Intimacy Research Articles

Research on the Spatio-temporal Coupling Relationship between Agricultural Green Development Efficiency and Food Security System in China

Food security and agricultural green development are fundamental issues concerning the survival of mankind. To realize the coordinated development of them is of great significance to promote the green transformation of agriculture and ensure national food security. However, few studies have analyzed the coupling relationship between agricultural green development and food security. Therefore, this study complements the research on the coupling relationship between them. First, we use the agricultural panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2010 to 2021 to measure the agricultural green development efficiency and food security level by Super-SBM model and entropy weight method. Then, the coupling relationship and spatiotemporal evolution of the two are analyzed by coupling coordination degree model. The results show that, first of all, China's agricultural green development efficiency and food security level have improved overall, but there are regional differences. Secondly, the degree of coupling and coordination between the two is significantly improved, and most provinces develop from the break-in stage to the coordination stage, and the regional differences are relatively reduced. Finally, Beijing, Shanghai and other developed areas are mostly of the lagging food security type, Liaoning, Shandong and other major grain producing areas have reached a high degree of coordination, while Tibet, Qinghai and other western regions are still in the break-in stage. According to the development situation of different regions, corresponding suggestions are put forward. For regions with lagging food security type, the government should give full play to the application of science and technology in agriculture and promote green and low-carbon planting technologies. For regions with low coupling and coordination degree, the government should improve support policies and build a collaborative operation system, adjust planting structure to improve land utilization rate and food security level. Finally, the government should work together to build agricultural industrial parks and give full play to the leading role of competitive provinces to achieve common development.

An Equity-Based Research Agenda to Promote Social Inclusion and Belonging for People With IDD.

Having a sense of social inclusion and belonging, typically characterized by our personal relationships and community participation, is the central essence of life for most people, yet it remains elusive for many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This article summarizes the work of a diverse group of researchers and advocates to propose 6 big-picture, equity-based goals to drive future research in the field: (1) understanding the role of intersectionality, (2) understanding intimate relationships, (3) promoting formation of communities of care to support social inclusion, (4) understanding life course trajectories of social inclusion, (5) understanding social inclusion in virtual spaces, and (6) understanding how to promote social inclusion in the entire research process.

To Study Significance and Impact of Social Media Marketing in CRM

Abstract: Social media is now a crucial component of contemporary communication, and the way peoplecommunicate with one another has changed dramatically. Being a platform for communicatingwith customers and creating relationships, social media has also become an important component of customer relationship management (CRM) for organisations. As a result, social media marketing has changed as a critical tactic for firms seeking to reach out to customers and build long-term relationships. One of the primary benefits of CRM social media marketing is that it enables organisations to communicate with their customers in a more personal and interactive manner. Customers can use social media platforms to ask questions, provide comments, and share their experiences with a brand, allowing businesses to reply in a quick and effective manner. This type of two- way communication fosters customer and business trust, resulting in enhanced customer satisfactionand retention. Social media is now a crucial component of contemporary communication, and the way people interact with their customers, offering unparalleled opportunities for engagement and relationship building.

Intimate partner violence in India: Patterns, causes and way forward

Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that can occur between intimate partners or spouse. 1 out of 4 women globally estimated to experience some kind of violence and in this context IPV is a major issue, especially for women. This paper tries to explores the different forms IPV including physical violence to emotional manipulation and controlling behaviors. It examines the cyclical nature of abuse related to IPV and the key factors that increase IPV risk, such as relationship conflicts, poverty, substance abuse, mental health issues, and societal gender norms around power dynamics. With special reference to India, the paper analyzes national survey data showing high rates of domestic violence across many states. While laws like the Domestic Violence Act exist, social stigma and power imbalances prevent many victims from reporting abuse. The paper emphasizes on the basis of the analysis of the literature that addressing IPV requires a multi-faceted approach which must include- promoting gender equality, strict law enforcement, providing mental health support, and crucially, changing mindsets through community engagement to remove stigma around this issue and create mass level awareness among people. Only a concerted effort from all sectors of society can prevent IPV effectively.

