Applied Social Sciences Research Articles

Using a novel genetic algorithm to assess peer influence on willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis in networks of Black men who have sex with men

The DeGroot model for opinion diffusion over social networks dates back to the 1970s and models the mechanism by which information or disinformation spreads through a network, changing the opinions of the agents. Extensive research exists about the behavior of the DeGroot model and its variations over theoretical social networks; however, research on how to estimate parameters of this model using data collected from an observed network diffusion process is much more limited. Existing algorithms require large data sets that are often infeasible to obtain in public health or social science applications. In order to expand the use of opinion diffusion models to these and other applications, we developed a novel genetic algorithm capable of recovering the parameters of a DeGroot opinion diffusion process using small data sets, including those with missing data and more model parameters than observed time steps. We demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm on simulated data and data from a social network intervention leveraging peer influence to increase willingness to take pre-exposure prophylaxis in an effort to decrease transmission of human immunodeficiency virus among Black men who have sex with men.

Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for reducing parental substance misuse.

Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for reducing parental substance misuse.

Recent Advances in (Graphical) Network Models

Recently, (as measured by advances in quantitative methodology) Borsboom (2008) has proposed network analysis as an alternative to the latent variable model as a method for understanding the potentially complex relationships among a system of variables. Over the past five to eight years, there has been a veritable explosion in methodology and its application in social, behavioral, and health sciences (citation). This current issue contains nine articles and three commentaries on new methodology, critiques, and the evaluation of current techniques surrounding psychometric network models. In this introduction, I provide a brief overview of these papers and some suggestions on potential ways in which to move the field forward.

Psychological interventions for maternal depression among women of African and Caribbean origin: a systematic review

BackgroundMaternal depression is a leading cause of disease burden for women worldwide; however, there are ethnic inequalities in access to psychological interventions in high-income countries (HICs). Culturally appropriate interventions might prove beneficial for African and Caribbean women living in HICs as ethnic minorities.MethodsThe review strategy was formulated using the PICo (Population, phenomenon of Interest, and Context) framework with Boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT) to ensure rigour in the use of search terms (“postpartum depression”, “maternal depression”, “postnatal depression”, “perinatal depression” “mental health”, “psychotherapy” “intervention”, “treatment”, “black Caribbean”, “black African”, “mothers” and “women”). Five databases, including Scopus, PsycINFO, Applied Social Science Index and s (ASSIA), ProQuest Central and Web of Science, were searched for published articles between 2000 and July 2020. 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, and the relevant data extracted were synthesised and thematically analysed.ResultsData syntheses and analyses of included studies produced four themes, including (1) enhance parenting confidence and self-care; (2) effective mother–child interpersonal relationship; (3) culturally appropriate maternal care; and (4) internet-mediated care for maternal depression.ConclusionIn the quest to address maternal mental health disparities among mothers of African and Caribbean origin in HICs, the authors recommend culturally adapted psychological interventions to be tested in randomised control trials.

Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality as a Tool for Studying Bystander Behaviors in Interpersonal Violence: Scoping Review.

BackgroundTo provide participants with a more real and immersive intervening experience, virtual reality (VR) and/or augmented reality (AR) technologies have been integrated into some bystander intervention training programs and studies measuring bystander behaviors.ObjectiveWe focused on whether VR or AR can be used as a tool to enhance training bystanders. We reviewed the evidence from empirical studies that used VR and/or AR as a tool for examining bystander behaviors in the domain of interpersonal violence research.MethodsTwo librarians searched for articles in databases, including APA PsycInfo (Ovid), Criminal Justice s (EBSCO), Medline (Ovid), Applied Social Sciences Index & s (ProQuest), Sociological s (ProQuest), and Scopus till April 15, 2020. Studies focusing on bystander behaviors in conflict situations were included. All study types (except reviews) written in English in any discipline were included.ResultsThe search resulted in 12,972 articles from six databases, and the articles were imported into Covidence. Eleven studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All 11 articles examined the use of VR as a tool for studying bystander behaviors. Most of the studies were conducted in US young adults. The types of interpersonal violence were school bullying, dating violence, sexual violence/assault, and soccer-associated violence. VR technology was used as an observational measure and bystander intervention program. We evaluated the different uses of VR for bystander behaviors and noted a lack of empirical evidence for AR as a tool. We also discuss the empirical evidence regarding the design, effectiveness, and limitations of implementing VR as a tool in the reviewed studies.ConclusionsThe reviewed results have implications and recommendations for future research in designing and implementing VR/AR technology in the area of interpersonal violence. Future studies in this area may further contribute to the use of VR as an observational measure and explore the potential use of AR to study bystander behaviors.

Uma moeda, duas faces: Representações sociais da liberdade de cátedra no ensino superior do Brasil

Neste artigo, analisamos como professores(as) universitários representam socialmente a Liberdade de Cátedra na atividade docente. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, realizamos vinte entrevistas com professores(as) de cursos de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas na educação superior pública e privada no Brasil, respectivamente com nomes fictícios de UNIPUB e CENU. Tomamos como base de análise a Teoria das Representações Sociais e as quatro dimensões da Liberdade de Cátedra, a saber: ensinar, aprender, pesquisar e divulgar. Nossos achados demonstram pontos de convergência e divergência entre as duas instituições. Ambas centram a liberdade no professor, mas divergem quanto à presença de outros indivíduos no processo de ensino e aprendizagem e, portanto, na representação da Liberdade de Cátedra. Ademais, dimensões como pesquisar e divulgar demonstraram diferenças acentuadas, enquanto na CENU a pesquisa é uma atividade voltada para a composição da aula e a divulgação é uma atividade distante, na UNIPUB há caráter científico e crítico. Em linhas gerais, a liberdade é representada e guiada por diretrizes passíveis de gerar conflitos na CENU, enquanto na UNIPUB, há uma livre atuação que, por vezes, é utilizada de forma inadequada.

Equity considerations in outcome measures of the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis care continuum in high-income countries: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionHIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective intervention to reduce acquisition of HIV. PrEP provision has increased in recent years, however, it is not known whether PrEP implementation has been...

Theory and practical guidance for effective de-implementation of practices across health and care services: a realist synthesis

BackgroundHealth-care systems across the globe are facing increased pressures to balance the efficient use of resources and at the same time provide high-quality care. There is greater requirement for services to be evidence based, but practices that are of limited clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness still occur.ObjectivesOur objectives included completing a concept analysis of de-implementation, surfacing decision-making processes associated with de-implementing through stakeholder engagement, and generating an evidence-based realist programme theory of ‘what works’ in de-implementation.DesignA realist synthesis was conducted using an iterative stakeholder-driven four-stage approach. Phase 1 involved scoping the literature and conducting stakeholder interviews to develop the concept analysis and an initial programme theory. In Phase 2, systematic searches of the evidence were conducted to test and develop this theory, expressed in the form of contingent relationships. These are expressed as context–mechanism–outcomes to show how particular contexts or conditions trigger mechanisms to generate outcomes. Phase 3 consisted of validation and refinement of programme theories through stakeholder interviews. The final phase (i.e. Phase 4) formulated actionable recommendations for service leaders.ParticipantsIn total, 31 stakeholders (i.e. user/patient representatives, clinical managers, commissioners) took part in focus groups and telephone interviews.Data sourcesUsing keywords identified during the scoping work and concept analysis, searches of bibliographic databases were conducted in May 2018. The databases searched were the Cochrane Library, Campbell Collaboration, MEDLINE (via EBSCOhost), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (via EBSCOhost), the National Institute for Health Research Journals Library and the following databases via the ProQuest platform: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Social Sciences Database and Sociological Abstracts. Alerts were set up for the MEDLINE database from May 2018 to December 2018. Online sources were searched for grey literature and snowballing techniques were used to identify clusters of evidence.ResultsThe concept analysis showed that de-implementation is associated with five main components in context and over time: (1) what is being de-implemented, (2) the issues driving de-implementation, (3) the action characterising de-implementation, (4) the extent that de-implementation is planned or opportunistic and (5) the consequences of de-implementation. Forty-two papers were synthesised to identify six context–mechanism–outcome configurations, which focused on issues ranging from individual behaviours to organisational procedures. Current systems can perpetuate habitual decision-making practices that include low-value treatments. Electronic health records can be designed to hide or remove low-value treatments from choice options, foregrounding best evidence. Professionals can be made aware of their decision-making strategies through increasing their attention to low-value practice behaviours. Uncertainty about diagnosis or patients’ expectations for certain treatments provide opportunities for ‘watchful waiting’ as an active strategy to reduce inappropriate investigations and prescribing. The emotional component of clinician–patient relationships can limit opportunities for de-implementation, requiring professional support through multimodal educational interventions. Sufficient alignment between policy, public and professional perspectives is required for de-implementation success.LimitationsSome specific clinical issues (e.g. de-prescribing) dominate the de-implementation evidence base, which may limit the transferability of the synthesis findings. Any realist inquiry generates findings that are essentially cumulative and should be developed through further investigation that extends the range of sources into, for example, clinical research and further empirical studies.ConclusionsThis review contributes to our understanding of how de-implementation of low-value procedures and services can be improved within health-care services, through interventions that make professional decision-making more accountable and the prominence of a whole-system approach to de-implementation. Given the whole-system context of de-implementation, a range of different dissemination strategies will be required to engage with different stakeholders, in different ways, to change practice and policy in a timely manner.Study registrationThis study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42017081030.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full inHealth Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 2. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Respite care and short breaks for young adults aged 18–40 with complex health-care needs: mixed-methods systematic review and conceptual framework development

