Difficult Period Research Articles

The Russian Church calls out to the world… From the history of the Soviet-American church forums of the Cold War Era

Relevance. In the current state of international relations, the historical experience of building and maintaining communication by actors of public diplomacy (confessional structures) in conflict periods is of particular importance. One of the most difficult periods in national history was the period of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. At the moment, however, the forces of the political and diplomatic structures of Russia's key historical denomination, the Russian Orthodox Church, were aimed at maintaining and developing a constant dialogue with the confessional organizations of the key geopolitical opponent. The central theme of this interaction was the international peacekeeping movement. It was designed to prevent the confrontation from escalating into an open conflict and formed a significant event agenda (events and forums) at which representatives of the church structures of two (and more often in a wider international composition) countries interacted, exchanged views and formed consolidated content: statements, notes, proclamations postulating the need to preserve peace in the name of higher Christian values and the preservation of lives.The purpose of the study is to examine the practice of church diplomatic activity of the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church in the interaction of the Department of External Church Relations and the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate.Objectives: to reveal the specifics and characteristic features of the practical diplomatic organizational work of church structures in the organization of church forums in Soviet Russia in the early 1970s.Methodology. The principles of objectivity and historicism were applied during the research. To solve the tasks set by the author, historical-genetic, historical-systemic, historical-comparative, typological, retrospective methods were used.Results. The study of unique, previously unexplored and published sources allowed an unbiased reconstruction of the process of organizing a church forum in the development of the "peacekeeping activities" of the Russian Orthodox Church in the early 1970s.Conclusions. The sources demonstrate the development of the practice of church diplomatic work, allow us to reconstruct the specifics, course, timing, dynamics and circumstances of the organization of the peacekeeping forum of the Russian Orthodox Church in the conditions of Soviet reality in the early 1970s. The role of church structures is marked and described (the Publishing Department and its chairman, the Moscow Theological Academy), directly and formally unrelated to the conduct of international work.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Military Personnel with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Example of Ukraine

Introduction: Given the current events of the Russian-Ukrainian war, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychological problems among military personnel, which requires the introduction and use of new techniques of psychological rehabilitation.Objectives: The study aims to develop and test a comprehensive programme for psychological rehabilitation of military personnel and determine its effectiveness.Methods: The study was conducted among 30 military respondents diagnosed with PTSD. The experiment used pre-test and post-test data from participants at three different time points: pre-intervention, two weeks post-intervention, and four months post-intervention—main instruments: Military PTSD Checklist and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). For mental health assessment, 3 scientifically validated indicators were used for data analysis: PCL-M, PHQ-9, and GAD-7.Results: The results demonstrate the need to implement a comprehensive psychological rehabilitation programme for military personnel. If, at the beginning of the test, they were diagnosed with PTSD, acute depression and anxiety, then after two weeks of implementing the comprehensive programme, the indicators decreased significantly. After 4 months, the scores rose slightly but not significantly. This demonstrates the relevance and importance of using various activities to support the psychological state of military personnel who have experienced difficult and traumatic periods. Conclusions: The conclusions summarise that recovery from PTSD requires a comprehensive approach that should consider the internal and external characteristics of each patient

