National Journal of Professional Social Work

Impact of Mental Health Stigma on Social Work Practice in India

2025-01-27T14:48:59+00:00

Mental health issues are increasingly recognized as a significant public health concern in India, yet stigma remains a substantial barrier to accessing care. This stigma, rooted in cultural beliefs, ignorance, and social taboos, prevents individuals from seeking help and exacerbates the challenges faced by those with mental health conditions. This editorial explores the impact of mental health stigma on social work practice in India and highlights the essential role that social workers play in combating stigma and promoting mental health awareness. Social workers engage in raising awareness, educating communities, and empowering individuals to break free from the societal prejudices associated with mental illness. They also advocate for policy changes to improve mental health services and ensure the rights of those affected. However, challenges such as resource limitations, cultural resistance, and the need for enhanced training in mental health continue to hinder the full potential of social work in addressing mental health stigma. Despite these obstacles, social workers are at the forefront of integrating mental health support into broader social work practice, providing crucial support to marginalized populations, and advancing mental health as a social justice issue. The article emphasizes the need for continued education, advocacy, and systemic change to create an inclusive, stigma-free environment for mental health care in India.

Psychosocial Intervention in a Young Adult with Dissociative (Conversion) Disorder & Borderline intellectual functioning: A Case Study

2024-06-17T20:22:39+00:00

Introduction Dissociation is a complex psychological phenomenon where thoughts, feelings, and experiences are not fully integrated into conscious awareness (Bernstein & Putnam, 1986). Manifesting as memory lapses, detachment, or a sense of unreality, dissociation significantly impacts emotional well-being and mental health. Freud's concept of "conversion disorder" suggests that these symptoms arise from unconscious conflicts. This condition is prevalent among children, young adults, and individuals from rural, middle-class backgrounds, with a higher incidence in females (2.5:1). Parenting factors also contribute to the development of dissociation.

Methodology: This single-subject case study describes an 18-year-old male diagnosed with dissociative (conversion) disorder and borderline intellectual functioning. Following informed consent, a comprehensive psychosocial assessment was conducted in the inpatient ward at the Central Institute of Psychiatry. Assessment tools included the modified Kuppuswamy scale, McMaster Family Assessment Device, Zarit Burden Interview, Family Attitude Scale, and Parenting Style Questionnaire. Psychosocial formulation tailored interventions in a collaborative approach between the individual, their family was made.

Result- The findings highlighted the complex, multifaceted nature of dissociation. Psychosocial factors, including a discordant family environment, adverse life events like stringent punishment and harassment in tuition classes, inconsistent parenting, and unmet emotional needs, shaped the disorder's trajectory. These issues were addressed through psychosocial interventions with both long-term and short-term goals.

Conclusion - Comprehensive psychosocial evaluation and targeted interventions provided valuable insights into the patient's family dynamics and contributing factors. Early detection and holistic intervention are crucial in addressing dissociative disorders in youth.

A Case Study of Psychosocial Interventions in Schizophrenia: Effectiveness and Challenges

2024-07-09T17:59:53+00:00

Background: Schizophrenia affects all aspects of a person’s life and even a family member’s life. Schizophrenia is characterized as a persistent mental state of uncertainty that can break the link between behavior, thought, and emotion; specifically, it can cause unreliable perception, inappropriate actions and emotions, and a feeling of mental disorganization.

Aim: This case study aims to present the role and efficacy of psychosocial interventions in the non-pharmacological management of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia having psychosocial issues. Methodology: The interventions carried out with the patient and family included psycho-education, social skills training, supportive psychotherapy, addressing the expressed emotions, enhancing the support system, and supportive work with the family. Results: Significant improvement was observed after intervention and analyses which indicated improvement in the patient’s symptoms, social skills, activities of daily living, and attitude of family members towards illness and patient. Conclusion: The tailored psychiatric social work intervention program in the treatment of the family as well as the patient was found to be effective and needs to be integrated into routine practice.

Exploring the Impact of Online Learning (OL) over Conventional Learning (CL) on the Professional Development of MSW Students across India in the Post-Pandemic Era

2025-01-30T15:47:34+00:00

Background: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated unprecedented public-health concerns. Many countries have imposed lockdowns to reduce social contact and contain the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. It forced the institutes to change their teaching methods from Conventional Learning (CL) to Online Learning (OL), meanwhile, it badly effected stream like Social Work which is more focused of practical, and field works. Aims and Objectives: The research study aimed to investigate the impact and effectiveness of the OL over CL post COVID-19 Pandemic era in MSW students across India. Methodology: The Survey study design was used for the study. This study was conducted via online platform from various social work institutes across India (12 States). 391 participants were completed the study. All were given digital consent and followed by socio-demographic details and the scale (A modified self-assessment questionnaire for OL and CL) were used to assess participants’ impact on OL over CL. Results: The results of the study revealed that, MSW students adapted (AT) to new learning technology, meanwhile theoretical learning (TL) and Practical learning (PL) were deteriorated without good direct supervision. State wise result shows that, West Bengal students were more capable in AT (44.06), TL (23.71), PL (34.14) and OL (34.14), while, Karnataka students were less interested in AT (38.54), in TL (16.52) Kerala students like to follow Conventional Learning, in PL (20.50) Telangana students are more prone to CL and lastly, Tamil Nadu students were most likely to follow CL over OL (27.83). Conclusion and Implications: The COVID-19 pandemic led a revolutionary change in the education system in India, these changes were adapted to a new teaching platform (OL). However, since then lacking a good practical supervision for social work education in India.