Background The number of young adults with complex health-care needs due to life-limiting conditions/complex physical disability has risen significantly over the last 15 years, as more children now survive into adulthood. The transition from children to adult services may disrupt provision of essential respite/short break care for this vulnerable population, but the impact on young adults, families and providers is unclear. Aim To review the evidence on respite care provision for young adults (aged 18–40 years) with complex health-care needs, provide an evidence gap analysis and develop a conceptual framework for respite care. Design A two-stage mixed-methods systematic review, including a knowledge map of respite care and an evidence review of policy, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and experience. Data sources Electronic databases and grey/unpublished literature were searched from 2002 to September 2019. The databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Health Management Information Consortium, PROSPERO, Turning Research into Practice, COnNECT+, British Nursing Index, Web of Science, Social Care Online, the National Institute for Health Research Journals Library, Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care specialist register, databases on The Cochrane Library and international clinical trials registers. Additional sources were searched using the CLUSTER (Citations, Lead authors, Unpublished materials, Scholar search, Theories, Early examples, Related projects) approach and an international ‘call for evidence’. Methods and analysis Multiple independent reviewers used the SPICE (Setting, Perspective, Intervention/phenomenon of interest, Comparison, Evaluation) framework to select and extract evidence for each stage, verified by a third reviewer. Study/source characteristics and outcomes were extracted. Study quality was assessed using relevant tools. Qualitative evidence was synthesised using a framework approach and UK policy was synthesised using documentary content analysis. GRADE-CERQual (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research) was used to assess confidence in the evidence. Logic models developed for each type of respite care constituted the conceptual framework. Results We identified 69 sources (78 records) from 126,267 records. The knowledge map comprised the following types of respite care: residential, home based, day care, community, leisure/social provision, funded holidays and emergency. Seven policy intentions included early transition planning and prioritising respite care according to need. No evidence was found on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Qualitative evidence focused largely on residential respite care. Facilitators of accessible/acceptable services included trusted and valued relationships, independence and empowerment of young adults, peer social interaction, developmental/age-appropriate services and high standards of care. Barriers included transition to adult services, paperwork, referral/provision delay and travelling distance. Young adults from black, Asian and minority ethnic populations were under-represented. Poor transition, such as loss of or inappropriate services, was contrary to statutory expectations. Potential harms included stress and anxiety related to safe care, frustration and distress arising from unmet needs, parental exhaustion, and a lack of opportunities to socialise and develop independence. Limitations No quantitative or mixed-methods evidence was found on effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of respite care. There was limited evidence on planned and emergency respite care except residential. Conclusions Policy intentions are more comprehensively met for young people aged < 18 years who are accessing children’s services. Young adults with complex needs often ‘fall off a cliff’ following service withdrawal and this imbalance needs addressing. Future work Research to quantify the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of respite care to support service development and commissioning. Development of a core set of outcomes measures to support future collation of evidence. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42018088780. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 6. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Conexões de saberes e o ensino de Geografia: um relato de experiência

RESUMO: Este trabalho tem como objetivo trazer para o debate as implicações do ensino de geografia no Programa Conexões de Saberes da Universidade Federal de Alagoas junto ao relato de experiência da monitoria. O referido Programa contribui para a preparação do conexista na área do ENEM Ciências Humanas e Sociais aplicadas e possibilita um conhecimento crítico do espaço geográfico em que vivemos, desenvolvendo a capacidade de analisar, avaliar e interpretar o espaço vivido em transformação. O objetivo do relato de experiência é descrever a experiência vivida durante o período de dois anos como monitora do Programa. Assim como destacar a relevância da vivencia nas salas de aula, nos aulões, fazendo com que o monitor buscasse melhorar cada vez mais a pratica docente. 
 PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Ensino de geografia, Conexões de Saberes, Curricularização.

