AIDS-Induced Orphanhood as a Systemic Shock: Magnitude, Impact, and Program Interventions in Africa

The use of psychotropic medications in United States foster care children is an issue of growing concern among clinicians, child serving agencies, and legislators. Although pharmacologic interventions are accepted as part of multi-modal treatment strategies for many symptoms of mental illness, the relatively high use of psychotropic agents in this population, as well as the limited data on efficacy and both short and long-term adverse effect risks, have led to increased scrutiny. In addition to safety, issues of concern include indications for use, overdiagnosis, appropriate consent for treatment, oversight/monitoring of psychotropic prescribing and psychiatric consultation, and the availability of medication information for clinicians, foster parents, and care givers.

Breaking the cycle of academic failure for foster children — What can the schools do to help?

As a population, children in care (CiC) are found to be at an increased risk of a range of negative outcomes associated with poor educational attainment and difficult early attachment relationships. Having access to educational interventions in key areas such as literacy and the opportunity to develop positive, stable and caring relationships is seen as crucial to overcoming many of these disadvantages. Professionals supporting CiC, including those within the area of special educational needs and disability (SENDs), are duty bound to work together towards this aim. Paired reading is an educational intervention that has been used within the researcher’s local authority (LA) for several years and is credited with helping children, including foster children, achieve significant improvements in their reading. In addition, feedback from participants and some research (Forsman, 2017; Osborne, Alfano & Winn, 2010) into the efficacy of this intervention has suggested that participation might also benefit the foster carer/child relationship. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were used to obtain and explore foster carers and children’s views of a shared reading (SR) intervention with respect to its impact on their relationship. Additional techniques were also adapted and used to support the children to express their views. Thematic analysis identified five key themes supportive of previous findings which suggest SR interventions can enhance the relationship between foster carers and foster children. Results also suggest, however, that more needs to be done to emphasise the relational benefits to potential participants. This research makes an important contribution to the understanding of SR practices and informs the promotion, recommendation and delivery of future interventions and the work of Educational Psychologists (EPs) and other professionals supporting this particularly vulnerable group of children.

Although availability of quantitative information on the extent of HIV/AIDS in Africa is improving, the socio‐economic implications of the epidemic remain poorly understood. This paper explores this issue for Uganda focusing on households who received foster children between 1992 and 2000, a phenomenon that affected more than 15% of households. The authors find that addition of a foster child resulted in significant reductions of per capita consumption, income, and household investment which were more pronounced for the poor. Initial disadvantages in foster children's access to education for this group were overcome in the course of UPE implementation, while new inequalities have emerged in access to health services. Foster children's ability to access services will thus be affected by the broader policy environment as well as programs more specifically targeted at this group.

Multilevel models can deal with nested structures in household panel data to derive unbiased regression coefficients and standard errors for predictors from multiple hierarchical levels, e.g., households, products, or stores. Within the framework of multilevel modeling, researchers can apply purely nested models or cross-classified random effects models (CCREM). This paper explains the partially cross-classified structure in household panel data. Simulation study 1 demonstrates that standard errors for level-two predictors are severely downward biased when applying a nested three-level model to partially crossed data. Furthermore, the hierarchical location of interactions between predictors associated with two crossed levels is explained. Simulation study 2 demonstrates that with unbalanced real-world data, both standard errors and regression coefficients for interaction-level predictors can be biased when the “artificial” random interaction level is omitted from a CCREM. The simulation studies are followed by a discussion of implications for the application of multilevel models to household panel data.

