High Risk Of Social Exclusion Research Articles

Impact of Atopic Dermatitis on Adult Women's Lives: A Survey of 1,009 French Women.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common inflammatory diseases, and has a higher prevalence among females in adulthood. The aim of this observational, cross-sectional, survey-based study was to evaluate the impact of AD on the daily lives of adult women patients. A scientific committee composed exclusively of women constructed a specific questionnaire in partnership with the French Eczema Association. Severity of AD was evaluated with the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM). A sample of 1,009 adult women (mean age ± standard deviation: 41.8 ± 14.2 years) with AD was identified from a representative sample of the French population (82% response rate 1,230 women surveyed). According to the POEM, 50.64% (n = 511) of subjects were identified as having mild AD, 39.35% (n = 397) moderate AD, and 10.01% (n = 101) severe AD. Overall, 67.7% (n = 682) reported that their eczema involved a visible area (face, neck or hands), and 19.6% (n = 198) a sensual area (breasts/chest, genital area or buttocks). Of the 720 women with menstrual cycles, exacerbations of AD were reported to occur mostly before (50.6%) and during (48.3%) menstruation. A small proportion of women, 7.3% (n = 74), reported being afraid of becoming pregnant because of their eczema. If AD involvement was in a visible area it had a greater impact on romantic relationships, sexual relationships and occupation. If AD involvement was in a sensual area it had a greater influence on romantic relationships and sexuality. Particular attention should be given to patients with localization of AD on the face, neck or hands, as they have a higher risk of social exclusion. Moreover, these results should encourage health professionals to ask patients with AD about the possible involvement of sensual areas.

Examining narratives of Swedish care-leaving bureaucracy from a lived citizenship perspective: framing the problem in political terms

ABSTRACT The transition to young adulthood is a complex process for all young people, but especially those leaving care who are at high risk of social exclusion. The adverse living conditions of young care leavers have been well documented in recent decades and constitute an established point of departure in the political discourse on care leavers, as well as within the international field of leaving care research. This article builds on twelve in-depth interviews with young people aged 17–24 from a Swedish research project on youth transitioning from out-of-home care and their paths to housing, work and education. From the perspectives of care leavers, the processes governing transitions are characterised by rigid managerialism and social administration that fails to address the extensive needs regarding housing, income, education and health as experienced by this group. The article explores leaving care from a lived citizenship perspective, arguing that the lack of responsiveness from the social services, as well as the lack of meaningful long-term interventions capable of addressing the material, psychological, emotional, relational and educational needs of young people leaving care, places this group on the margins of citizenship, unsupported and insufficiently prepared to enter the many trials of emerging adulthood.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bullying Victimization and Emotional Symptoms: A Longitudinal Study on Natives and Students With Immigrant Backgrounds

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescents’ social interactions and mental health. However, it is still unclear how the developmental trajectories of individuals at higher risk of social exclusion and victimization changed during this challenging period. Using the Latent Growth Curve Analysis (LGCA), the present study aims to investigate whether belonging to a minority ethnic group might be an additional risk factor, by analyzing trends over time in both bullying victimization (V) and emotional symptoms (ES) from the pre-pandemic period to 15-months after the outbreak. 826 students (46.4% females; Mage=15.22; SD = 0.63; 18.5% with an immigrant background) attending the first year of high school were followed before the pandemic (T1-January 2020), to 12 months (T2-February 2021) and 15-months (T3-May 2021) after the outbreak. Findings highlighted the pervasive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all students, with no differences between natives and students with immigrant background. Indeed, results showed a decrease in victimization, especially the more systematic behaviors, and an increase in emotional symptoms over time. However, we found a greater growth in emotional symptoms in students who started with a lower level of victimization before the pandemic. It seems like a tsunami has passed and completely engulfed everyone. The present study warns about the return to school in face-to-face mode for adolescents after a period of great suffering, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burden of visible [face and hands] skin diseases: Results from a large international survey

