Social Problems Research Articles

"Community members question me and flaunt their children before me": A call for psychosocial support for women with infertility in Northern Ghana.

Infertility is a major health issue that poses threats to women's lives, marriages, and health. Yet little is known about psychosocial support for women with infertility in Northern Ghana. This study aims to understand the psychosocial challenges faced by women with infertility and evaluate the availability and effectiveness of social support systems in East Mamprusi Municipality, Northern Ghana using a qualitative interpretive descriptive design. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Ethical approval was received from the Institutional Review Board of Ghana Health Service, Accra. Women who visited the health facility desiring to conceive were recruited and interviewed. Thirteen (13) women were interviewed, with each interview lasting 45min to an hour. The interviews were audiotaped after obtaining permission from the participants, which were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed that women faced numerous mental and social problems. Some of these problems include emotional, behavioural, marital instability, the high cost of infertility treatment, and a strong desire to have children. Although the women reported some social support from the community, they lacked strategies to sustain this support. Women with infertility face numerous mental and social challenges. They lack support systems to improve their mental and social health. Health professionals are required to constitute peer support groups for these women and advocate for external assistance to sustain these support groups.

Virtual Reality-Based Psychological Intervention for Young Adults Living With HIV: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Young adults (15-24 years old) living with HIV may experience pressure both from HIV infection and social role change problems, resulting in a series of psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. Effective psychological intervention can improve their mental health and quality of life. The study aims to explore the effectiveness of VR-based mental intervention on young adults living with HIV. The application and advantages of virtual reality (VR) in children's psychotherapy provide new ideas for psychological intervention for young adults living with HIV. We use the qualitative interviews and questionnaire results as well as guided by classical psychotherapy to create a personalized psychological intervention system for young adults living with HIV through VR technology, which is based on the long-term AIDS treatment cohort and infectious diseases cohort of children. We use the mental scales and biochemical indexes as the outcomes, conducting a prospective randomized controlled trial to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the VR psychological intervention system. The study began enrollment in September 2023. To date, 160 participants have finished the baseline questionnaires. The study results might provide a scientific basis for accurate psychological treatment among young adults living with HIV in the future. DERR1-10.2196/55633.

Comprehensive analysis of poly(A) tails in mouse testes and ovaries using Nanopore Direct RNA Sequencing

Gametogenesis is a process in which dysfunctions lead to infertility, a growing health and social problem worldwide. In both spermatogenesis and oogenesis, post-transcriptional gene expression regulation is crucial. Essentially, all mRNAs possess non-templated poly(A) tails, whose composition and dynamics (elongation, shortening, and modifications) determine the fate of mRNA. Moreover, gametogenesis, especially oogenesis, represents a unique instance of the complexity of poly(A) tails metabolism, with oocyte-specific waves of cytoplasmic polyadenylation. In this context, we provide a comprehensive transcriptomic dataset focusing on mRNA poly(A) tail composition and dynamics in murine testes and ovaries. It consists of RNA samples isolated from wild-type and transgenic mice lacking TENT5 polymerases, which can extend poly(A) tails in the cytoplasm. TENT5 deficiencies have serious consequences. For instance, the defect of TENT5D causes infertility in humans. The data described here are generated mainly using the Oxford Nanopore Direct RNA Sequencing (DRS) method, which provides ground-truth information about mRNA molecules, including poly(A) tail length and nucleotide content. For instance, we show the prevalence of uridilated tails in testicular mRNAs.

