The process, outcomes and context of the sanitation change induced by the Swachh Bharat Mission in rural Jharkhand, India.

BACKGROUND: The Indian Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was launched in 2014 with the goal to make India open defecation (OD) free by October 2019. Although it is known that the ambitious goal was not achieved, the nature of the sanitation change brought about by the SBM in different parts of India is poorly understood. One reason is a dearth of case studies that would shed light on the performance of the SBM simultaneously across its different domains. This article provides an example of such study. Employing a Process, Outcomes, Context approach, the objective is to understand the process and outcomes of the SBM-induced sanitation change in a specific context of rural Jharkhand. METHODS: The study utilizes data collected through field research conducted in the rural areas of Ranchi district, Jharkhand, a state in east-central India. This data was obtained via repeated cross-sectional household surveys conducted at the beginning and at the end of the SBM, supplemented by key informant interviews with SBM stakeholders. FINDINGS: We identified political support of SBM implementation and its acceptance amongst the population. Female community workers became key agents of SBM implementation at local level. The SBM increased toilet coverage in the study area from 15% to 85% and lowered the OD rate from 93% to 26%. It substantially reduced structural inequalities in access to toilets, furthered social sanitation norms, improved some of the attitudes towards toilet use, but impacted less on hygiene and sanitation knowledge. The implementation mainly concentrated on the construction of subsidized toilets but less on improving public understanding of safe sanitation practices. CONCLUSIONS: Although the SBM reduced sanitation inequalities in access to toilets in the study area, the behaviour change component was underplayed, focusing more on spreading normative sanitation messages and less on public education. Sustainability of the observed sanitation change remains a key question for the future. This article calls for more systematic production of geographically situated knowledge on the performance of sanitation interventions.

Association of parent-child discrepancies in educational aspirations with physical fitness, quality of life and school adaptation among adolescents: a multiple mediation model.

BACKGROUND: The global public health issue of diminishing physical fitness among adolescents has gained increasing attention. The impact of parents' negative emotions or pressure regarding adolescents' educational aspirations may have a passive impact on the quality of life and adaptation of adolescents in and out of school, and ultimately harm their physical health. This study aims to explore whether parent-child discrepancies in educational aspirations influence physical fitness in adolescents through school adaptation and quality of life. METHODS: Participants consisted of 9,768 students, males 4,753(48.7%), females 5,015(51.3%), aged 11-19 years, males 14.3 ± 1.92, females 14.4 ± 1.93. The educational aspirations were gauged using a six-point scale for expectation scores. Physical fitness assessments were based on criteria from the National Student Physical Fitness and Health Survey. School adaptation was evaluated using the School Social Behaviors Scale-2. Quality of life for adolescents was measured using Chinese version of the Quality of Life Scale for Children and Adolescents. To analyze the multiple mediating effects, structural equation models were used, and 95% confidence intervals were determined through bootstrap methods. RESULTS: The results illustrated that school adaptation and quality of life played a significant mediating role in the effect of parent-child discrepancies in educational aspirations and physical fitness. There were three intermediary paths were confirmed: (1) discrepancies in educational aspirations → school adaptation → physical fitness (ß=-0.088 SE = 0.021; p<0.01; 95% CI: -0.135, -0.05); (2) discrepancies in educational aspirations → quality of life → physical fitness (ß=-0.025; SE = 0.011; p = 0.010; 95% CI: -0.050, -0.006); (3) discrepancies in educational aspirations → school adaptation→ quality of life → physical fitness (ß=-0.032; SE = 0.014; p = 0.011; 95% CI: -0.061, -0.007). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that parents should reduce negative emotions and pressure regarding adolescents' academic aspirations may help their children get better physical fitness.

"Broken fragments or a breathtaking mosaic": A mixed methods study of self-reported attributes and aspirations of siblings of individuals with and without neurodevelopmental conditions.

Siblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) experience distinct challenges and have unique strengths compared to siblings of individuals without NDCs. The present study examined attributes and aspirations of siblings of individuals with and without neurodevelopmental conditions, and analyzed the association between qualitative responses and quantitative measures of growth mindset, positive and negative valence, and mental health diagnoses. A novel mixed methods thematic analysis was employed to explore the experiences of 166 siblings (75 NDC and 91 controls, aged 14-26, 66.27% female) completing an online survey as part of a larger study on sibling mental health. The overarching theme described The Process of Self-Actualization and Integration, reflecting the journey siblings undergo in seeking to understand themselves and others amidst psychological challenges. It encompassed three subthemes: Personal Growth and Identity Formation; Connection and Belonginess; and Societal Perspective and Global Consciousness. Qualitative responses were analyzed within a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, and associations between phenomenology and mental health diagnoses examined. NDC siblings had higher negative valence and lower positive valence embedded in their responses, and quantitatively lower self-reported growth mindset (i.e., beliefs about the capacity for personal growth), compared to control siblings, which correlated with self-reported mental health diagnoses. Findings suggest clinical practice may focus on optimizing self-identified strengths and offer opportunities for self-actualization of hopes and ambitions, while providing support for families to attenuate bioecological factors impacting mental health.

Adolescents' digital career aspirations: Evidence for gendered pathways in a digital future.

INTRODUCTION: Computers and technology are still perceived as a male domain. As a result of this "digital gender gap" boys aspire careers in the information and communication technology (ICT) branches much more than girls. Guided by the situated expectancy-value theory of motivated behavioral choices, the present study aims to shed light on the predictors of digital career aspirations. METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were completed by 1018 Austrian adolescents (52.3% girls; 72% non-immigrants; Mage = 13.55, SDage = 0.88) attending 61 Grade 7 and 8 classes located in 17 vocational secondary schools between April and June 2019. Individual and class-level predictors of digital career aspirations were investigated with multilevel modeling. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear models revealed that boys, younger adolescents, and second-generation immigrant adolescents had higher levels of digital career aspirations compared to girls, older adolescents, and non-immigrants. Hours spend with the laptop per day, digital self-efficacy and media appraisal positively predicted digital career aspirations on the individual level, while a higher number of immigrants in the classes and higher levels of teacher discussions about media were significant positive predictors on the class level. The model explained 17% of the individual level and 52% of the class level variance. Cross-level interactions were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: These results have major implications for educational practice. Most importantly, educational interventions should enhance girls' digital self-efficacy believes and media appraisal. Furthermore, teachers should increase their discussion about digital media as they foster adolescents' digital career aspirations and might prevent future gender segregation in the ICT sector.

Community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' educational aspirations.

INTRODUCTION: Witnessing violence and violent victimization have detrimental effects on adolescents' emotional functioning and ability to envision and plan for their futures. However, research is limited on the impact of violence that occurs in adolescents' communities-whether or not it was witnessed or experienced firsthand. This paper investigated the associations between community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' high school and college graduation aspirations. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3031), a cohort study of children born 1998-2000 in 20 large US cities, merged with incident-level data on deadly gun violence from the Gun Violence Archive (2014-2017). Outcomes were reported by adolescents (girls and boys) during wave 6 (2014-2017) of the study, conducted when the children were 15 years of age. We employed ordinary least squares regression, ordered logistic regression, and multilevel stratification to examine the average and heterogeneous impacts of community exposure to gun homicide on adolescents' educational aspirations. RESULTS: Community exposure to gun homicide was associated with reduced high school graduation aspirations, particularly among adolescents with the lowest risk of exposure to gun homicide. Gun homicide exposure was also associated with increased college graduation aspirations; this association was concentrated among adolescents with moderate-high risk of exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of education for job opportunities and the better health that accompanies education and occupational attainment, preventing early exposure to gun violence and providing institutional supports to help adolescents facing adversity realize their goals is essential to their long-term health and success.