Caring for/with Modernist Playthings: Fidgeting with Objects in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie.

Modernist literature of the early to mid-twentieth century on both sides of the Atlantic is replete with examples of a particular kind of relationship with objects, namely, the touching, collecting, and grasping of small, often highly personal, and ostensibly quotidian objects. From John's glass collection in Woolf's "Solid Objects," Peter Walsh's stroking of his pocket-knife in Mrs. Dalloway, Miriam's frenzied absorption with flowers in Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, to Laura's fiddling of her glass menagerie in Tennessee Williams's eponymous play, fidgeting in modernist literature and drama reveals a particular tendency of not just characters' possession of things but also their possession by things. This phenomenon, I argue, allows characters to practice care as they withdraw from oppressive narratives of normalcy and (economic and biological) productivity, challenging their exclusionary and othering configurations. My paper looks at fidgeting in The Glass Menagerie as a part of this larger ideological and haptic orientation in modernist literature. The care invested by Laura in her intimate relationship with these "playthings" allows her to intercept not only male narrativizing forces and articulation of herself but also the rhetoric of productivity that circulates both within the play and in the larger economic backdrop of post-depression America. My paper attempts to foreground these objects of care in our readings of the play and modernist texts in general and, in so doing, highlight their importance as lenses of analysis that render visible alternate forms of agency and resistance. Lastly, it attempts to reframe fidgeting as an act of embodied refusal, evoking the radical potential of refusal within feminist and disability studies.

How patients experience discussing couple relationship problems with general practitioners: an interview study.

Couple relationship satisfaction is related to good physical and mental health and longevity. Many patients have discussed or wish to discuss their couple relationship with their general practitioner (GP) and look for personalised care and support when discussing topics they perceive as sensitive. To explore patient experiences of discussing couple relationship problems in GP consultations. Qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews with patients from general practice. Individual interviews with 18 patients who had discussed their couple relationship with their GP. Participants were recruited through both social and traditional media, and all interviews were digitally recorded. The purposive sample comprised thirteen women and five men, representing diverse age groups, backgrounds, and relationship problems. All participants identified as heterosexual. We analysed interview data thematically using systematic text condensation. Three main themes emerged: (i) GPs in a facilitating role, not on an assembly line; (ii) Navigating the "elephant in the room"; (iii) GPs as biomedically competent life witnesses. GP continuity was vital in fostering the trust required to discuss sensitive topics, such as relationship issues. Participants valued a biopsychosocial approach which incorporated knowledge of close relationships into medical consultations. They appreciated both GP support and constructive challenges that prompted them to take responsibility for relationship improvements. Patients value their GPs' holistic, supportive, and direct approach in addressing couple relationship problems, although they perceive that GPs do not always have sufficient time. They welcome relevant challenges that can drive positive change.

The Association Between Food Insecurity and Intimate Partner Violence Among U.S. Army Soldiers.

Food insecurity in the military ranges between 25% and 33%, significantly higher than the 10.5% for civilians reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the association between food insecurity and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among U.S. Army Soldiers. The secondary objective is to determine if there are any moderating effects in the relationship between food insecurity and IPV victimization by demographic, financial, and mental health covariates. A cross-sectional, online survey was administered by the U.S. Army Public Health Center at an Army installation in 2019; 56% of respondents reported that they were married or in a relationship (n = 2,740). The main predictor was the two-item food insecurity screener (Hunger Vital Signs), which measures marginal food insecurity (encompassing marginal, low, and very low food security). The main outcome was IPV victimization as measured by the Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream scale. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between marginal food insecurity and IPV victimization, controlling for demographic, financial, and mental health covariates. In a multivariable model, marginally food insecure respondents had 2.05-fold greater adjusted odds of reporting any IPV victimization when compared to highly food secure respondents (95% confidence interval [1.40, 3.00]). The only interaction that was statistically significant was between anxiety and food insecurity on IPV victimization (p = .0034). Interactions by soldier's military rank, birth sex, and race and ethnicity were not statistically significant. IPV has implications for the emotional and physical health of survivors. In addition, service members who are food insecure may experience similar decrements in emotional and physical health due to suboptimal nutrient intake. By addressing both food insecurity and IPV, the military has the potential to increase the overall well-being of its service members and their dependents.

