The multicultural conceptualisation of well-being : The role of culture and circumstance in operationalising well-being in South Africa: A mixed-methods approach.

BACKGROUND: Exploring and understanding indicators of better life outcomes have remained popular among social and health researchers. However, the subjective approach to measuring well-being has raised questions on the appropriateness of standard measures of well-being in multicultural settings. The current study examines generalised well-being and its dependence on the implicit understanding of individual culture and circumstances. METHODS: A mixed-method approach with a cross-sectional design and focus group discussions was adopted. Fifteen focus group discussions with 66 participants were conducted in four provinces of South Africa. Descriptive statistics, correlations, regression analysis and analysis of variance were computed for quantitative data. The focus group discussions were analysed using a content analysis approach. The recorded focus group discussions were transcribed using the intelligent verbatim technique. Data analysis was done stepwise using open, axial, and selective coding techniques. RESULTS: Quantitative analysis showed a strong and significant association between quality of life and income and a moderate association with educational attainment. The open coding technique for qualitative data confirmed 11 different subconstructs of well-being, mentioned 403 times during the 15 focus group discussions. Furthermore, well-being indicators varied based on participants' racial identity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm personal circumstance and culture as significant for interpreting results from well-being research. Furthermore, it supports Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, highlighting the movement from deficiency needs to growth needs after deficiency needs are met. Research must adopt a more sociological approach to improve the accuracy and implementibility of findings when using standardised measures of well-being.

Social integration, solidarity, and psychological health of internally displaced persons in Cameroon: Exploring the role of community satisfaction.

Background/Introduction: Conflict-induced displacement continue to be a pressing public policy concern due to the adverse effects on the well-being of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Understanding the integration process of these individuals, particularly the role of solidarity and social integration in fostering a sense of belonging and improving their community experiences and psychological well-being, remains unclear. This study investigates the role of community satisfaction in the relationship among social integration, solidarity, and psychological health of IDPs in Cameroon. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 428 displaced individuals in the Ntui subdivision, Cameroon, were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). This technique tested four latent variables: social integration, solidarity, community satisfaction, and psychological health. Results: The results show a direct association between solidarity and both community satisfaction (ß = 0.282; p < 0.001) and psychological health (ß = 0.137; p < 0.01). Community satisfaction also has a direct relationship with the psychological health of the IDPs (ß = 0.292; p < 0.001). An indirect effect of solidarity on psychological health through community satisfaction was observed (ß = 0.084 (SE = 0.025, CI = [0.047, 0.129], p < 0.001)). However, no mediational effect of community satisfaction was found on the association between social integration and psychological health. The model accounted for 7% of the variance in community satisfaction (R2 = 0.07) and 20% of the variance in psychological health (R2 = 0.20). Conclusion: The findings indicate a strong sense of solidarity among the displaced persons in the studied communities in Cameroon, which promotes their psychological health via community satisfaction. As such, interventions should aim to foster solidarity among displaced persons to enhance their community experiences and psychological health.

Work-Life Balance and Mental Health Outcomes for Generation Z in Germany.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health can be negatively affected if work and private life demands are not balanced. This study proposes exploring work-life balance (WLB) as a predictor of Generation Z's mental health outcomes. METHODS: A cross-sectional online study was conducted to collect data on mental health outcomes and WLB from a sample of Generation Z (N = 134). Three regression models were calculated to examine the predictive effect of WLB on stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The results show a strong statistically significant association between all three mental health outcomes. The regression model suggests work-life balance as a predictor of stress (ß =.-0.404 P = 0.001, R2 = 0.16) and anxiety (ß = .-256 P = 0.001, R2 = 0.06). CONCLUSION: WLB must be considered a significant factor in mental health problems among Generation Z.

Mental health outcomes and quality of life of Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

The war in Ukraine has generated an increase in the number of refugees. As one of the top recipients of refugees, Germany has introduced policies to ease the integration of Ukrainians. The current study explores mental health outcomes and their association with quality of life among a sample of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of Ukrainian refugees in Germany (n = 304) using standardised instruments. A t-test was used to check for possible significant differences based on gender. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyse potential associations between general health (GHQ-12) and depressive symptoms and anxiety (PHQ-4), and quality of life (EUROHIS-QOL 8 item). Female participants reported significantly higher psychological distress, depressive symptoms and anxiety. The significant model (p < .001) for the males accounts for 33.6% of the variance in quality of life. General psychological distress (ß = - .240) and depressive symptoms and anxiety (ß = - .411) are associated with decreased quality of life. For the female sample (p < .001), the model explains 35.7% of the variance in quality of life. General psychological distress (ß = - .402) and depressive symptoms and anxiety (ß = - .261) are associated with decreased quality of life. The current study provides the first knowledge on the prevalence of mental health problems and their associations with quality of life among Ukrainian refugees. The findings further identify the vulnerability of women refugees to poorer mental health outcomes. The results also confirm that traumatic experiences in the context of war explain a considerable bulk of mental health problems.