Systematic Literature Searching in Social Work: A Practical Guide With Database Appraisal

Context:In response to the growth of evidence-based practice in social work, systematic literature reviews offer significant value to social work but are often met with concerns of time scarcity.Purpose:Through a case study search strategy addressing the research question “What are practicing frontline social workers’ experiences of bureaucracy?,” this article seeks to promote efficiency by providing a practical guide for conducting systematic literature searches and an appraisal of database performance in qualitative social work research.Method:The total citations, unique hits, sensitivity, and precision for each database were calculated before conducting a cross-study comparison with three previously published social work systematic searches to identify emerging performance trends.Results/Conclusion:Relying on a single database is subject to bias and will not provide comprehensive or sensitive findings; however, due to consistent high performance across four systematic searches, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Science Citation Index are recommended for future literature searching in social work.

Maximizing cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma evolutionary game via optimal control.

The prisoner's dilemma (PD) game offers a simple paradigm of competition between two players who can either cooperate or defect. Since defection is a strict Nash equilibrium, it is an asymptotically stable state of the replicator dynamical system that uses the PD payoff matrix to define the fitness landscape of two interacting evolving populations. The dilemma arises from the fact that the average payoff of this asymptotically stable state is suboptimal. Coaxing the players to cooperate would result in a higher payoff for both. Here we develop an optimal control theory for the prisoner's dilemma evolutionary game in order to maximize cooperation (minimize the defector population) over a given cycle time T, subject to constraints. Our two time-dependent controllers are applied to the off-diagonal elements of the payoff matrix in a bang-bang sequence that dynamically changes the game being played by dynamically adjusting the payoffs, with optimal timing that depends on the initial population distributions. Over multiple cycles nT (n>1), the method is adaptive as it uses the defector population at the end of the nth cycle to calculate the optimal schedule over the n+1st cycle. The control method, based on Pontryagin's maximum principle, can be viewed as determining the optimal way to dynamically alter incentives and penalties in order to maximize the probability of cooperation in settings that track dynamic changes in the frequency of strategists, with potential applications in evolutionary biology, economics, theoretical ecology, social sciences, reinforcement learning, and other fields where the replicator system is used.

The Current State and Diagnostic Accuracy of Digital Mental Health Assessment Tools for Psychiatric Disorders: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BackgroundDespite the rapidly growing number of digital assessment tools for screening and diagnosing mental health disorders, little is known about their diagnostic accuracy.ObjectiveThe purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to establish the diagnostic accuracy of question- and answer-based digital assessment tools for diagnosing a range of highly prevalent psychiatric conditions in the adult population.MethodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) will be used. The focus of the systematic review is guided by the population, intervention, comparator, and outcome framework (PICO). We will conduct a comprehensive systematic literature search of MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Library, Applied Social Sciences Index and s (ASSIA), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) for appropriate articles published from January 1, 2005. Two authors will independently screen the titles and abstracts of identified references and select studies according to the eligibility criteria. Any inconsistencies will be discussed and resolved. The two authors will then extract data into a standardized form. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool, and a descriptive analysis and meta-analysis will summarize the diagnostic accuracy of the identified digital assessment tools.ResultsThe systematic review and meta-analysis commenced in November 2020, with findings expected by May 2021.ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis will summarize the diagnostic accuracy of question- and answer-based digital assessment tools. It will identify implications for clinical practice, areas for improvement, and directions for future research.Trial RegistrationPROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020214724; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020214724.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/25382

Применение суперкомпьютерных технологий для моделирования социально-экономических систем

In order to сover a more wide thematic audience of the journal Economy of Regiona, the authors Okrepilov V. V., Makarov V. L., Bakhtizin A. R., Kuzmina S.N. of the paper Application of Supercomputer Technologies for Simulation Of Socio-Economic Systems, published in the 2nd Issue, 2015 used the materials of previously published paper “Supercomputer Technologies Application in Social Sciences”, Economics and Mathematical Methods, Vol.49 (4), 2013 and “Supercomputer Technologies Application in Social Sciences”, UPRAVLENIE / MANAGEMENT (Russia), Issue 2, 2014 (DOI 10.12737/4167). The works used the same methods developed by the authors, but different results were obtained. A link to a previously published articles is included in the electronic version of the article Okrepilov V. V., Makarov V. L., Bakhtizin A. R., Kuzmina S.N. (2015). Application of Supercomputer Technologies for Simulation Of Socio-Economic Systems. Economy of Region [Economy of region], 2, 301-312.