BackgroundWhile numerous surveys over the last decade have evaluated the burden of skin diseases, none have focused on the specific impact of disease-location on the hands and face. AimThe purpose of our study was to evaluate the burden of 8 skin diseases on the multidimensional aspects of subjects’ daily lives in respect to their location on visible body areas (face or hands) versus non-visible areas. MethodsThis was a population-based study in a representative sample of the Canadian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, German and French populations, aged over 18 years using the proportional quota sampling method. All participants were asked (i) to complete a specific questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) to declare if they had a skin disease. All respondents with a skin disease were asked (iii) to specify the respective disease locations (hands, face, body) and (iv) to complete the DLQI questionnaire. Respondents with 8 selected skin diseases were asked (v) to complete a questionnaire evaluating the impact of the skin disease on their daily life, including their professional activity, social relations, emotional and intimate life, leisure, sports activities and perceived stigma. ResultsA total of 13,138 adult participants responded to the questionnaire, of whom 26.2 % (n = 3,450) had skin diseases, and 23.4 % (n = 3,072) reported having one of the 8 selected skin diseases. Fifty-three percent were women and the mean age was 39.6 ± 15.5 years. The QoL was mostly impaired when the visible localization was solely on the hands as compared with the face (38 % had a DLQI > 10 versus 22 % respectively). More subjects with a visible localization on the hands reported felt-stigma, having difficulty falling asleep and felt that their sex life had been affected. ConclusionSpecial attention should be given to patients with skin disease on the hands and face as they are at higher risk of social exclusion and lower quality of life.

Avoiding the odd one out: social cohesion in New Zealand primary classrooms

ABSTRACT The social climate in the classroom can impact students’ mental well-being, behaviour and peer-learning opportunities. This article describes one way that elementary teachers can understand students’ social networks using a sociogram. Findings show variation in classroom cohesion and reveal groups of students who are at higher risk of social exclusion. Discussion of implications includes possible reasons for students’ social exclusion and ways teachers might use information to improve the social climate in the classroom. This article focuses on the role of initial teacher education programmes in building teacher skills to develop a robust and positive social climate.

Revealing transport inequality from an activity space perspective: A study based on human mobility data

Closing mobility and accessibility gaps between public transit riders and private car users is key to tackling social exclusion and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, place-based potential accessibility methods do not accurately measure real gaps in the uptake of activity opportunities because people usually have limited activity spaces. This study introduces people-based activity space approaches to measure activity disparities between the two modal groups. To overcome difficulties in obtaining large-scale individual activity data, this study used vehicle plate recognition data and public transit smart card data to anonymously identify activities. Individual activity spaces were characterised by six primary activity features from different dimensions. The analysis confirmed that, relative to transit riders, people who use cars on average accessed more activities within a larger activity space and enjoyed overall higher travel efficiency. A comprehensive indicator was further derived from the primary activity features to quantify activity disparities at the zone level. Zones with the highest risk of social exclusion were observed in the outskirts. In contrast, the city centre and inner suburbs exhibited significant equality of the two transport modes in fulfilling mobility needs for engagement in activities. Activity disparities between the two modalities were determined per area in specific activity dimensions, namely activity extensity, activity diversity, and travel efficiency. Finally, statistical models provided evidence that public transport facilities (especially rail transit) and location factors (distance to the city centre) are essential in determining modality-associated gaps in access to urban activity opportunities. Socioeconomic status and land use diversity also partially contributed to the inequality in specific dimensions of the activity space. This people-centred approach is critical for tackling transport inequality and achieving SDGs while “leaving no one behind”.

