Social Losses Research Articles

Adoption and social identity loss: Insights from adults adopted through Ireland's mother and baby homes.

A central issue in adoption research is understanding why some individuals adapt to their adoption experience while others face considerable difficulties. The social identity approach (SIA) offers a valuable framework for examining this. Recent research has increasingly shown that identifying with social groups can protect and promote well-being. However, in the context of adoption, certain groups may also present challenges or become sources of strain. The present study seeks to understand how social identities shape individuals' adoption experiences. Semi-structured interviews (N = 16) with adults who were adopted through Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis produced two interrelated themes: (1) 'Adopted' as a social identity, which explores how participants' 'adopted' status itself constitutes a significant social identity, leading to experiences of marginalization and exclusion and (2) Adoption as social identity loss, which describes how participants face contested membership and compromised belonging within important social groups. Both themes illustrate how the process of adoption can result in social identity loss. Discussion of this analysis considers the consequences of social identity change for adoption adjustment. These findings expand the theoretical application of the SIA, in the context of adoption.

The effects of social loss and isolation on partner odor investigation and dopamine and oxytocin receptor expression in female prairie voles.

The effects of social loss and isolation on partner odor investigation and dopamine and oxytocin receptor expression in female prairie voles.

Hazard classification, social and economic losses in flooded urban areas

Hazard classification, social and economic losses in flooded urban areas

Automated Waterline Extraction and Shoreline Estimation Using U-Net Based Video Monitoring System

Coastal erosion has caused significant ecological damage and substantial social and economic losses, emphasizing the necessity for long-term monitoring of shorelines. Video monitoring systems have emerged as effective tools for observing shorelines changes. However, the shoreline extracted from video monitoring systems represents the waterline, defined as the boundary where waves reach the beach. The extraction of waterlines using these systems often requires manual parameter adjustments to account for dynamic coastal environments. Furthermore, the extracted waterline is influenced by variations in waves and currents, posing challenges for consistent and reliable monitoring. To address these issues, this study utilizes the deep learning model ‘U’-shaped Neural Network (U-Net) to analyze images of Chuam Beach. A dataset comprising 204 pairs of Time-exposure (TimeX) images was developed to train the U-Net model, which was subsequently utilized to propose an automated method for waterline extraction. Using the extracted waterlines, the beach slope was calculated, enabling the estimation of a tide-based shoreline unaffected by wave and currents variations. Comparative analysis with UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)-based shoreline data revealed a maximum vertical error of 0.18 m for the waterline and 0.27 m for the shoreline, demonstrating high accuracy. These findings indicate that the U-Net model effectively and accurately detects waterlines, while the proposed shoreline estimation method ensures consistent monitoring of shoreline changes, including advances and retreats.

The Role of Fantasy Literature in Providing Psychological Escapism and its Impact on Teenage Readers' Mental Health in Sri Lanka

This extended essay explores how fantasy literature affects the mental health of teenage readers in Sri Lanka and how it serves as a psychological escapism. Using Freud's theory of defense mechanisms, specifically escapism, the study investigates how fantasy literature allows teenagers to escape from the challenges and obstacles of their daily life. The study, which used a mixed-methods approach including surveys and interviews, found that fantasy literature plays an important role in helping Sri Lankan teenagers manage stress, improve their mood and provide emotional relief. However, the study also reveals potential negative consequences of extreme escapism, such as social isolation, academic negligence and loss of reality. The findings highlight the importance of taking a balanced approach to fantasy literature, incorporating real-world obligations and social interactions to promote overall well-being. The study concludes with recommendations for encouraging balanced reading habits, establishing support structures for teenagers.

Harnessing InSAR and Machine Learning for Geotectonic Unit-Specific Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: The Case of Western Greece

