Search results for ‘Subject term:"severe mental health problems"’ Sort:
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What influences social workers’ attitudes toward working with clients with severe mental illness?
- Authors:
- EACK Shaun M., NEWHILL Christina E.
- Journal article citation:
- Families in Society, 89(3), July 2008, pp.418-427.
- Publisher:
- The Alliance for Children and Families
A national random survey of 2,000 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members in post-master's degree practice in mental health in the United States was conducted to investigate their experiences with and attitudes about working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Through a series of structural equation models the authors examined the influence of different frustrations reported by the respondents on their attitudes toward working with individuals with SPMI. Results suggest social worker attitudes toward working with individuals with SPMI are primarily influenced by their frustrations related to client behaviours and treatment issues rather than frustrations with system-related issues. Implications for social work practice include burnout and challenges to staff retention. Other implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Practice with people with severe mental illness
- Authors:
- NEWHILL Christina E., KORR Wynne S.
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 29(4), November 2004, pp.297-305.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The authors surveyed a random sample of 1,200 US National Association of Social Workers members in post-master's practice in mental health to identify their attitudes toward practice with people with severe mental illness. Contrary to the literature that claims social workers have abandoned vulnerable populations or have negative attitudes toward this population, they found that the majority practice with this clientele and find it rewarding. Most of the respondents' frustration and obstacles in practice were related to systemic, not client-related, problems. Respondents' recommendations for education of future practitioners are presented.
Effects of severe mental illness education on MSW student attitudes about schizophrenia
- Authors:
- EACK Shaun M., NEWHILL Christina E., WATSON Amy C.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Education, 48(3), 2012, pp.425-438.
- Publisher:
- Council on Social Work Education
Social workers are the primary providers of psychosocial interventions for individuals with schizophrenia in the United States. The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate changes in MSW student attitudes about schizophrenia before and after completing a course on social work practice with individuals with severe mental illnesses. The course was designed, in part, to provide the latest knowledge about schizophrenia and its treatment, as well as initial exposure to people and families who live with the illness. A total of 60 social work students completed a survey of their knowledge about, contact with, and attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia during the first and the last sessions of the course. The results revealed significant improvement in student knowledge and general attitudes after the course and indicated that increased knowledge about schizophrenia was only related to general attitudinal improvement when accompanied by increased personal social contact. Implications for education on severe mental illnesses and value and attitude development in social work education are discussed.
Racial disparities in mental health outcomes after psychiatric hospital discharge among individuals with severe mental illness
- Authors:
- EACK Shaun M., NEWHILL Christina E.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 36(1), March 2012, pp.41-52.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have been widely documented to suffer a disproportionate burden of mental illness. This article explores how these broader findings apply to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and recurrent major depression. A sample of 925 African American and white individuals hospitalised for severe mental illness was followed for a year after hospital discharge to examine the presence of disparities in mental health outcomes. The study participants were assessed in the community every 10 weeks on a number of broad symptom and functioning domains, and racial differences in rates of improvement in these domains were examined after adjusting for potential confounding variables. The results indicated that African American individuals with severe mental illness experienced significantly less improvement in global functioning, activation, and anergia symptoms and were less likely to return to work in the year following hospitalisation. Racial disparities persisted after adjustment for sociodemographic and diagnostic confounders and were largely consistent across gender, socioeconomic status, and psychiatric diagnosis. Implications for social work research and practice with minorities with severe mental illness are discussed.
Emotional dysregulation: the key to a treatment approach for violent mentally ill individuals
- Authors:
- NEWHILL Christina E., MULVEY Edward P.
- Journal article citation:
- Clinical Social Work Journal, 30(2), Summer 2002, pp.157-171.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
Prior research has suggested that psychopathy, substance abuse, and the presence of a personality disorder increase an individual's risk for violence toward others. Substantial clinical literature has established emotional dysregulation as a risk marker for violence toward self. It is hypothesized that emotional dysregulation may be an important component in a constellation of risk markers for violence toward others and may interact with psychopathy and substance abuse in individuals with personality disorders to enhance risk for violence. If these hypothesized relationships exist, it suggests that the development of an intervention approach which directly targets these factors may hold promise. A potential intervention approach based on dialectical behavioral therapy, with case illustrations, is provided.