Social Harm Research Articles

Harmfulness metrics in digital twins of social network rumors detection in cloud computing environment

Social network rumor harm metric is a task to score the harm caused by a rumor by analyzing the spreading range of the rumor, the users affected, the repercussions caused, etc., and then the harm caused by the rumor. Rumor hazard metric models can help rumor detection digital twins to understand and analyze user behaviors and assist social network network managers to make more informed decisions. However, there is a lack of models that can quantify the harm of rumors and automated harm metric models in rumor detection digital twins. To address this issue, this paper proposes an innovative social network rumor harm metric based on rumor propagation knowledge and a large language model (LLM), RSK-T5. The method first completes the joint task of rumor comment stance detection and sentiment analysis to capture critical features of rumor propagation. Then, this knowledge is used in the pre-training process of LLM to improve the model's understanding of rumor propagation patterns. Finally, the fine-tuning phase focuses on the hazard metrics task to improve the generalization energy. We compare with some existing variants of rumor detection methods, and experimental results demonstrate that RSK-T5 achieves the lowest MSE scores on three well-known rumor detection datasets. The ablative learning work demonstrates the effectiveness of RSK-T5's knowledge of two rumor spreads.

The Zemiological Afterlife of Wrongful Conviction: Spoiled Identity, Repair and Survivorship

Building on the recent global interest in ‘innocence projects’, this article critically examines the various harms experienced by the wrongfully convicted after their release from prison. Locating itself within the zemiology literature, it uses the memoirs of a number of wrongfully convicted persons to conduct a narrative victimological critique of social harms that are often unacknowledged in policy and practice around the reintegration of the wrongfully convicted and in media and societal discussion of their experiences. Insights from these memoirs, it is argued, problematise the various forms of repair offered to the wrongly convicted because these often compound rather than alleviate particular post-release social harms. However, the first-hand accounts contained within their memoirs also illustrate how, far from being caught in a state of passive victimhood, the wrongfully convicted often regain agency through activism and telling their story.

Alcohol's contribution to climate change and other environmental degradation: a call for research.

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The production, distribution and consumption of many fast-moving consumer goods contribute substantially to climate change, principally through releasing greenhouse gas emissions. Here we consider just some of the ways that alcohol-already a key contributor to an array of health, social and economic burdens-exacerbates environmental harms and climate change. We explore current evidence on alcohol production as a resource- and energy-intensive process, contributing to significant environmental degradation through water usage and other carbon emission costs. We argue that the impacts of alcohol production on climate change have been minimally explored by researchers. Yet the extent of the unfolding catastrophe beholds us to consider all available ways to mitigate unnecessary emissions, including from products such as alcohol. We then turn to suggestions for a research agenda on this topic, including investigations of commercial determinants, inequalities and product advice to help consumers choose lower-carbon options. We conclude by arguing that public health researchers already have an array of methodological expertise and experience that is well placed to produce the evidence needed to inform regulation and efforts by alcohol producers and consumers to minimize their contributions to environmental harms.

Providing Adaptation Solutions to the Problems Faced by Adoptive Families.

Adoption is frequently viewed as a way to complete the family because of the infertility that some families experience and the desire for kids and teenagers, especially orphans, to have a loving family. This work intends to identify and propose adaptation solutions to address the psychological problems faced by adoptive families. By doing so, it is hoped that the mental health and overall well-being of individuals and society as a whole will be enhanced. In the first stage of this study, the grounded theory approach based on Strauss and Corbin's methodology was used to interview representatives of adoptive families in Iran in 2022 and identify the problems they experience. In the second stage, the same approach and methodology were used to interview representatives of experts. In the second stage, the results of the first stage were presented to a sample of purposefully selected experts, who subsequently proposed solutions for the families to adapt to their problems. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2020 software (VERBI Software, Berlin, Germany). Ethical requirements were followed at every stage of the study. Four problem categories were identified in the first step of the study: legal-psychological problems, problems related to the growth of the child in an environment of social harm,attitude and worldview, and the resilience of the adoptive couple. In the second step of the study, four groups of solutions for psychological adjustment were extracted: explaining the issue of what, how, and why of adoption (correct identification of the problems faced by adoptive families, clarification of concepts and demystification, the need for research to address other gaps in the knowledge infrastructure, and the importance of critical thinking education), operational solutions (supervising the adoption database to become more efficient, unitization of adoption national institutes in each province, selection of officials based on both factors of professional and complete mental health, alignment of the provisions and other related legal matters between the involved institutions, and utilization of media influence are recommended, interactional solutions for family resilience (cognitive-therapeutic interactions for mental health based on flexibility, raising the family's social capacity through active counseling, improving problem-solving skills, fostering family self-efficacy, creating purposefulness, and appropriate beliefs to predict a bright future), attitude-changing solutions (redefining social norms and facilitating the adoption of desired attitudes by employing social psychology principles, exploiting the power of media and influential figures, employing techniques derived from the psychology of learning, establishing conducive conditions within the framework of individuals' cognitive dissonance to modify their attitudes, and employing persuasion strategies). Legislators and law enforcers, adoptive families, psychologists and consultants working in this field, and physicians specializing in infertility treatment can benefit from the findings of this study.

