Mark J Macgowan
Biographic Data
| ID | 5822989 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mark J Macgowan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mark J |
| FAMILY NAME | Macgowan |
| SIGNATURE | MACGOWAN M J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Florida International University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8505-5515 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 55 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Comparative Efficacy of Online vs. Face-to-Face Group Interventions: A Systematic Review
Purpose: Online group-based interventions are widely adopted, but their efficacy, when compared with similar face-to-face (F2F) psychosocial group interventions, has not been sufficiently examined. Methods: This systematic review included randomly controlled trials (RCTs) that compared an intervention/model delivered in both F2F and online formats. The review adhered to PRISMA guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO. Results: The search yield…
Social isolation consequences: Lessons from Covid-19 pandemic in a context of dynamic lock-down in Chile
The results of this study fit within an original pandemic context: The results of this study can help identify needs and promote solutions applicable to different contexts. Future interventions should focus on the promotion and implementation of healthy habits focused on sleep hygiene, psychoeducation on the use of mobile devices and gender medicine with the support of healthcare organizations and University
Interventions for Adolescent Suicide Ideation and Suicide Attempts in Latin America and Spain: A Systematic Review
Purpose: Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to suicide attempts, which is a major risk factor for completed suicide in this age group. However, most research on suicide prevention interventions comes from high-income countries with predominantly white participants and English protocols. This study examines interventions that have been tested in Latin America and Spain. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to include interventions aimed…
Covid-19 Aftermath: Exploring the Mental Health Emergency among Students at a Northern Italian University
In this study, we investigated the symptoms of physical and mental health associated with lifestyle changes due to a lockdown among the students of a university in Northern Italy, one of the most affected areas in Europe during the first wave of COVID-19. We examined the psychopathological variations in relation to mental health problems in a young population. The goal was to develop interventions to resolve these new psychosocial problems. From …
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to Reduce Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Symptoms among Forcibly Displaced People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Purpose: This study is a meta-analysis on the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring depression, and anxiety symptoms among forcibly displaced people. Methods: A search was followed by data extraction and assessment of risk of bias. Within- and between-conditions effect sizes of posttest and follow-up outcomes using a random effects model were examined, w…
A Meta-Analysis of Group Interventions for Trauma and Depression Among Immigrant and Refugee Children
Purpose: A meta-analysis of group interventions to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and/or depression among refugee and immigrant children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic search was followed by independent reviews of each study for risk of bias. The meta-analysis pooled between- and within-condition effect sizes on PTSS and depression across studies using a random effects model. Results: The search yielded 16 studies utilizing …
Global trends in forced migration: Policy, practice and research imperatives for social work
Global forced migration rates are the highest since World War II. This article presents an overview of migration and presents an original argument as to the imperatives for social work. First, global trends are presented and forced migration is conceptualised as an international phenomenon. Second, global responses are explored with a focus on legal and protection frameworks. Finally, existing policy, practice and research gaps related to human m…
Cultural adaptations in psychosocial interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder among refugees: A systematic review
Parent-Focused Preventive Interventions for Youth Substance Use and Problem Behaviors: A Systematic Review
Research indicates substance use initiation increases the risk of other youth problem behaviors and substance dependence. Preventing these problematic behaviors through parenting has the potential for avoiding deleterious consequences for youth, their families, and the community
A Systematic Review of Psychological Trauma Interventions for Juvenile Offenders
Improving Student Confidence in Using Group Work Standards: A Controlled Replication
Objective: This is a replication of a study that examined the effects of teaching foundation competencies in group work to social work students and assessed their self-confidence in applying these skills. This study improves on the first by utilizing a controlled design. Method: Twenty-six master of social work students were taught group work competencies derived from the International Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups’ (…
