Applied Social Sciences Research Articles

Evidências sobre os Riscos Psicossociais e o Teletrabalho

Introduction Teleworking is a reality for many workers around the world, and although it has advantages, there are recent studies indicating that it can have a negative impact on workers’ mental health, increasing the risk of anxiety, depression and stress. Methodology ​​A literature search was conducted in March 2023 in the Scopus, SciELO, PePSIC, PsycInfo, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) and Web of Science databases. Contents Telework allows the execution of work tasks without the need to physically move to the workplace. It is a practice that has advantages such as greater flexibility, autonomy, cost reduction and increased productivity, but can also have disadvantages and psychosocial risks for workers. The COVID-19 pandemic was a milestone of revolution in several aspects worldwide and, in this particular context, it marked a massive adoption of the Telework model by several companies. However, it is imperative to define strategies to prevent psychosocial risks and implement a sustainable model in order to ensure the physical and psychological well-being of individuals. The selected articles highlight as the main psychosocial risk factors the “work-family” conflict and its and demands. Discussion and Conclusions It is important that all health professionals, and in particular occupational health physicians, recognize the main psychosocial risks associated with Telework. Only through the development and implementation of preventive measures will be possible to minimize the consequences of telework and ensure a healthy working environment for all employees. Keywords: Psychosocial Risks, Telework, Occupational Health, Mental Health, Occupational Medicine, Occupational Nursing.

Teaching-learning in the pandemic period

The Covid-19 pandemic caused global changes in the teaching-learning process at all levels, including higher education. In view of this scenario, the research carried out aimed to compare the perception of professors and students in relation to the teaching-learning process in face-to-face undergraduate courses in the area of Applied Social Sciences in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, which was carried out in a remote due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For that, a quantitative and descriptive research was used, operationalized through a cross-sectional survey. The sample analyzed was composed of 36 valid respondents, 17 professors and 19 students. For data analysis, Pearson's chi-square test with Monte Carlo adjustment and the Mann-Whitney U test were used. The results showed that the perception of professors and students regarding the remote teaching-learning process differs in terms of prior preparation for said change (p=0.031), indicating that professors had less time/conditions to adapt. The findings also suggest that in the future there will be more remote hours in courses in the mentioned area due to theoretical disciplines, minimization of costs and scope of remote classes.

From Sequences to Variables: Rethinking the Relationship between Sequences and Outcomes

Sequence analysis is increasingly used in the social sciences for the holistic analysis of life-course and other longitudinal data. The usual approach is to construct sequences, calculate dissimilarities, group similar sequences with cluster analysis, and use cluster membership as a dependent or independent variable in a regression model. This approach may be problematic, as cluster memberships are assumed to be fixed known characteristics of the subjects in subsequent analyses. Furthermore, it is often more reasonable to assume that individual sequences are mixtures of multiple ideal types rather than equal members of some group. Failing to account for uncertain and mixed memberships may lead to wrong conclusions about the nature of the studied relationships. In this article, the authors bring forward and discuss the problems of the “traditional” use of sequence analysis clusters as variables and compare four approaches for creating explanatory variables from sequence dissimilarities using different types of data. The authors conduct simulation and empirical studies, demonstrating the importance of considering how sequences and outcomes are related and the need to adjust analyses accordingly. In many typical social science applications, the traditional approach is prone to result in wrong conclusions, and similarity-based approaches such as representativeness should be preferred.

Volunteering in prisons: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BackgroundIndividuals from the community who volunteer within prisons are an understudied population, despite previous research indicating the increase in involvement of the penal voluntary sector and benefits to both prisons and prisoners from effective implementation of volunteer programmes. ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify the characteristics, motivations and experiences of individuals who volunteer in prisons. Study designThis was a systematic review conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. MethodsPeer-reviewed publications were identified through searchers of five electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts and Social Sciences Database) without date restrictions, supplemented by hand searching and reference checking of retrieved articles. Explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria determined study eligibility. Study quality was appraised using standard tools. A narrative synthesis was conducted, and motivations were organised according to the Volunteer Function Inventory. ResultsEight studies (five qualitative and three quantitative) reported a total of 764 volunteers across five countries. More than half of the included studies investigated individuals providing primarily religious volunteer support; volunteers in these studies were typically middle aged, White and female. Prison volunteers frequently described motivations related to altruistic or humanitarian values, as well as social reasons. Positive experiences of volunteering were related to personal benefits to volunteers. Negative experiences were related to a lack of support and challenges in volunteers’ relationships with prison staff. ConclusionsPrison volunteer programmes have the ability to improve the psychological health of prisoners and provide a range of potential benefits to penal systems and volunteers themselves, but research on individuals who volunteer in prisons is limited. Difficulties in the volunteer role could be mitigated by developing formal induction and training packages, promoting closer integration with paid prison staff and providing ongoing supervision. Interventions to improve the volunteer experience should be developed and evaluated.