Students' Occupational Aspirations: Can Family Relationships Account for Differences Between Immigrant and Socioeconomic Groups?

Immigrant background and disadvantaged socioeconomic background are two key predictors of poorer school achievement in Europe. However, the former is associated with higher while the latter is associated with lower aspirations. This study asks whether family relationships account for this difference. Data come from 5,926 students in Germany and Sweden, eliciting indicators of family background and relationships at age 14-15 years (2011) and occupational aspirations 1 year later. High aspirations were found among students of non-European background and students with higher parental occupational status. Structural equation models showed that while immigrant families had greater parental aspirations and encouragement, family cohesion, and parental monitoring, only parental aspirations mediated the effects of family background.

A qualitative exploration of women's work aspirations and beliefs on meritocracy.

Meritocratic beliefs continue to be widely accepted in the United States; nonetheless, upward mobility is out of reach for many American women due to pervasive barriers to accessing decent work. The present study aims to explore American women's work aspirations and beliefs in the American Dream (the premise that no matter where people come from, with hard work, they can achieve prosperity) in light of the gap between this notion and the social inequalities in their working lives. We conducted semistructured interviews with 17 American women from diverse racial, educational, and work backgrounds to examine these women's work aspirations and beliefs on the American Dream. Qualitative content analysis yielded 3 domains: (a) aspiring for work that fulfills essential human needs, (b) multilayered influences on women's work aspirations, and (c) making sense of work aspirations in relation to beliefs on the American Dream. Our findings highlight the importance of relationships and systemic factors in shaping women's work aspirations. In addition, women's beliefs on the American Dream reflect complex interactions between endorsing meritocratic beliefs and their personal experiences. Implications for counseling psychology theory, research, and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Trait self-control, exercise and exercise ambition: Evidence from a healthy, adult population.

This study explores if self-control predicts exercise ambition and actual exercise, and if exercise ambition predicts actual exercise. Members and guests at a not-for-profit sports club were invited to participate. 264 individuals completed a self-reported (Self-Control Scale) measure of self-control, and responded to questions about actual exercise as well as exercise ambition prior to their workout. Main Outcome Measures are exercise ambition, actual exercise, and the difference between them. We find that trait self-control predicts both actual exercise and exercise ambition. Exercise ambition also predicts actual exercise. The results suggest a path from self-control, via exercise ambition, to actual exercise. Individuals with relatively low self-control might benefit from some aid in setting goals for their workouts and committing to exercise.

The longitudinal associations between motivation, self-regulatory capacities, and future-oriented cognition and behavior among serious young offenders.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined how changes in a set of motivational/self-regulatory factors were associated with subsequent change in future-oriented cognition and behavior. HYPOTHESES: We hypothesized that within-individual changes in aspirations, expectations, emotion regulation, resistance to peer influence, and impulse control would be positively associated with later change in future-oriented cognition and behavior. We also predicted that between-individual effects would be larger in magnitude than within-individual effects. METHOD: Serious young offenders (N = 1,318; M age = 16.04; 86% male) were followed over a 7-year period from adolescence to young adulthood during the Pathways to Desistance study. The analytical strategy incorporated both fixed and hybrid effects regression models to assess the time-ordered correlates of future-oriented cognition and behavior. RESULTS: Net of controls, within-individual changes in aspirations and expectations about the future, emotion regulation, and impulse control had statistically significant, positive associations with subsequent change in future-oriented cognition and behavior; however, between-person effects were much larger in magnitude than within-individual effects. CONCLUSIONS: Motivation and aspects of self-regulation are potentially important targets for correctional treatment and prevention efforts. Future orientation is an intermediate treatment mechanism worthy of further study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The relation between subjective well-being and career aspirations amongst a sample of adolescents in low socioeconomic status communities in Cape Town.