Foster children face numerous obstacles to academic achievement compared to their non-foster peers. In addition to having low educational attainment, they may also suffer from high rates of school mobility and experience long delays when transferring schools. Sources of these transfers and delays include numerous residential movements and a lack of coordination between child welfare and school professionals. Potential solutions currently being explored include reduced residential mobility, better communication between child welfare and school professionals on the frontline, and integrated child welfare and educational databases. There are over one-half million children in foster care homes in the United States. Most children enter foster care because of abuse or neglect, many live in poverty, and a disproportionate percentage are Black (48%) or Hispanic (15%; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2002a). The majority of these children also reside in large urban areas, where school systems are often overcrowded and poorly funded (DHHS, 2002b). These disadvantaged backgrounds and troubled schools, combined with the trauma of being removed from home and the stigma of being in foster care, pose significant barriers to educational success for many foster children (Finkelstein, Wamsley, & Miranda, 2002; Jackson, 1994). Research indicates that, compared to the general student population, foster children have lower high school graduation rates, fewer years of schooling, lower levels of participation in college, and higher rates of participation in special education programs (for a review of this literature, see McDonald, Allen, Westerfelt, & Piliavin, 1996).1 FOSTER CARE AND SCHOOL MOBILITY Foster children may also be more likely to transfer schools and experience longer delays during these transfers than their non-foster peers, though there is limited research in this area, in part because many child welfare systems do not systematically monitor the school outcomes of children in care. Departing from this trend, New York City has begun to track the school mobility, attendance rates, and test scores of children involved in the child welfare and school systems. Through a unique data sharing agreement between the commissioners of New York City's child welfare agency, the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), and the Department of Education, ACS has developed a database that contains school information on cohorts of foster care entrants. The latest figures indicate that approximately 57% of children entering foster care between 1995 and 1999 transferred schools for noneducational reasons (other than graduating from the school, for example) in the year following foster care placement (Conger & Rebeck, 2001). This study also revealed differences in the school transfer rates of children according to their experiences in care. School transfers were more likely to occur for children who transferred to new foster care homes, ran away from their foster homes, and remained in care longer than other children. Given the link between residence and school placement2 and foster children's residential instability-leaving home for foster care, moving to new placements while in care, and perhaps returning home upon leaving care-it is not surprising that some foster children experience frequent school transfers. School transfers are problematic for most children, often requiring large adjustments to new classmates, teachers, and curricula, as well as repeated or missed lessons. Yet, there is little agreement on whether these adjustments harm school performance. Most studies indicate that switching schools is associated with lower performance on standardized exams, measures of classroom adjustment, grades, and parent reports of student achievement (e.g., Felner, Primavera, & Cauce, 1981; Hanushek, Kain, & Rivkin, 2001; U.S. General Accounting Office, 1994). A few studies, however, have found positive or no effects of school transfers on performance (e. …

Rwanda has made a huge effort to arrive at universal primary education, but many children do not qualify to sit the leaving exam before they reach the age of 14. Using the Heckman probit model on data from the Integrated Household Living Conditions Surveys 2000 and 2011, this study explores the school careers of 12,539 children ages 13-17 who had the opportunity to continue primary education. The combination of extreme poverty and having younger siblings or being an orphan or foster child, still leads to very high dropout rates regardless of gender. To improve completion rate for primary education, Rwanda should put more emphasis on disadvantaged children from larger families.

Household panel data track purchases of a panel of households over time, while retail panel data track ̶ for a panel of retail stores ̶ brand or SKU sales at the store or retail-chain level over time. While most quantitative retailing research in the 1980s and 1990s was based on (household or retail) panel data, other data sets have since emerged shedding light on important new retailing concepts such as online sales, digital customer journeys, mobile marketing, and electronic word-of-mouth. Although to some retailing researchers panel data may have become a rather antiquated type of data, this article argues there are several trends to expect a panel-data revival or renaissance in retailing research. These include (1) an increasingly complete coverage of digital channels, (2) a wider acceptance of Empirics-First (EF) research, (3) an increased focus on Better-Marketing-for-a- Better-World topics, (4) a growing interest in pan-international research, (5) an increased focus on causality, (6) a growing recognition of the advantages of data fusion, and (7) more pressure to obtain research grants. As panel data have unique strengths that make them suitable for addressing these trends, there is considerable scope for a continuing important role for panel data in modern retailing research.

There is widespread enthusiasm for scaling interventions to strengthen health systems. However, little is known about the scalability of such interventions in Africa. In this study, we seek to assess the scalability of interventions for improving the functionality of health systems in Africa, as a key to large-scale implementation strategy of interventions with potential for impact. The study will deploy a multi-pronged approach, grounded in an integrated knowledge translation (iKT) approach. First, a multidisciplinary steering committee will be established, involving key female and male stakeholders in all stages of our study from its inception and as equal members of the research team for overseeing the project. Second, as part of the RAND/University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Appropriateness Method, evidence from a published systematic review will be used to develop the African Scalability Assessment Framework (AFROSAF), a series of multiple attributes for assessing the ability to scale a health system intervention in Africa. Third, the content of the AFROSAF will be validated using Delphi survey (within a deliberative dialogue) following the Lavis' framework for knowledge transfer and a conceptual framework developed by Boyko et al. a multi-stakeholder consensus exercise with experts from Africa will be convened. The Likert scaled scalability attributes developed will be rated and descriptive statistics and hierarchical cluster analysis will be used to synthesize the data. Finally, document analyses will be conducted to rate to which extent each intervention has data that meet criteria responding to the essential components of scalability using the AFROSAF. We will conduct an analysis to score and rank each intervention for scalability. This project proposes an approach aiming to catalyse the scale of interventions for effective functionality of health systems in Africa. The process will yield a scalability assessment tool for Africa and inventory scalable interventions. The findings will help African countries and policymakers understand the parameters to use and assess health system interventions for scaling.

