Baccalaureate social work educators continue to confront the task of educating numerous underprepared students seeking BSW degrees. To meet the increasing need for qualified social work professionals, it is important to find evidence-based methods to help academically struggling social work students. Students Helping Students is a pilot program designed to increase academic and social-emotional skills of undergraduate social work students. MSW student interns delivered 12-week curricula to social work majors to improve study skills, writing skills, and reading fluency and decrease perceived stress. Pre- and posttest results were analyzed using single subject design and dependent samples t-tests. Study participants significantly improved on three of the four measures: study skills (t=−2.23, p=.046), writing skills (t=−3.15, p=.007), and stress (t=5.17, p=.001). Study participants improved, but not significantly, on reading fluency (t=−.95, p=.361).
Background: Firearm-related deaths are a substantial public health crisis in America, with studies reporting an increasing rate in the past decade. Effective public health interventions rely on comprehensive information about risk and protective factors. Aim: This study aims to provide a comprehensive examination of trends in firearm-related deaths over the past 55 years, shedding light on the changing landscape and identifying key risk and protective factors associated with firearm-related deaths in the United States. Methods: This retrospective study utilizes data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) for 1968-2022 to determine trends in firearm-related deaths. A multivariate logistic regression model was employed to identify independent predictors of firearm-related suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths, exploring intersectionality by introducing interaction terms between race/ethnicity and level of education. Results: Firearm-related deaths showed a fluctuating but upward trend from 12.0/100,000 persons in 1968 to 14.5/100,000 in 2022, with firearm-related suicides consistently accounting for a significant proportion of firearm-related deaths, from 45.7% in 1968 to 56.1% in 2022, with a peak of 63% in 2013. From the multivariate regression analysis, individuals aged 10-19 years had the highest risk of firearm-related suicides (OR = 3.04, 95% CI = 2.92-3.16) and homicides (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 2.77-2.97). In addition, White people with higher education (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.40-1.45) had the highest risk of firearm-related suicides, while Black people with lower educational attainment (OR = 6.68, 95% CI = 6.50-6.87) had the highest risk of firearm-related homicides. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the urgent need for targeted, evidence-driven public health interventions and policies. Primary suicide prevention strategies focusing on means restriction and reshaping perceptions around firearm ownership emerge as critical components. Comprehensive, multidimensional approaches that engage firearm owners and communities and address structural factors are imperative to curbing the multifaceted challenges associated with firearm-related injuries and deaths. Targeted interventions must include individuals aged 10-19 and specifically focus on suicides and homicides in the most relevant demographic segments of the population.
Bilateral carotid artery dissection following blunt trauma is a rare but potentially lethal injury if not diagnosed early and treated.We report a collision patient who suffered bilateral asymptomatic carotid artery dissections. He also had multiple fractures of the pelvis and upper and lower extremities. The patient was managed acutely with aspirin. He underwent open reduction and internal fixation of fractures without complication and was discharged home on aspirin.Carotid artery dissections are increasingly being recognized in blunt trauma patients. Management options include systemic anticoagulation versus antiplatelet therapy. The need to acutely address the carotid artery injury must be balanced with the need for hemostasis with associated solid organ injury and/or future operative procedures.Carotid artery dissections should be screened for in patients with appropriate mechanism of injury. This case report details the successful management of a patient of bilateral carotid artery dissection and other major orthopedic injuries using aspirin.
