Social Ecology Research Articles

Music, Resilience and ‘Soundscaping’: Some Reflections on the War in Ukraine

There exists a rich corpus of literature exploring some of the diverse roles – positive and negative – that music can play in war. This interdisciplinary article makes a novel contribution to this literature, and to research on the sociology of music more broadly, through its particular emphasis on resilience. Scholarship on resilience has increasingly moved beyond person-centred, psychology-based approaches towards more complex relational and multi-systemic framings that situate the concept in the interactions between individuals and their social ecologies (environments). However, it has given little attention to the sensory dimensions of these ecologies, including their acoustic dimensions. Focusing on the war in Ukraine and drawing primarily on media sources (including several online videos) to develop its analysis, the article argues that music can be a form and expression of resilience (and resistance) in war situations that directly acts on the acoustic ecology – a concept that to date has mainly been discussed within ecology and conservation research. Specifically, the article frames music as a form of ‘soundscaping’, in the sense of an active aligning of sound and wellbeing.

Relationality: The Role of Connectedness in the Social Ecology of Resilience

Previous work has focused on the role of social capital on resilience. However, this research tends to search for civic and other organizations, often formal institutionalized groups which, when they are not found, leads to questions about how social networks are possibly governed. Without formal organizational structures to govern these networks, how is pro-environmental/pro-social behavior sustained. In this article, we focus on a diffused mechanism for collective action, which is referred to as relationality. Relationality is a theory that underscores how social connectedness, through mechanisms of empathy, foster collective action in noncentralized modes of network governance. The concept of relationality addresses important issues not considered by the literature on social capital --so being, we will refer to relational elements as relational capital. Relational capital constitutes a type of asset that communities can activate vis-a-vis environmental and other perturbation. As we describe, the evidence for relationality as an important mechanism for sustainability and resilience is accumulating.

A Survey of Blockchain and Intelligent Networking for the Metaverse

The virtual world created by the development of the Internet, computers, artificial intelligence (AI), and hardware technologies have brought various degrees of digital transformation to people’s lives. With multiple demands for virtual reality increasing, the metaverse, a new type of social ecology that can connect the physical and virtual worlds, is booming. However, with the rapid growth of data volume and value, the continuous evolution of the metaverse faces the demands and challenges of privacy, security, high synchronization, and low latency. Fortunately, the ever-evolving blockchain and intelligent networking technologies can be used to satisfy the trusted construction, continuous data interaction, and computing demands of the metaverse. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth review of the role and gains of blockchain, intelligent networking, and the combination of both in providing the immersive experiences of the metaverse. In this survey, we first discuss the development trend, characteristics, and architecture of the metaverse. Then, the existing work on blockchain, networking, and the combination of the two technologies are reviewed, including overviews, applications, and challenges. Next, applications of the metaverse are summarized, emphasizing the importance of the metaverse and the fields of development. Finally, we discuss some open issues, challenges, and future research directions.

Priorities for ecological research on cetaceans in the Galápagos Islands

Located in the eastern tropical Pacific, the Galápagos Islands are an oceanic insular ecosystem subject to strong environmental variability driven by local and regional processes. Past research has shown that such conditions can attract and sustain at least 23 cetacean species, out of which 14 are common, including nine Delphinids, one Ziphiid, one Physeterid, and three Balaenopterids. These species occupy both coastal and oceanic habitats, most are present year-round, and a few are migratory. However, research on cetaceans in Galápagos has been sporadic and chronically underfunded and is not currently considered a priority in the research agenda for Galápagos. Based on a review of existing information and an assessment of knowledge gaps, here we identify priorities for ecological research on cetaceans in Galápagos along five topical areas: 1) spatiotemporal occurrence, 2) population assessment, 3) health assessment, 4) social ecology, and 5) trophic ecology. Addressing these knowledge gaps will also help inform actions to preserve cetacean biodiversity and to manage human activities involving or affecting cetaceans in Galápagos. Given the logistical and funding challenges of conducting cetacean research in Galápagos, we recommend optimizing data sampling and accessibilityviaintegrated research protocols and open data repositories. We also recommend capitalizing on local citizen science activities, such as those conducted from cruise ships and whale-watching tours, which can serve as platforms of opportunity for obtaining basic data, thereby contributing to long-term data acquisition. Our proposed priorities should be assessed by Ecuadorian and Galápagos governmental institutions in broad and inclusive consultation with stakeholders and the scientific community prior to development and implementation of a research agenda. Collectively, these efforts will advance our understanding of the ecological role that marine megafauna, such as cetaceans, play in Galápagos and other oceanic islands, including maintaining large-scale connectivity and mitigating climate change.

