Family Support Research Articles

Faith motifs in the constructions of family meanings by adults with care experience in Zimbabwe

PurposeAdults with care experience often struggle to make sense of their family relationships owing to adverse childhood experiences (ACES). This study analysed motifs of faith and spirituality in how care leavers made sense of the concept of “family” in their lives.Design/methodology/approachQualitative semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 45 adult care leavers Harare, Zimbabwe. A thematic analysis brought out recurring ideas of faith and spirituality that influenced participants’ family constructions.FindingsThe Church played a functional role in care leavers’ lives providing support and care. Faith-based residential care facilities engaged in group spiritual practices, such as going to Church together, praying and worshiping together, which fall within the contemporary concept of “family practices” and allowed care leavers to view unrelated caregivers as “family” based on shared experiences. Finally having faith in God was described as an anchoring force when dealing with the hardships of adulthood in the absence of biological family and state support. These findings have implications for social policy around the role of faith-based institutions in child welfare.Originality/valueThe investigation of the role of faith and spirituality in care-experienced lives is an emerging area of study. This study explores the role of faith and spirituality in care leavers interpersonal lives, which contributes to studies of care leavers’ personal lives. As a marginalized group of young people, their voices are crucial in informing social policy around their care after leaving public state care.

Stres dan Kelulusan Blok Mahasiswa Perantau dan Nonperantau Tingkat Pertama Kedokteran Universitas Andalas

The first year of college presents various challenges, particularly for out-of-town students adapting to independent living without direct family support. Medical students, especially first-years, often face high stress levels. This study examines the relationship between stress levels and module completion rates among out-of-town and local students. An observational analytic method with a cross-sectional design was used, involving 251 first-year Medical Study Program students at Universitas Andalas for the 2023 Academic Year. A total of 162 students met the inclusion criteria, with data collected from June to October 2024. Stress levels were measured using the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ), and module completion rates for Modules 1.1–1.6 were obtained from academic records. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test. The results showed that 73.5% of respondents were out-of-town students, with severe stress reported by 45.4% of out-of-town and 44.2% of local students. Academic Related Stressors (ARS) were the dominant stress factor. Module completion rates were 68.1% for out-of-town and 69.8% for local students. Bivariate analysis indicated a significant relationship between stress levels and module completion rates (p = 0.002). The study concludes that stress levels significantly affect module completion rates. Students are encouraged to improve time management skills to reduce stress and enhance academic outcomes.

Qualitative Research Practices and Family Business Intrapreneurship: a Cas Study on Family Business Incubation of Nomades-Marrakech and Intrapreneurial Orientation Under Focus

Objective: The objective of this research is to explore and understand family incubation and its impact on the family business intrapreneurship growth capacity at organizational level. Literature review: Using a theoretical analysis approach based on contingence Theory. Method: An exploratory study analyzed three axes related to family incubation: 1) The specific characteristics of family businesses that can intensify the family support effort, 2) family support was found to play the greatest role in improving the entrepreneurial orientation of the new generation, 3) the good intrapreneurial orientation process from employee-son to intrapreneur be achieved by family support. Results and discussion: furthermore, the study sophisticatedly explored the new dimension of “Family incubation” and described the sub-dimensions based on this unique case “Nomades-Marrakech, from which new sub-dimensions have emerged to determine the originality of this paper, such as socio-cognitive traits, mutual trust, continuous innovation, consumer loyalty, agility, internal growth, paternal wisdom, training, experimentation, and family values. This study answers the question regarding the relationship between family incubation and entrepreneurial orientation and Intrapreneurial orientation. Further studies are needed to establish causal relationships and develop ways of measure, which will be used to quantify the impact of family incubation on the resilience factors of intrapreneurial small businesses.

The Correlation Between Family Support and Self Efficacy in Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Eleventh-Grade Girls at SMA N 1 Sidareja

The Correlation Between Family Support and Self Efficacy in Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Eleventh-Grade Girls at SMA N 1 Sidareja

The impact of socioeconomic status on parental agency in family language policy for English language learning in China

ABSTRACT This study investigates how Chinese parents of different socioeconomic status (SES) exercise their agency in family language policies (FLP) for English language learning amid educational reforms and sociocultural dynamics. Drawing on Spolsky’s language policy framework and Bourdieu’s, concept of capital, this study analysed 40 interviews with parents from different regions of China. The findings reveal that parents’ ideologies, management strategies, and practices in children’s English learning at home vary across SES groups, influenced by differences in access to economic, social, cultural and linguistic capital. High-SES parents perceive English as vital for global opportunities and set ambitious educational goals, employing resource-intensive support to encourage early bilingualism. Conversely, low-SES parents, constrained by limited resources, prioritise English primarily for school success and locally-based careers and employ adaptive strategies. Practices across SES groups vary from immersive activities in high-SES families to more passive exposure and basic academic support in low-SES families. The study demonstrates that SES, mediated by capital, affects parental agency in FLP. By illustrating the disparities across SES groups, this study contributes to a broader discourse in FLP, demonstrating how parents manifest resilience and adaptability in optimising resources for language learning through dynamic interactions with macro- and micro-level contexts.

Prevalence and associated factors of healthy aging among community-dwelling older adults in Lishui city, China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundIdentifying the level of healthy aging and exploring its associated factors are prerequisites in the planning of effective measures among the elderly population. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of healthy aging and determine its associated factors among community-dwelling older adults from mountain areas in Lishui, China.MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted. Participants were recruited by a multi-stage stratified cluster-sampling procedure from a mountainous region in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China. A validated questionnaire of Healthy Aging Instruments (HAI), Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction (BPNS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Ascertain Dementia 8 questionnaire (AD8), Family Adaption Scale (FAS), Community-Based Health Promotion Activity Questionnaires (HPAQ), Social Function Questionnaire for Chinese Older Adults (SFQCOA), Adult Health Self-Management Skills (ability) Rating Scale (AHSMSRS) was incorporated. The questionnaire also captured sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, and Self-Perceived Healthy Ageing (SPHA). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis was performed.ResultsThe mean score of the Healthy Aging index was 136.5 (18.22). The majority of the participants have a high level of healthy aging (65.5%). Regression analysis showed 12 predictors of healthy aging: self-perceived economic independence, lifestyle-related behaviors, subjective physical health, psychological health, better competence of BPNS, frequency of community-based HPA participation, lower HPA-perceived barriers, social support, social engagement, and Health Self-Management (HSM) ability with two dimensions HSM-Consciousness and HSM-Behavior, as well as SPHA (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThis study contributed to the existing gap in both subjective and objective understanding of healthy aging, especially in terms of its relationship with sociodemographic factors, lifestyle-related behaviors, individual health conditions, environmental coverage, as well as family, community and social support. Both individual-environment interaction factors as better HSM ability as well as SPHA might help predict older adults’ healthy aging in mountainous areas in China. Developing an accurate, reliable health promotion program that provides insights may improve healthy aging changes in mountainous regions for community healthcare staff, especially nurses.

Stress and Traditional Support: The Role of Orphans’ and Vulnerable Children’s Primary Caregivers in Rural Ethiopia

Background/Objectives: Orphans’ and Vulnerable Children’s (OVC) primary caregivers (PCGs) in Ethiopia live with multiple social and emotional problems stemming from extreme poverty, war, environmental disasters, and the HIV pandemic. Family and community supports are strained, leaving OVC’s PCGs dependent on inconsistent humanitarian aid. This aid is typically focused on OVCs and does not address PCG well-being. This study aimed to assess PCG well-being and explore their perceived stress and the traditional family and community coping mechanisms. Method: Participants from the Oromia region of Ethiopia were recruited, and a mixed-methods design was employed. Six cases were included using a criterion sampling technique. An explanatory data analysis technique was used, and data were triangulated from interviews, focus group discussions, archival information, and surveys. A 36-item Well-being Measuring Tool (WMT) Likert scale was employed to measure well-being domains. Result: The results indicated that none of the PCGs reported the desirable and average summative well-being domain mean scores [25 and 23]. Among the ten well-being domains, only “spirituality” and “community cohesion” were above the average score [2.3]. The “economy” domain had the lowest score, indicating a critical deficiency [1.3]. A lack of community support could exasperate perceived stress, and well-being deficiencies were linked. Conclusions: Lack of family and community support could exacerbate feeling overlooked, unwelcome, and lonely. A policy that promotes a supportive community environment and safeguards the most vulnerable OVCs and their PCGs should be in place. This study recommends further rigorous research examining the well-being determinants of OVCs’ PCGs in Ethiopia and the role of traditional support systems in rural settings.

Comparative analysis of the complete chloroplast genome of seven Wikstroemia taxa (Thymelaeaceae) provides insights into the genome structure and phylogenetic relationships.

New insights into the phylogeny of species in the family Thymelaeaceae and support of the recognition of D. genkwa and D. aurantiaca as species in the genus Wikstroemia are provided. Wikstroemia (Thymelaeaceae) is an economically important genus because some of its species are used in traditional medicine and also contribute to pulp production. The morphological characteristics of Wikstroemia species exhibit continuous natural variation, posing a challenge in accurately distinguishing this genus from its sister genera solely based on morphological traits. Consequently, the classification of, and phylogenetic relationships between, Wikstroemia and its sister genera, as inferred from morphological characteristics, remain contentious. Chloroplast genome information has proven to be a valuable tool in plant phylogeny. Here, we performed a comparative analysis of the chloroplast genomes of 15 species in the genus Wikstroemia, all of which exhibited typical quadripartite structures, with sizes ranging from 150,054bp to 175,898bp. These genomes encoded 122-143 genes, including 79-95 protein-coding genes, 36-40 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content displayed minimal variation, ranging from 36.6% to 37.47%. The distributions of SSRs and codon bias exhibited similarities among Wikstroemia species. High variability hotspots were found in 15 intergenic spacers and 5 genes. Phylogenetic analyses consistently grouped all Wikstroemia species into a single clade. Notably, Daphne genkwa and D. aurantiaca were found to be nested within Wikstroemia, rather than being closely related to other Daphne species. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses suggested that Wikstroemia is paraphyletic relative to Stellera chamaejasme. These findings provide new insights into the phylogeny of Wikstroemia and Daphne within the Thymelaeaceae, contributing to improved species identification and increasing the taxonomic and phylogenetic resolution of Wikstroemia.

Inclusive and supportive aging: mental health and social care strategies for India’s elderly

Purpose As population aging accelerates globally, understanding the multifaceted needs of elderly individuals has become increasingly crucial. This paper aims to bridge significant research gaps in elderly well-being, particularly in the Indian context, by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review. While existing studies on aging primarily emphasize financial aspects like pensions and health insurance, this review identifies other essential yet underexplored dimensions impacting elderly well-being, such as emotional support, social connections, financial security beyond traditional income sources and spiritual well-being. Design/methodology/approach The data methodology for this paper involves a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The authors identified recurring themes, research gaps and emerging areas within the literature through thematic analysis. The combined insights from the bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review inform the development of a research agenda. Findings The findings of this study suggest that family and social support play an integral role in reducing loneliness, anxiety and depression among the elderly. However, urbanization and migration trends are diminishing traditional support structures. Financial security remains a concern, as many elderly individuals lack access to financial literacy resources and emergency funds, impacting their confidence and autonomy. Additionally, spiritual practices, which have shown positive correlations with mental health and cognitive function, are rarely incorporated into existing health-care programs for the elderly. Originality/value This paper provides several policy recommendations, advocating for integrating community-based social programs, financial literacy initiatives and culturally sensitive spiritual support in elderly care frameworks. These measures foster the aging population’s emotional resilience, financial independence and holistic health. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of future research focusing on specific subgroups within the elderly population, including differences by geographic location, educational background and socio-economic status. Ultimately, this research supports the development of inclusive and sustainable policies that promote health, independence and quality of life for the aging population.

Factors influencing breast milk donation to a human milk bank in Iran: implications for policymakers and planners

BackgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) actively promotes breastfeeding as the optimal source of nourishment for infants and young children. However, not all newborns have access to breast milk, leading to deprivation of its nutritional benefits or incurring financial burdens from alternative feeding options. Establishing Human Milk Banks (HMBs) can help ensure equitable access to donated human milk. However, several factors may hinder breast milk donation. This study aims to identify the factors influencing milk donation to HMBs in Iran.MethodsWe conducted a case-control study involving mothers who had given birth at least one year prior to the study. The study included 51 cases (mothers who donated their milk to HMBs) and 153 controls. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed to gather retrospective information on individual health, social networks, and other relevant factors. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationships between breast milk donation and these factors. Additionally, qualitative data were collected through face-to-face interviews with HMB senior staff and mothers. Thematic analysis was employed to identify perspectives on factors influencing milk donation.ResultsFamily factors, social influences, individual social welfare scores, and breast milk adequacy were significantly associated with increased milk donation. Among these, family support emerged as one of the strongest predictors of milk donation.ConclusionTo establish HMBs and promote human milk donation, health policymakers and planners should implement strategies that motivate mothers to donate. Evidence-based training and motivational programs for mothers and their families, which address barriers to milk donation, are essential to achieving this goal.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS TO PREDICT READING LITERACY BASED ON PISA 2022 USING GRADIENT BOOSTED DECISION TREES AND EXTREME GRADIENT BOOSTING

Reading is a fundamental skill essential for interdisciplinary understanding and serves as a crucial indicator of the educational quality of a nation. PISA provides an international evaluation of students' reading literacy across various countries, including Indonesia. Numerous studies have utilized machine learning algorithms to predict reading literacy; however, achieving high model accuracy remains a significant challenge. This study compares the performance of Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDT) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), two widely recognized machine learning algorithms for predicting reading literacy, utilizing PISA 2022 data from 12.853 Indonesian students and 59 variables from the Student Questionnaire Data File. The GridSearchCV optimization method was employed to select the optimal parameters for each model to ensure the best performance on the test data. GBDT achieved R² of 0.5106, with optimal parameters (n_estimators = 150, learning_rate = 0.2, max_depth = 3, subsample = 0.9). XGBoost reached a higher R² of 0.5247, with parameters (n_estimators = 1000, learning_rate = 0.01, max_depth = 7, colsample_bytree = 0.3, min_child_weight = 20, gamma = 1, alpha = 0), indicating XGBoost's superior performance in predicting reading literacy. Further analysis revealed that the most significant variables in the GBDT model included students' access to technology at home, extracurricular creative activities, socioeconomic status, school involvement in sustainable development, and problem-solving skills. In contrast, significant variables in the XGBoost model included family support, socioeconomic status, school belongingness, family environment's effectiveness in fostering creativity, and student imagination. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers in education to understand the factors contributing to students' reading literacy and to design more targeted and effective interventions

Motivations Driving Self-Employment Among Women in Karachi

The self-employment of women in Karachi is notable, showing their ability to deal with social norms and financial difficulties. Many women seek jobs for themselves, often working in unregulated markets. They use education, family support, and government programs to help them succeed. Government rules and protections are important in creating a supportive setting for women’s self-employment and business ventures. To help women’s economic power and equality, various kinds of support are needed, covering financial, social, and legal areas.

Prevalence of suicidal ideation and its associated factors among the geriatric population in Vyas Municipality, Tanahun District, Nepal: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSuicidal ideation among the geriatric population is a pressing concern, particularly in regions such as Nepal where mental health resources are limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation and its associated factors among the geriatric population in Vyas Municipality, Nepal.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals aged 60 years and above in Vyas Municipality, Nepal. A total of 311 participants were selected using multistage sampling. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured interview schedule. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent variables associated with suicidal ideation.ResultsThe overall prevalence of suicidal ideation within the last twelve months among the geriatric population was 6.4% (n = 20). After adjustment for covariates in multivariate logistic regression analysis, living in a nuclear family (OR: 3.033, C.I. 95%:1.007–9.136), and experiencing depressive symptoms [(Mild depression:- OR: 5.358, C.I. 95%:1.548–18.539), (Moderate depression:- OR: 15.739, C.I. 95%:2.536–97.687), and (Severe depression:- OR: 17.423, C.I. 95%:2.218-136.878)] were found to be significant influencing factors for suicidal ideation.ConclusionThis study emphasizes the need to enhance mental health services and strengthen family and community support systems to address suicidal ideation among older adults in Nepal. Further research is required to identify additional determinants and evaluate interventions to mitigate this risk.

The Dilemma and Breakthrough of Gaming Dream: A Study on the Survival Status and Career Path of Semi-Professional Gaming Youths

With the rapid development of the e-sports industry, semi-professional e-sports youth, as an important but relatively disadvantaged group in the e-sports career ecology, face many difficulties such as economic pressure, narrow career paths, and insufficient social cognition. This study focuses on the survival status and career path of semi-professional e-sports youth, and proposes countermeasures at the macro, meso and micro levels by analyzing the problems they face. That is, at the macro level, to improve industry policies and career protection, and to promote the standardized development of the e-sports industry; at the meso level, to improve the social perception of e-sports, and to strengthen the support of families and communities; and at the micro level, to provide players with guidance on career planning, comprehensive skills training, and mental health support, and to help them achieve sustainable development. The study shows that solving the plight of semi-professional e-sports youth not only helps to improve the career development of this group, but also has important significance for the healthy development of the e-sports industry and the diversification of the social career ecology.

Family functionality as a mediator in the relationship between humanization and academic burnout in adolescents

IntroductionDuring adolescence, personal competencies serve as protective factors against social exclusion and are crucial for promoting psychological well-being and creating opportunities for growth. Family and educational systems play a pivotal role in supporting these competencies. This study aims to analyze the relationships between humanization competencies, academic burnout, and family functionality, to examine sex differences in these variables, and to explore the mediating effect of family functionality.MethodsThe sample comprised 1,092 secondary school students (584 females and 508 males) from Almería, Spain, aged 12 to 17 (M = 14.5 years).ResultsThe findings show that family functionality is positively associated with humanization competencies and academic efficacy, and negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Notable sex differences emerged, with males scoring higher in optimism, self-efficacy, and affect, while females scored higher in sociability and cynicism. Mediation analysis revealed that family functionality partially mediates the relationship between humanization competencies and academic burnout, specifically impacting cynicism, academic efficacy, and emotional exhaustion.DiscussionThese results highlight the critical role of a supportive family environment in enhancing adolescents’ psychological resilience and academic outcomes. The study suggests that interventions targeting family functionality could be effective in reducing academic burnout and promoting overall well-being among adolescents.

Factors Associated with Adherence to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Among Patients Attending a Nurse-Led Community Clinic in Australia: A Qualitative Study

Background/Objectives: Despite the availability of screening services, the rate of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening continues to be suboptimal in Australia, necessitating improvement. However, improving DR screening rates requires a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing adherence to the screening recommendations. This study aimed to explore the factors that influence adherence to DR screening among people with diabetes attending a community screening clinic in Australia. Methods: This qualitative study included purposively patients with diabetes recruited from a nurse-led community screening clinic in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore barriers and enablers impacting patient adherence to DR screening recommendations. The interview data were analyzed thematically using NVivo based on the socio-ecological model, with salience identified by the frequency of the theme. Results: A total of 22 participants completed the interview, including 10 females with a mean age of 60 ± 16.2 years. The interviews identified several factors that improved adherence to DR screening guidelines, including (a) knowledge of the connection between DR and diabetes and the importance of the screening, (b) the care provider’s recommendations, and (c) pre-booked appointments and automatic invitations. Beyond these factors, clinic staff interactions, family support, fear of vision loss, flexible clinic hours, and transportation accessibility also facilitate DR screening adherence. Conclusions: The present study identified key multi-level factors influencing adherence to DR screening. While these findings from a single clinic provide valuable insights to inform screening strategies, larger multi-center studies are needed to validate their broader applicability across diverse healthcare settings and populations.

How urban welfare affects the hukou selection of rural migrants that belong to dual-hukou families in china

Despite the Chinese government’s implementation of numerous policies aimed at promoting urbanization, the actual urbanization rate has not met expectations. Even when some rural migrants are presented with opportunities to convert to urban-hukou status, an increasing number of families opt to maintain a dual-hukou arrangement (where one spouse holds rural-hukou and the other holds urban-hukou). This phenomenon has garnered significant attention; however, the impact of diverse access to urban welfare on migrants’ hukou selection has been underexplored in existing research on hukou conversion. Access to urban welfare emerges as a critical factor influencing hukou selection decisions. This study constructs an analytical framework to examine the hukou arrangements of dual-hukou families, exploring the effects of various factors related to urban welfare acquisition on the hukou selection of rural migrants. Empirical results indicate that within dual-hukou families, migrants with rural-hukou status can obtain urban welfare through family support or market purchases. Consequently, to maximize family benefits, they prefer to retain their rural-hukou status rather than convert to urban-hukou. Conversely, possession of a qualification certificate from the host city negatively impacts rural-hukou retention. Additionally, rural migrants in dual-hukou families tend to favor cities with high-value hukou and express a desire to convert to local hukou status. These findings offer robust insights for policymaking, demonstrating resilience against sample self-selection bias and reverse causality.

Mobile health in communication disorders: willingness to use, attitude, advantages, and challenges from the perspective of patients

IntroductionCommunication disorders are one of the most common disorders that, if not treated in childhood, can cause many social, educational, and psychological problems in adulthood. One of the technologies that can be helpful in these disorders is mobile health (m-Health) technology. This study aims to examine the attitude and willingness to use this technology and compare the advantages and challenges of this technology and face-to-face treatment from the perspective of patients.MethodsThis descriptive study was conducted with a researcher-made questionnaire and investigated the willingness and attitude of patients with communication disorders to use mobile health technology. The face and content validity of the questionnaire were examined with the help of experts in speech therapy, health information management, and medical informatics. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and the Kruskal–Wallis test were used to analyze the relationship between variables. Also, the challenges and advantages of mobile health technology and face-to-face treatment were extracted from the patient's answers and presented in the form of main themes and sub-themes.ResultsOne hundred seventy patients participated in this study. The results of this study showed that 57 (33.5%) participants preferred face-to-face visits, 11 (6.5%) preferred m-Health, and 102 (60.0%) preferred the combination of mobile applications and the face-to-face visits method. The results showed a statistically significant relationship between "Residence (rural or urban)", "Having trouble traveling to speech therapy centers", and "Delaying treatment due to lack of access to speech therapists" with treatment methods (face-to-face, mobile health, face to face and mobile health). Accessibility and convenience, treatment efficacy and variety, patient empowerment and confidence, family involvement and support, cost and time efficiency, treatment adherence and completion, and comfort and lifestyle compatibility were six categories related to the advantages of mobile health technology from the point of view of patients with communication disorders. Also, technological challenges, effectiveness and quality concerns, patient experience and engagement, and trust and confidence issues were mobile health challenges from the patients' point of view.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that patients tend to use both face-to-face interactions and mobile health. Integrating both m-Health and traditional methods can optimize speech therapy outcomes. Addressing challenges such as inadequate technological infrastructure and data security is crucial for successful implementation.

Wellness under pandemic: a study of family support and religious commitment as antidotes to psychological distress under social disconnectedness policy in Pakistan

Wellness under pandemic: a study of family support and religious commitment as antidotes to psychological distress under social disconnectedness policy in Pakistan

Cultivating entrepreneurial aspirations: a comprehensive examination of university support, family support, and digital entrepreneurial knowledge on students’ digital entrepreneurial intention

Cultivating entrepreneurial aspirations: a comprehensive examination of university support, family support, and digital entrepreneurial knowledge on students’ digital entrepreneurial intention