A model-based boosting approach to risk factors for physical intimate partner violence against women and girls in Mexico

AbstractThe goal of this study was to identify and describe the extent to which a comprehensive set of risk factors from the ecological model are associated with physical intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in Mexico. To achieve this goal, a structured additive probit model is applied to a dataset of 35,000 observations and 42 theoretical correlates from 10 data sources. Due to the model's high dimensionality, the boosting algorithm is used for estimating and simultaneously performing variable selection and model choice. The findings indicate that age at sexual initiation and marriage, sexual and professional autonomy, social connectedness, household overcrowding, housework division, women's political participation, and geographical space are associated with physical IPV. The findings provide evidence of risk factors that were previously unknown in Mexico or were solely based on theoretical grounds without empirical testing. Specifically, this paper makes three key contributions. First, by examining the individual and relationship levels, it was possible to identify high-risk population subgroups that are often overlooked, such as women who experienced sexual initiation during childhood and women living in overcrowded families. Second, the inclusion of community factors enabled the identification of the importance of promoting women's political participation. Finally, the introduction of several emerging indicators allowed to examine the experiences faced by women in various aspects of life, such as decision-making power, social networks, and the division of housework.

Examining the Risks of Multiple Types of Interpersonal Victimization for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming College Students.

Recent research has shown that transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals are at risk of experiencing interpersonal violence, yet there may be differences within this group and across victimization types. The current study examined rates of seven types of interpersonal victimization based on six gender identities (cisgender women, cisgender men, trans women, trans men, nonbinary, and another identity) among a national study of college students. Data from the Spring 2021 American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment III (ACHA-NCHA III), a national-level study of U.S. college students, were used. We examined the association between gender identity and seven types of interpersonal violence victimization (violent victimization, sexual victimization, intimate partner violence victimization, stalking, bullying, microaggression, and discrimination) that occurred within the past 12 months. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine if, when controlling for competing factors, gender identity was associated with an increase in the expected odds of victimization for each victimization type. Analyses revealed that TGNC college students reported experiencing a greater amount of all seven types of victimization compared to cisgender college students. These findings corroborate previous research indicating that rates of interpersonal violence are higher among TGNC college students compared to those who identify as cisgender, even after controlling for sexual orientation, related demographic factors, and substance use. Findings from the current study suggest that there are differences within individuals who identify as TGNC in terms of their risk for interpersonal victimization and that rates differ across victimization types. More work is needed to provide tailored prevention programming for TGNC college students.

The Myths of Romantic Love and Violence in Courtship

Objective: The objective is to analyze the relationship between the myths of romantic love and intimate partner violence, to identify the predictive factors. Theoretical Framework: Partner violence has its beginnings in dating; through obvious or invisible behaviors due to their normalization. In Mexico, 70.1% of women aged 15 years and older have experienced at least one situation of violence throughout their lives (INEGI, 2022). On the other hand, the myths of romantic love are a set of socially supported beliefs with sexist ideals that can be a direct source of information to know if it is related to violence in the couple. Method: The proposed research is quantitative, non-experimental and correlational. The instruments used were: Boyfriend Violence Questionnaire by Rodríguez-Franco et al., (2010) and the Romantic Love Myths Scale by Bonilla and Rivas (2020). 200 people (65 men and 135 women) adolescents in the age range of 16 to 23 years participated. Results and Discussion: Significant relationships (p<.05) were found between the myths of distorted love and dating violence, since actions that cause harm to the subject are minimized. Distorted myths are related to humiliation, sexual violence, physical coercion, gender violence, emotional and instrumental punishment in the relationship. Implications of the research: The findings contribute to the understanding of emotional health in couple relationships, as well as the psychosocial dynamics between beliefs and practices of violence in relationships. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the understanding of violence and the role of myths of romantic love in couple relationships in the context of southeastern Mexico.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Intimate Partner Violence Service Provision.