MEASURING TRANSPORT-RELATED SOCIAL EXCLUSION AT THE MESO-LEVEL USING THE CONCEPT OF ISOLATED ISLANDS IN THE BIG CITIES

Using the notion of isolated urban islands, this paper discusses, from a theoretical point of view, three important but controversial issues related to the measurement of social exclusion in the big cities: (i) the extent to which social exclusion is likely to occur, (ii) accessibility indicators that are sensitive and relevant for the evaluation of social exclusion, and (iii) the geographical scale for evaluation. From an urban island point of view, two important issues have been raised: the distribution of jobs, Therefore, basic facilities, and services within an urban island and the travels of people between urban islands. social exclusion can be determined either by the affordability/acceptability of travel time/cost to access the minimum requirement of facilities/services or the number of facilities/services in reach of the individuals within acceptable/affordable travel time and cost. A person will be at risk of social exclusion if they belong to a minority group as opposed to the majority in the same society. Some levels of social exclusion risk have been proposed. The evaluation should be implemented at the meso-level (urban island). From the view of the urban islands, the issues of transportrelated social exclusion are clearly understood, and measurements of social exclusion should be solved. We feel that a detailed survey/interview is needed for areas at high risk of social exclusion, followed by an evaluation at the micro-level to identify excluded people and the causes for their exclusion. It is expected that this paper will attract researchers to pay more attention to this issue.

Polityka zatrudnienia osób z niepełnosprawnościami. Wybrane zagadnienia

Disability is an important issue found in every society. People with disabilities belong to a category of people at high risk of social exclusion, including on the labour market. In the first part of the article, the authors explain the meaning of the term 'person with a disability'. The following parts discuss the legal basis for the freedom to choose work in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the regulations of the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations. In addition, employment opportunities for persons with disabilities on the open and sheltered labour market will be briefly introduced. The authors also draw attention to the possibility of using new forms of employment in the context of activating this social group.

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS FROM SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES. A SOCIOLOGICAL SURVEY ON 8th GRADE PUPILS, BIHOR COUNTY

Objectives. Studies have shown that single-parent families face various types of psycho-emotional problems but also the precariousness of economic resources, being among the vulnerable groups with a high risk of social exclusion. The paper presents a series of concrete aspects from a research conducted in Bihor County and it aims to analyze the differences between children from single-parent families and those coming from two-parent families, and those between single-mother families and single-father families, respectively, in terms of school life. Material and methods. The method used consists in a sociological survey based on a questionnaire, applied to a representative sample of 4708 8th grade students from Bihor County, in the 2019-2020 school year. Data processing was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences [SPSS] program, with the aim of calculating the frequencies and correlations between the variables. Results. In terms of school performance, education environment quality within the family, and school-family collaboration, the research found statistically significant differences between single-parent and two-parent students, respectively between families with single mothers and single fathers. Conclusions. The data showed that school performance is strongly influenced by family structure, climate, and functionality. From this perspective, the single-parent family represents a structure with low educational potential; in terms of school performance, the single-mother family describes a structure that favors school performance to a greater extent compared to the single-father family. Keywords: single-parent families, school performance, vulnerable groups, family climate, family structure.