Exploring the perceptions of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being and medical education of medical students in Northern Ireland, in addition to the perceived barriers to seeking support; a qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on population mental health. Medical students may have been particularly affected, whom prevalence of mental health conditions was already high before the pandemic hit, due to the difficult and stressful academic programme. In Northern Ireland specifically, mental well-being levels are the lowest across the UK; however limited research exists examining the medical student cohort. This study explores Northern Irish medical students' perceptions on how the pandemic affected their mental health, their progress within medical education and perceived barriers to accessing support services in Northern Ireland. A qualitative study of phenomenological design involving 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted amongst individuals who were 1st-4th year medical students when the pandemic was officially declared in Northern Ireland in March 2020. The interviews were transcribed, and thematic analysis was carried out using NVivo V12 qualitative data analysis software. Results demonstrated the COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable negative impact on participants' mental health; a variety of interlinked social, individual and/or psychological and organisational factors led to increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression. This had a secondary negative impact on participants' medical education progress through reducing motivation, causing burnout and impostor syndrome. Unexpectedly; there were some perceived positive outcomes, including improved appreciation for work-life balance and resilience. Participants reported various barriers to seeking help amongst this difficult time period; also categorizable into social, individual and/or psychological and organisational factors, for example; stigmatisation, fear and perfectionistic tendencies. There is a pressing demand for heightened support availability, personally tailored mental health assistance and an effort to reduce mental health stigma in Northern Ireland. This study highlights the complex multifactorial nature of mental health. Medical schools must provide additional services to protect well-being during particularly challenging periods and dismantle the barriers preventing individuals from accessing vital support.

Expansionary Federal Monetary Policy and U.S. Banks’ Risk Profiles During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Induced Economic Recession

This study focuses on the pandemic phase when the U.S. economy dealt with significant economic recessionary pressures due to widespread, prolonged social mobility restraints. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) promptly pursued expansionary policies, such as lowering the federal funds rate to almost zero until February 2022. This study employs a Dynamic Panel Data Generalised Moment Method Model (DPD-GMM) to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic shocks and FOMC’s expansionary policy on U.S. banks’ loan portfolio and asset complement risk profiles. Our analysis extends from two pre-pandemic years through the pandemic recession and recovery periods (until early 2022) prior to the FOMC’s eventual aggressive rate hiking policies intended to attenuate consequent inflationary conditions. Our findings clarify that banks’ risk exposure can be driven by both uncontrolled and discretionary portfolio decisions. Economic shocks beyond the banks’ control (such as the pandemic) could suddenly discredit historical lending decisions as economic slowdowns indiscriminately affect even clients previously assessed as creditworthy. Thus, banks experience more pronounced loan portfolio risk due to rising non-performing loan (NPL) balances. Meanwhile, the FOMC’s expansionist low interest-rate policy provides relief for banks who use their discretion in resolving their compounding liquidity concerns. These decisions, however, increase their risk asset holdings characterised by greater vulnerability to economic fluctuations. Our study’s implications call for more cautious management of banks’ risk profiles under difficult economic periods through prudent asset purchase decisions, greater loan diversification strategies, and more equitable financial market access for smaller and specialised (such as agricultural) banks.

Determinants of Money Demand by Business Sector for Extending Monetary Policy Applications in Pakistan

The complex interplay between monetary policy, cash holdings, and their motives holds crucial importance for the economic stability, investment decisions, and financial resilience of a developing country like Pakistan. The nation is enduring a difficult period where it has a weak domestic currency, a burden of foreign debt and adverse exchange rates. Under this situation, corporate cash-holding decisions are highly influenced by monetary policy, making it crucial to explore the determinants of money demand by the business sector to extend monetary policy implications in Pakistan. In order to understand the wider effects of Pakistan's monetary policy, it is crucial to look into the elements that influence the demand for money inside the business sector. Therefore, the current study explores the determinants of money demand by the business sector for extending monetary policy applications in Pakistan and the non-linear association between cash holdings and their motives in order to assess if the priorities of business change with the change in the incidence of cash holding motives. The study used the panel quantile regression for 315 firms listed in the KSE index. The model is merited on its ability to address non-normal variables while handling the panel data sets. The results indicate that all the indicators of demand for cash by firms have a non-linear effect. Transaction and speculative motives have an inverted U-shaped effect, while precaution motives have U shaped effect.

