{"title":"Perceptions and Experiences of Adult Children of Parents and Carers with Alcohol-Related Problems in Botswana: The Coexistence of Resilience and Resemblance","authors":"Refilwe Precious Jeremiah, Odireleng Mildred Shehu, David Lackland Sam, Masego Katisi","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080396","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the resilience and resemblance among children of parents with alcohol-related problems in Botswana. Alcohol misuse affects both users and their families, particularly children. Although children raised in an alcoholic environment often face long-term adversities, some become resilient adults while others present behaviours resembling those of their parents. This study used socio-ecological resilience theory to explore the perceptions and experiences of adult children of parents and carers with alcohol-related problems, as well as the pathways they use to navigate risks. We collected data from seven adult children in a village in Botswana using in-depth, unstructured interviews. The study revealed two global themes: familial practices and protective factors. The vulnerability, resemblance, and resilience experienced by adult children of parents with alcohol-related problems are discussed. This study helps us to understand the adult children of parents and carers with alcohol-related problems in a rural cultural context. Their lived experiences demonstrate that resilience and resemblance coexist and are not mutually exclusive.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"27 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080395
K. Farhana, Kazi Abdul Mannan
{"title":"The Socioeconomic Factors of Female Child Trafficking and Prostitution: An Empirical Study in the Capital City of Bangladesh","authors":"K. Farhana, Kazi Abdul Mannan","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080395","url":null,"abstract":"Although Bangladesh is a constitutionally Islamic country, some brothels are regulated by state law. But these brothels are located in the suburbs, and there were legal brothels around the capital, which no longer exist. Thus, prostitution is observed in a variety of ways, including in residential hotels, resorts, homes, and open spaces. As prostitution and trafficking are inseparable, this paper adopts a quantitative approach to measure the socioeconomic variables associated with prostitution and trafficking in children in the capital city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The data for this study were collected from 385 respondents, and the questionnaire format was open-ended. The proposed conceptual model is presented in a way that includes sociocultural and economic factors influencing prostitution. To examine the model, a three-level research design was applied. The sociodemographic data of the respondents were collected and analyzed in this study. This study finds that the significant economic factors are poverty and lack of employment opportunities. Moreover, sociocultural variables are closely associated with rape, harassment, divorce, insufficient support from household members, living in vulnerable conditions, social instability, lifestyle, and gender violence. These findings emphasize the need to implement existing anti-trafficking laws and raise awareness of children in Bangladesh to stop child trafficking for sex work.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"26 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080394
Leentjie van Jaarsveld, Lāsma Latsone, C. Wolhuter, Branwen H. Challens
{"title":"The Influence of the Pandemic on the Affective States of School Principals and Teachers: A Comparative Study between South Africa and Latvia","authors":"Leentjie van Jaarsveld, Lāsma Latsone, C. Wolhuter, Branwen H. Challens","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080394","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the extensive influence of COVID-19 on the affective states of school principals and teachers. A comparative, qualitative study was conducted on Latvian and South African participants’ experiences during the pandemic, with a focus on leadership, change, extra workload, ICT, and uncertainty. A total of 59 participants from rural, urban, and private schools in both countries took part in this study. Data were collected by conducting interviews with open-ended questions after which themes were identified and grouped. The results demonstrated that the states of mind of Latvian school principals and teachers were more affected than those of South Africans for whom vaccination was not compulsory. Furthermore, it was found that technological adaptation was easier for Latvian than for South African educators. The role of the Department of Education has evoked mixed feelings. Leadership, and the lack of it, also influenced the affective states of school principals and teachers. Emotional support from society, family, and colleagues was experienced differently in Latvia than in South Africa. The results of this study revealed that a pandemic can be experienced differently by principals and teachers but also that there are similarities in these experiences, as no one is ever completely prepared for the effects of a pandemic.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"32 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080392
Jennifer Serrano-García, Fátima Zahra Rakdani-Arif Billah, E. Olmedo-Moreno, Jorge Expósito-López
{"title":"Scale of Perceptions of Future Primary School Teachers on Unaccompanied Foreign Minors: Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis","authors":"Jennifer Serrano-García, Fátima Zahra Rakdani-Arif Billah, E. Olmedo-Moreno, Jorge Expósito-López","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080392","url":null,"abstract":"Unaccompanied foreign minors (UFMs) face stigmatisation and social exclusion in Spanish territory. Given their growing presence in schools, it is crucial that trainee teachers have valid and real information about these students in order to provide equitable, personalised, and quality education to all their students in the near future and to mitigate any uninformed prejudices and stigma developed before they enter the classroom. This study seeks to validate a scale designed to assess the perceptions of pre-service teachers about UFMs (n = 169). The objective of this study was to validate a scale designed to assess the perceptions of pre-service teachers about UFMs (n = 169). All participants were studying primary education at the University of Granada (Spain) [♂ = 131 (77.5%); ♀ = 37 (21.9%)]. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional, ex post facto, and quantitative study was conducted. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS® 28.0 and IBM Amos Graphics® 23.0 programs. Results: A multidimensional scale was developed with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.858 and McDonald’s omega of 0.859, consisting of a total of 26 indicators divided into three factors: socio-educational characteristic (n = 13), social threat (n = 7), and physical and emotional well-being (n = 6). The general scale showed high reliability and acceptable fit (p < 0.001; KMO = 0.880; GFI = 0.832; IFI = 0.925; NFI = 0.816; CFI = 0.924; SMSR = 0.058). CFA reports that the items with the highest factor loadings are related to determining whether these minors respect cultural differences, are involved in drug trafficking, and arrive in Spanish territory with significant malnutrition. However, the items with the lowest factor loadings are linked to understanding the type of academic education these minors have, whether they consume alcohol, or if they require teachers with intercultural competencies to help them integrate socially. Conclusions: A reliable and robust scale was developed to assess the perceptions of pre-service primary school teachers about unaccompanied foreign minors. This instrument can be used to identify the knowledge of teachers in training, which allows training actions to be implemented in the context of higher education to raise awareness, detect biases, and make this vulnerable group visible.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"31 13","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141802905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080387
Clare M. Daniel, Anna Mahoney, Grace Riley
{"title":"The Politics of Problem Definition: Abortion Policy in Republican-Controlled Louisiana","authors":"Clare M. Daniel, Anna Mahoney, Grace Riley","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080387","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080387","url":null,"abstract":"Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Republican-controlled legislatures across the U.S. initiated draconian abortion restrictions. In order to appeal to anti-abortion policymakers, advocates across the country have strategically separated “maternal and child health” (MCH) issues, such as increased insurance coverage for midwifery and doula care, from issues often labeled as “reproductive rights,” such as access to sex education, birth control, and abortion. Advocates point out this strategic separation has likely contributed overall to the downfall of abortion rights. In this paper, we analyze legislative discourse to understand the legislative challenges advocates face, the strategic separations and allyships they employ, and the implications for other states and reproductive health more broadly. We find that legislators legitimate the same scientific evidence in some contexts while not in others in order to hold onto rhetorical purity within the abortion debate. In their attempts to parse the ideal abortion seeker, conservative legislators create legal ambiguities with serious consequences for healthcare.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"108 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141802210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subversive Recipes for Communication for Development and Social Change in Times of Digital Capitalism","authors":"Jessica Noske-Turner, Niranjana Sivaram, Aparna Kalley, Shreyas Hiremath","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080393","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080393","url":null,"abstract":"The era of digital capitalism poses conundrums for communication for development and social change scholarship and practice. On one hand, mainstream social media platforms are an increasingly ubiquitous element of the everyday media practices of growing portions of the global population. On the other, the profit-driven architectures can make these hostile spaces for progressive social change dialogues. While a burgeoning literature exists on the uses of social media as part of hashtag-activism and social movements, much less critical consideration has been given to NGOs’ and civil society organizations’ uses of capitalist-driven social media platforms in their development and social change efforts, and the challenges and compromises they navigate in this, consciously or not. This paper argues that meaningful uses of social media platforms for social change requires cultivating a hacker mindset in order to find tactics to subvert, resist, and appropriate platform logics, combined with an ecological sensibility to understanding media and communication. This paper analyzes how metaphors, specifically of a recipe, can offer a productive, praxis-oriented framework for fostering these sensibilities. The paper draws on insights from workshops with IT for Change, a civil society organization in India, which is both a leader in critiquing the political and economic power of Big Tech especially in the Global South, and beginning to use Instagram for its work on adolescent empowerment.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"41 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141805236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080389
Yi Jie Wong, Nursyahida Ahmad, Loo Seng Neo, Jia Wen Lee, Kenneth Loong, Rebecca Low, James Lim
{"title":"Mind Over Matter: Effects of Digital Devices and Internet Dependence Perceptions and Behavior on Life Satisfaction in Singapore","authors":"Yi Jie Wong, Nursyahida Ahmad, Loo Seng Neo, Jia Wen Lee, Kenneth Loong, Rebecca Low, James Lim","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080389","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080389","url":null,"abstract":"The ubiquity of digital devices and the Internet, along with continuing technological innovation, makes it difficult not to rely on them in some capacity, whether for work or play, in our daily lives. This dependence on their usage could impact life satisfaction. Furthermore, the recognition and perception of this dependence could have implications for life satisfaction as well, whether positive or negative. We thus sought to explore how perceptions of dependence and dependent behaviour on digital devices and the Internet affected life satisfaction. We also examined whether one had a greater effect than the other. We conducted three online nationally representative surveys with 7991, 7703, and 8356 Singaporeans, and performed a hierarchical linear regression analysis on the data. The results show significant but weak positive relationships between dependence on digital devices, the importance of the Internet, and life satisfaction. A greater consistent effect on life satisfaction was also observed from the perceptions of dependence compared with dependent behavior. The implications are discussed, with implications for governmental policy strategy for reducing the potential harms of dependence on digital devices and the Internet.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"6 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141804574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080388
