Forms Of Social Participation Research Articles

Social participation of the elderly in China: The roles of conventional media, digital access and social media engagement

China is the most rapidly aging country and has the largest aging population in the world. However, social participation is an important intervention to boost the active and healthy aging. The present study investigated the effects of media usage, together with social-demographics and health variables, on Chinese older adults. Drawing upon a national research project with a representative sample (N = 1,399) of older adults (55+) from 58 cities in China, the research findings revealed that conventional media, digital access and social media usage had positive effects on older adults’ informal social participation, while age moderated the relationship between informal social participation and digital access, particularly regarding access to tablet PCs and smartphones. Moreover, conventional media, digital access and social media engagement largely explained seniors’ formal social participation regardless of their social-demographic backgrounds. Finally, the roles of conventional media and digital media in older adults’ social participation are discussed.

L’impact de la maladie d’Alzheimer sur la participation sociale des personnes qui en sont atteintes et leurs proches. Une fatalité?

Social participation has significant positive impacts on the health of seniors. However, those with cognitive impairment live with limitations that affect their social participation. Yet, they also benefit from the positive impacts of social participation. This article reports the results of a study conducted with caregivers and whose goals are to identify the measures and barriers regarding the social participation of their loved ones who have to deal with cognitive disorders, in particular Alzheimer’s disease. Among the barriers and measures identified, the study shows that the social environment plays a fundamental role in the social participation of seniors with a cognitive disorder. However, we collectively have the power to influence the social participation of these people. It is important to take action in order to give people with a cognitive impairment the opportunity to engage in some form of social participation according to their interests and abilities.

COMMUNITY CAPACITY AND SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER CHINESE

Objectives. This study investigates how social participation of the aging population is associated with the community capacity, measured by the number of amenities and organizations within the community. Method. Using nationally representative survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011), this study examines the availability of community amenities and organizations in rural and urban areas, and investigates the associations between community capacity and social participation among the middle aged and older Chinese using multilevel analysis. Results. The results of this study indicate that both community amenities and community organizations are positively associated with the social participation of the middle-aged and older Chinese. Additionally, the association between community organizations and the frequency of formal social participation is stronger among urban communities than rural ones, even after controlling for the individual-level socioeconomic status and health conditions. Conclusion. This study highlights the importance of building the community capacity by developing community-based grassroots organizations to promote the social engagement and participation of the aging population.

A Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Social Participation and Mental Health among Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

Social participation plays a key role in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into their host societies, and is also closely tied to the mental health of those populations. The aim of this scoping review was to study how the concept of social participation is described in empirical research, and how it is associated with mental health outcomes. Methods: In total, 64 studies were identified through searches in PubMed, PsycInfo, and Sociological s. These studies describe various forms of social participation among refugees and asylum seekers, and 33 of them also addressed various forms of mental health outcomes. Results: The identified studies described forms and conditions of social participation—both in the host country and transnationally—that could be synthesized into three broad dimensions: (1) Regulatory frameworks, conditions and initiatives; (2) Established societal organizations and social structures; and (3) Community organized groups. Each of these consisted of several sub-domains. The identified dimensions of social participation were also associated with psychosocial well-being and decreased psychological distress. Conclusions: There is a need for policies to enable and support the participation of refugees and asylum seekers in various dimensions of social structures in host societies. Social participation enhances resilience, re-establishes social lives, and acts as a protective factor against poor mental health outcomes.

New urban policies, new forms of social participation? The challenges of the Água Espraiada Urban Consortium Operation in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract Urban consortium operation is a Brazilian instrument to implement large urban projects. It aims to promote urban services and infrastructure in a specific perimeter by selling construction benefits, which include changes in land uses and building rights. The list of works, their priority and overall development should be debated in management councils representing the diversity of stakeholders involved in the project. Focusing on the Água Espraiada Urban Consortium Operation in São Paulo, this paper analyses the work of its management committee from 2001 to 2014 and exposes disputes among different stakeholders, as well as their strategies and challenges to effective participation. Ultimately, what was supposed to be an arena for democratic decision-making has become an informative arena that legitimizes the project.

Predisposed to Volunteer? Personality Traits and Different Forms of Volunteering

In this article, we evaluate the psychological basis of different forms of volunteering. To date, our knowledge about the relationship between personality and volunteering as an important facet of the social fabric is limited. Applying the Five-Factor Model of Personality (Big Five), we scrutinize this relationship in a comprehensive manner. We consider formal and informal volunteering as well as online volunteering as a new form of social participation. Empirically, we analyze a representative population sample of Switzerland using logistic regression models. We find that extraversion is the most consistent driver of volunteering. The effects of the remaining traits differ across the forms of volunteering. Additional analyses indicate that situational factors may moderate these relationships.