Psychosocial Interventions for Women with HIV/Aids: A Critical Review
Objective Recent research on psychosocial interventions addressing the well-being of women with HIV/AIDS has brought new options for practitioners. This study critically reviews the treatment features, methodological quality, and efficacy of these interventions. Methods A comprehensive search between 2000 and 2011 identified 19 studies employing 10 different interventions. Results In all, 11 studies were methodologically strong and 12 reported in…
A Standards-based Inventory of Foundation Competencies in Social Work with Groups
Objective: This article describes the development of a measure of foundation competencies in group work derived from the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. Developed by the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, the Standards have not been widely used. An instrument based on the Standards can help advance evidence-based teaching and practice. Methods: Items were drawn from the Standards yielding a 70-item invento…
Teaching Standards–Based Group Work Competencies to Social Work Students: An Empirical Examination
Objectives: Accreditation standards and challenges in group work education require competency-based approaches in teaching social work with groups. The Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups developed Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups, which serve as foundation competencies for professional practice. However, there has been no empirical publication about using them in teaching. This pilot study tested a microskill…
Markers of Marijuana Use Outcomes Within Adolescent Substance Abuse Group Treatment
Objectives: Despite their popularity, little is known about what distinguishes effective from ineffective or even iatrogenic adolescent group interventions. Methods: Audio recordings and transcripts from 19, 8—10 session, school-based treatment groups comprised of 108, substance abusing 10- to 19-year olds were analyzed. Group leader empathy was measured globally, while two new constructs, group commitment and peer response, were measured using d…
A Critical Review of Adolescent Substance Abuse Group Treatments
OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based social work requires the use of interventions that are supported by good research evidence. This article reviews the empirical research on adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse group treatments. Despite the popularity of group work, searches of the academic literature yielded only 13 adolescent group treatments for which AOD use outcomes have been reported. These treatments and the studies that evaluated them are…
An Innovative Program in Social Work Education
This paper is a report of an innovative program in social work education to enrich field supervisors and students with the latest theories and practices related to social work practice in health care settings. This program consists of a study day organized jointly by academic faculty, field supervisors, and students, conducted once a year between 1997 and 2001 in two universities in Israel. Each study day focused on a subject relevant to social w…
Evidence-Based Group Work: A Framework for Advancing Best Practice
Significant advances have been made in conceptualizing Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) for social work but there has been little discussion about an EBP perspective for group work. Demands of accountability, the values, and ethics of social group work, and the expanding and deepening evidence base for group work require a conceptualization and application of EBP for group work. Building on recent advances in EBP and the tradition of research and pr…
Effective Family-Based Interventions for Adolescents With Substance Use Problems: A Systematic Review
Objective: This article is a systematic review identifying effective family-based interventions for adolescent substance use problems. Method: A substantive review of each intervention is conducted using guidelines for effective treatment for substance use problems. Additionally, a methodological review of each study is done using criteria for empirically validated treatments. Results: Treatment components of five interventions—Brief Strategic Fa…
Factor Structure of the Group Engagement Measure
The Group Engagement Measure (GEM) assesses a commonly used, but rarely measured, process in group work. Earlier studies examined the reliability and validity of the GEM, but none empirically examined its factor structure. The authors examined the seven-factor, 37-item structure of the GEM, using confirmatory factor analysis involving a combined clinical and nonclinical sample of 207 adults. On the seven-factor, 37-item model, the fit indices sta…
Iatrogenic Effects of Group Treatment on Adolescents with Conduct and Substance Use Problems: A Review of the Literature and a Presentation of a Model
Group therapy is the most popular approach in the treatment of adolescent substance use problems. Recently, concerns have mounted about possible iatrogenic effects of group therapy based on studies on adolescents with conduct disorder. This paper reviews three possible contributors to response to group treatment among adolescents, and proposes a model of the relations among these variables, specifically in regard to how they independently and int…
