Concept Of Vulnerability Research Articles

New policies on skin-to-skin contact warrant an oxytocin-based perspective on perinatal health care.

In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a Global Position Paper on Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), which is applicable to all countries worldwide: from the moment of birth, every "small and sick" newborn should remain with mother in immediate and continuous skin-to-skin contact (SSC), receiving all required clinical care in that place. This was prompted by the startling results of a randomized controlled trial published in 2021: in which 1,609 infants receiving immediate SSC were compared with 1,602 controls that were separated from their mothers but otherwise received identical conventional state-of-the-art care. The intervention infants showed a 25% reduction in mortality after 28 days. The new WHO guidelines are a significant change from earlier guidance and common clinical practice. The author presents that separating mothers and babies is assumed to be "normal" (a paradigm) but actually puts newborns at increased risk for morbidity and mortality. The author presents arguments and ethical perspectives for a new perspective on what is "normal," keeping newborns with their mothers is the infant's physiological expectation and critical requirement for healthy development. The author reviews the scientific rationale for changing the paradigm, based on synchronous interactions of oxytocin on both mother and infant. This follows a critique of the new policies that highlights the role of immediate SSC. This critique strengthens the case for implementing the WHO guidelines on KMC for small and sick babies. System changes will be necessary in both obstetric and neonatal settings to ensure seamless perinatal care. Based on the role of oxytocin, the author identifies that many current routine care practices may actually contribute to stress and increased vulnerability to the newborn. WHO has actionable recommendations about family involvement and presence in newborn intensive care units. The concepts of resilience and vulnerability have specific definitions well known in perinatal care: the key outcome of care should be resilience rather than merely the absence of vulnerability. Newborns in all settings and contexts need us to re-evaluate our paradigms and adopt and implement the new WHO guidelines on KMC in perinatal care.

Structural vulnerability and social integration of F-2 visa holders in the United States

Previous studies on spouses of international students do not explore how F-2 visa regulations preventing them from working and becoming full-time students affect their social integration and building social networks. This ethnographic research about 16 formerly employed female spouses of international students in Central University[1] aims to fill this gap, inspired by Holmes's Structural Vulnerability concept (2011), which suggests shifting attention from immigrants themselves to structural powers in order to detect what endangers immigrants’ well-being. Through a multimethod approach, this article shows that F-2 visa regulations limit social integration and building social networks of the participants due to their F-2 visa regulations, and consequently affect their self-esteem, mental health, loneliness, and family relationships of the participants, despite the Central University and related/local offices efforts in integrating them in the society.

Reframing Vulnerability through an Embodied Theological Lens: Towards Ethical Engagement in a Globalized Context

This study examines the evolving concept of human vulnerability within the context of globalization and contemporary societal complexities. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of vulnerability’s proposed definition and its ethical relevance, particularly through an embodied ethical–theological lens. The research argues that this anthropological category when approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, reveals nuanced ethical dimensions essential for addressing contemporary challenges. Through the synthesis of insights from various disciplines, the study delineates the intricate interplay between corporeal experiences, affective states, and ethical considerations in understanding vulnerability. Interdisciplinary research methods were employed, drawing from theology, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Grounding the inquiry in human experience and dialogues within different disciplinary narratives, the study explores vulnerability’s multifaceted nature and its implications for ethical engagement. The conclusions underscore the imperative role of theology in fostering ethical responses to contemporary dilemmas. By reframing vulnerability within an interdisciplinary and embodied framework, the research enriches ethical reflection and praxis, promoting human flourishing in a globalized world.

Freirean Perspectives on Environmental Education amidst the Climate Emergency

Abstract: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that climate-related risks will intensify, necessitating urgent climate actions. Despite the global risk and urgency, responses to the climate emergency, even when acknowledged, often end up reinforcing social discrimination, affirming that the concept of risk is associated with social inequality. It is argued that environmental education can confront these challenges, counter climate denialism, promote awareness, and empower communities to actively engage in sustainable practices through the Freirean approach. This paper presents a theoretical framework for Freirean Environmental Education in the Climate Emergency. Paulo Freire's dialogical-problematizing approach is linked to the concept of vulnerability, ensuring that Freirean environmental education leads to transformative actions. The entire conceptual and methodological structure is described through a flowchart. Vulnerability to the climate emergency and actions to address it should be developed at the local level, allowing limit-situations and the participatory or exclusionary process can be codified for educational purposes. A Canadian and a Brazilian case study are briefly discussed in light of this educational proposal. Key Words: Paulo Freire. Climate justice. Vulnerability. Canada. Brazil.

