Diversity Competence and Social Inequalities, 2nd Edition

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Social inequalities constitute an urgent challenge in contemporary societies and a domain that needs immediate attention in these uneasy and uncertain times. The diversity competence of service providers has been acknowledged as an important skill to help reduce social disparities in various domains, such as healthcare, social services, education, migration, etc. We are calling for papers whose theoretical, methodological, and substantive approaches advance our thinking around inequity and address issues that are frequently marginalised or neglected in research. This Topic aims to offer a space for health topics, geographical areas, individuals, and communities, all of which are often vulnerable and neglected in research, policies, and in practice. This Topic welcomes innovative contributions on social inequalities, inequalities in healthcare, and diversity competence based on research from a range of methodological orientations. Research articles, reviews, and concept papers are welcome and should focus on inequalities in all sectors, including healthcare and healthcare education, in addition to any of the following concepts: diversity competence, cultural competence, structural competence, intercultural communication, cultural awareness, cultural humility, cultural sensitivity, cultural empathy, cultural intelligence, etc.

In the event that your work is not reflected in the above description and you are interested in submitting it to this Topic, please contact Professor Costas Constantinou (constantinou.c@unic.ac.cy).

Prof. Dr. Costas Constantinou
Prof. Dr. Lisa Dikomitis
Dr. Eirini Kampriani
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Behavioral Sciences behavsci	3.2	4.1	2011	27.7 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Healthcare healthcare	3.4	5.5	2013	21.5 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Journal of Ageing and Longevity jal	-	1.8	2021	32.6 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Social Sciences socsci	2.0	3.5	2012	30.3 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Societies societies	2.2	3.8	2011	29.7 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	4.1	8.9	2009	16.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit

Preprints.org is a multidisciplinary platform offering a preprint service designed to facilitate the early sharing of your research. It supports and empowers your research journey from the very beginning.

MDPI Topics is collaborating with Preprints.org and has established a direct connection between MDPI journals and the platform. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by posting their preprints at Preprints.org prior to publication:

1. Share your research immediately: disseminate your ideas prior to publication and establish priority for your work.
2. Safeguard your intellectual contribution: Protect your ideas with a time-stamped preprint that serves as proof of your research timeline.
3. Boost visibility and impact: Increase the reach and influence of your research by making it accessible to a global audience.
4. Gain early feedback: Receive valuable input and insights from peers before submitting to a journal.
5. Ensure broad indexing: Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Related Topic

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results

Content type Publication Date

Result details

Normal Extended Compact

Journals

All Behavioral Sciences Healthcare Social Sciences Societies Sustainability JAL

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

23 pages, 437 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Development and Psychometric Validation of an Intercultural Mediation Questionnaire for Law Enforcement Personnel in Spanish Border Regions

by José Alejandro Torres-Aranda, Christian Fernández-Leyva, María Tomé-Fernández and José Manuel Ortiz-Marcos

Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16071090 - 2 Jul 2026

Viewed by 189

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate a psychometric instrument to assess intercultural mediation among public employees of security forces in Spanish border contexts (CMIEPFS). An initial pool of 42 items was created and refined through expert judgment, resulting in a final 38-item [...] Read more.

This study aimed to develop and validate a psychometric instrument to assess intercultural mediation among public employees of security forces in Spanish border contexts (CMIEPFS). An initial pool of 42 items was created and refined through expert judgment, resulting in a final 38-item questionnaire. The instrument was administered to two independent samples (n = 426 for exploratory factor analysis; n = 512 for confirmatory factor analysis). Construct validity was examined using structural equation modeling, and reliability was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Pearson correlation. Results supported a three-factor structure: (1) acceptance of intercultural environments, (2) intercultural competences in the workplace, and (3) training in intercultural mediation. Exploratory factor analysis indicated adequate sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.916) and a significant Bartlett’s test (p < 0.001), explaining 63.08% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable model fit (RMSEA = 0.07). Internal consistency was high (α = 0.91), and test–retest reliability was satisfactory (ICC = 0.82; r = 0.84, p < 0.001). The instrument shows adequate validity and reliability for assessing intercultural mediation in public security personnel. It provides a useful tool for research, training evaluation, and institutional diagnosis in multicultural professional contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity Competence and Social Inequalities, 2nd Edition)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2823 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Where Socioeconomic Differences in Computational Thinking Become Visible: Integrating Diagnostic and Log-Based Behavioral Assessment

by Ben Avital-Lev and Arnon Hershkovitz

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(7), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070419 - 25 Jun 2026

Viewed by 305

Abstract

This study examines where socioeconomic differences in students’ computational thinking (CT) learning become visible by comparing a diagnostic assessment of conceptual CT knowledge with behavioral indicators derived from interaction data in a digital programming environment. The study involved 444 elementary school students who [...] Read more.

This study examines where socioeconomic differences in students’ computational thinking (CT) learning become visible by comparing a diagnostic assessment of conceptual CT knowledge with behavioral indicators derived from interaction data in a digital programming environment. The study involved 444 elementary school students who completed a structured sequence of programming tasks while their activity was recorded. Conceptual CT knowledge was assessed using a validated diagnostic instrument, and four behavioral indicators were derived from learning logs: average first-try stars, attempts per challenge, highest challenge reached, and average solution time. Analyses were conducted at two complementary levels: individual indicators and integrated digital behavioral types identified through clustering. The findings revealed no meaningful socioeconomic differences in diagnostic CT performance and no consistent differences across most individual behavioral indicators, with the exception of average first-try stars. However, socioeconomic differences became visible when students’ interaction patterns were examined as multidimensional configurations of engagement. These results suggest that socioeconomic variation is reflected primarily in students’ engagement with digital problem-solving processes rather than in conceptual knowledge alone. The study highlights the value of combining diagnostic and log-based measures for understanding how educational inequality may become observable in computational thinking development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity Competence and Social Inequalities, 2nd Edition)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 246 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Mapping Social and Physical Frailty in the Peruvian Amazon: Associated Factors Among Older Adults

by Fernando M. Runzer-Colmenares, Walter Mendoza, Nelson Luis Cahuapaza-Gutierrez, Kiara Camacho-Caballero and Jose F. Parodi

Healthcare 2026, 14(12), 1684; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14121684 - 12 Jun 2026

Viewed by 364

Abstract

Background/Objectives: To analyze the determinants of frailty among older adults residing in the Peruvian Amazon, focusing on four complementary frailty-related outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the Amazon frail study. Four multivariable Poisson regression models were [...] Read more.

