Saju Madavanakadu Devassy

In an increasingly globalised world, cultural humility is vital in social work education, which helps students learn how to engage respectfully with people from different cultures. Field education, particularly in cross-national settings, provides a transformative space for students to encounter unfamiliar worldviews, enabling the transition from an ‘expert’ stance to developing a more introspective and progressive approach. This study explores the experiences of social work students from a Global North university who undertook their field placements in Kerala, India. Using a qualitative method, the study gathered reflections from 13 international students. Guided by Attride-Stirling’s thematic framework, four dominant themes were identified: (a) encounter with cultural context and social work practice in India; (b) paradigm shift through cultural immersion and reflexivity; (c) navigating identity, power, and practice challenges; and (d) new paradigm: evolving professional identity and global perspective. Findings underscore the pedagogical value of Global South placements in developing the cultural competence of social work students. The insights from the international students’ trained in a Global North field placement challenge the Eurocentric paradigm, calling Global South institutions to engage in continuous reflections that encourage critical, postcolonial, and global perspectives.

Purpose: Menstrual cups are a safe, cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to single-use menstrual products; however, most people hesitate to use them due to sociocultural and practical concerns. The current project is an innovative public health model that promotes menstrual health through a complex multi-pronged approach suitable for resource-poor settings. Design/methodology/approach: The paper elaborates on the model, execution and outcomes of a collaborative and inclusive public–private participatory (PPP) model implemented by trained individuals, along with results from a preliminary evaluative study. A total of 739 participants were selected by cluster sampling for a structured quantitative study, while 12 people were chosen using purposive and maximum variation sampling to capture their subjective experiences through a qualitative approach. The data were collected online from March to April 2023. Findings: Data from the six-month follow-up showed that 66.7% adopted menstrual cups, 85.3% expressed satisfaction and 75% reported comfort in using the cups. Further, the educational intervention was effective in reducing their doubts and concerns (74.8%), and it was effective in mitigating their inhibitions regarding the use of cups in 83.9% of respondents. Practical challenges in usage and fear of insertion were identified as major barriers to use. Across all age groups, peer support emerged as the most significant source of encouragement for using menstrual cups. Originality/value: The public health strategy offers a model of community engagement, volunteer mobilization and resource coordination that can be adapted to other health initiatives. The study further emphasizes that public health initiatives toward menstrual health should be accompanied by educational components to address myths and improve adherence. The strategy proved effective in promoting menstrual cups and improving menstrual hygiene. Public health initiatives with a robust educational component would ensure community support and sustain healthy practices.

Family caregiving for those with a disability is the context in which the majority of care for those with a disability is undertaken. Despite the fact that several studies document the strain of such caregiving and its correlates, there is a paucity of literature on the needs and experiences of male caregivers in India. The current study provides a subgroup analysis of a cross-sectional survey conducted among 851 caregivers in Kerala, India, aimed to understand the sex differences in caregiver strain. The study included 193 (22.7%) males and 658 (77.3%) females. Mean scores of caregiver strain were slightly lower among male caregivers compared to female caregivers. Analysis of the covariates for strain suggests that financial security and a sense of social connectedness were important in modulating the care strain in males. Significant needs identified among male caregivers were accessing paid jobs, while for females, it was accessing government services like assistive devices and disability-specific organizations. Unique needs of male caregivers can be addressed by mobilizing personal and social resources, particularly in the emotional, financial, and social domains, to facilitate ease of access to information and services, practical support, and skills training.

Participatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaigns are highly valued for enhancing engagement and behavioural change among its stakeholders. This study evaluated the ‘Say No to Single-Use Plastic’ campaign, implemented by 200 social work students in collaboration with a Public Sector Undertaking and a University Social Work College. The study used a qualitative approach and thematic analysis and further evaluated the campaign through four theoretical lenses. Key findings included increased environmental awareness, stakeholder engagement, behavioural shifts and sustainability challenges. The study offers insights for social work practice and social care policy by advocating for institutional support of community-led CSR initiatives promoting environmental responsibility.

Children living in residential childcare institutions often face emotional, behavioral challenges, and low self-esteem due to early trauma and attachment issues. Art therapy, a creative and non-verbal engagement technique, is a promising approach that remains unexplored. This study aims to test the feasibility of a structured art therapy intervention to address emotional and behavioral issues and enhance self-esteem of children in residential childcare institutions. A small sample experimental design was used to assess the effectiveness of a 10-week structured art therapy intervention for children aged 10-16 in residential childcare institutions in Kerala, India. Post-intervention, outcomes revealed significant improvements in emotional problems (t = 8.008, p < .001), conduct disorders (t = 8.41, p < .001), hyperactivity (t = 7.139, p < .001), and augmented prosocial behavior (t= -8.527, p < .001). Self-esteem also improved across general (t=-12.085, p < .001), social (t =-3.117, p = 0.004), home-parent (t=-3.194, p = 0.003), and academic domains (t=-9.95, p < 0.001) in contrast with comparison group. Art therapy facilitates the articulation of internal conflicts and serves as a non-verbal, non-threatening method with children promoting positive coping strategies. This study recommends randomized controlled trials in larger populations before implementing it in all childcare institutions.