COVID-19 policies like stay-at-home orders impacted intimate partner violence (IPV) service provision in Alberta. Using intersectionality and qualitative semi-structured interviews, this article situates IPV and access to services and supports within multiple overlapping factors such as race, gender, class, and ethnic minority status. Two main themes were identified. First, the challenges within IPV service provision reflect the sectors' traditional and binary understanding and response to violence. Second, the move to virtual services brought challenges related to access to telecommunication facilities and zoom fatigue. Thematic analysis also shows the impact of the pandemic in a sector with existing structural/institutional challenges. We conclude by recommending a multi-level intersectional approach to IPV service provision in Alberta.

Systematic review of healthcare interventions for reducing gender-based violence impact on the mental health of women with disabilities.

Women with disabilities are more exposed to violence. The health sector has a key role in all three levels of prevention of violence against women. The objective of this paper was to review the interventions for preventing gender-based violence and reducing its impact on the mental health of women with any form of disability. Relevant studies were identified through conducting searches in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsyInfo, Social Services Abstracts, and PILOTS. Two reviewers analyzed and selected studies. A qualitative synthesis was made. 3149 references were obtained, among which eight articles describing nine interventions from the USA and the UK. Most were intended for women with mental/intellectual disability and assessed intimate partner or sexual violence. Only one study showed high methodological quality. They were found to be particularly effective as regards improvement of the skills acquired by participants, but the results as regards improved mental health are not consistent. Our review shows very little evidence of effective interventions. Further studies are required with higher internal validity and female sample groups with diverse disabilities. Gender-based violence is a highly prevalent problem for women with disabilities, and in addition to being a public health challenge is a violation of human rights. Health care systems and policymakers should take a key role in all three levels of prevention of violence against women with disabilities. Interventions with longer follow-up times are required. It is also important for interventions to be designed in consultation with people with disabilities.

The CARING study: Examining biological, behavioral, and genetic mechanisms in the intergenerational transmission of toxic stress.

When children experience extreme or persistent stressors (e.g., maltreatment, housing insecurity, intimate partner violence), prolonged elevation of the stress-response system can lead to disrupted development of multiple physiological systems. This response, known as toxic stress, is associated with poor physical and mental health across the life course. Emerging evidence suggests that the effects of toxic stress may be transmitted through generations, but the biological and behavioral mechanisms that link caregivers' childhood history with the health of the children they care for remain poorly understood. The purpose of this report is to describe the research protocol for The CARING (Childhood Adversity and Resilience In the Next Generation) Study, a cross-sectional study of caregivers with children aged 3-5 years designed to (1) examine the intergenerational transmission of toxic stress and protective factors; (2) explore three hypothesized pathways of transmission: parenting, daily routines, stressors, and supports; and (3) explore the extent to which genotypic variation in candidate genes related to caregiving and stress contribute to caregivers' and children's susceptibility to the effects of early childhood experiences (i.e., gene × environment interactions). We expect that findings from this study will provide critical data needed to identify targets for precision health interventions, reduce health disparities related to toxic stress, and prevent cycles of adversity among families at risk.

ESG, innovation, and economic growth: an empirical evidence

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationships among environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, innovation and economic growth in five Asian countries from 1990 to 2020. Design/methodology/approach The study innovatively constructed the ESG index at the country level by using frequency statistics on text mining and factor analysis for each country over time. In addition, this study used the autoregressive distributed lag method to establish a long-term relationship. Findings The authors discovered that ESG practices among corporate entities significantly impact economic growth in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Specifically, the environmental component positively affects the growth of Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, while the governance components of ESG contribute to Thailand’s economic growth. The authors also discovered that innovation improves countries’ economic growth, thus offering policy insights into promoting ESG practices and stimulating the ecosystem for innovation. Originality/value The paper fills the gap left in previous inconclusive findings on the association between ESG practices and country growth.

