Grand Challenges in School Social Work: Collaboration and Constraint in School Social Workers’ Sexuality Support for Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities (CWD) face challenges to the development of their sexuality, in part due to a lack of appropriate, tailored sexual education in schools, role ambiguity regarding provision of sexual health services, and widespread discomfort with the topic. However, CWD have unique sexual health needs, an increased vulnerability to sexual and other forms of violence, and desire for skills and knowledge to build relationships. Using a phenomenological lens, authors conducted semistructured interviews with eight school social workers to understand how they are working with other professionals to support sexual and relational health of CWD (ages three to 11). Results indicate that school social workers collaborated with other professionals, although they also described multiple contexts in which other professionals had sole responsibility for sexual education and deferred to their expertise. Role ambiguity, policy restrictions, proscribed roles, and discomfort with the topic limited provision of needed services. Findings can assist school social workers seeking to build interdisciplinary collaboration, reduce role ambiguity, foster comfortable environments, and advocate for appropriate formats to support the sexual and relational health and well-being of CWD. They also suggest areas for policy change so that sexual support services are inclusive of all youths

Reproductive and Sexual Healthcare Needs Among Adults with Disabilities as Perceived by Social Workers

People with disabilities often experience unique gynecological and reproductive healthcare needs, which may be exacerbated by their experience of sexual victimization. Previous research on adolescents with disabilities found that social workers held beneficial roles in supporting their clients to make empowered decisions concerning sexual healthcare, pregnancy, and parenting. This study aimed to assess the reproductive and sexual health needs of adults with various disabilities from the perspectives of their social workers. Eleven social workers working primarily with adults with various disabilities were interviewed using a phenomenological study design to offer their perspectives of the sexual and reproductive health needs of their clients. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed; themes and subthemes were identified. According to social workers, (1) adults with disabilities experienced distinctive reproductive healthcare interactions and challenges, including specific needs that were uniquely related to risks for sexual victimization and (2) social workers performed several roles in supporting sexual and reproductive healthcare of these clients, including education and brokering. Social workers demonstrated the need to support clients within a biopsychosocial framework since their biological, psychological, and social needs intersected to either restrain or empower their reproductive health. Social workers played key roles in supporting their clients in reproductive and sexual health decision-making, yet appeared to struggle to address ethical dilemmas, especially those related to ensuring their clients’ well-being and self-determination. Secondly, the results of this study made a connection between challenges in adults with disabilities’ receipt of health wellness exams and histories of sexual victimization

Social Workers’ Roles in Supporting the Sexual and Relational Health of Children with Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to understand social workers’ roles in meeting the sexual and relational health needs of children (aged 3–11) with disabilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 social workers from a range of practice settings. A phenomenological lens privileged the perspectives of social workers in their definitions of disability and sought to convey the meaning they assigned to their experiences of working with children in practice concerning matters related to sexual and relational health. Social workers enacted a broad definition of disability and often came to work with youth in contexts labeled as sexually problematic. In the provision of sexual health services, social workers embodied commonly adhered to roles including as practitioners, enablers, advocates, brokers, and managers. Services are needed that promote positive sexuality and relational health among children with disabilities. It is important that social workers be proactive advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities as equal sexual citizens

Prospectus, December 4, 1985

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1985/1029/thumbnail.jp

Cyclical changes in seroprevalence of leptospirosis in California sea lions: endemic and epidemic disease in one host species?

BackgroundLeptospirosis is a zoonotic disease infecting a broad range of mammalian hosts, and is re-emerging globally. California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) have experienced recurrent outbreaks of leptospirosis since 1970, but it is unknown whether the pathogen persists in the sea lion population or is introduced repeatedly from external reservoirs.MethodsWe analyzed serum samples collected over an 11-year period from 1344 California sea lions that stranded alive on the California coast, using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona. We evaluated seroprevalence among yearlings as a measure of incidence in the population, and characterized antibody persistence times based on temporal changes in the distribution of titer scores. We conducted multinomial logistic regression to determine individual risk factors for seropositivity with high and low titers.ResultsThe serosurvey revealed cyclical patterns in seroprevalence to L. interrogans serovar Pomona, with 4-5 year periodicity and peak seroprevalence above 50%. Seroprevalence in yearling sea lions was an accurate index of exposure among all age classses, and indicated on-going exposure to leptospires in non-outbreak years. Analysis of titer decay rates showed that some individuals probably maintain high titers for more than a year following exposure.ConclusionThis study presents results of an unprecedented long-term serosurveillance program in marine mammals. Our results suggest that leptospirosis is endemic in California sea lions, but also causes periodic epidemics of acute disease. The findings call into question the classical dichotomy between maintenance hosts of leptospirosis, which experience chronic but largely asymptomatic infections, and accidental hosts, which suffer acute illness or death as a result of disease spillover from reservoir species