Dr. Joseph R Herzog

COVID-19 amplified existing stressors across the globe, with unique effects on college students. During this same time, higher education witnessed the proliferation of online technologies and the rise of third-party, private online program managers as universities and students pivoted to distance learning. Understanding U.S. social work students’ mental health and academic success needs have implications for the standards of the profession, program accreditation standards (e.g. implicit curriculum), and for the ethical recruitment and enrollment of students, including the design and facilitation of online social work degree programs. Aligned with the extant body of scholarly literature, the present program evaluation surveyed social work students who were enrolled in a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited graduate social work program in the United States in Fall 2023. The purpose of the program evaluation was to examine lines of difference and non-difference between social work students currently enrolled in the asynchronous online learning option (n = 82) and those who were enrolled in the face-to-face learning option (n = 10) through the analysis of closed-item and open response data. Quantitative and qualitative inquiries were conducted. Based on evaluation results and recommendations, implemented programmatic responses were shared.

The rapid growth of online learning in higher education necessitates reevaluating accommodations for students with disabilities. This study aimed to examine the differences in accommodation requests and satisfaction between online and traditional learning environments for students with disabilities, identify barriers to accessing accommodations, and assess the impact of these accommodations on students' sense of belonging and academic engagement. A survey was developed to collect feedback from students with disabilities across various disciplines at a large public university in the United States. The study utilized quantitative and student first-person qualitative measures to capture comprehensive data on accommodation requests, barriers to access, satisfaction levels, and the relationship between accommodations and students' sense of belonging. Quantitative data were analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression. Students with disabilities studying on campus were approximately seven times more likely to seek accommodations than their online peers (OR = 0.14, p = .002). Additionally, students with disabilities generally expressed satisfaction with the accommodations received, though barriers such as a lack of awareness and administrative hurdles were common. Feeling a sense of belonging at the university was also significantly correlated with the likelihood of seeking accommodations. We invoke a critical disability framework to examine the implications of the study results. The study underscores higher education institutions' need to adopt more inclusive and accessible practices to support students with disabilities in online and traditional learning environments. Keywords: Inclusive education, online learning, disability accommodations, accessibility, digital divide.
La croissance rapide de l'apprentissage en ligne dans l'enseignement supérieur nécessite une réévaluation des aménagements pour les étudiants en situation de handicap. L'objectif de cette étude était d'examiner les différences de demandes d'aménagements et de satisfaction entre les environnements d'apprentissage en ligne et traditionnels pour les étudiants en situation de handicap, d'identifier les obstacles à l'accès aux aménagements et d'évaluer l'impact de ces aménagements sur le sentiment d'appartenance et l'engagement académique des étudiants. Une enquête a été élaborée afin de recueillir les commentaires des étudiants en situation de handicap de diverses disciplines dans une grande université publique américaine. L'étude a utilisé des mesures quantitatives et qualitatives à la première personne pour recueillir des données complètes sur les demandes d'aménagements, les obstacles à l'accès, les niveaux de satisfaction et le lien entre les aménagements et le sentiment d'appartenance des étudiants. Les données quantitatives ont été analysées par le khi-deux et la régression logistique. Les étudiants en situation de handicap étudiant sur le campus étaient environ sept fois plus susceptibles de demander des aménagements que leurs pairs en ligne (OR = 0,14, p = 0,002). De plus, les étudiants en situation de handicap se sont généralement déclarés satisfaits des aménagements reçus, bien que des obstacles tels que le manque de sensibilisation et les obstacles administratifs soient fréquents. Le sentiment d'appartenance à l'université était également significativement corrélé à la probabilité de demander des aménagements. Nous utilisons un cadre critique du handicap pour examiner les implications des résultats de l'étude. Celle-ci souligne la nécessité pour les établissements d'enseignement supérieur d'adopter des pratiques plus inclusives et accessibles pour soutenir les étudiants en situation de handicap, tant dans les environnements d'apprentissage en ligne que traditionnels.

Background: Stress and repetitive exposures to potentially traumatizing events are inherent to first-responder professions. Firefighters and other crisis responders are often exposed to incidents in their work environments and are at risk of developing acute or posttraumatic symptomatology, depression, and anxiety, as well as harmful patterns of alcohol consumption. Most prior research and theory suggests that many firefighters use alcohol to cope with past and current stressors, and that increased drinking accompanies ongoing exposures to stressful occupational hazards. Objectives: The primary aim of this research was to examine alcohol consumption and mental health variables associated in the literature with alcohol misuse. Participants included 546 predominantly male career firefighters in the U.S. Using a cross-sectional design, we examined alcohol misuse in the context of self-reported depression, generalized anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation using previously validated measures. Results: Based on the AUDIT's recommended cut score of 8, 38.8% of our sample reported drinking at hazardous levels. Hazardous alcohol use was also significantly associated with several mental health indicators with correlations ranging from .28 to .34. Regression analyses revealed that over 14% of the variance in AUDIT scores could be explained by psychological symptom measures, and 29% of the variance in suicide risk was explained by a model using both alcohol and mental health measures. Conclusions: Findings suggest that psychological distress is associated with hazardous drinking, and that more consistent screening and referral for these issues, as well as multi-level interventions, are needed to effectively address these behavioral health concerns among firefighters.

