Search Results (1,322)

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated unprecedented social isolation measures, profoundly disrupting daily life, educational routines, and mental health worldwide. University students, already susceptible to psychological distress, encountered intensified challenges under remote learning and prolonged confinement. This longitudinal study examined fluctuations in anxiety and mood among 102 Brazilian university students during the pandemic, distinguishing between those solely engaged in academic pursuits and those simultaneously balancing work and study. Data collected via the Brunel Mood Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in April and July 2021 revealed that students exclusively focused on studies exhibited significant increases in depressive symptoms, anger, confusion, and anxiety, alongside diminished vigor. Conversely, participants who combined work and study reported reduced tension, fatigue, confusion, and overall mood disturbance, coupled with heightened vigor across the same period. Notably, women demonstrated greater vulnerability to anxiety and mood fluctuations, with socioeconomic disparities particularly pronounced among females managing dual roles, who reported lower family income. These findings suggest that occupational engagement may serve as a protective factor against psychological distress during crises, underscoring the urgent need for tailored mental health interventions and institutional support to mitigate the enduring impacts of pandemic-related adversities on the student population. Full article

(1) Background: This article aims to understand the forms and elements through which the inhabitants of the city of Medellin have configured their subjectivity in the context of the application of neoliberal policies in the last two decades. In this way, we can approach the frameworks of understanding that constitute a fundamental part of the individuation processes in which the incorporation of their subjectivities is evidenced in neoliberal contexts that, in the historical process, have been converging with authoritarian, antidemocratic and neoconservative elements. (2) Method: A qualitative approach with a hermeneutic-interpretative paradigm was used. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 41 inhabitants of Medellín who were politically identified with right-wing or center-right positions. Data analysis included thematic coding to identify patterns of thought and points of view. (3) Results: Participants associate success with individual effort and see state intervention as an obstacle to development. They reject redistributive policies, arguing that they generate dependency. In addition, they justify authoritarian models of government in the name of security and progress, from a moral superiority, which is related to a negative and stigmatizing perception of progressive sectors and a negative view of the social rule of law and public policies with social sense. (4) Conclusions: The naturalization of merit as a guiding principle, the perception of themselves as morally superior based on religious values that grant a subjective place of certainty and goodness; the criminalization of expressions of political leftism, mobilizations and redistributive reforms and support for policies that establish authoritarianism and perpetuate exclusion and structural inequalities, closes roads to a participatory democracy that enables social and economic transformations. Full article

This paper presents a novel digital identity ecosystem built upon a hierarchical structure of Blockchain tokens, where both government-certified and uncertified tokens can coexist to represent various attributes of an individual’s identity. At the core of this system is the government, which functions as a trusted authority capable of creating entities and issuing a unique, non-replicable digital identity token for each one. Entities are the exclusive owners of their identity tokens and can attach additional tokens—such as those issued by the government, educational institutions, or financial entities—to form a verifiable, token-based digital identity tree. This model accommodates a flexible identity framework that enables decentralized yet accountable identity construction. Our contributions include the design of a digital identity system (supported by smart contracts) that enforces uniqueness through state-issued identity tokens while supporting user-driven identity formation. The model differentiates between user types and certifies tokens according to their source, enabling a scalable and extensible structure. We also analyze the economic, technical, and social feasibility of deploying this system, including a breakdown of transaction costs for key stakeholders such as governments, end-users, and institutions like universities. Considering the benefits of blockchain, implementing a digital identity ecosystem in this technology is economically viable for all involved stakeholders. Full article

In an era where digitalization shapes economic and social landscapes, the intersection of digital skills, ethics, and integrity plays a crucial role in understanding the vulnerability of youth classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). This study explores how risky internet use and digital skill gaps contribute to socio-economic exclusion, integrating a multivariate and spatial approach to assess regional disparities in Europe. This study adopts a systems thinking perspective to explore digital exclusion as an emergent outcome of multiple interrelated subsystems. The research employs logistic regression, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Promax rotation, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to examine the impact of digital behaviors on NEET status. Using Eurostat data aggregated at the country level for the period (2000–2023) across 28 European countries, this study evaluates 24 digital indicators covering social media usage, instant messaging, daily internet access, data protection awareness, and digital literacy levels. The findings reveal that low digital skills significantly increase the likelihood of being NEET, while excessive social media and internet use show mixed effects depending on socio-economic context. A strong negative correlation between digital security practices and NEET status suggests that youths with a higher awareness of online risks are less prone to socio-economic exclusion. The GIS analysis highlights regional disparities, where countries with limited digital access and lower literacy levels exhibit higher NEET rates. Digital exclusion is not merely a technological issue but a multidimensional socio-economic challenge. To reduce the NEET rate, policies must focus on enhancing digital skills, fostering online security awareness, and addressing regional disparities. Integrating GIS methods allows for the identification of territorial clusters with heightened digital vulnerabilities, guiding targeted interventions for improving youth employability in the digital economy. Full article

