Western Australian adolescent emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

Background The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been vast and are not limited to physical health. Many adolescents have experienced disruptions to daily life, including changes in their school routine and family’s financial or emotional security, potentially impacting their emotional wellbeing. In low COVID-19 prevalence settings, the impact of isolation has been mitigated for most young people through continued face-to-face schooling, yet there may still be significant impacts on their wellbeing that could be attributed to the pandemic. Methods We report on data from 32,849 surveys from Year 7–12 students in 40 schools over two 2020 survey cycles (June/July: 19,240; October: 13,609), drawn from a study of 79 primary and secondary schools across Western Australia, Australia. The Child Health Utility Index (CHU9D) was used to measure difficulties and distress in responding secondary school students only. Using comparable Australian data collected six years prior to the pandemic, the CHU9D was calibrated against the Kessler-10 to establish a reliable threshold for CHU9D-rated distress. Results Compared to 14% of responding 12–18-year-olds in 2013/2014, in both 2020 survey cycles almost 40% of secondary students returned a CHU9D score above a threshold indicative of elevated difficulties and distress. Student distress increased significantly between June and October 2020. Female students, those in older Grades, those with few friendships or perceived poor quality friendships, and those with poor connectedness to school were more likely to score above the threshold. Conclusions In a large dataset collected during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of secondary school students with scores indicative of difficulties and distress was substantially higher than a 2013/2014 benchmark, and distress increased as the pandemic progressed, despite the low local prevalence of COVID-19. This may indicate a general decline in social and emotional wellbeing exacerbated by the events of the pandemic. Trial registration: ANZCTRN (ACTRN12620000922976). Retrospectively registered 17/08/2020. https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380429&isReview=true.

Moral Panics

Who would have thought that scuffles between teenagers on the southeast coast of England on a cold April weekend in 1964 would have produced the notion of moral panic? Originating as a concept used to understand the reaction to the behavior of these teenagers, moral panic is one of the few sociological ideas that has entered common parlance. The reaction was considerable in relation to the degree of harm or damage. However, local and national media picked up on the events and alarm expressed by civic leaders and local business groups and made hay with headlines decrying the behavior and announcing the arrival of riot police to relieve what was described as a besieged town. More headlines further contributed to a spiral of reaction, and the issues were raised in the Houses of Parliament. The police and judiciary were urged to “crack down.” In the climate of a much-distorted view of events and behavior, overlong and custodial sentences were handed out for petty offenses such as vandalism. The participants in the moral panics include “folk devils” (the English teenagers), an influential and exaggerating media, local interest and pressure groups (civic and business leaders, religious leaders, and those who make “claims” as to expertise on the perceived problem), local and national politicians, the police, and judges. An important feature of moral panics is the “reaching beyond” the immediate problem with claims that there are society-wide implications; in the case of the teenagers in 1964, their deviant conduct was claimed to be symptomatic of general decline in morals. A moral panic is distinguished from general social anxieties and specific moral crusades when there is first a heightened concern over behavior of a group and the consequences this poses for wider society. There must be a division between “them,” the folk devils, and “us,” the responsible and law-abiding citizens. There must be consensus within society, or at least considerable segments of it, that the threat proposed is very serious. Additionally, the threat, damage, costs, and figures proposed by claims-makers are wildly exaggerated and do not coincide with an objective reality. Finally, moral panics are volatile. They typically explode, reach a pitch, and subside. Classic moral panics can also result in illiberal laws. As we will see, children and young people, and childhood, have regularly been the sites of moral panics.

Death or Resurrection? Christian Church Leader Responses to External Change

Christian churches in many Western countries have been confronted with a general decline in church membership and participation due to significant, society-wide shifts. This study seeks to better understand how church leaders at the local level work through the challenges posed by these external developments. Using a combination of semi-structured interviews and panel sessions conducted in The Netherlands, our analysis reveals a wide variety of change responses by local church leaders, even within church traditions. Based on these differences, we develop a process model of how and why local church leaders will differently engage with external change, thus opening up the debate around the contingencies and activities that may support local churches and their leaders in reversing local church decline. Our research also highlights the importance of local level processes and dynamics in understanding how Christian churches interact with their external contexts.

