Access To Support Services Research Articles

Skills for Success? Supporting transition into higher education for students from diverse backgrounds.

Effective support during transition into higher education (HE) can be crucial, especially for traditionally under-represented student groups. Student feedback that the traditional 'welcome week' can be overwhelming due to the quantity and speed of information imparted, coupled with the request for increased support for non-academic skills, led to the development of the 'Skills for Success' (SfS) extended transition support unit. Co-devised with the student body and delivered by a range of academic, clinical and professional support staff, SfS was highly regarded by students, with particular impact reported on mental health and motivation to achieve. Following the introduction of SfS, attainment differences were closed or reversed, in the academic module within which the unit was embedded, for students who were mature, reported a mental health condition, or were from Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Independent evaluation revealed the initiative had raised awareness of how to access support services and almost half the participants had shared aspects of the learning with peers outside of the cohort. Overall, the success of SfS suggests that an extended package of integrated, holistic support can ease transition into HE and may improve the attainment of students from under-represented groups.

Addressing legal needs of young people in Out-of-Home Care: Practitioners call for radical change

Young Australians exiting Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) face some of the most challenging access to justice issues due to experiences of trauma, increased interactions with the justice system, distrust of government services, high rates of socioeconomic disadvantage and a lack of accessible support services. This article outlines the experience of the Mid North Coast Legal Centre (MNCLC) which, through the LevelUP Project, aimed to bridge this access to justice gap with a shake-up of the traditional legal services model. Through this experience, MNCLC offers some suggestions for legal centres seeking to improve access to justice for this disadvantaged group.

Codesigning a patient support portal with health professionals and men with prostate cancer: An action research study.

IntroductionThe supportive care needs of men with prostate cancer (PCa) have been well documented, but little is known about how an online portal may address these. This study sought to determine priority issues facing men with PCa, barriers and enablers to accessing care and whether health professionals (HPs) and men would support the inclusion of a patient‐reported outcome (PRO) comparator tool.MethodsWe conducted four online focus groups with HPs recruited from healthcare services in Victoria, followed by seven online codesign workshops with men with PCa, recruited through the Victorian Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and the Cancer Council Victoria. Men were eligible to participate if they had lived experience of PCa and access to the internet. We analysed focus groups thematically. Workshops were analysed using descriptive‐content analysis.ResultsHPs (n = 39) highlighted that men had shifting priorities over time, but noted the importance of providing information to men in lay terms to assist in treatment decision‐making and side‐effect management. HPs identified key enablers to men accessing support services such as practice nurses, partners and having men share their stories with each other. HPs raised financial, cultural, geographic and emotional barriers to accessing supportive care. Inclusion of a PRO comparator tool received mixed support from HPs, with 41% (n = 16) supportive, 49% (n = 19) unsure and 10% (n = 4) not supportive. Men involved in workshops (n = 28) identified informational needs to assist in treatment decision‐making and side‐effect management as the top priority throughout care. Men described support groups and practice nurses as key enablers. Short consultation times and complex information were described as barriers. Unlike HPs, all men supported the inclusion of a PRO comparator tool in a portal.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that a patient support portal should provide information in lay terms that address the shifting priorities of men with PCa. Men with PCa would welcome the development of a portal to centralize support information and a PRO comparator tool to prompt health‐seeking behaviour. Future research will implement these findings in the development of a portal, and pilot and evaluate the portal within a population‐based sample.Patient or Public ContributionThis project adopted a codesign approach including both men with PCa and HPs involved in PCa care. Men with PCa also formed part of the study's steering committee and consumer advisory groups. HPs were consulted in a serious of online focus groups. Subsequently, men with PCa and their support persons participated in workshops. Men with PCa were also involved in the preparation of this manuscript.

LGBTQIA+ people’s service access during the COVID-19 pandemic: Obstacles to care and provider adaptations

Members of LGBTQIA+ populations often experience difficulties accessing support services and report inadequate, discriminatory, or stigmatizing treatment from providers. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded existing access barriers; consequently, researchers and practitioners have called for an examination of how the pandemic has impacted LGBTQIA+ people’s wellbeing. The present study uses qualitative data from interviews with 42 LGBTQIA+ people about barriers to service access during the pandemic, as well as 15 LGBTQIA-focused service providers about how their work has changed and adapted since the pandemic started. Implications and recommendations for service improvement, both during the pandemic and in the future, are discussed.

