Low Professional Status Research Articles

Multisystemic Therapy for a Child in Difficult Circumstances With Disruptive Behavior in China: A Single-Case Design

Purpose: This study aims to address concerns about the ability of Chinese social workers to collaborate with multiple systems and effectively implement multisystemic therapy (MST), given their low professional status. Based on the first MST practice in Mainland China, the study evaluates the effectiveness of MST in addressing disruptive behaviors in a child in difficult circumstances (CDCs), assesses its fitness within the Chinese context, and explores strategies for social workers to collaborate within the contexts of the specialized protection system for CDCs and the establishment of social work service stations. Method: A single-case AB research design with repeated measures across multiple contexts was adopted. Results: The study suggests MST's potential effectiveness and cultural and political compatibility in China, and identifies three strategies for social workers to intervene across multiple systems. Conclusion: MST could be a valuable tool in social work practice with proper integration into local systems in China.

A gender-based review of workplace violence amongst the global health workforce-A scoping review of the literature.

Workplace violence (WPV) impacts all levels of the health workforce, including the individual provider, organization, and society. While there is a substantial body of literature on various aspects of WPV against the health workforce, gender-based WPV (GB-WPV) has received less attention. Violence in both the workplace and broader society is rooted in gendered socio-economic, cultural, and institutional factors. Developing a robust understanding of GB-WPV is crucial to explore the differing experiences, responses, and outcomes of GB-WPV with respect to gender. We conducted a scoping review and report on the prevalence and risk factors of GB-WPV in healthcare settings globally. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We registered the scoping review protocol on the Open Science Framework on January 14, 2022, at https://osf.io/t4pfb/. A systematic search was conducted of empirical literature in five health and social science databases. Of 13667, 226 studies were included in the analysis. Across the studies, more women than men experienced non-physical violence, including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying. Men experienced more physical violence compared to women. Younger age, less experience, shifting duties, specific clinical settings, lower professional status, organizational hierarchy, and minority status were found to be sensitive to gender, reflecting women's structural disadvantages in the workplace. Given the high prevalence and impact of GB-WPV on women, we provided recommendations to address systemic issues in clinical practice, academia, policy, and research.

Quality midwifery care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: A focus group study with midwives, nurses, and midwifery educators.

Bangladesh has made remarkable strides in the development of the midwifery profession. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on healthcare systems worldwide, including those related to reproductive, perinatal, and maternal health. Given the recent advancements in the midwifery field in Bangladesh, it is crucial to examine the pandemic's impact on existing barriers and the capacity of midwifery professionals to deliver high-quality care. The aim of this study is to describe the possibility of midwives being able to provide quality midwifery care in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. To gather insights, data were collected from July to October 2020 via four qualitative focus group discussions online; 23 actively practicing midwives, nurses specializing in midwifery care, and midwifery educators, participated. The data analysis employed reflexive thematic analysis. The COVID-19 crisis posed significant threats to women's safety and health, with lockdowns exacerbating gender inequalities in society. Midwives faced added challenges due to their relatively low professional status and increased workloads. Insufficient policy implementation further compromised midwives' safety. Fear of contracting the virus and working during their free time also raised concerns about the quality of care provided. Nevertheless, the pandemic provided opportunities for midwives to demonstrate their ability to deliver independent midwifery care in Bangladesh. The pandemic underscored the importance of creating respectful and dignified working conditions for midwives. It revealed that professional midwives can work independently when provided with the necessary space and a supportive work environment. This opens the door for the implementation of a midwifery-led care model. Further research is recommended to investigate the medical safety and efficacy of independent midwifery care in the context of Bangladesh.