Upbringing of Talents: Youth Aspect

In the last decade of the XXth century, Russian employers began to experience difficulties with the selection of qualified personnel. The current situation was due to a structural imbalance between the supply and demand of labor and a general decline in the level of skilled personnel employed in industry. Over the years of reforms associated with the transition to market relations, the Russian industry has lost a significant number of production personnel, including people with the highest qualifications. The acute shortage, and sometimes the staff shortage, which many enterprises of the country are experiencing today are mainly of a structural nature, since the country uses technologies of different technological modes, and resource constraints on economic development from the supply of labor and its quality generations are poorly counted. According to various estimates, from 40 to 60 % of graduates of educational institutions do not work in their specialty and do not stay in the first place of work for a long period. Most leave after six months or a year. But the economy is changing rapidly. It is becoming innovative, high-tech and digital. The noted processes lead to the growth of the importance of the human factor and increase the requirements for people who enter the economy and must move it forward. For this, among other conditions, it is necessary to advance training of young personnel in the framework of newly emerging professions and even to «run ahead» somewhat in this matter. Since one of the main problems of Russian professional education today is the quality of training of specialists and qualified personnel, mastering a set of skills, characteristic of newly emerging professions and industries. The main trends against which the formation of today’s 6–14-year-old generation will take place are the subject of this article. The fourth industrial revolution is closely related to the latest technological advances – digitalization, robotization, the creation of artificial intelligence, etc., which in the short term will lead to the following: - about half of all existing professions will die out in the next decade; a huge mass of people will be without work, as the world will enter an era of high technological unemployment; the rate of technological change will be so high that workers physically do not keep up with retraining for new specialties, continuously replenishing the army of the unemployed. As a result of these transformations, not only the level, but also the structure of labor demand is changing – some professions become obsolete, others are replenished. J. Schumpeter said that the process of industrial mutation continuously reconstructs the economic structure from the inside, destroying the old and creating a new one.

On the Issue of the Reproduction of Scientific Personnel

One of the priority issues in the development of the country’s scientific and technological sphere is reproduction and increasing the role of human capital in an innovative economy. The difficulties of becoming a scientist in current Russian conditions are discussed. The special role of the family in the start of a scientific career and the decline in institutional support from the state are emphasized. Internal and external factors that hinder the process of reproduction of research personnel are considered. One of such key factors is the general decline in the authority and prestige of science in the country, which affects the motivational component of young people when choosing the profession of a scientist. It is shown that the creation of optimal conditions - both material support and maintenance of the environment and the preservation of the values of intellectual labor, as well as the presence of development prospects in the profession for young people are important components of the process of reproduction of scientific personnel.

Evolution of Pumping and Piezometry of the Carboniferous Aquifers, Western Border of Aïr Massif

The Tarat aquifer provides drinking water for the population of the city of Arlit and also provides water to industries. The exploitation of this aquifer has considerably increased in recent years. The main objective of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the functioning of the Tarat aquifer. Thus, a methodological approach focusing mainly on the piezometric study and the analysis of evolution and estimation of the volumes of water pumped, since its development from 1969 to 2012, which has resulted in highlighting not only a general decline in the level of the Tarat aquifer, but also the piezometer level (Arli_182), reacts strongly to the solicitations of the aquifer. On this same piezometer, the water table was lowered by 30 m from 1980 to 2006 (26 years), so a drawdown of 0.86 /year.

What Makes the Difference Is the Size and Proximity to the Centre: A Research Approach and Results of Territorial Cohesion Assessment at the Local Level

The aim of this paper is to assess the territorial cohesion of municipalities (gminas) in Poland using quantitative data and non-parametric modelling techniques. The full population of 2174 Polish municipalities divided into rural and urban-rural municipalities was examined. The time interval of the study, i.e., 2005–2017, allows us to capture the changes stimulated by the implementation of the cohesion policy, i.e., the programme of socio-economic transformation in Poland, implemented in the programming period 2007–2013. Using the DEA approach, a general decline in the cohesion index value over time was recorded in the period of analysis. The results of estimating autocorrelation measures indicate a progressive tendency to build spatial clusters, where the size of the local administrative unit (municipality), measured by the population potential and spatial location of the municipality significantly affect the cohesion level. It was also found that there are limits of positive influence of the EU income on the possibility of achieving a high level of cohesion, hampered by a limited resource of own funds. The research method in this paper has been empirically validated and can be applied to territorial cohesion studies in other EU countries.