IMPACTS OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM APPROACH ON PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS IN ADEYEMI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ONDO

Modern teaching and learning methods now follow new trends as a result of the world's rapid advancements in information and educational technologies. Flipped classroom teaching and learning pedagogy is one of the most effective ways of enhancing students' active engagement in the teaching and learning process. This study examined the impacts of the flipped classroom approach as a way of developing problem solving skills among pre-service teachers in Nigeria. The study employed a mixed methods approach. The researchers' Flip Learning Attitude Measure and the Algebra Achievement Test were used to get quantitative data, while the Focus Group Discussion was used to gather qualitative information. The Statistical Package for Social Science application was used to compute and analyze the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and t-test, while thematic content analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data. The study included 88 pre-service teachers in all. The findings shows that the flipped classroom approach has a favorable impact on pre-service teachers' academic performance, attitude, and perspective on Mathematics. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that Mathematics lecturers should adopt flipped classroom approach as a student-driven instructional approach capable of sustaining students’ interest and improving academic achievement.

Environmental education in the light of the Institutional Theory

The qualitative-quantitative case study, descriptive, and exploratory research was carried out in the Applied Social Sciences courses, through document analysis, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The Institutional Theory was used, allowing the analysis on the contribution of the Burns and Scapes (2000) model. Considering the applicability of their categories, the institutionalisation of the encoding stage in the Political Pedagogical Programmes of the courses is confirmed, whereas the enacting, reproduction, and institutionalisation are not attended. The model is validated because the process of institutionalisation of the Environmental Education was assessed. The institutionalisation of the EE provides change to HEIs, professors, and students.

Combine Journal Data to Support Reference and Instruction

This paper describes how to match journal lists from different data sources efficiently in four steps. The description is offered as an introduction to data matching techniques using Microsoft Excel and Access. An example application is offered to demonstrate why journal data matching is relevant for reference and instruction. The example is a comparison of two indexes, Social Services s and Applied Social Sciences Index and s. The indexes are compared to each other, and both are compared to library holdings and interlibrary loan data.

Clinicians’ Views on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy: A Mixed Method Systematic Review

This mixed methods systematic review aimed to provide insight into the clinicians’ views and experiences of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Seven electronic databases (PsychINFO, Public MEDLINE [PubMed], Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL], Scopus, Web of Science and Excerpta Medica Database [EMBASE], and Applied Social Sciences Index) and grey literature (ProQuest and Google Scholar) were searched systematically from inception to October 2021. Quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and a convergent integrated approach was used to synthesize and integrate the data. In total, 14 studies were included: 7 qualitative, 5 mixed methods, and 2 quantitative, encompassing 1,065 participants. Thematic synthesis generated two overarching themes and seven subthemes. The first theme related to the facilitators and barriers clinicians experience in adopting and implementing EMDR, including the role of organizational support, clinician confidence, primary theoretical orientation, and client suitability and preparedness. The second theme related to the perceived advantages of EMDR, including rapid results and positive outcomes, client empowerment, and getting to the root of the issue. This review provides a helpful insight into the factors that influence the dissemination and implementation of psychological therapeutic approaches.

Suicides by pesticide ingestion in Pakistan and the impact of pesticide regulation

