Times Of Crisis Research Articles

COVID-19 mental health impacts on academic engagement: a study on students of Egypt and India

Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between COVID-19-related fear and academic engagement, perceived stress and life satisfaction among college students in two countries – Egypt in Africa and India in Asia, during the pandemic. The study also aims to analyze the moderating role of gender in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data collected from 1,125 college students from India and 1,145 college students from Egypt. Findings Positive correlations were found between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress among the college students of Egypt and India, while negative correlations were found between fear of COVID-19 and both student engagement and life satisfaction. The strength of these relationships was found to be stronger in the Egyptian sample compared to the Indian sample. Gender was found to be a significant factor in the relationships between the variables studied. In the Indian sample, female respondents appeared to experience more mental health concerns and academic impacts than male respondents. In the Egyptian sample, however, the gender effects varied for the different relationships between the fear of COVID-19 and the other chosen variables. Originality/value The results emphasize the need to reevaluate and monitor policies and resources to promote positive mental health among adolescents, especially during times of crisis. The study stands among the pioneers that investigated a comparative study of two countries to check the mental health impacts on the study engagement during the pandemic.

How to avoid profiles of failure when supporting entrepreneurs in an economic crisis

Purpose In times of economic crisis, many eyes turn to entrepreneurship, which has become a key element of the economy. Consequently, interest in supporting entrepreneurs has increased. This study aims to detect the configurations of success or failure that may help entrepreneurs’ public orientation. Design/methodology/approach This study used data from the latest economic crisis in a region with high levels of unemployment. The authors studied 2,210 entrepreneurs from Andalusia (Spain). From each, the authors analysed 207 variables and applied the fuzzy version of qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). This methodology allowed the authors to infer causality between combinations of factors and positive/negative effects. Findings The authors concluded that there are at least two profiles that should be avoided when starting a business; both refer to projects in quite attractive sectors: an environment with high concentration and survival rates, and when not enough education or high assets turnover is expected. Research limitations/implications It was difficult to obtain a complete database to replicate a study in another region. Moreover, the data corresponded to a period of economic crisis, and the results may not be valid for a more favourable period. Regarding the implications, there have been several unsuccessful attempts in the literature to find a linear association between factors and entrepreneurial success. For instance, linear regressions do not allow us to properly relate the simultaneous presence/absence of various characteristics to success/failure; hence, it is necessary to consider the non-linear and asymmetric relationships between the variables. Practical implications The most attractive sectors for entrepreneurs carry considerable risk for the success of the future business, since “greed clouds judgment”, and high expectations can outweigh other motivations. Support services should filter out candidates with insufficient training or excessive expectations. Originality/value The techniques used in this study allow the consideration of explanatory variables that are not independent of each other, and the subjective aspects of some of the analysed characteristics are examined.

Visual Representation of Gender in Morocco's Earthquake Coverage in International News Channel

This study aimed at identifying the way of Media's framing of gender while covering Twitter official accounts for the international news channels concerning Morocco's earthquake. To achieve the study objectives. The researchers used quantitative and qualitative content-analysis approach by using MAXQDA software. Adopted in Ali (2014), where similar sample-selection way and analysis categories were used. The study’s findings indicate that Al-Jazeera account was the most publishing site to mixed images (males/ females) with a total of 22 images, whereas (CNN) account was the most publishing site to women's images with a total of 17 images. The results of image-analysis, according to the category, revealed that the most common category was “helplessness” with a percentage of 46%. The images of “weakness and sickliness” were identical for the mixed and women's images, whereas only one image was for men. This revealed that women have usually been amongst the weakest categories that were more exposed to risks in case of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods. Image analysis revealed that the means of media supports the idea that some housework tasks are exclusive for women, and that those tasks may increase in times of natural disasters. Some images revealed that women remain physically strong and attempt to overcome this disaster, where they could break the stereotypical view implying that women are helpless in times of crises.

