A descriptive design was utilized to identify the relationship between perceived cardiac rehabilitation at the time of discharge and perceived self-care three months later. Perceived cardiac rehabilitation was indicated by perceived quality of the cardiac rehabilitation program, perceived understanding of self-care, and satisfaction with hospital care. Perceived self-care was indicated by self-reported self-care related exercise, stress management, and medication. Fifty-three patients from a community hospital voluntarily participated in the study by responding to four questionnaires. A low positive relationship was found between (a) perceived quality of the cardiac rehabilitation program and self-reported stress management, (b) perceived understanding of self-care and self-reported exercise and stress management, and (c) satisfaction with hospital care and self-reported exercise and medication administration. These findings of post-hospital care are useful in the evaluation of the effectiveness of one nurse-coordinated cardiac rehabilitation program.

Heart failure is an illness that requires life-long treatment and often affects everyday aspects of a person’s life. Self-care is a significant part of the treatment. Good self-care resources make it possible for people with heart failure to make the lifestyle changes they often need to maintain or improve their level of health. Self-care means having knowledge of and being able to recognize the symptoms and signs of deterioration that can occur with heart failure, so that the person can take appropriate measures – and it also means knowing when it is time to seek professional help. The significance of self-care for heart failure has increased and will increase even more in the future, when monitoring one’s condition will be left more and more to the people themselves and those who take care of them. The object of the study was to learn what self-care measures people with heart failure say they apply in everyday life. The quantitative method of a questionnaire study (The European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale) was used. Of the 94 people registered at a heart failure unit who were asked to complete the questionnaire, 58 of them consented. The results showed that more than 95% of the people with heart failure applied the recommended self-care measure of taking the medicines prescribed by their doctor. Many also applied the self-care measures of taking a rest during the day (83%) and taking it easy when they felt out of breath (78%). On the other hand, the self-care measures of daily weight control were applied only by 41%, daily exercise by only 48% and salt and fluid restrictions by only 59%. The self-care measures of contacting a doctor/nurse when noticing problems or symptoms of deterioration were applied by only 36% of those who felt out of breath and by only 43% of those who felt increased fatigue. The conclusion is that there is a need to improve the knowledge about and confidence in self-care treatment for people with heart failure. One way of achieving this is to show that people with heart failure check for symptoms and apply measures in their homes as part of the treatment and that this leads to an increased quality of life.

Various forms of trauma are regularly reported across the spectrum of counseling settings and the potential negative psychological effects on counselors who are repeatedly exposed to traumatic material are well documented. However, many researchers suggest that vicarious traumatization can be prevented and mitigated with personal and professional self-care strategies. The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics indicates that counselors have a professional responsibility to engage in self-care activities, as efforts to ensure the psychological health of counselors will have a direct effect on their ability to help clients. The purpose of this mixed-method, descriptive, correlational research was to explore what types of educational preparation and training counselors have received regarding self-care and what types of self-care strategies counselors are using. The efficacy of those training methods and self-care strategies when implemented were also measured, from the perspective of the participants. The Self-Care Training and Implementation Questionnaire (STIQ), a 19-item, structured and semi-structured questionnaire developed for this research, was electronically sent to 3000 randomly selected members of ACA, resulting in 310 responses, 286 of which were deemed appropriate for inclusion. Analysis included descriptive analyses (quantitative data) and content and theme analyses (qualitative data). The results of this study indicated that counselors recognized the value of self-care and participated in activities that promoted a healthy lifestyle and mitigated stress, thus working toward a balance that fostered effective work performance. However, the findings demonstrated that most counselors do not receive formal self-care training and self-care has been an endeavor pursued independently, outside of education and work settings. Implications for counselor education, training, policy and research are discussed.

Low literacy remains a problem across the developed world. Health literacy has emerged as a specialist literacy, although its conceptualisation and measurement overlap with those of functional literacy. The social practice view, which conceptualises literacy as an activity rather than a skill, is useful in examining literacy-related practices and demands in healthcare contexts. Associations between low functional or health literacy and poorer health outcomes have been established in the research literature but studies have included participants whose low literacy may be obvious to healthcare providers and others. This thesis presents first a systematic review that focuses on literacy and health outcomes in the ‘hidden population’ with low literacy, defined as those of working age whose first language is that of their resident country but who score low on literacy measures. The review concludes that there is a link between low literacy and poorer health in this ‘hidden population’ but that potential pathways have not been explored to any extent. The thesis then presents a primary research study which sought to explore links between low literacy and poor health from the perspectives of people with low literacy; and how the health service might respond to address the issues raised. The findings from 25 in-depth interviews and 2 focus groups with adult learners highlighted the various ways that people with low literacy struggle with written and spoken communication in clinical encounters and in self-care activities. They further revealed that stigma frequently plays a central role in the social practices of those with low literacy, affecting their mental wellbeing and social relationships, including those with healthcare staff. The potential solutions identified for service providers would benefit from piloting and evaluation to help create a literacy-sensitive health service, which could improve engagement; enable self-care and enhance capabilities for health in those with low literacy.

