Social sciencesPub Date : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.11648/j.ss.20241302.13
Tsetska Kolarova
{"title":"Dynamics of Development and Functions of Social Services in Bulgaria","authors":"Tsetska Kolarova","doi":"10.11648/j.ss.20241302.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20241302.13","url":null,"abstract":"The research objectives of this article are two: 1. to attempt to analyze the current dynamics of development of social services in Bulgaria over the last 4-5 years and 2. to analyze the content of the functions of social services existing today in Bulgaria. The leading method of work on this article is the theoretical analysis aimed at two types of sources: 1. theoretical analysis of the main legal effective document on social services in Bulgaria and 2. theoretical analysis of some literary sources in social work. The dynamics of development of social services in Bulgaria is the result of the entry into force of the Social Services Act, which has a reforming nature in the social sphere in the country. The established practices of the societies of the democratic countries and the broad theoretical generalizations achieved for the social sphere in the 20th century in the works of many authors today really help the countries of Eastern Europe to consider and receive ready-made models for constructing public relations in the field of social services. Some of the functions of social services in nowadays Bulgaria can be distinguished and derived on the basis of the current legislation in the country, and another part is fundamentally inherent in the social sphere in democratic countries and in the theory. Social services in modern Bulgaria have the following functions: preventive, supportive and restorative, control, complex, organizational and planning, accessibility function, function to protect human rights and provide equal opportunity, function to implement change for people, guiding function, social-educational and correctional function, personality change function. The significance of this article consists in the theoretical explanation of the leading functions in social services in the modern conditions of life in Bulgaria. Social services are a field of action and probably have some potential to become one of the tools for uniting the currently diverse not only Bulgarian society, and clarifying the problem with the functions of social services could help to find some practical solutions to live together in peace.\u0000","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140226053","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 : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030176
Rita dos Santos, A. B. Isakov, Cátia Martins, A. Antunes, Nevenka Zegarac, Cristina Nunes
{"title":"Professional Skills in Family Support: A Systematic Review","authors":"Rita dos Santos, A. B. Isakov, Cátia Martins, A. Antunes, Nevenka Zegarac, Cristina Nunes","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030176","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030176","url":null,"abstract":"Family support encompasses a wide variety of professionals, sectors, and intervention paradigms that make it difficult to systematize and standardize the skills needed by the family support workforce. The present study aimed to describe the relevant skills of professionals, organize the main skills into different categories, and contribute to the development of intervention standardization guidelines in the field of family support. So, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The search was carried out in five databases and included the analysis of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, and all studies were qualitatively assessed. Of the initial 3334 articles identified, 59 studies were included, and four categories were identified: professionals’ qualities, essential skills common to all professions and contexts, specific knowledge, and theoretical approaches necessary for family support. Most of the studies were from the United Kingdom, qualitative, published in the last 10 years, used small samples, and included a specific group of professionals. The included studies did not specify whether some skills or characteristics were considered more effective in practice, and they had bias issues related to social desirability. The implications for family support practice are discussed, as well as the gaps to be covered in future studies.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140225785","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 : 2024-03-19DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030174
Dudu Keskin, Timo Lajunen
{"title":"Adaptation of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults to Turkish Culture","authors":"Dudu Keskin, Timo Lajunen","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030174","url":null,"abstract":"This study addresses the pervasive human experience of loneliness, shifting from a traditional unidimensional perspective to a more nuanced, multidimensional understanding. The Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA) was developed based on this conceptual shift, and this study focuses on adapting the scale to Turkish culture. Data from 197 Turkish adults (Mean age = 23 years, SD = 5.12) were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, revealing a three-factor structure consistent with the original scale. The factors, namely social loneliness, romantic loneliness, and family loneliness, explained 23.7%, 17.5%, and 10.4% of the variance, respectively. One item was excluded from the scale due to the lack of contribution to any factor. Clear factor analysis results and high Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients (0.92, 0.93, and 0.90 for social, romantic, and family loneliness, respectively, and 0.90 for the total scale) indicate strong internal consistency. The findings not only affirm the applicability of SELSA in the Turkish context but also contribute to a nuanced understanding of loneliness. The multidimensional approach, supported by robust psychometric properties, offers a valuable tool for comprehensively assessing and addressing diverse facets of loneliness in Turkish young adults.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140229009","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 : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030170
