There is a growing proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in most spheres and sectors of contemporary society including social work. This article reports a survey of South Asian social workers' views on AI and social work including application domains, usefulness, risks and challenges, training needs, and future of the profession. The majority of respondents have suggested that social workers need training on machine learning, reinforcement learning, and natural language processing. A high proportion proposed that AI will redefine the profession's future through multisource data synthesis on client lifeworld contexts, analysis of macro- and organizational-level data for intervention, multiple domains of practical use, and AI-powered decision support systems to recommend interventions. They recommended having digital ethics committees and diverse stakeholder groups to review AI protocols and suggest modifications in case of algorithmic bias. They also highlighted the need for training sessions on the use of AI to ensure its responsible use in social work practice.

While extensive research has established a link between food insecurity and adverse health and well-being outcomes, less attention has been given to factors that may moderate this relationship. This study examines whether a strong sense of community belonging can buffer the impact of food insecurity on mood and anxiety disorders, poor self-rated mental and general health, and low life satisfaction. Data were drawn from the 2017-2018 Canadian Community Health Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted by Statistics Canada (N = 94,790). Findings from logistic regression models indicate that individuals experiencing food insecurity are more likely to report adverse health and well-being outcomes. A strong sense of community belonging moderates this relationship, reducing the harmful impacts of food insecurity across all measured outcomes. Gender-stratified analyses reveal that this protective effect is particularly pronounced for mental health outcomes-including mood disorder, anxiety disorder, and self-rated mental health-among women.  These findings underscore the importance of strengthening community connections as a protective factor, especially in supporting women's mental health in food-insecure settings. For social work practice, these results highlight the need to promote community engagement and implement gender-sensitive interventions to address the unique vulnerabilities associated with food insecurity.

Financial social work (FSW) is an important field of practice, advocacy, and more recently research that addresses financial instability, poverty, and economic inequality. FSW is carried out in a way that marries social work's empathetic and empowerment-driven approach with efforts to improve financial capability and asset building (FCAB). These FCAB efforts pertain to activities, programs, and policies that aim to increase individual and household financial well-being. Such development of and participation in specialized saving and borrowing opportunities and building financial management skills are generally designed for financially marginalized populations. Rooted in social work's long-standing tradition of addressing social injustices and economic welfare, FSW has evolved significantly from its early efforts in poverty alleviation to encompass a broad spectrum of interventions targeting individuals, groups, and communities. Today, FSW practitioners address financial challenges through multidisciplinary approaches that integrate insights from behavioral finance and psychology, and they use technology to promote financial well-being and resilience in a changing economic landscape. This article will provide an overview of FSW as a field and practice, exploring its incorporation of insights from other disciplines, interventions, education, and global spread to improve well-being.

This study examines the relationship between workplace bullying and the well-being of social workers, with particular attention given to the mediating role of meaning at work. Using the conservation of resources theory, the research distinguishes between two primary sources of bullying in the workplace: managers and colleagues. Data were obtained from a sample of 296 social workers in Israel through a structured online questionnaire. The findings reveal a significant negative association between bullying (by both managers and colleagues) and the sense of meaning at work, which, in turn, was positively associated with the well-being of social workers. However, a direct negative association between workplace bullying and the well-being of social workers was found only in relation to bullying by colleagues, highlighting the unique harm caused by peer dynamics. These results emphasize the critical importance of fostering organizational environments that protect meaning at work, while also developing policies, interventions, and support systems to address workplace bullying and safeguard social workers' professional and personal well-being.

Medical social workers in mainland China encounter numerous structural challenges that could adversely affect their professional quality of life (ProQOL). This study seeks to investigate the correlation between ProQOL classification, resilience, and perceived health. A total of 319 medical social workers participated by completing questionnaires designed to assess their levels of ProQOL, resilience, and perceived health. The analysis of ProQOL clusters based on perceived health and resilience revealed that the career satisfied group exhibited higher perceived health scores (M = 4.05, SD = 0.99) and resilience scores (M = 6.43, SD = 1.33) compared with the trauma thriving group and the compassion fatigue group. These findings underscore potential risk factors for physical health, resilience, and the three dimensions of ProQOL among various demographic variables.

