Social Ecological Approach Research Articles

Medication Assisted Recovery: A Social Ecological Approach to Understanding How Stigma Shapes Effective Use

Stigma is a well-documented barrier to effective individual and community response to mental illness and, in recent years, is a recognized impediment to prevention and treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). This study uses focus group data to explore stigmatizing views of medication assisted recovery (MAR) among those in recovery and the people, organizations, and communities that surround them, with attention to implications for long-term recovery. Across groups, we find consistent themes that MAR simply trades one drug for another, MAR should be used only as a stepping-stone to full abstinence, and that long-term use of MAR indicates ineffectiveness or treatment failure. Data suggest the prevalence of these perceptions leads those in recovery and providers to see MAR as a last resort treatment, encourages individuals to discontinue MAR before they are ready, and as result increases risk of relapse and overdose.

A Social Ecological Approach to Latino Immigrant Trauma and Intervention: An Integrative Review.

This paper presents an application that can be taken when conducting mental health intervention within the Latino immigrant population. Using a social ecological lens, it provides an overview of experiences and factors to detail the characteristics, trauma, and resilience factors present within this population. Utilizing Ungar's framework on resilience, that decenters the individual from experiences of trauma to position them alongside their social network and resources, it proposes an application for future intervention and research efforts. Addressing intervention at a foundational level allows for the supplementing and shaping of current methods to address the mental health needs of this community.

We’ve crossed a line: A philosophical examination of systemic implications surrounding SBAE teachers’ attempts at boundary setting

This philosophical paper situates the system of School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) in light of teachers’ attempts at boundary work. We define the system of SBAE through a Social Ecological Resilience approach, particularly by examining publications in the Journal of Agricultural Education (JAE) from 2021 to explore what SBAE demands of its teachers. Having worked with SBAE teachers over the last three years as they have struggled with attempts at boundary ownership, we question what this personal struggle indicates about a broader system. We argue for a bounded system by which respect for boundary ownership is reciprocated as an expected norm. We conclude by situating solutions oriented around the factors of Social Ecological Resilience theory. This work engages individuals across the system, rather than just the teachers, toward systemic accountability and transformation.

Climate change impacts outweigh conservation efforts in coral reefs that are highly exposed to thermal stresses in Zanzibar, Tanzania

With a greater range of management practices and so many threats to coral reefs, assessing coral reef resilience using social-ecological approaches is an important way towards understanding the climatic and non-climatic impacts, and proper conservation efforts in coral reefs. In this study, six reefs (Changuu, Chapwani, Chumbe, Kizimkazi, Mnemba East and Mnemba West) were selected as case study sites to explore resilience potential of coral reefs in Zanzibar in relation to contrasting conservation strategies. Data were collected through household surveys, key informant interviews and biological survey (line-intercept transect and direct observations). Results showed that, Chumbe reefs was perceived to be highly protected followed by Kizimkazi reefs, while Changuu and Chapwani were considered to be less protected. Fishing pressure, climate change, inadequate management and pollution were regarded as the most critical drivers of coral reefs degradation. Coral bleaching was identified to be a main cause of coral reef damage by communities in Chumbe and Mnemba East, whereas inadequate management, pollution and uncontrolled tourisms were identified as the major driver by those in Changuu and Chapwani. Overall, reefs from Kizimkazi was found to have the highest resilience potential as it is under community-based conservation compared to other reefs. We conclude that coral reef resilience is context-specific and influenced by multiple factors, and although conservation efforts have a positive impact on coral reef health, climate change effects outweigh conservation efforts in reefs that are highly exposed to thermal stresses, such as the Chumbe and Mnemba East reefs. We recommend further promotion of viable alternative livelihood activities to reef reliant communities and collaborative management for the improvement of corals' resilience and conservation in the study area.

Parental support and bullying bystander behaviors in Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal mediation through social harmony.

