National Journal of Professional Social Work

Childhood in Transition: Safeguarding Children in a Changing Socio-Digital World

2026-07-19T05:46:57+00:00

Childhood has never been static. It evolves with families, economies, technologies, and cultural values. Yet the pace of transition in the twenty-first century is unprecedented. Today’s children grow up simultaneously in physical homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and digital ecosystems shaped by smartphones, gaming platforms, social media, and algorithm-driven content. This dual environment has expanded opportunities for learning, creativity, and social connection, but it has also introduced risks that traditional child protection systems were not designed to address. Safeguarding children in this changing socio-digital world therefore requires a renewed social work vision one that integrates child rights, mental health, family systems, digital literacy, and community accountability.

Exploring Social Workers’ Perspectives on Establishing Rapport with Narikuravar Community: A Qualitative Study

2026-07-19T04:40:05+00:00

Rapport building is the first step in community development wherein a social worker establishes a rapport with the community so they might open up before the Social worker. If this step is faulty, the repercussions might be seen in the later stages of community development. The primary aim of this study was to explore the Social worker's perspective on such rapport with the Narikuravar community and the skills employed for the same, and to explore the challenges in the process of rapport building. This study used a qualitative method of research, and the research design was a case study wherein a professional Social worker working with the Narikuravar community was interviewed to gain insights from her experience. The interview included open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was done using QDA Miner Lite to analyse different themes, which revealed the importance of skills in establishing rapport and also highlighted the challenges faced by Social workers in such settings.

The Road to Recovery: A Call for Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Children of Commercial Sex Workers

2026-07-20T17:42:11+00:00

Children of sex workers represent one of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations, frequently exposed to stigma, discrimination, poverty, violence, neglect, disrupted education, and an increased risk of exploitation. These adversities negatively affect their physical, psychological, social, and educational development, placing them at heightened risk for anxiety, depression, trauma-related disorders, behavioural problems, and poor life outcomes. Psychosocial rehabilitation offers a holistic, rights-based approach to addressing these multidimensional challenges by promoting emotional well-being, resilience, social inclusion, and functional recovery. This paper highlights the psychosocial needs of children of sex workers and discusses key rehabilitation strategies, including trauma-informed counselling, educational support, life-skills training, family and community interventions, vocational guidance, and access to healthcare and child protection services. Community-based rehabilitation, multisectoral collaboration, and stigma-reduction initiatives are essential for creating safe and supportive environments that foster healthy development and social participation. Integrated interventions involving health, education, social welfare, and legal systems can interrupt the cycle of intergenerational poverty and exploitation while empowering children to achieve their full potential. Strengthening psychosocial rehabilitation services is therefore critical to ensuring the protection, inclusion, and long-term well-being of this highly vulnerable population.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Health of Scheduled Tribes in India: A New Era or a Missed Opportunity?

2024-07-30T02:37:42+00:00

Introduction: Health status is influenced by diverse and complex factors that are interrelated resulting in inequities in health interventions and outcomes. Despite India’s promising social inclusion processes, unequal power relations and social inequalities leave scheduled tribe populations largely excluded. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ puts social justice and equity at the crossroad of development, emphasizing universal coverage of health care for all. This paper explores (i) health status and access to reproductive health care services of the scheduled tribes using equity lens and (ii) identify policy gaps and suggest public health strategies to achieve the SDG target by 2030.

Methods and procedures: Data of select health indicators from NFHS – 5 survey is used for analysis. Data of schedules tribes are compared with upper caste groups to highlight how the tribal populations in India are marginalized.

Results: The paper highlights the difficulty in achieving targets on some key indicators on health care services including key determinants of health for tribal populations in India. The results show glaring disparities in health indicators of tribal population. An analysis was also made of India’s recent developmental paradigm highlighting the critical role played by them in accentuating health inequalities. The findings highlight the inadequacy in promoting multi-sectoral approach to health, as advocated by SDGs and the tribals are affected particularly by the juxtaposition of programs that are implemented arbitrarily.

Conclusion: To make progress on the SDGs, India must assess the needs and priorities of the tribal population, and design integrated health care services to address systemic inequities. At the end we propose possible strategies to address the perceived gaps.

Key words: Sustainable Development Goals, Tribals, Healthcare, Equity, Multi-sectoral

Self-Concept Deficits in Adolescents with Mental Health Conditions: A Comparative Study with Non-Clinical Peers

2026-07-15T14:53:36+00:00

Background: Psychological problems are quite common during adolescence. It has been estimated that about one in every five adolescents experiences depression, anxiety, or excessive irritability, adversely affecting family relationships, peer friendships, and the development of self-concept. Aim: The present research aims to study the comparison of self-concept among adolescents in clinical and non-clinical populations. Methodology: A total of 60 participants were selected from the school and mental hospital, 30 clinical and 30 non-clinical, through purposive sampling, who met the exclusion and inclusion criteria. An equal number of adolescents were taken. Assessment of selected samples was done by using a consent form, socio-demographic and clinical data sheet, brief psychiatric rating scale for children (BPRS-C). The data gathered was analyzed and interpreted with the help of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 (SPSS-20). For the analysis of obtained data, a t-test was applied. Result: There was a significant difference between the self-concept among adolescents in clinical and non-clinical population. Conclusion: These findings underscore the clinical importance of self-concept assessment and support the development of school-based preventive mental health interventions targeting adolescent self-concept and resilience

Addressing Gaps in Professional Social Work: A Study of Challenges in Himachal Pradesh, India.