Identification of risk areas for arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti in northern Brazil: A One Health analysis

IntroductionThe complex and growing problem generated by the rapid expansion of unplanned urban areas includes high population density and increased infestation by vectors responsible for the transmission of several diseases. This requires interdisciplinary and intersectoral interventions due to the burden of diseases, especially those caused by arboviruses, which can present severe forms and generate significant pressure on health systems, especially in more vulnerable regions. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial distribution of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti (dengue, Zika, and chikungunya) and assess their correlations with demographic, social, and environmental data from the state of Tocantins, Brazil. MethodsThis was an ecological time series study of the dengue, Zika, and chikungunya arboviruses in the state of Tocantins. Local Moran's indices were used to observe the spatial autocorrelation of cases and to delimit clusters of high and low risks, correlating them with socioenvironmental indicators, in addition to analyses to detect case clusters. ResultsThe state reported a mean incidence of 591 annual cases of arbovirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants and a stationary trend with seasonal pattern. Female Pardo individuals aged 20–39 years, with an education level of below college education, were the most affected; Palmas and Araguaína, the two largest cities in the state in terms of economy and population, were the most affected. ConclusionA better understanding of the interaction between social characteristics, the environment, and ecology of wild animals and vectors is important for the development of mechanisms to predict outbreaks as well as to develop strategies to reduce and/or mitigate recurring arboviral epidemics and other diseases.

A sociology of bullying: Placing youth aggression in social context

AbstractIn this paper we review the sociological literature on peer aggression among adolescents and demonstrate how it can form the basis of a new subfield in sociology on the subject of bullying. Although sociologists have mostly avoided the term bullying in classic works on adolescent aggression, these studies suggest that institutional social control, status hierarchies and social inequalities provide important social context for youth aggression. While historically they have not been in dialog with each other, when taken together sociological research on youth status relations and social networks, systemic bias, school culture and social ecology can lay the foundation of a sociology of bullying. We suggest that if sociologists see this work as shedding light on issues of bullying, they can begin to play a larger role in the shaping of the national conversation on bullying and influence anti‐bullying programs in schools to take better account of the social dimensions of bullying.

Contexts of Drinking- and Alcohol-Related Problems Among Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border in California.

This paper examines the association between drinking context use by Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border and alcohol problems. Data come from a household sample of 1209 adults 18 to 39 years of age resident in Imperial County on the California/Mexico border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Data were collected on the phone or online and analyzed with an ordinal generalized linear model. The pattern of statistically significant associations between the frequency and the volume of drinking in different contexts varies across problem types. Furthermore, some contexts of drinking are associated with problems in more than one area. For instance, frequency of drinking at bars/pubs is associated with social problems, risky sex, and fights, but not with injuries. Injuries are associated with the frequency of drinking at home alone or with family and at restaurants. Volume of drinking at bars/pubs is also significantly associated with three different contexts: social problems, injury, and fights. But the volume of drinking at the home of friends or relatives is associated with fights only. Border location is an effect modifier, changing the effect of frequency of drinking at bars and pubs from protective to a factor of risk for social problems and fights. These results provide support for the social ecology of drinking and micro environmental factors or risk. The effect of border location on frequency of drinking in bars/pubs underlines the importance of the macro environment in problem generation.

