares and difficulty sleeping, irritability or aggression, flashbacks, diminished interest in activities, self-destructive behavior, and feeling isolated) of college students may interfere with their relationships, well-being, learning, and academic success. To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of providing a short-term trauma-specific evidence-based group intervention, Coping & Resilience (C&R), an adaptation of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) was implemented at a large urban public university. Fifty college students (54 percent male, 90 percent students of color), with a mean PTSD symptom score of 34 at pretest (considered in the moderate range of symptom severity) participated in C&R groups. As expected, student PTSD symptoms improved after group participation. A Quade test showed a significant decrease in the scores from pretest to follow-up for PTSD and two subscales (intrusion and avoidance). Large public universities serving underrepresented students are uniquely positioned to become trauma- and resilience-informed systems and to provide trauma support services to promote student well-being.

The emergence of COVID-19 forced significant adaptations for families worldwide. Children and youth in foster care and their caregivers or resource parents experience unique stressors. The current study aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and "Safer-at-Home" orders on resource parents in Los Angeles County. Resource parents (n = 648) were surveyed about COVID-19 concerns, positive impact and strengths, access to and helpfulness of provided resources, visits with birth parents, children joining their families during the pandemic, and transition to telehealth. Between one-third and half of resource parents with foster or foster-adoptive children in their home reported significant anxiety about issues such as getting infected, uncertainty about the future, and financial hardship. In contrast, most resource parents reported some perceived benefits, such as increased family closeness. The most helpful resource reported was video visitation by social workers. A quarter of resource parents experienced in-person birth parent visits. Developmentally, parents with a foster or fosteradoptive child 0–5 years old reported significantly more worries related to COVID-19, while those with children of multiple ages reported feeling less valued as a resource parent and expressed more concerns about children falling behind with school, mental health and developmental services, birth parent visits, and delayed reunification. Lastly, younger parental age, fewer foster children in the home, and the less negative impact from COVID-19 a resource parent reported having were associated with an increased likelihood of resource parents welcoming a child into their home. Implications for policy and recommendations for practice are discussed.