Asian Social Work and Policy Review最新文献

Population aging poses significant challenges for Vietnam, where families remain the primary caregivers amid limited resources and a developing social welfare system. Grounded in cultural values and social norms, particularly filial piety, this study employs a qualitative approach using purposive sampling and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 37 informal caregivers of older adults with chronic illnesses in Ho Chi Minh City. Reflexive thematic analysis, supported by MAXQDA, reveals four key dimensions of caregiving meaning: (1) views on filial piety, encompassing cultural moral imperatives, inescapable structural duties, reciprocal care exchanges, and modern filial reinterpretations; (2) emotional affection; (3) gender expectations; and (4) elder care planning, which is shaped by cultural norms, care recipients' personal wishes, older adults' health status, prevailing biases toward institutional care, financial limitations, family support systems, and the consideration of external services. Together, these findings highlight the complex negotiation between traditional obligations and personal life demands, as well as the pressures inherent in home-based caregiving. These insights offer valuable implications for developing culturally grounded social policies and long-term care support in Vietnam's rapidly aging society.

Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this study explores multi-level barriers to palliative-care provision in Chinese residential aged-care facilities, based on the experience of S Agency, a Guangdong pilot institution. A qualitative case study was conducted in October 2022, using three formal semi-structured interviews, five informal interviews, and non-participant observation. Thematic analysis was guided by the ecological framework. Ethical approval and participant informed consent were obtained. Dilemmas exist across micro- (low public awareness, staff-patient communication difficulties), meso- (imperfect teams, insufficient psychological support), exo- (unstandardized admission rules, ambiguous end-of-care definitions), and macro-levels (inadequate funding and insurance coverage). Traditional Chinese death-related values permeate all levels and shape service uptake. Multilevel interventions are needed: public education should reduce communication barriers; government should boost discipline building, training, and unified admission standards; collaborative service models and culturally appropriate promotion are recommended.

Drug dependence can disrupt family relationships and daily routines, making family involvement important in community-based recovery. Guided by Family Systems Theory, this cross-sectional survey examined the perspectives of 281 family members of persons who use drugs (PWUDs) who completed the Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP) in 12 rural barangays in Bukidnon, Philippines. Most households (80.8%) reported a monthly income below PHP 12,000. Family members had high awareness of CBDRP activities (Net Awareness Score = 68.63), but participation was fair (Average Participation Score = 40.84). Participation was highest in everyday caregiving activities, particularly encouraging and monitoring PWUDs. Concern for the PWUD was the most commonly reported reason for participation, whereas work fatigue was the most frequently reported barrier. Participation was lower in structured and public-facing activities than in home-based caregiving roles. Family respondents reported favorable post-program behavioral patterns among PWUDs, including greater focus on work (88.6%) and more time spent with family (86.5%). Findings indicate that families provide important support through direct caregiving, although livelihood demands and limited aftercare may constrain sustained participation. CBDRPs should strengthen family-centered, confidential, livelihood-responsive, and sustained aftercare strategies.

The present study reviews the Indian indigenous practices to deal with mental health and its significance in contemporary social work practice. In present time, there is a growing awareness on culture sensitive approaches to mental health, which has also revived the interest in indigenous practices that emphasizes on holistic well-being of an individual, integrating mind, body, and environment. History suggests that there has been a significant criticism on those practices during the colonial and postcolonial era, leveling it unscientific or superstition at some point. However, recent researches are highlighting their cultural significance, healing within community and breaking the bridge of treatment gaps, particularly in rural and interior part of India where people are still unaware and untrustful of the existing health system. The review also synthesizes empirical and conceptual literature on the historical evolution, marginalization, and recent resurgence of indigenous mental health approaches in India. It highlights how such practices align with core social work values of dignity, person-in-environment, and social justice.

