The upshot of these needs for change is both dismaying and exciting, both disturbing in the destruction of long-familiar patterns of dealing with human suffering, and paradoxically hopeful in raising the possibility that significant failures in our health care systems of the past — limited access to medical care and grossly inadequate public sector “non-systems”, for example — may now be addressed more successfully.

Administration and policy in mental health

A total of 40 qualitative studies were reviewed and coded according to the college student stressors they represented. These studies utilized a variety of qualitative methods to examine stressors representing the following themes: relationships, lack of resources, academics, the environment, expectations, diversity, transitions and other stressors. Relationship stressors were the most commonly reported theme and covered areas including stress associated with family, romantic, peer and faculty relationships. Three of the themes (relationships, diversity and other) are novel categories of stressors compared with quantitative reviews on the topic, highlighting the importance of gathering both quantitative and qualitative pieces of information. This review contributes to the stress literature by synthesizing and identifying trends in the qualitative student stress research.

College student stressors: a review of the qualitative research.

The Handbook of Social Work Research Methods

The Impact of Adolescent Stuttering on Educational and Employment Outcomes: Evidence from a Birth Cohort Study.

Background: Internet-based interventions targeted at the most at-risk gamblers could reduce the treatment gap for addictive disorders. Currently, no clinical trial has included non–treatment-seeking patients who have been recruited directly in their gambling environment. This study was the first exclusively Internet-based randomized controlled trial among non–help-seeking problem gamblers with naturalistic recruitment in their gambling environment. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of three modalities of Internet-based psychotherapies with or without guidance, compared to a control condition, among problem gamblers who play online poker. Methods: All active poker gamblers on the Winamax website were systematically offered screening. All problem poker gamblers identified with a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of ≥5 were eligible to be included in the trial. Problem gamblers were randomized into four groups: (1) waiting list (control group), (2) personalized normalized feedback on their gambling status by email, (3) an email containing a self-help book to be downloaded with a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program without guidance, and (4) the same CBT program emailed weekly by a trained psychologist with personalized guidance. Efficacy was assessed based on the change in PGSI between baseline and 6 weeks (end of treatment) or 12 weeks (maintenance) and supported by player account-based gambling data automatically collected at the three time points. Results: All groups met high attrition rates (83%), but the group with guidance had a significantly higher dropout rate than the other three groups, including the control group. Although all groups showed some improvement, with a mean decrease of 1.35 on the PGSI, no significant difference in efficacy between the groups was observed. One-third of the problem gamblers fell below the problem gambling threshold at 6 weeks. Conclusions: Guidance could have aversively affected problem gamblers who had not sought help. Despite the lack of significant difference in efficacy between groups, this naturalistic trial provides a basis for the development of future Internet-based trials in individuals with gambling disorders. Comorbidities, natural course of illness, and intrinsic motivation seem to be critical issues to consider in future designs. Trial Registration: ANSM 2013-A00794-41 [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(2):e36]

