Lower Levels Of Social Integration Research Articles

Social Integration of Immigrant Communities in a Multicultural Context: A Case Study of Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong

This paper focuses on the diverse cultural landscape of Hong Kong and examines the social integration of Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers to the local society. It analyzes the challenges they face in achieving social integration, the underlying factors contributing to their integration issues, and the measures taken by the Hong Kong government and non-governmental organizations to enhance immigrants social integration. The study reveals that Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers experience lower levels of social integration, requiring further improvements in personal safety and employment protection.

Lower SES PhD students experience interpersonal disconnection from others both inside and outside of academia

AbstractStudents from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds can experience stigma in undergraduate educational settings but little research on this topic has been conducted at the PhD level. Lower‐SES PhD students may feel lower levels of social integration as they experience incidents of interpersonal disconnection from others inside and outside of academia. Interpersonal disconnection may be a mechanism by which lower‐SES leads to a lower sense of social integration. In this prospective study of first‐year PhD students at three North American universities (N = 608), we assessed students’ perceived social integration and their interpersonal perceptions inside and outside of academia 2–8 times throughout their first year of graduate school. Relative to higher‐SES students, lower‐SES students perceived lower levels of social integration. They had difficulty making academic friends, felt dissimilar to their academic peers, and perceived a lack of understanding about their work in graduate school from non‐academic families and friends. They also lost non‐academic social ties. These interpersonal disconnections prospectively mediated the association between lower SES and lower levels of perceived social integration. Lower‐SES PhD students are at risk of impaired interpersonal relationships. Institutional policies to promote social connections among PhD students may help lower‐SES students integrate into academia.

Heterogeneous Impact of Social Integration on the Health of Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China.

Background: While several studies have found that lower levels of social integration may lead to a deterioration in the health status of migrants, previous research on the nexus between social integration and health has generally ignored the potential endogeneity of social integration. This paper examines the heterogeneous impact of social integration on the health of rural-to-urban migrants in China by exploiting plausibly exogenous, long-term, geographic variation in dialectal diversity. Methods: Drawing on nationally representative data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (n = 117,446), we first regressed self-reported health on social integration using ordinary least squares estimation and then used an ordered probit model as a robustness check. Additionally, to rule out the potential endogeneity of social integration, we relied mainly on an instrumental variable approach and used dialectal diversity as a source of exogenous variation for social integration. Results: We found that social integration has a significant positive impact on rural-to-urban migrants’ health. We also detected considerable heterogeneity in the effects of social integration across gender, generation, and wage levels: the health status of women, more recent generation migrants, and migrants with wages in the middle of wage distribution are more likely to be affected by social integration. Conclusions: We confirmed the beneficial impact of social integration on migrants’ health, which has some important policy implications. Successful migration policies should take the fundamental issue of migrants’ social integration into account.

The association between social integration and neighborhood dissatisfaction and unsafety: a cross-sectional survey study among social housing residents in Denmark

BackgroundSocial integration and perceived neighborhood environment are recognized as important social determinants of health. However, little is known about the association between social integration and perceived neighborhood environment among underrepresented population groups, such as residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods, in public health research. The aim of this study is to: 1) Describe the levels of social integration and 2) Investigate the association between social integration and neighborhood dissatisfaction and unsafety among middle-aged and older social housing residents.MethodsA multilingual face-to-face interviewer-administrated survey questionnaire was conducted among 206 residents aged 45 years and above (response rate: 34.1%) of various nationalities in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions in a social housing area in Denmark. The assessment of social integration was based on cohabitation status, frequency of face-to-face and non-face-to-face interaction with social relations and participation in local association activities. Neighborhood dissatisfaction measured the level of dissatisfaction with the neighborhood, and neighborhood unsafety assessed the level of unsafety being outdoors in the neighborhood. Descriptive statistics were conducted to illustrate respondent characteristics and the distribution of social integration among the study population. Logistic regression models were applied to analyze associations between social integration and neighborhood dissatisfaction and unsafety, adjusted for age, sex, country of origin, educational attainment and employment status.ResultsIn total, 23.8% of the respondents reported low levels of social integration. A medium level of social integration was associated with higher odds of neighborhood dissatisfaction (OR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.04–5.38) compared to the highest level of integration. A low frequency of face-to-face interaction was associated with higher odds of neighborhood dissatisfaction (OR: 2.65; 95% CI: 1.16–6.06) and neighborhood unsafety (OR: 2.41; 95% CI: 1.04–5.57) compared to the highest frequency of face-to-face interaction.ConclusionsAlmost one-fourth of respondents reported low levels of social integration. A medium level of social integration was associated with neighborhood dissatisfaction. A low frequency of face-to-face interaction was associated with neighborhood dissatisfaction and unsafety. The results suggest that targeted health promotion interventions designed to foster face-to-face interaction, hold potential to reduce neighborhood dissatisfaction and unsafety among residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Co-Design and Co-Production of Public Service. The Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Reggio Emilia — Italy

Abstract The paper illustrates an empirical research project concerning the co-creation process in Reggio Emilia’s public services and their efforts to reduce childhood obesity. The research is based on a participative evaluation research methodology. The project has been implemented within the framework of the CoSIE project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Research Program — Innovation Action. It has been led by the Local Health Unit (LHU) of Reggio Emilia, a mid-size town in north-eastern Italy, and Cup2000/Lepida, a public/private corporation delivering ICT for health service in the Emilia-Romagna Region. The empirical research has been conducted by the University of Bologna, using a mixed method multi-dimensional strategy and combining the Action-Research tradition with the approach of the Theory of Change. The theoretical framework reflects on the co-creation process, distinguishing between its different phases. In particular, it defines the co-production and the co-design phase, operationalising them with the concepts of System Integration and Social Integration. This linkage allows the analysis of the involvement of institutional stakeholders and final users in the co-creation process. Many factors including the actors’ identity, the participation modalities and the impact of each stakeholder on the service, contribute to the model of co-creation in “the shadow of institutions”, characterised by a low level of Social Integration and a high level of System Integration.

Use of generic social services and social integration of patients with a severe mental illness in Belgium: Individual and services network determinants.

Patients with severe mental illnesses (SMI) have low levels of social integration, which could be improved if they used social services. To our knowledge, however, the extent to which they use generic social services remains unknown. We assessed the extent to which patients with SMI use generic social services and the factors that may drive that usage. In 2014, we carried out a multi-setting clustered survey of patients with severe mental disorders (n = 1,019, participation rate = 71%) and of services (n = 517, participation rate = 53%) in 19 networks of services, covering most of Belgium. On the one hand, we asked patients, amongst other, about their health condition, their social integration in the community, and their use of social services of different types. On the other hand, we asked each service to report on its relationships with other services in the services networks. On average, patients' use of generic social services within the previous 6 months was low (6%-16%), with the exception of administrative services. There were few differences in usage according to the severity of patients' symptoms, but some differences according to gender and age were observed. Social integration was improved when generic social services were more central in the networks. We suggest that generic social services should be more central in mental health services networks.

Are a lack of social relationships and cigarette smoking really equally powerful predictors of mortality? Analyses of data from two cohort studies

ObjectiveThe suggestion from cross-review comparison that lower levels of social integration (social isolation, loneliness) and cigarette smoking are equally powerful predictors of premature mortality has been promulgated by policy organisations and widely reported in the media. For the first time, we examined this assertion by simultaneously comparing these associations using data from two large cohort studies. Study designIndividual-participant analyses of two large prospective cohort studies. MethodsParticipants in UK Biobank and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing reported loneliness, social-isolation and smoking behaviours using standard scales at baseline. Cause-specific mortality was ascertained via linkage to national registries. We used Cox regression analyses to compute a relative index of inequality to summarise the relation between these baseline characteristics and mortality experience. ResultsMean age at baseline was 56.5 years in the 466,876 (273,452 women) Biobank participants and 66.1 years in the 7505 (4123 women) English Longitudinal Study of Ageing members. In Biobank, a mean duration of mortality surveillance of 6.6 years gave rise to a total of 13,072 deaths, while in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 1183 deaths occurred after a mean of 7.7 years. In ascending magnitude, loneliness, social isolation then cigarette smoking were associated with an increased risk of mortality from all-causes and all cancers combined. When cardiovascular disease mortality was the endpoint of interest, both smoking and social isolation, though not loneliness, revealed similar relationships. ConclusionsContrary to cross-review comparisons, in the present datasets it appears that poor social integration is in fact less strongly linked to total mortality than cigarette smoking.

HIV risk behaviors among deaf people with mental illness

ABSTRACTHIV-related prevention and intervention efforts for deaf adults with mental illness have been developed in the absence of empirical data regarding the risk behaviors in which this group engages. This study analyzes data provided by 66 deaf adults who received specialized services from a large psychiatric rehabilitation agency. Deafness-related social, linguistic, and behavioral factors are examined in relation to risky sexual behaviors, substance use, and serious mental illness. Risky behavior was significantly elevated among those who use cocaine and alcohol, have a history of sexually transmitted infections, have low levels of social integration and above average linguistic (sign) ability. Proficient sign language ability and engagement in the Deaf community interacted with substance use to increase the risk for HIV. Risk reduction for deaf adults should consider the interaction between mental health symptoms and the social consequences of deafness (e.g., delayed language acquisition). As well, interventions must be straightforward and administered by fluently signing, clinical staff.

Social integration and alcohol consumption among older people: A four-year follow-up of a Swedish national sample

BackgroundToday’s older people drink more alcohol than earlier cohorts of older people. Social integration has been identified as an important factor for older people’s drinking, but the association is complex. This study investigates both high and low levels of social integration and their associations with longitudinal patterns of alcohol consumption among older women and men. MethodsLongitudinal nationally representative data of older Swedish women and men aged over 65 – the Swedish Level of Living Survey (LNU) and Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD) – from 2010/2011 and 2014 (n = 1048). Associations between social contacts and social activities at baseline and longitudinal patterns of drinking frequency were examined with multinomial logistic regression analyses. ResultsMen reported drinking alcohol more often than women, but the most common drinking frequency among both women and men was to drink monthly or less. Drinking habits were generally stable over time. People with high levels of social activity at baseline were more likely to have a stable daily or weekly drinking frequency or increased drinking frequency over the four-year follow-up period, particularly women. People with low levels of social contacts and/or social activities were less likely to have a stable daily or weekly drinking frequency, compared to people in the low and stable drinking frequency group. ConclusionsAlcohol consumption is embedded in a social context, older people drink in social situations and social integration predicts continued drinking patterns.

A Culture of Hostility and Crime Motivated by Bias: A Cross-National Multilevel Analysis of Structural Influences

This study examines the impact of macrolevel indicators of social environment on officially recorded crime motivated by racial bias and xenophobia across 44 regions in 7 European nations between 2002 and 2011. In doing so, we estimate multilevel Poisson regression growth models where time is nested within subnational units, which avoids direct comparison of biased crime across different nations. We test the utility of various theoretical frameworks that have proven to be of relevance in explaining crime motivated by bias. The results reveal that the role of a hostile social climate is of particular interest, as xenophobic and racially motivated crimes are higher in regions with higher levels of anti-immigrant sentiment and higher levels of ethnic discrimination, in line with the “Doing Difference” approach developed by Perry. Consistent with the Power-Differential Hypothesis and Group Contact Theory, xenophobic and racially motivated crime rates are negatively associated with the percentage of the foreign-born population. Finally, the results reveal that xenophobic and racially motivated crime rates are higher in regions with lower levels of social integration, which is congruent with social disorganization theory. We conclude with a discussion of the effects of social climate on crime motivated by bias.

