The Role of Clinical Social Worker in Addressing the Social Consequences of Coronavirus (Covid-19): A Field Study

Soc Work Public Health. 2022 May 19;37(4):319-341. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2021.2015035. Epub 2021 Dec 18.

Abstract

The present research aims to identify the social consequences of Coronavirus (Covid-19), the role of clinical social worker in addressing this issue, the obstacles that impede him/her and the mechanisms as well as suggestions that improve this role. The author adopted the descriptive analytical approach and designed a questionnaire to collect data. The results showed that the consequence of "concern about losing relatives and friends because of Coronavirus" was ranked the first. However, the consequence of "self-harm that may induce suicide due to the social restrictions imposed by home quarantine" was ranked the last. In addition, the most prominent role of the clinical social worker in addressing this crisis was educating community members about its risks and the relevant social behaviors. Moreover, the most prominent obstacle was lack of training social workers to address this issue. To improve his/her roles, the research recommends presenting courses and workshops to raise the competence of clinical social workers dealing with crises, in general, and Coronavirus, in particular.

Keywords: Clinical social worker; Coronavirus (Covid-19); role; social consequences.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Quarantine
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Social Workers*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires