8. Mitigating the Impact of Forced Displacement and Refugee and Unauthorized Status on Youth: Integrating Developmental Processes with Intervention Research

2019 ◽  
pp. 186-206
Author(s):  
Ana Maria Ibanez

The article describes the magnitude, geographical extent,  and causes of forced population displacements in Colombia. Forced migration in Colombia is a war strategy adopted by armed groups to strengthen territorial strongholds, weaken civilian support to the enemy, seize valuable lands, and produce and transport illegal drugs with ease. Forced displacement in Colombia today affects 3.5 million people. Equivalent to 7.8 percent of Colombia's population, and second worldwide only to Sudan, this shows the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis the country is facing. The phenomenon involves all of Colombia's territory and nearly 90 percent of the country's municipalities expel or receive population. In contrast to other countries, forced migration in Colombia is largely internal. Illegal armed groups are the main responsible parties, migration does not result in massive refugee streams but occurs on an individual basis, and the displaced population is dispersed throughout the territory and not focused in refugee camps. These characteristics pose unique challenges for crafting state policy that can effectively mitigate the impact of displacement.


2019 ◽  
pp. 186-206
Author(s):  
Hirokazu Yoshikawa ◽  
Alice J. Wuermli ◽  
J. Lawrence Aber

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Freitag ◽  
Elmar Braehler ◽  
Silke Schmidt ◽  
Heide Glaesmer

ABSTRACTBackground: Long-term effects of World War II experiences affect psychological and physical health in aged adults. Forced displacement as a traumatic event is associated with increased psychological burden even after several decades. This study investigates the contribution of forced displacement as a predictor for mental health disorders and adds the aspect of health-related quality of life (QoL).Method: A sample of 1,659 German older adults aged 60–85 years was drawn from a representative survey. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatoform symptoms, depressive syndromes, and health-related QoL were assessed as outcome variables. Chi-square and t-test statistics examined differences between displaced and non-displaced people. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the impact of forced displacement on mental health disorders and QoL.Results: Displaced people reported higher levels of PTSD, depressive and somatoform symptoms, and lower levels of health-related QoL. Displacement significantly predicted PTSD and somatoform symptoms in late life, but not depressive disorders. Health-related QoL was predicted by forced displacement and socio-demographic variables.Conclusion: Forced displacement is associated with an elevated risk for PTSD and somatoform symptoms and lowered health-related QoL in aged adults. Its unique impact declines after including socio-demographic variables. Long-term consequences of forced displacement need further investigations and should include positive aspects in terms of resilience and protective coping strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 01-03
Author(s):  
Samson Chama

Today nearly almost every part of the world has been impacted by the corona virus COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has been unrelenting in its impact as thousands and thousands of people have died from its infections and resulting complications. Some countries have experienced severe effects of the virus than others. However, in both situations the virus has been vicious and many of those who have recovered and survived its infections have testified of how deadly this virus is. In the wake of this pandemic nations around the world have taken measures to curb its impact and spread in communities and societies. Preventative measures taken have disrupted in most cases schools and the workforce with many people being forced to work remotely from their homes and with schools going virtual. However, progress in fighting this virus is in the offing as promising vaccines are on the horizon. This paper discusses a preliminary intervention research project whose goal is to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Nairobi, Kenya. Results of this study may have promise of being replicated in other parts of Africa affected by this pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank T Materia ◽  
Joshua M Smyth

BACKGROUND With the growing interest in mobile health (mHealth), behavioral medicine researchers are increasingly conducting intervention studies that use mobile technology (eg, to support healthy behavior change). Such studies’ scientific premises are often sound, yet there is a dearth of implementational data on which to base mHealth research methodologies. Notably, mHealth approaches must be designed to be acceptable to research participants to support meaningful engagement, but little empirical data about design factors influencing acceptability in such studies exist. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the impact of two common design factors in mHealth intervention research—requiring multiple devices (eg, a study smartphone and wrist sensor) relative to requiring a single device and providing individually tailored feedback as opposed to generic content—on reported participant acceptability. METHODS A diverse US adult convenience sample (female: 104/255, 40.8%; White: 208/255, 81.6%; aged 18-74 years) was recruited to complete a web-based experiment. A 2×2 factorial design (number of devices×nature of feedback) was used. A learning module explaining the necessary concepts (eg, behavior change interventions, acceptability, and tailored content) was presented, followed by four vignettes (representing each factorial cell) that were presented to participants in a random order. The vignettes each described a hypothetical mHealth intervention study featuring different combinations of the two design factors (requiring a single device vs multiple devices and providing tailored vs generic content). Participants rated acceptability dimensions (interest, benefit, enjoyment, utility, confidence, difficulty, and overall likelihood of participating) for each study presented. RESULTS Reported interest, benefit, enjoyment, confidence in completing study requirements, and perceived utility were each significantly higher for studies featuring tailored (vs generic) content, and the overall estimate of the likelihood of participation was significantly higher. Ratings of interest, benefit, and perceived utility were significantly higher for studies requiring multiple devices (vs a single device); however, multiple device studies also had significantly lower ratings of confidence in completing study requirements, and participation was seen as more difficult and was associated with a lower estimated likelihood of participation. The two factors did not exhibit any evidence of statistical interactions in any of the outcomes tested. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that potential research participants are sensitive to mHealth design factors. These mHealth intervention design factors may be important for initial perceptions of acceptability (in research or clinical settings). This, in turn, may be associated with participant (eg, self) selection processes, differential compliance with study or treatment processes, or retention over time. CLINICALTRIAL