A comparative analysis of variants of machine learning and time series models in predicting women’s participation in the labor force

Labor force participation of Egyptian women has been a chronic economic problem in Egypt. Despite the improvement in the human capital front, whether on the education or health indicators, female labor force participation remains persistently low. This study proposes a hybrid machine-learning model that integrates principal component analysis (PCA) for feature extraction with various machine learning and time-series models to predict women’s employment in times of crisis. Various machine learning (ML) algorithms, such as support vector machine (SVM), neural network, K-nearest neighbor (KNN), linear regression, random forest, and AdaBoost, in addition to popular time series algorithms, including autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and vector autoregressive (VAR) models, have been applied to an actual dataset from the public sector. The manpower dataset considered gender from different regions, ages, and educational levels. The dataset was then trained, tested, and evaluated. For performance validation, forecasting accuracy metrics were constructed using mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percent error (MAPE), R-squared (R2), and cross-validated root mean squared error (CVRMSE). Another Dickey-Fuller test was performed to evaluate and compare the accuracy of the applied models, and the results showed that AdaBoost outperforms the other methods by an accuracy of 100%. Compared to alternative works, our findings demonstrate a comprehensive comparative analysis for predicting women’s participation in different regions during an economic crisis.

Organizational Crisis in Spotlight Increases Preference for Female but not Ethnic Minority Leaders: The Role of Signaling Theory for Glass Cliff Appointments

In times of crisis, decision-makers often appoint atypical candidates (i.e., women or ethnic minorities) as leaders, a phenomenon known as the “glass cliff.” Two online experiments (N = 607) with employees in Switzerland and France investigated whether media and stakeholder (i.e., third-party) attention toward the organization drives these preferences given that atypical appointments may be used to signal change. As expected, we found that atypical candidates were more likely appointed during a high third-party attention crisis compared to a low third-party attention crisis and a no-crisis situation. Third-party attention, however, had varying effects on female and ethnic minority candidates, illuminating the complexities of atypical leadership selections during crises. Against expectations, candidate choice was unrelated to the perceived importance of signaling change. Although this research provides causal evidence of the impact of third-party attention on atypical leadership selection, the underlying psychological mechanisms postulated by signaling theory need to be further explored.

Adult children's responsiveness to parental needs during the pandemic

AbstractObjectivesGuided by the life‐course principles of linked lives embedded in historical time and place, we investigated whether nonresident adult children provided financial and time assistance to parents in response to their needs during the COVID‐19 pandemic.BackgroundAdult children are an important source of support for older adults during crises, yet their ability to help parents may have been constrained during the pandemic.MethodData were extracted from the 2016, 2018, and 2020 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. We employed three analytic strategies. First, we examined how nonresident adult children responded to parental needs during the pandemic. Second, we compared the financial and time assistance received during the pandemic with earlier periods. Third, we assessed whether support patterns varied depending on the severity of the pandemic in places where parents lived. All analyses used linear probability models, adjusting for pre‐pandemic characteristics.ResultsParents facing economic hardship more often received money help and those experiencing difficulty buying food for nonfinancial reasons more often received time help from adult children compared to those without such challenges. Moreover, both financial and time assistance from adult children increased during the pandemic compared to pre‐pandemic levels. Hardships increased the probability of receiving money and time help from adult children when parents lived in areas with a high level of pandemic severity.ConclusionAdult children became more responsive to parental needs during the COVID‐19 pandemic, underscoring the importance of linked lives across generations during times of crisis.

COVID-19 and Religious Practices: A Case Study of the Cham in Ninh Thuan

With the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic, including waves of infections, the discussion and questioning of how to adapt traditional and religious activities in times of crisis became of upmost importance among the clerics of religious groups in Ninh Thuan. This article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Cham in Ninh Thuan, the role of faith agents in responding to the unprecedented health crisis, and the way they maintained their faith and kept the spirit of traditions and religions alive during a difficult time. At the same time, this article looks into how the religious communities in Ninh Thuan engaged in dialogue about the COVID-19 pandemic, including potential racial or sectarian debates, to minimize misunderstandings and mobilize resources to help each other overcome challenges and possible discrimination. This is a case study of an ethnic minority and sheds light on the flexible and resilient approaches of the Cham to navigate the pandemic and maintain their traditions and practices. This research speaks to policy-makers and provides lessons for managing crises in the future.