Olga Strizhitskaya, I. Murtazina
{"title":"Moderation Effects of Autonomy and Personal Growth on the Association of Sociotropy and Different Types of Loneliness","authors":"Olga Strizhitskaya, I. Murtazina","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080388","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080388","url":null,"abstract":"Loneliness is one of the most widespread conditions that affect one’s physical and mental health. Loneliness is found in all populations despite age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or socio-economic status. It is related to the quality and availability of social interactions and can be expressed in different social domains. While the negative effects of loneliness are well-established, mechanisms and moderators of loneliness still need more examination. In the present study, we approached loneliness from a multidimensional perspective. We focused on associations between sociotropy and different types of loneliness—family and non-family. Participants were 157 adults aged 35–55, 55% females. Methods were the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale (SELSA-S), “Sociotropy—Self-Sufficiency” Questionnaire, and Psychological well-being scale (scales of Autonomy and Personal growth). To test moderation effects, we applied Hayes Process v.4 (models 1–3). Results confirmed that sociotropy predicted loneliness, both family and non-family, and autonomy and personal growth moderated this effect. We found two different moderation mechanisms for family and non-family loneliness: parallel negative moderation affected sociotropy—family loneliness association, and negative moderated moderation affected sociotropy—non-family loneliness association. Results suggested that the higher were scores on personal growth and autonomy, the less they affected the association of sociotropy and loneliness. Gender differences in moderation were found only for non-family loneliness.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"27 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141803459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Co-Constructing Knowledge and Space with Refugee Communities: Lessons from the Western New York Refugee Health Summit","authors":"Alexandra Judelsohn, Melinda Lemke, Ngo Hna, Samina Raja, Jessica Scates, Kafuli Agbemenu","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080390","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080390","url":null,"abstract":"Displaced peoples are often excluded from institutional, community, and public processes in the United States, including in knowledge production spaces where researchers and educators may discuss problems and devise solutions. In this article, we explore the benefits and challenges inherent in the co-construction of knowledge spaces designed with the intent of serving refugee communities. To do so, we examined the Western New York Refugee Health Summit, an event held for eight years where actors convened from three spaces, i.e., institutional, community, and public. Findings are derived from the situated knowledge of the authors (actors embedded in the conception and execution of the Summit) and a qualitative descriptive analysis of eight Summit reports and event evaluation data. Findings illuminate how collaboration across these spaces is co-constructed, as well as challenges inherent in co-construction from an institutional perspective—including our attempts to contest institutional power dynamics. We conclude with a discussion of research and practice-based lessons for co-constructing spaces with and including the voices of refugee community partners.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"56 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141805473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.3390/socsci13080391
Iole Fontana
{"title":"The Great Amplifier? Climate Change, Irregular Migration, and the Missing Links in EU Responses","authors":"Iole Fontana","doi":"10.3390/socsci13080391","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080391","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the complex relationship between climate change and migration in Africa, with a specific focus on Senegal—a West African nation increasingly vulnerable to climate threats such as drought, rising sea levels, floods, and salinisation. As a significant origin country for irregular migration to the European Union (EU), Senegal presents a compelling case study to explore how extreme climatic conditions interact with other migration drivers. This article does not aim to quantify or measure the extent to which climatic factors and variability contributed to migration decisions. Instead, building on original empirical material, it seeks to map and explore how climate variability interacts with other migration drivers, either by amplifying them or acting in synergy with them, thereby offering a fresh perspective of the complex dynamics at play. Additionally, this article investigates the extent to which the EU addresses and integrates climate considerations into its policy responses to address migratory flows and people’s vulnerability in countries of origin. This analysis reveals that the integration of climate factors as an amplifier and a synergist is a ‘missing link’ in the EU approach in the case of Senegal, with significant implications in terms of the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of EU action.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":"31 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141804439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}