Global Social Welfare最新文献

In a culturally conservative India, menstruation continues to be a subject of taboo. Such a taboo remains uniform across the rural and urban space alike despite all forms of modernization. Among other factors, menstruation-related health issues often discourage female workforce participation. It is also a cause for discrimination at work, and women being discriminated for this natural biological experience. In order to achieve an equal and inclusive workplace, paid menstrual leave is an important policy measure to encourage a conversation around menstrual health and also to incentivize women to join the workforce. However, some oppose the policy based on arguments that it will lessen economic efficiency or afford women special treatment. This note will examine the literature and arguments surrounding paid menstrual leave, and make a case for why it will increase economic efficiency and lead to a more equal society. The paper will pose recommendations for the implementation of menstrual leave policies, and its justification towards facilitating a gender egalitarian environment.

The global population is in the ageing process. Older adults in India comprise 8.60% of the total population, and this proportion is anticipated to increase to 19.50% by 2050. This ageing process impacts health, well-being, and life satisfaction, contributing to healthy ageing. This study examines the importance of social capital in determining life satisfaction in later life. The LASI 2017–18 dataset was used, and the study employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the most suitable variables for measuring social capital. The results showed that older adults had a mean of 0.24 friend networks, 0.94 social participation, and 0.19 reciprocity. The odds of life satisfaction increase by 1.20 times (AOR 1.20, CI 1.13–1.28, P ≤ 0.001) when the mean number of friends network increases by one unit. The odds of life satisfaction increased by 1.48 times (AOR 1.48, CI 1.30–1.68, P ≤ 0.001) when one unit increased mean social and civic participation among 60 + older adults. Social capital, such as friend networks and involvement in social activities, boosted older adults’ life satisfaction. These findings can help shape future policies for older adults to increase their life satisfaction.

Research on foster care from the perspective of key stakeholders with lived and professional experience is necessary to inform programs, policy and practice. Numerous barriers exist to accessing these populations and ensuring inclusion and representation in research. This study interviewed twenty-two stakeholders with lived and/or professional experience in foster care to gain their recommendations on how to understand and conduct research on foster care and specifically and how to (a) increase stakeholders’ participation in research and (b) capture a broader representation of those impacted. Findings offer observations of who does and does not participate in research and how this may affect public perception, as well as direct recommendations for future research.

Enhanced mother's health leads to an improved child's health, if timely and proper healthcare is not delivered, the health of mothers and born children is at risk. Tanzania is making great efforts to address maternal and child health to meet the fourth (4) and fifth (5) Millennium Development Goals. Up to date few studies on maternal health have been conducted in Tanzania but they paid less attention to the effects of maternal health care utilization on child health outcomes. As a result, it is not well known how Tanzanian mother's healthcare consumption affects the health of their newborn children. This study aimed to examine factors influencing maternal healthcare care utilization and its impact on child health outcomes in Tanzania. Using Tanzania Demographic Health Survey data of 2022, the study employed a double hurdle model and two-stage least square model to analyze the determinants and extents of maternal healthcare utilization and the effects of maternal healthcare utilization on child health outcomes. The analysis revealed that socioeconomic factors, such as residence, household size, employment, and education, play pivotal roles in shaping both the decision to seek care and the extent of service utilization. Additionally, in the analysis of the effects of maternal health care utilization on influencing child health outcomes in Tanzania, maternal health emerges as a dominant force, with better maternal health strongly linked to higher birth weights, positive association between the number of children and birth weight, as well as the influence of place of residence, suggests that socio-economic circumstances play a crucial role in maternal and child health outcome. These findings emphasize the need for employing comprehensive approaches to improve maternal health care and child health in Tanzania, addressing not only healthcare access and utilization but also broader socio-economic determinants.

Background: South Sudanese have experienced prolonged exposure to conflict and displacement regionally and globally, with studies in different settings yielding vastly inconsistent rates of trauma-associated mental disorders. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the methodological approach and quality, trauma exposure, risk and protective factors, and aggregate available data on the prevalence of trauma-associated mental disorders among South Sudanese in different settings to gain better understanding of the impact of war trauma in this population.

Methods: Guided by the new (2020) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies published from 1981 to 2021. The main inclusion criteria were as follows: studies published in English, present prevalence rates on anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and number of traumatic events, and have a sample size of 30 or more. We calculated pooled prevalence, 95% confidence intervals, and I ² statistic to test heterogeneity between studies in MedCalc statistical software.

Results: We reviewed a total of nine reports from eight unique studies with total of 6138 participants. All studies were cross-sectional in design with six designated as low quality and two as moderate quality. South Sudanese experienced on average nine war-related traumatic events. Consequently, the overall pooled rates of trauma-associated mental disorders are high: anxiety = 25.2% (95% CI: 14.0, 38.5); depression = 24.2% (8.4, 45.0); and PTSD = 34.0% (29.0, 39.1). Overall prevalence of PTSD was 40% in both preflight and flight settings; however, aggregate rate of just 14% was recorded in resettlement settings. Risk factors include female gender, advanced age, severity, and recency of traumatic events, and cultural adjustment difficulties. Protective factors include urban residency, social support, religion, higher annual household income, household possessions, and history of migration.

Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis reveals that prolonged exposure to war trauma has negatively impacted the psychological wellbeing of South Sudanese in refugee camps and those still in their homeland. However, the prevalence appears to be lower among those resettled in developed countries.