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-144
Author(s):  
Magdalena Wojarska ◽  
Karolina Babuchowska ◽  
Wiesława Lizińska ◽  
Renata Marks-Bielska

As the socio-economic reality is growing increasingly complex, the role of local governments in the management of events and processes occurring in local communities gains importance. Considering the fact that the basic task of local authorities is to stimulate the growth and development of a given local entity, an analysis was undertaken to the aim of assessing the relationship between the level of local development and the institutional efficiency of local self-governments and vice versa, in a regional approach (NUTS 2). To achieve this aim, mixed data were analysed, that is raw data (acquired via survey from 1,220 municipalities) and secondary data (from the database of the Local Data Bank). The efficiency of local governments was measured with an aggregate factor EFF, while the level of development was assessed with the DEV measure. The results indicate that the local governments did rather poorly in terms of both efficiency and development. In both cases, the mean value of the applied synthetic measures reached no more than 30% of the maximum attainable score. The basic tools in the research were correlation and regression analysis. Both procedures demonstrated the presence of a relationship between the two analysed categories (r = 0.365). Moreover, the analysis of regression showed that the impact of developmental processes on the improvement of efficiency of local governments was stronger that the influence of improved efficiency on developmental processes occurring in the analysed municipalities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-60
Author(s):  
Mary Tomsic ◽  
Claire Marika Deery

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the contemporary “refugee crisis” is being presented to children through picture books and teaching materials. It uses the concept of refugeedom as an approach that takes into account the multiple facets involved in the forced movement of people in the past and present and seeks to show the value of historical understandings in educational contexts when framing resources for teachers and students. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines a sample of high-profile English language picture books about children’s stories of forced displacement and the most prominent freely available teaching materials connected to the books. A critical discursive analysis of the books and educative guides considers the ways in which ideas and information about forced displacement is framed for child readers and children in primary school classrooms. The context for the authors’ interest in exploring these books and educational resources is that in response to the numbers of children who are part of the current “refugee crisis” alongside a public call for the “crisis” to be explained to children. Findings The paper argues that picture books open up spaces for children to explore refugeedom through experiences of forced movement and various factors involved in the contemporary “refugee crisis”. In contrast, in the teaching resources and some peritextual materials, the child in the classroom is addressed as entirely disconnected from children who are forcibly displaced, students in classrooms are positioned to learn from the refugee “other”. When links are made between students in classroom and children who have been forcibly displaced it is through activities that position students in classrooms to imagine themselves as forcibly displaced, or to suggest they act within a humanitarian framework of welcoming or helping refugees. The authors believe that if teaching resources were more directly informed by discipline specific tools of historical concepts, more nuanced approaches to past and present histories of forced movement could be considered and from that more fruitful learning opportunities created for all students. Practical implications This research provides ideas about how materials to support the use of picture books in educational settings could be developed to promote historical thinking and contextualisation around key social and political issues in the world today. It also makes the case for historians to be involved in the creation of teaching materials in a collaborative way so that academic insights can be brought to teachers and students at all levels of education. Originality/value The value of this research is to understand how children are positioned in reading and learning about forced displacement and query the impact of decontextualised approaches to learning. It argues for the critical interpretative value that historical understanding can bring to present day issues which are history in the making.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Keys ◽  
Jill M. Norris ◽  
Emily E. Cameron ◽  
Katherine S. Bright ◽  
Lianne M. Tomfohr-Madsen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Fathers are under-represented in research and programs addressing early childhood health and development. Recruiting fathers into these interventions can be hampered for multiple reasons, including recruitment and retention strategies that are not tailored for fathers. The primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies used to include fathers of children (from conception to age 36 months) in intervention studies. The secondary aim is to investigate study-level factors that may influence recruitment and retention. Methods We will conduct searches for scholarly peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and pre-post studies that recruited fathers using the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), and CINAHL. English-language articles will be eligible if they recruited self-identified fathers of children from conception to age 36 months for health-promoting interventions that target healthy parents and children. Two reviewers will independently screen titles/abstracts and full texts for inclusion, as well as grading methodological quality. Recruitment and retention proportions will be calculated for each study. Where possible, we will calculate pooled proportional effects with 95% confidence intervals using random-effects models and conduct a meta-regression to examine the impact of potential modifiers of recruitment and retention. Discussion Findings from this review will help inform future intervention research with fathers to optimally recruit and retain participants. Identifying key factors should enable health researchers and program managers design and adapt interventions to increase the likelihood of increasing father engagement in early childhood health interventions. Researchers will be able to use this review to inform future research that addresses current evidence gaps for the recruitment and retention of fathers. This review will make recommendations for addressing key target areas to improve recruitment and retention of fathers in early childhood health research, ultimately leading to a body of evidence that captures the full potential of fathers for maximizing the health and wellbeing of their children. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42018081332.


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