Background/Objectives: To analyze the determinants of frailty among older adults residing in the Peruvian Amazon, focusing on four complementary frailty-related outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the Amazon frail study. Four multivariable Poisson regression models were specified. Associations were estimated using prevalence ratios (PRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), employing robust variance estimation to account for potential heteroskedasticity. Results: The sample included 429 older adults (≥60 years), predominantly female (64.0%), with most participants aged 60–79 years (85.8%). The prevalence of the main variables of interest was: dynapenia (51.5%), low physical performance (32.2%), social frailty (66.4%), and frailty according to the Fried phenotype (26.3%). In adjusted models, altered muscle mass showed the strongest association with dynapenia (PR = 2.08, 95%CI = 1.74–2.50). Likewise, functional dependence and social frailty were significantly associated with low physical performance (PR = 1.65 and PR = 1.57, respectively). A higher potential support relationship (upper tertile) was associated with a lower prevalence of social frailty (PR = 0.56, 95%CI = 0.41–0.88), whereas low physical performance was strongly associated with frailty defined by the Fried phenotype (PR = 3.71, 95%CI = 2.60–5.34). Conclusions: Frailty among older adults in the Peruvian Amazon is highly prevalent and characterized by a distinctly multidimensional nature. It is associated with muscular, functional, cognitive, and social factors that may reflect interrelated vulnerabilities at both the individual and community levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity Competence and Social Inequalities, 2nd Edition)

24 pages, 291 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Smallholder Agency and Income Disparity in the Context of Agricultural Transformation: A Comparative Analysis of Organizational Models in the Flower Industry Across Four Regions in Yunnan

by Hongyu Jiang and Zongshi Chen

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(4), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15040217 - 26 Mar 2026

Viewed by 634

Abstract

How to effectively leverage the agency of smallholder farmers to boost rural incomes and achieve common prosperity is a core issue in agricultural development and transformation. Taking the flower industry in four regions of Yunnan Province as a case, this paper adopts an [...] Read more.

How to effectively leverage the agency of smallholder farmers to boost rural incomes and achieve common prosperity is a core issue in agricultural development and transformation. Taking the flower industry in four regions of Yunnan Province as a case, this paper adopts an analytical framework of government-market-society synergy to examine industrial organizational models under different synergistic approaches and their impacts on industrial prosperity, smallholder agency, and income disparities. The comparative analysis reveals that combining appropriately open market mechanisms with moderate government intervention, while coordinating household-based operations through industry associations, currently represents an effective pathway to translate industrial prosperity into rural common prosperity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity Competence and Social Inequalities, 2nd Edition)

18 pages, 1494 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Mapping of the Diversity and Cultural Competencies in Healthcare and Healthcare Education Through Participatory Action Research (PAR)

by Costas S Constantinou, Panayiota Andreou, Eirini Kampriani and Alexia Papageorgiou

Societies 2025, 15(12), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15120330 - 26 Nov 2025

Viewed by 842

Abstract

This participatory action research (PAR) study explored the diversity and cultural competencies essential for working effectively and appropriately with diverse patients in healthcare and healthcare education. Ninety-four (94) medical students participated in two PAR cycles, engaging in brainstorming, group exercises, collaborative work, discussions, [...] Read more.

This participatory action research (PAR) study explored the diversity and cultural competencies essential for working effectively and appropriately with diverse patients in healthcare and healthcare education. Ninety-four (94) medical students participated in two PAR cycles, engaging in brainstorming, group exercises, collaborative work, discussions, reflections, and role-plays. Together, they addressed the central question regarding the diversity and cultural competencies that are necessary for working effectively with diverse patients in healthcare. Participants identified eight core competencies, namely open-mindedness, empathy and cultural empathy, deep listening, explore further, knowledge, self-reflection, work in partnership, and praise the patient. They also ranked these competencies and explained their significance in healthcare settings. Based on participants’ explanations, a thematic network was developed, illustrating how these competencies interrelate. The analysis highlighted that these competencies must function together to foster a deeper understanding of patients, ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes. This interrelationship is represented in the Wheel Model proposed in the study, showing that empathy and cultural empathy sit at the center of the wheel, supported and reinforced by the other competencies all of which interact to enable the wheel to roll smoothly. Interestingly, the driving force seems to be the competency “open mindedness” as it puts most of the rest competencies in motion. The study also revealed that participants came to appreciate the importance of these competencies gradually, particularly after engaging in specific diversity-related activities and completing the two PAR cycles. This finding highlights that prior experience or knowledge alone might be insufficient for working effectively with diversity, underscoring the need for lifelong training, continuous learning, and the accumulation of relevant experience. In the absence of other PAR on diversity and cultural competencies in healthcare and healthcare education, the findings of this study both align with and diverge from those of Delphi studies, offering new directions for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Diversity Competence and Social Inequalities, 2nd Edition)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

 

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

Displaying articles 1-5