Bullying in schools is a serious concern worldwide. The active defending or passive bystanding behaviors of bullying bystanders significantly contributes to the prevention of bullying. Relevant studies have increasingly adopted a social-ecological system approach in bullying research. However, the role of parental factors (microsystem) and cultural value (macrosystem) factors in adolescents' bullying behaviors in non-western culture contexts is unclear. Social harmony, which is closely related to social behavior, is a core value in Chinese culture. Exploring the role of social harmony in bullying bystanders in China could enhance our understanding of bullying, and enrich the diversity of the literature. This study aimed to examine the mediation effects of social harmony on the associations between parental support and the bullying bystanders among Chinese adolescents. The participants comprised 445 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 14.41, SD = 0.51) from Beijing City, China. A 17-month, two-point longitudinal study was conducted. Parental support, social harmony, and the behavior of bullying bystanders were evaluated at two time points. The hypothesized mediation model was examined using a structural equation modeling approach using bootstrapping techniques. The results showed that social harmony partly mediated the positive relationship between adolescents' parental support and active defending behaviors, and fully mediated the negative relationship between adolescents' parental support and passive bystanding behaviors. These results highlight the importance of studying parental and cultural values in research on bullying bystanders.

School Art Murals Reflecting the Immigrant Experience: A Mixed-methods Social-ecological Approach to Assess Perceptions of Staff and Students

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the perceived social-ecological impacts of school-based art mural installations that represented the immigrant and refugee experience in a major urban center in southeast Texas. Methods: We adapted surveys (ixia and National School Climate Center) to assess 4 theory-based individual- and community-level constructs with school personnel (N = 9) and students (N = 23) in 3 ethnically diverse inner-city schools in Houston, Texas. Focus groups and interviews captured their perceptions and experiences with the art murals in their own voice. Results: Most participants (> 90%) agreed that the art murals were socially valuable to the school community, neighborhood, and interpersonal relationships, in addition to providing increased economic value (p < .01). Participants responded that there were better relationships between the school communities and their neighborhoods and increased school pride. Student reflections and behaviors were commensurate with the murals’ inspirational messages. Conclusion: Findings contribute to understanding the benefits of public art in predominantly minority school settings that reflect the immigrant and refugee experience and aspirations for improving health within a community.

A comprehensive framework for quantifying ecosystem service flow focusing on social-ecological processes

Ecosystem service flow refers to the whole process of ecosystem service production, delivery and utilization, which is closely related to social-ecological processes. However, quantifying the entire ecosystem service flow process remains challenging, placing limits on the management of social-ecological systems to improve human wellbeing. Here, we explored the relationship between social-ecological processes (e.g., product transfer, matter cycling, energy flow and information delivery) and the spatial flow of ecosystem service. Then, we reviewed methods quantifying the spatial flow of ecosystem service. Finally, we proposed a comprehensive framework for quantifying the whole process of ecosystem service flow in terms of social-ecological processes. The framework consists of the quantification of ecosystem service supply and demand, the spatial flow of ecosystem service between suppliers and consumers, and the quantification of utilized ecosystem service. To better quantify the whole process of ecosystem service flow, we need to further understand the factors impacting ecosystem service flow, develop process-based models integrating beneficiaries and infrastructure, and establish social-ecological approaches to inform ecosystem service flow governance.

Social ecological approach to factors influencing perinatal mental health service provision among providers in Bulloch County, GA

ABSTRACT Perinatal mental illness pertains to pregnancy-related mental health complications, which could last as long as one year post-delivery. Despite the high prevalence of PMI, there remains a poor accessibility and utilization of mental health services, especially in the rural America. Hence, using the Social Ecological Model (SEM), we aim to identify factors influencing perinatal mental health service provision among providers in Bulloch County, GA. Using a random sampling method, we recruited 15 mental health providers in Bulloch County through professional networks who completed open-ended surveys between January 31 and March 5 of 2021. The open-ended survey was guided by the SEM constructs, which included Individual, Interpersonal, Organizational, Community, and Policy factors. The Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software. Major barriers among providers include lack of available resources and lack of rapport among patients and providers. Major facilitator themes included increase in mental health screening, rapport building, education, and awareness. This study suggests the introduction of group therapies in public communal areas is helpful. Findings from this study will be useful in developing tailored interventions to address barriers to perinatal mental health-care utilization experienced by both women and perinatal mental health-care providers.

