The Blame Index: Exploring the Change in Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Poverty

ABSTRACT

This study reports the development of a new Blame Index to determine attributions of the causes of poverty along a single structural-to-individual dimension. A multisite pre-/post-group design tested the degree of change in social work students’ (N = 177) perception of poverty as a result of taking a single BSW social policy course or an MSW foundation social policy course. Student respondents reported a significant shift toward structural and away from individual attribution of the causes of poverty, more support for government antipoverty benefit programs, increased awareness of the inadequacy of existing government antipoverty programs, and increased awareness of the difficulty in accessing government antipoverty benefits. Linear regression explained 17% of the change in the Blame Index with only race/ethnicity and the change in adequacy of benefits as significant predictors.

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Notes on contributors

Elena Delavega

Elena Delavega, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at The University of Memphis. Peter A. Kindle, PhD, CPA, LMSW, is an Associate Professor at The University of South Dakota. Susan Peterson, MSW, is Retired Faculty, Minot State University. Charles Schwartz, PhD, is Professor Emeritus, The University of South Dakota.

Peter A. Kindle

Elena Delavega, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at The University of Memphis. Peter A. Kindle, PhD, CPA, LMSW, is an Associate Professor at The University of South Dakota. Susan Peterson, MSW, is Retired Faculty, Minot State University. Charles Schwartz, PhD, is Professor Emeritus, The University of South Dakota.

Susan Peterson

Elena Delavega, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at The University of Memphis. Peter A. Kindle, PhD, CPA, LMSW, is an Associate Professor at The University of South Dakota. Susan Peterson, MSW, is Retired Faculty, Minot State University. Charles Schwartz, PhD, is Professor Emeritus, The University of South Dakota.

Charles Schwartz

Elena Delavega, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at The University of Memphis. Peter A. Kindle, PhD, CPA, LMSW, is an Associate Professor at The University of South Dakota. Susan Peterson, MSW, is Retired Faculty, Minot State University. Charles Schwartz, PhD, is Professor Emeritus, The University of South Dakota.