Background/Objectives: Agricultural workers in Spain with a migratory background face challenging working and living conditions that significantly affect their health. This study aimed to explore how professionals in healthcare, social services, civil society organisations, and labour institutions perceive that the working conditions affect the physical health of this population. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted through 92 semi-structured interviews with professionals from six provinces in Spain. Data were analysed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Rigour was ensured through triangulation, independent coding, and interdisciplinary consensus. Results: Two overarching themes were identified: (1) the health consequences of workplace demands and environmental hazards, and (2) navigating health services such as sick leave and disability permits. These findings highlight how the impact of precarious working conditions and limited access to healthcare affect the physical health of migrant agricultural workers. Conclusions: The professionals interviewed described and relate precarious working conditions with adverse health outcomes among migrant agricultural workers. Their insights reveal the need for systemic reforms to enforce labour rights, ensure access to health services, and address the structural factors that contribute to exclusion and vulnerability. Full article

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasingly important for sustainable rural development through the smart village concept. This study aims to model ICT’s potential for public services management in European rural areas. It identifies ICT applications across rural service domains, analyzes how these technologies address specific rural challenges, and evaluates their benefits, implementation barriers, and future prospects for sustainable rural development. A qualitative content analysis method was applied using purposive sampling to analyze 79 peer-reviewed articles from EBSCO and Elsevier databases (2000–2024). A deductive approach employed predefined categories to systematically classify ICT applications across rural public service domains, with data coded according to technology scope, problems addressed, and implementation challenges. The analysis identified 15 ICT application domains (agriculture, healthcare, education, governance, energy, transport, etc.) and 42 key technology categories (Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, digital platforms, mobile applications, etc.). These technologies address four fundamental rural challenges: limited service accessibility, inefficient resource management, demographic pressures, and social exclusion. This study provides the first comprehensive systematic categorization of ICT applications in smart villages, establishing a theoretical framework connecting technology deployment with sustainable development dimensions. Findings demonstrate that successful ICT implementation requires integrated urban–rural cooperation, community-centered approaches, and balanced attention to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The research identifies persistent challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited digital competencies, and high implementation costs, providing actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners developing ICT-enabled rural development strategies. Full article

As global populations age, there is increasing demand for effective, person-centered healthcare solutions that support older adults to age in place. Home healthcare has emerged as a crucial strategy to address the complex health and social needs of older adults while reducing reliance on institutional care. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses on home healthcare services and interventions targeting older adults. A comprehensive search was conducted across five databases and gray literature sources, including Google Scholar, for reviews published between 2000 and 2025. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA statement. Twenty reviews met the inclusion criteria, encompassing a total of over 3.1 million participants. Interventions were grouped into four categories: integrated and multidisciplinary care, preventive and supportive home visits, technological and digital interventions, and physical, transitional, and environmental support. Results indicated that many interventions led to improved health outcomes, including enhanced functional ability, reduced hospital readmissions, and increased satisfaction. However, effectiveness varies depending on the intervention type, delivery model, and population. Challenges such as caregiver burden, digital exclusion, and implementation in diverse settings were noted. This review highlights the promise of home healthcare interventions and underscores the need for context-sensitive, equitable, and scalable models to support aging populations. Full article

China’s rapid urbanization has driven tremendous socioeconomic development while posing new forms of social–spatial inequalities that challenge environmental sustainability and spatial justice. This study investigates urban park-accessibility patterns across 10 s-tier provincial capital cities in China, examining how these patterns relate to housing-price dynamics to reveal diverse manifestations of social–spatial (in)justice. Using comprehensive spatial analysis grounded in distributive justice principles, we measure park accessibility through multiple metrics: distance to the nearest park, park size, and the number of parks within a 15 min walk from residential communities. Our findings reveal significant variation in park accessibility across these cities, with distinctive patterns emerging in the relationship between housing prices and park access that reflect different forms of social–spatial exclusion and inclusion. While most cities demonstrate an unbalanced spatial distribution of parks, they exhibit different forms of this disparity. Some cities show consistent park access across housing-price categories, while others display correlations between high housing prices and superior park accessibility. We argue that these divergent patterns reflect each city’s unique combination of economic development trajectory, politically strategic positioning within national urban hierarchies, and geographical constraints. Through this comparative analysis of second-tier cities, this study contributes to broader understandings of social–spatial (in)justice and urban environmental inequalities within China’s urbanization process, highlighting the need for place-specific approaches to achieving equitable access to urban amenities. Full article

