Suchergebnisse

Drawing on minority stress theory, this study examined the mental health effects of the added burden of disadvantaged social status in anIsraeli sample of 461 self‐identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youths. Bisexuality was associated with lower levels of well‐being, and, at a younger age, with higher levels of mental distress. In bisexuals, this relationship was fully mediated by family support and acceptance, internalized homophobia, andLGBsocial contact. Religiosity was associated with low levels of family and friends' support and acceptance, and high levels of internalized homophobia. These findings highlight the mental vulnerability ofLGBadolescents and bisexuals, as well as the social vulnerability of sexual minorities in the religious sector, and the importance of social support to increase mental health.

This article reports the results of an evaluation of the SHATIL early childhood education (ECE) project, a coalition-based advocacy initiative that aimed to achieve three main outcomes in Arab towns throughout Israel: growth in preschool enrollment rates, growth in number of preschool classes administered by local councils, and growth in number of certified preschool teachers working in the Arab sector. The study employed a quasi-experimental, repeated measures design. Outcomes were assessed via collection of archival data pertaining to each of the past 10 years in 45 Arab towns. This allowed for comparison of trends over time in the 5 years before project commencement with those in the 5 years since the project was launched. Findings indicated that the project was successful in recruiting its target population (the most needy towns) and that the desired changes in fact did occur, particularly in the target towns. Moreover, the authors were able to conclude, with a relatively high degree of confidence, that the project played a causal role in achieving these outcomes.

The article describes a psychosocial model of intervention with psychiatric patients in long-term hospitalization in a psychiatric ward in Israel and reports the findings of the evaluation conducted of its effectiveness. The model was aimed at maintaining or improving the patients' functioning in four main areas: personal hygiene, environmental maintenance, occupational competency, and social and recreational activities. For each patient, an individualized intervention program was designed and implemented by a personal case manager appointed from the ward's clinical staff. The programs involved family and ward staff as well as the patients themselves. The evaluation, based on comparison of monthly data for 4 months before and 12 months during the intervention, showed significant improvement in all but two areas of functioning: social functioning and psychiatric status. The findings, although in need of confirmation in larger, representative samples of patients in Israel and elsewhere, hold promise for effective intervention with patients whose treatment today consists largely of medication.

Abstract
In this article, we report findings pertaining to connections between social workers' exposure to daily stressors, the work benefits they receive, their levels of burnout and their well-being. We examined (i) the associations between social workers' perceived exposure to daily stressors and their well-being; (ii) the mediating effect of burnout on these associations; and (iii) the moderating effect of extrinsic and intrinsic work benefits on the relationships between perceived exposure to daily stressors and burnout. Participants were 486 social workers, working in various organisations and with diverse populations in Israel. Of the various findings, two are of particular interest. One is that workers' depersonalisation of their clients mediated the relationship between the workers' exposure to daily stressors and their psychological distress. The other is that neither intrinsic nor extrinsic work benefits weakened the association between workers' exposure to daily stressors and their burnout, in terms of personal accomplishment. On the contrary, high benefits of either kind strengthened this association. These unexpected findings are discussed within the frameworks of relationships between service users and service providers and of Wilensky's compensatory theory. While this study was based in Israel, its conclusions bear relevance to social workers in other countries as well.