IntroductionSuicide is a major public health problem in Pakistan, accounting to approximately 19,331 deaths every year. Many are due to consumption of acutely toxic pesticides; however, there is a lack of national suicide data, limiting knowledge and potential for intervention. In this paper, we aimed to review the literature on pesticide self-poisoning in Pakistan to identify the most problematic pesticides in relation to national pesticide regulations.MethodsInformation on the currently registered and banned pesticides was obtained from Ministry of National Food Security and Research while data on pesticide import and use was extracted from FAOSTAT. We searched the following sources for articles and research papers on poisoning in Pakistan: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Google Scholar, Applied Social Sciences Index and s (ASSIA), Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE (PUBMED), PS102YCHINFO and Pakmedinet.com using the search terms ‘self-poisoning’, ‘deliberate self-harm’, ‘suicide’, ‘methods and means of suicide’, ‘organophosphate’, ‘wheat pill’, ‘aluminium phosphide’, ‘acute poisoning’, OR ‘pesticides’, AND ‘Pakistan’.ResultsAs of May 2021, 382 pesticide active ingredients (substances) were registered in Pakistan, of which five were WHO hazard class Ia (extremely hazardous) and 17 WHO hazard class Ib (highly hazardous). Twenty-six pesticides, four formulations, and seven non-registered pesticides had been banned, of which two were WHO class Ia and five Ib. We identified 106 hospital-level studies of poisoning conducted in Pakistan, of which 23 did not mention self-poisoning cases and one reported no suicidal poisoning cases. We found no community or forensic medicine studies. Of 52,323 poisoning cases identified in these papers, 24,546 [47%] were due to pesticides. The most commonly identified pesticide classes were organophosphorus (OP) insecticides (13,816 cases, 56%) and the fumigant aluminium phosphide (3 g 56% tablets, often termed ‘wheat pills’; 686 cases, 2.7%). Few studies identified the particular pesticides involved or the resulting case fatality.ConclusionWe found pesticide poisoning to be a major cause of poisoning in Pakistan, with OP insecticides and the fumigant aluminium phosphide the main pesticides identified. Withdrawal of Class I pesticides (as proposed to occur nationally in 2022) and high concentration aluminium phosphide tablets should rapidly reduce suicidal deaths by reducing the case fatality for low-intention poisoning cases. National cause of death data and forensic toxicology laboratory data identifying the pesticides responsible for deaths will be important to assess impacts of the proposed national ban.

Knowledge Hierarchies and Gender Disparities in Social Science Funding

This article examines the relationship between knowledge hierarchies and gender stratification in research funding. Through a mixed-methods study combining data on 5460 funded and unfunded social science applications submitted to a research council in Western Europe, and nine interviews with current and former council members, we explore how applicants’ disciplinary, thematic and methodological orientations intersect with gender to shape funding opportunities. Descriptive analysis indicates that women’s proposals are underfunded, with a relative gender difference of around 20%. Using computational text analysis and mediation analysis, we approximate that around one-third of this disparity may be attributed to gender differences in disciplinary focus, thematic specialisations and methodologies. The interviews with council members allow us to make sense of these disparities and expose the disciplinary hierarchies and power struggles at play in the council, sometimes resulting in a devaluation of qualitative methods and, more broadly, interpretive, descriptive and exploratory approaches in proposal assessments.

Pengaruh Konversi Bank Konvensional Menjadi Bank Syariah Terhadap Minat Masyarakat Menjadi Nasabah (Studi Kasus Di Kecamatan Timang Gajah Kabupaten Bener Meriah)

This study aims to determine the effect of converting conventional banks into Islamic banks on public interest in becoming customers (Case Study in Timang Gajah District, Bener Meriah Regency). This study uses primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires to 100 respondents. The type of research is quantitative using non probability sampling method in the form of accidental sampling in determining the sample. The data analysis method used is simple linear regression with the help of the Statistical For Social Science (SPSS) Application Program. Partial research results show that the conversion of conventional banks into Islamic banks has a positive and significant effect on public interest in becoming customers in Timang Gajah District, Bener Meriah Regency. Judging from the adjusted R square (R2) value is 68.1% while the remaining 31.9% is influenced by othe r variables outside this study.

Introduction to the special issue

At the crossroads of fast-paced communication trends and the partnerships EFSA has forged with its peer organisations globally, social sciences evolved to become an integrated part of the organisation’s work - the topic also grew to become a salient part of the scientific programme of EFSA conferences. Organised every three to four years, the latter aim to bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss key food safety topics and share knowledge, data and expertise. Most recently, the ONE Conference held in Brussels 21-24 June 2022, offered the opportunity to do so as part of the session on ‘Putting science into context – the future of social sciences in risk analysis’. In this special issue, we wish to highlight some of the key points discussed and offer the opportunity for conference speakers, coming from organisations that inspired the evolution of social science at EFSA, to further elaborate the evidence-based approaches employed to strengthen communication and engagement in their work. We also welcome commentaries of established experts in this area on key conference takeaways and ways forward to continuously improve the application of humanities and social sciences in regulatory organisations working in the realm of food regulation, food safety and public health and nutrition.