2024-09-28T16:32:53+00:00

Professional social work is a relatively new profession among the other service fields in India. People generally confuse the social work profession with charity and philanthropic work and think there is no need for professional training in this field. The present paper tried to explore the problems and challenges professional social workers face in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The study was based on the qualitative approach, and 11 in-depth interviews were taken with professional workers who have completed their Master in Social Work (MSW) either from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla or Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Kangra. The study found that there is a significant gap in professional training and skill development during the MSW programme. The lack of practical experience hinders students' ability to translate theoretical knowledge into effective practice. This underscores the need for curriculum reforms integrating practical training and field-based learning to better prepare future social workers for real-world challenges.

Education of Migrant Labourers' Children (MLC) in Kerala: A Qualitative Study

2024-07-08T13:51:12+00:00

Migrant workers constitute a significant portion of Kerala’s labour force. The children of migrant labourers in Kerala are likely to be denied their basic human rights, including the right to education, as they live in a different social and cultural environment far from their native state. This study intends to understand the educational status of these children and the problems and challenges they face in schools. The objectives of this study include (1) to understand the problems and challenges faced by Migrant Labourers' Children (MLC) in school, (2) to find out the factors influencing their education, (3) to know the behaviours and approaches of classmates and teachers towards them, and (4) to explore any form of stigma or discrimination experienced by them in schools. The researcher conducted the study in various educational institutions of Eraviperoor Grama Panchayat using the Case study method. Qualitative Data was collected from eight children (age group 10 to 16 years) and their two caregivers employing Semi-structured In-depth interviews using Purposive Sampling. The interviews were transcribed, coded, generated themes, and concluded. This study brings out various problems and difficulties these children face in school, such as avoidance, isolation, change of parents’ workplace, economic problems, and language barriers. Educators and Government authorities have been trying to take appropriate measures to overcome the struggles faced by Migrant Labourers' Children (MLC) and to provide financial and psychological support to fulfil their educational needs.

Experiences of primary caregivers of persons suffering from severe mental illness: a qualitative narrative inquiry

2026-07-22T09:01:17+00:00

Background: Primary caregivers of persons with severe mental illness (SMI) in India work at the intersection of thin public mental health infrastructure, social stigma, and legislation that is progressive on paper but poorly enforced.

Objectives: To document the psychosocial, economic, and legal experience of ten primary caregivers of persons with Schizophrenia or Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD), and to examine how far statutory protections under the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) 2017 and the RPWD Act 2016 reach their daily reality.

Methods: A qualitative narrative inquiry was conducted with ten purposively selected primary caregivers attending psychiatric out-patient services at a New Delhi tertiary hospital. In-depth interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically.

Findings: Seven themes emerged. Four extend known patterns - economic attrition, gendered role reorganisation, stigma management, and informal (spiritual/peer) coping. Three emergent observations warranting further study were identified: grief for a lost pre-illness identity, stigma intensification post-formal care contact, and gendered barriers to legal authority.

Conclusions: Caregivers remain an unrecognised, uncompensated workforce whom current legislation does not yet reach in practice. Given the small sample, the three emergent observations should be read as hypotheses for confirmatory research rather than established findings.

Occupational stress and burnout among police professionals: a cross-sectional study

2026-07-22T07:43:47+00:00

Background: Police work is widely recognized as one of the most psychologically demanding occupations due to continuous exposure to operational pressures, public expectations, organizational demands, and potentially hazardous situations. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study examined occupational stress and burnout among police personnel and explored the relationship between these variables.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed among 120 police personnel recruited from an urban police station in Western India using purposive sampling. Occupational stress was assessed using the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI), while burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Both instruments demonstrated good internal consistency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and one-way analysis of variance.

Results: Overall, 73% of participants experienced moderate-to-high occupational stress. Emotional exhaustion (83%) and depersonalization (73%) were the most prevalent burnout dimensions. Role overload and role conflict emerged as the primary occupational stressors. Total occupational stress was strongly correlated with emotional exhaustion (r = .82, p < .001) and depersonalization (r = .74, p < .001). Significant differences in emotional exhaustion were observed across work shifts (F = 8.42, p = .001) and years of service (F = 5.14, p = .010), with night-shift personnel and officers with 6-10 years of service reporting the highest levels.

Conclusions: Occupational stress and burnout are highly prevalent among police personnel. The findings highlight the need for organizational reforms, accessible mental health services, and targeted stress management interventions, particularly for personnel working night shifts and those in mid-career stages, to promote psychological well-being and enhance occupational functioning.

Academic Motivation of Sexual Minority College Students in South India - The Relationships with Locus of Control, Social Connectedness and Perceived Discrimination

2026-07-23T08:21:51+00:00

Abstract

Background: Sexual minorities, comprising individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, hijra, kothi, and transgender, face discrimination due to their sexual or gender identity (PUCL-K, 2001). Academic motivation, which propels behaviors like effort and persistence in academic pursuits (Deci & Ryan, 1985), was assessed alongside locus of control, representing beliefs concerning control over life events (Rotter, 1966), and social connectedness, indicating interpersonal belongingness (Lee & Robbins, 1998). Perceived discrimination involves experiencing unfair treatment due to sexual orientation or other characteristics (Williams et al., 1997).

Aim: The main aim of this study was to investigate the academic motivation of sexual minority college students in South India and understand its relationship with locus of control, social connectedness, and perceived discrimination.

Methods and material: a cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. A total of 100 sexual minority participants identified through snowball and convenient sampling. Data was collected using socio-demographic sheet, academic motivation scale, Rotter’s locus of control scale, social connectedness scale, and everyday discrimination scale. Participants were explained the objectives of the study and ensured that their participations will be kept anonymous and consent were obtained from the participants.

Results: it was revealed that locus of control and social connectedness are significantly associated with academic motivation. Pearson correlation findings stated that social connectedness had a positive correlation and perceived discrimination had a negative correlation with academic motivation. Using linear regression, it was found that social connectedness positively predicts academic motivation, while perceived discrimination negatively predicts it.