Landslides are one of the most severe geohazards globally, causing extreme financial and social losses. While InSAR time-series analyses provide valuable insights into landslide detection, mapping, and monitoring, AI is also implemented in a variety of geohazards, including landslides. In the present study, a machine learning (ML) landslide susceptibility map is proposed that integrates the geotectonic units of Greece and incorporates various sources of landslide data. Satellite data from Persistent Scatterer Interferometry analysis, validated by geotechnical experts, resulted in an extremely large dataset of more than 3000 landslides in an area of interest, including the most landslide-prone area in Greece. The gradient-boosted decision tree was employed in the landslide susceptibility mapping. The model was trained on three geotectonic units and five prefectures of Western Greece and performed well in predicting landslide events. Finally, a SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis verified that precipitation and geology, which are the main landslide-triggering and preparatory factors, respectively, in Greece, positively affected landslide characterization. The innovation of the proposed research lies in the uniqueness of this newly created dataset, comprising a remarkably large number of landslide and non-landslide locations in Western Greece. By adopting a strict machine learning methodology, the spatial autocorrelation effect, which is overlooked in similar studies, was reduced. Also, leveraging the unique features of the geological formations, the model was trained to incorporate differences in the landslide susceptibility of formations located in different geotectonic units with variant geotechnical characteristics. The proposed approach facilitates the generalization of the model and sets a strong base for the creation of a national-scale landslide susceptibility mapping and forecasting system.

Importance of cost-benefit evaluation in the selection of flood control infrastructures

ABSTRACT Flood risk is essential today as extreme events increase and generate significant economic and social losses. However, traditional flood control infrastructures such as dams generate a sizeable initial investment cost. This article applies a methodology that contemplates a cost-benefit analysis to make appropriate selection when proposing new infrastructure to protect the population from the impact of floods based on economic risk and social and cost-benefit evaluation. The study area is in the Morelia city, located in Michoacan, Mexico. The constant growth of the city, together with its orographic conditions and limited natural flood zones, have caused catastrophes, such as floods, to occur annually in the area without extraordinary rain events. In this study, we analyzed an urban drainage system composed of small protective works. We observed that this system represents a small-scale socioeconomic benefit, as opposed to the large structures used to mitigate floods.

Sleep disturbances among older adults from the Russian Far East experiencing social loss: is there a sex difference?

BackgroundMaintaining sleep health in the elderly is of great significance for promoting health equity. The elderly usually experience more social losses, which may lead to many health problems. Few studies have revealed the relationship between social losses and sleep disturbance in the elderly. This study aims to investigate the relationship between social losses and sleep disturbance in the elderly in Russia, and further explore whether the buffering effect of social interaction on relationships has sex differences.MethodsA total of 331 elderly participants from Vladivostok, Russia, were analyzed. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the factors associated with sleep disturbances. Based on participants’ social loss and social interaction, participants were divided into four groups: (i) no social loss + social interaction, (ii) no social loss + no social interaction, (iii) social loss + social interaction, and (iv) social loss + no social interaction. Binary logistic regression was also conducted to examine the interaction between social loss and social interaction on sex-stratified sleep disturbances.ResultsSocial loss among older Russian adults was associated with sleep disturbance in both males and females in the sample collected in this study. Female participants who engage in social interaction showed a significant reduction in the risk of sleep disturbances when experiencing social loss. However, no significant association was observed between social interaction and sleep disturbances among male experiencing social loss.ConclusionsOur findings emphasize that social loss is a risk factor for sleep disturbances, while social interaction serves as a buffering factor for sleep disturbances in elderly females experiencing social loss. This suggests that providing targeted support for elderly individuals of different sexes who have experienced social loss may be an equitable and effective approach to improving sleep health among the elderly in the Russia Far East.

A brief report of the economic burden and epidemiological finding of suicide attempts among the older adults in Korea from 2007 to 2021

AimQuantifying the increased personal and social losses following suicide attempts among the aging population presents a significant challenge. There is an urgent need to determine the economic burden of suicide attempts among older adults in Korea.Subjects and methodsThe economic burden of suicide attempts from 2007 to 2021 was assessed using claim data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment and Causes of Death Statistics in Korea. The analysis focused on individuals diagnosed with injuries, poisoning, and other consequences of external causes (S00-T98), intentional self-harm (X60-X84), sequelae of intentional self-harm (Y87.0), and personal history of self-harm (Z91.5). Economic impacts were analyzed by year, primary and secondary diagnoses in claim data, and Cause of Death Statistics.ResultsThe mean age of study participants was 72.86 years, with women accounting for 48.4% of the sample. The total cost of suicide attempts increased dramatically from $0.167 million in 2007 to $1.591 million in 2021. The most frequently observed ICD-10 codes associated with these attempts were toxic effects of substances chiefly nonmedicinal as to source (T51-T65), followed by poisoning by drugs, medicaments, and biological substances(T36-T50) for both genders. While the total number of suicidal attempts generally increased annually, there were declines noted in 2020 and 2021.ConclusionThis study informs the high level of economic costs of suicide attempts that were being neglected. By thoroughly understanding demographic characteristics, emerging trends, and cost classifications, policymakers can devise more effective strategies to prevent suicide attempts, provide timely support, and mitigate the associated economic and social burdens.