Using Qualitative Data Analysis Software in Teaching About Group Work Practice
Courses on social group work have traditionally relied on in-class role plays to teach group work skills. The most common technological aid in such courses has been analog videotape. In recent years new technologies have emerged that allow the instructor to customize and tailor didactic experiences to individual classes and individual learners. This article discusses the use of technologies such as digital video combined with computer aided quali…
Psychosocial Treatment of Youth Suicide: A Systematic Review of the Research
This article systematically reviews evidence for treatment of adolescent suicidality. In all, 10 empirical studies intended to reduce suicidal behaviors (e.g., suicide attempts) or suicidal ideation were reviewed. Each study's intervention was described and evaluated using two sets of independent criteria to assess the degree to which it was successful in reducing suicidality and the level of its empirical support (well established or probably ef…
Increasing the Cultural Responsiveness of Family Group Conferencing
Child welfare struggles to manage child abuse and neglect and to seek permanency for children, while being culturally responsive to the communities it serves. Family group conferencing, piloted in New Zealand and now used in the United States and other countries, is a strengths-based model that brings together families and their support systems to develop and carry out a plan that protects, nurtures, and safeguards children and other family membe…
The Carolina Child Checklist of Risk and Protective Factors for Aggression
Objective: Extending the Social Health Profile and other instruments that measure problem behavior in childhood, the Carolina Child Checklist (CCC) was developed to measure risk and protective factors related to aggressive behavior in children ages 6 to 12. This study reports the psychometric properties of the CCC. Method: The measure’s dimensionality, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest), standard error of measurement, and validity…
Increasing the Cultural Responsiveness of Family Group Conferencing
Child welfare struggles to manage child abuse and neglect and to seek permanency for children, while being culturally responsive to the communities it serves. Family group conferencing, piloted in New Zealand and now used in the United States and other countries, is a strengths-based model that brings together families and their support systems to develop and carry out a plan that protects, nurtures, and safeguards children and other family membe…
The Carolina Child Checklist of Risk and Protective Factors for Aggression
Objective: Extending the Social Health Profile and other instruments that measure problem behavior in childhood, the Carolina Child Checklist (CCC) was developed to measure risk and protective factors related to aggressive behavior in children ages 6 to 12. This study reports the psychometric properties of the CCC. Method: The measure’s dimensionality, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest), standard error of measurement, and validity…
Teaching Standards–Based Group Work Competencies to Social Work Students: An Empirical Examination
Objectives: Accreditation standards and challenges in group work education require competency-based approaches in teaching social work with groups. The Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups developed Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups, which serve as foundation competencies for professional practice. However, there has been no empirical publication about using them in teaching. This pilot study tested a microskill…
Iatrogenic Effects of Group Treatment on Adolescents with Conduct and Substance Use Problems: A Review of the Literature and a Presentation of a Model
Group therapy is the most popular approach in the treatment of adolescent substance use problems. Recently, concerns have mounted about possible iatrogenic effects of group therapy based on studies on adolescents with conduct disorder. This paper reviews three possible contributors to response to group treatment among adolescents, and proposes a model of the relations among these variables, specifically in regard to how they independently and int…
Evaluation of a Measure of Engagement for Group Work
Objective This study examines the psychometric properties of a measure of engagement for group work, the Groupwork Engagement Measure (GEM). Method The measure's properties were tested at two different points of group development, early and late group. The closed-ended groups were led by 13 graduate social work students and consisted of 86 student peers. Results The measure had excellent reliability at both administrations, with coefficient alpha…
Global trends in forced migration: Policy, practice and research imperatives for social work
Global forced migration rates are the highest since World War II. This article presents an overview of migration and presents an original argument as to the imperatives for social work. First, global trends are presented and forced migration is conceptualised as an international phenomenon. Second, global responses are explored with a focus on legal and protection frameworks. Finally, existing policy, practice and research gaps related to human m…
A Standards-based Inventory of Foundation Competencies in Social Work with Groups