Reporting of sexual and gender-based violence and associated factors among survivors in Mayuge, Uganda.

Reporting of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) allows survivors to access support services to minimize the impact of the violence on their lives. However, research shows that most SGBV survivors do not report. We aimed to determine the proportion of survivors of SGBV in Mayuge District, Uganda, who report SGBV and the factors associated with reporting. Using a cross-sectional study design, we analyzed data of SGBV survivors in eight villages in Mayuge district collected in a baseline survey of a larger experimental study. Data were analysed using Modified Poisson Regression. Of the 723 participants, 65% were female. Only 31.9% had reported the SGBV experienced. Reporting was 43% lower among survivors aged 45 years and older (p-value = 0.003), and 41% lower among survivors with higher than a primary school education (p-value = 0.005). Likewise, reporting was 37% lower among survivors who relied on financial support from their partners (p-value = 0.001). Female survivors were also 63% more likely to report (p-value = 0.001), while survivors who were separated/widowed were 185% more likely to report than those who were never married (p-value = 0.006). Reporting of SGBV by survivors in Mayuge was found to below.

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study.

BackgroundCOVID-19 forced the implementation of restrictive measures in Spain, such as lockdown, home confinement, social distancing, and isolation. It is necessary to study whether limited access to basic services and decreased family and social support could have deleterious effects on cognition, quality of life, and mental health in vulnerable older people.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia as the main outcome and the quality of life, perceived health status, and depression as secondary outcomes and to analyze the association of living alone and a change in living arrangements with those outcomes and other variables related with the use of technology and health services. Likewise, this study aims to analyze the association of high and low technophilia with those variables, to explore the access and use of health care and social support services, and, finally, to explore the informative-, cognitive-, entertainment-, and socialization-related uses of information and communications technologies (ICTs) during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsThis cohort study was conducted in Málaga (Spain). In total, 151 participants with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, from the SMART4MD (n=75, 49.7%) and TV-AssistDem (n=76, 50.3%) randomized clinical trials, were interviewed by telephone between May 11 and June 26, 2020. All participants had undergone 1-3 assessments (in 6-month intervals) on cognition, quality of life, and mood prior to the COVID-19 breakout.ResultsThe outbreak did not significantly impact the cognition, quality of life, and mood of our study population when making comparisons with baseline assessments prior to the outbreak. Perceived stress was reported as moderate during the outbreak. After correction for multiple comparisons, living alone, a change in living arrangements, and technophilia were not associated with negative mental health outcomes. However, being alone was nominally associated with self-perceived fear and depression, and higher technophilia with better quality of life, less boredom, perceived stress and depression, and also less calmness. Overall, health care and social support service access and utilization were high. The most used ICTs during the COVID-19 outbreak were the television for informative, cognitive, and entertainment-related uses and the smartphone for socialization.ConclusionsOur findings show that the first months of the outbreak did not significantly impact the cognition, quality of life, perceived health status, and depression of our study population when making comparisons with baseline assessments prior to the outbreak. Living alone and low technophilia require further research to establish whether they are risk factors of mental health problems during lockdowns in vulnerable populations. Moreover, although ICTs have proven to be useful for informative-, cognitive-, entertainment-, and socialization-related uses during the pandemic, more evidence is needed to support these interventions.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385797; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04385797International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.2196/26431

Improving Services for Aboriginal Women Experiencing Sexual Violence: Working at the Knowledge Interface

ABSTRACT Aboriginal women experiencing sexual violence may not always access support services when needed, nor receive the most appropriate support when they do. Recent research suggests place-based, Aboriginal-led initiatives to respond to family and sexual violence in Aboriginal communities offer the best chance for developing effective responses. This article describes an innovative participatory action research project aiming to improve service delivery for Aboriginal women from the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) region in remote central Australia. Over a series of workshops co-researchers worked intensively at the interface of knowledge systems creating a unique and safe space for exploring this issue. The process elicited learnings that have the potential to transform practice and was itself a trauma-informed healing opportunity for participants. The project was led by Aboriginal women who wished to share what was done so that others may benefit from working in this way. IMPLICATIONS Participatory action research can be an effective approach to improving service delivery for Aboriginal women who have experienced sexual violence. By working at the cultural and knowledge interface of Aboriginal and Western standpoints, and utilising contextually relevant means of engagement, deeper understandings of sexual violence and healing are the result for participants. Deeper intercultural understandings have the potential to lead to innovations in service delivery.