I. Belperio, F. Rillotta, Tim Adam, Ruth Walker, C. Hutchinson
{"title":"Using Inclusive Research Methods and the Housing Pathways Framework in Future Planning and Housing Research: A Pilot Study","authors":"I. Belperio, F. Rillotta, Tim Adam, Ruth Walker, C. Hutchinson","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030170","url":null,"abstract":"Housing and future planning have been key areas of interest in intellectual and development disabilities research for a number of decades. However, the voices of adults with intellectual disabilities are underrepresented in this area of research. Furthermore, the use of inclusive research methods remains limited in the literature. This study sought to pilot the use of inclusive research approaches to investigate the viability of these methods and to begin to build an evidence base of inclusive research in this area of work. Inclusive data analysis and co-authorship approaches were used on a small qualitative dataset from a larger study investigating future planning and transitions out of the family home by adults with intellectual disabilities and their families in Australia. Three semi-structured interviews with adults with intellectual disabilities and family members regarding their housing preferences and planning were analysed using an inclusive data analysis approach following the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. These were then further analysed using a plain language version of the housing pathways framework. The results of the pilot study will be used to inform the inclusive research methods used for the remainder of the project dataset. Overall, the use of inclusive methods to pilot a conceptual model to better understand qualitative data was found to be feasible. Small adjustments to the process and accessibility to better support engagement with the research process are recommended. Lastly, greater investigation into co-authorship approaches and options is suggested as a fruitful avenue of inquiry for future research.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140234815","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 : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030172
Danijela Živković, Ljubica Milanović, Anđela Đošić, Ana-Maria Vulpe, Tijana Purenović-Ivanović, Milan Zelenović, D. Tohănean, S. Pantelić, C. Șufaru, C. I. Alexe
{"title":"Physical Activity and Quality of Life among High School Teachers: A Closer Look","authors":"Danijela Živković, Ljubica Milanović, Anđela Đošić, Ana-Maria Vulpe, Tijana Purenović-Ivanović, Milan Zelenović, D. Tohănean, S. Pantelić, C. Șufaru, C. I. Alexe","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030172","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Understanding the relationship between teachers’ physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL), which is impacted by work-related stress, could help develop guidelines for improvement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of physical activity on high school teachers’ quality of life and the differences in QoL and PA between male and female teachers. Methods: The sample consisted of 499 respondents (193 men and 306 women), all working in the educational system. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short form) was used for PA assessment, and the WHOQoL questionnaire to measure QoL. Results: Physical health and Psychological health domains were areas where male teachers scored better (p < 0.01, both), while female teachers had higher scores in Social relationships domain (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that PA affects Physical health: Sig. = 0.056; Psychological health: Sig. = 0.000; Social relationships: Sig. = 0.001; Environment: Sig. = 0.021 in men, and Physical health (Sig. = 0.009) and Psychological health (Sig. = 0.039) in women. Conclusions: The findings of this study allow us to conclude that, whereas female teachers’ PA primarily impacts their physical and psychological domain, male teachers’ PA has an impact on their overall QoL.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140232569","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 : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030173
C. Galdiero, Cecilia Maltempo, Rosario Marrapodi, Marcello Martinez
{"title":"Gender Diversity: An Opportunity for Socially Inclusive Human Resource Management Policies for Organizational Sustainability","authors":"C. Galdiero, Cecilia Maltempo, Rosario Marrapodi, Marcello Martinez","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030173","url":null,"abstract":"The context in which work is distributed, organized, and performed has certainly changed in recent decades. In recent years, shock events such as COVID-19 have contributed to the revision of human resource management (HRM) dynamics, which was previously for “standard work”. Overall, hybrid work is not a novelty but has significantly expanded, particularly in the post-COVID-19 period, creating new opportunities in human resource management, especially for female employees, who often manifest the need to reconcile family and work. The new post-pandemic situation has paved the way for gender sustainability processes in organizations by pushing towards a more general organizational sustainability. In fact, in recent decades, sustainability in companies has ceased to be merely environmental and has expanded its boundaries to a “sustainable” business model, whereby human resource management must also meet organizational sustainability criteria. The literature shows that women add value to organizations. Therefore, companies that take on the implementation of management policies with the aim of gender inclusion are committed to social and organizational sustainability, which leads to strategic ideas of competitive advantages. Starting from these considerations, the main purpose of this paper is to compare several strands of research on organizational sustainability and diversity management using an integrative literature review method that offers the opportunity to discover areas where further research is needed. This allows fields of study to be mapped. This paper, derived from a review, provides insights for line managers and upper management regarding pursuing sustainability goals within organizations’ boundaries. Limitations and potential future research directions are also discussed, contributing to the ongoing development of research on these subjects.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140234658","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 : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030171