Increasing the efficiency of integrated enterprise management systems

Abstract Increasing the effectiveness of integrated management systems due to the development of the risk control process of opportunities for economic, ecological and social achievement is considered. The models of hazards and opportunities a combination with consequences in the economic, ecological and social spheres have been developed, which allows to improves the effectiveness of integrated enterprise management systems by new the risk management process. The new process of managing risks of the possibility which differs from the known ones by the presence of an established relationship between the possibility of economic achievement and the appearance of the hazard of economic, ecological and social losses. An example of risk assessment for making management decisions on increasing the effectiveness of the integrated management system of the enterprise by applying the opportunity-danger matrix is given, when the economic opportunity - increasing the extraction of limestone for the manufacture of cement mixtures, led to an environmental hazard - a significant deterioration of the ecology (state) of the environment, which as a result made it possible to find an additional economic opportunity, for example, from ecotourism.

CraftFuzz: Generating Precise Requests for PHP Web Vulnerability Validation

Web applications have become a crucial part of modern society’s infrastructure, and vulnerabilities in them can lead to significant social and economic losses. Static analysis remains the predominant approach for vulnerability detection, due to its extensive coverage. However, its high false positive rate demands significant expert effort to confirm the actual presence of vulnerabilities. In contrast, dynamic analysis can generate accurate vulnerability reports. Nevertheless, existing fuzzers are often constrained in their methodologies, making it challenging to effectively explore deeper code regions where vulnerabilities are more likely to reside. To address these limitations, we propose CraftFuzz, a directed fuzzing approach that combines static and dynamic analysis. It aims to bypass extensive ineffective path exploration and generate precise requests for validating PHP web vulnerabilities. CraftFuzz adopts a multi-stage refinement-solving strategy, including static extraction of path constraints and routing rules for entry URL generation, solving path constraints through fuzzing and parameter mutation, and payload construction based on various reflection strategies to effectively handle data constraints. Ultimately, CraftFuzz ensures that fuzzing requests accurately reach the target sink and successfully trigger vulnerabilities. The experimental results demonstrated that CraftFuzz could solve each entry URL and path constraint within 6 s and 20 s, respectively, achieving a 97.1% success rate in entry URL generation and a 95% success rate in path constraint solving. For known vulnerability verification, CraftFuzz validated 88.88% of vulnerabilities, outperforming state-of-the-art fuzzers by 32.28%.

Fostering Mental Wellbeing in Return Migrant Women

Migrant women ventured overseas to work in domestic roles and came back to their home countries enduring different types of physical and psychological mistreatment. Among those who faced various forms of mistreatment during their migration, a significant number experienced mental health issues upon returning home. An example is a 28-year-old female migrant who was physically abused in Saudi Arabia and later developed psychosis after coming back home. This case study provides a detailed understanding of the observation process, highlighting that female migrants who return home encounter diverse forms of social harassment and stigma, such as social isolation, excessive anxiety, depression, fear, and loss of dignity. Consequently, the report recommends the expansion of mental health services and rehabilitation programs for female migrants upon their return. J MEDICINE 2025; 26: 59-62

Challenges and Opportunities of Elderly Care during COVID-19 Era

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the geriatric population adversely. The elderly are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection and can develop severe COVID-19 infection due to weakened immune systems as well as the presence of comorbidities such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Elderly staying with multi-generational households also increases their susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Geriatric accounted for more than half of the COVID-19 deaths during this pandemic. Access to healthcare was jeopardized during the lockdown due to the closing down of public hospitals and the acute crisis of the workforce trained in geriatric care. The paucity of an adequate number of skilled geriatricians in India is a big problem in dealing with geriatric problems such as dementia, depression, delirium, urinary incontinence, and falls. COVID also increased out of pocket expenditure due to frequent COVID testing and treatment which created a huge economic burden on lower and middle class families. The biggest hurdle for the elderly has been accessing healthcare, buying regular medicines, groceries, and banking during the pandemic. Increased mental strain, general mental health problems, decreased exercise, and loss of socialization have negative effects on the elderly population. Early identification of high risk elderly is the foremost step in protecting vulnerable populations. Urgent action should be taken to prioritize testing of elderly populations for early detection and treatment of COVID infection. Community-based services and support to the elderly, including social and legal services, should be maintained. Training of healthcare professionals on geriatric care and the use of teleconsultation can be a way forward in geriatric health care.

