Transferring MSW Education to Practice: A Qualitative Study With Public Child Welfare Employees

This study used a qualitative analysis of survey data collected from public child welfare employees (n = 168) as they completed master's of social work courses in a weekend/hybrid program, to examine their perceptions of ability to apply classroom learning to practice. The program, which combined a focus on direct practice and management, was developed in partnership with the state's public child welfare agency, during a period of systemic change and case practice reform. Findings indicate that students readily transferred knowledge and skills to the workplace, albeit with some challenges. In particular, management courses appeared to provide an important framework in understanding the organizational context of practice.     

Comparison of MMPI psychopathic deviate scores of battered and nonbattered women

Despite the voluminous research using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, little research has been done evaluating the MMPI for assessing personality profiles and psychopathology in victims of domestic violence. The current study focused on the Psychopathic Deviate scale (scale 4), and the Harris and Lingoes subscales measuring specific aspects of this concept. The objective was to evaluate whether a clinical population of battered women differed from a nonbattered group drawn from a similar clinical setting. The battered group scored higher on the full scale (p .001), the Authority Problems scale (p .001), the Social Alienation scale, (p .01), and the Social Imperturbability scale (p .05). There was no difference on Self-Alienation. The score on Family Discord (Pd1) was the most elevated for the battered group, falling just below moderately elevated. Within the battered group, the score on Family Discord (M =69.11) was significantly more highly elevated than the score on Self-Alienation (M =60.4) (the next most highly elevated score). These findings suggest that there is an association between elevated scale 4 scores and victimization by domestic violence. However, it is essential that clinicians carefully evaluate such scores in the context of each individual situation before attributing causation.