Sands, Roberta G
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Publication Utilization of Mental Health Services by Low-Income Pregnant and Postpartum Women on Medical Assistance(2004-01-01) Sands, Roberta G; Song, Dayoung; Wong, Yin-Ling IThis paper examines mental health service use among publicly insured white and African-American pregnant and postpartum women who live in a metropolitan area. The study examines the extent to which ethnicity, physical health problems, and behavioral health risk factors are associated with the probability of service use during the prenatal- postpartum period. It also analyzes the patterns of service utilization for those women who used mental health services. Medicaid claims and eligibility data, County Reporting System claims and admissions data, and Pennsylvania State Vital Birth Records were integrated using a unique algorithm. Logistic regression was employed to estimate the probability of mental health service use among 3,841 low-income women residing in Philadelphia who were continuously enrolled in Medicaid for 9 months preceding delivery and 6 months postpartum. Analyses were also conducted on the intensity and location of service use, as well as psychiatric diagnosis, during pregnancy and the postpartum period. About 10% of the women used mental health services during the study period. Women were more likely to use services if they were Caucasian, had a number of chronic diseases, had a number of pregnancy complications, and smoked. Among users, the same proportion (ca. 6%) used services during pregnancy and postpartum, with the average number of outpatient visits slightly higher during pregnancy than during the postpartum period. Most outpatient services (86%) were delivered in the specialty sector. Most women who used mental health services (84%) were diagnosed with minor psychiatric disorders including minor depression and anxiety disorders. Women who used services during the postpartum only were more likely to be diagnosed with major depression, whereas women who used services throughout the perinatal period were more likely to be diagnosed with severe mental disorders. Health providers can use information generated in this study to identify women who are likely to have a need for mental health services.Publication Crossing Cultural Barriers in Research Interviewing(2007-09-01) Sands, Roberta G; Bourjolly, Joretha N; Roer-Strier, DoritThis article critically examines a qualitative research interview in which cultural barriers between a white non-Muslim female interviewer and an African American Muslim interviewee, both from the USA, became evident and were overcome within the same interview. This interview and two follow-up interviews are presented as a 'telling case' about crossing cultural barriers. The analysis focuses on seven phases of the interview (cultural barriers, warming up, crossing the racial barrier, connecting as social workers, connecting as women, connecting as students, and crossing the tape recorder barrier). The discussion outlines the pre-interview and during-interview barriers and facilitating conditions and related implications for cross-cultural qualitative research interviewing.Publication Interview Shocks and Shockwaves(2006-10-01) Sands, Roberta G; Krumer-Nevo, MichalThis article uses a postmodern lens to examine "shocks," cognitive emotional reactions of the interviewer to the unexpected, and shows how shocks and "shockwaves," responses to shocks, are related to the process of Othering. The concepts master narrative, coherence, Othering, positionality, and nonunitary subjectivity are used to present the analysis. Using excerpts from research interviews as illustrations, the article describes three types of shocks - those based on a violation of a social taboo, those deriving from professional role reversal, and those that are based on stereotypes. In addition, it explains three types of responses to shock - avoidance, circular strategies, and acceptance and moving on. The article shows how interviewees resist being Othered and, in an attempt to negotiate a more equitable interview situation, administer shocks. Interviewer expectations of master narratives and the process of Othering prevent interviewers from hearing complex, multifaceted, and atypical stories.Publication Gender Differences in the Construction of Spirituality, Work, Learning, and Community by Baalei Teshuvah(2007-10-01) Sands, Roberta G; Spero, Robyn Rapoport; Danzig, Rivka AusubelThis paper explores the question, "How do Jewish men and women who have become Orthodox (baalei teshuvah) compare in their constructions of spirituality, work, learning, religious practices, and community?" It is based on a qualitative research study that included interviews with 48 baalei teshuvah (24 men, 24 women), two focus groups, and ten key informant interviews. Participants were from the East Coast of the USA. We found the women more affirmative about their spirituality and feelings about community; men identified with these experiences but not the terminology. The men gave more attention to work and to their struggles integrating work and religion. The women expressed excitement about learning whereas the men conveyed self-consciousness over their language and learning deficiencies.Publication The Direction of Denominational Switching in Judaism(2006-09-01) Sands, Roberta G; Marcus, Steven C.; Danzig, Rivka AThis paper examines patterns of denominational switching and the characteristics of switchers within Judaism in the United States. Viewing Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism and a fourth "non-specific" group as categories that range from the most traditional to the least traditional respectively, it focuses on the movement of individuals toward or away from a more traditional denomination in comparison with remaining in the same denomination in which they were raised. Data used to conduct this study are drawn from the National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01 (National Jewish Population Survey [NJPS] 2003). We found that 62% stay within the same group, 29% move away from tradition, and 9% move to a more traditional denomination. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that a lower level of Jewish background, higher previous travel to Israel, a greater extent of organizational affiliation, and a higher level of spiritual feelings and beliefs are associated with moving to a more traditional denomination whereas a higher level of Jewish background, lower previous travel to Israel, and a lower level of spiritual feelings and beliefs are associated with moving to a less traditional denomination. In addition, a few sociodemographic factors (previously married, has a child at home, lives in a Western state) are associated with movement toward tradition whereas others (older age, female, not living in the Northeast or West) are associated with movement in the other direction.Publication Developing Educational Groups in Social Work Practice(2003-01-01) Sands, Roberta G; Solomon, Phyllis LEducation is integral to social work practice with groups and a central component of educational groups. Yet the social work literature has not offered much guidance in the development of educational groups other than to report on the content and/or evaluation of groups that are focused on a specific condition or population. This paper offers a generic process model for educational groups that are developed and led by social workers. The educational groups described here are differentiated from psychoeducational groups, which are treatment-oriented. The paper provides guidelines on how to set up educational groups with particular attention to their structure, content of the curriculum, implementation, and evaluation. Two checklists are offered to assist in the development and implementation and evaluation of educational groups.