Paradoxe Aushandlungen von Migration im Diskurs um die Leipziger Eisenbahnstraße Paradoxical negotiations of migration in discourses around the Eisenbahnstraße in the city of Leipzig

Urban diversity discourses imply paradoxical configurations which, especially on the level of urban neighbourhoods, can be read as the inclusion of desired migration in connection with the exclusion of non-desired migration. In order to focus on novel shifts or rather the reciprocal conditioning of social in- and exclusions in the process of the internationalization and diversification of cities, the authors refer to the notion of paradox in the sense of a heuristic approach. Based on this, the paper examines seemingly contradictory in- and exclusions of migration in a long-standing key area of urban development policies. An analysis of the local media coverage and urban development documents demonstrates that in the discourse around Leipzig’s “Eisenbahnstraße”, a classical discursive figure is reproduced. It debates migration on the one hand as economic resource and problematises it, on the other, as a factor of unproductive deviance. Because of the fact that forms of social participation are bound to exclusions and control elsewhere, apparently paradoxical discursive logics emerge in the dealing with a pluralised urban space strongly shaped through migration. The fact that the invocation of a “parallel world” is explicitly directed towards a migrant population while the discourse on the “city of diversity” remains diffuse and largely anonymous, contradicts the general recognition of the realities of plural immigration societies. Despite or rather due to Leipzig’s pioneering role as regards to migration in the Eastern German context, migration (still) lacks the matter of course and remains a highly sensitive issue.

Age integration in older Europeans' non-kin core networks: Does formal social participation play a role?

Age segregation-the widespread separation of people by age-is deemed by many gerontologists a major problem in contemporary societies. Contributing to this dialog, the current exploratory article examines the presence of non-kin members in European seniors' close personal networks. Specifically, we document network connections to people outside of their 10-year birth cohort, both younger ("downward" age integration) and older ("upward" age integration). We consider whether different aspects of social participation-breadth and intensity of activity, and specific types of participation-are associated with age integration andwe pay particular attention to variation across four regions of the continent. Analyses use Wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 34,282) which contains an updated social networks module. Results of descriptive analyses and logistic regression models demonstrate three key findings. First, both forms of age integration are rare-fewer than 10% of older Europeans have non-kin networks that extend beyond their owncohorts. Nevertheless, both forms of age integration tend to be higher in northern and central Europe than in the south and east. Second, two dimensions of formal social activity involvement were associated with age integration, namely activity breadth and intensity. Third, though there was some evidence that particular formal activities were linked to age integration, this pattern was not consistent across the whole of Europe. Overall, findings point to the significance of cultural and organizational variation across Europe as well as to important and increasingly relevant social cleavages in the later segments of adulthood.

Formal Social Participation and Utilization of Community-based Services among Urban Elderly Chinese Living Alone in Shanghai, China

This research examined formal social participation among elderly Chinese adults living alone and the association between utilization of community-based services and formal social participation, which refers to participation in employment, volunteer jobs, and social groups. Using a secondary analysis on a survey data from a simple random sample of 228 adults aged 60 and older living alone in a Shanghai neighborhood, it was found that only small percentage of older adults living alone were involved in formal social participation. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that use of community-based services is significantly associated with formal social participation among elderly Chinese living alone. Thus, future policies and programs should focus on strengthening community-based services for elderly Chinese, to more effectively promote and facilitate their social participation.

Life course social connectedness: Age-cohort trends in social participation

Social connectedness has emerged in recent decades as a key determinant of well-being. Considering its importance, several studies have sought to describe how overall trends in society have changed over the years, while others have been more concerned with how it changes as individuals age. This study set out to synthesize these two strands of research by describing age-cohort trends of social connectedness, using social participation as the key indicator. Data are from the Americans’ Changing Lives survey, a nationally representative panel dataset with an accelerated longitudinal design, collected over 25 years. Multivariate Bayesian generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) were utilized to estimate age-cohort trajectories of formal and informal social participation. Findings show that even as informal social participation decreases with age, formal social participation increases – suggesting some form of compensatory mechanism. Further, while informal social participation remains stable across cohorts, formal social participation increases in later cohorts. These results suggest that the isolation of old age or overall societal declines in social participation in America may be overestimated by some observers, but more research is needed to more comprehensively describe how other aspects of social connectedness are distributed over the life course.