Aspects of implementation of models of interaction between career centers of universities and industrial enterprises in the conditions of labor market transformation

Today universities are creating all conditions for successful training, improving the graduates’ competitiveness at the labour market and employment according to the qualification received. In the conditions of social and economic transformations a significant number of young specialists are not able to adapt to the labor market. This is caused by lack of practical experience and the resulting low professional status. The balance between the labor market needs for young specialists and the universities’ ability to educate them can be achieved by close interaction between the professional educational institutions and potential employers. To coordinate the interests of both experts apply various interaction models able to ensure harmonization of the process.The article in hand deals with four models of interaction between the university career centres and partner companies which use two models of such interaction in the Southwest State University. The authors analyzed the level of integration of the career centres with other structural departments of the university showing the link between the interaction model implemented in the university and the level of integration. The research allowed to make a conclusion about sufficient influence the university career centres’ activities on the graduates’ competitiveness at the labour market.Cooperation of universities and employers is aimed at implementing a complex of measures, means and methods which ensure providing the appropriate level of professional education. Also it contributes to solving the following tasks: engagement of the companies in the graduates’ employment according to their qualifications, participation of the university staff in scientific research activity within the topics suggested by the companies, involvement of the partner companies to career guidance activities and events aimed at developing the information environment in the labour market and increasing the attractiveness of the employer’s brand in the eyes of graduates.Regional universities are facing the problem of the graduates’ employment in the city – forming enterprises and companies operating in the region. Taking into account that young specialists tend to migrate to the regional centres, it is essential to take measures to increase the attractiveness of work conditions with the emerging trend of staff outflow. Promotion of employment of young specialists can be effective only in case of establishing long-term “university-student-employer” partnership.

The roles and ethics of psychosocial support workers in integrated health services for sexual and gender-based violence survivors

Summary Mental Health and Psychosocial Support are integral components of the multisectoral programs addressing wartime sexual violence. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an integrated framework known as the one-stop centre model was implemented at Panzi Hospital for delivering medical, legal, psychosocial, and socioeconomic support services for wartime sexual violence survivors. While recent developments broadly described this model with more focus on its medical pillar, there is limited knowledge on how its psychosocial support component can be harnessed in addressing wartime sexual violence. This article explored the roles and ethics of psychosocial support in integrated health services based on the research data from 11 in-depth interviews with the psychosocial support workers and desk reviews. Findings The findings of this study indicated that the roles and ethics of psychosocial workers in addressing wartime sexual violence are limited by the lack of adequately trained staff members, low professional status, and complex ethical challenges. In this case, psychosocial support draws more from virtue ethics and moral constructivism and less from professional utilitarianism and deontology. While both approaches are integral to providing support services, combining them is necessary for the complementarity and consistency of therapeutic processes. The study's findings also demonstrated the lack of professional social work and mental health interventions in the Congo and suggested coordinated actions engaging social work education, policy, and research developments. Applications We conclude that the roles and ethics of psychosocial support should be of serious concern to decision-makers, practitioners, and educators.

The experiences of school counsellors in Hong Kong: implications for policy innovation

ABSTRACT School counsellors in Hong Kong constitute an underutilised resource in supporting the wellbeing of young people. We investigated how counsellors working in local and international schools perceived their roles and professional status. Counsellors were both surveyed and interviewed. Findings indicate that local school counsellors have a low professional status and an unclear identity compared to their international counterparts. As a group, they are marginalised and disempowered within their own school settings, reducing their effectiveness, and limiting the benefits they can provide to students. Policy innovation at school level is needed to better utilise school counsellors. Professional organisations have an important role to play in educating the community about school counselling and advocating for policy change at school and government levels.

Emerging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic about the decisive competencies needed for the public health workforce: A qualitative study.

The global COVID-19 crisis exposed the critical need for a highly qualified public health workforce. This qualitative research aimed to examine public health workforce competencies needed to face COVID-19 challenges and identify the gaps between training programs and the competency demands of real-world disasters and pandemics. Through a sample of thirty-one participant qualitative interviews, we examined the perspectives of diverse stakeholders from lead public health organizations in Israel. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. Six themes emerged from the content analysis: public health workforce's low professional status and the uncertain future of the public health workforce; links between the community and Higher Education institutions; the centrality of communication competencies; need to improve health promotion; the role of leadership, management, and partnership, and innovation in public health coherence. Increasing the attractiveness of the profession, professional and financial support, and improving the working conditions to ensure a sustainable and resilient PH system were deemed necessary. This paper describes and cultivates new knowledge and leadership skills among public health professionals, and lays the groundwork for future public health leadership preparedness programs.

