Search

Obtaining good quality sleep is crucial to mental health. Social work students might be particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges and insufficient sleep, which can have important implications for self-care education. Examining social work students' sleep characteristics (i.e. sleep duration and sleep quality) and health knowledge gaps can provide an important context for promoting healthy sleep among social work students. Nonetheless, the empirical literature lacks such data. The purpose of this study was to employ a sample of undergraduate and graduate social work students to: 1. assess sleep duration and sleep quality; 2. quantitatively and qualitatively examine knowledge about sleep and healthy sleep behaviors; and 3. identify sleep health knowledge gaps. Twenty-five social work students completed validated assessments and participated in a semi-structured focus group. Quantitative and qualitative data highlight poor sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and sleep health knowledge gaps among this population. Data also reveal that while students recognize the importance of sleep, they have difficulty obtaining adequate sleep due to various contextual constraints. These data support the importance of including sleep health in self-care education among social work students and highlight sleep health knowledge gaps that could be integrated into self-care education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study on the triggers of hospital social workers' moral distress at a large southern U.S. health system. Moral distress occurs when ethical conflict cannot be resolved in a way that aligns with an individual's personal and professional values and ethics. Participants indicated that moral distress derives from both individual interactions and the culture and climate of health systems. For example, participants expressed how sources of moral distress derived from client-centered decisions, such as end-of-life care and patient autonomy; interpersonal dynamics, including team or supervisory conflict; structural issues, such as insurance barriers or internal hospital policies; and organizational values, such as perceptions of institutional support and validation. Implications of this research suggest that health systems need to foster positive ethical environments that nurture clinicians' health and mental health through programs that aim to increase moral resilience, promote empowerment, and foster wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors comment on an article by Laura Kolbe and Immaculada de Melo-Martin which give perspective on the challenge of measuring and defining the concept of moral distress (MD). Topics include factor that is further complicating measurement of clinician distress, results that provide guidance on how health systems may begin to address MD, and the need of leaders to reevaluate models of care delivery to prioritize clinician well-being as an end unto itself.

This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study that examined how Canada's socio-political context influenced gestational surrogacy for same-sex male couples. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with gay fathers and gestational surrogates to investigate supports and barriers of pursuing surrogacy. Questions explored publicly available information, policies and practices of fertility clinics and hospitals, post-birth resources and cultural attitudes regarding same-sex parenthood. Findings suggest that in Canada, a global leader in LGBT rights and inclusive same-sex parenting legislation, participants encountered inadequate same-sex inclusive resources and insufficient provider competencies. The aim of this study was to inform individual and institutional recommendations to counteract biases in fertility care and post-birth services. Following interview analysis, five key strategies were identified: (1) more accessible information on paths to same-sex parenthood; (2) more inclusive fertility clinic and hospital practices; (3) recognition of same-sex fatherhood in formal documentation; (4) post-birth resources such as formula feeding, play groups and first aid courses intended for same-sex parent families; and (5) shifts in cultural attitudes of same-sex parenthood and, specifically, gay fatherhood. Approaches that subvert heteronormative discourses embedded in fertility and reproduction are required to legitimise and support same-sex parent families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This teaching note presents the adaptation of four innovative pedagogical techniques from Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) to effectively teach ethics across the social work curriculum. Each of the four techniques (Forum Theatre, Newspaper Theatre, Image Theatre, and Legislative Theatre) will be described in general and then modeled as an activity to use across four social work curricular areas, respectively: clinical practice, research, field education, and organizational policy. Teaching preparation/tips will be provided to guide educators on how to successfully employ these techniques to enhance student competencies to identify and address ethical issues and to participate in moral dialog. The teaching note will conclude with an analysis of the advantages and limitations of using TO techniques in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to professionalize the field of bioethics have led to the development of the Healthcare Ethics Consultant-Certified (HEC-C) Program intended to credential practicing healthcare ethics consultants (HCECs). Our team of professional ethicists participated in the inaugural process to support the professionalization efforts and inform our views on the value of this credential from the perspective of ethics consultants. In this paper, we explore the history that has led to this certification process, and evaluate the ability of the HEC-C Program to meet the goals it has