Short-Term Traffic Flow Forecasting Method Based on Secondary Decomposition and Conventional Neural Network–Transformer

Because of the random volatility of traffic data, short-term traffic flow forecasting has always been a problem that needs to be further researched. We developed a short-term traffic flow forecasting approach by applying a secondary decomposition strategy and CNN–Transformer model. Firstly, traffic flow data are decomposed by using a Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) algorithm, and a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are obtained. Secondly, the IMF1 obtained from the CEEMDAN is further decomposed into some sub-series by using Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) algorithm. Thirdly, the CNN–Transformer model is established for each IMF separately. The CNN model is employed to extract local spatial features, and then the Transformer model utilizes these features for global modeling and long-term relationship modeling. Finally, we obtain the final results by superimposing the forecasting results of each IMF component. The measured traffic flow dataset of urban expressways was used for experimental verification. The experimental results reveal the following: (1) The forecasting performance achieves remarkable improvement when considering secondary decomposition. Compared with the VMD-CNN–Transformer, the CEEMDAN-VMD-CNN–Transformer method declined by 25.84%, 23.15% and 22.38% in three-step-ahead forecasting in terms of MAPE. (2) It has been proven that our proposed CNN–Transformer model could achieve more outstanding forecasting performance. Compared with the CEEMDAN-VMD-CNN, the CEEMDAN-VMD-CNN–Transformer method declined by 13.58%, 11.88% and 11.10% in three-step-ahead forecasting in terms of MAPE.

The Coupling Mechanism between Railway Alignment Design and Resource Environment in the Southwestern Mountainous Areas of China

Faced with the characteristics of multifactor coupling and interweaving along the railway lines in the southwestern mountainous areas of China, researching the coupling mechanism and optimizing the collaborative development path between alignment designs and the resource environment is conducive to promoting the green and sustainable development of railways in these southwestern mountainous areas. In this study, first, regarding the environmental characteristics of engineering along the railway lines in the southwestern mountainous area, the key elements of the interaction and coercion between the alignment design (internal system) and the resource environment (external system) are identified, and the interactive impact mechanism of the “alignment design–resource environment” complex is revealed. Accordingly, a nonlinear coupling mechanism between the alignment design system and the resource environment system is established using the deviation coefficient coupling degree model. Second, from a methodological perspective, following a technical path of “analyzing the coercive effects of internal and external factors–identifying coupling relationships–discovering coupling laws–screening driving factors–proposing optimization plans–achieving collaborative development goals”, we propose an overall optimization plan to solve the problem. Finally, the Chengdu Changdu section of the X railway, which is located in a southwestern mountainous area, is taken as an example for this study. The results indicate that if the state of the external system of the KL scheme is continuously improved through the regulation of the u22 (crossing the ecological protection red line length), u23 (biodiversity impact), and u24 (ecosystem impact) indicators and that the internal structure of the line design is improved by optimizing the l12 (total length of bridges and tunnels) and l13 (number of stations) indicators, effectively driving the improvement in the u31 (land resource occupation) and u43 (land development intensity) indicators, the alignment design and resource environment will exhibit a mutually reinforcing coupling evolution trend and ultimately achieve an “alignment design–resource environment” composite system with higher quality coupling.

Considering context: Current relationship satisfaction in a second-generation model of men's physical intimate partner violence.