Untangling Organizational Change in a Chinese State-Owned Company: A Grounded Theory Case Study

In its zeal for organizational change, a Chinese state-owned enterprise encountered a myriad of impediments. This inductive case study aims to examine and untangle the roots of those impediments through grounded theory. The research results suggest that employees’ attitudes towards change, organizational aspiration for change, and change context affect the process of change. In particular, (1) employees with higher adaptive capability on change and lower professional status are inclined to have a more positive attitude towards change; (2) higher organizational performance and poor communication of reforms decrease organizational desire or inclination for change; (3) informal influence of internal information spread promotes acceptance of reform; and (4) external influence of consultants accelerates acceptance of change. As a result, S Group implemented corresponding unfreezing change strategies, which eventually won the support for change of a majority of employees. This engaged case study also provides new insights into Bourdieu’s Practice Theory as applied in the context of Chinese state-owned companies.

Age-dependent associations of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases with the state of cognitive functions

The aim of the study was to provide a population assessment of cognitive impairment patterns in a representative sample of 25–44 year old men and women living in Western Siberia with metabolic syndrome (MS). The aim of the study is to study the features of the interrelationships of conventional and nonconventional risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (RF CVD), molecular genetic markers with the state of cognitive functions (CF), objective–subjective index of CF in an open population in persons aged 14–17, 25–44 years (Novosibirsk).Material and methods: A singlestage population survey of a random representative sample of 25–44 year olds of both sexes (1503 people) permanently residing in Western Siberia (Novosibirsk) was performed. The study of the state of cognitive functions was conducted in 1009 people: 463 men (45.9 %) and 546 women (54.1 %). The object of the study was random representative samples of the population of Novosibirsk, formed during the screenings of the NIITPM branch of the ICIG SB RAS. The paper uses materials from a one-stage population survey of adolescents (screenings 2009–2010 and 2019) and persons aged 25–44 years (screening 2013–2016). According to the methods standardized during the screening, the following were performed: a 10-word memorization test, a proof-reading test, and a concept exclusion test. Anthropometric measurements were carried out. Determination of the levels of lipid fractions was carried out according to standardized methods. Genotyping of rs2464196 HNF1A and rs11212617 ATM was carried out using real-time PCR.Results. In the examined samples of Novosibirsk residents aged 14–17 and 25–44 years, statistically significant negative associations of RF CVD with neurodynamic CF were observed. Proatherogenic conventional RF CVD had a negative impact on attention and thinking patterns (among the most significant were the content of total cholesterol (odds ratio (OR) 0.996; 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 0.993–1,000; p = 0.043), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 0.994; 95 % CI 0.990–0.998; p = 0.002)). The factors reducing the risk of deterioration of CF in 25–44 year olds were the presence of higher education (OR 2,350; 95 % CI 1,442–3,828; p = 0.001), female (OR 2,068; 95 % CI 1,552–2,754; p < 0.0001). In the cohort analysis, it was revealed that the studied conventional RF CVD undergo statistically significant changes in the direction of their increase during adulthood over the past 5 years (p < 0.05). It was shown that metabolic syndrome (MS) occurred in every fourth person tested for CF (26.06 %), while the values of cognitive tests were higher in people without MS compared to those who were diagnosed with MS (p < 0,05). Smoking had a negative effect on the memory pattern, causing a deterioration in the memorization of words (OR 1,071; 95 % CI 1,012–1,133); (p = 0.017). The deterioration of memory, attention and thinking patterns in the presence of workplace stress and low professional status, – important unconventional RF CVD, – has been established (p < 0.05)).Conclusion. In the open population of adolescents and young people (25–44 years old), a statistically significant deterioration of cognitive patterns was found in the presence of the studied conventional and non-conventional RF CVD.

Systemic vulnerability of schoolteachers: A scoping review to compare the systemic pressures faced by teachers in countries with and without a totalitarian past