Urban ecology and biological studies in Brazilian cities: a systematic review

The number of papers focusing on ecological interactions in urban environments has increased in recent years. This review aimed to address the panorama of urban ecology and biological surveys in Brazil. A systematic search was carried out using the Web of Science and Scopus platforms for papers on urban ecology to understand which institutions, authors, themes, cities, biomes, states, and regions have addressed the theme in Brazil to date. A total of 932 articles were found, in 196 scientific journals. Most papers were published between 2010 and 2019. This involved 350 municipalities in the five Brazilian regions, with Curitiba, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro being the municipalities with the most papers. São Paulo was the state that presented the most papers, with 23.7% of the total, and the Southeast region was the most representative with 36.6%. The biome with the highest concentration of papers (61.2%) was the Atlantic Forest. A total of 2537 authors were registered, affiliated with a total of 413 institutions from 19 countries. The institutions with the most papers were the Federal University of Paraná and University of São Paulo. The most discussed topic was related to botany (69%), and the most used keyword was “urban afforestation”. The number of papers published was greater in municipalities with higher human development index, number of inhabitants and relative urbanized area. This review revealed the scarcity of studies in low-income areas, and the need for greater incorporation of the social aspect, landscape ecology and ecological interactions in urban ecology.

Modelling land use planning: Socioecological integrated analysis of metropolitan green infrastructures

Land use planning of global metropolis is essential to meet the socioecological challenges of the next decades. This paper aims to contribute to sustainable land use policies by proposing a socioecological integrated analysis of metropolitan green infrastructures, applying this landscape-metabolism model to the Urban Master Plan of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. The paper assesses the multiple functions and services of the green infrastructure in four land use scenarios and two types of agricultural management. The results show that the trending scenario of applying the current land use planning would have a negative impact in the ecological functioning of the landscape, affecting biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services to society. The results also show that certified organic farming is not enough to overcome some trends of industrial agriculture as low energy efficiency or greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the results show different interactions between social metabolism and landscape ecology, as changes in the form of metabolism affect the functioning of the landscape, while changes in land cover specially affect resource use. Therefore, deeper changes are needed in land use policies that consider not only land covers, as has traditionally been done, but also metabolic flows to promote agroecological transitions towards more sustainable metropolitan green infrastructures under climate change scenarios.

Substance (mis)use among refugees as a matter of social ecology: insights into a multi-site rapid assessment in Germany

BackgroundPrevious research concluded that substance (mis)use is increasing among forcibly displaced populations. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted within a social ecological framework aimed at identifying and understanding the factors affecting substance (mis)use embedded in the post-migration context in high-income countries. The present study aims to develop an understanding of the links and underlying mechanisms between refugees’ social ecological determinants and substance (mis)using behavior.MethodsRapid assessments (RAs), including 108 semi-structured interviews and 10 focus group discussions with key persons from various professional, and personal backgrounds, were carried out in German urban and rural areas. The RA approach of interviewing key persons and not solely refugees that (mis)use substances allowed us to gather multi-perspective knowledge on this sensitive topic. Qualitative content analysis was applied, aiming at identifying determinants of substance (mis)use embedded in the post-migration context of refugees and understanding the underlying mechanisms.ResultsOne main result of the data suggests that the link between refugees’ countries of origin and their post-migration substance (mis)use is not as direct as often assumed. It is observed that refugees’ prospects and opportunities in receiving countries (e.g., work permits) undermine this commonly reproduced link. Further determinants are related to living conditions in German refugee shelters and social relations with peers and families. The influence of refugees’ living conditions can be summarized as potentially increasing substance availability and distress, whereas family separation produces a loss of control and responsibility, increasing the risk for substance (mis)use. Peers’ influence on substance (mis)use was reported to reflect a search for a sense of belonging.ConclusionsGiven that refugees who (mis)use substances have limited to no control over the factors identified in our study to be associated with substance (mis)use, common treatment and prevention approaches are challenged. Furthermore, we recommend aiming for a holistic comprehension of refugees’ substance (mis)use by expanding the focus beyond individuals to the social ecological context in any attempt, including prevention, treatment, research, and policy.

