Tag: support

The role of social support in mitigating the effects of increased screen time on adolescent mental health – ​William Youkang Zhou

by William Youkang Zhou, Luisa Franzini

Excessive screen time has been linked to deteriorating mental health in adolescents, a relationship potentially intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversely, supportive social environments are associated with improved mental well-being. This study examined the association between screen time, social/emotional support, and mental health among adolescents during the pandemic using data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey’s Sample Child Interview. The analysis focused on adolescents aged 12 to 17. Mental health outcomes included (1) the frequency of feeling sad or depressed and (2) a life satisfaction score. Key independent variables were daily screen time exceeding two hours and consistent receipt of needed social or emotional support. Ordinary least squares regressions with survey weights were applied to ensure nationally representative findings. The study included 2,649 adolescents, with 81% reporting over two hours of daily screen time and 76% consistently receiving social support. Regression results indicated that adolescents with less than two hours of daily screen time and consistent social support reported the lowest frequency of depressive symptoms (coef = 0.79, p

Towards a sustainable model for a digital learning network in support of the Immunization Agenda 2030 –a mixed methods study with a transdisciplinary component – ​Isis Umbelino-Walker

by Isis Umbelino-Walker, Ana Paula Szylovec, Brice Alain Dakam, Asta Monglo, Ian Jones, Charlotte Mbuh, Reda Sadki, Alan Brooks

The Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) has been endorsed at the World Health Assembly as the world’s strategy for immunization. The Movement for IA2030 is a voluntary collective of immunization practitioners, principally from low- and middle-income countries, who have pledged to support each other to accelerate local action in support of this global strategy. Collective action is facilitated by the peer learning platform established by The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF). We reviewed existing data from Movement participants and collected additional survey data to explore two aspects of sustainability of the Movement: why immunization practitioners participate and how much time and resources they contribute. Quantitative analyses of an existing large data set (n = 5682 participants) were complemented by analyses of data collected through a new survey (n = 291) and focus groups of Movement participants. The most commonly cited reason for participating (32% of responses) was to share experience and learn from others. This was generally true across all levels of experience, gender and place of work, suggesting a common rationale among immunization practitioners in different settings. It was a particularly strong motivation for the most experienced practitioners and those working in a setting with a strong organizational learning culture. New survey data revealed a high degree of intrinsic personal motivation to participate, through commitment of significant time and financial resources, with 47% (n = 136) of respondents committing personal finances to implement an action plan. Focus group discussions provided insights into the implications of findings for sustaining the Movement. Collectively, the analyses highlight key aspects of voluntary collective action to achieve global immunization goals through local action, to inform efforts to ensure long-term sustainability of the Movement.

Social support and self-efficacy during early adolescence: Dual impact of protective and promotive links to mental health and wellbeing – ​Megan Cherewick

by Megan Cherewick, Rinzi Lama, Roshan P. Rai, Choden Dukpa, Dikcha Mukhia, Priscilla Giri, Michael Matergia

This study aimed to assess the impact of sources of social support and dimensions of self-efficacy on psychological symptoms and mental wellbeing among early adolescents. A total of 274 adolescents aged 10–14 from Darjeeling, India, participated in the study. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) were utilized to assess dimensions of protective/promotive factors. Nested multivariable regression models assessed associations between age, gender, social support, and self-efficacy on psychological symptoms (internalising, externalising, and total difficulties) and mental wellbeing outcomes (mental wellbeing, optimism, and resilience). Results indicated that 13% of early adolescents screened positive for clinical depression and 44% reported poor mental wellbeing. Emotional and academic self-efficacy, along with family support, were significantly associated with reduced psychological symptoms. Conversely, social, and academic self-efficacy, along with support from friends, were linked to higher levels of mental wellbeing. Regression analyses revealed that dimensions of social support and self-efficacy explained a greater proportion of variability in mental wellbeing outcomes (R2 = 0.37–0.64) than in psychological symptom outcomes (R2 = 0.19–0.22), suggesting a stronger promotive effect on mental wellbeing compared to a protective effect on psychological symptoms during early adolescence. Findings suggest the urgent need for early mental health intervention to strengthen systems of social support and support self-efficacy among early adolescents. Multi-level or sequential interventions that target protective and promotive factors are a key strategy to addressing the global youth mental health crisis.

Mapping the organisational network of support for people experiencing homelessness in rural coastal areas of North East England: Results from a mixed-methods multi-sector social network analysis – ​Steven A. Thirkle

by Steven A. Thirkle, Emma A. Adams, Deepti A. John, Jill Harland, Eileen Kaner, Sheena E. Ramsay

The integration of physical and mental health, housing, social care, police, voluntary, and community services, alongside trauma-informed care, is vital for supporting people experiencing homelessness. This study examined organisational networks in rural and coastal regions of North East England, mapping and analysing these networks to identify provision, gaps, and opportunities for integration, and trauma-informed care. A mixed-methods study was conducted in rural and coastal areas of North East England, using purposive and snowball sampling for recruitment. Surveys collected data on inter-organisational collaborations, referrals, and service provision. Semi-structured interviews explored service provision for people experiencing homelessness, gaps in service provision, and trauma-informed care practices. Social network analysis was used to map and characterise organisational networks, measuring network density, distribution of degree and betweenness centrality. Thematic analysis was applied to interview data. Twenty-six participants from 24 services supporting homeless individuals were recruited. An additional 36 services were nominated as network participants, forming a network of 60 services. The network encompassed various service providers, with the most prevalent being Advice and Support services (n = 26), followed by Housing (n = 13) and Local Authority (n = 11). However, the network exhibited limited connections and collaborations (density = 0.029, average ties per service = 10.03). Three key themes emerged from the interviews: need for trauma-informed training and awareness, the impact of trauma on homelessness, and need for coordination and support. There is a need for strengthened connections and collaborations between services in rural and coastal areas to address the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness. Key players emerged across service types, with advice and support, emergency care, and criminal justice services as important intermediaries. Moreover, the implementation of trauma-informed approaches is limited. The findings highlight the importance of multi-agency collaboration in addressing the health, including mental health, needs of people experiencing homelessness.

Support striking IKEA workers

In the US: support striking IKEA workers.

Here’s how to make the actionnetwork.org letter campaign linked above
work without running the site’s nonfree JavaScript code.

First, make sure you have deactivated JavaScrupt in your browser or
are using the LibreJS plug-in.

I have done the next step for you: I added `?nowrapper=true’ to the
end of the campaign URL before posting it above. That should bring
you to a page that starts with, “Letter campaigns will not work
without javascript!”

They indeed won’t work without some manual help, but the following
simple method seems adequate for many of them, including this one.

To start, fill in the personal information answers in the box on the
right side of the page. That’s how you say who’s sending the letter.

Then click the “START WRITING” button. That will take you to a page
that can’t function without nonfree JavaScript code. (To ensure it
doesn’t function perversely by running that nonfree code, you can
enable LibreJS or disable JavaScript.) You can finish sending without
that code By editing its URL in the browser’s address bar, as follows:

First, go to the string &redirect=… and delete everything from there
to the end of that URL. Then insert `&nowrapper=true’. Then tell the
browser to visit that URL. This should give you a version of the page
that works without JavaScript. Enter the subject and body of your
letter. Finally, click on the “SEND LETTER” button, and you’re done.

This method seems to work for letter campaigns that send the letters
to a fixed list of recipients, the same recipients for every sender.
Editing and revisiting the URL is the only additional step needed to
bypass the nonfree JavaScript code. I’m sure you’ll agree it is a
small effort compared with the result of supporting the campaign
without opening your computer to unjust (and potentially malicious)
software.