L’impact de l’expression artistique sur la participation sociale des aînés suite à la tragédie ferroviaire à Lac-Mégantic

Seniors were greatly affected, as was the rest of the population, by the railway tragedy that occurred in the Lac-Mégantic community in 2013. In the aftermath of the events, the Canadian Red Cross settled there in order to support the population and to implement the Arts and Crafts program, which includes arts and crafts workshops for seniors with loss of autonomy. This article presents the results of an exploratory study aimed at determining the effects of these workshops on the elderly who benefitted from them. The results show that this artistic expression has led participants to break free from their isolation, develop their self-esteem, feel pleasure, and enjoy life again. The positive response from the people of the community of Lac Mégantic to the projects produced by the participants suggests that artistic expression is a form of social participation since it demonstrates a vitality that is always present in people who were no longer believed capable of innovation. It becomes a source of hope for a community that is going through such a hard time.

Social participation, leisure and active aging

Social participation is one of the three pillars of the active aging model highlighted by the World Health Organization (OMS, 2002). Leisure is a form of social participation that is important for ...

PRAWO MIESZKAŃCÓW DO KIEROWANIA SPRAWAMI PUBLICZNYMI W SAMORZĄDZIE GMINNYM

This article discusses the right of residents to run public affairs in local government.The first part focuses on the legal guarantees of the participation of residents in the managementof the commune. The second part presents procedural forms of including citizens in public affairs.In the last two parts of the article, forms of social participation in the process of planning andspatial development as well as in the process of revitalization were discussed.

Young people's power of action in a peripheral community: confrontations and challenges.

This article, based on doctoral research, aims to understand and draw attention to forms of social participation by young people living in a peripheral community on the coast of São Paulo State. It also examines the manners of health production encountered by the subjects themselves, to reveal how young people have approached this in a context of marked inequality. The young study participants were involved in the activities of an NGO and a hip hop group, where the researcher was placed. The results were constructed on the basis of observations recorded in field diaries and semi-structured interviews, and analysed using the Depth Hermeneutics methodology. They indicate that building community ties expresses the participation of young people and contributes to tackling inequalities and social exclusion. Participation in groups has proven potent and able to shape processes of autonomy, self-care and care for others. However, they appear as isolated initiatives by other institutions. It is also challenging to think of ways of understanding young people's participation, participating together with them in their lives in their contexts, making for horizontal relationships and surmounting the ideas of homogenisation, control and tutelage of this population.

Social participation among older adults in Belgium’s Flanders region: exploring the roles of both new and old media usage

ABSTRACTThe media usage of older adults aged 60 and above in the twenty-first century information society is gaining increasing research attention. This research investigates the association between two important aspects in later life, media usage and social participation, among 36,282 home-dwelling adults aged 60 and above in over 138 municipalities of Belgium’s Flanders region. The data are collected through a participatory research method, in which older adults are recruited and trained as research volunteers. Media is categorised into new media (Internet) and traditional/old media (newspaper, TV, community newsletter), while social participation is divided into formal and informal participation. The results of hierarchical linear regression and logistic binary regression analysis show that reading the community newsletter, reading the newspaper, and Internet usage are positively correlated with formal and informal social participation, whereas watching TV shows a negative correlation with both participation forms. Finally, the implications of the association between older adults’ traditional media usage and social participation are discussed.

Social participation and health over the adult life course: Does the association strengthen with age?

RationaleStudies have consistently found positive associations between social participation and health, but it is unclear if they vary across the life course. Younger individuals are likely to initiate and benefit from social participation in different ways from older individuals, which may in turn alter its overall influence on health outcomes. Age-varying associations, if present, may then attenuate or amplify the health consequences stemming from changes in social participation over the adult life course. ObjectiveTo assess the strength of the association between social participation and health across the life course, and whether it increases with age. MethodsI use five waves of panel data (N = 11202 person-year observations) from the Americans’ Changing Lives Survey, collected over 25 years (1986–2011), to examine the association of formal and informal social participation with (1) the number of chronic health conditions and (2) depressive symptoms, focusing on whether these associations become stronger with age. Growth curve models (stratified by gender) with an accelerated longitudinal design were used to construct age trajectories of the dependent variables. An interaction term was then included to test for age-varying effects for each health outcome. ResultsResults show that the association between formal social participation and depressive symptoms grew stronger with age, but only for men. For women, positive associations between social participation and health were found, but seemed to remain consistent over the life course. ConclusionFindings suggest that the social participation and health association over the life course is likely to be contingent on gender, the type of social participation, and the specific health outcome being considered.