Objective: This article describes the development of a measure of foundation competencies in group work derived from the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. Developed by the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, the Standards have not been widely used. An instrument based on the Standards can help advance evidence-based teaching and practice. Methods: Items were drawn from the Standards yielding a 70-item invento…
Factor Structure of the Group Engagement Measure
The Group Engagement Measure (GEM) assesses a commonly used, but rarely measured, process in group work. Earlier studies examined the reliability and validity of the GEM, but none empirically examined its factor structure. The authors examined the seven-factor, 37-item structure of the GEM, using confirmatory factor analysis involving a combined clinical and nonclinical sample of 207 adults. On the seven-factor, 37-item model, the fit indices sta…
A Measure of Engagement for Social Group Work: The Groupwork Engagement Measure (GEM)
This study develops and empirically tests a measure of engagement for group work. The items compiled for the measure were drawn from respected group work theory. The groupwork engagement measure (GEM) consists of 37 items in seven dimensions: attendance, contributing, relating (to worker and with members), contracting, and working (on own problems, with others∗ problems). Coefficient alpha for the measure was .97 with a low SEM of 4.52. Construct…
A Meta-Analysis of Group Interventions for Trauma and Depression Among Immigrant and Refugee Children
Purpose: A meta-analysis of group interventions to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and/or depression among refugee and immigrant children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic search was followed by independent reviews of each study for risk of bias. The meta-analysis pooled between- and within-condition effect sizes on PTSS and depression across studies using a random effects model. Results: The search yielded 16 studies utilizing …
Improving Student Confidence in Using Group Work Standards: A Controlled Replication
Objective: This is a replication of a study that examined the effects of teaching foundation competencies in group work to social work students and assessed their self-confidence in applying these skills. This study improves on the first by utilizing a controlled design. Method: Twenty-six master of social work students were taught group work competencies derived from the International Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups’ (…
Psychosocial Interventions for Women with HIV/Aids: A Critical Review
Objective Recent research on psychosocial interventions addressing the well-being of women with HIV/AIDS has brought new options for practitioners. This study critically reviews the treatment features, methodological quality, and efficacy of these interventions. Methods A comprehensive search between 2000 and 2011 identified 19 studies employing 10 different interventions. Results In all, 11 studies were methodologically strong and 12 reported in…
Using Qualitative Data Analysis Software in Teaching About Group Work Practice
Courses on social group work have traditionally relied on in-class role plays to teach group work skills. The most common technological aid in such courses has been analog videotape. In recent years new technologies have emerged that allow the instructor to customize and tailor didactic experiences to individual classes and individual learners. This article discusses the use of technologies such as digital video combined with computer aided quali…
A Measure of Engagement for Social Group Work: The Groupwork Engagement Measure (GEM)
This study develops and empirically tests a measure of engagement for group work. The items compiled for the measure were drawn from respected group work theory. The groupwork engagement measure (GEM) consists of 37 items in seven dimensions: attendance, contributing, relating (to worker and with members), contracting, and working (on own problems, with others∗ problems). Coefficient alpha for the measure was .97 with a low SEM of 4.52. Construct…
Evaluation of a Measure of Engagement for Group Work
Objective This study examines the psychometric properties of a measure of engagement for group work, the Groupwork Engagement Measure (GEM). Method The measure's properties were tested at two different points of group development, early and late group. The closed-ended groups were led by 13 graduate social work students and consisted of 86 student peers. Results The measure had excellent reliability at both administrations, with coefficient alpha…
The Carolina Child Checklist of Risk and Protective Factors for Aggression
Objective: Extending the Social Health Profile and other instruments that measure problem behavior in childhood, the Carolina Child Checklist (CCC) was developed to measure risk and protective factors related to aggressive behavior in children ages 6 to 12. This study reports the psychometric properties of the CCC. Method: The measure’s dimensionality, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest), standard error of measurement, and validity…
Psychosocial Treatment of Youth Suicide: A Systematic Review of the Research