Exploring perceptions of vulnerability among women facing psychosocial adversity before, during and after pregnancy: A qualitative interview-study using thematic analysis

ObjectiveThe term ‘vulnerable’ is often used to describe women facing psychosocial adversity during pregnancy, implying a heightened risk of experiencing suboptimal pregnancy outcomes. While this label might facilitate the pathway to appropriate care, it can be perceived as stigmatizing by the women it intends to help, which could deter their interaction with healthcare services. This study explores how women facing psychosocial adversity before, during and after pregnancy perceive the concept of vulnerability and experience being labeled as such. MethodsWe conducted a thematic analysis of semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Through purposive sampling targeting maximum variation, ten women of diverse backgrounds were included. ResultsThree central themes emerged: defining vulnerability, embracing vulnerability and the feeling of being stigmatized. Women perceived vulnerability as an inability to adequately care for themselves or their children, necessitating additional support alongside routine antenatal care. Acceptance of the ’vulnerable’ label came when it also acknowledged their proactive efforts and strengths to improve their situation. Conversely, if discussions surrounding vulnerability failed to recognize women’s agency – specifically, their personal journeys and the courage needed to seek support – the label was perceived as stigmatizing. ConclusionsAddressing vulnerability effectively in maternity care requires a nuanced, patient-centered approach, acknowledging both the challenges and strengths of women facing psychosocial adversities. Emphasizing personal narratives and their courage in seeking support can mitigate the stigmatizing effects of the ’vulnerable’ label. Integrating these narratives into maternal healthcare practices can foster deeper connections with the women involved, enhancing the overall quality of care.

Organisational vulnerability: exploring the pathways

PurposeThis study aimed to address the underexplored domain of organisational vulnerability, with a specific focus on understanding how vulnerability is understood in organisations and the underlying pathways leading to vulnerability.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilised a narrative literature review methodology, using Google Scholar as the primary source, to analyse the concepts of organisational vulnerability in the context of disaster risk studies. The review focused on relevant documents published between the years 2000 and 2022.FindingsThe analysis highlights the multifaceted nature of organisational vulnerability, which arises from both inherent weaknesses within the organisation and external risks that expose it to potential hazards. The inherent weaknesses are rooted in internal vulnerability pathways such as organisational culture, managerial ignorance, human resources, and communication weaknesses that compromise the organisation’s resilience. The external dimension of vulnerability is found in cascading vulnerability pathways, e.g. critical infrastructure, supply chains, and customer relationships.Originality/valueAs the frequency and severity of disasters continue to increase, organisations of all sizes face heightened vulnerability to unforeseen disruptions and potential destruction. Acknowledging and comprehending organisational vulnerability is a crucial initial step towards enhancing risk management effectiveness, fostering resilience, and promoting sustainable success in an interconnected global environment and an evolving disaster landscape.

Debating the Vulnerability Zeitgeist: Introduction to an Interdisciplinary Trialogue

The article serves as an introduction to the special section “Vulnerability: An Interdisciplinary Trialogue,” which brings together three researchers who have made important contributions to the field of vulnerability studies from different perspectives and in different disciplines: Elodie Boublil, Kate Brown, and Erinn Gilson. At the outset, the article discusses some characteristic features of the current discourse on vulnerability, in particular the question of why the concept of vulnerability is not only very popular but is also often used in such a diverse and vague manner. In addition to an increased multidisciplinary interest, transdisciplinary conflicts over fundamental epistemological, ontological, and methodological positions are identified as an essential factor; furthermore, the plurality and vagueness of the notion are attributed to an increasing “duplication” of vulnerability as an academic concept on the one hand and as an element of cultural semantics and political discourse on the other. The special section discusses this peculiar mixture of popularity, plurality, and vagueness of the vulnerability concept in an interdisciplinary, reflexive, and critical manner. The introduction outlines key aspects of the three contributions to the trialogue and highlights some convergences and common themes. At the end, the three authors are also briefly introduced.