On the Limits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education

The recent hyperbole around artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted on our ability to properly consider the lasting educational implications of this technology. This paper outlines a number critical issues and concerns that need to feature more prominently in future educational discussions around AI. These include: (i) the limited ways in which educational processes and practices can be statistically modelled and calculated; (ii) the ways in which AI technologies risk perpetuating social harms for minoritized students; (iii) the losses incurred through reorganising education to be more ‘machine readable’; and (iv) the ecological and environmental costs of data-intensive and device-intensive forms of AI. The paper concludes with a call for slowing down and recalibrating current discussions around AI and education – paying more attention to issues of power, resistance and the possibility of re-imagining education AI along more equitable and educationally beneficial lines.

VICTIMLESS CRIMINAL ARRANGEMENTS: A REVIEW OF MORALITY CRIMES

<em>Criminal law without victims is a legal concept that focuses on the restoration of social harm and the protection of societal values, rather than solely addressing individual harm. Acts of indecency involve behaviors that violate social norms without directly affecting physical or economic victims. The regulation of victimless crimes in the context of decency laws is relevant to changes in societal behavior and modern technology, but it also raises questions about the balance between protecting societal values and individual freedoms. This research aims to evaluate the regulation of victimless crimes in the context of decency laws in Indonesia and analyze the impact of implementing these regulations on modern society. The study employs normative research methods to analyze the relevant legal regulations concerning victimless crimes in the context of decency. Data will be collected through literature reviews, including online and printed legal sources, with the goal of providing valuable recommendations for policymakers and legal practitioners addressing issues related to victimless crimes in decency. The research findings highlight that in Indonesia, the regulation of victimless crimes in the context of decency includes laws aimed at preserving the morality and decency of society as a whole without requiring individual victims who feel harmed. Examples of such laws include the Pornography Law, Gambling Regulation, and Child Protection Law. While these laws protect moral values, they can also pose threats to individual freedoms, necessitating ongoing evaluation to strike the right balance. The implementation of these regulations in modern society has complex impacts, including on individual human rights, legal effectiveness, social norms, culture, and government-citizen relations. Achieving a balance between safeguarding individual human rights and regulating behavior perceived as harmful to society is crucial in the development of modern society.</em>

Messages about climate, pollution and social justice harms of tobacco as motivators to quit: an untapped communication opportunity?

BackgroundCampaigns highlighting the health harms of smoking have demonstrated success in motivating people who smoke to quit. Tobacco production and use also exert a toll on the environment, sustainable development...

Graph global attention network with memory: A deep learning approach for fake news detection

With the proliferation of social media, the detection of fake news has become a critical issue that poses a significant threat to society. The dissemination of fake information can lead to social harm and damage the credibility of information. To address this issue, deep learning has emerged as a promising approach, especially with the development of Natural Language Processing (NLP). This study introduces a novel approach called Graph Global Attention Network with Memory (GANM) for detecting fake news. This approach leverages NLP techniques to encode nodes with news context and user content. It employs three graph convolutional networks to extract informative features from the news propagation network and aggregates endogenous and exogenous user information. This methodology aims to address the challenge of identifying fake news within the context of social media. Innovatively, the GANM combines two strategies. First, a novel global attention mechanism with memory is employed in the GANM to learn the structural homogeneity of news propagation networks, which is the attention mechanism of a single graph with a history of all graphs. Second, we design a module for partial key information learning aggregation to emphasize the acquisition of partial key information in the graph and merge node-level embeddings with graph-level embeddings into fine-grained joint information. Our proposed method provides a new direction in news detection research with a combination of global and partial information and achieves promising performance on real-world datasets.