The Efficacy of Three Modalities of Internet-Based Psychotherapy for Non-Treatment-Seeking Online Problem Gamblers: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Debates continue in the thanatology literature about the bereavement process and appropriate wording to describe this process. For example, there is both support for and dispute regarding use of the terms "resilience" and "recovery" (Balk, 2004, 2008; Paletti, 2008;Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2008). Suggested alternatives include "adaptation," "reintegration," "management," "deal with," "adjust," and "cope" (Balk, 2004, 2008). More recently, the conceptualization of the bereavement process has shifted to a focus on "growth" and "development" (Balk, 2004, 2008; Davis, Wohl, & Verberg, 2007; Dutton & Zisook, 2005; Shapiro, 2008). Part of this debate on terminology is spurred by disagreement about the expected outcome, or aim, of bereavement. Only recently has there been wide acceptance that bereaved people typically undergo fundamental changes as they redefine themselves and explore a new identity (Davis et al., 2007; Dutton & Zisook, 2005; Sandler, Wolchik, & Ayers, 2008). Although, in Western society, we expect that within a few days or weeks the bereaved person should" get back into the swing of things" (Monk, Houck, & Shear, 2006), typically a long process of change lies ahead. Even though one may appear to have returned to a previous state," what looks like recovery to an observer might not feel like recovery to a bereaved person" (Rosenblatt, 2008, p. 9). The last decade has seen an increase in studies exploring the factors that facilitate coping with the death of a loved one (Keesee, Currier, & Neimeyer, 2008) and studies about the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved people (Currier, Neimeyer, & Berman, 2008); however, there remains little consensus regarding the process of "change" that bereaved people experience. By presenting an adaptation of Prochaska and DiClemente's (1992) transtheoretical model of change (TTM), this article begins the task of applying the model to the bereavement process. The first section critiques Western society's most common understanding of the stages one passes through during the bereavement process. The second section describes an adaptation of the TTM as it may be applied to the bereavement process. To address a common downfall in the literature (Balk, 2008; Bridging Work Group, 2005), the article strives to bridge theory and practice in a third section, which describes how this model can be used by clinicians. The implications for use of TTM, a critique of the model, and future directions are then discussed. AUTHOR'S STANDPOINT I approach the presentation of this model from a narrative standpoint. Although some authors, such as Bandura (1998), have critiqued stage theory in general, stating that "a genuine stage theory is at best a descriptive device rather than an explanatory one" (p. 631), I believe there is therapeutic value in providing counselors, grievers, and a range of other stakeholders with a model to articulate the experience of the bereaved person. My intent in presenting this adaptation of the TTM is not to explain a process or to suggest that individuals fit into discrete "stages," but to provide a conceptualization or framework for a process of bereavement that may have utility across clinical, research and program development contexts. It is important to note that the term "transtheoretical" in the title of this theory indicates that the model integrates across theories, including, but not limited to, theories commonly considered in the bereavement literature, such as psychodynamics, attachment theory, resilience theory, family systems theory, sociocultural theories (Paletti, 2008), and cognitive-behavioral theory. The TTM guides the counselor in determining which treatment approach would be most suited given a client's stage in the change process. Also, I do not assume that this theory is applicable to everyone, particularly when bereaved clients present with such a wide range of circumstances. …

Adapting the Transtheoretical Model of Change to the Bereavement Process

This qualitative study reveals the discomfort seven immigrant bachelor of social work students reported experiencing when the behaviors expected of them as Canadian social workers conflicted with their fundamental family values. Behaviorally, participants had assimilated to Canadian and to social work cultures; however, the values they held from their home countries remained unchanged. The conflict between their unchanged values and their adapted behavior led to emotional stress in various aspects of their lives. The implications for social work education, supervision, recruiting people to the social work profession, acculturation theory, and future research are discussed.

When Values and Behaviors Conflict: Immigrant BSW Students' Experiences Revealed.

The article reports the findings of a recent survey of 339 social workers whose area of practice is mental health in the Canadian province of Ontario. The survey was developed in response to unprecedented threats to the profession, and a dearth of information on the contribution of social workers to the provision of mental health services in this Canadian context. International literature on the role of social work in mental health provides the context for discussion of these findings. Survey results confirm that mental health social work practice in Ontario is aligned with current international trends. Despite social workers' apparent contribution, significant challenges both internal and external to the profession keep social work practice in the shadows of other mental health professionals.

Living in the Shadows: A Canadian Experience of Mental Health Social Work

Two competing models of understanding concerned significant others (CSOs) of people with addictions have emerged: codependency (CD) and stress-coping. In the context of CSOs of problem gamblers, some research has begun to examine the effectiveness of the stress-coping model, but no research to date has examined the utility of incorporating the CD concept into treatment planning. The purpose of this paper is to: critique the CD concept while highlighting possible differences between problem gambling and substance abuse (i.e., financial issues, the ability to hide the problem, cognitive distortions, and societal attitudes); identify important considerations when working with CSOs of problem gamblers; make recommendations for program managers regarding hiring and training practices; and recommend directions for research and in-depth program evaluations to assess what is actually occurring in existing practice.

https://jgi.camh.net/index.php/jgi/article/download/3909/4022

Applying the codependency concept to concerned significant others of problem gamblers: Words of caution

Given that social work research courses are typically built on modernist principles of teaching and content, it is not surprising that the majority of social work students dread these courses. Few attempts have been made to better align the modernist content of quantitative research with the postmodern philosophy and values inherent in current social work. This article presents a decision-making flow chart in conjunction with a problem-based learning framework so that students can be self-directed in the process of determining which inferential statistic to use when given a case example.

Kimberly A. Calderwood

Papers

Adapting the Transtheoretical Model of Change to the Bereavement Process

When Values and Behaviors Conflict: Immigrant BSW Students' Experiences Revealed.

Living in the Shadows: A Canadian Experience of Mental Health Social Work

Applying the codependency concept to concerned significant others of problem gamblers: Words of caution

Teaching Inferential Statistics to Social Work Students: A Decision-making Flow Chart