This article systematically reviews evidence for treatment of adolescent suicidality. In all, 10 empirical studies intended to reduce suicidal behaviors (e.g., suicide attempts) or suicidal ideation were reviewed. Each study's intervention was described and evaluated using two sets of independent criteria to assess the degree to which it was successful in reducing suicidality and the level of its empirical support (well established or probably ef…
Increasing the Cultural Responsiveness of Family Group Conferencing
Child welfare struggles to manage child abuse and neglect and to seek permanency for children, while being culturally responsive to the communities it serves. Family group conferencing, piloted in New Zealand and now used in the United States and other countries, is a strengths-based model that brings together families and their support systems to develop and carry out a plan that protects, nurtures, and safeguards children and other family membe…
Effective Family-Based Interventions for Adolescents With Substance Use Problems: A Systematic Review
Objective: This article is a systematic review identifying effective family-based interventions for adolescent substance use problems. Method: A substantive review of each intervention is conducted using guidelines for effective treatment for substance use problems. Additionally, a methodological review of each study is done using criteria for empirically validated treatments. Results: Treatment components of five interventions—Brief Strategic Fa…
Factor Structure of the Group Engagement Measure
The Group Engagement Measure (GEM) assesses a commonly used, but rarely measured, process in group work. Earlier studies examined the reliability and validity of the GEM, but none empirically examined its factor structure. The authors examined the seven-factor, 37-item structure of the GEM, using confirmatory factor analysis involving a combined clinical and nonclinical sample of 207 adults. On the seven-factor, 37-item model, the fit indices sta…
Iatrogenic Effects of Group Treatment on Adolescents with Conduct and Substance Use Problems: A Review of the Literature and a Presentation of a Model
Group therapy is the most popular approach in the treatment of adolescent substance use problems. Recently, concerns have mounted about possible iatrogenic effects of group therapy based on studies on adolescents with conduct disorder. This paper reviews three possible contributors to response to group treatment among adolescents, and proposes a model of the relations among these variables, specifically in regard to how they independently and int…
Using Qualitative Data Analysis Software in Teaching About Group Work Practice
Courses on social group work have traditionally relied on in-class role plays to teach group work skills. The most common technological aid in such courses has been analog videotape. In recent years new technologies have emerged that allow the instructor to customize and tailor didactic experiences to individual classes and individual learners. This article discusses the use of technologies such as digital video combined with computer aided quali…
Evidence-Based Group Work: A Framework for Advancing Best Practice
Significant advances have been made in conceptualizing Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) for social work but there has been little discussion about an EBP perspective for group work. Demands of accountability, the values, and ethics of social group work, and the expanding and deepening evidence base for group work require a conceptualization and application of EBP for group work. Building on recent advances in EBP and the tradition of research and pr…
An Innovative Program in Social Work Education
This paper is a report of an innovative program in social work education to enrich field supervisors and students with the latest theories and practices related to social work practice in health care settings. This program consists of a study day organized jointly by academic faculty, field supervisors, and students, conducted once a year between 1997 and 2001 in two universities in Israel. Each study day focused on a subject relevant to social w…
A Critical Review of Adolescent Substance Abuse Group Treatments
OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based social work requires the use of interventions that are supported by good research evidence. This article reviews the empirical research on adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse group treatments. Despite the popularity of group work, searches of the academic literature yielded only 13 adolescent group treatments for which AOD use outcomes have been reported. These treatments and the studies that evaluated them are…
Markers of Marijuana Use Outcomes Within Adolescent Substance Abuse Group Treatment
Objectives: Despite their popularity, little is known about what distinguishes effective from ineffective or even iatrogenic adolescent group interventions. Methods: Audio recordings and transcripts from 19, 8—10 session, school-based treatment groups comprised of 108, substance abusing 10- to 19-year olds were analyzed. Group leader empathy was measured globally, while two new constructs, group commitment and peer response, were measured using d…
A Standards-based Inventory of Foundation Competencies in Social Work with Groups
Objective: This article describes the development of a measure of foundation competencies in group work derived from the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. Developed by the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, the Standards have not been widely used. An instrument based on the Standards can help advance evidence-based teaching and practice. Methods: Items were drawn from the Standards yielding a 70-item invento…