Risk factors of osteoporotic vertebral fracture cascade and the relationship between blood glucose control and fracture occurrence

Background As the world's population ages, osteoporotic fractures have become a growing medical, social and economic problem. Objective Vertebral fractures (VFs) are the most common osteoporotic fractures and are a strong risk factor for subsequent VFs, leading to VF cascade (VFC). This study aimed to identify potential causes of and risk factors for VFC. At the same time, the factors influencing the time between fractures in patients with osteoporotic VFC were examined. Methods We retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 889 patients diagnosed with osteoporotic vertebral fracture at Beijing Shijitan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022. Results The study included 193 patients with VFC. The multifactorial risk analysis showed that the independent risk factors for VFC included a history of diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio, 1.635; p value = 0.016), a history of oral corticosteroid therapy (hazard ratio, 1.798; p value = 0.001), chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD, hazard ratio 1.666, p value = 0.036), thoracolumbar fracture (hazard ratio, 2.664, p value <0.001), and a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 (hazard ratio 1.421; p value = 0.045). Further study showed that glycated haemoglobin was also an important factor affecting the interval between fractures in patients with VFC. Conclusion Independent risk factors for VFC include a history of diabetes, prior oral corticosteroid therapy, COPD, thoracolumbar fracture, and BMI ≥ 28. The occurrence of fractures in the thoracolumbar segment is the most important risk factor. Additional research has shown that after the first vertebral fracture, the poorer the patient's blood sugar control, the faster the refracture rate.

A Polycentric Approach for Addressing Wicked Social Problems

A Polycentric Approach for Addressing Wicked Social Problems

Anxiety, mental suffering, and bruxism in dental students in the COVID-19 postpandemic moment.

The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating, causing deaths, economic and social problems, and mental disorders in the lives of many people. After 3 years, the mental repercussions caused by the pandemic are unclear, especially in young adults. This study assessed the occurrence of mental disorders, anxiety, and bruxism in dental students during the postpandemic moment and determined the factors that influenced the occurrence of bruxism. The cross-sectional study enrolled 126 dental students. Sociodemographic information, COVID-19 experience, and remote teaching/learning were collected using questionnaires. Mental state and disorders were collected using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) of mental disorders. Bruxism was self-reported. Data were analyzed using chi-square test, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression (α=0.05). Moderate anxiety manifested in 62.7% of the students. Common mental disorders and bruxism were identified in 35.7% and 59.5% of the students. The odds ratio for bruxism self-report was 6.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.49-16.66) times higher for those who suffered economic impact during the pandemic and 2.39 (95% CI 1.04-5.47) times higher for those reporting anxiety during the pandemic. Bad sleep was also associated with the occurrence of bruxism. In the postpandemic period, dental students exhibited high rates of common mental disorders, anxiety, and bruxism. The increased occurrence of bruxism was linked to the economic impacts experienced during the pandemic, self-perceived anxiety during the pandemic, and poor sleep.

The Skin of Trees

Abstract Informed by interviews, studio visits, exhibition openings, and on-site observation of a changing landscape, this essay argues that recent artworks by Sopheap Pich and several other Cambodian and Vietnamese artists prompt us to think of the materiality of plants, their taxidermy, and the possibility of laboriously creating plant–human amalgams without completely anthropomorphizing nature or partaking in the anthropomorphic transforming into the arboreal. This article also maintains that these contemporary Southeast Asian artists are willfully relinquishing some control over their artworks and letting form-making and meaning-making activities that also occur outside the human realm to transpire. By doing so, they are investigating, representing, and addressing grave social and environmental problems that the region has been experiencing since the 1970s.

A Novel Approach to Research Synthesis with the Distillation and Matching Model: Application to the Prevention of Youth Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems.