Introduction. The systemic vulnerability that teachers experience is influenced from pressures arising from ecological environments originally described by Bronfenbrenner (1979). The pressure on teachers has its peculiarities in countries with a totalitarian past and without it. Regardless of cultural context, pressure effects many teachers’ ability to be comfortable with the demands of their daily tasks, and their willingness to feel proud of their profession. Therefore, identifying factors of systemic vulnerability of teachers in different contexts and levels of social environment is relevant. The aim of the study is to evaluate publications that reveal systemic factors of schoolteachers’ vulnerability with the help of Scoping review. Methodology. Initially, 4,810 publications from four databases (Scopus, ERIC EBSCO, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were involved. At the stage of full texts’ analysis 22 articles were considered. The research presents a wide range of geographical regions, which indicates the degree of generalization in conclusions about the sources of systemic pressure on teachers in different countries. Results. In this article, for the first time, the factors of systemic vulnerability of teachers at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels of social environment are highlighted. Societal and cultural expectations are the biggest sources of pressure on the macro-level. Pressures on the macro-level may affect the micro-level, that is, for the psychological well-being of teachers, since they themselves are a part of the cultural and societal systems. This can contribute to “self-imposed” pressure by teachers that has not been the focus of research until now. Parents and the school environment are the biggest sources of pressure on teachers at the meso-level. Much of the conflict between parents and teachers is stimulated by opposing views of what a ‘good education’ means. Government overregulation of work conditions, requirement to maintain responsibilities other than teaching, pressure from administrators, insufficient levels of wages and resources of the education system, heavy school workload, insufficiently developed curriculum are sources of systemic pressure on teachers. Lack of public control over school administration’ decision-making and lack of autonomy of educational institutions correlates with political and governmental pressures. Burdensome governmental pressure whether due to reform, policy change, or cultural expectations related to political past forms the social representation of the teacher as having a low professional status, as well as social ideas about mismatch between teacher actions and the expectations of society. The great consensus of research on the sources of systemic vulnerability extends to the countries of Eastern Europe and China that were associated with totalitarianism, as well as to the countries of Western Europe with a strong democratic tradition. Since pay is a determinant of social status, the substantially lower salaries of teachers in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe may be a driving factor behind the prevailing negative perception of their status among Eastern European teachers. The lack of clear differences between factors that cause vulnerability of teachers beyond pay may be explained by the international decline of the status of the teaching profession. The limitations of this study are the lack of publications on systemic pressure on teachers at the micro-level and on pressure relief factors. Social consequences and practical significance. The policies to mitigate systemic vulnerability will need to be highly contextualized. Research questions that reveal meso- and macro-level factors can be used for re-Scoping Review, as they point to teachers' systemic vulnerability. Future work. Future research should focus on ways that parent teacher relationships can be strengthened to a point of healthy co-addiction

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Missing Teeth in an Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study from Poland.

The aim of the study was to determine oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the measures Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment (GOHAI) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) in relation to missing teeth in the Polish population aged 20–79. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 1112 randomly selected participants. The mean age was 48.72 and mean number of teeth was 20.12. Altogether, in the GOHAI, the percentage that gave a positive response to each question ranged from 3.3% to 48.0%; in the OHIP-14, these answers ranged from 2.4% to 25.1%. The GOHAI measure was statistically significant, with more grouping variables than the OHIP-14 measure. Both measures showed significant associations with gender, age, dry mouth, education, professional status, number of teeth, and upper and lower total dentures. We detected a significant relationship between oral health–related quality of life and the factors influencing the presence or absence of dentition. Missing teeth were statistically associated with GOHAI, OHIP-14, advanced age, self-reported dry mouth, lower education, higher Body Mass Index (BMI), lower professional status, diabetes, myocardial infraction, and total dentures in upper or/and lower jaws. However, edentulous individuals had two times higher risk of having an OHIP-14 score above the median. This suggests that oral health practitioners should work to prevent oral diseases that lead to tooth loss in their patients, starting from an early age.

SYSTEMATIZATION OF THE HOSPITAL SPHERE INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT DESTABILIZERS

Objective. Based on the study of scientific literature, the goal of the research is to identify and systematize the macro-, meso-, micro-, nano-levels destabilizers of the development of innovative potential in the hospitality industry. Methods. In the process of the study the authors apply such methods as methods of theoretical generalization and comparison (to characterize the views of individual authors on the destabilizers of the innovative potential of the hospitality industry), analysis and synthesis (to systematize mesodestabilizers of innovative potential), graphic (to build a funnel of destabilizers at different levels on the development of innovation potential of hospitality industry). Results. Based on the study of the opinions of a number of authors who consider the destabilizers of the development of innovation potential in the hospitality sector at the macro, meso, micro, nano levels, it is determined that all destabilizers of innovation potential at the macro level are a reflection of domestic practice in innovation in all areas. Identification of mesodestabilizers of innovation potential allows distinguishing the following their types: integration, infrastructure, logistical, motivational, strategic, competitive, market, institutional, economic, financial, informational, legal, personnel, and evaluation. As for the considered microdestabilizers, they repeat mesodestabilizers. The nanodestabilizers of innovation potential, which affect the personnel innovation potential of the enterprise include: low professional status of the innovator, lack of material incentives and conditions for creative work, outflow of scientific personnel. Systematization of destabilizers of these levels, as an obstacle to the development of innovative potential in the hospitality industry, allows stating that destabilizers act as different groups of factors (economic, technological, structural, institutional, etc.), which overlap, and destabilizers on a larger scale affect all others levels.