This study investigates the mental health impacts of war in Libya, with a focus on the prevalence and severity of PTSD symptoms. It aims to understand how PTSD manifests across different sociodemographic groups, examining symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. The research sampled 652 individuals aged 18 to 65 from various Libyan cities, using electronic questionnaires over 18 months. Results indicate significant differences in PTSD symptoms by gender, with women reporting more avoidance symptoms than men. Additionally, individuals in major conflict zones exhibited more severe re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms compared with those in less affected areas. The study also found that highly educated individuals showed higher levels of hyperarousal, which suggests a complex relationship between education level and stress responses. The findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive social work interventions in mental health tailored to the diverse needs of different demographic groups. Such interventions should leverage local resources and traditional family institutions to enhance resilience and recovery. The study emphasizes the importance of targeted social work interventions in postconflict scenarios to facilitate long-term societal integration and peace building in regions dealing with the psychological aftermath of conflict.

There is an increasing number of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) individuals who engage in mental health services seeking providers with shared identities. While this has proven beneficial for relationship building, it has challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, BIPOC therapists treating clients with shared identities faced increased vulnerability to both direct and secondary trauma. To avoid any implications of injury to the therapeutic process, BIPOC therapists must maintain a low risk of harm and overidentification, and enhance their self-care practices. This article examines the significance of intersectional, racial trauma and shared experiences in the therapeutic relationship. A case study will illustrate how trauma-informed supervision can foster an environment of understanding and empowerment, helping clinicians navigate their own experiences while providing adequate care to their clients. This article aims to highlight the importance of trauma-informed care in providing culturally affirming supervision concerning race-related stress and racial trauma, with strategies to enhance therapeutic effectiveness during the pandemic and beyond.

This study examines 21st century social workers' working conditions through the lens of neoliberalism, a political and economic ideology that has profoundly shaped the delivery of social services in the United States. This study explores the working conditions, professional discretion, and resistance to neoliberal managerialism of direct line workers. A statewide survey was sent out to all licensed social workers in Minnesota, and 2,329 direct line social workers responded. Results show that social workers most feel the managerialist pressures of productivity and efficiency and standardization of practice, and to a lesser extent the pressures of incentives and sanctions as well as monitoring of their work. Full-time social workers are working an average of four unpaid hours per week. Professional discretion was also limited, especially related to macro, political, economic, and social areas of practice. While social workers are mostly resisting through talking among themselves and managers, almost half have organized in some way to address practice issues. Public employees were much more likely to be unionized than private-sector employees, but those not in unions showed great interest in joining. Further suggested research includes assessing the effects of managerialism on clients and how social work supervisors and executive directors experience and navigate managerialism.

The health of autistic adults has become increasingly researched, but subgroups with intersectional identities like Latinx autistic adults remain largely understudied. In this article authors examine the health disparities U.S. Latinx autistic adults may experience throughout their lifespan and apply a combined theoretical framework-the ecological systems theory, critical race theory (CRT), and intersectionality-to a study of Latinx autistic young adults. CRT conceptualizes how race, along with the intersectional identity of disability, interact in the socioecological systems of the United States. Together these theories guide the examination of the dynamic interactions impacting the health of Latinx autistic individuals. The proposed integrated theoretical framework supports practitioners' abilities to be culturally humble and responsive to Latinx autistic adults' health experiences. Practitioners engaging with Latinx autistic communities, and specifically social work researchers, practitioners, and educators, can gain awareness of how individuals' social context and positionality contribute to people's experiences of health, discrimination, and wellness in their day-to-day lives. This article provides practical examples and recommendations for implementation. Although this article centers on the intersections of Latinx racial identity and autism disability, the proposed theoretical framework can be useful in identifying and addressing health disparities among other marginalized communities.

Social work is a profession that engages in interprofessional work with a growing interest in the field of policing. This qualitative report is a secondary analysis offering insights and practical considerations for social work clinicians interested in working with law enforcement as an integrated or embedded clinician. Guided by a social constructivist and self-efficacy theoretical lens, the study analyzed 35 in-depth interviews with participants across 13 states. The analysis identified three key themes: experience matters, multifaceted challenges and complex work environments, and personal preparation. These findings provide valuable information for clinicians considering this field, highlighting the importance of prior experience, the challenging nature of the work, and the need for thorough preparation that may not be offered or standard within the work environment. The study underscores the significance of these factors in ensuring social workers' preparation and effective collaboration with law enforcement, ultimately contributing to improved outcomes in community policing efforts and responsive approaches to addressing community crisis needs.