Reconfiguring a multi-period facility model—An empirical test in a dynamic setting

Facility location is an important problem faced by companies in many industries. Finding an optimal location for facilities and determining their size involves the consideration of many factors, including proximity to customers and suppliers, availability of skilled employees and support services, and cost-related factors, for example, construction or leasing costs, utility costs, taxes, availability of support services, and others. The demand of the surrounding region plays an important role in location decisions. A high population density may not necessarily cause a proportional demand for products or services. The demography of a region could dictate the demand for products, and this, in turn, affects a facility’s size and location. The location of a company’s competitors also affects the location of that company’s facilities. Another important aspect in facility location modeling is that many models focus on current demand and do not adequately consider future demand. However, while making location decisions in an industry in decline, carefully and accurately considering future demand is especially important, and the question in focus is whether to shrink or close down certain facilities with the objective of keeping a certain market share or maximizing profit, especially in a competitive environment. This paper develops a model which enables companies to select sites for their businesses according to their strategy. The model analyzes the strategic position of the company and forms a guideline for the decision. It investigates which facilities should be closed, (re)opened, shrunk, or expanded. If facilities are to shrink or expand, the model also determines their new capacities. It depicts the impact on market share and accounts for the costs of closure and reopening. A number of papers deal with location theory and its applications, but few have been written for modeling a competitive environment in the case of declining demand. Existing papers in this area of research are mostly static in nature, do not offer multi-period approaches, nor do they incorporate the behavior of competitors in the market. To demonstrate the validity of the model, it is first solved using a small problem set–three facilities, three demand locations, and three periods–in LINGO solver. To get a better understanding of the model’s behavior, several additional scenarios were constructed. First, the number of demand locations was extended to 10. Our findings show that the model presented provides an extension of existing facility location models that can be applied to a variety of location problems in commercial and industry sectors that need to make their decisions considering future periods and competitors. The developed heuristic shows multiple options for solving the problem, including their advantages and disadvantages, respectively. The Java code and LINGO fragments thus developed can be used to provide easy access to related problems.

LEO Satellites in 5G and Beyond Networks: A Review From a Standardization Perspective

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Network (SatNet) with their mega-constellations are expected to play a key role in providing ubiquitous Internet and communications services in the future. LEO SatNets will provide wide-area coverage and support service availability, continuity, and scalability. To support the integration of SatNets and terrestrial Fifth Generation (5G) networks and beyond, the satellite communication industry has become increasingly involved with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardization activities for 5G. In this work, we review the 3GPP standardization activities for the integration of SatNets in 5G and beyond. The 3GPP use cases of SatNets are highlighted and potential requirements to realize them are summarized as well. The impacted areas of New Radio (NR) are discussed with some potential solutions. The foreseen requirements for the management and orchestration of SatNets within 5G are described. Future standardization directions are discussed to support the full integration of SatNets in Sixth Generation (6G) with the goal of ubiquitous global connectivity.

Caregiving during the Covid-19 pandemic: Factors associated with caregiver stress and cognition

Caregivers are critical in helping persons with dementia (PWD) live at home longer, but the caregiving experience is associated with increased risk of physical (Vitaliano et al., 2003; Son et al., 2007; Fonareva & Oken, 2014) and cognitive decline among caregivers (Pertle et al., 2015; Lathan et al., 2016; Vitaliano et al., 2017). The present study examined the caregiver experience during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic including factors associated with caregiver stress, burden, and self-reported cognition (i.e., prospective and retrospective memory errors). In a sample of 56 caregivers of PWD, caregiver stress was positively associated with reports of greater life change resulting from Covid-19 and a greater frequency of care recipient depressive and disruptive behaviors; however, caregiver stress was not associated with care recipient memory problems. Additionally, caregiver burden was negatively associated with ratings of preparedness for the pandemic, but not with availability of support services or the amount of time spent caregiving. Further, frequencies of prospective and retrospective memory mistakes were positively associated with perceived stress, but not with caregiver burden. These findings reveal that caregivers of PWD report greater experiences of stress associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and other facets of their caregiving responsibilities (e.g., care recipient depressive and disruptive behaviors, frequency of memory mistakes). This work is a first step in identifying areas in which caregivers need assistance and expanding the literature on caregiver cognition by measuring self-reported everyday memory performance.

