Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Social Work
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Campbell, J.
Right arrow Articles by Mccrystal, P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Mental Health Social Work and the Troubles in Northern Ireland

A Study of Practitioner Experiences

Jim Campbell

Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, jim.campbell{at}qub.ac.uk

Patrick Mccrystal

Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland

Summary: During the last decade increasing attention has been paid to the impact of the Troubles1 on social work in Northern Ireland. In this paper, the authors describe the first survey used to test some of the assumptions which exist in the literature. An 87-item questionnaire was applied to a range of social work staff currently working in, or associated with, mental health settings. One hundred and one questionnaires were returned: it is estimated that this represented over 70 per cent of mental health social workers in Northern Ireland.

Findings: The design of the questionnaire elicited both qualitative and quantitative data. The findings reveal a workforce with complex religious and national identities and many of the respondents have experienced relatively high levels of Troubles-related incidents whilst carrying out their duties in a variety of organizational and geographical settings. High proportions of respondents received minimal agency support and training to equip them to deal with Troubles-related problems faced by them during this period.

Applications: The authors conclude that the profession and employing agencies should pay greater attention to past and present effects of the Troubles on social work practice and develop appropriate strategies for supporting, training and resourcing staff in this neglected area.

Key Words: mental health • social work • Northern Ireland • political violence

Journal of Social Work, Vol. 5, No. 2, 173-190 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1468017305054971
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Br J Soc WorkHome page
R. Dekel and N. Baum
Intervention in a Shared Traumatic Reality: A New Challenge for Social Workers
Br. J. Soc. Work, November 24, 2009; (2009) bcp137v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br J Soc WorkHome page
S. Ramon, J. Campbell, J. Lindsay, P. McCrystal, and N. Baidoun
The Impact of Political Conflict on Social Work: Experiences from Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine
Br. J. Soc. Work, April 1, 2006; 36(3): 435 - 450.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]