Undergraduate experiences and satisfaction with three consecutive learning models experienced throughout a pandemic

ABSTRACT Learning models with remote components are on the rise and information about students’ experiences should guide the decision-making process for higher education institutions considering adaptations. Online and hybrid models present advantages but can negatively affect engagement and loyalty. A unique research opportunity arose during the pandemic when undergraduates were consecutively subjected to face-to-face, online and hybrid learning models, so we assessed their experiences and influence on overall satisfaction. Type of learning model significantly affected student experiences with the online and hybrid models depicting consistently worse experiences than face-to-face. Proud feelings, life-goal achievement and COVID-19 impacts helped predict overall satisfaction. Lack of choice imposed by the pandemic likely had a detrimental effect on student experiences and satisfaction and student training might have been overlooked. However, the adoption of online and hybrid models needs to be carefully considered to preserve satisfaction and to avoid compromising social capital loss and motivation to learn.

Residential Wildfire Structural Damage Detection Using Deep Learning to Analyze Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Imagery, Aerial Imagery, and Satellite Imagery

ABSTRACTIn recent years, wildfires in residential regions have increasingly inflicted significant economic and social losses. Preemptive measures can reduce the damage to public infrastructure and lessen these impacts. Rapid evaluation of residential structures after wildfire is crucial for investigating the overall scope of the damage and establishing an effective disaster mitigation strategy. However, conducting these assessments involves detailed on‐site examinations, which require considerable time and workforce. Furthermore, these qualitative assessments can be subjective and prone to error. To overcome these shortcomings, this study suggests a practical methodology for performing damage assessments of housing after a wildfire using deep learning technology. The applications of deep learning to three different image sources for residential areas are analyzed and compared as follows: uncrewed aerial systems imagery, aerial imagery, and satellite imagery. Notably, combinations of these image sources were considered from the training stage, and the impact of changes in training data when applied to each image source was comprehensively investigated. Key results reveal achievable accuracies depending on the various remote sensing data sources used in the training and application phases. This study is expected to provide deep learning researchers working on wildfires with a fundamental resource for the comprehensive use of remote sensing data and to provide valuable insights into the decision‐making process for wildfire responders.

A Comprehensive Review of Suicide among Migrant Older Adults (65+ Years) in Australia

Australia's multicultural society, influenced by high levels of immigration, presents unique challenges for older migrants (aged 65 years and older). This review focuses on factors influencing increased suicide rates among older migrants, a critical but underexplored public health issue. This review examines the interaction between migration history, acculturation, and ageing, highlighting the compounding risk of mental illness, loneliness, and social isolation. The review used a comprehensive review approach, combining data from Australian and international sources. It identified key risk factors such as acculturative stress, chronic health conditions, and bereavement, as well as protective factors such as community engagement and access to culturally sensitive mental health services. Notably, suicide rates were higher among older male migrants, particularly those with limited social support or loss of autonomy. The findings emphasize the importance of developing specific initiatives to meet the mental health requirements of elderly people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Recommendations include improving access to mental health care, strengthening social integration programs, and culturally tailored suicide prevention strategies. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of the vulnerabilities of Australia's older migrant population and provides a foundation for evidence-based policy and practice.

Gender-specific secular trends and related factors of high perceived stress level among Korean older adults: a nation-wide serial cross-sectional study

BackgroundAging is associated with various physical, functional, and social losses, leading to stress, which affects mental health and overall quality of life. Despite its significance, limited research exists on perceived stress and its related factors among community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to identify temporal trends in the prevalence of high perceived stress according to sex and examine associated factors among older adults.MethodsThis descriptive study analyzed secondary data from the nationally representative Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) data from 2009 to 2019, including 274,883 older adults aged ≥ 65 years. High-perceived stress was coded as binary data, categorized as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on daily stress levels. Gender-stratified analyses examined temporal trends and associated factors affecting high perceived stress.ResultsWomen consistently reported higher levels of perceived stress compared with men across all years, with prevalence ranging from 22 to 30% in women and 14–20% in men. Among men, factors such as insufficient physical activity (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.27–1.37), poor subjective health status (OR: 2.80, 95% CI: 2.69–2.92), and living alone were associated with high perceived stress. Among women, low household income (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.56–1.81), smoking (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.49–1.79), and living with a spouse (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.34–1.70) were significant predictors.ConclusionsThis study highlights significant gender disparities in perceived stress among older adults, with women demonstrating greater vulnerability. Public health policies should prioritize stress reduction strategies tailored to address gender-specific needs and socio-economic disparities in older adults.

