* Head of the School of Social Work, Ariel University. PhD in Social Work. Senior Lecturer (Specialist Track).* Manager of "Dalia and Eli Hurvitz" philantropy foundation. Address: Ashdod, HaDarom, Israel
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The large Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigration of the 1990s, accounting for approximately 15% of... more The large Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigration of the 1990s, accounting for approximately 15% of the Jewish population in Israel today, plays a significant role in shaping Israeli society. Volunteering, as part of social citizenship and normative culture, is an important element of acculturation among immigrants. The present study compares volunteering attitudes and motivations among Generation 1.5 FSU immigrants in their third decade in Israel to native-born Israelis (NBIs): 576 participants, 50.2% NBIs and 49.8% FSUs. Generation 1.5 FSU immigrants exhibited less favorable attitudes toward volunteerism than NBIs. FSUs also rated career motivations for volunteerism significantly higher than NBIs, and values significantly lower than NBIs. Significant differences were found between motivations for volunteering among each cohort, separately, as well. In the context of mass immigration, re-socialization regarding volunteering among Generation 1.5 FSU immigrants living 2–3 decades in Is...
Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive reaction to common life events. Levels of adjustment disorde... more Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive reaction to common life events. Levels of adjustment disorder can serve as one of the indicators of the effectiveness of social services interventions. Yet, the role of service receipt period and of social worker alternation in explaining levels of adjustment disorder remains unclear. In order to explore this issue, structured questionnaires were distributed to a random sample of 190 clients of a social services department in Israel. Whilst no significant differences were found between service receipt periods with regard to clients’ adjustment disorder, clients treated by a single social worker reported lower levels of adjustment disorder than those treated by alternating social workers. Furthermore, new and long-standing clients, treated by alternating social workers displayed higher levels of adjustment disorder than those treated by a single social worker. The importance of therapeutic alliance is discussed in light of the present findings.
Summary We examined whether participation in the ‘Accessible Community’ program (an Israeli natio... more Summary We examined whether participation in the ‘Accessible Community’ program (an Israeli nationwide community program), changed social work students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities. A total of 150 social work students in their first year were divided into task groups focusing on variety activities for and with people with disabilities. The students attended an academic course in community social work, and completed an ‘Attitudes towards Persons with Disability’ questionnaire (ATDP) prior and subsequent to participation; 58.67% ( N = 88) completed the questionnaire before the project, 79 also filled it in afterwards (89.7%). Findings Two subscales of ATDP for positive and negative items were composed in order to extrapolate more specific data. Participation in the project did not lead to any significant overall change in attitude. Yet, negative attitudes were significantly associated with previous volunteering and prior negative attitudes, while positive attitudes were...
The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of ethical conflicts amongst social... more The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of ethical conflicts amongst social workers, deriving from dual obligations to clients and employers, as associated with their organisational affiliation and professional seniority. The sample included 723 social workers from three organisational sectors in Israel: the government sector, the third sector and the for-profit sector. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine the main and interaction effects of organisational affiliation and seniority on the frequency of ethical conflicts amongst social workers. Social workers in the for-profit and third sectors experienced a significantly higher frequency of ethical conflicts than those in the government sector. In addition, social workers with moderate seniority were found to experience ethical conflicts more frequently than those with low and high seniority. These findings have an important contribution to the ongoing public debate on the privatisation ...
This study analyses verbal aggression in cyberbullying against social workers in Israel. Given th... more This study analyses verbal aggression in cyberbullying against social workers in Israel. Given the particular nature of this type of aggressive behaviour, namely its repeated and public dimensions, the study focuses on the content of offensive messages. Drawing on examples from multiple anti-social workers’ weblogs and Facebook pages, the study employs constructionist social problems methodology in order to extract the logical structure of anti-social workers’ discourse as claims-making activity. The analysis demonstrates that, far from constituting isolated or momentary outbursts of anger or frustration, cyberbullying against social workers contains messages which share similarities in content and style, comprise a persistent set of claims against social workers and employ rhetorical means in order to enhance public support. The article holds that understanding the specificity and content of offensive messages against social workers in new-media saturated societies is crucial for u...
The study presented in this article examined the relationship between philanthropic foundations (... more The study presented in this article examined the relationship between philanthropic foundations (PFs) and the government in social policy-making. The Yaniv Project, which aimed to establish collaboration between PFs and the Israeli government in the field of children and youth at risk in Israel, is analysed as a case in point. The findings reveal that the collaboration that emerged was ceremonial and symbolic. The government and the PFs perceived the collaboration more as a technical means of achieving their own goals and gaining control than as a relationship that benefits both parties. The article discusses the implications of those relationships for PFs and the government.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between psychological distress am... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between psychological distress among social workers and their intention to leave the profession through the economic and social exchange perspective. The research sample was comprised of 380 Israeli social workers who manually filled in structured questionnaires regarding psychological distress, economic and social exchange between employees and employers in their workplace, self-defined burnout and demographic information. The data analysis showed that higher levels of psychological distress were associated with higher economic exchange and with lower social exchange, which resulted in increased intention to leave. These findings are important for understanding the process that social workers experience regarding the emergence of psychological distress and for clarifying that this process consists of two concurrent components: increasing preoccupation with economic aspects and increasing emotional distancing from the p...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The large Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigration of the 1990s, accounting for approximately 15% of... more The large Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigration of the 1990s, accounting for approximately 15% of the Jewish population in Israel today, plays a significant role in shaping Israeli society. Volunteering, as part of social citizenship and normative culture, is an important element of acculturation among immigrants. The present study compares volunteering attitudes and motivations among Generation 1.5 FSU immigrants in their third decade in Israel to native-born Israelis (NBIs): 576 participants, 50.2% NBIs and 49.8% FSUs. Generation 1.5 FSU immigrants exhibited less favorable attitudes toward volunteerism than NBIs. FSUs also rated career motivations for volunteerism significantly higher than NBIs, and values significantly lower than NBIs. Significant differences were found between motivations for volunteering among each cohort, separately, as well. In the context of mass immigration, re-socialization regarding volunteering among Generation 1.5 FSU immigrants living 2–3 decades in Is...
Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive reaction to common life events. Levels of adjustment disorde... more Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive reaction to common life events. Levels of adjustment disorder can serve as one of the indicators of the effectiveness of social services interventions. Yet, the role of service receipt period and of social worker alternation in explaining levels of adjustment disorder remains unclear. In order to explore this issue, structured questionnaires were distributed to a random sample of 190 clients of a social services department in Israel. Whilst no significant differences were found between service receipt periods with regard to clients’ adjustment disorder, clients treated by a single social worker reported lower levels of adjustment disorder than those treated by alternating social workers. Furthermore, new and long-standing clients, treated by alternating social workers displayed higher levels of adjustment disorder than those treated by a single social worker. The importance of therapeutic alliance is discussed in light of the present findings.
Summary We examined whether participation in the ‘Accessible Community’ program (an Israeli natio... more Summary We examined whether participation in the ‘Accessible Community’ program (an Israeli nationwide community program), changed social work students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities. A total of 150 social work students in their first year were divided into task groups focusing on variety activities for and with people with disabilities. The students attended an academic course in community social work, and completed an ‘Attitudes towards Persons with Disability’ questionnaire (ATDP) prior and subsequent to participation; 58.67% ( N = 88) completed the questionnaire before the project, 79 also filled it in afterwards (89.7%). Findings Two subscales of ATDP for positive and negative items were composed in order to extrapolate more specific data. Participation in the project did not lead to any significant overall change in attitude. Yet, negative attitudes were significantly associated with previous volunteering and prior negative attitudes, while positive attitudes were...
The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of ethical conflicts amongst social... more The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of ethical conflicts amongst social workers, deriving from dual obligations to clients and employers, as associated with their organisational affiliation and professional seniority. The sample included 723 social workers from three organisational sectors in Israel: the government sector, the third sector and the for-profit sector. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine the main and interaction effects of organisational affiliation and seniority on the frequency of ethical conflicts amongst social workers. Social workers in the for-profit and third sectors experienced a significantly higher frequency of ethical conflicts than those in the government sector. In addition, social workers with moderate seniority were found to experience ethical conflicts more frequently than those with low and high seniority. These findings have an important contribution to the ongoing public debate on the privatisation ...
This study analyses verbal aggression in cyberbullying against social workers in Israel. Given th... more This study analyses verbal aggression in cyberbullying against social workers in Israel. Given the particular nature of this type of aggressive behaviour, namely its repeated and public dimensions, the study focuses on the content of offensive messages. Drawing on examples from multiple anti-social workers’ weblogs and Facebook pages, the study employs constructionist social problems methodology in order to extract the logical structure of anti-social workers’ discourse as claims-making activity. The analysis demonstrates that, far from constituting isolated or momentary outbursts of anger or frustration, cyberbullying against social workers contains messages which share similarities in content and style, comprise a persistent set of claims against social workers and employ rhetorical means in order to enhance public support. The article holds that understanding the specificity and content of offensive messages against social workers in new-media saturated societies is crucial for u...
The study presented in this article examined the relationship between philanthropic foundations (... more The study presented in this article examined the relationship between philanthropic foundations (PFs) and the government in social policy-making. The Yaniv Project, which aimed to establish collaboration between PFs and the Israeli government in the field of children and youth at risk in Israel, is analysed as a case in point. The findings reveal that the collaboration that emerged was ceremonial and symbolic. The government and the PFs perceived the collaboration more as a technical means of achieving their own goals and gaining control than as a relationship that benefits both parties. The article discusses the implications of those relationships for PFs and the government.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between psychological distress am... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between psychological distress among social workers and their intention to leave the profession through the economic and social exchange perspective. The research sample was comprised of 380 Israeli social workers who manually filled in structured questionnaires regarding psychological distress, economic and social exchange between employees and employers in their workplace, self-defined burnout and demographic information. The data analysis showed that higher levels of psychological distress were associated with higher economic exchange and with lower social exchange, which resulted in increased intention to leave. These findings are important for understanding the process that social workers experience regarding the emergence of psychological distress and for clarifying that this process consists of two concurrent components: increasing preoccupation with economic aspects and increasing emotional distancing from the p...
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Papers by Ester Zychlinski