Regional differences in Bulgarian population ageing

Abstract Background Europeans are living longer than ever, and the age profile of society is rapidly changing. Despite the observed improvement in public health in the European region, for many people old age is accompanied by a high risk of social exclusion and poverty, limited access to quality health and social services, especially in countries with economies in transition. This poses serious challenges for individuals and society. This report aims to analyse the basic regional differences of ageing in Bulgaria. Methods Information from the World Bank Open Data was used to calculate the basic indicators: proportion of people 65+ and ageing index for selected European countries. To estimate the rate of change, the growth of ageing index (in %) was calculated on a constant basis in 1970. The regional differences of ageing for Bulgarian population were analysed based on the National Statistical Institute data. The absolute numbers for regions were regrouped and the main indicators for population ageing were calculated. Analysis and calculation procedures were performed by Microsoft Office Excel 2019. Results By 2019, in fourteen of sixteen selected European countries, the ageing index exceeded 100%, and in four countries, it was even over 150%: Italy (174.78%), Portugal (168.70%), Greece (157.89%) and Bulgaria (150.07%). In Bulgaria, the proportion of people 65+ was 21.64% with great differences by regions. The highest proportions were found for Vidin and Gabrovo (29,94% and 29.05% respectively) compared to 19.24% for Varna and 17.70% for Sofia. The ageing index varies from 109.40% for the region of Sliven, 126.38% for Varna and 119.91% for Sofia to 248.63% for Vidin, 248.17% for Gabrovo, and 227.98% for Kyustendil, which are the regions with lower availability of health care. Conclusions The profound regional differences in population ageing impose permanent monitoring and directing the regional social and public health policies to avoid unfavourable effects of this process. Key messages The change of health status with increasing age is a challenge for the capacity of the health systems, especially for provision of long-term care, to cover the needs of the elderly. It is of utmost importance to develop policies and conditions for long-term and palliative care and for improvement of services and living conditions to ensure a better quality of life.

Overcoming Socio-Economic Problems in Crisis Areas through Revitalization of Cittaslow Towns. Evidence from North-East Poland

The revitalization of small towns is connected with an attempt to find multidirectional solutions to numerous social, economic and spatial problems. It is possible to remove degraded areas and areas with a high risk of social exclusion through coordinated and skillfully planned activities consisting of corrective interventions within these areas and, indirectly, in the whole structure of a small town. There are many studies on improving the quality of life of inhabitants at risk of exclusion in large cities. At the same time, there is a gap in the analyses of this phenomenon in small towns. In this article, we present the results of our observations on changes in the quality and living conditions of residents as a result of social projects implemented as part of the revitalization of marginalized areas in cities associated with the Cittaslow movement. The starting point is to identify the main socioeconomic problems and relate them to the effects of the revitalization activities carried out under the Supralocal Revitalization Program (SLRP). The study analyzed all projects that were a response to social problems in fourteen cities in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (Poland). It was based on a quantitative assessment of the selected socioeconomic indicators and a qualitative assessment based on interviews with local experts. The results of the research indicate a reduction in unemployment in all the cities covered by the study. On the other hand, the results of the expert interview show that it is not directly influenced by the implemented revitalization projects. According to experts, after revitalization, the crime rate decreased insignificantly and the educational and professional involvement of residents from marginalized areas is still low. The results may give rise to the creation of scenarios to deal with the socioeconomic problems of the analyzed examples and recommendations for the revitalization of other Cittaslow towns in the region as well as small towns in Europe and the world.

Od pasivnosti do borbe za promenu - aktivističke aspiracije mladih iz ruralnih područja Vojvodine

The youth in modern Serbian society is mostly uninterested in activism. That leads to their political atomization, privatization, more pronounced feeling of not belonging, and social exclusion. Since young people in villages are at a higher risk of social exclusion, a question arises as to the nature of their practices and readiness for activism. The analysis of activist aspirations of the village youth was performed on the basis of the data collected by a semi-standardized interview on the sample of 500 respondents (aged 18-29) in ten villages in Vojvodina. The results show that young people encounter numerous problems and are aware of them, but they do not take active part in their resolution. Village youth is characterized by political passivity, accompanied with the negative assessment of the efficiency of own action, as well as the feeling of social weakness.