The Role of Local Language Mastery for Foreign Talent Management at Higher Education Institutions: Case Study in Czechia

Purpose: This article explores the role and impact of Czech language mastery in the integration and retention of foreign academics in HEIs in the Czech Republic (Czechia). Czech higher education institutions (HEIs) aspire to attract the best talents to the workplace. The well-being of foreign experts in local workplaces is often researched without expounding the impact of local language mastery. HEIs in Czechia, like other universities in the European Union (EU), have strategic needs for foreign talents in tertiary education, however, various barriers persist in attracting and retaining foreign academics in Czechia.
 Design/Method/Approach: Based upon the theories of Global Talent Management, Internationalization, and Social Ecology, this study conducted quantitative research and collected primary data from 211 foreign academics living and working in HEIs in Czechia. The study evaluated the dimensions of the well-being of foreign academics with their Czech language mastery. For higher validity, the analyses were supplemented with qualitative research (research triangulation) - a qualitative analysis of open answers to supplementary questions, in which respondents got an opportunity to express their feelings and opinions, was performed.
 Findings: The result shows that although a multicultural environment exists in HEIs in Czechia, which allows for communication in English, the need to understand the local language i.e. the Czech language, for work orientation, administrative procedures and integration of a foreign employee into the local community in the medium and long-term are still pertinent. The Czech language is one of the biggest obstacles while integrating into the local community, and it takes foreigners at least five years to learn it for everyday interaction.
 Theoretical Implications: This study contributes to the extension of Global Talent Management theory by extending the dimension of local language mastery as an important driver for employee integration and retention into a local workplace and community for sustainable employment.
 Practical Implications: The study found that foreign academics can improve Czech language proficiency and feel better integrated with local communities after five years in Czechia. HEIs could play a proactive role in integrating and retaining foreign talents by assisting with local language mastery.
 Originality/Value: This study highlights the importance of local language mastery in regional HEIs of the EU, whose retention of foreign talents is directly affected by the expatriates’ ability to master the local language.
 Research Limitations/Future Research: The research lacked sufficient information on the total number of foreign academics currently residing in Czechia. However, 211 foreign academics participated in this study. Future studies could expand the study by surveying foreign experts in other EU countries as well as including other dimensions besides local language mastery.
 Paper Type: Empirical
 JEL Classification: F22, I23, J24, J49

Validation of Physical Activity Correlates Questionnaire from Social Ecological Model in College Students.

More than 50% of Chinese college students rarely engage in any type of physical activity (PA). The literature shows several issues in college students' health due to lack of PA. Promoting college students' PA participation across the country has become a challenging task. This study aims to create a questionnaire into the correlates that affect Chinese college students' engagement in leisure time PA. We first determined the factor structure of college students' PA engagements. Then, we tested and verified the reliability and validity of the factor structure of the questionnaire. The Chinese college students' PA correlates questionnaire was designed according to the Social Ecological Model. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted all the included items, whereas confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the validity of the model. We recruited 1290 college students to complete the questionnaire. A second-order structural model was constructed. Specifically, the first-order included individual, social, and environmental as dimensions, while the second-order had interest, media, social support, traditional culture, facilities, and environment as factors. The six factors have polymerized 22 items. The model demonstrated a good fit (X2/df = 1.4; CFI = 0.98; GFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.02; SRMR = 0.05). In conclusion, the newly established questionnaire of college students' PA correlates is reasonable, and the results of factors reliabilities and model fit are acceptable.

The Socioecology of Parental Adjustment to Pediatric Cancer: The Roles of Individual and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status in Parental Social Support and Depressive Symptoms.

Parents of children with cancer are at risk for depressive symptoms, and previous research has linked their level of distress to various demographic, social, and economic factors. However, little research has examined associations between parental depressive symptoms and multiple socioecological factors at once. The current study examined how socioeconomic status (SES) at the individual and neighborhood level is related to parental depressive symptoms and social support satisfaction in Latinx and non-Latinx parents of children recently diagnosed with cancer, and whether social support satisfaction mediated associations between SES and depressive symptoms. Parents (N = 115; 82% female; 30% Latinx) completed questionnaires reporting their demographic information, social support satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. Neighborhood SES was coded by block group level based on participants' home addresses. Individual, but not neighborhood, SES was positively associated with social support satisfaction, and higher social support satisfaction was associated with lower depressive symptoms. There was a significant indirect effect of individual (but not neighborhood) SES on depressive symptoms through social support satisfaction. Latinx parents reported lower individual SES, but not lower social support satisfaction or depressive symptoms than non-Latinx parents. These results highlight the important role of social support in the adjustment of parents who have a child with pediatric cancer. Findings suggest that families may benefit from services that target multiple levels of their social ecology.