The research question in this project explores self-care practices that oncology providers utilize to manage stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue in their work environment. As an exploratory study, this research project examines self-care practices among the oncology providers and how self-care relates to the quality of patient care. The survey provided to the participants focused on the individual well-being such as spiritual, social support, physical, and emotional support. Findings from this study indicated that oncologist utilize spiritual self-care more than any other medical professional. The older adults utilize their social support systems more than the younger adults. Individuals with three or more children are better at utilizing their social support, physical self-care, and emotional support systems than individuals with two or less children.

This thesis attempted to examine the impact of self-care, compassion fatigue and burnout on social work students. This was achieved through the use of a Demographic Survey, the Self-Care Assessment, the Professional Quality of Life-IV (ProQOL-IV) survey, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). A total of three research questions were examined statistically, that included: the most common methods of self-care employed, the overall levels of compassion fatigue, and the overall levels of burnout. Title 4e was also taken into consideration when developing and designing the questions and summary recommendations. Questionnaires were sent out electronically, with an actual response rate of twenty eight percent. A Spearman’s Correlation, Cronbach Alpha, and t-test were used to analyze the data to determine if certain variables were affected when compared to each other. There was evidence by the data that the participants are very knowledgeable of self-care in such areas as spirituality, psychological care, emotional care, and a balanced work/professional life. The area that did show a difference was between age and self-care. Older students tended to have lower burnout and compassion fatigue issues compared to their younger counterparts. For future research, it is recommended that similar studies be conducted on BASW and MSW students to insure they have a clear understanding of burnout, how to it happens, and how best to avoid it.

Child welfare social workers have extremely demanding jobs, which may often lead to burnout and compassion fatigue. The purpose of this research study was to explore self-care methods implemented by child welfare social workers, the methods that work best for them and the ways in which these practices assist in preventing and reducing the risks of compassion fatigue and burnout. This research study also explored the ways in which child welfare social workers have been able to cope and prevent compassion fatigue and burnout. This research study utilized a qualitative, exploratory research approach. Face-to-face interviews with fifteen participants were taken place at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) offices within Los Angeles County. These interviews took place at various times and days. One major key finding from this study was the need for improvement in organizational support. Another key finding was the importance of self-care when coping with the daily stressors in the workplace and the ways in which self-care provides an outlet for preventing compassion fatigue and burnout. Participants all had different forms of self-care that worked best for their own wellbeing. It was determined that self-care strategies effectiveness depended on each individual’s response to the approach. Determining the best ways for social workers to cope with traumatic experiences in the workplace allows for administration to strengthen policies, such as ongoing training and supervision, while also being aware of the signs that child welfare social workers may display when they are experiencing compassion fatigue and burnout.

Currently, burnout is a significant issue affecting college students across the world. With the increasing economic, academic, and social pressures of college life, occurrences of burnout out may hinder graduation rates along with the physical and mental health of college students. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between self-care and burnout among social work students. A total of 76 students recruited from a Hispanic-serving institution in Southern California constituted the sample of this study. The Kruskal-Wallis H Test was used to analyze the correlation between self-care and burnout. The findings revealed a strong correlation between the aforementioned variables at the statistical significance level (p < .001). Implications for social work educations were discussed.

The focus of this project is to consider U.S. immigration policy as a critical domain in the political management of populations in advanced liberal states. Rather than seeking to understand how discourses over U.S. immigration policy function to construct identity (national, ethnic, and/or immigrant), this project seeks to understand how debates over U.S. immigration policy function to shape, manage, and direct the conduct of migrants, immigrants, and citizens. The project avoids the emphasis in much of the extant scholarship on U.S. immigration policy on the question of identity in favor of an ethos of investigation indebted to Foucault's concept of governmentality. Studies of governmentality eschew grand theories or unitary conceptions of the state in favor of empirical studies of techniques, programs, strategies and technologies that seek to guide, shape, and direct the conduct of others. While much of the interest of governmentality studies centers on mundane mechanisms that shape conduct, I argue that debates over immigration policy function as critical sites where the state is articulated into activities of government. The state, therefore, is not conceptualized as a source of power to be smashed. As such, policy debates are not mere deliberations by politicians and experts about the merits of particular courses of action; they are sites at which populations are made visible and particular mechanisms for shaping conduct are elevated. As such, the project attends to policy discussions featured as part of an overall strategic shift in U.S. immigration policy from apprehension to deterrence which began in the early 1990s. The new strategy sought to prevent migrants from entering the U.S. rather than apprehending them once they were here. Analyzing congressional hearings and floor debates, this project argues that discussions of immigration control policies (ranging from the enhanced border policing initiatives, to measures aimed at eliminating the employment and social services magnets, to official English legislation), function as part of a complex of programs, techniques, procedures through which authorities embody and give effect to particular ways of governing that seek to manage the conduct of populations both within and outside of the United States.

This thesis addresses how personal therapy for therapists, with specific focus on social workers, is personally and professionally beneficial. A thorough review of the literature highlights the efficacy of psychotherapy, risks facing mental health professionals, and an examination of the relationships between personal improvement and professional development. My own research into the attitudes toward and experiences with personal therapy among MSW's in South Dakota expands upon the existing literature, further discussing the association between personal and professional as shown in the quantitative and qualitative data that emerged from my study. Finally, this paper explores the ways in which the personal value of self-care and the professional value of care-for-clients interact vis-à-vis ethical obligations to self, client, and colleagues, and competent social work practice.