Teaching Standards–Based Group Work Competencies to Social Work Students: An Empirical Examination
Objectives: Accreditation standards and challenges in group work education require competency-based approaches in teaching social work with groups. The Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups developed Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups, which serve as foundation competencies for professional practice. However, there has been no empirical publication about using them in teaching. This pilot study tested a microskill…
Psychosocial Interventions for Women with HIV/Aids: A Critical Review
Objective Recent research on psychosocial interventions addressing the well-being of women with HIV/AIDS has brought new options for practitioners. This study critically reviews the treatment features, methodological quality, and efficacy of these interventions. Methods A comprehensive search between 2000 and 2011 identified 19 studies employing 10 different interventions. Results In all, 11 studies were methodologically strong and 12 reported in…
Improving Student Confidence in Using Group Work Standards: A Controlled Replication
Objective: This is a replication of a study that examined the effects of teaching foundation competencies in group work to social work students and assessed their self-confidence in applying these skills. This study improves on the first by utilizing a controlled design. Method: Twenty-six master of social work students were taught group work competencies derived from the International Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups’ (…
Cultural adaptations in psychosocial interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder among refugees: A systematic review
Parent-Focused Preventive Interventions for Youth Substance Use and Problem Behaviors: A Systematic Review
Research indicates substance use initiation increases the risk of other youth problem behaviors and substance dependence. Preventing these problematic behaviors through parenting has the potential for avoiding deleterious consequences for youth, their families, and the community
A Systematic Review of Psychological Trauma Interventions for Juvenile Offenders
A Meta-Analysis of Group Interventions for Trauma and Depression Among Immigrant and Refugee Children
Purpose: A meta-analysis of group interventions to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and/or depression among refugee and immigrant children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic search was followed by independent reviews of each study for risk of bias. The meta-analysis pooled between- and within-condition effect sizes on PTSS and depression across studies using a random effects model. Results: The search yielded 16 studies utilizing …
Global trends in forced migration: Policy, practice and research imperatives for social work
Global forced migration rates are the highest since World War II. This article presents an overview of migration and presents an original argument as to the imperatives for social work. First, global trends are presented and forced migration is conceptualised as an international phenomenon. Second, global responses are explored with a focus on legal and protection frameworks. Finally, existing policy, practice and research gaps related to human m…
Covid-19 Aftermath: Exploring the Mental Health Emergency among Students at a Northern Italian University
In this study, we investigated the symptoms of physical and mental health associated with lifestyle changes due to a lockdown among the students of a university in Northern Italy, one of the most affected areas in Europe during the first wave of COVID-19. We examined the psychopathological variations in relation to mental health problems in a young population. The goal was to develop interventions to resolve these new psychosocial problems. From …
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to Reduce Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Symptoms among Forcibly Displaced People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Purpose: This study is a meta-analysis on the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring depression, and anxiety symptoms among forcibly displaced people. Methods: A search was followed by data extraction and assessment of risk of bias. Within- and between-conditions effect sizes of posttest and follow-up outcomes using a random effects model were examined, w…
Social isolation consequences: Lessons from Covid-19 pandemic in a context of dynamic lock-down in Chile
The results of this study fit within an original pandemic context: The results of this study can help identify needs and promote solutions applicable to different contexts. Future interventions should focus on the promotion and implementation of healthy habits focused on sleep hygiene, psychoeducation on the use of mobile devices and gender medicine with the support of healthcare organizations and University
Psychology (17 works) · Medicine (10 works) · Clinical Psychology (9 works) · Social Work (9 works) · Social Work Education and Practice (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works) · Work (physics (8 works) · Engineering (7 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Psychological intervention (6 works)