ABSTRACT
Combating ageism is a challenge for social workers, given that social work is directly intertwined with social justice. The conceptual definition of ageism varies due to different measurements and lack of definition consensus. The purpose of our study is the systematic review of operational definitions of ageism, which have been used by empirical research on ageism in the field of social work. Scopus, Pub Med, Taylor and Francis, and Springer were searched from 2000 to 2020. Inclusion- exclusion criteria were established concerning timespan, language, study type, and study focus. Finally, twelve peer review articles were included in the final review. Results suggest that the more prevalent forms of the operational definition of ageism include cognitive, other-directed, explicit negative, or positive components as well behavioural other-directed, explicit negative, or positive components. Our review reveals an absence of implicit and self-directed components. The findings highlight the need for an approach that covers all the dimensions of ageism. The exact dimension and manifestation of ageism in the various geriatric contexts of social work are necessary. Implications for social work research and practice are discussed.
Η καταπολέμηση του ηλικιακού ρατσισμού αποτϵλϵί πρόκληση για τους κοινωνικούς λϵιτουργούς, δϵδομένου ότι η κοινωνική ϵργασία ϵίναι άμϵσα συνυφασμένη μϵ την κοινωνική δικαιοσύνη. Ο ϵννοιολογικός ορισμός του ηλικιακού ρατσισμού ποικίλλϵι λόγω διαφορϵτικών κλιμάκων μέτρησης και έλλϵιψης συμφωνίας ϵνός κοινού αποδϵκτού ορισμού. Σκοπός της μϵλέτης μας ϵίναι η συστηματική ανασκόπηση των λϵιτουργικών ορισμών του ηλικιακού ρατσισμού, που έχουν χρησιμοποιηθϵί σϵ ϵμπϵιρικές έρϵυνϵς ηλικιακού ρατσισμού, στον τομέα της κοινωνικής ϵργασίας. Στις διϵθνϵίς βάσϵις δϵδομένων ακαδημαϊκών ϵρϵυνών Scopus, Pub Med, Taylor και Francis και Springer, πραγματοποιήθηκϵ αναζήτηση βιβλιογραφίας από το 2000 έως το 2020. Καθιϵρώθηκαν κριτήρια συμπϵρίληψης-αποκλϵισμού σχϵτικά μϵ το χρονικό διάστημα, τη γλώσσα, τον τύπο μϵλέτης και τον ϵστιασμό της μϵλέτης. Στο τέλος, δώδϵκα άρθρα αξιολογημένα μϵ σύστημα κριτών συμπϵριλήφθηκαν για την τϵλική ανασκόπηση. Τα αποτϵλέσματα της έρϵυνας υποδϵικνύουν ότι οι ποιο διαδϵδομένϵς μορφές λϵιτουργικού ορισμού ηλικιακού ρατσισμού πϵριλαμβάνουν γνωστικά, ϵτϵροκατϵυθυνόμϵνα, συνϵιδητά αρνητικά ή θϵτικά συστατικά καθώς και συμπϵριφορικά ϵτϵροκατϵυθυνόμϵνα, συνϵιδητά αρνητικά ή θϵτικά συστατικά. Η ανασκόπησή μας αποκαλύπτϵι μια απουσία ασυνϵίδητων και αυτοκατϵυθυνόμϵνων συστατικών. Τα ϵυρήματα υπογραμμίζουν την ανάγκη για μια προσέγγιση που να καλύπτϵι όλϵς τις διαστάσϵις του ηλικιακού ρατσισμού. Η ακριβής διάσταση και ϵκδήλωση του ηλικιακού ρατσισμού στα διάφορα γηριατρικά πλαίσια στο πϵδίο κοινωνικής ϵργασίας ϵίναι απαραίτητη. Συζητούνται οι ϵπιπτώσϵις για την έρϵυνα και την πρακτική κοινωνικής ϵργασίας.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Katerina Micheli
Katerina Micheli is a social worker, with Ph.D in Social Medicine from the Department of Medicine, University of Crete. Her PhD dissertation investigates the functional limitation of elderly and the impact of family ties. She works as a field assistant at the undergraduate Programme at the Department of Social Work at Hellenic Mediterranean University. She also has experience working as a Social Worker with different target groups such as older people, families, people with mental disorders and abandoned or delinquent children. She has collaborated with research teams for various funded European and National research projects. Her research interests include assessment of elderly and active ageing issues, social policy issues, and assessment in primary social health care.
Kleio Koutra
Dr. Kleio Koutra is an Associate Professor in Social Work in Public Health of the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), chair of the Social Applied Research and Social Work lab, and a member of the MiStory International group. She has a degree in Social Work (TEI of Crete), an MPH in Public (Medical School, University of Crete), and a Ph.D. in Social Medicine from the Department of Medicine, University of Crete. She has worked on various funded projects, as Coordinator and as an investigator. Kleio has numerous international and national conferences. She has published over 25 papers in international and national peer-reviewed journals.
Lina Pelekidou
Pelekidou Lina is a social worker and a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Social Work (HELMEPA). Her study topic in the Ph.D. thesis concerns the research of refugee trauma through clinical ethnographic narrative interviews. She works as a field assistant at the Department of Social Work of the Hellenic Mediterranean University. She also has experience working as a Social Worker in the field of Social Work Community to support the integration of vulnerable populations, migrants, refugees, people in poverty, older people, and people with mental disorders. She has collaborated with research teams for various funded European and National research projects. Her research interests include refugees’ trauma, migrants’ & refugees’ integration, intervention, and assessment in primary social health care.
Ioanna Smyrni
Ioanna Smyrni holds two master diplomas, one in Clinical Psychology and a recent one on Neurorehabilitation. Her 1st research focused on depression and work stress in association to BDNF hormone and sadness rumination and the 2nd on the caregiver burden of persons with dementia. Ioanna has a lot of experience in groups of cognitive enhancement and non-pharmaceutical interventions on dementia. She holds a CBT therapy diploma and has previously worked on different settings including children therapy and parent counselling.