Assessing the Effectiveness and Justice of Protected Areas Governance: Issues and Situated Pathways to Environmental Policies in Río Negro National Park, Paraguay

Protected areas are a fundamental element for the protection of ecological integrity and, in some cases, the livelihood of local communities worldwide. They are also embedded in socio-ecological systems, and their management is subject to various political, economic, and social influences. Good governance of protected areas is recognized as a decisive aspect of ecological conservation, which is at risk in institutional contexts where there is a weak scope of action alongside issues with misrecognition of key actors and their representation in procedures. In this context, the present study case aims to assess the performance of the Río Negro National Park governance system in terms of effectiveness and justice to enable the identification of strategies to improve this protected area governance system for the achievement of its desired outcomes. Using the social-ecological systems approach, this paper proposes an analytical framework for the performance assessment, including both the effectiveness and justice of the governance of socio-ecological systems, stemming from the socio-ecological justice framework. It uses mixed methods based on semi-structured in-depth interviews supplemented by a focus group discussion, participant observation, and secondary data analysis. Results show that the governance of Río Negro National Park is negatively impacted by low-capacity, a lack of human, financial, and technical resources, as well as the lack of recognition of the indigenous community of the Yshiro and the rural community as key actors, leading to a lack of representation of their interests, values, and knowledge in norm-making and decision-making processes. The findings unveil some windows for improvement through better-designed environmental policies specifically based on collective action and social learning. The results demonstrate that effectiveness and justice influence each other and, therefore, are deeply intertwined. From the assessment conducted, the paper highlights the components of the governance system that should be improved to achieve good governance of the protected area as a socio-ecological system, promoting the ecological integrity and the dignity of life (socio-ecological justice) of the individuals and communities that are part of this system.

Daring to disentangle: towards a framework for art-science-technology collaborations

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper focuses on understanding the interactions between art, science, and technology as forms of wide interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary collaboration. There is scarce knowledge about how the wide interdisciplinary interaction between artists, scientists, and technologists can be conceptualized through a shared framework for collaboration. The ecology of collaboration involves a complex set of social structures varying between autonomous individually organized teams and institutional programmes. By using a social ecological approach, integrating social, organizational, and cultural factors, art, science, and technology (AST) collaborations can be characterized by a sequence of antecedent, process, and outcome conditions. These elements are organized to form a conceptual framework for art-science collaborations, elaborating on AST in its relationship to knowledge, aesthetics, interdependence, and experimentalism as antecedent conditions, while outlining the process elements and possible outcomes of the collaborations. The framework can be a vehicle for evaluation and reflection for practitioners, researchers, educators, and policymakers.

Traditional agricultural practices and their contribution to habitat quality and carbon storage in arid Northwest Mexico: a social-ecological approach in the Rio Sonora sub-watershed

Along with environmental factors, agricultural activity is one of the main drivers of change in riparian landscapes of arid regions. Some agricultural practices are considered more sustainability-oriented than others. Despite this, their use is not widespread and their effect on the provision of ecosystem services is not clearly established. Thus, we propose an empirical framework for studying the effects of traditional agricultural practices on regulating ecosystem services in priority and spatially restricted ecosystems. Through spatial analysis and community field work, this study assesses changes in the use of two traditional agricultural practices: living fencerows and acequia irrigation systems and their effect on biodiversity and ecosystem service: habitat quality and carbon storage. Results show that the use of living fencerows promotes habitat quality and carbon storage, but their use is restricted by functional and socioeconomic factors. Acequia systems promote the provision of carbon storage but have a negative influence on habitat quality, and their use is changing mainly due to environmental and functional factors. The presence of obligate riparian vegetation in different configurations maintains the highest values for habitat quality and carbon storage, but it doesn’t provide the functional purpose of fencerows or acequias. We suggest that the expansion of voluntary and official conservation areas that promote regeneration of riparian vegetation adjacent and around agricultural areas could help mitigate floods, provide materials and suitable conditions for the maintenance of fencerows and acequias, enhance water and soil quality and many other services needed in agriculture. We consider our proposal to be useful for future assessments of ecosystem services tradeoffs and social-ecological dynamics in other understudied regions with predominantly agricultural activity.