set forth for HCECs. We describe the benefits and weaknesses of the program and offer constructive feedback on how the process might be strengthened, as well as share our team's experience in preparing for the exam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, the evolution of gay rights and surrogacy legislation present a unique sociopolitical context in which gay men consider parenthood. This study explored the motivations of gay men and gestational surrogates to pursue surrogacy in Canada. Interviews were conducted with (a) gestational surrogates who had been implanted with one or more embryos from a donated egg and gay fathers' sperm and (b) gay men who completed gestational surrogacy to have a biological child. Data were analyzed through interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) strategies. Findings are framed within ecological systems theory (EST) to demonstrate how both proximal and distal contexts have either facilitated or hindered the decision to pursue surrogacy for gay men. A new theoretical interpretation of surrogacy shows that reproductive decision-making is situated across a complex continuum, from acts of resistance that challenge heteronormative parenthood and kinship practices to reenactments of traditional family systems and hegemonic gender norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although seeking sex on the Internet may be associated with HIV risk for some men who have sex with men (MSM), little is specifically known about bisexual-identified MSM. Data were drawn from a community-based online survey of 1,830 MSM in Ontario. Among these MSM, 24.0% (n = 438) self-identified as bisexual. The authors examined (1) demographic, testing, and behavioral differences between bisexual- and other-identified MSM using chi-squared and logistic regression tests, and (2) among bisexual men, factors associated with condom use during last male anal sex using logistic regression. Bisexual men were less likely to have received sexual health information online and to have recently tested for STIs but more likely to report condom use during their last male anal sex. Among bisexual men, the only significant predictor of condom nonuse at last male anal sex was substance use. Service providers and researchers should pay attention to the differences in the risk profiles of bisexual-identified men who use the Internet to seek sex with other men to engage these men in HIV prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether children clinically referred for gender dysphoria (GD) show increased symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Circumscribed preoccupations or intense interests were considered as overlapping symptoms expressed in GD and ASD. In gender-referred children (n = 534; 82.2% male) and their siblings (n = 419; 57.5% male), we examined Items 9 and 66 on the Child Behavior Checklist, which measure obsessions and compulsions, respectively. Non-GD clinic-referred (n = 1,201; 48.5% male) and nonreferred (n = 1,201; 48.5% male) children were also examined. Gender-referred children were elevated compared to all other groups for Item 9, and compared to siblings and nonreferred children for Item 66. A gender-related theme was significantly more common for gender-referred boys than male siblings on Item 9 only. A gender-related theme was not significantly more common for gender-referred girls compared to their female siblings on either item. The findings for Item 9 support the idea that children with GD show an elevation in obsessional interests. For gender-referred boys in particular, gender-related themes constituted more than half of the examples provided by their mothers. Intense/obsessional interests in children with GD may be one of the factors underlying the purported link between GD and ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Homophobic bullying is pervasive and deleterious, and a source of extensive health and mental health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). Investigations conducted over the past two decades across the social ecology of SGMY indicate individual (e.g., gender), microsystem (e.g., schools), and exosystem level (e.g., community norms) factors associated with homophobic bullying. Emerging evidence at the macrosystem level demonstrates the powerful influence of laws, policies, and ideologies on the population health of sexual minority adults. Based on social ecological theory and emerging evidence at the macrosystem level, we advance a conceptualization of the religious social ecology of homophobic bullying and articulate the construct of conversion bullying, a form of bias-based bullying that may be unique to SGMY. Conversion bullying is manifested in the invocation of religious rhetoric and rationalizations in repeated acts of peer aggression against SGMY that cause harm, based on the premise that same-sex attractions and behaviors are immoral or unnatural and with implicit or explicit communication that one should change one's sexuality to conform to heteronormative ideals. We describe implications of conversion bullying for social work practice, education, social policy, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Information and communication technology has created a new way for individuals to communicate and has entered a number of professional practices, including clinical social work. This article explores the potential ethical and clinical implications when cybercommunication is used in conjunction with traditonal face-to-face clinical social work practice. Specfic challenges addressed include confidentiality, professional boundaries, effective and combetent practice, and unanticipated contact. The authors discuss how information and communication technology is emerging as an inevitable component of the therapeutic exchange, influencing in-person social work practice and the ways that practitioners interact with their clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]