Research Digest Archives

May, 2004

Evaluating Social Work's Public Image
Researchers conducted a survey to evaluate public knowledge and perception of the social work profession. Findings show that the media extensively portrays social workers in the capacity of the child protection caseworker. This has made that role the perceived primary function of social workers, with their abilities to counsel adults and administrate community programs less well known. Learn more.

April, 2004

Social Workers Portrayed Inaccurately on the Big Screen
In the April issue of Social Work, the journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), authors Miriam Freeman and Deborah Valentine explore the portrayal of social workers on the big screen. According to the authors, "Inaccurate public perception of what social workers actually do has been identified as a key factor in low social work salaries". Learn more.

March, 2004

The Evolution of End-of-Life Care
Author Marilyn Luptak, PhD, LCSW, explores the history of social work and end-of-life care in an article published in a recent issue of Health and Social Work. Learn more.

January, 2004

Variations in Need for and Use of Social Services among Chinese American Seniors
In a study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, author Ya-Lin Liu explores the characteristics that elderly Chinese Americans look at when determining their use of aging services. Learn more.

December, 2003

Improving Grandmother Caregivers' Access to Social Services
In this new study, author Priscilla Gibson explores the barriers that grandmothers face when trying to obtain assistance from social service agencies. Dr. Gibson's study also looked at "personal factors preventing grandmothers from accessing services." Learn more.

October, 2003

Outcomes after Home Health Care among Four Racial/Ethnic Groups
A new study featured in The Gerontologist looks at the effects of health outcomes among White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian elders who choose home health care to meet their health needs. Learn more.

July, 2003

Reducing the Impact of Late-Life Vision and Hearing Impairments on Mental Health
Author Amy Horowitz explores sensory impairments in late life and the impact they have on depression levels. Learn more

May, 2003

Investigating and Improving the Training of Aging Services Personnel
In this article, authors Andrew Scharlach, Jaimie Simon, and Teresa Dal Santo investigate the current training levels of aging services personnel and discuss ways to increase it for the future. Learn more

March, 2003

Addressing the Ethical Dilemmas of Reporting Suspected Elder Abuse
In this article, Rene Bergeron, MSW, PhD, University of New Hampshire, and Betsey Gray, MSW, University of New England, use case studies to explore the inherent conflict between encouraging caregivers to share their frustrations in a confidential support group environment and the duty to report any abuse that may be revealed by participants. Learn more

January, 2003

Depression Clues in Assisted Living Facilities
In the first of this series, Sherry Cummings, PhD, a Hartford Faculty Scholar, describes findings that may be of interest to social work practitioners, particularly in institutional settings. Learn more