Sexual minority women's perceptions of sober curiosity: Lessons learned from a US pilot study.

Sexual minority women (SMW) are more likely than heterosexual women to meet criteria for hazardous drinking (HD). Sober curiosity, which centres on non-pathologising approaches such as mindfulness and support for questioning norms that encourage heavy/hazardous alcohol use, may be a particularly salient non-stigmatising option for SMW to reduce alcohol consumption. However, SMW's perceptions of sober curiosity as a strategy for changing drinking behaviours have not been explored. We conducted in-depth individual interviews with a purposive sample of 17 SMW from the United States who self-reported moderate to heavy alcohol consumption or a desire to reduce their drinking. Questions explored the socio-cultural contexts of SMW's drinking, their desire to examine and/or to reduce their drinking and perceived supports and barriers for doing so. SMW described heavy drinking norms, the centrality of alcohol in social spaces and events (both queer and non-queer) and alcohol use as a way to reduce stress, as factors that contribute to HD. Although some participants had mixed opinions about the term 'sober curiosity', they described feeling motivated to evaluate their alcohol consumption. Barriers to reducing alcohol use included fear of social rejection and loss of social connections. Overall, findings suggest sexual identity-specific online support and resources reflecting the sober curious philosophy have the potential to be useful for SMW seeking to reduce alcohol consumption. Key facilitators may include access to opportunities for connection in alcohol-free settings, social support and educational resources regarding alcohol and its impact on health.

'They Don't Include Me and My Family in A Normal Picture…' Perspectives of People With Schizophrenia on Family Stigma and its Effects on Their Lives.

Although combating stigma is a fundamental intervention area that should be addressed in comprehensive care, information on the effect of the family's experience of stigma on the lives of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia is limited. This study was aimed at exploring the family's experience of stigma from the perspective of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and the effects of this experience on the patient's life. In this study, a descriptive qualitative approach was employed, and the participants were recruited from a university hospital in Türkiye. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Data were analysed via content analysis. The data were categorised into five themes: (1) dimensions of the stigma experience, (2) causes of family stigma, (3) confronting the effects of stigma, (4) efforts to control stigma and (5) recommendations. Family stigma is a difficulty that is accompanied by distressing emotions and social losses and restricts the lives of both patients and their families. Society's stereotypes towards the patient and the family, aggression and psychotic symptoms have been associated with the family stigma. In order to control stigma, family members limit the patient's behaviours, which puts the patient under pressure. Nurses should question the family's experience of stigmatisation, the psychosocial consequences of this experience on the patient and family and strategies coping with stigma. They should help family members be aware of coping methods that negatively affect the patient and develop adaptive coping skills through psychoeducational interventions and should create stigma-free social environments for both the patient and the family.

Современные традиции в качественных и количественных исследованиях экзистенциальной изоляции и путей ее преодоления

<p style="text-align: justify;">The article presents a review of modern research on the phenomenon of existential isolation in foreign studies. An attempt is made to analyze different methodological approaches in understanding the problem of existential isolation by foreign researchers. The socio-psychological model STEIM proposed by P. Helm is considered. Existential isolation, on the one hand, is associated with depression, anxiety, and accessibility to thoughts of death, and on the other hand, causes social avoidance and loss of hope for the possibility of being understood, which creates significant difficulties in helping people with this condition in psychotherapy. Cross-cultural research demonstrates that collectivist values can be a buffer against feelings of existential isolation. The Scandinavian tradition of studying existential loneliness is discussed, in which qualitative studies of older people predominate and the phenomenon is consistently found to be associated with the experience of meaninglessness and proximity to death. It is concluded that different schools study the same phenomenon, approaching its research from different angles. The need to establish a dialogue between research traditions for a holistic understanding of the phenomenon and a comprehensive exploration of the possibilities for overcoming the experience of existential isolation is emphasized.</p>