Perceptions of Family Caregivers of People With Dementia Regarding Symptom Management and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nearly 98% of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Although BPSD are linked to caregiver burden, perceptions of family caregivers on the impact of BPSD and their experiences addressing them in the home are unclear, and little is known about the impact of the pandemic on these experiences. Study aims were to explore: 1) the experiences of family caregivers of community dwelling older adults with ADRD regarding BPSD and how they manage BPSD in the home, and 2) how the pandemic impacted family caregivers’ experiences, BPSD of their relatives, and BPSD management. A qualitative, exploratory approach was used; 21 family caregivers were interviewed virtually. Content analysis and constant comparative methods were used. Ten major themes emerged: 1) Emotional and psychological responses of caregiver, 2) Loss, 3) Anticipation, 4) Reliance, 5) Learning to caregive, 6) Rewarding, 7) Emotional and psychological responses of care recipient 8) Cognition of care recipient, 9) Care strategies, 10) Caregiver perspectives. Caregivers did not use terms “behaviors” or “symptoms”, instead they described their relatives’ and their own experiences interdependently. Caregiving challenges presented before the pandemic (e.g. equivocal effects of medications, increasing care demands), many of which were compounded by the pandemic. Future research should explore the experiences of caregivers from a range of backgrounds. Findings illustrate communication barriers exist between clinicians, community services, people with ADRD and their families which may be addressed through clinician education, family-centered care planning, and policies to expand support service access.

Coming Out of the Woods. Do local support services influence the propensity to report sexual violence?

Sexual crimes against women are severely underreported to the police, allowing for impunity of perpetrators. Observers suggest that a stimulus towards reporting the crime comes from nearby support services for victims of sexual offences - like refuges and advisors. Still, the evidence about the effects of nearby support on the reporting of sexual crimes remains scattered and mainly qualitative. This paper provides quantitative evidence on this effect, by exploiting the uneven geography of local support services which resulted in the UK after the introduction of the austerity program. Findings highlight a positive net effect of the provision of local support services on the victims’ propensity to report. The positive effect holds also in the aftermath of a space-neutral high-impact media campaign empowering women to report sexual violence. This evidence relates to relevant policy implications, given that in some countries the austerity-driven cuts to public budgets have reduced and dispersed the local availability of support services, making digital support and/or helpline the only available options in many places.

Analysis of Factors That Influenced the Mental Health Status of Public Health Workers During the COVID-19 Epidemic Based on Bayesian Networks: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Public health workers are essential to responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, but research on anxiety and stress among public health workers during the epidemic is limited. This study aimed to evaluate related factors affecting mental health among public health workers during the epidemic.Methods: Between February 19 and 25, 2020, an online, cross-sectional study was conducted among public health workers in a city in China. Mental health status was assessed using the Chinese versions of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), both with a cutoff score of 5. Work-related variables, workloads and sacrifices, and personal perceptions were also assessed.Results: The prevalence of anxiety and depression were 49.2% and 45.7%, respectively, among public health workers. Three risk factors and one protective factor, namely, overcommitment (OR = 1.10∼1.20, p < 0.001), perceived troubles at work (OR = 1.14∼1.18, p < 0.001), perceived tension (OR = 1.11, p < 0.001) and the capability to persist for more than 1 month at the current work intensity (OR = 0.41∼0.42, p < 0.001) were found to be independently associated with anxiety and depression in the multivariable logistic regression analyses after propensity score matching. But the Bayesian networks analysis found that the last three factors directly affect anxiety and depression.Conclusion: Psychological responses to COVID-19 were dramatic among public health workers during the severe phase of the outbreak. To minimize the impact of the epidemic, working conditions should be improved, and easily accessible psychological support services should be implemented.

The troubles and needs of family caregivers of older adults with moderate to severe dementia

AbstractBackgroundTo investigate the troubles and needs of family caregivers of older adults with moderate to severe dementia.MethodA total of 401 family caregivers from Beijing, Tianjin and other regions were recruited to complete a self‐designed questionnaire.ResultThe top 5 safety risks among older adults with moderate to severe dementia were irritating cough (30.2%), falls (28.4%), outreach (27.2%), lost (19.0%), and fall of bed (12.2%). The main troubles reported by family caregivers were daily care (82.5%) and coping with psychological and behavioral problems (51.9%). The top five support needs were instruction on psychological adjustment skills (88.5%), skills to cope with psychological and behavioral problems (75.8%), daily care skills (73.1%), safety risk prevention skills (72.8%), case management and referral services (70.8%). The top five ways to access support services were online training (86.5%), online counseling (86.0%), face‐to‐face counseling (84.0%), handbooks (78.8%) and community‐based lectures (74.6%).ConclusionFamily caregivers have a variety of needs in the long‐term care of older adults with dementia. It is suggested to establish a needs‐led care support service system for family caregivers that integrates skills instruction, education and training and care services by online and off‐line approaches.