PUBLIC CREDIT GUARANTEES AND BANKING SYSTEM: THE ITALIAN CASE DURING COVID-19 EMERGENCY

This paper presents an in-depth examination of the impact of public support to small and medium Italian enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s banking system was entrusted a key role in implementing extraordinary measures of financial support, such as moratoria and public guarantees. This support prevented the sudden drop in revenues and cash flows — caused by the pandemic and the related severe restrictive measures adopted by the Italian Government — from compromising the liquidity and solvency of a huge number of firms, thus preventing the occurrence of a chain of insolvencies, which would have seriously deteriorated Italian economy. To perform these tasks, Italian banks had to cope with commitments which severely tested their organizational structure, due to a large number of operations and the complexity and urgency these tasks entailed, especially in the first months of the emergency period. The study, in a five-year perspective, analyses — in terms of intensity and pervasiveness — the set of such initiatives, both at the entire Italian banking system level and at the specific cooperative banks level, the latter characterized by greater proximity to potentially more fragile customers. The aim of this work is to verify whether the effectiveness of the Italian banking system in this key role of accomplishing the transmission of economic policy decisions, aimed at promoting and sustaining real economy during a particularly difficult period, can be confirmed.

Challenges and solutions in the education of children with autism spectrum disorders

Having a child with autism is a challenge, an attempt to face all the situations and difficulties that arise, stress and helplessness, but also a blessing - that of having a special child. Because the development and recovery of the child with autism spectrum disorder depends, most of the time, on early intervention, a stressful and difficult period begins in the life of the child and the family. If for other children, the environment is a very strong stimulus, they learn everything naturally, on the go, in people with autism this process does not take place or is very reduced, so through early intervention, the world around the child begins to take on color and life, taking on a meaning for him as well.For the acquisition of appropriate behaviors and accepted by society, but also development in the 5 areas of development: cognitive, psychomotor, language and communication, relationship and socialization and personal autonomy, assisting people with autism both in their „lonely world” and in the short moments in which they are present in our world, require an early approach from specialists and parents as co-therapists.

The Era of President Pedro Sanchez in Spain: Economy, Catalan Amnesty, Protests, Lawfare and the Attitude of Far Right Wings

Social and political cleavages in Spain is asignificant factors in Spanish politics, Sanchez period is an example of this. Pedro Sanchez took over the presidency after the right-wing Rahoy government was overthrown due to corruption; It faced a difficult period such as the collapsed economic structure, the pandemic, the quarantine process, and Ukraine-Russia War, which deeply affected European resources. Pedro Sanchez achieved great success in the economy and worked on human rights, despite all the negativities. However, when he could not obtain the absolute majority to form a government in the 2023 elections, partnered with the Catalan separatists in exchange for amnisty 2017 political criminals and guaranteed his power. Sanchez's amnisty caused controversy in the country and large protests organized by the opposition. Besides, some Catholic groups joined protests. Moreover, opposition carried the discourse of amnesty to European Commission. Sanchez's achievements were overshadowed by amnesty discussions. The issue divided the country and eventually process brought "Lawfare" discourse to agenda.

Decision-making for wāhine Māori facing breast cancer surgery: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Wāhine Māori (women/females) are disproportionally affected by breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. Following a breast cancer diagnosis, wāhine must make important surgical decisions while navigating a Westernised health system that can be dismissive of Māori views of health and tikanga (customary practices). We investigated the decision-making process of wāhine who had undergone surgery for breast cancer within the preceding 12 months. Fifteen wāhine shared their perspectives on surgery, shared decision-making and information provided prior to surgery. Thematic analysis revealed that fear was a primary influence on decision -making, but this emotion could be mitigated by a good quality patient-clinician relationship fostered by the shared decision-making process. In particular, whakawhanaungatanga (establishing connection and relationships) was an essential basis for shared decision-making. Shared decision-making, in turn, enabled tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) and provided support during the difficult decision-making period. Multi-modal presentation of medical information, with inclusion of Te Reo Māori is relevant to many wāhine and could offer more equitable access to diagnostic information. These findings raise awareness of the importance of recognising tikanga, in particular, whakawhanaungatanga for wāhine Māori diagnosed with breast cancer.