Documentos de patente como fonte de informação em artigos da área das Ciências Sociais Aplicadas

Purpose of the study: To analyze how Applied Social Sciences (ASS) field uses patent documents in articles, in addition to non-patent literature.Methodology/approach: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was carried out, by selecting articles statistically analyzed regarding the year of publication, authors’ nationality and knowledge area. Articles from the ASS area which explore technical information of patent documents were qualitatively analyzed as for content and ways patent information was used.Originality/Relevance: The use of technical information present in patent documents is unusual in articles, in which bibliographic references prevail as the main data source. Knowledge fields with interdisciplinary profile lack specific studies.Main results: The results obtained point that the ASS area explores little technical patent information, with patentometric studies prevailing. Articles that explore technical information observe on average one patent document, with a matter description based on textual data obtained from the title or abstract.Theoretical/methodological contributions: Systematization of SLR selected articles that allowed performing relevant quantitative analysis to understand how ASS researchers use information obtained from patent documents (metric analysis or exploration of technical information) for the construction of scientific knowledge.Social Contributions/Management Contributions: Potential opportunity to offer actions and tools to help students and researchers towards exploring patent bases in order to select documents relevant to the research topic.

Flexibility within fidelity: A narrative review of practitioner modifications to child welfare interventions

PurposeAlthough there is a growing number of evidence-based interventions in child welfare, their outcomes are impacted by the level of implementation fidelity. Research demonstrates that it is vital to understand the type and degree of adaptations and modifications made during implementation. This narrative review examined articles where child welfare practitioners implemented an intervention. It analysed how practitioners modified the intervention, their reasons for the modification, and the effects on fidelity. Understanding the commonalities and reasons for these modifications will enhance the likelihood of successful implementation in child welfare systems. Design and methodsA systematic search was conducted using the Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA), ERIC, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Social Science Database, and Social Services Abstracts electronic databases. The search was limited to qualitative and mixed-methods journal articles in the English language. The search terms were “evidence-based”, “evidence-informed”, “research informed”, “empirically supported”, “evidence-supported” and “implement”, with derivations such as implementation, and “child protection”, “child welfare”, or “protective services”.Studies were included if their focus was on practitioners implementing an intervention in a child welfare setting. Studies were excluded if their focus was not on child welfare; if they were non-research articles, theses/dissertations, or interventional studies; or if the focus was not on the process of implementation. The data were extracted into a matrix based on the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME). ResultsSeventeen articles based on 15 studies were reviewed. All the studies reported some form of modification to the intervention by practitioners. Two main categories of modifications were identified: those based on practitioners’ needs and those based on client needs. Practitioners were highly focused on enhancing the feasibility of interventions to help manage their large workloads. Practitioners also valued client relationships and prioritised those relationships over fidelity. Few interventions addressed the complex needs of child welfare clients, leading to further adaptation. Fidelity was most influenced by practitioners holding a conceptual understanding of the intervention and its core principles. These practitioners made thoughtful adaptations to enhance the intervention without affecting fidelity. Practice implicationsThe findings showed clear gaps in research. Further research should report on practitioner modifications and measures of fidelity, study the minimum length of effectiveness for interventions, and focus on developing interventions that address multi-morbidity. Finally, the findings showed that the primary barriers for practitioners using interventions with fidelity were organisational barriers. Practitioners were unlikely to use interventions when balancing too many competing priorities.

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: Their Role in Explainable Artificial Intelligence

Currently, artificial intelligence is facing several problems with its practical implementation in various application domains. The explainability of advanced artificial intelligence algorithms is a topic of paramount importance, and many discussions have been held recently. Pioneering and classical machine learning and deep learning models behave as black boxes, constraining the logical interpretations that the end users desire. Artificial intelligence applications in industry, medicine, agriculture, and social sciences require the users’ trust in the systems. Users are always entitled to know why and how each method has made a decision and which factors play a critical role. Otherwise, they will always be wary of using new techniques. This paper discusses the nature of fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs), a soft computational method to model human knowledge and provide decisions handling uncertainty. Though FCMs are not new to the field, they are evolving and incorporate recent advancements in artificial intelligence, such as learning algorithms and convolutional neural networks. The nature of FCMs reveals their supremacy in transparency, interpretability, transferability, and other aspects of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods. The present study aims to reveal and defend the explainability properties of FCMs and to highlight their successful implementation in many domains. Subsequently, the present study discusses how FCMs cope with XAI directions and presents critical examples from the literature that demonstrate their superiority. The study results demonstrate that FCMs are both in accordance with the XAI directives and have many successful applications in domains such as medical decision-support systems, precision agriculture, energy savings, environmental monitoring, and policy-making for the public sector.