Women, Addictions, Mental Health, Dishonesty, and Crime Stigma: Solutions to Reduce the Social Harms of Stigma.

British drug policies could underserve women with treatment needs, and this paper provides evidence that communication through the words and actions of professionals across drug and alcohol services, health and mental health, social work and the criminal justice sector can leave women feeling stigmatised and failed. Women live with the stigma of 'the lying addict'; however, documents and courtroom statements provided by professionals can misrepresent women's experiences, which exacerbates social harm. Data are drawn from feminist participatory action research, where female lived experience experts worked alongside academics to implement a qualitative study using interviews and focus groups with women using treatment services (n = 28) and an online world café with professionals working with these women (n = 9) and further professionals providing support at lived experience data collection events (n = 5). This data set is cross-referenced with one-to-one and small-group interviews with professionals in the field (n = 17) conducted by a third-sector partner. Findings establish that stigma negatively impacts the identification of treatment needs and access to timely and appropriate service delivery. Social harms to women with addictions could be significantly reduced with timely, authentic, honest, gender-informed and trauma-informed practices for girls and women using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate from traumatic experiences.

Do school-based smoking preventive interventions have unintended effects? Post hoc analysis of the Focus cluster randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesPublic health interventions are designed to improve specific health-related outcomes; however, they may also produce negative side effects, such as substitution use, psychological or social harms. Knowledge about the unintended...

Assessment of newly admitted students’ attitudes towards social harm and its associated factors

Assessment of newly admitted students’ attitudes towards social harm and its associated factors

Readiness for influenza and COVID-19 vaccination in Germany: a comparative analysis.

Vaccination readiness refers to psychological motives and beliefs that decisively determine individual and collective vaccination prevention behavior. Readiness to be vaccinated depends on expected individual and social benefits and harms. Differences exist in the perception of the threat of potential influenza vs. COVID-19 infection and its significance for the social environment. The study aimed to compare the 7C components of vaccination readiness for influenza and COVID-19 vaccination in adulthood. A total of 317 adults answered the 7C vaccination readiness scale in two vaccination-specific versions (influenza vs. COVID-19) in an online survey from September 2022 to March 2023. Data were analyzed using repeated measures, including analysis of covariance, correlations, and multiple regression. For COVID-19, there is a higher readiness to be vaccinated compared to influenza regarding complacencyR (ηp = 0.683), constraintsR (ηp = 0.684), collective responsibility (ηp = 0.782), and compliance (ηp = 0.365). However, confidence (ηp = 0.161) and conspiracyR (ηp = 0.256) indicate an enhanced readiness for influenza vaccination (interaction scales × vaccination type: ηp = 0.602). Individual influenza vaccination recommendations and age do not or only marginally moderate these effects (interaction vaccination type × recommendation: ηp = 155). The 7C subscales reveal a differentiated pattern of readiness for the two vaccination types. This emphasizes the relevance of the multidimensional structure of the construct of vaccination readiness as well as the relevance of moderating effects of the respective vaccination type on the underlying motives and beliefs. Vaccination attitudes are influenced by cultural and social conditions as well as medical standards of care. Comparing attitudes to different vaccinations in different countries thus represents an important research desideratum in order to understand the concept of vaccination readiness more comprehensively.