ASSOCIATIONS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS WITH PROBABLE HOSPITAL MORTALITY ACCORDING TO THE TIMI AND GRACE SCALES IN PATIENTS LIVING IN THE NORTH WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME

The aim of our research is to study associations of psychosocial factors with the probable hospital mortality according to the TIMI and Grace scales in patients with acute coronary syndrome living in the North. Materials and methods. 269 patients (female n = 57, n = 212 men) with acute coronary syndrome were examined, their average age was 56,0 ± 6,1 years (45-64 years). The complex of diagnostic studies and surveys of patients on a specially designed questionnaire consisting of general questions, the «AUDIT» test and the assessment of the psychological state of the individual was accomplished. An assessment of the severity of the coronary lesion on the SYNTAX scale was conducted; the calculation of the estimated hospital mortality rate on the TIMI and Grace scales was performed.Results. Male gender is associated with the development of alexithymia in a group of patients with a low and moderate risk of a possible hospital mortality rate on the Grace scale (r = 0.20, p <0.01). Continuance of residence in the North is associated with the development of myocardial infarction (r= 0.18, p <0.01) in the group of people with a low and moderate risk of probable hospital mortality. The direct associations of nonconventional factors with high risk of hospital-related mortality on the Grace scale in patients with acute coronary syndrome are high personal levels (OR = 1.593, 95% CI 1.373- 1.943, p = 0.027) and situational anxiety (OR = 1.728, 95% CI 1.037 -2.881, p = 0.036). The leading factors determining the severity of coronary artery disease on the SYNTAX scale in the group of patients with the high risk of possible hospital mortality according to the Grace scale are the low level of social integration (OR = 0.205, 95% CI 0.043-0.394, p = 0.012) and satisfaction with social support ( OR = 0.714, 95% CI 0.546-0.935, p = 0.014). Personal anxiety is associated with an increase in the incidence of alexithymia in high-risk patients for the probable hospital mortality rate on the TIMI scale (r = 0.40, p <0.01). Determining factors of the high risk of the probable hospital mortality on the TIMI scale are: the time from the moment of the onset of the pain syndrome to the admission of the patient to the hospital (OR = 0.580, 95% CI 0.338-0.995, p = 0.048) and low ejection fraction (OR = 0.930, 95% CI 0.875-0.988, p = 0.019).Conclusion. Directly determining nonconventional factors of high risk of possible hospital mortality on the Grace scale in patients with acute coronary syndrome living in the North are high levels of personal and situational anxiety. The age of patients and the continuance of stay in the North in patients with acute coronary syndrome do not significantly affect the level of probable hospital mortality on the Grace scale. The combination of indicators of long-term residence in the North and significant coronary bed lesion on the SYNTAX scale determine a high risk of a possible hospital mortality rate on the TIMI scale in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Disability and social participation: The case of formal and informal volunteering

People with disabilities in the United States experience lower levels of social integration than people without disabilities. However, less is known about the association between disability and volunteer participation—despite an extensive literature on other disparities in volunteerism. This study uses data from the 2009–2015 Volunteer Supplement of the Current Population Survey to evaluate how working-aged adults with sensory disabilities, cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities, or multiple disabilities access, participate in, and maintain volunteer roles.Net of sociodemographic characteristics, adults with disabilities are no less likely than those without disabilities to report informal volunteering, although the presence of physical and multiple disabilities negatively associates with formal volunteering. Adults with disabilities report no fewer annual hours or weeks than those without disabilities if they are formal volunteers, but the mechanism through which they initially become involved in volunteer organizations varies. People with different types of disability experience different patterns of volunteering, and the sociodemographic characteristics associated with having a disability exacerbate many of these differences. Results suggest that adults with disabilities can—and do—participate in voluntary work, but may face barriers to accessing formal volunteer roles.