The social work profession has neglected the population of aging men in both research and practice. Scholars and practitioners have therefore been called upon to explore subgroups within this population and identify the opportunities and challenges they face. The present research meets this call by investigating nine Israeli childless older men (COM), using a multicase qualitative approach and by focusing on their experience of aging without children and their support sources. The authors' findings suggest three themes: (1) an attitude of self-reliance, (2) lack of informal support, and (3) the importance of formal social safety nets. These are discussed within the Israeli social context of ideal masculinity. The authors also examine the applicability of the hierarchical-compensatory model to participants' chain of support. The findings add a key theoretical factor to the hierarchical model, namely the degree of caring attributed to the helper, whether formal or informal. The authors therefore recommend that formal and informal care relationships be analyzed not only across the axis of availability or actual need but also across the emotional axis of being meaningful to someone. This article concludes with implications for theory, practice, and policy.

Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is a civil commitment program incorporating intensive case management and other services to support adults with a serious mental illness (SMI) and treatment adherence and ongoing engagement needs. The overarching goal of AOT programs is to minimize participants' use of emergency psychiatric care, increase their consistent use of community-based care, and reduce their potential for involvement with the legal system resulting from untreated mental health concerns. However, effectively coordinating multiple systems of care to best meet AOT clients' needs can be challenging. Thus, to better support high-need clients with SMI, the Houston AOT Program incorporated the use of multisystem liaisons, some of whom were trained as social workers, to coordinate referral, enrollment, and ongoing service provision within the Houston AOT Program. These liaisons worked closely with behavioral health providers at the local public health authority along with local probate court judges and their staff handling civil mental health commitments. Through the use of these liaisons, provider burden related to hospital and court documentation requirements were significantly reduced. Recommendations for integrating social workers as liaisons into joint mental health and civil commitment programs will be presented to support enhanced levels of client care.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted unprecedented public health measures, including lockdowns that forced educational institutions to transition from conventional learning (CL) to online learning (OL). This shift significantly impacted disciplines like social work, which rely heavily on practical and fieldwork experiences. This study aimed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of OL versus CL for MSW students across 12 states in India. A survey study design was utilized, conducted via online platforms, involving various social work institutes. A total of 391 participants completed the study, providing digital consent. Sociodemographic details and a modified self-assessment questionnaire for OL and CL were used to assess the impact of OL over CL. Results indicated that while MSW students adapted well to new learning technology (referred to in this article as "adaptation of learning new technology" [AT]), both theoretical learning (TL) and practical learning (PL) suffered without adequate direct supervision. Notably, West Bengal students showed the highest adaptability to new learning technologies and performed well in both TL and PL, whereas Karnataka students showed less interest in AT and TL. Kerala students preferred CL, Telangana students leaned toward conventional PL, and Tamil Nadu students showed a strong preference for CL over OL. These findings underscore that, despite the pandemic-driven shift to online platforms, the lack of practical supervision presents a significant challenge for social work education. Addressing this gap is crucial to maintaining the quality and effectiveness of training in the digital era.

The current study used a cross-sectional electronic survey to explore the prevalence of and relationships between adverse childhood experiences, adverse community environments (such as childhood discrimination), childhood resilience experiences, and current secondary traumatic stress (STS) in a nationally distributed sample of graduate social work students (N = 343). Bivariate analysis indicated that sexual and gender minority (SGM) participants experienced significantly more childhood identity-based discrimination and fewer childhood resilience experiences, compared with non-SGM participants. Participants of color faced more childhood identity-based discrimination, but no difference in resilience experiences compared with White participants. Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that Resilience Questionnaire scores (odds ratio [OR] = 0.89, p = .008), childhood counseling (OR = 0.43, p = .016), and current counseling (OR = 1.94, p = .011) were significant predictors of Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale scores, explaining 17.6 percent of the variance, χ2(8, N = 313) = 44.283, p < .001. Childhood adversity did not predict STS when resilience was added to the model. This study highlights that childhood resilience experiences are a stronger predictor of STS than childhood adversity. The high prevalence of STS found underscores the need for intervention research to support social work students.