Gang Membership Among Adolescents from Distinct Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds: The Roles of Neighborhood Conditions and Victimization.

Adolescent gang participation has been noted as a major public health concern. Therefore, researchers have placed a growing emphasis on identifying processes that propel adolescents toward gang membership. Previous studies have highlighted as relevant risk factors victimization experiences as well as neighborhood conditions, which reflect sociopolitical and socioeconomic disparities and precipitate social disorganization. However, research to date has not considered potential dynamic interrelations among these risk factors, which are suggested by an integrated trauma-informed developmental-ecological perspective. Additionally, given that minoritized youth are disproportionately represented in gangs and differentially exposed to many of the risk factors for gang membership, it is important to examine whether gang membership pathways are similar or distinct across racial and ethnic groups. In order to address these gaps, the present study examined longitudinal self-report data, including neighborhood conditions (Baseline), direct and witnessed victimization (12-month follow-up), and gang membership versus nonmembership (24-month follow-up) gathered from 1,284 adolescents identified as serious offenders (22% non-Hispanic White, 36% Latinx, and 43% African American) who participated in the Pathways to Desistance Study. Findings from structural equation modeling showed that pathways toward gang membership were similar across racial and ethnic groups. Results further demonstrated that neighborhood conditions increased the likelihood of adolescent gang participation through direct and witnessed victimization. These findings highlight the value of examining gang membership from an integrated trauma-informed developmental-ecological frameworks. Further, these findings emphasize the need for prevention and intervention initiatives at different levels of the social ecology.

“The room is a mess”: Exploring the co-creation of space for attunement dynamics between an autistic child and a non-autistic music therapist

ABSTRACT Introduction Music therapy practice and research in the field of autism has often followed medical narratives that reinforce neurotypical normalcy by locating the difficulties of social interaction in the autistic person. By exploring the relational phenomenon of attunement, this paper focuses on the social and material ecology of interactions. The authors try to unpack circumstances that can support or hinder attunement dynamics between autistic and non-autistic people. Method A video-vignette from music therapy with an autistic boy, who explores the sound of building blocks formed the point of departure for this research. The vignette was self-identified by the music therapist as an apparently failed attunement experience. Based on this vignette, we conducted an interview with the therapist and focus groups with parents of autistic children and colleagues from different professions, one of whom is autistic. We used an interpretative hermeneutical methodology for crystallisation of perspectives. Results We uncovered four spaces that impacted on the mutuality and co-creation of attunement dynamics. The room (physical space), the school context (professional space), and the material (sensory space) afford the interaction (relational space) between the child and the therapist in enabling and disabling ways. Listening to the child's sound making with the building blocks was identified as the autistic child’s way of knowing and sounding that needs to be listened to carefully, rather than being questioned or disregarded. Discussion Findings of this research might encourage therapists to foster an understanding of social interaction that is mutually co-constituted and enactive, and that contradicts the mainstream pathologisation of autism.

Can Resilience Buffer the Effects of Loneliness on Mental Distress Among Working-Age Adults in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Latent Moderated Structural Modeling Analysis.

The profound health consequences of loneliness are well-established. However, less is known about the protective factors which may alleviate the effects of loneliness on mental health especially among working-age adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw on the social ecology of resilience and examine whether resilience factors can buffer the effects of loneliness on mental distress. Data came from the National Well-being Survey-a national study of a demographically representative sample of U.S. working-age adults (N = 4014). We used (a) structural equation models with latent variables to examine the main effects of loneliness, psychological resilience, and perceived social support on mental distress, and (b) latent moderated structural equations to estimate the latent interaction effects. Results revealed that (a) loneliness was positively associated with mental distress and psychological resilience was negatively related to mental distress, and (b) psychological resilience and perceived social support moderated the strength of the relationship between loneliness and mental distress. Our study highlights the importance of psychological resilience and perceived social support as two protective factors in the relationship between loneliness and mental distress. Given that loneliness significantly predicts worse mental and physical health and higher mortality, identifying protective factors that might disrupt these connections is vital. As such, public health efforts to strengthen and expand familial and community social support networks and foster psychological resilience are urgently needed to support mental health among working-age adults during additional waves of the pandemic or future similar stressors.

