Mind and Society

Mapping and Understanding Homelessness Crisis in British Columbia: Community Development Approach

Shannon Walker, Rita Dhungel — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In British Columbia, housing has grown to be a significant social justice issue. In British Columbia, the housing first method is a contemporary perspective that helps disadvantaged individuals obtain and keep a place to live. By analyzing rental and vacancy statistics in British Columbia, this study will investigate and assess the housing first strategy. This article's objectives are to analyze the political factors and driving forces behind the housing crisis response, comprehend the practical obstacles that local residents must overcome, and provide a thorough understanding of homelessness in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. To accomplish the goals, a comprehensive literature review was carried out, and it was critically examined and assessed. A structural social work theory lens was used to examine the collected data on a theme basis. This paper begins with a brief overview of housing related issues and strategies and concludes with a critical analysis of the implications fora policies, programs and research.

Caregiver Burden in Diabetes Care and Psychosocial Interventions: A Review

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects an individual and their family members indirectly. Management of diabetes is a continuous and lifelong concern and one’s family is an informal source of support throughout the process. The present paper is an attempt to understand the varied challenges that diabetes caregivers face daily and attempts to propose some techniques to manage or ease their burden. Google Scholar, PubMed, and other search engines were used for the literature review. This narrative review paper recounts the different intervention studies or programs that have been administered so far in helping caregivers of people with diabetes. The paper also sheds light on how the novel coronavirus—COVID-19 brought about a humongous challenge to both the formal (health care units) as well as the informal diabetes caregivers. The paper focuses on the many difficulties and burdens faced by diabetes caregivers that were presented with various containment measures by governments all over the world—total lockdown of public places, social distancing, home isolations, etc., and with little to no knowledge about the new caregiving pattern.

A Study on Addiction to Selfies and Youth Psychological Health: A Brief Overview

Aparna Mishra — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The usage of social media has increased significantly in recent years, and among young people’s favorite pastimes is the capture, sharing, and perusing of digital images of oneself, or selfies. But studies on selfies are still in their infancy, and little is known about teenage selfie habits or the relationships between them and confidence in one’s physique and general well-being. This study attempted to close this disparity by doing a narrative analysis of teenage body confidence and well-being in connection to selfie usage. There was no research that examined the association between children’s selfie practices and these relationships. Selfies appear to be a prevalent activity among teenagers, however sharing them online is less common. According to the analyzed studies, some components of selfies may pose more of a risk than
others. In particular, it seems that, at least temporarily in experimental settings, looking at selfies on the internet negatively affects teenagers’ sense of wellbeing and selfworth. Furthermore, asking for and considering other people’s opinions as valuable input might also be detrimental to selfie habits. Lastly, in line with studies looking at social media, social comparison has been shown in this growing body of work to be a possible mechanism via which taking selfies is associated with body confidence and well-being, narracistic behavior.

The Effect of Negative Body Image on Self Confidence and Self Esteem among Youth

Pavitra Bajpai — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The modern period that has taken over the planet has drastically altered every aspect of cultural life. The new styles are so alluring that viewers are constantly drawn to them and end up progressively feeling discontent with their physical appearance in an attempt to improve and mould their ideal body image. The phrase “body image” refers to our thoughts and feelings around our bodies. We can be impacted by our thoughts and sentiments about our bodies for the rest of our life, which can have a wider impact on our mental and physical health and as how we feel about ourselves. Although it’s actually not a mental health issue in and of itself, having body image issues is a somewhat regular occurrence and may increase the chance of developing mental health issues. The issue of body image and appearance can be seen in both children and adults, but it is more prevalent among youths, as they tend to be very conscious about their looks. So this current paper will do a systematic review that how young boys and girls think and feel about their bodies, the more negatively they perceive their appearance and physical form, the more their self-confidence and self-esteem diminish. This significantly affects on their mental health, which gradually hampers their personality development, affecting their future lives and causing their self-confidence to waver, leading their thoughts to shift from positive to negative. This paper will therefore highlight on psychological effect of negative body image and consequences and also how they can be protected from it, so that their self-confidence increases, their feelings of inferiority diminish, their psychological distress is alleviated, and their standard of living rises.

Artificial Intelligence as a Catalyst for Gender Equality: Empowering Women across Healthcare, Education, and Entrepreneurship

Pallavi Sharma — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial Intelligence, the frontier of technological innovation, empowers machines to learn, adapt, and perform tasks with a level of intelligence that is transforming the way we live, work, and interact with the world. AI is rapidly transforming societies all around the world, offering creative solutions to visible challenges. As we embark on the convoluted journey to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGS), empowering women or prioritizing gender equality emerges as the cornerstone, unlocking pathways to inclusive progress. This academic dialogue meticulously manoeuvres the transformative domain of AI- driven entrepreneurship, elucidating the surreptitious depths of women’s latent abilities. Within the dynamic context of developing economies, we unravel the tapestry where artificial intelligence intertwines with the gender empowerment, orchestrating a symphony that propels sustainable development. AI-powered tools and platforms hold the potential to augment women’s access to education, healthcare, and financial services, especially in remote or underserved communities. In the realm of healthcare and safety, AI-driven virtual assistants, wearable devices, safety apps, and simulated counsellors are revolutionizing access to medical information, monitoring health, ensuring safety during travel, and providing mental health support. The impact of AI also extends to career development, where AI-enhanced models offer personalized career counselling, job matching, skill-building, mentorship, and interview training tools. These tools empower women to classify opportunities and develop competency, thereby bridging the gender gap in the workforce. For women entrepreneurs, AI-supported financial management and data analytics tools are enhancing business efficiency, decision-making and growth. In the education sector, AI-assisted adaptive learning platforms, language learning apps, online tutoring platforms, and educational chatbots are transforming learning experiences for girls and women. These tools provide personalized, engaging, and accessible learning opportunities, thereby promoting educational attainment and lifelong learning. Overall, this paper highlights the significant role of AI in facilitating women empowerment by providing them with access to essential services, resources, and opportunities. However, challenges such as algorithmic bias, privacy concerns, and digital divide must be addressed to ensure that AI’s benefits are equitably distributed, fostering a more inclusive and equal society for all.