How Social Participation Benefits the Chronically Ill: Self-Management as a Mediating Pathway.

Objective: Few studies have tested the purported causal mechanisms between social participation and health, especially among those in poor health. This study aimed to determine whether self-management of chronic disease operates as a pathway through which social participation affects health-related quality of life. Method: I utilized causal mediation analysis among 600 low-income older Singaporeans living with chronic conditions, to test whether self-management mediates the association between social participation and health-related quality of life. Results: Results show that self-management fully mediated the positive effect of informal social participation on health-related quality of life. Formal social participation was found to have a negative direct effect on health-related quality of life. Discussion: These findings reiterate the primacy of family and friends for older adults, but highlight that a better understanding of formal engagement with the low-income population is still needed.

“Find Out the Truth about Your Literacy!” The Total Dictation as a Form of Flash Mob

The main features of the Total Dictation as a form of a flash mob are considered in the article. The main characteristics of a flash mob are illustrated, especially its ephemerity, the simultaneous and public action that is based on strict rules and scenario, and its organization through the Internet and contemporary communication networks, or social media. The main factors of the development of flash mobs are a dissatisfaction with existing forms of social participation, and the improvement of new electronic forms of social communication. Flash mobs come under the two headings of classic and modernized. A classical flash mob does not have any goals. The modernized flash mob has some ideology defining it and can be organized during a specific time. The Total Dictation is the mass action for people who want to evaluate his or her literacy through writing dictation in different places in Russia, around the world, and online. It is organized in Russia and fulfilled by the experts from the Novosibirsk State University, and also serves the rising interest in the Russian language. During the process of the analysis, it is discovered that the Total Dictation is the one of the forms of the modernized flash mobs. It is a mass event because its popularity has grown to a global level. It also has its own ideology, and it is carried out at the same time in different places. It is also a public action, has a clear scenario, and rules for its manifestation. The main function of organization belongs to the website, and to the groups in social media. The Total Dictation also has leaders, clear goals, and a differentiation of the participants, what means that it can be defined as the modernized form of flash mobs. The results of the interviews with participants confirmed the existence of the flash mobs’ features, especially special emotional situations (“like before an exam”), and the identification with the group of patriotic intellectuals who are fond of the Russian language.

Reflections and collective production about being a municipal health counselor

to identify the participation dynamics of a municipal council and to develop a critical-reflexive process on "being a counselor", identifying weaknesses and possibilities of this council, in addition to collectively generating new knowledge and (re)elaborating the MHC Ordinary Law. Convergent care research, including documentary analysis, non-participant observation and thematic workshops. The research was carried out in 2016, with municipal health counselors from a city in the Western Region of Santa Catarina. this study made it possible to identify forms of social participation that should be strengthened in the performance of social power, to reflect and share individual experiences, to anchor them in the current legislation, and to build knowledge that enabled the elaboration/organization of a product - a new text for the Ordinary Law of the Council, adjusted to current legislation. There is a need to increase participation, considering the presence of the counselors in the meetings, the effective representation and a greater interaction in the discussions and deliberations of the council.

Farmers’ knowledge and adoption level on goat healthcare management practices in selected areas of India

The study was taken up with the objective to find out the factors effecting knowledge and adoption of goat owners in healthcare management practices. The study was purposively conducted in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh due to its high population and two highest goat meat producing states in the country. In all, 180 respondents were randomly selected for the study. The study revealed that majority of the goat owners had knowledge on different healthcare management practices but in respect to extent of adoption of these practices, it was found low. The study shows that majority of the goat owners had medium level of knowledge about healthcare management practices. The study also shows that education, landholding, mass media exposure, formal interpersonal contact and social participation are significantly and positively correlated with knowledge level whereas education, landholding, knowledge level, mass media exposure, formal interpersonal contact and social participation are significantly and positively correlated with adoption index of the goat owners in healthcare management practices. The study further reveals that mass media exposure, education, informal interpersonal contact, landholding and flock size were the main contributing factors to farmers’ knowledge level in healthcare management practices whereas knowledge level in healthcare management practices, formal interpersonal contact, flock size and farming experience were the main contributing factors to farmers’ adoption index in healthcare management practices. Thus, a holistic extension approach for goat owners needs to be taken up considering all the factors which can enhance the knowledge level in improved healthcare management practices resulting in adoption of these improved practices so that they can prevent morbidity and mortality in their farm and thereby reduce economic losses.Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2017. 46 (2): 95-101