Everyday life of the people's teachers of the russian empire in the second half of 19th - early 20th centuries

This article examines the features of folk teachers' everyday life in the Russian Empire during the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The study is based on such concepts as everyday life, lifestyle, standard of living, and working conditions. As the part of the study of folk teachers' everyday life, the author focused on the consideration of the material, legal status, living and working conditions, and professional opportunities provided to teachers. Besides, the reasons for the frequent layoffs of national teachers were studied. Based on a deep analysis of historical sources and literature, the author comes to the conclusion that by the end of the XIX - the beginning of the XX centuries most of the teaching positions in public schools began to be occupied by female teachers, and attempts were made to raise their material and legal status at the legislative level. Despite such attempts, folk teachers in the Russian Empire had a low professional status in contrast to their male colleagues during the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. This was due to the fact that during this period woman were not full members of society yet and the processes of women's emancipation in Russia proceeded much more slowly than in other countries.

The working experiences of male nurses in China: Implications for male nurse recruitment and retention.

To understand the working experiences and career trajectories of male nurses in China. Compared with developed countries, men were far more under-represented in the nursing profession in China. Little is known about the working experiences of Chinese male nurses and the contextual factors that contribute to their low participation rate in the nursing profession. In-depth interviews with twenty-five male nurses and two hospital administrators were conducted. All interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Chinese male nurses had better career prospects and promotion chances compared with female nurses. The extremely low participation rate of men in nursing was related to the prejudice among the general public as well as the low professional status and salary. Two unique contextual factors influenced the career trajectories of male nurses in China: (1) the major assignment mechanism in the college entrance examination and (2) the implementation of the two-child policy. Although Chinese male nurses enjoyed many advantages compared with female nurses, they also encountered many difficulties related to working in a female-dominated profession. Appropriate measures should be taken to shift public attitudes towards male nurses, improve the professionalization of nursing and promote gender diversity and equity.

Neuropsychological Profile, Cognitive Reserve and Emotional Distress in a Portuguese Sample of Severely Obese Patients.

Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple comorbidities, and its relation to neurocognitive disfunction is particularlyimportant in cognitive decline, especially in middle age. Due to their impact on neurodegeneration, we sought to explore neuropsychologicalprofile, cognitive reserve and emotional distress in patients with severe obesity. We used a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, neuropsychological tests and a symptom self-reportedscale of emotional distress. We evaluated the cognitive performance of 120 patients, aged between 18 and 65 years, in treatmentfor their severe obesity in Portugal, between May 2012 and December 2015. Cognitive performance was below the mean for the Portuguese population, for immediate recall, visuoperception, resistanceto interference and cognitive flexibility. Cognitive reserve was mostly low, especially in the older groups and groups with low professionalstatus and increased associated with better cognitive outcomes. Emotional distress was shown to be higher in our sample comparedwith a normative sample. The risk factors evaluated were important in the worsening of cognitive functions. Cognitive performancedecreased with age. Severe obesity was associated with a poorer cognitive performance of the sample. The cognitive reserve was greater inthe younger groups. There was a significant presence of emotional distress, especially among women. Severe obesity is associated with an impairment in cognitive and emotional performance, aggravated by aging, cognitivereserve, and comorbidity. This study emphasizes the need for preventive actions, such as neuropsychological screening, in the detectionof changes and the design of better interventions.