On Perspectives of the Interdisciplinary Synthesis in Social Sciences at the End of the 20th Century

When in the last two decades of the 20th century new ideas on complexity had started to diffuse in social sciences, the economic thought became a typical area of interdisciplinary research in which the concepts of chaos, nonlinear movement, turbulence, and instability became best to apply. The article looks at how the approach of complexity has been implemented in the Santa Fe interdisciplinary project almost in it’s first ten years between two major workshops on the economy as an evolving complex system. At first it concentrates on general issues of complexity discussed by natural and social scientists in Santa Fe Institute accepting all of them as certain bias for the epistemological breach. Then it turns to the several topics, which problematized the Santa Fe thought in particular and made it unique among the scholars who have adopted the new concepts proposed by complexity science. It also argues that the term of so called “restricted complexity” applied by some epistemologists to characterize a limited score of research topics in Santa Fe is far from being adequate. Although all developments were not equally successful, they did turn out to have enormous resonance in terms of extensive theoretical and practical pertinence and broad areas of application in social sciences even then the complexity approach was challenged by widely spread revision inspired by Niklas Luhmann legacy. Based on a body of work of Brian Arthur and John Holland and their colleagues from Stanford and Massachusetts where complexity has been understood in ways of system behavior, the article presents a complex adaptive system not as the opposite but as a source and confederate of certain order.

Changes and Impact of Minimum Publication Requirements for University Full Professor Applications in Social Sciences in Hungary

On 1 Septem­ber 2020, the Guidelines for the pre­par­a­tion and eval­u­ation of uni­versity full pro­fessor ap­plic­a­tions, as amended by the Hun­garian Ac­cred­it­a­tion Com­mit­tee's De­cision 2020/6/IV/2 and ad­op­ted by the Board De­cision 2019/5/VII/4, entered into force. The re­vised re­quire­ment sys­tem rep­res­ents the trans­form­a­tion of the pre­vi­ous bench­marks. The focus of aca­demic per­form­ance has shif­ted to journal pub­lic­a­tions but bey­ond do­mestic pub­lic­a­tions, in­ter­na­tional pub­lic­a­tions – a pre­requis­ite for in­ter­na­tional vis­ib­il­ity and a prom­in­ent place in qual­ity rank­ing – have also be­come a con­di­tion for achiev­ing aca­demic de­grees. The present study ex­am­ines the im­pact and con­sequences of the new re­quire­ments on uni­versity full pro­fessor ap­plic­a­tions and, more broadly, on in­ter­na­tional aca­demic re­cog­ni­tion, through the pub­lic­a­tion activ­it­ies of lec­tur­ers at Hun­garian uni­versit­ies with a pro­file in eco­nom­ics and so­cial sci­ences. Does the “new” reg­u­la­tion of the Hun­garian Ac­cred­it­a­tion Com­mit­tee af­fect the sci­entific pro­gress of the in­di­vidual and the com­munity or in­sti­tu­tion?

The Effectiveness of Multiple Risk Behaviour Interventions for People with Severe Mental Illness (HEALTH Study): Systematic Review and Component Network Meta-Analysis

Background: People with severe mental illness die 15-20 years earlier than the general population. This excess mortality is explained largely by preventable physical health conditions. Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions that target risk behaviours in people with SMI is a global health priority. Interventions focussing on single behaviours may be ineffective in changing health outcomes. No systematic review has compared the effectiveness of targeting multiple or single risk behaviours in this population. Methods: We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Science Citation Index in March 2020 and Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) in September 2020. We included randomised controlled trials of single or multiple health risk behaviour interventions in people with SMI. The study is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018104724). We conducted network meta-analyses to compare effectiveness of interventions targeting multiple and single risk behaviours. Findings: We included 67 RCTs. Just over half of studies had high overall risk of bias. Trials focusing on smoking alone led to greater smoking abstinence than targeting smoking and other behaviours. However, heterogeneity means we cannot rule out other interpretations explanations. For weight loss (e.g. any risk behaviour intervention: -2.10 kg, 95% CrI -3.14, -1.06) and BMI (e.g. any risk behaviour intervention: -0.49, 95% CrI -0.97, -0.01) all risk behaviour interventions had positive but modest benefits compared with treatment as usual. There were potential synergies for targeting multiple health behaviours for reduction in systolic blood pressure. We found no evidence of a deterioration in mental health for people with SMI engaging in these interventions. Interpretation: Multiple and single risk behaviour interventions were associated with positive but modest benefits. Targeting smoking alone appeared to be more effective, but few studies assessed behavioural outcomes. Interventions were not associated with deterioration in mental health. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests.