ԱԽՏՈՐՈՇԻՉ ՅԱՏՐՈԳԵՆԻԱՆԵՐԸ ՅԱՏՐՈԳԵՆ ՀԱՆՑԱԳՈՐԾՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՆԵՐԻ ՀԱՄԱԿԱՐԳՈՒՄ

Currently, among the numerous classifications of types of iatrogenism and iatrogenic crimes, diagnostic iatrogenism deserves special attention, the increased public danger and social harmfulness of which is beyond doubt. Considering the various types of iatrogenies, special attention should be paid to iatrogenies of diagnostic procedures, which are very common and entail other iatrogenies. An incorrectly established diagnosis leads to iatrogenism, and further prescribed treatment based on an incorrect diagnosis causes iatropathy in the patient. Thus, the danger of this type of iatrogenies lies in their double effect – as a result of diagnostic iatrogenies, other therapeutic ones are generated. Therapeutic iatrogenia is an incorrect treatment determined by a doctor based on an incorrectly diagnosed diagnosis. Iatrogenies of diagnostic procedures consist in incorrect diagnosis, incomplete diagnosis and untimely diagnosis. In the light of the above, the criminal law analysis of improper medical care, expressed in diagnostic errors (shortcomings), is of great importance. This article analyzes diagnostic iatrogenies based on the materials of the judicial practice of the Republic of Armenia; in the context of the prevalence of iatrogenies of diagnostic procedures, legislative changes aimed at improving the criminal legal fight against iatrogenic crimes are proposed.

Identification of Psychological Issues in Adoptive Families in Iran and Proposing Solutions for Their Adaptation

Objective: The need for children and adolescents to have a space conducive to growth has led to the widespread selection of adoption as a means to complete a family. With the hope of enhancing the well-being of the child and the family and aimed at identifying the psychological issues of Iranian adoptive families and proposing solutions for their adaptation, this study was conducted. Methods and Materials: The research method, in both stages, was qualitative and followed the grounded theory approach according to Strauss and Corbin. Initially, to find the problems of adoptive families, an interview was conducted with a representative from each of the 13 families in 2022. In the next stage, the results of the first phase of the research were presented to experts, and their proposed solutions were obtained. Data analysis was performed using maxqda2020 software. Ethical considerations were observed at all stages. Findings: In the first phase of problem identification, 4 concepts emerged: issues related to child development in an environment of social harm, legal-psychological problems, issues related to attitudes, and problems associated with the resilience of couples. From the next stage, 4 groups of adaptation solutions were extracted, including explaining the what, how, and why of adoption in Iran (knowledge enrichment), practical solutions to solve problems, intervention strategies for family resilience, and attitude change strategies. Problems related to attitudes and worldviews were the causal conditions for other issues. In the end, the final model was presented. Knowledge enrichment, correction and improvement of attitudes, increasing parental resilience, making legal reforms, and removing executive obstacles should be prioritized in this field. Conclusion: Conditions should be facilitated so that volunteer parents can share their experiences and researchers can conduct scientific studies in this field. This facilitates better decision-making and creates more confidence for families with a suitable mental background to start this journey. Additionally, the need for psychological support from welfare for families should be considered in planning.

Exploring social workers' views on assessing child neglect in England and Wales

AbstractChild neglect poses many issues for social work, notably in terms of effective assessment leading to informed intervention targeting the needs of children and families. In response to this challenge, our multiphase research project is developing a new multiagency child neglect measurement tool. The phase of the project reported in this article administered an online survey via Qualtrics to explore the views of children and families social workers on assessing child neglect. One hundred and twenty‐nine completed responses were received from registered children and families social workers in England and Wales. The main findings are that social workers are regularly undertaking child neglect assessments and feel relatively confident in completing them. They also feel relatively confident that their assessments are inclusive of social harms such as poverty and social isolation, but less confident they are accurate and informed by research evidence. Almost two‐thirds are using a child neglect assessment tool, but they lack confidence in these accurately assessing neglect or being quick and simple to use. The findings illustrate that social workers require both the work conditions and tools to use in which they feel confident to undertake balanced and accurate assessments of child neglect.

A policy-oriented framework for social cost analysis of gambling: Evidence from the Czech Republic