Political activities of Sophronius Vrachanski

The beginning of the 19th century was a difficult period for the Bulgarian population, caused by a deep crisis in the Ottoman Empire and another Russo–Turkish war of 1806–1812. During the conflict, the former bishop of Vratsa, Sophronius, together with a circle of activists, undertook political action to support the Russian military effort and help the civilian population fleeing the horrors of the war. This action ultimately ended in failure, as it was not possible to obtain autonomy for the Bulgarians, but the political program they developed was an important stage in the formation of the native national liberation movement. Thanks to his achievements, Sophroniy is known in Bulgarian historiography not only as a priest and one of the codifiers of the modern Bulgarian language, but also as a political activist.

Some questions regarding countering domestic violence among the population of Ukraine under the legal regime of martial law

In the context of the military conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, there has been an increase in cases of domestic violence, driven by a range of social and psychological factors. The war significantly impacts societal stability, raising stress levels, emotional, and psychological tension among the population, which, in turn, contributes to the escalation of violence within families. Given these circumstances, the issue of combating domestic violence has become particularly urgent. Under current Ukrainian legislation, domestic violence is subject to both administrative and criminal liability; however, there is a need for updates and improvements to the legislative framework, as well as the development of new mechanisms for prevention and legal intervention to more effectively address this issue. The research results indicate that the dynamics of domestic violence in the context of war demonstrate its spread and changes in the forms and targets of violence, which affect women, men, children, as well as familial and close relationships. These changes require attention from both the state and society, as domestic violence poses a serious threat to the social health of the nation. The conclusions of the study confirm that domestic violence is an act of unlawful behavior, with a tendency to increase in Ukraine, and its nature is determined by both individual factors (psychological, physical, economic) and general sociolect-economic conditions. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the war has introduced new factors that contribute to domestic violence. This calls for the improvement of existing counteraction mechanisms, the strengthening of preventive measures, and the development of effective strategies for protecting victims. The results of the study confirm the need to activate cooperation between state authorities, human rights organizations, and civil society groups in the fight against domestic violence, as well as to ensure adequate legal protection for victims during this difficult period.

Protection of intellectual property rights during martial law

The article is devoted to the protection of intellectual property rights under martial law imposed in connection with the aggression of the Russian Federation. The author notes that even in the most difficult periods, intellectual property remains strategically important for the development of a country. It is worth noting that the protection of intellectual property rights is becoming an extremely important task which requires careful analysis and effective measures. It is indicated that preventing violations and ensuring stability in this area is of great importance for preserving the country’s economic potential. Martial law has become a time of increased risk to intellectual property due to a number of factors, such as an increase in the number of conflicts, unpredictability of the political situation and changes in governance. The article emphasises that Ukrpatent, which performs the powers of the National Intellectual Property Authority in the field of intellectual property, continues to work in difficult conditions. At the same time, it ensures the necessary functions and continuous operation of the state system of intellectual property legal protection. It is interesting to note that starting from 8 November 2022, the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation has been performing the functions of the National Intellectual Property Authority. The activities of the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation are crucial for stimulating innovation and development in the country, especially in the difficult conditions of martial law. Its functions include registration of IP rights (patents, copyrights, and trademarks), maintenance of state registers, support of collegial bodies, international cooperation, information and publishing activities, provision of services and consultations, and certification of patent attorneys. It is established that in Ukraine, during martial law, the legislative activity in the field of intellectual property continues and the processes of European integration in the field of intellectual property are being intensified by improving the regulatory framework in accordance with international norms and standards. This demonstrates the country’s ability to ensure the functioning and development of the legal system even in extremely difficult conditions. The article also examines the latest changes in the legislation relating to intellectual property in the context of martial law, which demonstrates the continued and responsible legislative activity in this area, even in the most difficult times for the country.