‘Variant fatigue’? Public attitudes to COVID-19 18 months into the pandemic: A qualitative study

Objectives: Qualitative study exploring public attitudes to COVID-19 18 months into the pandemic, specifically focused on adherence to infection-reducing behaviours and policy measures during a period of the emergence of a new variant (Omicron)Study design: Qualitative online focus group study Methods: Focus groups were conducted with a diverse sample of 22 adults in the United Kingdom to explore their views. Data were analysed using a framework approach.Findings: Analysis revealed two main groups based on participants’ perceived concern over Omicron: variant fatigue (n=16 (73%)) and deja vu (n=6 (27%)). Those exhibiting variant fatigue reported not adopting any additional caution or infection-reducing behaviours as a result of the new variant. They tended to describe Omicron as ‘just another variant’ and expressed a need to ‘get on’ and ‘live with’ the virus. Those exhibiting deja vu suggested that Omicron was of additional concern to them and for some posed a threat not seen since ‘last year’ (second wave). No demographic patterns emerged, although there was a high amount of variant fatigue (absence of additional caution) (n=5 (83%)) amongst the unvaccinated participants. Those who were concerned about Omicron tended to report reducing social contacts. Few participants reported taking lateral flow tests regularly, except for those required to by their employers. Stated compliance with facemask rules was high. Nearly all participants stated an intention to comply with any future potential policy measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19, including more stringent measures such as lockdowns. Implications: 18 months into the pandemic, there may be habituation to the risk posed by COVID-19, despite the increased risk posed by the new variant Omicron. Due to this risk habituation (‘variant fatigue’) and due to a general decline in engagement with news related to COVID-19, many people may not be, or might be reluctant to, voluntarily adopt additional caution and infection-reducing behaviours. This poses a challenge for public health communication, since a sense of being ‘relaxed’ about, or ‘living with’ COVID-19 may undermine efforts to encourage voluntary adherence to infection-reducing behaviours. However, findings suggest that most people intend to comply (albeit reluctantly) with policy measures (as opposed to ‘advice’)- including stringent measures such as lockdown - if they were required in future.

Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization

Discussions of the role of cohort differences have long been part of academic research on union membership, with a central hypothesis being that the general decline in unionization is caused by changes toward more individualistic values in the younger generations. However, the short time span of most studies makes it uncertain if they can separate cohort effects from age effects. Using survey data going back to 1956, we test the individualization hypothesis. Our main result is that later Swedish cohorts are indeed less prone to join unions. In particular, the differences between cohorts born before and after ca 1970 are striking. We also provide evidence that the erosion in union membership in Sweden is not related to changes toward more individualistic values in later cohorts, or even to more negative views of unions per se.

Groundwater Depletion in an Urban Environment under Semiarid Climate and Persistent Drought–City of Marrakesh (Morocco)

The quantitative monitoring of the shallow aquifer in Marrakesh and its surrounding area shows that the water table has been lowered gradually over the last 40 years, and attaining an acute decline in the early 2000s. This declining trend—if confirmed in the future—may lead to a water shortage, or even to a total aquifer depletion, which would be devastating for a region where economic activity and drinking water supply rely partly on groundwater resources. Two factors account for this situation: the hot semi-arid climate characterized by high temperatures and low precipitation, causing an inadequate groundwater recharge (deficit between rainwater supply and the potential evapotranspiration), and the over-pumping of groundwater from wells for intensive agricultural uses and some leisure activities (golf courses, waterparks and pools, for example). The objective of this study is to assess the hydrodynamic behaviour of the shallow aquifer in this context of persistent drought and semi-arid climate under intense use conditions. Based on earlier research studies and hydrological data recently collected from the field, a spatiotemporal analysis using a geographic information system has been conducted, allowing researchers to monitor the evolution of groundwater resources under the impact of intense exploitation. This study shows a general decline of groundwater level in the city of Marrakesh between 1962–2019. However, by dividing this period into three periods (1962–1985, 1986–2001 and 2002–2019), it is obvious that the main groundwater fall occurred during the two last decades, a period marked by highest recorded temperatures and decreased precipitation levels. This water table decline impacted 85% of the study area and is estimated at 0.9 m/year. The area most affected by the drawdown of the water table experienced a decline reaching 37 m between 2002 and 2019 (more than 2 m a year).