The Challenges of Social Work for Practical Major Students at Times of Crises from the Perspective of Mentors

This paper examines the challenges, as reported from the professors’ perspective, faced by students in their field course of a baccalaureate social work program during the coronavirus pandemic. The paper also proposes improvements in the field training course for use in any future crisis. Furthermore, it aims to highlight the importance of field training for the students. Using a qualitative approach, researchers interviewed a sample of eight faculty mentors (3 men and 5 women) who taught and supervised students in the baccalaureate programs from the University of Jordan, Al-Balqa' Applied University, and Dhofar University. Study results show that students face numerous challenges, such as lack of communication between them and the supervisors in the field institutions, student dissatisfaction with the concept and implementation of online-training training, struggle in learning basic skills to handle certain intervention situations, and the difficulty of applying these skills remotely. Recommendation: Increased use of smart devices and digital platforms during field practice. The creation of new education materials that include visual elements that can be used more interactively in an online environment.

The impact of safety leadership on safety behaviors of aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives. Facing risk of contracting COVID-19, adopting individual health and safety behaviors to prevent infection was critical for first responders to ensure personal and public safety. This study assessed direct and indirect relationships between safety leadership, safety behaviors and the effect of risk perceptions on these relationships among aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method. A total of 127 ARFF frontline personnel participated in an online survey. COVID-19-specific constructs of safety leadership, safety behaviors and risk perceptions were assessed using a structural model with moderation and serial mediation analysis using the mixed-model method. Results. Safety leadership had significant direct effects on safety compliance and indirect effects on safety participation and mask use. ARFF personnel’s perceived severity of the virus had significant direct effects on mask use and indirect effects on safety compliance and participation behaviors. The interaction of safety leadership and perceived susceptibility to the virus had significant direct effects on safety compliance behaviors and indirect effects on safety participation and mask use. Conclusion. There are practical implications to strengthen safety compliance behaviors through leadership. This study contributes to the literature on leadership and safety behaviors among ARFF personnel during exceptional circumstances and times of crisis.

Comparing the psychological impact of the Shanghai lockdown on local and non-local college students: an explanatory sequential mixed method approach.

In 2022, the Shanghai municipal government enforced strict COVID-19 lockdown measures. Lockdown experiences for college students varied. Local students normally returned home and had familial support while non-local students relied more on institutional support when quarantining in dormitories. The difference could profoundly impact their access to necessary material resources and emotional support, affecting their mental health. This study compared the psychological effects of the Shanghai Lockdown on local and non-local college students using an explanatory-sequential mixed methods design. Quantitative analyses of data from 327 college students examined local and non-local students' mental health outcomes during the lockdown. Follow-up qualitative interviews (N = 12) contextualized their sources of stress and group differences. Higher prevalences of probable anxiety (34.6%), depression (45.1%), and poor subjective mental well-being (65.4%) are found among non-local students compared to local students (23.7% anxiety, 29.4% depressive symptoms, and 47.9% poor well-being). Suicidal ideation was higher among local students (8.6% prevalence difference). Being a non-local college student was associated with increased odds of probable anxiety, depression, and poor well-being. Interviews identified group differences such that non-local students received more school support (i.e., food and financial) and perceived emotional support but faced poorer quarantine living environments compared to local peers. Non-local college students were more vulnerable to the impact of lockdown. Our findings also provide insights into the impact of familial versus institutional support on student mental health during times of crisis.

When the going gets tough: Educational leadership and resilience in times of crises

Managing and leading under challenging conditions is one of the hallmarks of effective leadership. In today’s educational environment, educational leaders and managers must be swift-thinking and fast-acting in their approach. This demands building resilience. In this mixed-methods study, the researchers explored educational leadership and resilience during crises. The study sought to answer two overarching questions: What lessons did educational leaders learn from the COVID-19 experience, and How do the lessons learned prepare educational leaders to be resilient in times of crises? Data for this study were collected via survey and interviews. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and interview data were analysed using Taylor-Powell and Renner’s (2003) five-step approach. The major findings revealed a necessity for proactive planning, effective communication, and a team approach. Leaders highlighted the importance of resilience training, preparation, and emotional intelligence in navigating crises. The findings provide valuable information that could be used to equip educational leaders and managers to build resilience and augment the practice of educational leadership, particularly during times of crises. Therefore, the recommendations emphasise the need for comprehensive crisis leadership training, the development of contingency plans, and continuous professional development to enhance leaders’ capacity to manage future disruptions effectively.