Caregiver Stigma and Quality of Life in Patients With Schizophrenia: An Exploratory Study

2024-07-09T11:49:30+00:00

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic disease that impacts different aspects of patients’ and their caregiver’s lives. So, there’s a need to assess how different aspects of illness such as stigma can affect the quality of life of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Aim: To find out the impact of stigma faced by caregivers on the quality of life of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design and purposive sampling technique were used. A total of 160 patients and their caregivers who were diagnosed with schizophrenia taking regular treatment and were stable from a minimum last six months attending the outpatient department of the Department of Psychiatry, PGIMS, Rohtak. The level of stigma faced by caregivers and the quality of life of patients was assessed using the Jaipur stigma questionnaire and WHO-QoL BREF scale respectively. Results: The findings of this study showed that the domains of stigma such as false belief, coercive treatment, shame, and marriage have a significant relationship with the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: Despite the continuous awareness, there’s still a gap that persists in the field of mass awareness regarding mental illness. This can be done with the help of various policymakers and stakeholders.

Group Work Interventions for Family Caregivers of Elderly Persons with Mental Health Problems

2024-07-30T02:35:01+00:00

Introduction: Geriatric mental health is the foundation for the wellness and optimum functioning of an elderly person. Physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual factors are interrelated with mental health in elderly. Loneliness, disability, family structure, support system, social security and resilience factors influences and encounters the essence of psychosocial interventions to enhance the psychological and social well-being of the elderly persons. Family caregivers of elderly persons with mental health problems face various adversities in their life due to the nature of symptoms and associated psychosocial issues such as caregiver burden, lack of information about the illness, inadequate social support, delay in seeking treatment and poor quality of life. Hence, psychosocial interventions are important to empower the family caregivers of elderly persons with mental health problems. Aim: This study aims to to understand the multifactorial aspects of psychosocial interventions and to present themes noted in reducing caregiver burden, ensuring treatment adherence, accessing social support and improving the quality of life in geriatric mental health. Methodology: The study focuses on review of comprehensive group work care interventions offered for elderly persons with mental health problems and their family caregivers who accessed a Geriatric Clinic at a tertiary care center in a cosmopolitan city of India starting from January 2022 to June 2023. Results: Elderly persons with mental health problems and their family caregivers were provided group work session of psychosocial support ranging from psychoeducation, supportive work, home care strategies, home visits, psychosocial follow up, welfare benefits, alternative care options such as day care, formal home-care, institutionalization, palliative care and unique case-based queries including bank and legal aid. Time-bound brief-psychosocial interventions were offered. Further results will be presented. Discussion: This study can help the fellow researchers and academicians gain the summary of psychosocial interventions provided in a lower and middle income country such as India. It highlights the role of a multidisciplinary team in holistic-care for persons with mental health problems and their families. It attempts to review what has worked as well as the areas that need more attention. It provides the insights and initiates the discussion over inclusion of psychosocial interventions as part of regular clinical services across all settings including private hospitals and multi-speciality care facilities. Conclusion: Psychosocial needs of the persons with mental health problems and their families are varied and cannot be addressed by one intervention package. Hence, augmenting the psychosocial interventions would enable the caregivers to provide better care, enhance the well-being, manage behavioral issues and decrease the burden of care. In short, psychosocial interventions would enhance the quality of life for family caregivers of persons with mental health problems.

A practice-based study on the fact ‘teenage pregnancy ‘among the Garo community residing in Rajasimla village under the Kharkutta block, North Garo Hills, Meghalaya

2025-01-30T15:58:52+00:00

Teenage pregnancy is a major social problem in Meghalaya due to various reasons. In Meghalaya, the severity of teenage pregnancy may differ from area to area. This study is undertaken in Rajasimla village, located in North Garo Hills, Meghalaya State. It is a small village surrounded by the mountains and it is the bordering village to Assam state. This research is about the teenage girls in Rajasimla who became pregnant at early age and how social work profession have been used strategically by social workers to reduce the pregnancy rate in the village and thereby spread awareness. This topic suggests to tackle the issues by teaching young people about sex education, make healthcare easy to reach and provide support to deal with difficulties that comes with getting pregnant early. Social workers tried to lessen the numbers of teen pregnancy cases through involvement with the community, spread awareness and used specific plans for teenagers and youths who faces challenges in the region, aiming for better reproductive health. This innovative study is basically based on practice-based research through social work methods and approaches.

Awareness, Preparedness and Economic impact of Disaster: A Case Study of Kangra District

2024-08-25T06:16:40+00:00

Climate change as well as anthropogenic activities has intensified the severity of disasters around the world. India, a country with large population is vulnerable to various natural as well as man-made disasters. The hill state of Himachal Pradesh has witnessed the intense impact of rainfall in the year 2023. There is an unexpected destruction of both life and property due to which many families have gone homeless. This study explores the awareness, preparedness level and economic impact of disaster in Parmar Nagar village, district Kangra, Himachal Pradesh where houses sunk in and collapsed causing a misery to families during the year 2023. This study also focused on the significant role of social workers in disaster management as well as highlighted some of the major suggestive measures to mitigate the impact of disasters. The study was carried through primary data collection with the help of interview schedule and secondary data was also used. It is discernible that none of the respondents was aware of national emergency helpline number and disaster management plans. The present study highlighted that some of the respondents were forced to out-migrate due to disaster. It was endeavored to understand, analyze and interpret state of realism overtly impacting stakeholders. It was also observed that there is a dire need of active involvement of Governmental and Non-governmental organizations, community, and social workers to have adequate awareness, preparedness, mitigation of disaster so that precious natural and human resources are saved from being in vulnerable condition.