It is becoming increasingly clear that our world is a global community. For social service researchers, awareness of community issues and concerns needs to extend beyond traditional boundaries with an awareness of competent and comprehensive approaches that stretch far beyond the confines of our geographic neighborhoods. One can turn on the television or surf the Internet and quickly see events almost as they happen across the globe. It is clear technology has opened many doors and new possibilities for improving the health and social welfare of populations throughout the world. Certainly, there are many examples of how occurrences across the oceans affect social service related topics—no matter where we live.
The editor for the Journal of Social Service Research and the guest editors of this special two-part issue all agree that what we learn from other societies and cultures will strengthen our own approaches to social services and social living. Therefore, one way to strengthen our own knowledge and strategy is to see how those across our global community approach social problems. From these examples, we can learn the barriers to success and why standard approaches using a “one-size-fits-all” approach will fall short no matter how comprehensive and evidence based the applied strategy is believed to be. Simply stated, what works in one social service community may not work in another, regardless of the evidence to support it if environmental circumstances are not considered.
Parts one and two of this special issue provide a selection of articles chosen specifically to create a learning environment where these social scientists can investigate phenomena in other societies examining social service changes taking into account different economic, social, and cultural influences. There are also several articles that examine services through the eyes of the providers actually preforming the service. The study of international social welfare is an imperative that will move all researchers beyond any self-imposed barriers, allowing for a more connected and cooperative world community.
The first article in this special issue is titled “Social Capital Change: Investigating Old and New Generations of Rural Communities. Case Study: Ghasran Rural District, Shemirant Region, Tehran.” This study examines the viewpoints of 319 individuals in a rural district in Tehran, Iran. The authors, M. Goudarzi, N. Aghamohseni, and M. Jomehpour, examine the crucial role social capital plays and how being exposed to technological advances has heightened generational differences with young individuals, especially those with higher education levels. How this exposure has affected social bonding is explored along with the potential affects that can result within this rural community related to family ties, relations, reciprocity, and the wide range of rural networks. The authors urge future researchers to examine further the roles of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and how they can continue to assist in developing social capital.
In the second article, titled “A Review of Sexual Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behaviors Among South Korean Early Adolescents: Application of the Ecological Framework,” J. S. Hong, D. R. Voisin, H. C. Hahm, M. Feranil, and S. A. Schafer-Kruman Mountain review 35 studies conducted between 1990 and 2015 on the sexual attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors among South Korean early adolescents. Applying Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework, this review of the literature found that primary factors that affected adolescent behavior included religious affiliation, beliefs, and media influences; parental employment; and family-level and school environment factors. The authors conclude it is important to understand how ecological systems may influence STI-related risk behaviors.
In the third article, titled “Improving the Service Delivery System for Older Adults Living Alone in Korea,” S. Chung, M. Lee, and Y. Kim help to identify ways to improve the current care service delivery system for older adults living alone in a community in Korea. The authors interviewed 25 service managers (social workers), 14 regional service managers, and 11 managers in local service centers that provided direct services to older adults living alone. Challenges in providing services to this vulnerable group were identified; the most challenging aspects for providing services were the lack of flexibility to meet the needs of clients and inadequate eligibility criteria for client selection.
In the fourth article, titled “The Relationship Between Political Trust and Participation in the National Pension Program: A Case Study of Taiwan,” L.-M. Tseng and J.-Y. Wu investigate Taiwanese people's intention to participate in the national pension program. Questionnaires were distributed to 254 part-time workers that were qualified to join the program; there were numerous factors that supported participation. Among the most common factors that encouraged participation were political trust, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control.
The fifth article, titled “State of Inheritance Rights: Women in a Rural District in Pakistan” and written by M. Ahmad, M. Batool, and S. F. Dziegielewski, focuses on the rights of women in Pakistan and whether gender has any effect on wealth distribution. To gain insight into inheritance distribution with respect to women, 144 daughters in a feudal society were interviewed. The data from this study demonstrated that a lack of education, patriarchal practices, and the occurrences of a swap marriage system (where forced exchange marriages are promoted to defer inheritance) could limit the ability of these women to get their share of their entitled inheritance. To better understand this outcome, environmental considerations such as religious lessons, laws, and social repercussions need to be taken into account.