Purpose: The study assessed the effectiveness of a social work intervention incorporating cognitive behavioural and family engagement strategies, in reducing depression and burden among caregivers of people with disability. Methods: The single-arm, pre-post experimental feasibility trial was tested among 47 caregivers, identified from a community in Kerala, India. The intervention employed a tiered approach, tailoring strategies of varying intensity based on caregivers’ depression severity, as assessed using standardized scales. Results: A significant decrease was observed on both outcome measures, depression and caregiver burden following the intervention. Subgroup analysis based on baseline depression severity indicated a significant decrease in depression scores among caregivers with moderate or higher levels of depression, while caregiver burden decreased across all groups. Discussions: By customizing intervention strategies based on the severity of depression, this study contributes to the theoretical understanding of how tiered interventions can be more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Untreated mental illness poses a significant threat to achieving global mental health targets. The increasing incidence of common mental disorders in India exacerbates the treatment gap. Structural fragmentation prevents effective screening and treatment, despite several policies and programs. The study presents a culturally tailored mental health campaign developed within a service design paradigm for mental health screening. The campaign had three phases: formation of a multidisciplinary service design team, modelling of an intervention, and implementing activities across three levels- macro, meso, and micro- to be implemented by educated youth, utilizing task-sharing strategies. Additionally, the study tested the feasibility of a mental health screening using student volunteers through a cross-sectional door-knock survey that assessed the prevalence of depression, alcohol consumption, and drug abuse among 2,263 community residents from randomly selected geographical locations in Kerala, India. Standardized scales were used to measure the variables. The youth-led community screening is promising, as the detected incidence rate was comparable to that of screening performed by experts. Participants (n = 2263) from the cross-sectional survey comprised 52% males and 48% females. The study revealed the prevalence rates of moderate and above depression (9.1%), harmful alcohol use, including alcohol use disorder (6.2%), and drug abuse (8.9%). Lower economic attainment was a vulnerability for mental disorders in both genders, with females demonstrating a higher incidence of depression and males with higher alcohol and drug abuse. Compared to males from Above Poverty Line (APL) households, females from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households had an 80% higher likelihood of depression. The service design team, representing a microcosm of the population, developed culturally appropriate mental health campaigns. The act-reflect-act framework within the Service Design Model integrated need-based services to bring together multiple healthcare stakeholders and ecosystem tiers, facilitated by public private partnership (PPP) to improve coverage and address barriers to accessing public mental health services. The stability of the referral model was ensured through long term initiatives, including establishment of mental health clinics and senior daycare centres.

While Kerala’s transition from an agrarian to a service-oriented economy is widely acknowledged, discussions are most often confined to material domains, overlooking overall life satisfaction, which is critical to pursue any profession. This state-wide community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted to gather data from farmers residing in three geographical zones of Kerala, India, North, South and Central, to understand their life satisfaction and how it correlates to their access to resources and social support. From each zone, we randomly chose two districts, and from each district, two panchayats. From each panchayat, we chose one ward to identify a total of 580 eligible farmers. Structured interviews were conducted using door-knock surveys to elicit information from the respondents using a set of standardized questionnaires. The results suggest that the respondents had a mean age of 54.5, with 19.8% being over 65, indicating demographic ageing in the farming sector. Only 46% chose farming as their full-time occupation. Farmers with higher levels of education who owned large plots of land experienced life satisfaction. Interpersonal relationships and social support were significant determinants of life satisfaction, as these factors were pivotal in their access to formal and informal services. With social support being pivotal in life satisfaction, it is imperative to change the social mindset towards farming. Additionally, the government should promote advanced technologies and high-yielding agricultural practises to transform the economic landscape of Kerala in favour of agriculture, which is imperative for the food security of the state.

Lena Dominelli’s Social Work Practice During Times of Disaster: A Transformative Green Social Work Model for Theory, Education, and Practice in Disaster Interventions offers a timely and comprehensive exploration of disaster interventions from a Green Social Work perspective. The book reflects the increasing importance of understanding and addressing disasters as multi-layered and interdependent phenomena that affect individuals, communities and ecosystems across local, national and global levels. This publication is an essential addition to the literature, particularly for social workers, academics and students focused on disaster response, environmental justice and global social work. Dominelli's work is split into two distinct parts: the first concentrates on disaster interventions within the UK, and the second examines disasters occurring globally but with significant implications for the UK. Throughout, Dominelli emphasises the interdependencies between people, flora, fauna and the physical environment. She argues that a Green Social Work approach—rooted in holistic and transdisciplinary methods—is crucial for effectively addressing the complexities of disasters.