Power Network Vulnerability Assessment Based on Electric Power System Cyber Security Simulation Platform

Abstract This paper introduces a modeling approach for the integration of electric power and information networks, along with the creation of an electric power system network simulation platform. The system, achieved through the deep integration of computation, communication, and control technologies, offers new insights into power grid intelligence. The paper discusses the concept of power system vulnerability and presents a modeling scheme that effectively simulates and analyzes power systems. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the impact of cyber attacks under different load conditions is evaluated, revealing that attacks have more severe consequences under heavy loads. In conclusion, this research contributes to enhancing the security and stability of power systems.

The origin and diffusion of the social vulnerability index (SoVI)

The disproportionate impact of risk, hazards, and disasters on socially differentiated groups has been part of the broader disasters research field for over half a century now. As a concept, social vulnerability transcends many social science disciplines but remains firmly grounded in social and spatial inequality processes and outcomes. The variability in space and the peculiarity of places has driven the development of empirically based measurements of social vulnerability, especially in the United States. This article takes a retrospective view of the concept of social vulnerability in tracing origins in hazard and disasters research, its quantification, and its operational use for emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. It uses the Social Vulnerability Index (or SoVI) given its intellectual antecedents in the geographical sciences and widespread acceptance within hazards and disasters research as the model. In the brief period since its development twenty years ago, SoVI has moved from a place-based conceptualization to an oft-used method for highlighting inequities in potential hazard impacts and likely recovery from them in both research and practice. More significantly, the history of SoVI and its application illustrates the arc of theory-to-practice, use-inspired geographical scholarship, starting with the idea and witnessing its translation to an operational tool in hazards and disasters policy. Lessons learned and future needs, uses, and improvements in social vulnerability metrics conclude the article.

Vulnerability, Digital Technologies and International Law: Reflections on Contemporary Migration Flows

Migration, considered a ‘total social fact’, remains one of the most debated topics in contemporary society. Unfortunately, migration is not always a positive experience for everyone. Certain categories of people, such as women, children, persecuted ethnic minorities, and those fleeing conflict zones, widespread violence and natural disasters, are undoubtedly more exposed to its adverse effects. The socially disadvantaged conditions of migrants can also overlap with the risk of exclusion from digital literacy. ‘Digital availability’ is an essential asset for networking through the entire period of migration, which varies according to the departure and destination contexts and skills of use. Vulnerability can be a key concept when it comes to exploring the connection between migration processes and increasing digitisation, with both positive and negative consequences. Despite the frequent use of the term ‘vulnerability’ in political and legal discourse, its normative content is neither always clear nor universally accepted. Often treated as a self-explanatory condition, it is habitually used to distinguish migrants according to specific groups based on precise characteristics – especially refugees or asylum seekers – without specifying how the notion is conceptually understood or defined. The aim of our work is to provide some suggestions about three different concepts of vulnerability (subjective, situational and structural), the impact of the legal concept of vulnerability on migration processes and how situations of vulnerability are sometimes accentuated by the spread of media and social media.

Overcoming vulnerability by editing the germline?

The concept of vulnerability has become widely acknowledged as a fundamental concept for medical ethics and research ethics, yet rarely considered with respect to ethical assessments of human germline genome editing. A first aim of this paper is to make vulnerability ethics considerations fruitful for issues related to these technical innovations. The possibility of altering the genome promises to overcome forms of vulnerability inherently connected to our existence as physical beings and would hence allow to increase the resilience of human nature or even to move evolution forward by equipping people with new character traits and enhanced capabilities. I suggest a more fine-grained distinction of various applications purposes than the dichotomy of therapeutic and enhancement. I support the rejection of most application purposes as ‘therapeutic’ and claim that framing them as ‘therapeutic’ in the context of the current discursive constellation runs the risk of accentuating existing vulnerabilities. With respect to intergenerational responsibilities, I reject the view that editing the germline necessarily leads to corrupt intergenerational relations based on which it must be categorically excluded. I conclude that it is nevertheless important to take a very close look at the challenges that arise, especially from a vulnerability perspective, before irreversible facts are created overhastily.