It is difficult for consumers to access the evidence base for prevention programs to determine which models or practices have the strongest empirical support for improving youth social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) outcomes within their specific service contexts. Researchers can address this evidence-to-practice gap through innovations in research synthesis. The Distillation and Matching Model (Chorpita et al., 2005), an approach to research synthesis developed for the mental health field, is designed to identify what works for whom and under what conditions via three steps. In this paper, we describe the Distillation and Matching Model and suggest that applying this approach to the prevention literature for youth SEB problems may help bridge the evidence-to-practice gap. The first step, distillation, involves identifying "practice elements," defined as the goal or general principle guiding a discrete practice (e.g., praise) targeting a specific domain of SEB outcomes. This step produces a standard set of terms for the individual practices used across the literature that are studied in isolation and comprise comprehensive intervention models. The second step involves identifying "common elements," or the practice elements found in studies that meet standards of methodological rigor and report significant improvements in youth SEB outcomes. The third step, "matching," is a method for matching common element profiles (combinations of common elements) to intervention and personal characteristics to identify what combinations of common elements work for whom and under what conditions. The Distillation and Matching Model can provide a method for researchers to generate actionable information about common elements that can be used to develop and evaluate tailored interventions.

An essay on relatıonal analysıs of relatıonal socıology

In recent years, examining social problems such as health, education, environment, poverty, migration, disaster, all kinds of discrimination and inequalities in a relational and intersectional manner has become increasingly preferred. Especially sociologists find the essentialist approach of classical mainstream sociology based on dualities such as traditional-modern, structure and individual inadequate for themselves. In the age of uncertainties and complexities, old views that assumed a human-centered, deterministic and linear imposed by classical or traditional sociological theories have begun to be criticized. In this context, there has been a need to renew the definition of social in a way that includes not only humans but also the beings in our natural environment such as plants, animals and soil. Since it is not appropriate and possible to call this perspective, which finds all dualities such as human-nonhuman, structure-individual, traditional-modern, time-space, macro-micro artificial and prefers process-based analyses, as a new paradigm due to its nature, it is preferred to call it a way of doing sociology. In this original research paper, first the historical development of relational sociology in the world and its differences from classical sociology are revealed. Then, relational sociological studies conducted in Turkey are examined. In fact, within the framework of the article, some predictions are tried to be made about the future of relational sociology based on its current situation. The originality of the article stems from the effort to conduct this systematic review in accordance with relational sociological principles.

Health and Social Problems of Refugee Women and Their Children: A Qualitative Case Study.

We intend to examine the health and social problems of refugee women and their children in this research. A qualitative case study. We conducted this study between December 2022 and January 2023 with 19 refugee women aged 18-49 years. We used the snowball sampling method for data collection, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted. We completely transcribed the interviews and then main themes and sub-themes were created. To ensure reliability, two independent external coders were asked to code the themes and sub-themes, and Kappa analysis was performed according to the results. We found the Kappa analysis value as 0.87. After the analysis of the study data, we conducted the thematic content analysis on the Nvivo 10 software. We emerged the main themes following the qualitative data analysis were (1) experiences during migration, (2) communication while receiving health services, (3) childhood immunization status, (4) deciding to have a child, (5) deciding on the number of children, (6) use of family planning methods, and (7) the person with priority in the family. This research indicated that childhood immunization in refugee children was inadequate, refugee women did not know about family planning methods, and even if they did, they did not use these methods because they wanted to have many children.

Adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes: a 20-year real-world study.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to traumatic life events occurred in childhood that comprise abuse (e.g., psychological, physical, sexual), neglect (psychological and physical), indirect violence or household dysfunctions. Such experiences ultimately lead to severe short-, medium- and long-term consequences for the victim's health. The goal of this study is to analyze the prevalence of health outcomes in children <16 years of age, who were suspected of ACEs by physicians. The specific objectives consist of analyzing 3 health outcome groups: (a) traumatic injuries and intoxications; (b) mental health disorders; and (c) physical disorders. We performed a real-world, retrospective, observational, cross-sectional, and multicentric study, using complementary data from electronic health records and healthcare registries from the local healthcare unit of Matosinhos, generated between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2021 (total child population <16 years observed during that period=40 536). Keywords and ICD-9, ICD-10, and ICPC-2 codes were applied to find data on the victims. Just over 2% of children were referred to as victims in the available information (n=918). Social problems, injuries and intoxications, mental health disorders, and physical disorders were observed at higher percentages in suspected victims than in the total analyzed population. These results reveal that child victims of ACEs may be underdiagnosed, which, given the aforementioned (and described in the literature) severe consequences for their current and future health, should be taken as a critical warning for healthcare professionals. Detections and reports are fundamental for early treatment, aiming to avoid an escalation of damage and prevent re-victimization.