Fatherlessness is a profound emotional void increasingly intensified in developing regions by macroeconomic shifts, urbanization, and demanding capitalist labor structures. Because macro-institutional contexts are often treated as static background factors, a gap remains in understanding how localized multi-stakeholder networks collaborate outside Western welfare frameworks. This qualitative exploratory pilot study used purposive sampling and in-depth interviews with 10 institutional stakeholders in Sleman, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using a framework-based coding matrix informed by Ecological Systems Theory, yielding strong inter-coder reliability (κ = 0.85). Most institutions characterized the crisis as the emergence of the “passive father,” associating emotional detachment with economic exhaustion, digital interference, and patriarchal legacies. The findings revealed structural divergence within the response network: micro-level actors employed trauma-informed pastoral care and grassroots mentorship to address academic decline and youth street violence (klitih), while macro-level coordination remained hindered by bureaucratic fragmentation. Informants also noted maternal resilience, with single mothers adapting to dual-provider roles. The study contributes to Asian social policy by highlighting the operational paradox between functional meso-level referral pathways and fragmented macro-level coordination, emphasizing integrated cross-sector mechanisms and stronger institutional safety nets for child welfare.

Despite the presence of legal protections and civil society interventions, women experiencing domestic violence in Bangladesh often remain in unsafe conditions over extended periods. Existing research has documented stigma, reporting gaps, social acceptance of violence, and individual-level barriers to help-seeking. This study examines how survivors and frontline actors navigate fragmented social welfare, legal, and informal support systems, focusing on where and how support pathways stall or break down over time. Drawing on a qualitative, multi-actor design, the study is based on in-depth interviews with 15 participants, including women with lived experience of domestic violence, family respondents, non-governmental organization workers, and legal and police actors in Bangladesh. Data were analyzed thematically with attention to sequencing of support-seeking and decision-making under constraint. Findings show that responses unfold through recurrent, partial, and time-bound interventions rather than linear resolution, shaped by economic precarity, informal mediation without enforcement capacity, conditional NGO assistance, and high procedural and evidentiary thresholds within formal legal systems. Survivors' endurance, withdrawal, and re-engagement emerge as strategic responses to cumulative risks rather than as passive acceptance. The study highlights how misaligned welfare and protection arrangements may stabilize unsafe conditions, underscoring the need for integrated social work and policy responses.

Remote work is a new form of work and has become more popular since COVID-19 to adapt to the new normal. However, this form of work is only suitable for certain jobs and depends on employees' access to the Internet and the use of technological tools. This paper illustrates the relationship between human capital and the probability of changing the work mode of waged workers in Vietnam during COVID-19 based on the 2022 Labor Force Survey data. Employing logistic regression analysis, this study finds that waged workers with higher education, longer working duration, and those using IT at work before COVID-19 are associated with a higher probability of switching to remote work. Moreover, those with better jobs and occupations are associated with higher odds of changing work mode during COVID-19. The findings suggest that the ability to switch to remote work during shocks reveals a new dimension of labor market inequality. Policies ensuring social protection and promoting human capital for the labor force therefore contribute to long-term employment security and work flexibility, especially during unforeseen shocks. It is even more meaningful as the Vietnamese government is promoting the rapid development of the digital economy and citizens' IT level.

Higher education presents substantial challenges as students navigate diverse academic and career expectations. In China, final-year university students experience considerable stress due to societal, familial, and personal pressures related to employment. This study examined the relationships among employment stress (ES), job-seeking anxiety (JSA), career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE), and social support (SS), focusing on the mediating role of CDMSE and the moderating role of SS in the ES–JSA relationship. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected from 800 final-year students at two universities in Chongqing, China, through structured questionnaires and a multistage sampling strategy involving cluster sampling and stratified quota-based recruitment. Structural equation modeling (SEM), supplemented by PROCESS-based robustness checks, showed that ES significantly and positively predicted JSA. CDMSE partially mediated the relationship between ES and JSA, whereas SS moderated this association by weakening the adverse effect of ES on JSA. The findings refine understanding of employment-related psychological adaptation by supporting an integrated framework combining stress process theory, social cognitive theory, and the social support buffering model. These findings provide theoretical and practical implications for reducing job-seeking anxiety among Chinese university students.