Health conditions in rural and urban areas of developing countries

The poor quality and meagre supply of data prohibit conclusions as to the relationship of health status to rural-urban residence in underdeveloped countries. Demographic indicators of health, specifically infant mortality and average life expectancy, do not seem to vary systematically according to rural-urban residence in the less developed countries ofAsia, Africa and Latin America. Further differences between rural and urban areas in availability of health services and facilities do not always conform with apparent differences between the areas in health status. However, nutritional standards, housing conditions, and sanitation, water supply and other pertinent environmental circumstances account to some extent for differences observed in health status between rural and urban inhabitants of these countries.     

The impact of political violence: Adaptation and identity development in Bosnian adolescent refugees∗

This qualitative study explored the impact of the war in the former Yugoslavia and the experiences of forced exile on the processes of adaptation and identity development for five Bosnian adolescent refugees who have lived the United States for at least two years. Sources of resilience were found in individual temperament, adaptive responses to trauma, and cultural and family pride and loyalty. Because current research on political violence tends to focus on psychopathological outcomes and PTSD sequelae, particular attention was given to examining cultural meanings of trauma and development, as well as the health‐promoting forces that can occur in response to extreme trauma. Findings suggest several implications for future research as well as implications for mental health professionals working with refugees.     

Exploring the ethics of treatments for depression: The ethics of care perspective

This article explores the ethics of current treatments for depression through the lenses of social work values and ethics. As a vehicle for analysis, the approach associated with ethics of care will be utilized. Particular attention is paid to ethical dilemmas in the treatment of depression under the auspices of managed care companies. A case example is presented to help social workers understand these dilemmas in the context of practice. Adopting an ethics of care perspective would mandate that social workers become more politically active, and work toward integrating direct and indirect practice approaches in treating people who suffer from depression and similar problems.     

Book review

Enhancing Psychodynamic Theory with Cognitive Behavioral Techniques, Terry Brumley Northcut and Nina Rovinelli Heller

Complex Adoption and Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Developmental Approach to Clinical Practice, Vivian Shapiro, PhD, Janet Shapiro, PhD, and Isabel Paret, PhD     

The Response of Schools of Social Work to the Return of Uniformed Service Members and Their Families

The following article is designed to provide an historical overview of the role that the Smith College School for Social Work has played in serving U.S. service members and their families throughout the past 91 years. Particular attention is paid to the building momentum of interest and activity at the School since 2005.     

Youth Participation and Community Change

The Bedouin community in the southern Negev desert in Israel is a population in transition. The article describes how deliberate intergroup dialogue enhanced the ability of a group of teachers from the community to discuss the complexities of the transition within a supportive group setting as a starting point to facilitate social change.     

An Exploratory Study of Substance Abuse Among Latino Older Adults

ABSTRACT

Substance abuse among older adults is on the rise. Of particular concern is the increase in alcohol and drug use predicted among Latino elders, expected to result from an upsurge in the Latino population and concurrent growth in the number of older adults. Providing effective treatment for this group will require age-specific, culturally competent interventions. However, few studies have focused on geriatric substance abuse among Latinos. This study aims to lay the groundwork for further research by examining perceptions of the problem among treatment providers and researchers in aging and substance abuse. Implications for social work research and practice are addressed.     

Narrative interaction and the development of client autonomy in clinical practice

Data from a psychoanalytic case are used to explore the development of client autonomy in clinical treatment. The client's narratives and the talk about them in which narrative meaning is formulated and reformulated are selected as one series of interactions in which the development of client autonomy can be studied. Discourse analysis methods are adapted to document and describe specific shifts in the structure of client narratives and talk about them which reflect the development of client autonomy over the course of treatment. Implications for casework treatment are discussed.