Towards a global sustainable development agenda built on social-ecological resilience.

The United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) articulate societal aspirations for people and our planet. Many scientists have criticised the SDGs and some have suggested that a better understanding of the complex interactions between society and the environment should underpin the next global development agenda. We further this discussion through the theory of social-ecological resilience, which emphasises the ability of systems to absorb, adapt, and transform in the face of change. We determine the strengths of the current SDGs, which should form a basis for the next agenda, and identify key gaps that should be filled. The United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) are past their halfway point and the next global development agenda will soon need to be developed. While laudable, the SDGs have received strong criticism from many, and scholars have proposed that adopting complex adaptive or social-ecological system approaches would increase the effectiveness of the agenda. Here we dive deeper into these discussions to explore how the theory of social-ecological resilience could serve as a strong foundation for the next global sustainable development agenda. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current SDGs by determining which of the 169 targets address each of 43 factors affecting social-ecological resilience that we have compiled from the literature. The SDGs with the strongest connections to social-ecological resilience are the environment-focus goals (SDGs 2, 6, 13, 14, 15), which are also the goals consistently under-prioritised in the implementation of the current agenda. In terms of the 43 factors affecting social-ecological resilience, the SDG strengths lie in their communication, inclusive decision making, financial support, regulatory incentives, economic diversity, and transparency in governance and law. On the contrary, ecological factors of resilience are seriously lacking in the SDGs, particularly with regards to scale, cross-scale interactions, and non-stationarity. The post-2030 agenda should build on strengths of SDGs 2, 6, 13, 14, 15, and fill gaps in scale, variability, and feedbacks.

Surviving Gender-Based Violence: A Social Ecological Approach to Migrant and Refugee Women's Resilience

Abstract: Many migrant and refugee women (MRW) experience different forms of gender-based violence (GBV) along the migratory pathway. GBV is rooted in intersecting structures of domination and extends beyond individual experiences to include the failure of policies and practices to protect women. In this article, through the lenses of "key informants" (KIs), we explore how MRW express resilience to GBV in the face of intersecting structural inequalities through resisting, adapting individual behaviours, navigating to resources and transforming relationships and self. Furthermore, drawing upon social ecological approaches to resilience, we examine the factors and processes of building resilience to GBV by MRW at the individual, relational, community and societal levels in Canada. Our research findings are based on thematic analysis of 43 qualitative interviews with KIs who are counsellors, shelter staff and directors, government staff, and settlement workers who provide services to MRW. Our empirical findings contribute to the research literature by identifying and fleshing out the particular expressions, complexities, supporting factors and processes of resilience to GBV by MRW in Canada. Résumé: De nombreuses femmes migrantes et réfugiées (FMR) subissent différentes formes de violence sexiste (VS) tout au long de leur parcours migratoire. La VS est ancrée dans des structures de domination qui se croisent et va au-delà des expériences individuelles pour inclure l'échec des politiques et des pratiques à la protection des femmes. Dans cet article, nous explorons, avec la perspective des "informateurs clés" (IC), la manière dont les femmes migrantes expriment leur résilience à la violence liée au sexe face aux inégalités structurelles qui se croisent, en résistant, en adaptant leurs comportements individuels, en accédant à des ressources et en transformant leurs relations et leur personnalité. En outre, en nous appuyant sur les approches socio-écologiques de la résilience, nous examinons les facteurs et les processus de renforcement de la résilience à la violence liée au sexe chez les femmes migrantes aux niveaux individuel, relationnel, communautaire et social au Canada. Les résultats de notre recherche sont basés sur l'analyse thématique de 43 entretiens qualitatifs avec des ICs qui sont des conseillers, des employés et des directeurs de refuges, des fonctionnaires et des travailleurs de l'établissement qui fournissent des services aux FMR. Nos résultats empiriques contribuent à la littérature de recherche en identifiant et en étoffant les expressions particulières, les complexités, les facteurs de soutien et les processus de résilience à la violence liée au sexe des FMR au Canada.