Background/Objectives: In an increasingly pervasive digital environment, trait boredom has been identified as a key psychological factor in the onset and maintenance of problematic digital technology use. This systematic review aims to investigate the role of trait boredom in digital behavioral addictions, including problematic smartphone use, Internet and social media overuse, and gaming addiction, through theoretical models such as the I-PACE model and the Compensatory Internet Use Theory (CIUT). Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple scientific databases (PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus), yielding a total of 4603 records. Following the PRISMA guidelines after duplicate removal and screening based on title and abstract, 152 articles were assessed for full-text eligibility, and 28 studies met the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Results: Findings reveal that trait boredom functions as both a direct and indirect factor in problematic technology use. It serves as a mediator and moderator in the relationship between psychological vulnerabilities (e.g., depression, alexithymia, vulnerable narcissism) and dysfunctional digital behaviors. Furthermore, as an independent variable, it has an influence on technological variables through Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), loneliness, low self-regulation, and dysfunctional metacognitions, while protective factors such as mindfulness and attentional control mitigate its impact. Conclusions: Boredom represents a central psychological lever for understanding behavioral addictions in the digital age and should be considered a key target in preventive and therapeutic interventions focused on enhancing self-regulation and meaningful engagement with free time. Full article

Blackness, both as a racial identity and a marker of cultural difference, disrupts the hegemonic norms embedded in dominant forms of cultural capital. This article examines how first- and second-generation Haitian and Jamaican communities in Ontario and Quebec negotiate Blackness within a Canadian context. Drawing from international literature, it introduces distinctly Canadian concepts—such as polite racism, racial ignominy, and duplicity of consciousness—to illuminate local racial dynamics. Using Yosso’s (2005) framework of community cultural wealth, the study analyzes six forms of cultural capital—linguistic, aspirational, social, navigational, resistant, and familial—as employed by Afro-Caribbeans to navigate systemic exclusion. The article expands the limited Canadian discourse on Black identity and offers theoretical tools for understanding how cultural capital is shaped and constrained by race in multicultural democracies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite the numerous health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the infant and the mother, EBF rates in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lao PDR, remain at 40%. We investigate how barriers to EBF were overcome by a social transfer intervention. Methods: Data from the Social Transfers for Exclusive Breastfeeding ongoing randomised controlled trial (RCT) (n = 298) in Vientiane, Lao PDR, was used. Mothers in the RCT were randomised equally into a control group, an unconditional transfer group and a conditional transfer group and followed up to six months (n = 280). We used logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression models to investigate the association of predictor variables with EBF at six months and the risk of EBF cessation in each of the three groups. Results: Greater breastfeeding self-efficacy increased the odds of EBF at six months in both intervention groups (unconditional transfer OR 1.39 [95% CI 1.09, 1.87, p = 0.02] and conditional transfer OR 1.26 [1.01, 1.61, p = 0.05]) and reduced the risk of EBF cessation (unconditional transfer HR 0.87 [0.77, 0.98, p = 0.02]). Maternal secondary and tertiary education in the intervention groups showed higher odds of EBF at six months and lower EBF cessation risk. Participants in the intervention group that intended to exclusively breastfeed in pregnancy showed a reduced EBF cessation risk in both intervention groups. Conclusions: Social transfers helped overcome the exclusive breastfeeding barrier of a higher education level and working status and improved EBF outcomes for mothers who intended to exclusively breastfeed and wanted the pregnancy. Breastfeeding self-efficacy positively influences EBF outcome, regardless of whether the mother received a social transfer or not. Full article

The building sector remains one of the largest contributors to global energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, yet selecting optimal retrofit strategies is often hindered by inconsistent evaluation practices and limited integration of environmental and social impacts. This review addresses that gap by systematically analyzing how various assessment methods are applied to building retrofits, particularly from a financial and environmental perspective. A structured literature review was conducted across four major scientific databases using predefined keywords, filters, and inclusion/exclusion criteria, resulting in a final sample of 50 studies (green colored citations of this paper). The review focuses on the application of Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), as well as additional indicators that quantify energy and sustainability performance. Results show that LCCA is the most frequently used method, applied in over 60% of the studies, often in combination with LCA (particularly for long time horizons). CBA appears in fewer than 25% of cases. More than 50% of studies are based in Europe, and over 60% of case studies involve residential buildings. EnergyPlus and DesignBuilder were the most common simulation tools, used in 28% and 16% of the cases, respectively. Risk and uncertainty were typically addressed through Monte Carlo simulations (22%) and sensitivity analysis. Comfort and social impact indicators were underrepresented, with thermal comfort included in only 12% of studies and no formal use of tools like Social-LCA or SROI. The findings highlight the growing sophistication of retrofit assessments post-2020, but also reveal gaps such as geographic imbalance (absence of African case studies), inconsistent treatment of discount rates, and limited integration of social indicators. The study concludes that future research should develop standardized, multidimensional evaluation frameworks that incorporate social equity, stakeholder values, and long-term resilience alongside cost and carbon metrics. Full article