This paper introduces a new framework for calculating the social costs of gambling, distinguishing between private costs, externalities, and public expenditures. By focusing only on externalities and public expenditures, which are relevant to policy-making, this approach aligns with economic theory and allows for a more targeted political response. The practical application of this framework is demonstrated by calculating the social cost of gambling in the Czech Republic in 2022 using the best available data. Our findings estimate private costs to be between CZK 91.1–102.3 billion (Lie/bet scale) or CZK 89.3–105.0 billion (PGSI scale), externalities between CZK 2.6–4.8 billion or CZK 2.2–5.3 billion, and public expenditures between CZK 5.6–8.0 billion or CZK 9.6–12.1 billion (exchange rate 1 EUR = 24.48 CZK). However, quality of the calculation is heavily dependent on the quality of data and in our case serves as a practical application of the new framework. Private costs thus make the most of the total costs, but the externalities and the public expenditures are not negligible. The framework’s novel approach addresses long-standing flaws in the traditional calculations of gambling’s social costs. It proposes a division of total impacts into three distinct categories, allowing for a methodological unification and introducing rationality to political decision-making concerning gambling. By isolating externalities, private and public expenditures, this paper pioneers a pragmatic economic approach to policy intervention aimed at mitigating the social harm of gambling not reflected in its market price. Future research should incorporate this framework into regulatory impact assessments for gambling policies, which could significantly improve their quality. The study’s main limitation is the lack of Czech-specific and overall better-fitted data, especially on the psychological effects of gambling. Future research should improve data collection and consider not only the costs but also benefits of gambling to help to produce more comprehensive policy assessments.

Glosa do wyroku Sądu Najwyższego z 24 sierpnia 2023 r., sygn. akt IV KK 37/22

The purpose of the gloss is to present the correct line of reasoning that the Supreme Court should have adopted to reach the conclusion approved by the glossator. Relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights allows for the acceptance of the absence of a violation of the norm sanctioned as a result of the application of constitutional and convention interpretation, rather than just the lack of social harmfulness of the act, as basis for the denial of the element of criminality. Any legal restrictions on freedom of speech must arise from serious reasons and an urgent societal need.

Comparison of the Representation Rankings of Social Harms Threatening the Family Institution in Iranian Cinema during the 1990s and 2000s

Comparison of the Representation Rankings of Social Harms Threatening the Family Institution in Iranian Cinema during the 1990s and 2000s

The Social Harms of Academics’ Abuse in Nigerian Universities: Failed Ethical Leadership

Universities are higher institutions where a high level of manpower training is provided for the development of the total man. At the centre of this is the role of members of the academics. The three core function of the academic staff is teaching, research and service. Over the years, there have been cases of abuse of academics in Nigerian universities which has been a source of concern to relevant stakeholders. Abuse of Academics is any form of unethical treatment given to university academics in the course of discharging their duties. The study argues that the abuse of academic staff is an indication of failed ethical leadership. Drawing on the social harms theory, it provides evidence of the hazardous use of power against academics. In this case study of Obafemi Awolowo University, thirty academic staff across all cadres and genders were interviewed. The findings reveal that academic abuse has been an age-long problem in Nigerian universities. The study further shows the causes of academic abuse to be rooted in the fact that government does not place priority on education which makes its budgetary allocation to the sector very ridiculous.

Advances in HIV self-testing: Systematic review of current developments and the road ahead in high-burden countries of Africa.

Although HIV self-testing technologies have created new opportunities for achieving national and global HIV testing goals, current developments have not been compiled to inform policy and practice, especially in high HIV burden countries of Africa. We aimed to compile and synthesize the evidence about HIV self-testing technologies, strategies, and uptake in the top-10 high HIV burden countries of Africa. We searched CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index, and EMBASE to include eligible articles published in English between January 2012 and November 2022. In total, 865 articles were retrieved and only 16 studies conducted in five African countries were eligible and included in this review. The two types of HIV self-testing modalities presently being used in Africa are: The first is Home Self-Test which is done entirely at home or in another private location by using oral fluid or blood specimen. The second modality is Mail-In Self-Test (self-sampling), where the user collects their own sample and sends this to a laboratory for testing. Perceived opportunities for the uptake of HIV self-testing were autonomy and self-empowerment, privacy, suitability, creating a chance to test, and simplicity of use. The potential barriers to HIV self-testing included fear and worry of a positive test result, concern of the test results is not reliable, low literacy, and potential psychological and social harms. The oral-fluid self-testing is preferred by most users because it is easy to use, less invasive, and painless. The difficulty of instructions on how to use self-test kits, and the presence of different products of HIV self-testing kits, increase rates of user errors. Adopting HIV self-testing by overcoming the challenging potential barriers could enable early detection, care, treatment, and prevention of the disease to achieve the 95-95-95 goal by 2030. Further study is necessary to explore the actual practices related to HIV self-testing among different populations in Africa.