Neighborhood Built and Social Environment Influences on Lifestyle Behaviors among College Students in a High-Density City: A Photovoice Study.

Based on the social ecological approach, a photovoice study was conducted to explore how neighborhood built and social environments facilitate or hinder college students' lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, active transportation, and dietary behavior. A total of 37 college students took photos about neighborhood built and social environments that may affect their physical activity, dietary behavior, and active transportation, and shared their perceptions about how neighborhood built and social environments influence their lifestyle behaviors. Our findings demonstrated that the availability and accessibility of services, school facilities, and home facilities affected physical activity and dietary behaviors among college students. Moreover, the well-developed transportation facilities and networks benefit college students' active transportation. Environments-based interventions are recommended in future research to better understand the associations between neighborhood built and social environments and lifestyle behaviors in college students.

Fleeing Danger for a Better Life? A Social-ecological Study of Internally Displaced Journalists in Mexico

ABSTRACT The study of forced internal displacement (FID) frequently focuses on the personal effects of structural violence. However, the targeted victimization of members of risky occupations is less studied, neglecting the importance of professional factors in mediating people's experiences of displacement. Based on 20 in-depth interviews, this study uses a social-ecological approach to explore the challenges and experiences of journalists living under forced internal displacement in Mexico City, analyzing the multiple hardships journalists face in their resettlement processes at macro-structural, meso-professional, and micro-individual levels. Findings show that the most relevant aspects of the journalists’ experiences are family, economic and psychological concerns at the individual level; the partial or total disenfranchisement of journalistic practice, professional demotion and deskilling at the meso-level; and the general distrust of government programs at the structural level. We conclude that displaced journalists, already victimized by occupational violence, become even more vulnerable and suffer from specific profession-related hardships on top of the challenges that usually afflict displaced populations. Journalists suffer from unique and isolated forms of displacement. We call for more studies that explore the professional traits and conditions of victimized members of risky occupations to account for their overall experiences of displacement and resettlement.

TOPLUMSAL EKOLOJİ YAKLAŞIMINI SAHA UYGULAMALARI ÜZERİNDEN YENİDEN KEŞFETMEK

The aim of this study is to take lessons for policy makers by examining the theory and practice of the social ecology approach, which is studied as an alternative model to climate change, capitalism and state organization discussions, through field applications. In order to achieve this aim, the basic concepts of social ecology and the approach of ecological society to the city were examined through the examples of southeastern Turkey and 'Rojava'. In the study, an answer has been sought to the research question of "are social ecology-based field practices and theory compatible?" In the theoretical framework, the political, administrative, social and economic discourses of the ecological approach, which puts nature at its center are explained as four criteria of analysis. In the discussions part, the field practices are examined in terms of the reflection of the theory in practice, taking into account the suggestions in political, administrative, social and economic dimensions. Contrary to rhetoric, it has been explained with the kiwi bird metaphor that the practices of PKK/KCK do not adequately reflect Bookchin's social ecology approach.

Reframing neurodiversity in engineering education

A growing body of literature suggests that neurodiverse learners may possess assets that are highly desirable within engineering disciplines. Even so, despite the potential of neurodiverse individuals to contribute to innovation in science and engineering, neurodiverse students, such as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, or dyslexia, remain highly underrepresented in engineering majors. We argue that the predominant perception of neurodiversity as a disability limits the participation of neurodiverse students in engineering education, ultimately impacting the diversity and creativity of the engineering workforce. In this paper, we review the emerging literature on neurodiversity that takes a social ecology approach and moves away from deficit-based models. We then describe the potential benefits and challenges of neurodiversity in the context of engineering education. We conclude with a concept analysis of how a strengths-based perspective of neurodiversity may be integrated within engineering education in particular, as well as in higher education overall, as we present our vision for a transformative education system that moves beyond mere accommodation of learning differences and empowers all students to leverage their unique strengths. In presenting a strengths-based approach to neurodiversity, we aim to contribute to a paradigm shift that transforms how university faculty and staff understand and perceive neurodiversity, improves the educational experiences of neurodiverse students in higher education and enhances the creativity of the engineering workforce.