Firefighters experience a high level of traumatic incidents in their work. This high level of exposure puts them at risk for trauma-related symptoms. These trauma symptoms include PTSD, suicide risk, alcohol misuse, and depression, and anxiety. Furthermore, repeated exposure has been found to lead to desensitization, flashbacks, irritability, and PTSD. Exposure to natural disasters may also impact ecospirituality. A survey was designed to include the Life Events Checklist, PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, and the SBQ-R. This survey was administered to firefighters from Northwest Florida in the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021. Participants were found to have higher levels of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicidal risk than the general population. Participants were further asked about their volunteering for religious organization activity. A significant relationship was found between volunteering for religious organization and mental health screeners. Religious volunteering predicted lower levels of PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety. The effect size was small.

In July 2023, the Council of State Governments (CSG) hosted a legislative summit for policymakers to learn about the social work interstate compact (IC; CSG, 2023b). According to the CSG website, agenda items included a framework for social work regulation, detailed review of the compact, compact perspectives panel, and advocacy strategies. The national IC model legislation is the result of a partnership between the CSG, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The stated goal of the proposed social work IC is to support the mobility of licensed social workers, thus addressing critical needs in various jurisdictions and supporting more effective service delivery. The compact proposes an additional pathway to licensure and promises to facilitate multistate practice among member states, thus reducing barriers to license portability (CSG, 2023b). However, the IC, as drafted in some state bills, also codifies the national exam (administered by the ASWB), which itself is a barrier for social work licensure—and a barrier that disparately impacts social work exam takers who are Black and African American, who are older, and/or for whom English is not the primary language (ASWB, 2022).

Objective-Seeking mental health services can be challenging for first responders due to various barriers that impede access to care. The objective of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the subjective experiences, perceptions, and meanings associated with seeking services among first responders.
Methods-The survey-design instrument consisted of questions regarding stress, psychological health, health-related difficulties, and potential barriers to treatment that first responders may experience. The questions were asked in multiple formats including multiple choice, select all that apply, and one open-ended question. This paper includes responses from the optional open-ended question (n = 78). Researchers conducted data analysis using ATLAS.ti and the analysis followed a thematic approach.
Results-Three (3) themes and several sub-themes were identified. First responders provided diverse explanations for their reluctance to seek care, such as organisational and leadership factors, stigma related to mental health, concerns about being red-flagged, limited access to care, and the financial implications of treatment. A prevailing sentiment was a lack of trust in the mental health field.
Discussion-By giving voice to the lived experiences of first responders, this study can inform the development of targeted interventions and support programs that address their specific needs and enhance overall well-being of first responders.

Firefighters are trained to respond to a wide range of emergencies, and over the course of responding to emergencies, are exposed to a variety of potentially traumatic events. Repeated exposure to traumatic events may adversely impact firefighters' mental health. Combined with stigma surrounding help-seeking, lack of systematic resources and referral programs, and other barriers to care, firefighters do not routinely receive a continuum of trauma informed, assessment and treatment services from trained professionals. The purpose of this paper is to describe an evidence-informed approach to a reciprocal, collaborative model among social work and public health practice, policy, and research; and to offer a framework for researchers, clinicians, and policy advocates to more effectively achieve goals of preventing and treating trauma exposure in firefighters. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review, as well as describes a case study of a successful public health intervention for mitigating exposure to trauma among a population of firefighters. The significant contribution of mental health issues to the burden of disease among our firefighters is a matter of considerable public health concern. Effective approaches to mitigating behavioral health needs must bridge both mental health disciplines and public health to minimally, include access to evidence-based assessment and treatment, peer support capacity building, widely available mental health education, and leadership development to promote culture change. When considering a model for services with firefighters, reciprocal collaboration among researchers, health care professionals, first responder organizations, families, and other relevant community stakeholders is essential for success.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to articulate the results of a comprehensive literature review and grassroots outreach with first responder organizations to present an operationalized framework for organizations to utilize as a blueprint in developing customized behavioral health access program (BHAP) programs.Design/methodology/approach- Historically, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ)over fire service organizations have primarily offered behavioral health interventions through Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or commercial insurance carriers. These programs are necessary but may prove insufficient to meet the scope and needs of trauma-exposed firefighters and the firefighters' families.Findings- A BHAP is a comprehensive and operationalized plan which clearly specifies the mental health services fire department members and families need, where those services are available within their communities and levels and standards of care that are expected in the provision of these services.Originality/value- The BHAP is becoming a world standard of behavioral health care for first responders. While some fire service agencies are beginning to create BHAP guides, developing and implementing a BHAP can be time consuming and overwhelming, particularly for departments with limited internal and external resources. While the results of this review focus on BHAP within the fire service, this framework is applicable across all first responder professions.

Firefighters are exposed to a variety of potentially traumatic incidents in their work (Sattler et al., 2014). High levels of trauma exposure put firefighters at risk for mental disorders and symptoms. Using a survey designed to assess the mental health needs of firefighters from a hurricane disaster zone. the authors examined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol misuse. and suicide. The authors found that the firefighters in the sample reported moderate-to-high levels of mental health symptoms. Moreover, we found that job-related exposure to natural disaster plays a statistically significant role in predicting posttraumatic stress disorder, which provides further evidence of increased risk for mental health symptoms among first responders. More research is necessary to determine the types of events that contribute significantly to negative mental health responses in firefighters.

The aim of this study was to understand perceptions among social work students regarding international/global practice, policy in the social work curriculum and international field internship experiences in their degree programmes. A survey of Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students was conducted in two social work programmes in the Southeastern United States ( n = 218). The analysis showed that the students expressed consistent recognition that global content matters, yet there was an observed discrepancy between recognition of the relevance of global content and its expected impact on students’ own future direct practice. They also perceived limited opportunities to engage in international learning experiences during their academic programmes. Results are discussed with implications for further research, social work education and curriculum development.