“Need to Know” in a Time of Crisis: The Collaboration between Romanian Secret Services and Their Homologues in the Soviet Bloc in 1956

Based on archival research and secondary sources, this article will address the collaboration between the Romanian secret services—Securitate—and their homologues in the Soviet bloc during the 1956 Hungarian revolt. At that time, people in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Romania dared to challenge their governments, being inspired by Hungarians who took to the streets in an attempt to change the Soviet-like system in their country. The mass movement in Budapest was perceived as a threat to the communist regime by leaders in Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union who feared a “domino effect” that would shake the still fragile foundation of the Socialist construction in the region. The article covers the period beginning with 1955, when archival records show efforts for setting up multilateral collaboration in the field of intelligence and the Securitate’s attempts to establish bilateral cooperation with their homologues for the first time.

HOUSING SUPPORT POLICIES IN PANDEMIC TIMES AND INTERRELATIONS WITH INSTITUTIONAL TRUST: A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH

Housing was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, as “staying at home” was the first line of defense against the virus. To reduce the economic downturn’s impact on housing security, preventive and supportive measures were developed, such as moratoria on rents and mortgages. This paper aims to analyze the opinions of tenants and indebted homeowners about the housing support policies implemented during the pandemic crisis and explore the relation with the level of trust in institutions — an aspect not yet studied. A mixed-methods approach is used based on quantitative and qualitative data from a nationwide online survey conducted in 2021. Quantitative data was analyzed using the software SPSS, and qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. Thematic analysis of 377 answers to open questions (e.g., “What is your opinion on the exceptional financial regime for payment of rents?”) shows that homeowners’ opinions (positive or negative) are mainly supported by their perceptions of the effectiveness of measures introduced to protect families from economic shocks resulting from the pandemic. For tenants, besides effectiveness, opinions are also determined by evaluation of the quality-of-service delivery and responsiveness. Variance analysis shows that tenants with a positive opinion tend to present higher levels of trust in public institutions compared to those with an unfavorable opinion. The study shows that housing support measures during COVID-19 in Portugal were met with mixed trust levels, with positive views linked to higher institutional trust and negative perceptions tied to concerns over fairness, efficiency, and long-term impacts. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of effective policy design and implementation in times of crisis and the psychosocial consequences of not achieving envisioned aims.

Interactions between regulatory realms: new administrative law and credit rating agencies in a globalized society

This article examines European legislation and academic literature concerning the regulation of Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) during times of crisis, focusing on the perspective of administrative law in global governance. To this end, it proposes a perspective that considers a communicative process to minimise negative consequences for society within the context of CRA regulatory activity. Existing regulations, reports from European, American, and international authorities, as well as relevant literature, are reviewed to understand how regulatory challenges are addressed in the era of globalization.

Resilient energy supply in times of crises and transition

Resilient energy supply in times of crises and transition

Navigating wicked problems: the unrecognised contribution of social pedagogy to Aotearoa New Zealand’s successful Covid-19 response

Aotearoa New Zealand’s government, alongside its Indigenous Māori and Pacific communities, spearheaded a unique and effective response to the first three years of the Covid-19 crisis that swept the world. The measures taken enabled the country to largely keep its society within its borders open and functional, minimise the impact of the pandemic on individual lives and community well-being and keep morbidity rates low. While there have been numerous studies and articles exploring this national response, to this point no examination has been undertaken through a social pedagogical lens. This article identifies key concepts from the discipline that are relevant to Aotearoa New Zealand’s context, discusses the ways in which these were (albeit unknowingly) applied during the peak of the pandemic and explores future potential for application in social and public health policy and practice. Weaving together a shared framework of Māori, Pacific and unique Aotearoa New Zealand world views and cultural practices alongside the principles of social pedagogy presents an exciting opportunity to shape a national crisis response that is effective and meets the needs of diverse communities. It is argued that making the contribution of social pedagogy visible has the potential to enhance responses to wicked problems in times of crisis and further the acceptance of the discipline in the southern hemisphere.