In the sixth article, titled “The Effect of Multicultural Family Support Service: Examining Integration with Immigrant Wives in South Korea,” M.-C. Hwang utilized data from a national survey to assess the Multicultural Family Support Service (MFSS) program. This service is for immigrant wives and is designed to improve their integration. The findings show the program may be failing to improve immigrant wives’ integration and improvements such as case management, cultural competence, and management that is aware and takes into account regional differences.
The seventh article, titled “Measuring Empowerment: Development and Validation of the Service User Psychological Empowerment Scale” and written by N. van Dop, J. Depauw, and K. Driessens, presents a study that was conducted in two Belgian cities. To help provide a more accurate reflection of social work practice, a scale called the Service User Psychological Empowerment Scale (SUPES) was developed and given to 349 service users. The SUPES, a 28-item scale, was used to measure the behavioral dimension of psychological empowerment among service users. Using factor analysis, the SUPES was found to be valid and reliable in assessing the different dimensions of psychological empowerment among service users.
In the eighth article, titled “A Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experiences of Korean Men Living With HIV,” S.-K. Kang and K. M. Lee developed a qualitative phenomenological study where participants explored the meaning of the experiences of Korean men living with HIV. Special attention was given to better understanding their HIV status addressing self-concepts, stigma recognition, and relationships.
The ninth article, titled “Local Service-Delivery Networks for Unaccompanied Children in Sweden: Evaluating Their Effectiveness,” examines the effectiveness of local service-delivery networks for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) in Sweden. The authors, A. Hanberger, M. E. Wimelius, M. Ghazinour, J. Isaksson, and M. Eriksson, conducted 32 interviews with social workers, legal guardians, care-home staff, teachers, and school personnel; administered a questionnaire; and interviewed 11 UASC to explore the factors and conditions that enhance network performance, with results suggesting the importance of including cultural and multicultural competences for the networks to be effective.
In the tenth article, titled “Sociopolitical Participation of Kuwaiti Women in the Development Process: Current State and Challenges Ahead,” A. Z. Alzuabi analyzed the results of 300 Kuwaiti citizens and identified the nature of legislative, political, sociocultural, and economic challenges faced by Kuwaiti women. Measures to overcome these obstacles to help women were identified, with the prime role in the development process.
The next three articles concentrate on helping researchers and practitioners to gain better understanding of the reactions that workers may experience when providing these services. The eleventh article, titled “Social Workers in Israel: Compassion, Fatigue, and Spillover into Married Life,” examines the quality of social workers’ married lives in Israel. The authors, R. Finzi-Dottan and M. Berckovitch Kormosh, surveyed 202 social workers using several measurement instruments designed to identify and measure the effect of compassion fatigue (consisting of secondary traumatization, burnout, and compassion satisfaction) on the quality of social workers’ married lives. The authors were interested in identifying whether social workers in high stress occupations had any occupational spillover in their personal relationships. Results indicated that there was a relationship between compassion fatigue and professional self-esteem, and this contributed to the participants’ marital quality.
The twelfth article, “How to Foster Commitment Among Volunteers: A Social Constructionist Study in Italian Nonprofit Organizations” by authors D. Romaioli, A. Nencini, and A. M. Meneghini, focuses on two intertwined studies conducting 27 semistructured interviews with highly committed volunteers. Their perceptions of the role as volunteer emphasized the importance of maintaining a personal space and being careful to separate their role as volunteers from their day-to-day life.
In the last article in this special issue, “Practicing Social Work Ethics Among Hospital Social Workers in Saudi Arabia,” A. Albrithen and S. F. Dziegielewski explore the opinions of 218 hospital social workers and their use of ethical decision-making skills. These authors stress the importance of taking into account the culture and the importance of the professional relationship in the change effort, while always taking into account the context taking into account culturally sensitive interpretations.
In conclusion, the guest editors hope the reader has found this collection of international articles helpful as these authors touch on many international facets of providing fair and equitable social services. Raising awareness of the multifaceted elements of providing culturally sensitive practice when working with numerous population groups is highlighted. Efficient and effective social work services in a global society need to take a broad perspective where peace and social justice, human rights, and social development must always be at the forefront.