The study aimed to determine the relation between adolescents' subjective well-being and career aspirations. The study further aimed to determine the extent to which social support mediates this relation. The sample comprised 1082 adolescents in Grades 8-11, selected from schools located in low socioeconomic status communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The overall model demonstrated a nonsignificant relation between adolescents' subjective well-being and career aspirations. Across gender, the results indicated a significant relation between subjective well-being and career aspirations for the male group, but not for females. The results further indicate that social support did not mediate the relation between adolescents' subjective well-being and career aspirations for the pooled sample. However, for females, the study found a significant negative relation between social support and aspirations. We recommend targeting interventions at an institutional level, inclusive of challenging gender roles and providing information about educational and career opportunities for young people.

Coming out and going abroad: The chuguo mobility of queer women in China.

This article is part of a research project that explores the movement of queer women (lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer identified) from China to Australia and other Western countries. The research is based on participant observation and interviews that were conducted in selected cities in China and Australia. This article centers on queer women's narratives and experiences of going abroad, chuguo. Economic and social transformations in China have given rise to a new class of mobile urbanites. Going abroad has become a preferred life plan for young elites and the single child generation from urban, middle-class family backgrounds. The author looks at how mobility, sexuality, and gender non-conformity are intertwined in queer women's crafting of their life aspirations, and how the normative aspiration of chuguo in contemporary China enables (and disables) new ways of living and being. Building on the author's previous theorization of the "politics of public correctness," it is argued that transnational mobility has become a new homonormative value, which interplays with the neoliberal desire to be a mobile cosmopolitan subject in post-socialist China.

Impact of a Make-A-Wish experience on healthcare utilization.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of receiving a wish from the Make-A-WishR Foundation on (1) patient healthcare utilization and (2) savings benefit measures. STUDY DESIGN: Make-A-WishR arranges experiences, or "wishes," to children with progressive, life-threatening, or life-limiting illness. A retrospective, case-control analysis was performed comparing patients who received or did not receive a wish and associated impact on healthcare utilization and costs across 2 years. Healthcare utilization was defined as visits to primary, urgent, emergent care, and planned/unplanned inpatient hospitalizations. We defined wish savings benefit as a decline in the cost of care from years 1 to 2, which exceeded the average cost of a wish in 2016, $10,130. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2016, 496 Nationwide Children's Hospital patients received a wish. We matched these patients to 496 controls based on age, gender, disease category, and disease complexity. Patients who received a wish were 2.5 and 1.9 times more likely to have fewer unplanned hospital admissions and emergency department visits, respectively. These decreases were associated with a higher likelihood (2.3-fold and 2.2-fold greater odds) of the wish achieving a savings benefit compared to hospital charges. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in the Make-A-WishR program may provide children quality of life relief while reducing hospital visits and healthcare expenditures.

Individualised aspiration dynamics: Calculation by proofs.

Cooperation is key for the evolution of biological systems ranging from bacteria communities to human societies. Evolutionary processes can dramatically alter the cooperation level. Evolutionary processes are typically of two classes: comparison based and self-evaluation based. The fate of cooperation is extremely sensitive to the details of comparison based processes. For self-evaluation processes, however, it is still unclear whether the sensitivity remains. We concentrate on a class of self-evaluation processes based on aspiration, where all the individuals adjust behaviors based on their own aspirations. We prove that the evolutionary outcome with heterogeneous aspirations is the same as that of the homogeneous one for regular networks under weak selection limit. Simulation results further suggest that it is also valid for general networks across various distributions of personalised aspirations. Our result clearly indicates that self-evaluation processes are robust in contrast with comparison based rules. In addition, our result greatly simplifies the calculation of the aspiration dynamics, which is computationally expensive.

Anticipation of racism and sexism: Factors related to setting career goals for urban youth of color.