Symptom burden of people with progressive ataxia, and its wider impact on their friends and relatives: a cross-sectional study.

Progressive ataxias are complex disorders that result in a wide variety of symptoms. Whilst we currently have a relatively good understanding of the symptom patterns associated with the various types of ataxia, and how these diseases progress over time, their impact on the person with ataxia is less well understood. In addition, little is known about how carers, friends and families are affected by them. This paper aims to provide preliminary information on the presence and impact of medical symptoms and day-to-day challenges on people with ataxia and their friends and relatives. Data were extracted from a survey by Ataxia UK for their members. The views of 366 people with ataxia and 52 friends and relatives are reported. Data were analysed for the entire groups, as well as for the three most common ataxia types represented in the sample, Friedreich's ataxia, inherited ataxia (excluding Friedreich's ataxia), and cerebellar ataxia of unknown cause. The survey confirmed the symptom patterns described in previous research, but further showed that the impact of these symptoms can vary across ataxia populations. Similar findings were observed for day-to-day challenges. Friends and relatives experienced similar challenges to people with ataxia, indicating that support provided has to consider those supporting people with ataxia as well as the patient. Respondents also highlighted limitations in terms of accessing support services, and not all services were able to cater fully to their specific needs. This study begins to provide information that can be used in further research to explore the needs of people with ataxia and their carers, friends, and relatives. Such research will support treatment trial design, ensuring patients' needs are considered, help to tailor support services to their needs, and ensure health care professionals have the necessary skills to fully address them.

Rural service hubs and socially innovative rural-urban linkages: A conceptual framework for nexogenous development

Co-locating services has become a common solution to the many longstanding challenges of service access and provision in rural areas. Rural service hubs – which offer two or more services at the same outlet – take many forms, typically responding to triggers for social innovation. Despite their growing ubiquity, however, rural service hubs have been little studied in comparative perspective. This article shifts the lens on service hubs from place-based solutions towards a broader, multi-scalar and multi-level perspective on rural connectivity. We propose a five dimension conceptual framework in contribution to the emerging theorisation of nexogenous rural development a model for resourceful reconnection beyond place and across rural–urban space. Drawing on examples from Austria, Finland and Wales, we illustrate how diverse service hub models mobilise social innovation, networks, scale and proximity to support service access and provision.

49 Exploring parental acceptability of universal psychosocial screening in the pediatric emergency department

Abstract Primary Subject area Mental Health Background Mental health concerns among children and adolescents presenting to the emergency department (ED) are on the rise. Universal screening can facilitate early identification and management of these concerns, mitigating significant long-term morbidity and mortality. The efficacy of psychosocial screening in the ED is not only determined by accurate identification of concerns, but by downstream resource-seeking behaviours to address these concerns. For many children and adolescents, parents hold a key role in determining their access to care. Thus, parental attitudes and perceptions of psychosocial screening may influence resource-seeking behaviours and predict a youth’s ability to access support. Objectives Given the limited understanding of parental perceptions of psychosocial screening in the ED, we aimed to qualitatively explore parents’ attitudes towards screening with MyHEARTSMAP, an electronic self/proxy administered psychosocial screening tool. We also quantified resource-seeking behaviours and explored barriers to seeking care. Design/Methods This was a nested qualitative study conducted during the 30-day follow-up period of a larger prospective cohort study. Eligible youth and their accompanying parent/guardian completed a self/proxy psychosocial screen using MyHEARTSMAP. Youth who screened positive were provided with recommendations and resources for support. 30 days (+ 5 days) after their ED visit, parents participated in semi-structured follow-up interviews to share their attitudes, perceptions, and thoughts around the screening and care-seeking process. Results Of the 171 participants requiring resources for support, 124 (72.5%; 95% CI 65.2-79.1%) completed the follow-up interview. Most parents endorsed positive perceptions of the screening process, describing it as an “eye-opening” process that “sparked conversation”.74.2% (95% CI 65.6-81.6%) of participants also agreed with the support recommendations they received during their ED visit. In terms of resource seeking, as displayed in Figure 1, only 41 participants (33.1%; 95% CI 24.9-42.1%) attempted to access support services. Other families felt identified concerns were mild and “not serious enough” to warrant resources, though many expressed an intention to seek care if the concerns escalated. Conclusion Parental perceptions of psychosocial screening in the ED were favourable and encouraging, with a majority of participants expressing an understanding and appreciation of the process. This lends support to the implementation of universal psychosocial screening in the ED. Despite positive attitudes towards screening, only a fraction actually attempted to access care. This incongruence may reflect the persisting view that mental health holds low priority and suggests a need for increased education on the importance of seeking timely mental health care.