Despite a half-century of scholarship devoted to explicating and disrupting the intergenerational transmission of family violence, it remains a prominent and destructive social force in the United States. Theoretical models have posited a variety of historical and concurrent risk and protective factors implicated in the trajectory from childhood violence exposure to adult perpetration. Using a second-generation model of intimate partner violence (IPV), we integrated social learning and attachment conceptualizations to examine pathways from family-of-origin violence to IPV perpetration among adult men. A sample of mixed-sex couples (N = 233) completed self-report measures related to social learning and attachment-based factors (e.g., violence in past relationships, child exposure, IPV attitudes, adult attachment) and participated in a 10-min conversation about a desired area for change in their relationship. Following, each partner participated in a video-mediated-recall procedure assessing their anger volatility and eliciting attributions of their partners' behavior. We tested mediation pathways (consistent with social learning and attachment theories) between violence in men's families of origin and their adult IPV perpetration as a function of relationship satisfaction. The proposed model fit the data well (CFI = 0.95) but had notable modifications from the hypothesized model. Generally, social-learning pathways were more consistent with the data. Relationship satisfaction interacted with some parameters. Results support theoretical advances in understanding IPV. Although exposure to violence in men's family of origin confers risk for later IPV, and a social learning developmental pathway is consistent with results, some of these effects are altered by relationship context.

Intimate Partner Violence, prevalence and its consequences: a community-based study in Gambella, Ethiopia

Intimate Partner Violence, prevalence and its consequences: a community-based study in Gambella, Ethiopia

Physical frailty, genetic predisposition, and incident dementia: a large prospective cohort study.

Physical frailty and genetic factors are both risk factors for increased dementia; nevertheless, the joint effect remains unclear. This study aimed to investigated the long-term relationship between physical frailty, genetic risk, and dementia incidence. A total of 274,194 participants from the UK Biobank were included. We applied Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate the association between physical frailty and genetic and dementia risks. Among the participants (146,574 females [53.45%]; mean age, 57.24 years), 3,353 (1.22%) new-onset dementia events were recorded. Compared to non-frailty, the hazard ratio (HR) for dementia incidence in prefrailty and frailty was 1.396 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.294-1.506, P < 0.001) and 2.304 (95% CI, 2.030-2.616, P < 0.001), respectively. Compared to non-frailty and low polygenic risk score (PRS), the HR for dementia risk was 3.908 (95% CI, 3.051-5.006, P < 0.001) for frailty and high PRS. Furthermore, among the participants, slow walking speed (HR, 1.817; 95% CI, 1.640-2.014, P < 0.001), low physical activity (HR, 1.719; 95% CI, 1.545-1.912, P < 0.001), exhaustion (HR, 1.670; 95% CI, 1.502-1.856, P < 0.001), low grip strength (HR, 1.606; 95% CI, 1.479-1.744, P < 0.001), and weight loss (HR, 1.464; 95% CI, 1.328-1.615, P < 0.001) were independently associated with dementia risk compared to non-frailty. Particularly, precise modulation for different dementia genetic risk populations can also be identified due to differences in dementia risk resulting from the constitutive pattern of frailty in different genetic risk populations. In conclusion, both physical frailty and high genetic risk are significantly associated with higher dementia risk. Early intervention to modify frailty is beneficial for achieving primary and precise prevention of dementia, especially in those at high genetic risk.

The impact of intuitive eating on the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and disordered eating among women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV)

ABSTRACT Objective: Trauma exposure is associated with disordered eating, with recent evidence suggesting PTSD symptoms may be a more proximal predictor. Intuitive eating is a well-established protective factor against disordered eating; however, no previous studies have assessed whether intuitive eating buffers the association between PTSD symptoms and disordered eating. Methods: Two hundred sixteen women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) and were residing at a domestic violence shelter completed a survey. The current study assessed the moderating role of intuitive eating in the associations between PTSD symptoms and two types of disordered eating behaviors: binge eating and compensatory behaviors. Results: Intuitive eating did not moderate the association between PTSD symptoms and a dichotomous measure of binge eating (no binge eating vs. any binge eating). However, intuitive eating did moderate the association between PTSD symptoms and binge frequency, among participants endorsing any degree of binge eating, such that PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with binge frequency at low, but not moderate or high, levels of intuitive eating. Intuitive eating did not moderate the association between PTSD symptoms and compensatory behaviors. Discussion: Results suggest intuitive eating may be protective against binge eating frequency among women who have experienced IPV.