This study examined the effects of anticipated racial and gender discrimination on variables related to the development of career goals. For a sample of 195 urban youth of color we used path analysis to test a career decision self-efficacy and goal-setting model informed by the social cognitive career theory self-management model of career exploration and decision-making behavior (Lent & Brown, 2013). Specifically, we examined how students' anticipation of racial and gender discrimination in the workplace were related to the process variables of career decision self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and how self-efficacy and outcome expectations were related to setting clear, viable goals. The results indicate different pathways for boys and girls. For boys, an anticipated hostile racial employment climate was negatively related to career decision self-efficacy, with career decision self-efficacy and vocational outcome expectations positively related to goals. For girls, an anticipated hostile racial employment climate was negatively related to vocational outcome expectations, with vocational outcome expectations positively related to career goals. Analyses showed that for boys, career decision-making self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of racial discrimination on vocational outcome expectations, and vocational outcome expectations partially mediated the effects of career decision-making efficacy on goals. While career decision making was related to vocational outcome expectations, there were no indirect effects for girls. For this sample, anticipated employment-related gender discrimination was not significantly related to career decision self-efficacy or outcome expectations among either boys or girls. Implications for training, practice, and research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Grit and Ambition are Associated with Better Neurocognitive and Everyday Functioning Among Adults Living with HIV.

Grit and ambition are psychological factors that may protect neurocognitive function among persons living with HIV (PLWH). We examined associations between grit, ambition, premorbid verbal intellectual function, and current neurocognitive and everyday functioning among PLWH and persons without HIV (HIV-). 120 PLWH and 94 HIV- adults completed the Grit Scale (includes total score and consistency of interests and perseverance of effort subscales), ambition scale, and a comprehensive neurobehavioral battery. PLWH had lower grit scores than HIV- adults. The two groups did not differ on ambition. No relationship was observed between grit and cognition among HIV- adults. Among PLWH, however, higher perseverance of effort and more ambition was related to better global neurocognitive functioning, and higher grit, but not ambition, was related to independence in daily functioning. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate these relationships over time and examine whether grit or ambition have protective effects on cognitive outcomes among PLWH.

"I aspire to look and feel healthy like the posts convey": engagement with fitness inspiration on social media and perceptions of its influence on health and wellbeing.

BACKGROUND: Fitspiration is a popular social media trend containing images, quotes and advice related to exercise and healthy eating. This study aimed to 1) describe the types of fitspiration content that users access and how they engage with content, 2) investigate the disordered eating and exercise behaviours and psychological distress of individuals who access fitspiration, and 3) understand the perceived influence of fitspiration on health and wellbeing. METHODS: Participants who access fitspiration content were recruited via social media to complete a cross-sectional online survey. Participants' psychological distress was measured using the Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10); disordered eating behaviours using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26); and compulsive exercise behaviours using the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI). Participants also answered a series of open-ended questions about their experiences with fitspiration. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted for quantitative data. Responses to open-ended questions were analysed for key themes using an iterative process of open, axial and thematic coding. RESULTS: Participants (N = 180, 151 female, median age 23.0 years (IQR 19.0, 28.5)) most commonly accessed content posted by personal trainers and athletes (59.4%), posts tagged with the 'fitspiration' hashtag (53.9%) and posted by 'everyday' people (53.3%). Overall, 17.7% of participants were classified as high risk for an eating disorder, 17.4% reported very high levels of psychological distress, and 10.3% were at risk of addictive exercise behaviours. Participants described both positive and negative influences of engaging with fitspiration content. The influence on their health beliefs and behaviours was explained through four key themes: 1) Setting the 'healthy ideal', 2) Failure to achieve the 'ideal', 3) Being part of a community, and 4) Access to reliable health information. CONCLUSIONS: Many participants reported benefits of fitspiration content including increased social support and access to health information. However, participants also reported that fitspiration content could negatively influence their wellbeing and perception of healthy goals. Content posted by relatable individuals or qualified experts was perceived as most trustworthy. Future research is needed to determine the individual and content-related factors associated with negative and positive fitspiration experiences.

