The Role of Civil Society in the Labour Market Integration of Migrants in Europe: An Introduction

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This paper serves as an introduction to a special issue that discusses the role of civil society in the labour market...     

A Proposal for a Model-Based Composite Indicator: Experience on Perceived Discrimination in Europe

Social Indicators Research - The multidimensional poverty index (MPI) is generally credited for better capturing the various components of poverty. Where such indexes have a spatial component,...     

Behaviour change strategies for problem gambling: an analysis of online posts

Reducing or quitting problematic gambling often requires implementing a variety of behaviour change strategies, but there is limited evidence regarding the breadth of specific strategies that gamblers use to control or limit gambling behaviours. This study aimed to identify the range of change strategies reported by gamblers in a naturalistic setting (i.e. two online forums for problem gambling). A total of 2937 change strategies were extracted from online posts (N = 1370). Content analysis identified 27 discrete change strategies that were pre-decisional (i.e. barriers – behavioural and psychological, decisional balance, realization – behaviour and cognitions, set reasons to change, seek knowledge and information, self-assessment), pre-actional (i.e. action planning, commitment, goal setting), actional (i.e. alternative activity, behavioural substitution, avoidance – abstinence, environment and financial, consumption control, maintain readiness, reinforcement, urge management, cognitive restructuring, seek inspiration, self-monitoring and spiritual) and multi-phased (i.e. external support, social support and well-being). This study suggests the breadth and depth of change strategies are far more complex than previously reported. Future research with a broader population needs to determine which change strategies are most effective for those experiencing different levels of gambling problems.     

Intra-rater reliability of hip abductor isometric strength testing in a standing position in older fallers and non-fallers

Background

Reduced hip muscle strength has been shown to be a major factor related to falls in older persons. However, comprehensive assessment of hip abduction strength in the clinical setting is challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and intra-rater reliability of a quick and simple hip abductor strength test in a functional standing position.

Methods

Individuals over 65 years of age were recruited from the geriatric department of a university hospital and an outpatient clinic. Thirty-two older subjects, including 16 fallers (≥1 fall during the last 12 months) and 16 non-fallers were included. Maximum voluntary isometric strength (MVIS) and rate of force generation (RFG) of the hip abductors of the right leg were evaluated in a standing position using a hand-held dynamometer. Two test-sessions were carried out. All hip strength values were normalized to participants’ weight. Reliability was determined using the intra-class correlation coefficient agreement (ICC_agreement), the standard error of measurement (SEM) and a Bland and Altman analysis (BA).

Results

All participants completed the strength tests, which took a mean 2.47?±?0.49 min (one limb). Intra-rater reliability was higher for MVIS (0.98_{[0.95–0.99]}) than RFG (ICC?=?0.93_{[0.87–0.97]}) for the entire sample. In the non-fallers, ICC was 0.98_{[0.95–1.00]} (SEM?=?0.08 N.kg^??1) for MVIS and 0.88_{[0.75–0.96]} for RFG (SEM?=?1.34 N.kg^-1.s^-1). In the fallers, ICC was 0.94_{[0.89–0.98]} (SEM?=?0.11 N.kg^??1) for MVIS and 0.93_{[0.84–0.98]} (SEM?=?1.12 N.kg^??1.s^??1) for RFG. The BA plot showed that the MVIS and RFG values did not differ across test-sessions, showing that no learning effect occurred (no systematic effect). The mean differences between test-sessions were larger and the LOA smaller in the fallers than in the non-fallers.

Conclusion

Assessment of hip strength in a standing position is feasible, rapid and reliable. We therefore recommend this position for clinical practice. Future studies should investigate the diagnostic value of hip abductor strength in standing to discriminate between fallers and non-fallers, and to determine if change in strength following a falls prevention program reduces the risk of falls.