Exploring the Relationship between Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health & Well-being: A Review

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Social media is believed to worsen mental health issues. This review paper is planned to systematically explore the intricate relationship between social media use and its impact on adolescents’ mental health. For this, fifty-one papers were identified from the PubMed database after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and other filters. The findings of identified studies are mixed suggesting both positive and negative impacts of social media use ranged from poor to moderate level. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current research landscape on the relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health. Furthermore, the present study also aims to identify gaps in the existing literature to guide future research in this emerging field.

Conceptualization and Development of Quality of Life Scale for PWH Living in India

Richa Mohan, Sandip Anand, Meera Varadarajan, Nita Radhakrishnan — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There is significant prevalence of haemophilia in India, with second largest number of persons with haemophilia A. Research in India includes diagnostic studies, complications and co-morbidities, prenatal diagnosis, inhibitor development, gene therapy, etc. Limited information about quality of life is available of these patients. A rare genetic condition such as haemophilia can degrade the quality of life of affected persons and their families to a great extent.The objective of the current study is to develop a scale based on variables which will best explain the quality of life of the young and adolescent patients with haemophilia in India. About 200 respondents in the age group of 15 to 40 years were interviewed and data was collected on a 5 point Likert scale. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to reduce and refine the scale. With the help of EFA and CFA, we zeroed down to three dimensions for assessing the quality of life of persons suffering from haemophilia in India. The respondents in our study were extremely affected by their self esteem, their disease management ability and their family. This is a first such scale which will aid researchers and policy makers clearly identify the areas of concern to improve the lives of affected patients, specifically to Indian environment.

Investigating the Role of Big Five Personality Traits in Experiencing Flow

Sanskriti Damade, K. N. Tripathi — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the role of the Big Five personality traits in predicting the flow experience among adult participants. Flow, a state of deep immersion and optimal engagement in activities, is crucial for well-being and productivity. This research aims to bridge this gap by examining how personality traits such as openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism affect the propensity to experience flow, with an additional focus. The study employs a quantitative research design, collecting data through surveys from 200 students (100 males and 100 females) aged 17-40 from various colleges in Madhya Pradesh. The questionnaire assesses the Big Five personality traits as well as flow experience. Data analysis includes Correlation analysis and regression analysis to explore the relationships between the variables. Regression analysis reveals that extraversion and openness to experience significantly impact flow, whereas neuroticism negatively impacts it. Conscientiousness and agreeableness show minimal effects. Correlational analysis supports these results, with strong positive correlations between flow and openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, and a negative correlation with neuroticism. The results underscore the importance of fostering conducive environments and supportive contexts to enhance flow experiences through personality-informed interventions which provide valuable insights for educators, and students.

Coping Skills and Well-being of Indian Employees

Ritu Modi, Chhavi Gupta, Saloni Sonkar, Shivangi Srivastava — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

COVID-19 spread like wildfire globally towards the beginning of 2020. This period presented unforeseen and unprecedented challenges before the country’s citizens, specifically the working class. However, this also presents an opportunity to study psychological phenomena such as the coping skills and well-being of the employees during the lockdown period. This research aimed to study the significant difference in essential services and work from home employees’ mental well-being and coping strategies during COVID-19. The data were collected through an online survey of 171 participants, out of which 90 were ‘essential services’ and 81 were ‘work from home’ employees, using the Brief-cope and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental well-being scales. The results showed a significant difference in mental well-being between essential service and work from home employees. Work from home employees’ mental well-being is higher than that of essential services employees. It was also observed that the work from home employees used more approach coping strategies than essential services employees.

Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure Validation of a Hindi version of twenty-one items Depression Anxiety Stress Scale

Vishnukant Tripathi, Rakesh Pandey, Ashutosh Pandey — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The twenty-one-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) is a widely used measure for assessing depression, anxiety, and stress. Despite its popularity, existing Hindi translations of the DASS-21 have struggled to accurately convey the intended psychological and semantic meanings and provide insufficient empirical support for its three factor-model. Moreover, to date no validation study in Hindi, have examined second-order factor structure of DASS-21 and employed confirmatory factor analytic approach. Our study developed a new Hindi version of DASS-21 (DASS-21-H) and evaluates its psychometric properties and the first order three factor structure and second-order factor structure of DASS-21-H among Hindi speaking Indian adults using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The DASS-21-H demonstrated good reliability and convergent validity at both the subscale and scale levels. CFA confirmed the three-factor structure and revealed excellent fit for the second-order factor model, indicating that the DASS-21-H can provide a single aggregate score of general psychological distress along with scores for individual psychopathological symptoms. Both the models showed configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance across sexes (male and female). Our findings suggest that the DASS-21-H is a reliable and valid tool to measure depression, anxiety and stress as well as psychological distress in Hindi-speaking populations. However, further validation with larger, more diverse samples is required to confirm these findings.