Association between adolescents' academic aspirations and expectations and mental health: a one-year follow-up study.

Background: Mental health problems among youth have increased in Sweden in recent decades, as has competition in higher education and the labour market. It is unknown whether the increasing emphasis put on educational achievement might negatively affect adolescents' mental health. We aimed to investigate the relationship between adolescents' academic aspirations and expectations and the risk of mental health problems. Methods: We studied 3343 Swedish 7th grade adolescents (age 13), who participated in the first two waves of the KUPOL longitudinal study; participants answered a questionnaire encompassing the five-item Future Aspirations and Goals (FG) subscale of the Student Engagement Instrument, two questions about their own academic aspirations and expectations and two mental health instruments: the Center for Epidemiological studies for Children (CES-DC) (α=.90) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (α=.78). The association between aspirations and expectations at baseline and mental health at follow-up was analysed using logistic regression models adjusting for baseline mental health, socio-demographic and family factors. Results: The FG subscale was inversely and linearly associated with the odds of high CES-DC score [adjusted OR (odds ratio) 0.71, 95% CI (confidence interval): 0.59-0.86], total Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire score (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.49-0.71), and its internalizing (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.59-0.84) and externalizing problems scores (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.48-0.71). Conclusions: Adolescents with high individual academic aspirations have less mental health problems at 1-year follow-up. Future studies should investigate whether interventions aimed at increasing aspirations and engagement in school may prevent mental health problems in adolescence.

HEALTH RISK TRANSITION AND LOW MORTALITY PATTERNS AMONG A NATIONAL COHORT OF ASPIRATIONAL THAI OPEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.

In the last 50 years Thailand has achieved advanced demographic and health transitions. Many infectious diseases are controlled and infant and maternal mortality rates are among the lowest in the region. Within such a low mortality setting, however, substantial variations in health persist, with education being a major driver. This paper assesses the ongoing mortality transition in Thailand, examining relationships between risk factors and mortality outcomes among a large nationwide cohort of distance-learning Open University students, as well as examining the differential mortality benefit enjoyed by this educated group when compared with the general Thai population. The cohort comprised 87,151 participants, who in 2005 completed a questionnaire collecting detailed information on socio-demographics, health behaviours and health outcomes. Participants were aged 15-87 at baseline and lived in all regions of the country. Cohort members' citizen identification numbers were matched with official death registration records to identify mortality among participants. A total of 1401 deaths were identified up to November 2016. Results show cohort study participants experiencing mortality at approximately one-third of the rate of the general population in the same age and sex groups. The gap between the mortality rates in the two groups widened with increased age. Differential risk factor prevalence among the two populations, particularly lower overweight and obesity prevalence and lower cigarette smoking rates in the cohort, can explain some of this variation. The largely unmeasurable effect of aspiration for life improvement through distance education while embedded in their communities is shown by this study to have a powerful effect on mortality risk. With overall education levels, including higher education, rising in Thailand this growing group of educated aspirational Thais may represent future trends in Thai mortality. Identifying the drivers and characteristics of this mortality variation can help inform policies to provide health services and to help reduce mortality in the whole population.

Emotional engagement, educational aspirations, and their association during secondary school.

Previous research has demonstrated the link between school engagement and academic attainment, but there is less understanding of the relationship between school engagement and educational aspirations. Using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), this study examines the association between emotional engagement and educational aspirations during secondary school, covering ages 14 to 16. On average, emotional engagement increased over time. A significant proportion of adolescents shifted from expressing uncertainty to aspiring to continue in education. Males were more likely than females to shift from aspiring to continue in education to planning to leave school early. Greater emotional engagement was associated with a lower likelihood of having low or uncertain aspirations, especially for high-achieving, ethnic minority, and male adolescents. Findings highlight the importance of emotional engagement, particularly for those at risk of uncertain educational aspirations and those least likely to continue in education following post-compulsory schooling.