     

Building capacity of maternity staff to discourage the use of sunlight therapy in the post-partum period and infancy

PURPOSE: To describe the development, implementation and evaluation of an educational intervention that addresses risky beliefs held by midwives and nurses working in maternity areas and new mothers about therapeutic sun exposure. PROCEDURE: In 2002-2003, 59 midwives and nurses from a hospital in northern Queensland participated in an educational intervention to discourage mothers from exposing themselves and their infants to sunlight for therapeutic reasons. Intervention staff attended an educational workshop and/or received educational resources. Resources (posters, pamphlets and bookmarks) were developed for the staff to use for educating mothers. Process evaluation of the quality and usefulness of the workshop and resources was conducted immediately after the workshop and 12 months later. FINDINGS: Intervention staff indicated that the workshop was relevant to their work, and increased their knowledge and confidence in talking to mothers about sunlight exposure. Ninety percent of the 59 participants indicated they had used the workshop information in their interactions with post-partum mothers. Of the resources, pamphlets and bookmarks were used most often. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The educational intervention was successful in developing the knowledge of midwives and nurses to provide sound advice to new mothers about therapeutic sun exposure and in developing resources to support them in their education. Although workshops and resources are useful in the short term, they are impractical to sustain. To improve sustainability, content on this topic needs to be incorporated into midwifery and nursing curricula across Australia.     

Self-advocacy for People with Learning Difficulties: Does it have a future?

Within such a short-time self-advocacy has become not only fashionable amongst organisations of people with learning difficulties, but also with service providers and non-disabled individuals who have worked in traditional services. The concerns are that self-advocacy has become a process of consulting with users about what they want from services which are usually designed and delivered by non-disabled people. This had led to people recognising and accepting choices that are on offer by non-disabled people. As a consequence an artificial boundary around self-advocacy has been created which has led to people only speaking up about what society is prepared to make available (usually in form of segregated and supervised services) rather than challenging the (lack of) power that people with learning difficulties have in their lives. For people with learning difficulties to gain real change in their personal lives self-advocacy needs to be developed to ensure they not only have the communication skills, but have an appreciation of the importance of changing rules, policies and laws which institutions, local authorities and Governments make to ensure their rights are protected. If they have an appreciation of laws and policies it will result in real change and self-advocacy won't be a tool for service providers. Also, self-advocacy must include speaking up about alternatives to choices being offered, recognising the importance of supporting one another in common areas of concern and to challenge the political system to legislate to provide relevant changes. I have developed a self-advocacy framework model which includes all the elements needed to advocate and achieve permanent change.     

The World Social Forum between politics and NGOs

ABSTRACT

The WSF was established as a forum that gathered movements opposing a certain political ideology, neoliberalism, but it has refrained from openly supporting a political ideology. The WSF has empowered more radical leftish movements and thus played a role in the separation of these movements from more conventional left-wing parties that have embraced neoliberal capitalism as an undefeatable reality. Right-wing politicians have capitalized on this separation by promoting a populist rejection of capitalist elites. WSF itself has profiled itself as a forum of social movements rather than a forum of socialist movements. The article analyses to what extent the hegemonic role of NGOs in the WSF is at the roots of this apolitical positioning and to what extend rightsholder movements might have benefited from a more explicit embracement of a coherent socialist political alternative rather than the diversity that WSF has fostered as one of its central principles.     

Reliability,Validity and Classification Accuracy of the South Oaks Gambling Screen in a Brazilian Sample

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity and classification accuracy of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) in a sample of the Brazilian population. Participants in this study were drawn from three sources: 71 men and women from the general population interviewed at a metropolitan train station; 116 men and women encountered at a bingo venue; and 54 men and women undergoing treatment for gambling. The SOGS and a DSM-IV-based instrument were applied by trained researchers. The internal consistency of the SOGS was 0.75 according to the Cronbach’s alpha model, and construct validity was good. A significant difference among groups was demonstrated by ANOVA (F _(2.238) = 221.3, P < 0.001). The SOGS items and DSM-IV symptoms were highly correlated (r = 0.854, P < 0.01). The SOGS also presented satisfactory psychometric properties: sensitivity (100), specificity (74.7), positive predictive rate (60.7), negative predictive rate (100) and misclassification rate (0.18). However, a cut-off score of eight improved classification accuracy and reduced the rate of false positives: sensitivity (95.4), specificity (89.8), positive predictive rate (78.5), negative predictive rate (98) and misclassification rate (0.09). Thus, the SOGS was found to be reliable and valid in the Brazilian population.     

Birth mother loss: Contributing factors to unresolved grief

This study examined several key social and psychological variables that may impede the grief process for women who have relinquished an infant for adoption. 264 women, eighteen years or older, participated in the study. A major finding of the study was that higher levels of grief were associated with the birth mother's perception that she was coerced into relinquishment by others. It was also found that higher levels of grief were associated with feelings of guilt and shame regarding the decision to relinquish.