Loneliness Among the Elderly in Rural Contexts: A Mixed-Method Study Protocol

Loneliness among the elderly has become a pressing issue in Western societies. In the Spanish context, the problem of the so-called “empty” Spain disproportionately affects this population group—elderly individuals living in rural areas with low population density, and therefore at higher risk of social exclusion and isolation. We introduce here a mixed-method, quantitative-qualitative research protocol, triangulated with technological tools, designed to improve both data acquisition and subsequent data analysis and interpretation. This study will take place in a rural locality in the Extremadura region (Spain), chosen according to a particular socio-demographic profile. The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale will be used on a cohort of 80 people over 65 years old. Within this cohort, a smaller sample of 20–30 individuals will be selected for semi-structured interviews about their beliefs and experiences of loneliness. Finally, data gathered from technological tools (smartbands, Bluetooth sensors) will allow us to monitor social interactions and to map daily loneliness/interaction patterns. Data will be triangulated by analyzing and comparing the empirical material gathered through these different methods and tools. Strict adherence to ethical standards for data protection and handling will be essential through data collection and analysis. As well as providing insights into the phenomenon of loneliness in old age, the use of different methods and tools for data collection will provide the basis for an epistemological reflection on the scope and limits of each one of these methods.

Poverty in Rural Areas : an Outline of the Problem

This article is an attempt to determine the level of poverty in rural areas in Poland. The author reviewed the most important publications on poverty and the indicators that determine its scale. Relative, objective and subjective poverty lines were used to present the range of rural poverty against the background of total poverty. Analyses showed that the at-risk-of-poverty rate for rural areas in Poland amounted to 21.2%. This means that almost every fifth rural resident is at risk of poverty, whereas every tenth resident is at risk of extreme poverty. The article also presents the rural areas in Poland which are at the highest risk of social exclusion. These areas were distinguished on the basis of the number of registered families receiving social benefits. Both Eurostat (EU-SILC) and Local Data Bank of the Statistics Poland (BDL GUS) were used. (original abstract)

Splitting the acronym: Who supports young people with SEN when they leave education?

This article provides an overview of the differences in the current legislation supporting people with SEN and disabilities both in and out of education. Having worked in both educational settings and with adults with learning disabilities through the NHS, it became clear that one particular group of young people may become marginalised and placed at higher risk of social exclusion due to the differences in policy guidelines and criteria for support once they leave school: young people with SEN whose needs are not classed as a disability. I have included evidence from recent research which outlines the risks this group may face and demonstrates some of the changes that may be beneficial to ensuring this group have a successful future. Suggested actions include systemic working from an individual to a policy level, supported by the idea that educational psychologists as a profession are well-placed to advocate for policy change.

Social exclusion and accessibility among low- and non-low-income groups: A case study of Nanjing, China

Accessibility is closely related to human health and life quality and is a potential indicator of social exclusion. With an activity-space measure and by weighting the importance of facilities, this study examines the differences in access to facilities between low- and non-low-income groups at both the individual and community levels using Nanjing as a case study. The results show that low-income individuals' access to public transit and commercial facilities is lower than that of individuals in the non-low-income group at the individual level. However, the differences in facility accessibility vary by community type. Participants living in danwei communities and traditional dilapidated communities have better access to facilities and services. However, low-income individuals who live in affordable housing have the lowest accessibility levels among the residents in the three different types of neighborhoods, resulting in their highest risk of social exclusion and isolation in disadvantaged spaces. The regression models reveal that individuals' socioeconomic attributes and characteristics of activities and built-environment attributes have different impacts on facility accessibility of participants of different communities. Social policies should support the equitable distribution of urban resources for different social groups, especially for vulnerable groups who live in affordable housing.

Comunitats de pràctiques per a la inclusió educativa. Una 'recerca basada en el disseny'

The Shere Rom Project is a design-based study initiated 21 years ago. This article describes one of the spaces of this project carried out during 14 years in a school in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Bon Pastor, with a population at high risk of social exclusion. This experience is based on the «Fifth Dimension» model, aimed at developing inter-institutional, intergenerational and intercultural educational communi-ties that promote collaborative learning practices supported by the use of information and communication technologies. These are spaces in which children from the community solve tasks or create digital stories in cooperation with university students involved in a Service Learning program. The experience is analysed based on two elements of the cultural-historical approach of psychology, historicity and multi-voices, and also in terms of the challenges derived from the collaborative nature of the project, the appropriation by actors with different motives, the narrative structure and the promotion of agency through authorship.

