Search results for ‘Author:"miller j."’ Sort:
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Exploring the self-care practice of social workers in Slovakia: how do they fare?
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 63(1), 2020, pp.30-41.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Increasingly, social workers recognize the importance of self-care to practice. However, research examining self-care among social workers is nominal. Of particular paucity are works that explore self-care in international contexts. This exploratory study examined self-care among social workers (N = 200) in Slovakia. Findings indicate that participants engaged in moderate levels of self-care. Moreover, data indicated significant differences in self-care by health status, and number of weekly hours worked was a significant predictor of self-care. After a review of literature, this article explicates findings, identifies discussion points, and concludes by identifying implications for social work education, research, and practice. (Edited publisher abstract)
Virtual support groups among adoptive parents: Ideal for information seeking?
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 37(4), 2019, pp.347-361.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Despite the use of online support groups within areas of child welfare, namely postadoptive services, research in this area has not kept pace. This study examined adoptive parent perceptions of a virtual platform utilized for an online support group, and the impact of these perceptions on information seeking effectiveness. Overall, findings indicate that participants viewed the platform as usable, flexible, and congruent with fostering adequate participant interaction. Perceived group interaction, satisfaction with group membership, and perceived usefulness of the virtual platform were all significant predictors of information seeking effectiveness. Data from this study suggest that ample consideration should be given to the form and function of - virtual platforms use to administer support groups. Implications for practice and apposite area of future research are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Supporting adoptive parents: a study on personal self-care
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption Quarterly, 22(2), 2019, pp.157-171.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
This study explored the personal self-care practices of adoptive parents (N = 229) in one southeastern state. Overall, findings indicate that adoptive parents only engage in moderate modest self-care practices. Significant differences in self-care practices were detected by health status (self-report) and current financial status. In summary, the healthier one perceived themselves to be and the more financially stable they were, the more they tended to engage in self-care practices. Data suggest the need for entities involved with potential and/or adoptive parents need to explicitly engage adoptive parents in education about self-care and training in support of self-care practices. As well, data indicate the need for re-framing self-care from an ancillary activity to an integrated tool to assuage the challenges facing adoptive parents. (Publisher abstract)
Examining legal representation for foster youth: perspectives of foster parents
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 104, 2019, p.104380.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Despite the importance of legal representation to foster youth, few studies have examined perceptions related to this representation. This study investigated foster parent (N = 792) perspectives about the legal representation of foster youth involved in dependency court proceedings. All participants hailed from one southeastern state. Variables of interest included the impact of legal representation of foster care experiences, quality of legal representation, and attorney-youth communication, among others. Findings indicate that participants perceived legal representation to be vitally important to shaping foster care experiences. However, participants expressed a level of neutrality when asked about attorney competence. As well, participants indicated that attorney-youth relationships and communication between attorneys and foster youth were inadequate. This paper discusses findings related to this study and delineates salient practice, policy, and research implications derived from the data. (Edited publisher abstract)
Support, information seeking, and homophily in a virtual support group for adoptive parents: impact on perceived empathy
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 101, 2019, pp.151-156.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Despite the use of virtual support groups among adoptive parents, very few studies have empirically examined outcomes of participating in these groups. This research brief investigated the impact of perceived social support, information seeking effectiveness, and homophily on perceived empathy within a pilot-phase virtual support group for adoptive parents (N = 27) in one southeastern state. Researchers also examined the moderating effect of homophily on these relationships. Findings suggest that while perceived social support was significantly positively related to perceived empathy, there was no association between perceived information seeking effectiveness and perceived empathy. Of variables of interest for this study, only homophily uniquely predicted empathy and was not a moderator in other models. While findings lend credence to the notion that perceived similarities among participants is important, there are implications for developing diverse, inclusive adoptive parent support groups. This brief discusses results from this study and apposite areas for future research. (Publisher abstract)
Examining the self-care practices of child welfare workers: a national perspective
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 2019, pp.240-245.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Despite the importance of self-care to social workers, in general, and those employed in child welfare contexts, specifically, few studies have explicitly examined this area of inquiry. This research brief explores the personal and professional of social workers employed in child welfare (N = 623) in the United States (U.S.). Overall, findings indicate that participants engage in minimal amounts of self-care. Analyses revealed significant differences in self-care by Race, Education Level, Licensing Status, Marital Status, Supervision Status, Professional Organization Membership, and Financial Status, respectively. Findings indicate the need for more explicit attention to education and training related to self-care, and more organizational supports for child welfare workers. (Publisher abstract)
Foster parents’ knowledge of child trauma: an exploratory study
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aggression Maltreatment and Trauma, 27(5), 2018, pp.505-522.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
To promote trauma-informed professional supports and services to maltreated youth, it is imperative that researchers explore foster parents’ knowledge of child trauma. However, there is a dearth in the literature related to this topic. This exploratory study utilises a convenience sample (N = 219) of foster parents in one southeastern state. Variables of interest include actual and perceived knowledge about child trauma. After a terse review of background literature, this paper will explicate key results, discuss these findings, and identify salient practice and policy implications derived from this study. The paper will conclude by delineating apposite areas for future research. (Edited publisher abstract)
Conceptualizing adoptive parent support groups: a mixed-method process
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption Quarterly, 21(1), 2018, pp.41-57.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
Indubitably, the process of adopting a young person, no matter the context, can be challenging. To assist adoptive parents in coping with these challenges, entities (e.g., social service/adoption agencies, etc.) have historically fostered the development of support groups. Despite the intent of these efforts, many adoptive parent support groups utilise frameworks that are not congruent with meeting the needs of group participants. This paper examines the process for using Concept Mapping to conceptualise effective support groups based on the perspectives of adoptive parents in one southeastern state. (Edited publisher abstract)
Exploring the self-care practices of child welfare workers: a research brief
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 84, 2017, pp.137-142.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Child welfare workers experience higher rates of vicarious trauma, workplace stress, and compassion fatigue, when compared to other social service workers. Increasingly, social service agencies, in general, and child welfare agencies, specifically, recognise the importance of self-care in assuaging these problematic employee outcomes. However, research that explicitly examines the self-care practices of child welfare workers in nominal. This study brief explores the self-care practices of child welfare workers (N = 222) in one southeastern state. Results reveal that child welfare workers only engage in self-care at moderate levels. Additionally, data suggests that variables such as health status, current financial status, and relationship status significantly impact personal and professional self-care practices, respectively. After a terse review of relevant literature, this brief will explicate findings associated with this study, and identify salient discussion points and implications for child welfare training, practice, and research. (Publisher abstract)
Self-care among healthcare social workers: an exploratory study
- Authors:
- MILLER J. Jay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 56(10), 2017, pp.865-883.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Despite growing interest in self-care, few studies have explicitly examined the self-care practices of healthcare social workers. This exploratory study investigated self-care among practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Overall, data suggest that healthcare social workers only moderately engaged in self-care. Additionally, analyses revealed significant differences in self-care practices by financial stability, overall health, and licensure status, respectively. Interestingly, perceived health status and current financial situation were significant predictors for overall self-care practices. After a brief review of the literature, this narrative will explicate findings, elucidate discussion points, identify salient implications, and conclude with areas for future research. (Publisher abstract)