The Combined Effects of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences on Adolescent Bullying Victimization and Perpetration.

Bullying is a persistent social and behavioral problem in the United States. Bullying victimization and perpetration are linked to a host of negative physical, social, and emotional outcomes. Research suggests that a key risk factor for bullying behaviors is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). On the other hand, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may counter some of the negative effects of ACEs. This study (a) assesses the independent effects of ACEs and PCEs on adolescent bullying victimization and perpetration, and (b) examines whether ACEs and PCEs interact to affect bullying victimization and perpetration.We use data from the 2020 to 2021 National Survey of Children's Health, a nationally representative survey of children ages 0 to 17 in the United States. The analytic sample was limited to children who were 6 years old or older at the time of the survey (N = 60,809). Using caregiver reports of bullying victimization and perpetration, we created a cumulative ACEs scale comprised of 10 items and a cumulative PCEs scale comprised of eight measures. We then estimated a set of logistic regression models to predict bullying behaviors. The results showed that ACEs are associated with a higher likelihood of both bullying victimization and perpetration. Although PCEs have a slight mitigating effect, ACEs and PCEs interact such that even in the presence of PCEs, children with many ACEs still have a higher likelihood of both bullying victimization and perpetration. This highlights the considerable impact of ACEs on bullying behaviors. These findings suggest that enhancing ACE-aware care and ACE prevention is important because even promoting PCEs is unlikely to decrease bullying levels on their own.

Analysis of Coupled Coordination and Driving Factors of Urbanization, Ecosystem Services, and Human Well-Being in the High and Coarse Sediment Yield in the Middle Yellow River

The ecological and social problems brought about by China’s rapid urbanization process threaten sustainable development. Taking the cities with high and coarse sediment yield in the middle reaches of the Yellow River as the research objects, this study constructed a complex analytical framework composed of urbanization, ecosystem service value (ESV), and human well-being (HBW) subsystems. The equivalent factor method (EFM) was used to evaluate the ESV. The entropy weight method (EWM) and the comprehensive nighttime light index (CNLI) were adopted to assess the level of urbanization and human well-being. Then, coupled coordination degree (CCD) and grey relational modes were developed to reveal the level and major obstacles of synergistic development. The results showed that, from 2000 to 2020, urbanization, ESV, and HWB increased. The average value of CCD grew from 0.34 to 0.56, with higher coordination levels in the northeast and south. The coordinated development is influenced by multiple factors, with the intensity of the driving factors decreasing in the order of industrial structure, population quality, economic drive, government regulation, and scientific and technological support. The results indicate that it is essential to formulate differentiated regionally coordinated development strategies and establish cross-regional cooperation mechanisms to achieve interactive urban economic development, ecological protection, and well-being improvements in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.

From speech acts to communicative acts: social network debates about sexual consent.

Understanding consent is essential to combat sexual violence, a deeply rooted social problem. Amidst its complexities, the scientific literature has emphasized the shortcomings of only considering the speech act-whether the victim-survivor said "yes" or not. Instead, sociological research underscores the need to analyze the whole communicative act where different elements lead to either a power relationship where there is no consent or a dialogic relationship where freedom is granted. Although some research has been conducted on citizens' social media debates on consent, how such debates include the concept of communicative acts to discuss it has not been analyzed yet. 55 gender-related Instagram and Twitter (now known as X) posts-published and extracted over the course of 14 days-were analyzed. Findings reveal that most posts refer to Power Communicative Acts as a hindrance for consent due to hierarchical power imbalances or to coercion, and called for the need to establish elements of Dialogic Communicative Acts to achieve consent and construct more egalitarian environments. Finally, most posts that considered ethics spoke about the need for perpetrators to be held accountable or offered similar takes on consequentialism. These findings help illustrate how several social media debates about consent successfully fall into the Communicative Acts framework.