Older marijuana users: Life stressors and perceived social support

BackgroundGiven increasing numbers of older-adult marijuana users, this study examined the association of marijuana use and marijuana use disorder with life stressors and perceived social support in the 50+ age group. MethodsData came from the 2012–2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N=14,715 respondents aged 50+). Life stressors were measured with 12 items related to interpersonal, legal, and financial problems and being a crime victim. Perceived social support was measured with the 12-item Interpersonal Support Evaluation List. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we identified four components of life stressors. Linear regression analyses was used to test associations of past-year marijuana use and use disorder with PCA scores of each component and perceived social support. ResultsOf the 50+ age group, 3.89% were past-year marijuana users and 0.68% had marijuana use disorder. Marijuana users, especially those with marijuana use disorder (17.54% of past-year users), had high rates of mental and other substance use disorders. Controlling for other potential risk factors for stress, including health status and mental and other substance use disorders, marijuana use and use disorder were still significantly associated with more life stressors and lower perceived social support, possibly from low levels of social integration. ConclusionsA substantial proportion of older-adult marijuana users need help with mental health and substance use problems. Further examination of older marijuana users’ life stressors and social support networks may aid in developing more systematic intervention strategies to address needs and reduce marijuana use.

THEHUKOUSYSTEM, RURAL INSTITUTIONS, AND MIGRANT INTEGRATION IN CHINA

AbstractThis article presents evidence that factors in rural areas influence migrant integration into China's cities. We argue that the value of the rural registration influences migrants' decision-making and identities by creating a cost to registration transfer to the city, and that the rural land system interacts with the household registration system to inhibit migrant integration. We test novel hypotheses derived from a simple model of migrant integration, finding connections between rural sending area factors and migrant integration in the city. We test these hypotheses using survey data from two surveys of rural-to-urban migrant workers and publicly available economic data. We find that migrants from areas with higher levels of economic development are less likely to desire registration transfer to the city. We also find that landholding and weaker rural and rights are associated with lower levels of social integration in the city.

The joint contribution of neighborhood poverty and social integration to mortality risk in the United States

PurposeA well-established literature has shown that social integration strongly patterns health, including mortality risk. However, the extent to which living in high-poverty neighborhoods and having few social ties jointly pattern survival in the United States has not been examined. MethodsWe analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) linked to mortality follow-up through 2006 and census-based neighborhood poverty. We fit Cox proportional hazards models to estimate associations between social integration and neighborhood poverty on all-cause mortality as independent predictors and in joint-effects models using the relative excess risk due to interaction to test for interaction on an additive scale. ResultsIn the joint-effects model adjusting for age, gender, race/ ethnicity, and individual-level socioeconomic status, exposure to low social integration alone was associated with increased mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–1.59) while living in an area of high poverty alone did not have a significant effect (HR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.95–1.28) when compared with being jointly unexposed. Individuals simultaneously living in neighborhoods characterized by high poverty and having low levels of social integration had an increased risk of mortality (HR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.35–1.96). However, relative excess risk due to interaction results were not statistically significant. ConclusionsSocial integration remains an important determinant of mortality risk in the United States independent of neighborhood poverty.

Social Integration and Sleep Disturbance: A Gene-Environment Interaction Study

Objective: Low levels of perceived social integration, or loneliness, are associated with increased risk for a range of poor health outcomes. Sleep disturbance plays a central role in the evolutionary theory of loneliness, which provides a mechanistic account of how low levels of social integration may negatively impact health. No studies, however, have examined whether the association between social integration and sleep disturbance is consistent with a causal effect after accounting for genes that are common to both variables.Method: Using twin data (N = 905 twin pairs) from the nationally-representative Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey, I evaluated a series of bivariate twin models exploring whether the phenotypic association between low social integration and sleep disturbance can be explained by shared genetics. In addition, the current study specified a series of quantitative models for studying gene x environment (G X E) interactions to determine whether the genetic and environmental influences on sleep disturbance differ as a function of social integration.Results: The phenotypic association between social integration and sleep disturbance was fully accounted for by genes that are common between the two variables, suggesting that within-twin pair differences in social integration do not exert a causal influence on sleep disturbance. Social integration, however, moderated the non-shared environmental influence on sleep disturbances, with the greatest environmental influences observed at the lowest levels of social integration.Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that an essential feature of the evolutionary model of loneliness may need refinement or elaboration. The moderation findings are discussed in terms of the fit with a stress-buffering model of social support in which environmental influences on sleep disturbance are strongest when social resources are low.