Theodore Koutroukis
{"title":"European Works Councils: Their Impact on the Europeanization of Industrial Relations in an Era of Market Globalism","authors":"Theodore Koutroukis","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030171","url":null,"abstract":"The European Works Council (EWC) Directive provides the establishment of a social partnership forum within Multinational Companies (MNCs). The directive gives employees the right to information and consultation with the supra-national group management. The aim of this concept paper is to contribute to the debate on the Europeanization of Industrial Relations (IR) in the European Union. Specifically, it assesses the influence that EWCs, a novel institution within certain Euro-companies, have on the convergence of industrial relations among the member states. This critical topic can be evaluated from the standpoint of the current theory and its practical implications in order to draw the perspectives for a European system of IR both within MNCs and the rest of the companies. Our conclusions indicate that EWCs contribute to Europeanization in several aspects of employee relations, although this contribution has been limited to those issues that are wished for by the MNCs.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140231151","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 : 2024-03-15DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030169
Satarupa Dasgupta, Emily Melvin
{"title":"Technology-Based Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Services for Generation Z Victims of Violence","authors":"Satarupa Dasgupta, Emily Melvin","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030169","url":null,"abstract":"The current article reviews the extant literature on technology’s role in service provision and advocacy for young adults who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). The article looks at preferences and patterns of access and utilization of digitally mediated communication among young adults to explore optimal IPV services and mitigation strategies for providing crisis counseling to this demographic and offering support over time. An understanding of technology’s role in support provision can help to design best practices and offer recommendations that can best serve the needs of Generation Z victims of violence.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140236875","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 : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030166
Daniel L. Carlson, Skye McPherson, Richard J. Petts
{"title":"Remote Work, Gender Ideologies, and Fathers’ Participation in Childcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Daniel L. Carlson, Skye McPherson, Richard J. Petts","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030166","url":null,"abstract":"During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work became the new reality for many fathers. Though time availability theory suggests that this newfound flexibility should lead to more domestic labor on the part of fathers, many were skeptical that fathers would step up to shoulder the load at home. Indeed, the findings are decidedly mixed on the association of fathers’ remote work with their performance of housework and childcare. Nonetheless, research has yet to consider how contextual factors, such as fathers’ gender ideologies and mothers’ employment, may condition these associations. Using data from Wave 1 of the Study on U.S. Parents’ Divisions of Labor During COVID-19 (SPDLC), we examine how gender ideology moderates the association between fathers’ remote work and their performance and share of childcare during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in both sole-earner and dual-earner families. The results show, for sole-earning fathers and dual-earner fathers with egalitarian gender attitudes, that the frequency of remote work was positively associated with fathers performing more, and a greater share of, childcare during the pandemic. Yet, only dual-earner fathers with egalitarian gender attitudes performed an equal share of childcare in their families. These findings suggest that the pandemic provided structural opportunities for fathers, particularly egalitarian-minded fathers, to be the equally engaged parents they desired.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140244479","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 : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.3390/socsci13030167
Matt James
{"title":"Corrosive Comparisons and the Memory Politics of “Saming”: Threat and Opportunity in the Age of Apology","authors":"Matt James","doi":"10.3390/socsci13030167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030167","url":null,"abstract":"This article contributes to the interdisciplinary fields of memory and historical justice studies by analyzing one, particularly troublesome kind of competitive comparison that sometimes happens in memory politics in the so-called age of apology. The article calls this kind of competitive comparison, “saming”. Saming involves the attempt, via far-fetched or otherwise wrongheaded comparison, to exploit the recognition of some well-known case of historical injustice. Further, saming involves pursuing this comparison in ways that both trivialize the original injustice and undermine the framework from which the recognition of that injustice derives. The article develops its arguments and analysis by studying Budapest’s House of Terror museum and two Canadian redress campaigns, which sought historical recognition for the wartime internments of persons of Italian and Ukrainian ancestry, respectively. Saming is a recurrent problem, ubiquitous and probably inevitable in memory politics because the recognition of historical injustice brings with it unavoidable and indeed often valuable incentives to comparison. Thus, the overall aim of this article is to analyze the threat of saming in order to better defend the cause of comparison in introspective collective remembrance.","PeriodicalId":94209,"journal":{"name":"Social sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140243424","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}