Interpreting Microaggression as a Determinant of Wellbeing.

Despite the increasing interest in exploring microaggression in the humanitarian context, there remains uncertainty on its mechanism for affecting life outcomes. There is a lack of studies on ethnic and racial minorities in non-western countries. The current research explores dimensions and manifestations of microaggression and how they affect wellbeing in a multicultural setting. The study uses a qualitative approach with 15 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 66 participants conducted in 4 provinces of South Africa: Gauteng (k = 6), North-West (k = 3), KwaZulu-Natal (k = 3), and Western Cape (k = 3). The recorded FGDs were transcribed using the intelligent verbatim technique. The transcripts were then analysed using a phenomenological approach. Data analysis was done stepwise using the deductive coding technique. Results show that participants' perception of the dimensions of microaggression varies depending on the manifestation as verbal, behavioural, or systemic. Furthermore, variations in patterns and reactions to dimensions of microaggression were linked with participants' racial identity. It further confirms that experiencing discrimination is associated with poorer wellbeing. Connectedness to the ingroup provides stability and certainty in multi-group societies due to the group rivalry that pervades such societies.

[Discrimination Experience Among Children and Adolescents - Results of an Instrument Search and Cognitive Interviews with Pupils in Preschool, Elementary and Primary Schools]. / Diskriminierungserfahrungen von Kindern und Jugendlichen erfragen ­ Ergebnisse einer Instrumentenrecherche und kognitiver Interviews mit Schüler/innen in Vor-, Grund- und Sekundarschulen.

Although the experiences of discrimination have become part of everyday lives for many children and adolescents in Germany, there is a lack of empirical data to explore its consequences on the well-being and other aspects of life. The limited data can be attributed to the lack of age-appropriate survey methods and instruments. Thus, the authors focus on the possibilities and challenges for an age-appropriate, standardised assessment of discrimination experiences among children and adolescents in Germany. An electronic database search was conducted to identify published instruments worldwide. Three Englishlanguage questionnaires developed for children aged nine years and onwards in the USA were found.These instruments have been used to collect data in samples with a large proportion of minor African Americans. The authors tested for the comprehensibility of the Child Perceived Discrimination Questionnaire (CPDQ; LaFont et al., 2018) in a sample of n = 21 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 14 years using cognitive interviews.The results highlight age differences in the item comprehensibility and demonstrate the topic's relevance even for preschool children. The authors discuss the importance of findings on discrimination experiences of minors for therapeutic and pedagogical practice and illustrate starting points for closing the research gap identified.

Racial identity as a moderator of the association between socioeconomic status and quality of life.

Research in social and humanitarian science has identified socioeconomic status (SES) as one of the essential determinants of quality of life (QoL). Similarly, racial identity is assumed to predict SES outcomes in multiracial settings. Therefore, understanding how racial identity moderates the association between SES and QoL may provide essential insights into the mechanisms generating socioeconomic inequalities and their implication on life outcomes. The current study employs a cross-sectional study designed to investigate the moderating effect of racial identity on the association between SES and QoL in a sample of 1,049 South Africans. A correlation matrix was computed to explore the bivariate associations between QoL, socioeconomic, and sociodemographic features. ANOVA was used to evaluate racial differences in QoL and SES. A moderator analysis was adopted to determine a possible moderating effect of racial identity on the connection between SES and QoL. Findings show a significant difference in QoL and SES based on race. While racial identity was a significant moderator of the association between QoL and SES for Black Africans, no significant moderating effect was reported for other racial groups. These results highlight the importance of racial identity for life outcomes and emphasis the unique experience associated with Black racial identity and its implications for SES, QoL, and their association in South Africa. This study explains the necessity to improve the QoL of minority groups, such as Black South Africans, and offers detailed explanations of their perceived disadvantage.

Experiences of Discrimination and Everyday Racism Among Children and Adolescents With an Immigrant Background - Results of a Systematic Literature Review on the Impact of Discrimination on the Developmental Outcomes of Minors Worldwide.

