Sexual Orientation in Social Work Practice: attitudes and affirmation practice of social workers and students with gay and lesbian service users in Portugal
Author
Ivchenko, Vladyslav
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-06-14
Pages
122
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger opfattelser, holdninger og affirmativ praksis blandt socialarbejdsstuderende og autoriserede socialarbejdere i Portugal i arbejdet med brugere, der identificerer sig som homoseksuelle og lesbiske, med afsæt i social retfærdighed og antiundertrykkende praksis. Undersøgelsen anvender en blandet metode og bygger på Gay Affirmative Practice Scale med 30 spørgsmål opdelt i to sektioner, hvor sektion A vurderer holdninger og opfattelser, og sektion B omhandler praksis; i alt deltog 165 personer fordelt på studerende og praktikere. De gennemsnitlige resultater indikerer en tendens til lavere accept af at adressere seksuel orientering og kønsudtryk i praksis (sektion A: 2,32, SD 1,58; sektion B: 2,41, SD 1,52), med signifikante forskelle mellem grupperne: studerende var mere tilbøjelige end uddannede socialarbejdere til at anerkende mangfoldighed og adressere diskrimination i deres professionelle interventioner. En svag alderssammenhæng kunne i høj grad forklares ved, at de yngste deltagere primært var studerende, og der var ingen sammenhæng mellem tidligere professionel kontakt med homoseksuelle eller lesbiske brugere og mere affirmativ praksis. Fundene peger på, at emnet er relevant for socialt arbejde i Portugal og understreger behovet for information, uddannelse og målrettede indsatser for at styrke en mere positiv og inkluderende praksis; community-baseret arbejde vurderes som vigtigt, og der anbefales reformer, der gør praksis mere inkluderende og sensitiv over for kønsudtryk og seksuel identitet.
This thesis examines perceptions, attitudes, and affirmative practice among social work students and licensed social workers in Portugal when working with service users who identify as gay and lesbian, grounded in principles of social justice and anti-oppressive practice. Using a mixed-methods design, the study draws on the 30-item Gay Affirmative Practice Scale divided into two sections, with Section A assessing attitudes and perceptions and Section B focusing on practice; a total of 165 participants included both students and practitioners. Average scores suggested lower acceptance of explicitly addressing sexual orientation and gender expression in practice (Section A: 2.32, SD 1.58; Section B: 2.41, SD 1.52), with significant differences between groups: students were more likely than practicing social workers to acknowledge diversity and address the impact of discrimination in their professional interventions. A slight age effect largely reflected the younger age of the student group, and there was no correlation between prior professional encounters with gay or lesbian service users and more affirmative practice. The findings highlight the relevance of the topic for social work in Portugal and point to a need for information, education, and targeted efforts to strengthen positive, inclusive practice; community-based work is viewed as important, and reforms are recommended to make practice environments more inclusive and sensitive to gender expression and sexual identity.
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