Informal care in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Australia has been less impacted by COVID-19 than most other countries, partly due to strong preventive responses by government. While these measures have resulted in lower rates of infection, family and friend carers have been disproportionately affected by public health orders. The heightened risk of transmission to vulnerable populations, combined with the impact of economic uncertainty, unclear government communication, significant restrictions on movement and personal contact, and the reduction in formal support services, have highlighted pre-existing, systemic shortcomings in support for carers. The COVID-19 pandemic left many carers more stressed, isolated and worse off financially.

Factors of Caregiving Resilience by Race-Ethnicity in a National Sample of Caregivers

Despite heavy burdens and responsibilities, some caregivers are more likely to cope better with their care responsibilities than others, and this could vary by cultural beliefs and norms on caregiving. This study examined contributing factors of resilience with three racial-ethnic groups (White, Blacks, Hispanic). A total of 2,652 caregivers were included from Round 7 of the National Study of Caregiving. Caregiving resilience was defined by higher levels of care demands and higher levels of psychological well-being. Five domains of contributing factors were included: socio-demographic characteristics, context of care, caregivers’ psychological attributes, informal and formal support. Multiple logistic regressions showed that caregivers with higher psychological attribute levels were more likely to be resilient in all three groups. However, unique predictors have also been observed by race-ethnic groups (e.g., Blacks using formal support were more resilient). These findings suggest the need for culturally specific programs to facilitate resilience among caregivers.

Concussion symptoms and temporary accommodations using a student-centered return to learn care plan

BACKGROUND: Many students return to school after concussion with symptoms but without formal support. OBJECTIVE: To examine concussion symptoms and temporary academic accommodations during school use of a four-week student-centered return to learn (RTL) care plan. METHODS: Five public high schools used the RTL care plan and contributed student-level data after student report of concussion. Data on concussion symptoms, temporary academic accommodations corresponding to reported symptoms, and accommodations provided during RTL care plan use were examined. RESULTS: Of 115 students, 55%used the RTL care plan for three (34%) or four (21%) weeks. Compared to students whose symptoms resolve within the first two weeks, students who used the RTL care plan for three or four weeks reported more unique symptoms (P = 0.038), higher total severity score (P = 0.005), and higher average severity per symptom (P = 0.007) at week one. Overall, 1,127 weekly accommodations were provided. While least reported, emotional symptoms received corresponding accommodations most often (127/155 reports: 82%of occurrences). CONCLUSIONS: Use of an RTL care plan can facilitate the RTL of students with a concussion and may aid in the identification of students who are in need of longer-term support.

Culture without copying or selection

Typical examples of cultural phenomena all exhibit a degree of similarity across time and space at the level of the population. As such, a fundamental question for any science of culture is, what ensures this stability in the first place? Here we focus on the evolutionary and stabilizing role of ‘convergent transformation’, in which one item causes the production of another item whose form tends to deviate from the original in a directed, non-random way. We present a series of stochastic models of cultural evolution investigating its effects. Results show that cultural stability can emerge and be maintained by virtue of convergent transformation alone, in the absence of any form of copying or selection process. We show how high-fidelity copying and convergent transformation need not be opposing forces, and can jointly contribute to cultural stability. We finally analyse how non-random transformation and high-fidelity copying can have different evolutionary signatures at population level, and hence how their distinct effects can be distinguished in empirical records. Collectively, these results supplement existing approaches to cultural evolution based on the Darwinian analogy, while also providing formal support for other frameworks — such as Cultural Attraction Theory — that entail its further loosening.

“Mental health support is like a secret society”: A qualitative study of the impact of peer support on women’s mental health treatment experiences during the perinatal period.

Background Perinatal mental health problems are prevalent, affecting up to 20% of women However, only 17–25% receive formal support during the perinatal period. In this qualitative study, we sought to examine women’s experiences with peer support for mental health problems during the perinatal period. Methods Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with twenty-five mothers from the UK who had utilised peer support for a perinatal mental health problem. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results Seven major themes were identified in women’s help seeking process and experience of peer support. These included; perinatal specific precipitating factors that contributed to their mental health problems, barriers in the form of unhelpful professional responses, feelings of isolation, acceptance of the problem and need to actively re-seek support, finding support either through luck or peer assistance. Conclusions Peer support showed promise as an effective means to reduce perinatal mental health difficulties; either as a form of formal support or as an adjunct to formal support. The results highlight ways to improve perinatal women’s access to mental health support through peer-based mechanisms.

Parenting Skills, Family Functioning and Social Support in Situations of Child-to-Parent Violence: a Scoping Review of the Literature

The aim of this study was to carry out a scoping review to analyze the available evidence regarding parenting skills, family functioning and social support in situations of CPV. When violent behavior occurs, roles, communication and emotional expression are affected, impacting both parenting skills and family functioning. The confluence of these variables could explain the perpetuation of violent behavior over time. The scoping review encompassed peer-reviewed articles published in English and Spanish from 2000 to 2019, located through searches carried out in relevant international databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, ERIC, Dialnet Plus). 22 relevant studies were identified. The collected data showed that, in situations of CPV, parents have low levels of perceived self-efficacy and difficulties regulating their emotions, and they display submissive behavior in parent–child interactions. The analyzed articles also described the presence of a negative family climate and a tendency to relativize violent acts perpetrated by children. Lastly, the evidence shows that social relations are altered by mistrust of formal support resources and a certain level of social isolation. The discussion of the obtained results highlights the need for interventions aimed at fostering parenting skills and improving formal support resources to enhance family functioning in situations of CPV.

Aging Without Children in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Rural Estonia

This article explores living arrangements and both informal and formal support for the elderly who had no surviving children in the Russian Baltic province of Livland from 1850 to 1905. The article examines with whom the elderly who had no spouse and descendants to rely on lived out their twilight years; whether there were differences between the farmers and farm laborers; the role of poor relief, and whether adoption served well to ensure upkeep in old age.