Have German leaders become ‘sentimental’? A qualitative study of novel leadership practices and expectations since COVID

This qualitative study investigates the leadership implications of COVID-induced work-from-home in the German context. We find that sentiment has become part of post-pandemic leadership expectations and identify the ‘coaching leader’, on lower leadership levels, and in relation to one’s peers, as a new style. The increased relevance of empathy, sentiment and development is in contrast to the leadership expectations which project GLOBE has established for Germany. Furthermore, we see that leadership in times of crisis becomes more malleable, providing individuals with the possibility of moving beyond existing norms, such as culture-specific value orientations, standards and leadership styles. The contribution of our study lies firstly in identifying the ‘coaching leader’ as a new style. Secondly, we show that leaders’ creative performances might be more relevant to New Work than the culture-specific styles which comparative cross-cultural management is based upon. Consequently, cross-cultural management research on leadership, as well as leadership development in practice, needs to become more individualized and contextualized. We also find that interviewees continue to make sense of leadership using the established culturally-contingent templates identified by project GLOBE, even though their actual leadership practices have changed. This gap between subjective leadership perception and objective leadership practice needs to be taken into account by cross-cultural management theory and practice. In summary, we propose that cross-cultural management research on leadership should (1) integrate qualitative, in-depth, and quantitative, comparative approaches for mutual enrichment, (2) differentiate leadership contexts into stability and change (crisis), and (3) consider both subjective and objective leadership realities.

SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE DIMENSIONS OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AT WAR TIME (BASED ON THE RESULTS OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS)

The article is devoted to studying community resilience in the context of war in Ukraine. It analyzes both subjective and objective dimensions of resilience that affect the ability of local communities to adapt to crisis conditions. The empirical foundation of the research consists of interviews and focus groups with representatives of executive and local authorities, the public sector, business, volunteer organizations, and informal initiatives, conducted within the framework of the Polish-Ukrainian research grant «Multilevel governance of the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian aggression on Ukraine, using examples from the Lublin Voivodeship (PL) and the Volyn Oblast (UA)» (funded by NAWA). Subjective aspects of resilience encompass public perceptions, trust among community members, and emotional resilience, which is manifested in people's willingness to support one another. Objective dimensions include infrastructural, economic, and social resources that contribute to recovery after crises. The results indicate that distinguishing between subjective and objective aspects of resilience is an effective tool for developing policies capable of supporting communities in wartime. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of the complexity of community resilience in times of crisis and social instability.

(De)politicizing water: justice in times of water crisis

In times of climate change, water resources are shrinking at an alarming speed worldwide, making water a focal point of social and political contestation. Essential for environmental and human wellbeing, and economic prosperity, competing demands on water’s finite resources amidst the global water crisis raise critical justice questions regarding allocation, accessibility, legitimate recipients, or prioritized uses. Access to water is deeply intertwined with political decisions, as it heavily depends on infrastructure and governance. Depoliticization, however, renders water issues to technical or economic terms, aligning with neoliberal practices that commodify and privatize water resources. This approach often neglects the inherent political and social dimensions of water, privileging corporate interests while restricting access for the poor and powerless. This article examines how (de)politicization shapes such water realities by applying theoretical perspectives on (de)politicization and environmental justice. Through a systematic literature review and interpretative content analysis, we explore how (de)politicization is conceptualized in scholarly discussions, identifying common themes in the water context, the scales and regions addressed, and the roles of various actors and actions involved. Our research reveals a persistent tension between depoliticization and repoliticization. While depoliticization, though conceptually rather imprecise, obscures accountability and perpetuates neoliberal practices leading to exclusion, repoliticization, driven by activism, addresses policy deficiencies and amplifies marginalized voices. By illuminating these dynamics, this study enhances the understanding of (de)politicization in the water realm and its implications for justice.

Chronotopes of exile and loss in Philip O'Sullivan Beare's Zoilomastix (c. 1626)☆

AbstractThis essay explores the relationship between an early modern exile and his native environment, as depicted in Philip O'Sullivan Beare's unfinished natural history Zoilomastix. Writing by turns in Latin, Spanish and Gaelic from the safety of the Habsburg court, O'Sullivan Beare marshalled Ciceronian rhetoric and Plinian wonder to argue for the conservation of interwoven natural and cultural environments. One of the earliest examples of national historiographies written from exile by erudite Irish figures, Zoilomastix has most often been read in terms of its political theology. Though understandable, such readings obscure O'Sullivan Beare's idiosyncratic treatments of self, state and nature. Additionally, such readings only partially consider the author's attempts to engage with the debates on ethnicity, natural law and resource capture which directed the actions of the English state. Adopting the dialogic framework of Mikhail Bakhtin's chronotope, this essay therefore explores the extent to which the genre of natural history was utilized to inform and influence contested narratives. It argues that O'Sullivan Beare's autobiographical account, and its relevance to the forthcoming ‘loss’ of his Gaelic world, has much to tell us in a time of ecological crisis.