Invisible Wounds: Exploring the Coping Strategies of Black Survivors of Homicide Victims in Canada.

Canada has experienced a steady increase in homicide. Specifically, out of the 10 provinces and 3 territories, Ontario has consistently experienced the highest number of homicides, the majority concentrated within predominantly African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Despite this disproportionate reality, there is limited research on the ways in which survivors of homicide victims cope with the murder of their loved ones. This article explores the identification and characterization of coping strategies for ACB survivors of homicide victims residing in five neighbourhoods in the GTA. Participants in this study provided their insights and experiences, highlighting the coping mechanisms employed, the influence of cultural identity, and the challenges they experienced in accessing adequate care following the death of their loved ones. Implications for future research, policy and practice are discussed.

Who researches organised crime? A review of organised crime authorship trends (2004-2019).

This article presents a review of organised crime authorship for all articles published in Trends in Organized Crime and Global Crime between 2004 and 2019 (N = 528 articles and 627 individual authors). The results of this review identify a field dominated by White men based in six countries, all in the Global North. Little collaboration occurs; few studies are funded, and few researchers specialise in the area. Organised crime research, however, does have a degree of variety in national origin, and therefore linguistic diversity, while the number of female researchers is growing. The article concludes that authorship trends are influenced by the challenges of data collection, funding availability, and more entrenched structural factors, which prevent some from entering into, and staying active within, the field.

Determinants of maternal health care services utilization in Pakistan: evidence from Pakistan demographic and health survey, 2012-13.

The aim of this study was to determine the association between maternal utilisation of health-care services and socio-demographic factors among reproductive-age women in Pakistan. We used the sample of ever-married reproductive-age women (n = 7446) from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), 2012-13. We measured maternal utilisation of health-care services by using three dependent variables: number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, delivery assistance by a skilled health provider, and delivery in a health-care facility. Around 36.6% of women had made four or more ANC visits, 59% had received assistance from skilled health providers during delivery, and 55.3% had given birth in a health-care facility. On multivariable logistic regression, all three variables were positively associated with education and wealth, and negatively associated with birth order and women's autonomy. Policymakers and health planners may use our findings to develop efficient strategies, particularly for uneducated women and those with poor economic status, to improve the utilisation of maternal health-care services in Pakistan.

Paternal factors associated with neonatal deaths and births with low weight: evidence from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006-2007.

We aimed to discern paternal factors associated with neonatal deaths and births with low weight, independent of maternal and other socio-demographic factors. We analyzed the nationally representative sample of 5,724 ever-married women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who delivered their last child during the past 5 years preceding the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006-2007. We assessed adverse birth outcomes using two variables i.e. neonatal deaths (<28 days) and small size births (as a proxy for birth weight). Associations between paternal factors and adverse birth outcomes were assessed by calculating unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios using logistic regression models after controlling for maternal and socio-demographic factors. The analysis was performed by using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17. About 4.5 % mothers reported neonatal deaths and 34 % had small size births (SSB). We found that fathers involved in manual occupation were more likely to have neonatal deaths than fathers involved in managerial/professional jobs (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.64; 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 1.01, 3.55). Similarly, fathers who belonged to poorer wealth index had higher risk of SSB (aOR: 1.62; 95 % CI 1.18, 2.22). Additionally, consanguinity was a major risk factor which was associated with neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.73; 95 % CI 1.09, 2.74) and SSB (aOR: 1.25; 95 % CI 1.03, 1.55). Fathers' occupation including unemployment and consanguinity were associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes. Further studies are warranted to discern other paternal risk factors related to adverse birth outcomes.