Problems of forming political literacy of youth

In the modern world, political literacy of young people is becoming one of the most important factors determining their active participation in socio-political life. The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that young people, representing a significant part of the population, often face problems of low political awareness, which affects their activity and influence on the processes taking place in the country. The purpose of this study is to analyze the main problems that affect the formation of political literacy of young people. The main findings show that a low level of political literacy negatively affects the degree of involvement of young people in political processes, which requires the development of effective educational programs and initiatives aimed at raising their awareness. Prospects for further research include the need for a thorough study of the influence of mass media on the formation of political literacy of young people, as well as the development of new approaches to educational strategies that could contribute to more active participation of young people in political life. The authors propose various forms of work with young people to improve the level of political literacy of young people (holding debates and election simulations, involving young people in volunteer initiatives and projects aimed at solving social problems).

Maternal Cannabis Use During Pregnancy and Neuropsychiatric Adverse Outcomes During Childhood and Early Adult Life.

Cannabis use during pregnancy is increasing; the study of adverse outcomes in cannabis-exposed pregnancies is therefore important. Previous articles in this series described increased risks of maternal adverse outcomes, fetal adverse outcomes, birth defects in newborns, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood. This article examines neuropsychiatric adverse outcomes in offspring gestationally exposed to cannabis. Currently available research suggests that prenatal cannabis exposure is associated with increased risks of ASD, ADHD, psychosis proneness, psychotic like experiences, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, attention problems, thought-related problems, social problems, impaired executive function, and observed aggression. There is insufficient study of prenatal cannabis exposure and offspring IQ. Shortcomings in the existing literature are discussed; as examples, many outcomes were determined by screening rather than by formal assessment, prenatal cannabis exposure was ascertained retrospectively in some studies, childhood adverse experiences and exposures were seldom included as covariates, and details about cannabis use (source, potency, frequency, reasons) were unavailable. Curiously, the findings of adverse outcomes were inconsistent, and the effect sizes were small. Possible explanations are that women who use cannabis during pregnancy may not admit it and their pregnancy outcomes may then be misclassified into the control group, assessment of outcomes at too young an age or with insufficient accuracy may blur differences between exposed and unexposed groups, and adjustment for covariates may mask the full effects of cannabis. A last observation is that the studies reviewed were based on exposures that occurred decades ago. Given the increasing potency of currently available cannabis and the limitations of the existing research, it is possible that the available findings underestimate the breadth and severity of the risks. Cannabis is not a necessary substance for use during pregnancy, and so women who consider it safe might do well to guard against complacency and unnecessary exposure.

Impact of gender violence against women in the couple relationship. Theoretical review

In this article, a scientific theoretical review was carried out on the impact of gender-based violence against women in the relationship, with the aim of providing adequate comprehensive care for women in this situation. It was found that gender violence arises from a social structure that legitimizes values, norms and beliefs that generate violence, discrimination and exclusion against women; furthermore, it is a public health problem, because it negatively impacts the physical, psychological, economic, sexual and reproductive health of women, as well as their children. The affectations that are most referred to are the development of mental disorders, among which are depression, anxiety and PTSD; Likewise, the sexual and reproductive life of women is affected, in addition to absenteeism from work, poor performance and the replication of violence by children. It is concluded that when psychological care is provided, it should not only be approached as a health problem, but also as a social problem; Therefore, in addition to making use of scientifically validated therapies, the gender perspective must also be used.

Влияние психологических факторов на исход лечения у пациентов межрегионального клинико-диагностического центра.