Power and Religion in Russia and in European Countries: A Historical Analysis of the Relationship

The article contains an analysis of the history of the relationship between institutions of government and religion and reveals the systemic interrelationships of these spheres of public life. Despite the existence of a formula of non-interference in each other’s affairs, the government and religion have constantly tried and are trying to influence each other. The author talks about the cyclical nature of competition and cooperation between government and religion over the millennia, about the penetration of religion into the value orientations of power, its ideological foundations, about the role of religion in legitimizing power, about the importance of religion in difficult periods of Russian statehood. Historical periods are described when the desacralization of public and political life was replaced by religiosity, and vice versa. According to the author, the secular government is responsible for the external well-being of people, while religion is responsible for the inner, spiritual world of a person. The author introduces the concept of sovereignty as the ability of a person to keep the arrival of evil on his section of the spiritual front, which is one of the factors of peace and social harmony. It is precisely the power, service, dedication and responsibility that representatives of the modern Russian political elite should possess. The article contains an analysis of historical and religious sources, numerous examples from the history of Russia and Europe, arguing the author’s position.

Adaptive public relations and marketing in tourism: how South African timeshare businesses responded to the Covid-19 crisis

South Africa is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the African continent, with timeshares—vacation properties shared by multiple owners—being an important feature of the tourism industry as it contributes significant growth and sustainability of tourist destinations. After its introduction in the 1960s, timeshare gained popularity through its capability to provide luxury holiday affordability and security in South Africa. Since then, timeshare businesses have used traditional public relations, marketing, advertising strategies and tactics to increase brand awareness and reach sales targets. During the difficult COVID-19 period, global tourism declined drastically due to travel restrictions, extreme lockdowns and tight regulations, forcing businesses to adapt their marketing strategies to cope with unprecedented challenges and the loss of customers. Before the pandemic’s culmination, travel agencies and timeshares thus utilized digital marketing and social media to effectively strategise and publicly engage with their audiences online. Drawing upon McGuire’s (1969) theory of information processing, and Echtner and Ritchie’s (1993) destination image branding, a content and thematic analysis of two South African timeshare companies and their Facebook page content was studied to investigate the public relations tactics and marketing strategies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings reveal that timeshares engaged publicly with customers through posts which stimulated online participation, which included the sharing of images, information, updates, competitions and discounts, thus maximising the potential of social media to engage with stakeholders on a short to long term basis.

هێمايێن مێژوویی دشعرا نووخازا كوردیدا

In a general way, poetry is considered to be an important foundation in literature as a whole and poetry in general. Since the beginning of the stage of human life, each stage has its own use and until now, it has its own color and importance in all its forms. It is also considered as an important tool. The poet tells his story through elements. Historical elements are one of the types of elements found in modern poetry in the south of the country. the poets still use it in their poetry. they use the historical ones. as it is clear that the Kurmans have seen very difficult periods in their history. the modern poets have used the historical ones for the success and problems of the Kurmans in the way of the historical ones. This is clear from the attention of the new poet Kurmanç. He uses historical elements in his poems.

Empirical Research on Studying Psychological Conditions of the Formation of Adaptive Relationships between Parents and Children of Senior School Age

The purpose of this article is to describe psychological conditions of the for­mation of adaptive relationships between parents and children of senior school age. Methods of the research. The following theoretical methods of the research were used to solve the tasks formulated in the article: a categorical method, structural and functional methods, the methods of the analysis, systematization, modeling and generalization. The empirical method is a confirmatory research. The results of the research. We believe that adults should create the most positive conditions for the harmonious mental development of the personality of senior school pupils. Parents should understand that the child’s point of view and dignity should be respected, because this will facilitate the formation of a high or adequate self-esteem of the child. Senior school pupils should definitely be given useful advice, set a positive example, because all this will contribute to the formation of their personal and social maturity. Conclusions. Both parents and children should be patient with each other, be kind to each other, love each other in all situations, talk to each other. In this difficult period, the period of children’s growing up, everyone in the family has to perceive the people around them in a completely different way, relate to each other and to the surrounding world. The personally meaningful experience acquired by children is useful. The latter greatly helps senior school pupils to overcome conflicts, depression, not to fall into pessimism and take responsibility for their actions, to draw positively labeled conclusions from all events that will help overcome new life problems. Thus, a personally meaningful experience is formed taking into account certain psychological and social conditions that take place in the life space of senior school pupils in different periods of their life and personal development.