Aims: To systematically review and synthesize qualitative research exploring the Breast Cancer Survivors (BCSs)’ perception of health promotion interventions and informing strategies to mitigate recurrence risk within five years post-treatment and improve clinical outcomes. Specifically, this study addresses the question: “How do women diagnosed with breast cancer perceive health promotion interventions for recurrence prevention?” Design: A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis were performed. Data Sources: A systematic search of scientific databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Scopus) was undertaken in November 2024. The reference list was cross-referenced and hand-searched to identify additional articles. Review Methods: Studies were included if they met the following criteria: they were primary qualitative studies focusing on BCSs within five years post-treatment, involving participants who had completed surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy in the same time frame, as this period is critical for monitoring recurrence and implementing health promotion interventions. Only studies published in peer-reviewed journals and written in Italian, English, French, or Spanish were considered, provided that an abstract and the full text were available. Moreover, eligible studies had to be conducted in high-income or middle-income countries. Studies were excluded if they focused exclusively on advanced or metastatic breast cancer, if they involved mixed cancer populations without reporting separate data for BCSs, or if they were non-qualitative studies or gray literature. The review study protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42024626033). Results: The literature search identified 490 records, 13 articles from databases, and 3 articles identified via other methods (web and citation searching) that met inclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis approach allowed the emerging five themes: (I) Challenges, (II) Self-motivation and empowerment, (III) The relationships as a facilitator, (IV) Barriers to change, and (V) Proactive support strategies. Conclusions: Addressing internal and external factors that influence health behaviors is essential to improve adherence, reduce recurrence risk, and enhance quality of life. Tailored interventions, social support, and healthcare engagement are crucial in this effort. Impact: Our meta-synthesis highlighted significant challenges as well as valuable resources for health promotion among BCSs, suggesting practical and tailored approaches to improving the adoption of healthy behaviors, supported by relationships and targeted support strategies. Full article

About 8% of Ghanaians, including adolescents, have various types of disabilities. Although many legal and constitutional protections for people with disabilities, including adolescents, exist in Ghana, it is widely known that these persons face a variety of psychosocial issues. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the unremitting marginalisation of people with disabilities in general, but the extent to which these can be generalised to adolescents with disabilities is unknown. This study, therefore, sought to document the determinants, manifestations, and consequences of disability-related stigma among differently abled adolescents in three special schools in northern, middle, and southern Ghana. An exploratory descriptive qualitative design was used. Overall, 54 participants were purposively selected for a semi-structured interview and focus group discussions. Braun and Clarke’s procedure for thematic analysis was followed. The findings showed a variety of stigmatising experiences by adolescents with disabilities in their sociocultural context. More broadly, the cause of disability was linked to the ramifications of parental sins against the gods, being a descendant of river gods, and the consequences of bewitchment/curses by family members. Others included the perceived transmissibility of the disability and disability as a visible condition. Stigma manifested in the form of pejorative labelling, ableism, and social exclusion. The consequences of this stigma included negative psychological and emotional effects (i.e., depression, low self-esteem, and a lack of confidence) and suicidal ideation. There is an urgent need for stigma reduction interventions for adolescents with disabilities in Ghana as part of an effort to improve their wellbeing. Full article

Homelessness is characterised by a wide range of risk factors of a multidimensional and unstable nature. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these risk factors associated with homelessness but also prompted the development of prevention and care actions. This study identified and mapped the intervention programmes carried out for people experiencing homelessness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve the study purpose, a thematic analysis of the scientific literature was conducted following the search strategy and analysis methodology characteristic of informetrics and scientometrics. The sources of information used were WoS, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO and ERIC. The paucity of planned actions, most of which have a local impact, reinforces the need to strengthen research that presents robust evidence on this issue. China and Europe are under-represented compared to other types of studies linked to COVID-19 and the prevalence of homelessness. Several clusters are distinguished among the plans: they are carried out in buildings or in geographical areas and according to the impact on the group (preventive, substance-related disorder support, health care and diagnostic). Among the emerging themes, health and social variables are represented, including communication and trust between health, community and homeless groups. The reduction in the thematic dimensionality shows equal planning between health care actions (81.8%) and psychosocial and prevention support (72.8%), an aspect that confirms the importance of joint actions. In this line, among the various clusters of the network analysis, the relationship between hotel, mental health support, substance-related disorder, social intervention and access to permanent housing was found. The studies analysed also highlight social exclusion, stigma, victimisation, living conditions and the risk of contagion among this group. This situation has not gone unnoticed among the studies analysed, which present proposals for the continuation of the projects. Full article