Nobody cares about us: COVID-19 and voices of refugees from Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT Aotearoa New Zealand’s pandemic communication approach amidst the COVID-19 (C19) has been applauded around the world. The New Zealand government’s border controls and other measures in response to C19 impacted refugees at the margins and prevented people from accessing support services and healthcare. The sanctioned power to ‘care’ thus became a performative form of power for silencing through the dismissing of voices of refugees as being irrelevant. Experiences of refugees at the margins are constructed amid the erasure of community voices in dominant approaches to health. What was missing from the dominant discourses was the voice of the refugees, who had gone through painful experiences of displacement and resettlement. How did the refugee communities at the margins of Aotearoa New Zealand navigate through the prevailing structural impediments to health during the pandemic? In this study, we use a culture- centred analysis to centre the structural context of disenfranchisement during the COVID-19 lockdown. Drawing on in-depth interviews with refugee participants, we attend to how health is negotiated in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown response at the margins. Infectious diseases such asC19 lay bare the structural determinants that create health and well-being challenges among refugee communities in New Zealand. The narratives point out that the one-size-fits-all approach of the government left behind refugees at the margins during the C19 in the public health efforts.

Rural young males’ acceptance & receptiveness to technology-based interventions for dating violence prevention: A qualitative descriptive study

IntroductionRural youth are twice as likely as urban youth to experience some forms of teen dating violence (TDV), and significant barriers to accessing support services for physical, psychological, sexual violence. However, rural youth remain understudied and undersampled. Rural young men, in particular, are at risk for experiencing or perpetrating dating violence influenced by regional and sociocultural risk factors that promote male supremacy ideals while also impeding male help-seeking. Technology-based interventions circumvent some of these risk factors by offering confidential and reliable support. This study investigates rural young males’ acceptability of technology-based interventions for fostering healthy relationships and preventing dating abuse, including their preferences for intervention content and features. MethodsThree online focus groups (n = 14) and phone interviews (n = 13) were conducted with rural young males. Participants were stratified by age (15–17 and 18–24 year-olds). Most were White (81%) from the United States Midwest (65%). Semi-structured interview data were analyzed using Qualitative Description (QD), guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). ResultsThree themes identified were (1) Scarcity of Useful Resources, (2) Socio-Structural Challenges for Intervention Uptake, with two subthemes (2a) Rural-Specific Structural Barriers and (2b) Rural Masculinity Disrupting Help-seeking; (3) Finally, participants discussed Functionality and Design Needs, itemizing their intervention “must-have” in terms of content, resources, and features. ConclusionThis qualitative study identified obstacles and facilitators to using technology-based interventions for dating violence prevention among young rural males and offers pragmatic “ready-to-use” recommendations for the development of technology-based anti-dating violence interventions for rural youth.

The digital inclusion of older people in Spain: technological support services for seniors as predictor

AbstractWhile life expectancy increases in developed countries and there is evidence that demonstrates the potential of the internet to optimise or compensate for the losses associated with ageing, there is a high proportion of older people who continue to be disconnected from the digital world. In this scenario, the technological support offered by public institutions has the potential to be an accessible source for the digital literacy of older people. This study, using the model of digital inequality, had the aim of analysing the ability of these institutional supports to determine and predict the digital inclusion of older people. The sample was retired adults (over 54 years) residing in Spain who are users of technological support services in four organisational contexts: nursing homes, senior community centres, University Programs for Seniors and adult education programmes. Through binary logistic regression analysis, we found that the ability of the availability of literacy support to determine and predict access, autonomy, skills and use of the internet for social connectivity depends on the social and organisational context of the technology support service. These findings support empirically the situated nature of technological support for the digital inclusion of older people and provide a useful comparative vision for the design of accessible support services adapted to the needs of its users.