According to the World Health Organization and official statistical information of the Russian Federation, the increase in the incidence of diseases of the circulatory system and its consequences is a problem that has not lost its relevance for many years. Currently, modern scientific literature provides convincing evidence of the influence of a number of social and psychological factors on the occurrence of diseases of the circulatory system, including social isolation, lack of social support, low social status and economic problems. In this regard, the State Autonomous Institution “Interregional Clinical Diagnostic Center” conducted a study in the departments of cardiac surgery and cardiology, the purpose of which was to assess the potential risks of the negative impact of psychological factors on the outcome of treatment in patients with diseases of the circulatory system. The study involved 100 people, different in gender and age. The assessment was carried out using psychodiagnostic techniques and based on laboratory research data. As a result of the study, hospitalization has a predominantly neutral or positive effect on the state of stress, depression and anxiety in patients. To reduce the risks of the negative impact of psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and depression, it is recommended to provide psychological support for patients with low and moderate levels of stress, and psychological assistance for patients with high levels of stress and anxiety.

Improve the quality of end-of-life in cancer patients using social representations of nutrition.

The problems related to nutrition generate great concern in palliative cancer patients and their caregivers. Literature has analyzed the psychological and social problems that nutrition causes. From patient-centered orientation, there are protocols for nutritional care. This psycho-health information is a source of discomfort among patients and families and its absence generates many problems related to nutrition with negative clinical repercussions. Thus, this study aims to analyze the concept of nutrition in advanced cancer patients with palliative care and their caregivers. Furthermore, given that food has an important cultural component as important as it is nutrition, the sociocultural influence on the social representation of nutrition will also be analyzed. The study design was qualitative and cross-sectional with a recruitment period lasting 18 months. After the informed consent, a sample of advanced cancer patients (N=57) and their caregivers (N=57) were interviewed individually. The data was analyzed using content analysis and descriptive analysis. The existence of statistical differences between groups (patients and caregivers) was tested by Chi-Square statistics. Results showed that the perception of nutrition was structured in five categories: health/survival/life (e.g. "healthy"), social relationship (e.g. "intimate relationship"), care (e.g. "care role"), foodstuff (e.g. "vegetables"), and others ("anything"). There were significant differences (p-Value>0.05) in the uses of nutrition between patients and their caregivers and caregivers had higher scores. Then, nutrition was perceived as an act of care and, therefore, patients were expected to strive to eat despite the loss of appetite. This study is one of the first to explore the perception of nutrition emphasize the insufficient consideration of patients' and caregivers' needs and perceptions regarding food, as well as the significance of this knowledge in patient-centered care approaches. In this way, it could intervene by first understanding the behavior concerning food and, secondly, redirecting the behavior if it is harmful to the patient or family relationships regarding the health care and well-being of patients with advanced cancer with palliative care.

Epidemiological aspects of HIV infection in a large region

According to WHO, in 2023, the total number of people worldwide living with HIV was 40 million, and the number of new infections was 1.5 million. In the Russian Federation, HIV infection is one of the most urgent medical and social problems. The purpose of the study is to assess the epidemiological situation of HIV infection in the Altai Territory in 2013–2023. A retrospective epidemiological analysis was carried out based on statistical data on the incidence of HIV infection of the Office of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Altai Territory, the Ministry of Health of the Altai Territory, the KGBUZ «Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Other Infectious Diseases». The study showed that the epidemic situation of HIV infection in the Altai Territory in 2013–2023. It remained tense, which is confirmed by the low rate of decline in indicators against the background of ongoing preventive and anti-epidemic measures. The greatest effect of the activities was achieved in the group of children. It was also possible to reduce the role of the parenteral transmission route in intravenous drug use, which corresponded to global and Russian trends. Among the negative trends, an increase in the incidence of HIV infection among the migratory population and an increase in the incidence of the total adult population of the Altai Territory should be noted, primarily due to an increased role of the sexual transmission route. The identified features of the epidemic process should be used to adjust existing HIV prevention programs.