Health-related educational inequalities in employment across 26 European countries in 2005-2014

Transnational research funders such as the European Commission and NordForsk increasingly require researchers to conduct transnational research. Yet, there is little research on what this means for seeking ethics approval, not least for qualitative researchers. Much work on ethics approval comes from Canada, the United States, and other Anglophone countries, often in a health-related context, and centers on issues between researchers and research ethics boards (REBs), or on inconsistent or inappropriate decision-making by REBs. Ethical conduct within research has, of course, generated a rich literature but not on gaining ethics approval when conducting qualitative transnational research. Rather, the underlying situation usually is that the research is conducted in the same geopolitical space as where the REB is located. Drawing on two cases studies, in which researchers located in one country, Sweden, sought ethics approval to conduct research in other European countries, we explore some of the challenges that we faced in gaining such approval and provide some suggestions how this process might be made both more efficient and more productive for researchers and research funders alike.

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Risk factors for suicidal behavior in adolescents from European countries with different suicidal rates: The possible role of cross-cultural differences

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)73317-x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 1613-1613

Author(s):

N. Sedlar ◽

L. Sprah ◽

S. Rosker ◽

H. Jericek Klanscek ◽

M. Dernovsek

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Principal Component ◽

Subjective Health ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

European Countries ◽

Cross Cultural Differences ◽

Health Related

IntroductionAdolescence is a time of developmental shifts that may leave young people especially vulnerable to suicidal behaviour. Suicidal rates in different European countries differ, which may be due to many factors, including cross-cultural differences.AimsWe aimed to explore differences in risk factors for suicidal behaviour (poor subjective health and low life satisfaction, health-related behaviours, including alcohol drinking habits, family and peer factors) between European countries with different suicidal rates.MethodsThe data were collected through questionnaires in the survey ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children’, 2005/2006, using nationally representative samples of 15 year old students (N = 11,093) from 7 countries (Lithuania, Finland, Ireland, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, Greece).ResultsPrincipal component analyses were used to characterize how selected risk factors for suicide cluster together into factors. Differences for these factors were compared between 3 groups of countries: countries with low, average and high magnitude of suicidal rates (SDR; suicide death rate per 100 000, 15–29 years). Between group differences on first two factors, loaded by items measuring health-related behaviours, were significant and medium-sized and indicated cultural differences in alcohol use. Youth from Northern European countries - with high SDR, reported greater number of drunkenness occasions, whereas frequency of alcohol intake was greater for youth from Southern European countries - with low SDR.ConclusionsResults indicated a possible association of suicidal behaviour and different drinking cultures, arising from different geographical locations and socio-cultural environments. Therefore research and preventive measures should consider specific socio-cultural context.

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