Social Work Research

Proctor, Enola K.

doi: 10.1093/swr/25.1.3pmid: N/A

Ozawa, Martha N.; Kim, Hak-Ju

doi: 10.1093/swr/25.1.5pmid: N/A

In the wake of public debate about reforming social security, Democratic Party leaders, union leaders, and black leaders defend the current social security program because it is designed to provide disproportionately large monthly benefits to low-wage earners relative to their lifetime average monthly earnings. Despite the progressive benefit formula used by the program, an important question remains: Do black workers receive disproportionately larger benefits during their lifetimes in relation to their lifetime contributions, as well as disproportionately larger monthly benefits? This article presents findings from a study that shows that when the lifetime perspective is taken, black workers receive less money's worth in social security benefits than white workers. Implications for policies are discussed.

Gellis, Zvi D.

doi: 10.1093/swr/25.1.17pmid: N/A

Despite the resurgence of leadership research, few investigations have examined the association between leadership behaviors and organizational performance in the social work field. The purpose of this study was to evaluate empirically a model that delineates two types of leadership processes, transformational and transactional leadership, within social work practice as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The model was tested with a sample of 187 clinical social workers employed in hospitals. Results indicated that all five transformational factors and one transactional factor were significantly correlated with leader outcomes of effectiveness, satisfaction, and extra effort. Implications for social work practice are provided.

LaSala, Michael C.

doi: 10.1093/swr/25.1.27pmid: N/A

The strong likelihood of parental disapproval of a daughter's lesbianism indicates that for gay women intergenerational dynamics may be uniquely challenging and complex. In this qualitative study, 40 lesbians in 20 couples were interviewed about their relationships with their parents and their partner's parents. Respondents reported that since coming out, their parents' attitudes about their lesbianism shifted over time from profound disapproval to ambivalence. Partners emerged as a beneficial influence on most of the respondents' intergenerational relationships. Social workers assisting lesbians with intergenerational difficulties are advised to include the client's partner in treatment. Additional clinical implications are discussed.

Aranda, María P.; Castaneda, Irma; Lee, Pey-Jiuan; Sobel, Eugene

doi: 10.1093/swr/25.1.37pmid: N/A

The authors investigated stress, coping responses, and social support variables as predictors of psychological distress among 171 Mexican American men and women. The study tested hypotheses positing gender differences in the rates of depressive symptoms as well as differences in factors associated with depressive symptoms. Stepwise regression analyses were conducted for the total sample and separately for each gender. Data indicate that although men and women did not differ significantly in terms of the rate of depressive symptoms, they did differ in terms of the sources of stress and social support associated with depression. The study underscores the need to examine sociocultural phenomenon in the stress-coping-outcome paradigm.

Orme, John G.; Buehler, Cheryl

doi: 10.1093/swr/25.1.49pmid: N/A