SOWK 510 Social Work Research

SOWK 510 Social Work Research

Part 1: The Role of Theory in Social Work Research

Chosen Issue: Homelessness and Mental Health

I am passionate about the connection between homelessness and mental health. Currently, homelessness remains a major social issue that impacts millions of people worldwide; people who are homeless are struggling with mental disorders, substance abuse, and social exclusion. Analyzing this issue is important because of the interrelation between these factors, which influence people’s chances of finding stable housing and their quality of life (Mejia-Lancheros et al., 2021). If independent case management is not facilitated, people who have mental illness become chronically homeless, with numerous readmissions to hospitals and incarceration in prison.

Chosen Theory: Systems Theory

The issue of homelessness and its connection with mental health can be described comprehensively with the help of system theory. Hilton et al. (2019) state systems theory underscores the connection between societal structures and the individual’s engagement in these systems. When applied to homelessness, this theory helps to understand why and how a person’s mental health changes based on the availability, or lack thereof, of the healthcare system, housing, social services, and legal system. This theoretical approach assists in understanding homelessness not just as the pathology of the affected people but as a systems-level phenomenon.

Development of Research Question and Methods

From the lens of systems theory, my research question would be focused on the role and impact of social systems in causing and solving homelessness among mental health clients. According to Hilton et al. (2019), systems theory influences the methodological approach by incorporating a mixed-methods design, where quantitative data is collected from health and housing services and qualitative data from the clients. The analysis of results would be oriented on the extent to which they foster or compromise the capacity of individuals to find permanent housing and maintain their mental well-being.

Limitations of Systems Theory

Although systems theory is a coherent approach to studying homelessness, its concern with structures and processes makes it less suitable for exploring individuals’ experiences. According to Mejia-Lancheros et al., (2021 findings, it could also distort the nature of the links between systems and individual performance results. We need a more person-centered account of the narratives alongside system-level statistics to overcome these limitations.

Part 2: Sampling in Social Work Research

Research Topic: Homelessness Among Veterans

The most appropriate type of sampling is purposive in analyzing the issue of homelessness among veterans. As stated by Hilton et al. (2019), Purposive sampling will enable the researchers to recruit participants in a way that will address the purpose of the research. Here, the participants would be former military personnel who have been homeless within the last five years, and they would give details about the hardships that this group has experienced.

Strengths and Limitations of Purposive Sampling

According to Hilton and his associates (2019), the advantage of purposive sampling is that specificity can easily be handled, which is very important when researching individuals who have first-hand encounters with the study’s likely focus. However, this approach limits the external validity of the outcomes, in other words, how generalizable such results would be to the population. The selected participants may not represent all the veterans and, thus, cannot guarantee that each candidate has been captured as is (Tsai et al., 2021).

Ethical Considerations

When it comes to purposive sampling in homeless veterans, there is also the issue of their ability to make their decisions or explicitly approve the study without coercion because of their mental illness. In their research, Hilton et al. (2019) suggest that participants should be given information about the research objectives, their freedom to participate, and why they decide to participate.

Part 3: Survey Research in Social Work.  

Research Topic: Access to Mental Health Services for Homeless Individuals

A precise field of social work in which I would carry out survey research is the adequacy and access to mental health services for homeless people. This is important because the affected individuals fail to access adequate mental health care services, which means that they have to keep experiencing homelessness again and again. As Hilton et al. (2019) have pointed out, surveys are appropriate when studying issues that influence many individuals because it is possible to interview many people to get the needed information.

Survey Design

This survey would employ closed questions in the form of multiple choice and rating questions to identify participants’ access to mental health services, perceived quality of care, and perceived barriers to accessing such care. For example, questions could include: “How often do you use mental health services?” and “How satisfied are you with the mental health services you receive on a scale of 1 to 5?” This format of the questions enhances the comprehensiveness of the questions asked and relevance to the objectives of this study based on Omerov et al. (2020).

Sampling Strategy and Challenges

A better approach would be to use the stratified sampling method, where the sample is divided into subsets, including those who have received services and those who have not. However, issues such as low response rates or participants’ low confidence in the researchers can arise. To overcome these issues, the researchers would seek the assistance of organizations that still connect with homeless persons.

Part 4: Qualitative Research in Social Work

Chosen Issue: Domestic Violence in Marginalized Communities

It is most appropriate to analyze domestic violence in vulnerable groups using the qualitative research method because the experiences of the victims and the influence originating from cultural and social factors would provide valuable improvements to its analysis. Using qualitative research is helpful when capturing how people experience the events occurring daily, which may not be reflected well in quantitative studies. Qualitative data collection and analysis help identify the various ways domestic violence affects individuals based on culture and society (Belknap & Grant, 2021).

Chosen Method: In-Depth Interviews

Another suitable approach to gathering an answer to the research question would be an interview that would further explore the topic and help gain a deeper understanding of the participants’ experiences of domestic violence. This method is appropriate for this study to examine how quantitative approach and individual-level data can portray the living, power relations, cultural norms, and services deficiency of people living in a stigmatized community.

Ensuring Rigor and Trustworthiness

More specifically, asking participants to review summaries of the analyzed data and using multiple sources of data to corroborate findings will often be employed to enhance the credibility of this study. Member checking is the process whereby the results are returned to the participants to build the reality from the provided interpretation. On the same note, triangulation compares data from interviews with other data sources like the social services agencies’ reports (Belknap & Grant, 2021). According to Hilton et al. (2019), these strategies enhance the reliability and validity of the study results.

Ethical Considerations

While using qualitative research to conduct the study on domestic violence, some of the ethical challenges may include the safety of the participants and whether their identity will be kept secret. To counter possible unrecognized threats, Hilton et al. (2019) suggest that interviews be conducted in unidentified venues and that sources of support be available for participants who may experience distress while undertaking research.

Conclusion

Based on the examples mentioned above, various types of social work research approaches can help us understand some of society’s primary concerns, like homelessness, mental health, and domestic violence. Each has its advantages and disadvantages; nonetheless, rational use of any of them can produce helpful information for enhancing social work practice and policies.

References

Belknap, J., & Grant, D. (2021). Domestic Violence Policy: a world of change. Feminist Criminology, 16(3), 382–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085120987610

Hilton, T. P., Fawson, P. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (2019). Applied social research: A tool for the human services. Springer Publishing Company.

Mejia-Lancheros, C., Lachaud, J., Woodhall-Melnik, J., O’Campo, P., Hwang, S. W., & Stergiopoulos, V. (2021). Longitudinal interrelationships of mental health discrimination and stigma with housing and well-being outcomes in adults with mental illness and recent experience of homelessness. Social Science & Medicine, 268, 113463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113463

Omerov, P., Craftman, Å. G., Mattsson, E., & Klarare, A. (2020). Homeless persons’ experiences of health and social care: A systematic integrative review. Health & social care in the community, 28(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12857

Tsai, J., Pietrzak, R. H., & Szymkowiak, D. (2021). The Problem of Veteran Homelessness: An update for the new decade. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 60(6), 774–780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.12.012

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SOWK 510 Social Work Research