Elderly Racial and Ethnic Groups: A Content Analysis of Mainstream Social Work Journals, 1995–2002

Articles published in five major social work journals were examined to determine the extent to which the literature addresses elderly members of racial and ethnic groups. The analysis found that only 1 percent of the articles published between 1995 and 2002focused on racial/ethnic elderly. This review indicates that social work students, educators, and practitioners will have difficulty understanding the issues facing aging minority populations and developing appropriate interventions if they rely on the major journals. Given this finding, it is imperative to increase the representation of members of ethnic and racial groups in the profession, the cultural competency of current social workers and educators, and the dissemination of research findings on this population.