Attention to Rural Populations in Social Work Journals: Findings from a Scoping Review

The study aimed to examine social work's scholarly attention to rural populations in a global context, given the paucity of rural social work literature in professional journals and earlier reviews showing the dominance of material emanating from the United States of America.

The researchers used a scoping review of articles published in social work journals listed in the Journal Citation Reports for the Social Science (hereafter JCR) (n = 90) between 2009 and 2024.

The study found 152 articles on rural social work published in 48 of the 90 JCR social work journals, 71% of which were research-based. Most publications came from North America (n=61), including 58 from the USA and three from Canada. Following close behind was the Asia-Pacific Region (n=60), with 25 from China. There were 18 from Africa and 10 from Europe and the UK. There were only three from South America, possibly due to the study's restriction to English-language journals. The main themes related to rural social work practice, health, professional issues, and context.

The paucity of publications on rural issues contributed to minimal understanding of the complexity and diversity of rural poverty. The findings revealed remarkable similarities in knowledge shaping rural social work practice worldwide, despite regional differences.

The study suggested a consistent lack of focus on rural populations within the social work profession and underscored the importance of understanding and addressing pressing issues facing rural communities across diverse global contexts.