Research Trends in Going Concern Assessment and Financial Distress in Last Two Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis

Over time, companies have faced many crises that have impacted their capacity to remain operational in the market. When going through periods of financial distress, companies must find solutions to face the risks and to fulfill the going concern assumption, which is an essential principle in accounting and also of major importance in financial-statements auditing. The research objective is to identify the research trends and approaches in the fields of going concern and financial distress. To achieve this purpose, a bibliometric analysis was carried out of the articles published in the journals indexed in Web of Science Clarivate Analytics (WoS) for the period 2004–2023. The selection criteria was based on instances of the keywords “going concern” and “financial distress” appearing in a sample of 2.859 articles. The results highlighted that these fields represent a domain of interest in the research, with the trend being most pronounced in the area of financial distress, since 2018. Based on the content analysis of the most influential articles, the main topics addressed were related to audit quality and aspects related to management and corporate governance. Thus, it is confirmed that the area of financial distress and going concern assessment is a widely studied one, and the studies made can provide essential information to overcome the difficult periods that a company can go through.

The Activities of the Lithuanian Educational Society Rytas in Vilnius and Vilnius Area (1920–1939)

The subject of the article is Lithuanian education, which was carried out by the Lithuanian educational society Rytas during a politically difficult period for Lithuania. Based on the materials of the Lithuanian educational society Rytas in the Manuscripts Department of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the aim is to reconstruct the activities of the Society in Vilnius region.

A Study on the Impact of ESG Invest on Enabling Businesses to Transform During Difficult Economic Times

How to transform the economy of enterprises in difficult period based on ESG has become the focus of academic attention. Research shows that ESG investments help companies transform in difficult economic times by reducing the pressure on financing. Further analysis shows that ESG investment has a more significant positive impact on high-innovation and labor-intensive firms than low-innovation and labor-intensive firms. Especially in the case of poor business environment, the positive correlation between ESG investment and enterprise development is more prominent. Based on this, we put forward a series of policy recommendations, including improving the ESG investment system, releasing its diversified enabling role, and formulating personalized development strategies for enterprises in difficult times, aiming at providing effective guidance for enterprises' economic transformation.

Characteristics of medical student education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction. After the last pandemic, the university community faced a number of issues related to the management and conduct of training, so improving the quality of education and training of medical students is relevant. The transition to distance learning on various platforms with all kinds of media support, on the one hand, made it possible not to interrupt the educational process during a difficult period of social restrictions, and on the other hand, created a load and stressed both students and teachers of educational institutions. Purpose. To assess the impact of changes on the educational process of medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the implementation of distance learning technologies and the use of online platforms, and to identify the need for social support measures to reduce academic burnout and improve students’ psychological resilience. Materials and methods. A comparative observational study was conducted at the Urology Clinic of the Russian University of Medicine, which used an anonymous Internet survey. Two hundred forty eight 4th year medical students were interviewed from 2020 to 2021 and 501 respondents from 2021 to 2022. Results. Two groups of students were compared, distributed according to a time criterion. The most frequent area of application of social networks in the educational process was consultation with teachers and search for information for educational activities. In relation to distance learning, positive responses were received from 170 respondents (68.55%) in group 1 and 342 (68.26%) in group 2, and negative responses from 68 (27.42%) and 127 (25.35%) respondents, respectively. Research limitations. A narrow focus on the sample of medical students, which does not reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences in the wider population, as well as conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions. Given the changes in educational activities against the background of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the lack of regulated norms, rules, and support for students and teachers during this period, comprehensive coverage and development of distance learning methods are necessary.