Precondition Study of a Sponge City: Comprehensive Assessment of the Vulnerability of an Urban Rainwater System

This study introduces the concept of urban rainwater system vulnerability and identifies the indicator factors that affect the vulnerability of rainwater systems. Using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), an index system for the vulnerability assessment of the rainwater system was established, and a vulnerability assessment model for the rainwater system was constructed. By integrating vulnerability degree, recurrence period, and water depth of ponding, a vulnerability assessment framework for urban rainwater systems was developed. Taking a newly developed urban area in the Suzhou High-Tech Zone as an example, we calculated the vulnerability degree of the urban rainwater system in this area to be 0.6497, indicating a high level of vulnerability and poor system safety. When encountering rainfall with a recurrence period p > 5 years, the city is likely to experience severe waterlogging. Through the analysis and evaluation of the rainwater system’s vulnerability, while clarifying the current state of the rainwater system, it can provide a scientific reference basis for the system’s upgrade, transformation, and optimized operation and management. Although the selection of factors may not be entirely comprehensive, this method allows for adjustments based on the composition and operation of different rainwater systems.

Choosing asylum seekers from afar: the case of Lebanon-France humanitarian corridors

This article explores the mechanisms of the French humanitarian corridors in Lebanon, examining the stages of evaluation and selection of candidates for this program. The author develops a network approach by presenting the interrelation-ships between the signatory associations of the HC and the French authorities. With the development of legal channels at European level, the author presents the context in which these HC were created. The concept of vulnerability, used in the assessment of candidates for the corridors, is then examined and explained at the various stages of selection, based on a fieldwork in Lebanon. The vulnerability evaluation carried out by the associations and then by the French authorities tends to legitimize the delivery of a form of asylum from afar, outside the borders of the European Union.

What Is Vulnerability? Quebec Community Family Workers' Perceptions of Family Situations in Cases of Child Neglect

ABSTRACTAlthough vulnerability is a somewhat nebulous concept, the term is widely used in child protection, and child protection workers often refer to vulnerability when describing the situations of families they work with. Because perceiving families as vulnerable or as living in vulnerable conditions may impact interventions, it is important to know what child protection workers mean when they talk about vulnerability. To this end, we explored community family workers' conceptions of the vulnerability of families involved with Quebec's child protection system for reasons of child neglect. Thematic analyses of semistructured interviews with nine community family workers revealed two main components to their conceptions of vulnerability: (1) a distinction between vulnerability, viewed as an intrinsic characteristic of all human beings, and (2) a heightened vulnerability caused by the cumulative effect of lacking resources in several domains. We discuss the impact of these conceptions of vulnerability on community family workers' perceptions of families and of the child protection system.

Assessing climate change vulnerability of coastal roads

Climate change is a global phenomenon, which affects in several ways different regions all around the world, beyond the rise in global temperature. Among the different climate change issues, the management of transport infrastructures is crucial. Particularly, their vulnerability against changes in climatic conditions should be assessed. Vulnerability indicators are based on the IPCC concept of vulnerability and can be defined as a function of Climate Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptive Capacity. These dimensions need to be addressed during the assessment making and can be modelled as a Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) problem. This study proposes an integrated approach of several MCDA methods as a possible tool for ranking the climate change vulnerability of coastal roads in Malta. The application covers six coastal roads in the islands of Malta, classified by three different MCDA methods. The results indicate that the proposed approach can produce a consistent ranking of the climate change vulnerability of coastal roads. The study provides policy and decision-makers with a definition of a coastal road, an inventory of such roads, a list of climate change impacts, and a mathematical model incorporating climate change vulnerability indicators. The model can be used to prioritize investment and plan climate change adaptation strategies for infrastructural works on coastal roads.

Art after the Untreatable: Psychoanalysis, Sexual Violence, and the Ethics of Looking in Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You

This essay brings psychoanalytic theory on trauma together with film and television criticism on rape narrative in an analysis of Michael Coel’s 2020 series I May Destroy You. Beyond the limited carceral framework of the police procedural, which dislocates the act of violence from the survivor’s history and context, Coel’s polyvalent, looping narrative metabolizes rape television’s forms and genres in order to stage and restage both trauma and genre again and anew. Contesting common conceptions of vulnerability and susceptibility that prefigure a violent breach of autonomy, Coel’s series and her interviews about it invite an ethics of looking that embraces a curiosity in the unknowable and untreatable kernel of subjective experience and defies and resists a policing of the survivor’s thoughts and emotions. By emphasizing and exploring what psychoanalysis calls the “afterwardness” of trauma, Coel foregrounds her main character’s subjectivity prior to her victimization, widens the sphere of consequence beyond the victim and criminal justice system to the survivor’s larger community, and entreats that community to preserve a space for her to look and look again at everything, without judgment.