Innovation in Sexuality and Relationship Education in Child Welfare: Shifting Toward a Focus on Ongoing Conversations, Connection, and Consent

Youth in foster care experience disproportionate rates of abusive relationships, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Extant research points to the need for interventions at multiple levels of the social ecology, however, there is a lack of evidence to guide the development of coordinated interventions for youth, foster parents, and child welfare professionals. The Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative (TFYHI) convened a multidisciplinary learning community to build a foundation for intervention development. The intentional learning and innovation process engaged several groups of stakeholders: young adults with lived experience (n = 41), foster parents (n = 14), and child welfare professionals (n = 52). Interviews, community listening sessions, and reflection exercises were designed to capture tacit and experiential knowledge and explore challenges and desired outcomes from different perspectives. Based on a thematic analysis of stakeholder perspectives, we identified overarching needs to normalize conversations about sexuality and relationships and shift away from risk-based and stigmatizing approaches. We also identified key strategies for designing coordinated interventions targeting youth, foster parents, and child welfare professionals: (1) Reflect on values about sexuality and relationships. (2) Validate youths’ need for connection. (3) Focus on strengthening youth-adult relationships and ongoing conversations. (4) Build healthy relationship skills including communication about consent, condom use, and contraception. (5) Identify teachable moments and model problem solving. (6) Use interactive approaches for sharing health information and empower youth to choose methods that fit their needs.

Sink or swim: Exploring resilience of academics at an education faculty during Covid-19

There is a proliferation of local and international research focusing on Covid-19 and its impact on teaching and learning practices in higher education. However, there is considerably less focus on the resilience of academics in higher education during the pandemic in South Africa. To consider this gap, a group of curriculum officers at an education faculty based at a university of technology in the Western Cape set out to explore how resilient academics were during Covid-19. Thirteen academics who teach in and across the Foundation, Intermediate, and Further Education and Training phases participated in a focus group interview. Data was analysed thematically using content analysis and three themes were identified: creativity through complexity; embracing challenge through resilience; and connecting with self. The implications reveal that universities as a contextual environment for promoting resilience need to engage with the social and physical ecology of staff by providing support and resources to facilitate resilience during times of crisis. The dominant nature of the hierarchical dynamics of the university's management also needs to be considered as part of a social-ecological perspective in valuing academics' wellbeing during emergencies.

The cultural construction of sympathiser social identities in the Islamic state’s virtual ecosystem: an analysis of the politics of naming

ABSTRACT This study explores the politics of naming in the Islamic state (IS) media networks, looking into how sympathisers’ (munāsir-s) virtual identities are socially constructed online. Naming is a discursive practice which is purely ideological in that when sympathisers name themselves online, they re-imagine their roles and the boundaries of their national belonging alongside cultural representations of the organisation. By naming, they reify IS cultural heritage which is recontextualised from the historical legacy of the Prophet and Islamic Conquest. By naming, they also amplify IS hegemonic cultural frames and master narratives. In this sense, naming oneself in the IS virtual ecosystem is a significant rhetorical strategy that may fulfil at least one of the three main cultural functions. Names may (1) imitate historical role models, (2) reconstruct the sense of belonging to homophilic communities (brothers of the same faith) beyond ethno-racial geographies, and/or (3) convey a politically religionist bias in constructing the self vs. the other. The politics of naming is an online social learning process in which collective intelligence instructs sympathisers on how to create accounts with innovative iconic/connotative identifying aliases. In IS social ecology, naming may stand for a ritual call to adventure, the destination of which is already recognised. Sympathisers are interpellated as jihadi subjects to cross the threshold of their ordinary world and embark on a virtual journey to media jihad – hence, their recognition of their new subject positions in support groups and the potential manufacturing of their loyalty and disavowal (al-walā’ wa l-barā’).

Social Ecology, Preventive Intervention and the Administrative Transformation of the Criminal Legal System

Social Ecology, Preventive Intervention and the Administrative Transformation of the Criminal Legal System