Global Prevalence and Mental Health Outcomes of Intimate Partner Violence Among Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the magnitude of the association between types of intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health outcomes and shed light on the large variation in IPV prevalence rates between low- to middle-income countries and high-income countries. The study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. The following databases were searched for this study: Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts. The inclusion criteria for this study are as follows: quantitative studies published from 2012 to 2020 on IPV exposure in women aged 16+, using validated measures. Random effects meta-analyses and subgroup analysis exploring heterogeneity across population groups in different economic contexts are used in this study. In all, 201 studies were included with 250,599 women, primarily from high-income countries. Higher prevalence rates were reported for women's lifetime IPV than past year IPV. Lifetime psychological violence was the most prevalent form of IPV. Women in the community reported the highest prevalence for physical, psychological, and sexual violence in the past year compared to clinical groups. Perinatal women were most likely to have experienced lifetime physical IPV. Prevalence rates differed significantly (p = .037 to <.001) for "any IPV" and all subtypes by income country level. Meta-analysis suggested increased odds for all mental health outcomes associated with IPV including depression (odds ratio [OR] = 2.04-3.14), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (OR = 2.15-2.66), and suicidality (OR = 2.17-5.52). Clinical and community populations were exposed to high prevalence of IPV and increased likelihood of depression, PTSD, and suicidality. Future research should seek to understand women's perspectives on service/support responses to IPV to address their mental health needs. Work with IPV survivors should be carried out to develop bespoke services to reduce IPV in groups most at risk such as pregnant and/or help-seeking women.

A multivariate hierarchical regionalization method to discovering spatiotemporal patterns

ABSTRACT In GIScience, the regionalization method is widely used for geographical data mining, spatiotemporal pattern discovery, and regional studies. An ideal regionalization method should consider spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, and attribute similarity. Existing regionalization approaches mostly focus on spatial contiguity and attribute similarity while ignoring the temporal contiguity characteristics of geographic phenomena. We propose a multivariate spatiotemporal regionalization (STR) method that considers spatiotemporal contiguity and attribute similarity. We design a bottom – up unsupervised multivariate hierarchical clustering algorithm with constraints using spatiotemporal proximity rules, enabling the automatic regionalization of spatiotemporal data. To test the performance of the STR method, we applied it to a synthetic dataset and a real-world dataset (Chinese air pollutant data) and achieved ideal results. Such a method offers a spatiotemporal perspective to address regionalization or clustering problems, potentially supporting other applications in spatiotemporal data analysis, remote sensing, urban planning, and social science.

The Role of Animal Health Components in a Biosurveillance System: Concept and Demonstration

Biosurveillance defines the process of gathering, integrating, interpreting, and communicating essential information related to all-hazards threats or disease activity affecting human, animal, or plant health to achieve early detection and warning, contribute to overall situational awareness of the health aspects of an incident, and to enable better decision making for action at all levels. Animal health surveillance is an important component within biosurveillance systems comprising a continuum of activities from detecting biological threats, to analyzing relevant data, to managing identified threats, and embracing a One Health concept. The animal health community can strengthen biosurveillance by adopting various developments such as increasing the alignment, engagement, and participation of stakeholders in surveillance systems, exploring new data streams, improving integration and analysis of data streams for decision-making, enhancing research and application of social sciences and behavioral methods in animal health surveillance, and performing timely evaluation of surveillance systems. The aim of this paper is to explore components of a biosurveillance system from an animal health perspective and identify opportunities for the animal health surveillance community to enhance biosurveillance. Structural and operational diagrams are presented to demonstrate the required components and relevant data of animal health surveillance as an effective part within a biosurveillance system.

Education support services for improving school engagement and academic performance of children and adolescents with a chronic health condition.

Education support services for improving school engagement and academic performance of children and adolescents with a chronic health condition.

Kajian Pemindahan Rute Penerbangan Bandar Udara Terhadap Kepuasan dan Nilai Pelanggan

After switching flight paths in July 2019 for both domestic and international flights, Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung was replaced by West Java International Airport in Majalengka. In comparison to Husein Sastranegara Airport, several airlines operating at Kertajati Airport saw a drop in passenger traffic. A survey was carried out in this study using a questionnaire that was given to 113 participants. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) application and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS will subsequently be used to process the survey results. Data analysis revealed that airport accessibility (AA), terminal facilities (TF), and customer value are all positively impacted by the characteristics that contribute to an improvement in customer satisfaction (CS) (CV). Airport Accessibility is by far the most important of these characteristics, which serve as the standards by which travelers select their flights, according to the poll. The calculation's outcome demonstrates that rcount exceeds rtable. Customer satisfaction (CS) R-Count 0.889 and R-Table 0.183, Terminal facilities (TF) R-Count 0.885 and R-Table 0.183, Service innovation (SI) 0.856 and R-Table 0.183, and Customer Value R-Calculate 0.926 and R-Table 0.183 are the results using SPSS for these variables. From the experimental findings, it can be inferred that the supply of different services and amenities at the airport affects consumer happiness.