Who Should Act? Distancing and Vulnerability in Technology Practitioners' Accounts of Ethical Responsibility

Attending to emotion can shed light on why recognizing an ethical issue and taking responsibility for it can be so demanding. To examine emotions related to taking or not taking responsibility for ethical action, we conducted a semi-structured interview study with 23 individuals working in interaction design and developing AI systems in Scandinavian countries. Through a thematic analysis of how participants attribute ethical responsibility, we identify three ethical stances, that is, discursive approaches to answering the question 'who should act': an individualised I-stance ("the responsibility is mine"), a collective we-stance ("the responsibility is ours"), and a distanced they-stance ("the responsibility is someone else's"). Further, we introduce the concepts of distancing and vulnerability to analyze the emotion work that these three ethical stances place on technology practitioners in situations of low- and high-scale technology development, where they have more or less control over the outcomes of their work. We show how the we- and they-stances let technology practitioners distance themselves from the results of their activity, while the I-stance makes them more vulnerable to emotional and material risks. By illustrating the emotional dimensions involved in recognizing ethical issues and embracing responsibility, our study contributes to the field of Ethics in Practice. We argue that emotions play a pivotal role in technology practitioners' decision-making process, influencing their choices to either take action or refrain from doing so.

Vulnerability to Sex Trafficking: Adult Women’s Experiences While They Were Adolescents

The concept of vulnerability to sex trafficking has been the subject of intense academic debate. It is well documented in the literature that child sex trafficking is facilitated by the abuse of a position of vulnerability, though limited research has focused on children’s order of birth as an element of vulnerability to sex trafficking. The objective of this article, based on a sample of 112 Central American women smuggled to the United States for the sex trade before they had attained the age of eighteen years, is to examine whether the order of birth constitutes an element of vulnerability to sex trafficking. Trafficked minors had vulnerabilities linked to structural-level and individual-level factors. We conclude that sisters occupying the first place in the order of birth are the most susceptible to being recruited by an international network that smuggles women for prostitution. On the contrary, the youngest and middle sisters are less at risk due to the protection and guidance of the other sisters.

Investigating Vulnerability, Adaptation, and Resilience: A Comprehensive Review within the Context of Climate Change

This review seeks to enhance the understanding of the critical concepts of vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience within the context of global environmental challenges, with a particular focus on climate change. Climate change is characterized by rising global temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events, making the comprehension and addressing of these concepts crucial for effective adaptation strategies. Despite widespread recognition of the interconnectedness of vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience, there remains a gap in a comprehensive understanding of how these concepts interrelate. Through synthesizing existing literature, this review provides a detailed examination of their definitions and the interrelationships among vulnerability, adaptation, resilience, and climate-related disasters. Additionally, it explores the impact of climate change on future disaster risk reduction efforts by analyzing the nexus between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Key findings highlight the necessity of incorporating social, institutional, economic, and environmental factors into adaptation planning and call for innovative approaches to boost adaptive capacity and resilience. This review not only furthers the discourse in research, policy, and practice in this vital area but also offers strategic insights for developing more resilient and adaptive societies amidst the challenges posed by climate change.

The Recovery of the Natural Desire for Salvation:

Dynamic Theodicy (DT) is a broad concept we bring up to designate some modern Philosophical Theology attempts to reconcile the necessary and perfect existence of God with the contingent characteristics of human life. In this paper we analyze such approaches and discuss how they have become incomprehensible because the metaphysical assumptions implicit in these explanations have lost their intrinsic relation to the natural human desire for salvation. In the first part we show Charles Hartshorne's DT-model, arising from the modal logic of perfection, and the modern rational problems of this position in making infinite-necessary Being (God) and finite-contingent being (human) compatible. We note that at the heart of the contradictions in this DT account is a dialectical mode of thinking that makes it difficult to find a correct solution to this dichotomy, and to assume a human desire that could be considered related to lifelong goals. In the second part, supported by the proposal of Hans Urs von Balthasar's DT, we develop the concepts of bodily vulnerability, corporeal intentionality, and natural desire for salvation, which come from an Aristotelian-Thomistic thought. This theory is established in order to build an argument, following Alasdair MacIntyre’s ethical framework, on how to make possible the recovery of a metaphysical and anthropological desire that transcends natural aging and goes beyond death. We conclude that both human dependence and the virtues that arise naturally when human beings decide to seek the good of their transcendent condition, make it possible to recover the natural desire for salvation through divine and human love.