Purpose

This study examined the association between COVID-19-related experiences and the psychological wellbeing of school-going adolescent girls in Uganda.

Methods

We utilized cross-sectional data collected from 1165 adolescent girls (14–17 years), participating in a longitudinal randomized clinical trial (2017–2022). Due to social distancing and mitigation measures, data were collected using telephone interviewer-administered surveys. We fitted hierarchical regression models to assess the association between COVID-19-related experiences (such as resource changes and disruptions, and access to medical care), and two aspects of psychological wellbeing (emotional and cognitive wellbeing).

Results

Resource changes and disruptions due to the pandemic were negatively associated with adolescents’ emotional (β = − 0.68, 95% CI = − 0.83, − 0.53, p < 0.001) and cognitive aspects of psychological wellbeing (β = − 0.38, 95% CI = − 0.47, − 0.29, p < 0.001). On the other hand, adhering to COVID-19 rules was positively associated with cognitive wellbeing (β = 2.18, 95% CI = 0.93, 3.44, p = 0.001).

Conclusion

The pandemic significantly impacted adolescents’ psychological wellbeing. Our study findings contribute to the limited literature focused on the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological wellbeing of adolescent girls. Findings support efforts to address the psychological needs of adolescent girls, specifically, interventions to alleviate the negative effects of the pandemic.

Aim

This study examined directional flow and patterns of intergenerational monetary transfers in India amidst changing family structures and an aging population, specifically emphasizing the gender dynamics of older parents.

Methods

Data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (wave-1) was analyzed, involving 30,147 individuals aged 60+ who have at least one alive child. The study objective was pursued through bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Results

The proportion of children-to-parent monetary transfers (13.1%) was found to be triple than that of parents-to-children transfers (4.4%), indicating an upward flow of support, consistent with the tradition of filial piety. Older male parents were more likely to support their children, while older female parents received more financial assistance. Female parents not co-residing with their children were more likely to provide support, whereas co-residence did not significantly impact financial transfers from male parents. Parents living only with their spouses and children were less likely to receive support from children compared to those living with children and/or other relatives. Parents with up to eight children were more likely to receive financial assistance from children. Female household heads were more likely to receive support, while male heads showed a negative or insignificant association.

Conclusions

The study highlights the significant role of family support, especially from adult children, in the economic security of older Indians, particularly older women. Despite changing family dynamics, the tradition of upward financial transfers persists, underscoring the importance of filial piety and cultural norms in ensuring the well-being of older adults in India.

Background

Several health insurance programmes have been launched in India to improve accessibility to healthcare services and safeguard people against health expenditure catastrophes.

Objective

We studied the impact of health insurance enrolment towards accessibility, utilization of inpatient care, and safeguarding against financial risk across all states/union territories (UTs) of India.

Data and Methodology

Data from the most recent round (75th round) of the nationally representative survey on health and morbidity, entitled “Social Consumption: Health,” was employed in the study. The propensity score matching technique was used in the study to examine the accessibility and utilization of inpatient care, and financial risk protection in the context of health insurance across states/UTs of India.

Results

The accessibility to inpatient care was statistically significantly higher among insured than uninsured in 21/32 states/UTs (p < 0.05). Hospitalization episodes more than once were also statistically significantly higher among insured than uninsured (p < 0.05). However, utilization pattern of inpatient care in terms of incidence of hospitalization with private healthcare providers and longer duration of hospital stay were not impacted much by the health insurance status. Furthermore, health insurance was statistically significantly effective in reducing both out-of-pocket health expenditure (OOPE) and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) (at 10% threshold) for insured in a few states, namely, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana (p < 0.05). On the other hand, in some states with good health insurance enrolment rates, including Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Goa, and Chhattisgarh, health insurance did not significantly reduce the OOPE and CHE incidence among insured in comparison to uninsured (p > 0.05).

Policy Implications

Concerted efforts, such as increasing health insurance enrolment, raising awareness about the existing schemes and their eligibility criteria, and informing beneficiaries about the procedures to avail benefits, are required. There is also an urgent need to include outpatient services under the purview of health insurance to reduce the financial burden and make health insurance more viable. Furthermore, strengthening public healthcare facilities and regulating private healthcare providers are imperative in augmenting financial risk protection in India.

This study explored the nexus between informal workers and the social security scheme in Ghana. The explanatory sequential research design was used for this study. A sample of 278 informal workers was drawn for the quantitative perspective, and 13 participants were used for the qualitative phase of the study, using purposive and stratified sampling techniques. Data were gathered with a structured questionnaire for the quantitative phase and an interview guide for the qualitative phase. In terms of ethical consideration, confidentiality, anonymity, freedom to participate and protection from psychological and physical harm were ensured in this study for all participants. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and means were used to analyse the quantitative data, while thematic pattern analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data gathered. The study found that informal workers had a fair knowledge, perception of joining and benefits of joining the social security scheme in Ghana. The informal workers concluded that the existing mode of payment was very challenging to their intention to join the scheme. The study, therefore, recommended that the management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) embarks on vigorous public education on the need and the importance of the SSNIT pension scheme in the various districts where informal workers are located. Additionally, it was recommended that the management of SSNIT should use the services of mobile vendors or develop a mobile money platform for payment of contributions to the pension scheme by informal workers.