Sport – A Solution to the Social Integration of Children with Conduct Disorders? Pilot Study

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the differences between different social groups at a psychomotor, psychological and psychosocial level. The premise from which this study started was that comparing students who practice physical activities complimentary to the physical education classes in school and students with conduct problems. The youths that are involved in physical activities have fewer chances to behave antisocially. We assume that students with conduct problems have a low level of social integration, but re-education possibilities, thus being no significant differences at a psychomotor and psychological level, but only at a psychosocial level.

WYZWANIA POLITYKI MIGRACYJNEJ FEDERACJI ROSYJSKIEJ – STUDIUM PRAWNE, SOCJOLOGICZNE I GEOPOLITYCZNE (wersja poprawiona)

Migration is a mass phenomenon of our time, a permanent phenomenon which takes manyforms, affects all continents and all countries. This phenomenon is one of the most important socialand international issues of the modern world. In this context, the Russian Federation is not freefrom problems arising from migration processes. Migration policy of the Russian Federation isa very important part of that country’s geopolitical game. Location Russia between the EuropeanUnion and China creates considerable scope to influence the shape of migration processes notonly regional but also global. Russia has become a country of immigration. There are two veryimportant aspects in the migration policy of Russia: the internal and external aspects. The internalaspect relates to such phenomena as the fight against the demographic crisis and related deficitsin the labor market, national and religious revival of ethnic groups living in Russia, the low levelof social integration of immigrants. In terms of external migration policy is treated as an instrumentof pressure on the countries of the former Soviet Union, a way of shaping relations with Chinaand the element of national security. Russian migration policy is an active instrument for solvingproblems within the country, as well as a very important foreign policy wizard. Pejorative sideof this policy is that it is planned from above, without taking into account the needs and natureof various Russian regions.

统筹城乡背景中社会距离对新市民 社会融入的影响

新市民的社会融入问题在城市化进程中扮演着重要的角色，本文以重庆市和成都市两个国家统筹城乡综合配套改革试验区为例，选取2158名新市民为研究对象，调查了身份认同、社会网络、对地理文化的熟悉度、主人翁意识、依恋、方言以及生活方式等七个维度上的社会融入状况，同时探讨社会距离和满意度对社会融入的影响。研究发现：新市民社会融入程度较低，满意度是社会距离和社会融入的部分中介效应，建议在城乡统筹进程中：1) 关注新市民心理需求，增强主人翁意识，缩小新老市民社会距离；2) 完善城乡统筹制度建设，提高生活满意度，增强新市民社会融入。 Social inclusion of new citizens in the process of urbanization plays an important role. This paper takes Chongqing and Chengdu two countries, balance urban and rural comprehensive reform pilot area, as an example, and selects 2158 new citizens as the research objects. It investigated their identity, social networks, geographical and cultural familiarity, a sense of ownership, attachment, and other life style dialects and seven dimensions of social integration on the situation, and investigated the effect of social distance and satisfaction of social inclusion. The study found a low level of social integration of new citizens. And satisfaction is partially mediated effect of social distance and social integration. The proposed process in urban and rural areas: 1) concerns the psychological needs of the new community and a sense of ownership, and reduces social distance of old and new citizens; 2) improves the system of the construction of urban and rural areas and life satisfaction, and enhances social integration of new citizens.

OP07 The Association between Socioeconomic Position and Longitudinal Adult Social Integration in a British Birth Cohort

BackgroundThe quantity and quality of an individual’s social relationships have been associated with health behaviours, healthcare utilisation and health outcomes. The Public Health and Health and Social Care Outcomes Frameworks...