Social Exclusion and Mental Wellbeing in Older Romanians

In Romania, inequalities in health and wellbeing between younger and older Romanians are substantial, and an important reason for inequalities may be the higher risk of social exclusion among older adults. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the many transformations in economic structures and welfare regimes contributed to enhanced levels of social exclusion, in particular among the older generations. Social exclusion is a multidimensional problem with substantial effects on the mental wellbeing of people. The present study examines age differences in mental wellbeing and evaluates to what extent differences can be explained by age and social exclusion, while controlling for a number of potential confounders. Data are from the fourth wave (2016) of the European Quality of Life Survey. Data for Romania include 1004 people aged between 18 and 85 years old, of which 726 are included in the analyses (only complete cases). In the study sample, 259 were 55 years or older. Mental wellbeing was measured with The World Health Organization Wellbeing Index (WHO-5 scale), and social exclusion was measured in four domains: social relations, material resources, services and the neighbourhood. The results show that older Romanians have a statistically significant lower mental wellbeing than younger generations in Romania. All domains of social exclusion were associated with lower levels of mental wellbeing. These effects remained statistically significant after controlling for partner status, chronic diseases, having children, and level of education. Improving mental wellbeing of older Romanians would greatly benefit from increasing social inclusion by means of social transfers provided by the government, improving the neighbourhood and access to services, and providing facilities to enhance the social network.

Examining inclusive mobility through smartcard data: What shall we make of senior citizens' declining bus patronage in the West Midlands?

Free access to public transport is viewed as an effective means to enable inclusive mobility, but the recent decline in bus patronage by passengers entitled to free travel in the West Midlands and other UK regions presents a conundrum to transport research and policy. In this research, we analyse travel smartcard transactions recorded over nearly six years for 371,220 concessionary passengers resident in the West Midlands Combined Authority. Using sequence analysis, we identify six groups representing different temporal boarding profiles. We link these profiles to geo-spatial data and characterise them by means of spatial pattern detection and multinomial logit modelling. We find that, first, the decline in patronage occurs in three waves across the study period according to distinct activity patterns; second, formerly frequent (daily) passengers tend to abandon the bus and thus show the largest impact on the overall trend; third, the neighbourhood context of withdrawing passengers indicates social disadvantage, higher instance of ethnic minorities and lower car ownership rates, in other words higher risk of social exclusion. To discuss these in parts paradoxical results, we identify three causal domains - social, health-related and structural - and conclude with implications for policy promoting inclusive and healthy mobility in later life.

The association between social exclusion or inclusion and health in EU and OECD countries: a systematic review.

BackgroundSocial exclusion (SE), or the inability to participate fully in society, is considered one of the driving forces of health inequalities. Systematic evidence on this subject is pertinent but scarce. This review aims to systematically summarise peer reviewed studies examining the association between the multidimensional concepts of SE and social inclusion (SI) and health among adults in EU and OECD countries.MethodsThe protocol was registered on Prospero (CRD42017052718). Three major medical databases were searched to identify studies published before January 2018, supplemented by reference and citation tracking. Articles were included if they investigated SE or SI as a multidimensional concept with at least two out of the four dimensions of SE/SI, i.e. economic, social, political and cultural. A qualitative synthesis was conducted.ResultsTwenty-two observational studies were included. In the general population, high SE/low SI was associated with adverse mental and general health. For physical health, the evidence was inconclusive. In groups at high risk of SE, support was found for the association between high SE/low SI and adverse mental health but no conclusions could be drawn for physical and general health.ConclusionsThis review found evidence for the association between high SE/low SI and adverse health outcomes, particularly mental health outcomes. The evidence is mainly based on cross-sectional studies using simple and often ad hoc indicators of SE/SI. The development and use of validated measures of SE/SI and more longitudinal research is needed to further substantiate the evidence base and gain better understanding of the causal pathways.