Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress in Unaccompanied Young Refugees During Their Flight: A Longitudinal Cross-Country Study

Background: Unaccompanied young refugees (UYRs) constitute an especially vulnerable population who report high rates of trauma and mental health problems. There is a significant gap in the literature on trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in UYRs who are still on the move and live in precarious circumstances such as refugee camps. This study therefore aimed at investigating pre- and peri-migration trauma of UYRs, longitudinal trajectories of PTSD, and the impact of gender, trauma, and daily stressors on PTSD over time. Methods: This longitudinal, mixed-method, and multi-country study was conducted in various settings (e.g. refugee camps) across nine European countries. A representative and heterogeneous sample of N = 187 UYRs (78.4% male) from 29 different countries was assessed via interviews at 3 time-points during a period of 27 months. Data was analyzed via growth curve modelling.Results: Prevalence rates of traumatic experiences ranged between 29.5-91.9%. PTSD scores were high but significantly decreased over time (b = -0.98; p = .004). Females reported higher PTSD compared with males at baseline (p = .002), but gender did not influence the longitudinal trajectory of PTSD. Pre-migration trauma had a significant effect on PTSD at baseline (b = 0.48; p = .042). More daily stressors resulted in higher PTSD across time (b = 0.13-0.26; p ≤ .001). Conclusions: The number of traumatic events pre- and peri- migration, daily stressors and PTSD in this heterogeneous sample are to say the least alarming. Humanitarian and political assistance is urgently needed to curb the oftentimes life-threatening conditions UYRs face during their migration.

Students’ Interests in Biodiversity: Links with Health and Sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that sustainable actions to preserve biodiversity are critical to preventing new microorganisms from harming human health. In this sense, education and encouraging young people’s interest in local biodiversity are crucial to promoting its preservation and sustainability. This research studied the biodiversity interests of 14–15-year-old students in São Paulo State, focusing on the links between biodiversity and human health. The criterion of maximum variation was used to constitute a heterogeneous sample of students. Students answered a four-point Likert questionnaire. The items in this questionnaire were divided into categories related to the interest of young people in biodiversity, and these were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Wilcoxon test). Categories of biodiversity linked to “health or human utility” were of higher interest to young people than those with no links to human benefits, such as “diversity of organisms”. These findings, along with the literature, showed that young people are interested in biodiversity issues associated with human health. Therefore, teaching biodiversity should reflect on new possibilities for making a more sustainable environment and promoting social and environmental justice, fundamental aspects of promoting and guaranteeing human health.

Investigating the heterogeneity of violent crimes: A descriptive analysis of offence characteristics

<p>Informed by theories on offending behaviour, violent offender rehabilitation programmes aim to provide treatment to a group of individuals who have committed a diverse range of offences, from assault to aggravated robbery to murder. Yet despite progress with specific offence types (e.g., homicide, robbery, assault), there is no research describing the offence chain characteristics of such a heterogeneous sample of violent offences. This exploratory study uses the structured approach of the Pathways Model of Assault (PMA; Chambers, 2006) to code and catalogue similarities and differences in the offence characteristics of an archival heterogeneous sample of violent offences. Cluster analysis was also utilised to investigate whether it was possible to construct a parsimonious series of pathways to represent the offence process for this diverse sample. The resultant model, the Pathways Model of Violent Offences (PMVO) was constructed and 12 pathways were revealed. The results suggest that upon initial investigation, there appear to be common, shared characteristics among a heterogeneous sample of violent offences.</p>

Investigating the heterogeneity of violent crimes: A descriptive analysis of offence characteristics

<p>Informed by theories on offending behaviour, violent offender rehabilitation programmes aim to provide treatment to a group of individuals who have committed a diverse range of offences, from assault to aggravated robbery to murder. Yet despite progress with specific offence types (e.g., homicide, robbery, assault), there is no research describing the offence chain characteristics of such a heterogeneous sample of violent offences. This exploratory study uses the structured approach of the Pathways Model of Assault (PMA; Chambers, 2006) to code and catalogue similarities and differences in the offence characteristics of an archival heterogeneous sample of violent offences. Cluster analysis was also utilised to investigate whether it was possible to construct a parsimonious series of pathways to represent the offence process for this diverse sample. The resultant model, the Pathways Model of Violent Offences (PMVO) was constructed and 12 pathways were revealed. The results suggest that upon initial investigation, there appear to be common, shared characteristics among a heterogeneous sample of violent offences.</p>