sidney goldberg studied at New York University and also with psychologist Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. He now works as a college counselor in New York City. The child welfare system in the United States is not living up to its name. Rather than nurturing the intellectual potential, capacity for joy, and emotional wellness of foster children, the system too often takes a narrow approach to maintaining only the children’s physical well-being. I speak from my experience as a caseworker, administrator, and creator of a unique program in child welfare. Twenty-five years of butting up against the constraints of this system have made clear to me that the problem is structural. The occasional caseworker who would seek to nurture a child’s potential interests or passions would usually be thwarted by the limited paradigm around which the system is constructed. Year after year, most caseworkers go through the motions, while heeding the entrenched and narrow mandates set forth by their agencies as the lives of children under their care stagnate. I believe another system is possible — one that starts from the foundational premise that all people are capable of building satisfying lives through the pursuit of their interests — and that is staffed by workers who treat children and their parents with deep care and respect. To create such a system, we will need to transform the entire structure and pedagogy of social work school, drawing on insights gained through a careful look at the problems with the current system.

Since its first military intervention in the Congo in 1960, the United Nations has deployed military personnel in twenty-five operations to eighteen African countries. Of these, twenty-two missions in seventeen countries have begun since 1990. In some respects this is surprising. The stresses of the decolonisation process and its aftermath throughout the 1960s and 1970s certainly created situations which would have seemed to call out for UN military intervention. The UN's military intervention in Namibia was to be the first of the wave of post-Cold War deployments in sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these operations have been created to meet different problems in the same country at different times. The United Nations Aouzou Strip Observer Group and the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea formed a small and very untypical minority of the UN's interventions in Africa. For the most part, these have been in intra-state conflicts. The chapter discusses UN humanitarian intervention and peacekeeping in Africa, focusing on Somalia, Rwanda and Darfur.

Tracking time-varying brand equity using household panel data

Determinants of organic food purchases: Evidence from household panel data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the further development of the previously introduced switch of brand (SB) model (presented in 2012) which helps to approximate variety-seeking behaviour (VSB) out of household panel data. Design/methodology/approach – Based on existing theoretical variety-seeking models analysing household panel data, the further expansion of the variety-seeking model “Switch of Brands” (SB) is presented. In the last contribution in the British Food Journal the authors presented this simple but powerful tool to approximate VSB. The further developed model “Switch of Brands – Promotions” (SB PR ) integrates relevant variables into one theoretical variety-seeking model (number of purchased brands, number of purchases, price promotions, etc.). In particular, price promotions were integrated into the SB model in order to deliver even more realistic approximations of households’ VSB. Findings – The explanatory power of the model in view of brand loyalty is tested. The empirical analysis is conducted with scanner household panel data from Austria in three different product categories. Research limitations/implications – The data analysis shows that the model has an excellent explanatory power concerning brand loyalty, however, not better than the original SB model. Practical implications – The SB PR model allows interpretations for marketing purposes and brand management including marketing variables (here: price promotions). The model may be applied in any business field where panel data are available. Originality/value – The model delivers a consistent theoretical framework for approximating VSB by means of purchase histories.

Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa, experiencing an increasing burden due to rising incidences driven by urbanization, lifestyle changes, and non-communicable diseases. This scoping review maps stroke rehabilitation interventions in Africa, identifying barriers to implementation and adherence, and highlighting research gaps to inform future policy and clinical practices. A literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and African Journals Online (AJOL), supplemented by grey literature from WHO reports and government publications. Inclusion criteria focused on studies of stroke rehabilitation interventions in African countries, targeting adults diagnosed with stroke, and included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, qualitative studies, and systematic reviews. Findings indicate that stroke rehabilitation interventions in Africa, including physical therapy, task-specific training, psychoeducational programs, tele-rehabilitation, mobile phone-supported interventions, and programs targeting activities of daily living (ADLs), are implemented in some settings to enhance functional independence, motor, cognitive, and speech functions, and psychological well-being. However, adherence to these protocols is often limited by significant barriers, including financial constraints, geographical and transportation challenges, a shortage of skilled rehabilitation professionals, cultural and language barriers, and patient-related factors such as cognitive impairments and lack of social support. The review also reveals variability in the availability of standardized rehabilitation protocols across African settings, with some regions lacking consistent implementation. Research gaps include insufficient epidemiological data, limited evaluation of cost-effective and culturally appropriate rehabilitation models, and underexplored caregiver burden. This review advocates further studies on technology integration, community-based rehabilitation, and culturally tailored interventions to improve adherence and accessibility. It also emphasizes addressing systemic and infrastructural barriers to ensure equitable access to rehabilitation services for stroke survivors across Africa. Future research should focus on optimizing rehabilitation strategies, reducing long-term disability, and improving quality of life for stroke survivors in Africa.