A Social-Ecological Approach to Modeling Sense of Virtual Community (SOVC) in Livestreaming Communities.

Participation in communities is essential to individual mental and physical health and can yield further benefits for members. With a growing amount of time spent participating in virtual communities, it's increasingly important that we understand how the community experience manifests in and varies across these online spaces. In this paper, we investigate Sense of Virtual Community (SOVC) in the context of live-streaming communities. Through a survey of 1,944 Twitch viewers, we identify that community experiences on Twitch vary along two primary dimensions: belonging, a feeling of membership and support within the group, and cohesion, a feeling that the group is a well-run collective with standards for behavior. Leveraging the Social-Ecological Model, we map behavioral trace data from usage logs to various levels of the social ecology surrounding an individual user's participation within a community, in order to identify which of these can be associated with lower or higher SOVC. We find that features describing activity at the individual and community levels, but not features describing the community member's dyadic relationships, aid in predicting the SOVC that community members feel within channels. We consider implications for the design of live-streaming communities and for fostering the well-being of their members, and we consider theoretical implications for the study of SOVC in modern, interactive online contexts, particularly those fostering large-scale or pseudonymized interactions. We also explore how the Social-Ecological Model can be leveraged in other contexts relevant to Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), with implications for future work.

Paradigm shifts for a planetary emergency: Towards an anthropocenography for urban coastal research at False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

Reflecting on a recent three-decade review of the social-ecological sciences of False Bay in Cape Town that was co-authored by 32 South African based scientists, this essay draws on current Anthropocene scholarship in the environmental humanities and social sciences to suggest four approaches to strengthening transdisciplinarity engagement between social and natural sciences. First, the material flows between the fields categorised as ‘nature’ and ‘society’ is suggested as an alternative empirical base for integrative transdisciplinary research, building on emergent transdisciplinary fields including industrial ecology, biogeochemical sciences, circular economics and critical zone scholarship. Second, a humanities-informed conversation in South African scholarship invites discussion as to whether and how the conceptual categories of nature and society remain empirically useful, given the evidence in Anthropocene stratigraphy that human living is terra-forming. Third, humanities scholarship is vital for the scholarly assessment of historical and contemporary data sets and scientific publications. Fourth, the theorisation of ‘social systems’, ‘the human’, ‘society’, and ‘ecosystem services’ in the social-ecological approaches represented in the review, create a barrier for social scientists to take up invitations to transdisciplinary research partnerships. The above concerns, taken together, frame an alternative approach to transdisciplinary research that is tentatively suggested as an ‘anthropocenography’: a research paradigm based on material flows in the Anthropocene. Significance: Innovations in transdisciplinary research that attend to material flows are evident in multiple emerging fields that address the Anthropocene, including biogeosciences, industrial ecology, urban metabolism, circular economies, and critical zone sciences. Responding to a 30-year review of the sciences of False Bay, I argue that these new research fields, which encompass earth sciences, biosciences and applied sciences, offer generative linkages to emerging scholarship in environmental social sciences and humanities that also attend to material flows. Linking social and natural sciences via material flows is therefore suggested as a generative approach to transdisciplinarity.

It Flows Both Ways: Relationships between Families and Educators during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This is a critical moment of extraordinary rates of teacher burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to implement effective intervention and policy, we must identify the drivers of educators’ stress and factors that may act as protective mechanisms. The complexity of this problem calls for a social–ecological approach. In this study, we investigated the impact of individual, organizational, and relational factors on educators’ pandemic-related stress. Using hierarchical multiple regression, we found that secondary traumatic stress and family, school, student, and community relationships significantly predicted pandemic-related stress after controlling for race, age, and gender. Family, school, and community collaboration is well-documented to benefit students; however, our results suggest that these relationships also benefit teachers, and may have been a protective factor on pandemic-related stress. That is, the positive influence of family, school, and community relationships flows both ways—to students and their families as well as to educators. Our findings highlight the importance of more research on secondary traumatic stress and home–school–community collaborations to mitigate teacher stress and burnout, as well as the implication for practice to increase emphasis on these issues in teacher preparation and ongoing professional development.