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Safety
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Social Safety and Security
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Social Safety and Security

A special issue of Safety (ISSN 2313-576X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2019) | Viewed by 47008

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Joannes Chliaoutakis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Social Work Dprt., Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
Interests: safe driving
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Social safety in social environments entails the sense of feeling safe with other people. Thus, social safety and security are very important to our life. Although the research in this area has made significant progress in the past few years, there are still many social problems that should be paid attention and that require further development in order to achieve peace of mind. There is a very clear and accurate understanding and judgment of the overall situation of social security in the current and future period. This Special Issue focuses on a number of contemporary issues in social safety and security. The objective of this Special Issue is to rapidly disseminate the latest research and knowledge in this important area. The following areas are of particular interest:

  • domestic violence
  • sexual aggression and delinquency
  • health promotion
  • social psychology safety
  • risk-related behaviours
  • health-related behaviours
  • social work safety
  • road safety

Prof. Dr. Joannes Chliaoutakis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Safety is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • road safety
  • domestic violence
  • risk-related behaviours
  • social work and safety
  • health-related behaviours

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
The Challenges of Safety and Community Integration for Vulnerable Individuals
by Melody M. Terras, Gillian Hendry and Dominic Jarret
Safety 2019, 5(4), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5040085 - 06 Dec 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 8281
Abstract
Although community inclusion brings a number of advantages for vulnerable individuals, it can also entail a range of challenges, and draws in issues of safety and security. This qualitative psychological study, therefore, aimed to explore the challenges being faced by two groups of [...] Read more.
Although community inclusion brings a number of advantages for vulnerable individuals, it can also entail a range of challenges, and draws in issues of safety and security. This qualitative psychological study, therefore, aimed to explore the challenges being faced by two groups of vulnerable individuals: those with intellectual disabilities and dementia, and how these could be addressed in order to establish a community that is safe and welcoming for all. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a range of community stakeholders—for instance, local businesses, residents, and individuals with intellectual disabilities, dementia and their carers—and data was thematically analysed to explore the issue of inclusion and participation particularly in relation to stigma and prejudice, self-worth, social isolation and feeling safe. As well as highlighting practical issues regarding inclusion and support, the work emphasised the psychological dimension, linking to a multi-faceted conception of community participation. While significant work is already addressing issues of risk and safety for vulnerable populations (such as “Keep Safe” schemes), the work described here leads to an alternative conceptualization, tied to notions of kindness in communities with a view to crafting communities capable of safely welcoming a wider variety of marginalized groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Safety and Security)
16 pages, 291 KiB  
Article
Is Sexual Assault a Problem in Greek Prisons? Initial Evidence from a Greek Male Prison
by Maria Papadakaki, Angelos Tsalkanis, Dimitra Prokopiadou, Martha Goutsou and Joannes Chliaoutakis
Safety 2019, 5(4), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5040084 - 28 Nov 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6837
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the problem of inmate sexual victimization in a Greek male prison. A total of 400 individuals were approached in the largest Greek male prison and 50 individuals participated. The questionnaire examined sociodemographic, offence-related information, sexual victimization during incarceration, [...] Read more.
This study aimed to explore the problem of inmate sexual victimization in a Greek male prison. A total of 400 individuals were approached in the largest Greek male prison and 50 individuals participated. The questionnaire examined sociodemographic, offence-related information, sexual victimization during incarceration, experiences of witnessing the sexual coercion of other inmates, and history of sexual victimization. Thirteen (26.0%) participants reported sexual victimization by an inmate, including either “only non-penetrative” or “only penetrative ones” or “both penetrative and non-penetrative” ones. The victimized participants also performed worse in child sexual victimization and self-esteem scores as compared with the non-victimized ones. Vulnerable groups identified in the current study could receive further attention in future studies and policy initiatives. Large-scale surveys could be designed to extend our knowledge on this neglected area of research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Safety and Security)
10 pages, 406 KiB  
Article
Driving Behaviour in Depression: Findings from a Driving Simulator Study
by Vagioula Tsoutsi, Dimitris Dikeos, Maria Basta and Maria Papadakaki
Safety 2019, 5(4), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5040070 - 16 Oct 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6708
Abstract
Depression is characterized by mental, emotional and executive dysfunction. Among its symptoms, sleep disturbance and anxiety are very common. The effects of depression and its treatment may have an impact on driving behaviour. In order to evaluate driving performance in depression, 13 patients [...] Read more.
Depression is characterized by mental, emotional and executive dysfunction. Among its symptoms, sleep disturbance and anxiety are very common. The effects of depression and its treatment may have an impact on driving behaviour. In order to evaluate driving performance in depression, 13 patients and 18 healthy controls completed questionnaires and scales and were tested in a driving simulator. Driving simulator data included lateral position (LP), speed and distance from the preceding vehicle. History of collisions was associated with depression, body mass index (BMI) and next-day consequences of sleep disturbance. Aggressive driving was associated with fatigue and sleep disturbances. Concerning driving simulator data, a reduced ability to maintain constant vehicle velocity was positively correlated to BMI and insomnia. An LP towards the middle of the road was associated with anxiety. On the other hand, an LP towards the shoulder was associated with depression and next-day consequences of sleep disturbance, while a positive correlation was found between distance from the preceding vehicle and use of drugs with potential hypnotic effects; both these findings show that patients suffering from depression seem to realize the effects of certain symptoms on their driving ability and thus drive in a more defensive way than controls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Safety and Security)