Professionalization, precarity and the Greek labour market: revisiting professional sociology in the period following the financial crisis

ABSTRACTSociologists and social scientists’ low professional status looms large when looking at the rapidly changing professional hierarchy based on the prominent role of technology and of scientific applications for peoples’ lives. The paper seeks to unveil the inadequate professionalization of sociology in Greece and to relate this situation to the increase in the employment precariousness of sociologists over the years of the economic crisis. Moreover, the dominant economy-centric ideological/ governance model which promotes the ‘utilitarianism’ of the social sciences has played a significant role in sociology's residual position. The paper is structured along three axes: First of all, the low professional status of sociologists is related to the delayed academic institutionalization of sociology. Secondly, there is brief discussion of the relevant literature on graduate supply and demand in the labour market and the expansion of higher education. Thirdly, a more focused discussion is developed which portrays the opportunities and challenges faced by sociologists and other social scientists in the labour market, giving particular emphasis to the current situation in the wake of the financial crisis. Finally, it is concluded that the vicious circle of low professionalization and high precariousness facing sociologists demands institutional action aimed at reformulating the public agenda.

The Influence of Household Heterogeneity Factors on the Green Travel Behavior of Urban Residents in the East China Region

A questionnaire survey was conducted with 1475 urban residents in the east region of China to explore the impact of household heterogeneity factors on the green travel behavior of urban residents. The green travel behavior was divided into practice-based and promotion-based green travel behavior, and the results showed that variables including gender, age, educational background, household monthly income, amount of cars, professional status, positional tiers and housing ownership were correlated with both of the two types of green travel behavior significantly. Variables that included having elderly family members or not, having children or not, and position level were only correlated with practice-based green travel behavior significantly. Moreover, the study found that the variables female, elderly and young, highly educated, low-income, low professional status, low positional tiers, low positional status, house-renting, not having elderly family members or children and having fewer cars had a significantly positive impact on green travel behavior.

Социальный статус профессии учителя: самоопределение российских педагогов

There is a sharp contradiction between the high importance of work performed for society and a low professional status of general education teachers in the Russian society.The article presents outcomes of a sociological survey “Professional Identity of Modern Teacher” carried out by the Monitoring Research Department of the Moscow State University of Psychology & Education in the spring of 2016.This survey reflects the teachers’ self-assessment of the status of their profession.A total of 1,024 teachers of general education organizations were surveyed in 9 federal districts of the Russian Federation, except the Crimea.The survey was conducted on a three-stage stratified probabilistic sample.The research model of the teacher's social status includes the analysis of the three leading components: prestige, respect and satisfaction with work process.According to the results of the survey, despite the teachers' low assessment of the social prestige of their professional group, they perceive their activities as respected by students and their parents, and also feel satisfied with the results of their work.

Scarcity of Nurses in India

The human resources for health (HRH), especially nurses, constitute an important part of health systems. It is difficult to ascertain comprehensive information on the availability of health workers globally due to irregular reporting of data from the countries. However, experts have proposed minimum thresholds for achieving certain health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These thresholds have been used as yardsticks by others for determining HRH shortages in their nations. As per the minimum threshold developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), not enough health workers are available in India, especially in the rural areas. The nurse to population ratio in India is even lower than some of the other developing countries in Asia. Various factors, such as low professional and socio-economic status, gender issues, lack of political will on part of the government and unregulated private sector, have led to scarcity of nurses in numbers as well as qualitatively in India. To overcome the dismal working and social conditions, many Indian nurses are migrating to developed nations, further exacerbating the nursing shortages in the country. Inclusive planning, adequate financing and political commitment on the part of all stakeholders are required for overcoming the shortage of health personnel existing in India.

Men buying sex. Differences between urban and rural areas in the UK

We build on both our theoretical and empirical work on modelling the demand for paid sex (Della Giusta et al., 2009a, 2009b) and examine the demand for paid sex, considering the effects of risky behaviours and attitudes to relationships and to women on demand. We find that those who declare to have purchased sex have both different socio-demographics (older, with fewer children, more educated but with lower professional status), and different sexual and risky behaviours as well as attitudes to relationships. As expected in the light of findings in the literature (well summarised in a 2004 Urban Studies special issue and in more recent literature) a clear city effect in the sample, mostly driven by London, which goes beyond the attitudes captured in the survey and thus combines a mixture of factors related to the supply of paid sex and unobserved characteristics of city-dwelling respondents.