The Role of Social Programs in Saudi Arabia to Prevent Domestic Violence, Compared to Developed Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

Prevention of domestic violence should be taken seriously, for it affects families, which are the foundation of communities. The purpose of this review is to investigate and synthesize data from studies to compare the interventions and roles played by social programs in preventing domestic violence in Saudi Arabia with those in some developed countries, notably the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The aim of the review is to identify the differences of the role played by the social programs in Saudi Arabia and those of developed countries, so as to provide information to social programs in Saudi Arabia on how better to prevent domestic violence. The study searched for literature material from Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), Cochrane, PubMed, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and grey literature from international websites such as the United Nations, World Health Organization and other databases. Studies that reported on social programs that prevent domestic violence in Saudi Arabia and developed countries were included in this review. The search provided 4568 research studies, though only 20 of these met the right criteria and were reviewed. Despite there being social programs in Saudi Arabia that prevent domestic violence, there is a need for more research on how to eradicate this form of violence.

Maternal mental health and child well-being in Nigeria: A systematic review.

Maternal mental health distress has a disease burden of severe adverse effects for both mother and child. This review identified maternal mental health concerns, their impact on child growth and the current practice of maternal healthcare for both mothers and their children in Nigeria. The Population, phenomenon of Interest and Context (PICo) model was adopted to formulate the review strategy, and five databases were searched for published articles between 1999 and 2019. Databases include Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, Applied Social Science Index and s and Web of Science. Boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT) helped to ensure rigorous use of search terms which include ‘maternal’, ‘pre/peri/postnatal’, ‘mental health’, ‘mental illness’, ‘disorders’, ‘intervention,’ ‘Nigeria’, ‘child’, ‘infant growth’, and ‘wellbeing’. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, and extracted data were qualitatively synthesised and analysed thematically. Five themes emerged. These include (i) marital difficulties, (ii) relationship status of the mother, (iii) child’s gender, (iv) mode of child delivery and (v) child growth and development. The review showed a significant paucity of literature on the impact of specific maternal mental health problems on child physical growth and cognitive development. We concluded that culturally appropriate and evidence-based psychological interventions for maternal mental health problems would benefit Nigerian indigenous mothers. Therefore, the study recommends randomised controlled trials that are culturally appropriate and cost-effective for distressed mothers with children.

Fluxo temporal de termos relevantes

O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi analisar se há uma variação temporal característica da distribuição de valores de termos relevantes ao longo do tempo da produção de textos que possa contribuir como um critério para o processo de sua indexação automática. Foram analisadas as teses de doutorado dos programas de pós-graduação (PPGs) da área de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas da UFMG, considerando-se 7 PPGs distintos, sendo cada um deles um corpus, com um total de 641 teses defendidas período de 12 anos, de 2007 a 2018. Os termos considerados foram todos os sintagmas nominais contidos nos próprios textos das teses. Cada sintagma nominal recebeu um valor associado à sua relevância como descritor de acordo com os critérios de frequência do termo na própria tese (TF - Term Frequency) e com o inverso da frequência de ocorrência do termo no total de teses de cada PPG (IDF - Inverse Document Frequency). As teses foram divididas em 12 grupos em cada PPG para o cálculo da data média de defesa das teses e da média de pontuação consolidada dos termos relevantes nas teses. Como resultados, identificou-se o comportamento característico de cada PPG através de um gráfico de dispersão do nível médio de pontuação de relevância ao longo do tempo. Para cada gráfico de cada um dos 7 PPGs foi adicionada uma linha de tendência, considerando seu respectivo R², e feita sua análise específica. Todos os comportamentos de distribuição temporais foram caracterizados em equações polinomiais e podem ser aplicados como critério para indexação automática.