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33 pages, 650 KiB  
Article
Safety Culture among Private and Professional Drivers in Norway and Greece: Examining the Influence of National Road Safety Culture
by Tor-Olav Nævestad, Alexandra Laiou, Ross O. Phillips, Torkel Bjørnskau and George Yannis
Safety 2019, 5(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5020020 - 16 Apr 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 8130
Abstract
While Norway had the lowest road mortality rate in Europe in 2017, Greece had one of the worst road safety records of all EU-27 countries. The present study investigates road safety culture (RSC) as an explanation for this discrepancy by: (1) Comparing the [...] Read more.
While Norway had the lowest road mortality rate in Europe in 2017, Greece had one of the worst road safety records of all EU-27 countries. The present study investigates road safety culture (RSC) as an explanation for this discrepancy by: (1) Comparing the road safety behaviours among professional and private drivers in Norway and Greece, (2) Examining factors influencing road safety behaviours, focusing especially on national road safety culture, and (3) Examining the influence of road safety behaviours and other factors (e.g., demographic and work-related variables) on accident involvement. This is done by comparing survey answers of private car (N = 796) and professional drivers (heavy goods vehicles and buses) in Norway and Greece (N = 416). Results from qualitative interviews (N = 61) are also presented. We study safety behaviours hypothesized to vary according to nationality (e.g., aggressive violations), and behaviours hypothesized to vary according to the professional versus private driver dimension (e.g., seat belt use). A central objective is to examine whether the former safety behaviours are more similar among private and professional drivers within countries than among professional and private drivers across national samples, indicating common national road safety cultures among private and professional drivers in the respective countries. The results indicate that aggressive violations are more similar among private and professional drivers within the national samples, than across the national samples, while seat belt use seems to vary according to the professional versus private dimension. The results also indicate a relationship between aggressive violations and accident involvement, although other variables were more strongly correlated. Moreover, drivers’ safety behaviours were influenced by the behaviours that these groups ascribed to other drivers in their countries, indicating the existence of different national road safety cultures. The Greek RSC was characterized by more aggression and violations than the Norwegian RSC, which seemed to be characterized by a higher level of compliance and politeness. The different RSCs may perhaps shed light on the different accident records in the two countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Safety and Security)
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12 pages, 237 KiB  
Article
Alcohol Drinking by Husbands/Partners Is Associated with Higher Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Angola
by Sanni Yaya and Bishwajit Ghose
Safety 2019, 5(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5010005 - 22 Jan 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7191
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV), as the most prevalent form of violence against women, is a commonly encountered phenomenon across sub-Saharan African countries, including Angola. As a fast-growing economy, Angola is experiencing a booming alcohol industry and persistent IPV and women’s rights issues, along [...] Read more.
Intimate partner violence (IPV), as the most prevalent form of violence against women, is a commonly encountered phenomenon across sub-Saharan African countries, including Angola. As a fast-growing economy, Angola is experiencing a booming alcohol industry and persistent IPV and women’s rights issues, along with weak prohibition and enforcement against this practice. However, so far, there is no systematic research investigating the predictors of IPV in Angola and whether spousal alcohol drinking has any relationship with women’s experience of IPV. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess the predictors of IPV (defined as physical, emotional, and sexual violence) among Angolan women with a special focus on their partners’ alcohol drinking habit. Cross-sectional data on 7669 women aged 15–49 years from the Angola Demographic and Health Survey were used for this study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and logistic regression methods. Results indicated that physical IPV (32.3%, 95% Confidence Interval = 30.3 to 34.5) was most prevalent, followed by emotional (27.3%, 95% CI = 25.3 to 29.4) and sexual IPV (7.4%, 95% CI = 6.6 to 8.4). In the multivariate analysis, higher education and household wealth status showed protective effects against certain forms of IPV. Alcohol drinking by husbands/partners was associated with significantly higher odds of experiencing physical [OR = 2.950; 95% CI = 2.632, 3.306], emotional [OR = 2.470; 95% CI = 2.187,2.789], and sexual IPV [OR = 2.729; 95% CI = 2.220, 3.354] among women. Women who reported experiencing physical IPV had increased odds of drinking alcohol [OR = 1.474; 95% CI = 1.290, 1.684] compared with those who did not. These findings reflect the widespread prevalence of IPV in sub-Saharan African countries. Special focus should be given to married men with alcohol drinking habits to reduce women’s vulnerability to IPV and dependence on alcohol use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Safety and Security)
11 pages, 205 KiB  
Article
Testing the Utility of the Neural Network Model to Predict History of Arrest among Intimate Partner Violent Men
by Julia C. Babcock and Jason Cooper
Safety 2019, 5(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5010002 - 10 Jan 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4824
Abstract
Risk assessments are typically based on retrospective reports of factors known to be correlated with violence recidivism in simple linear models. Generally, these linear models use only the perpetrators’ reports. Using a community sample of couples recruited for recent male-to-female intimate partner violence [...] Read more.
Risk assessments are typically based on retrospective reports of factors known to be correlated with violence recidivism in simple linear models. Generally, these linear models use only the perpetrators’ reports. Using a community sample of couples recruited for recent male-to-female intimate partner violence (IPV; N = 97 couples), the current study compared non-linear neural network models to traditional linear models in predicting a history of arrest in men who perpetrate IPV. The neural network models were found to be superior to the linear models in their predictive power. Models were slightly improved by adding victims’ report. These findings suggest that the prediction of violence arrest be enhanced through the use of neural network models and by including collateral reports. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Safety and Security)
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