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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 08, 2027

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The Sequel to the Prequel: A Novel and Cautious Approach to Curating Mindful Child Welfare Workers and Addressing the Stress Phenomenon within England’s Child Protection System

Beer, Oliver
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8581-3673
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1649852660683824

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Social Work.
Using social media platforms (SMPs), online recruitment is a feasible alternative to traditional recruitment methodologies. SMP-based research recruitment is developing at a rapid rate. However, there is a gap in the literature in terms of practical approaches for recruiting participants into interventions. This study examines the feasibility of successfully recruiting frontline child protection social workers (F-CPSWs) into an online mindfulness-based intervention (MBIs) for stress reduction. Recruitment took place from July 29 through September 6 (2021), 66 days. Paid SMP ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter attracted 891 potential participants (i.e., engaged in the recruitment advert). A total of 104 F-CPSWs were invited to participate in this study. Although SMPs had varying success rates, findings suggest that online recruitment using paid SMPs is a cost-effective alternative to traditional methods. The mean cost of recruitment was $0.55 per participant (range of $0.22 to $1.10). The study found that for recruitment to be successful, particular attention should be paid to the specific SMP(s) utilized, and ongoing review and refinement of targets in response to reach and impressions is required. The second study assessed whether an online mindfulness-based intervention (O-MBI) was a feasible, acceptable, and potentially practical approach to preventing or reducing F-CPSWs levels of perceived stress or increasing levels of mindfulness. Phase I of this study used a non-randomized one-arm (pre/post) feasibility study using a pretest-posttest design. This was followed by Phase II, which utilized a phenomenological approach for a nuanced explanation of the quantitative data. Participants (N = 7) included F-CPSWs, currently practicing in England. All participating F-CPSWs were employed by ‘top tier’ Local Authorities. Data was collected using online surveys with follow-up semi-structured interviews. Twenty-eight participants completed the O-MBI. Phase II of the study explored the reason for participant attrition or non-activation of the O-MBI. Dependent sample t-tests indicated significant decreases in perceived stress and increased levels of mindfulness. Phase II of the study consisted of semi-structured interviews with seven participants who completed or did not complete the course to better understand Phase I’s findings. Participants that completed the O-MBI reported significant improvements in their levels of perceived stress and increased mindfulness and awareness. The participants reported the need for a more flexible and tailored O-MBI. Future research should further explore the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of O-MBIs with F-CPSWs. Further, larger sample sizes for quantitative and qualitative studies should be undertaken to develop the literature. The third study explored F-CPSWs’ psychological and physiological impacts following partial and complete participation in an O-MBI. Emerging evidence suggests O-MBIs can result in a range of health benefits for various populations. Expected benefits highlighted in the literature include reductions in psychological and physiological stress. Researchers examining the health of the helping professions have increasingly attempted to determine the quantitative effects of participation in O-MBIs. However, social workers, specifically F-CPSWs, are an under-investigated population. Further, F-CPSWs are typically included as part of wider study populations, thus, limiting the applicability of findings. The current approach to O-MBI research with F-CPSWs reveals an essential gap in the existing body of knowledge. Additionally, previous research has consistently omitted the importance of qualitative research of O-MBIs to explore the effects, barriers, and facilitators of participation. Purposive sampling was utilized to select participants (N = 7) from a larger study of F-CPSWs (N = 104). Participants were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview within nine days of completing the O-MBI. Interviews with participants were transcribed and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) shifts in cognitive processes, (2) psychological effects, and (3) physiological effects. Findings suggest that O-MBIs have the potential to engender positive cognitive psychological, and physiological improvements in F-CPSWs. Further research is required to understand the shorter and longer-term effects of O-MBIs.
Tom Gregoire (Committee Chair)
Sharvari Karandikar (Committee Member)
Lauren McInroy (Committee Member)
164 p.
Social Work
Social Work, Child Welfare, Mindfulness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Beer, O. (2022). The Sequel to the Prequel: A Novel and Cautious Approach to Curating Mindful Child Welfare Workers and Addressing the Stress Phenomenon within England’s Child Protection System [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1649852660683824

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Beer, Oliver. The Sequel to the Prequel: A Novel and Cautious Approach to Curating Mindful Child Welfare Workers and Addressing the Stress Phenomenon within England’s Child Protection System. 2022. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1649852660683824.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Beer, Oliver. "The Sequel to the Prequel: A Novel and Cautious Approach to Curating Mindful Child Welfare Workers and Addressing the Stress Phenomenon within England’s Child Protection System." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1649852660683824

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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