Experiences of discrimination such as everyday racism can negatively affect the mental and physical health of children and adolescents with an immigrant background and impair their integration process in the host societies. Although experiences of racism are part of the everyday life of many minors affected by the process of "Othering" (e.g., those with an immigrant background), an overview of empirical findings is missing for this age group worldwide. A systematic review was conducted to identify and analyze international research on the impact of discrimination on the developmental outcomes and integration of immigrant children and adolescents. Three scientific databases were systematically searched up to June 11, 2021. A total of k = 4,769 identified publications were reviewed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria in terms of the PICOS format by independent reviewers. Thirty-four primary studies published between 1998 and 2021 met all inclusion criteria. The samples examined were mainly migrant youth (k = 30), with only k = 2 studies assessing refugee youth and k = 1 study assessing both migrant and refugee youth. The majority of included studies assessed perceived discrimination, with only k = 1 study directly assessing experiences of racism. The association between discrimination or racism and developmental outcomes was assessed by the included studies within the three main topics of (a) mental and physical health-related outcomes (k = 30, e.g., self-esteem, depressive symptoms), (b) school-related outcomes (k = 6, e.g., academic achievement), and (c) other developmental outcomes (k = 13, e.g., misconduct or delinquency). Data collection procedures were implemented, and findings on minors' developmental outcomes and integration process who experience discrimination and racism were summarized and discussed. The current review suggests experienced (racial) discrimination as a negative predictor of children and adolescents' (mental) health-related outcomes, while no clear results could be found for the association between discrimination and school-related outcomes. A need for more empirical research focusing on the path and (possibly) indirect link between discrimination and children and adolescents' school-related outcomes as well as resulting school recommendations and the chosen career path was derived. Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=260291], identifier [CRD42021260291].

[Locus of Control and the Psychological Quality of Life Among Migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa in Germany: Results of a Representative Survey]. / Kontrollüberzeugung und psychische Lebensqualität von Menschen mit afrikanischer Herkunft in Deutschland ­ Ergebnisse einer Repräsentativerhebung.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Many people with an African migration background in Europe are affected by discrimination and racism because of their skin color and culture and have a below-average socioeconomic status and quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to find starting points for improving the integration and QoL of people with a migration background from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) living in Germany. METHOD: For the first time, a sample of 518 people from SSA (19-56 years) living in Germany was interviewed via an online survey in three languages about the psychological QoL and their locus of control as an indicator of their adjustment performance. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of the nationwide survey pointed to a significant strong positive association between locus of control and psychological QoL among people from SSA in Germany (p<.010; r=.49). Here, age, length of residence in Germany, occupational group, and educational attainment were significantly related to locus of control beliefs and mental QoL. A multiple regression model showed that, among the socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors, educational attainment was a significant predictor for the relationship between psychological QoL and locus of control. About 24% of the variance in mental health was explained by locus of control beliefs and educational attainment. Education is a starting point for interventions to promote integration and mental health of migrants from SSA at different stages of life.

Trust, Sociability, and Quality of Life of Sub-Saharan African Migrants in Germany.

Poor social integration is associated with poor quality of life among minority groups. The current study hypothesized that trust and sociability may significantly explain the quality of life performance among Sub-Saharan African migrants in Germany. Data from 518 migrants were analyzed. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were calculated to assess the predictive effect of trust and sociability on aggregate quality of life. Results show that general trust and sociability explained about 21% of the variance in quality of life score (adjusted R 2 = .206; p < .001) for the total sample. Socioeconomic and demographic features suggested an added predictive effect of about 8% for total sample (adjusted R 2 = .279; p < .001), 10% for male (adjusted R 2 = .322; p < .001) and 4% for female (adjusted R 2 = .211; p < .001). The results support trust and sociability as essential in connecting to a new environment and enhancing the quality of life.

Tracking the progress in COVID-19 and vaccine safety research - a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Scopus database.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency is one of the worse disease outbreaks in the history of infectious disease. The consequence has resulted in over 4 million deaths globally. Therefore, a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the disease, vaccine development, and safety has become crucial for the disease eradication. OBJECTIVE: The study adopted bibliometric analysis to identify the global contribution in COVID-19 and Vaccine Safety and analyzed the current status, development, and research hotspots to reference for future research directions. METHODS: Studies published between January 1, 2019 and July 11, 2021 were retrieved from the Scopus database. Data analysis and visualization were conducted using VOSviewer ver 1.6.6, Bibliometrix app. (Using R). RESULTS: A total of 1827 publications with 12.14 average citations per document were identified. These publications were published in 796 journals by 10,243 authors (with 5.61 authors per document) from 80 countries/regions. About 33.75% of the researches were from the developed countries. The USA, China, and India were top contributors for scientific research on COVID-19 and vaccine safety. The "Vaccine" is the most productive journal with 58 articles. Li Y, NA NA, and Liu X were the top three prolific authors. Furthermore, "Human," "Coronavirus disease 2019," and "Drug safety," were the most common frontier topics. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis highlights the characteristics of the most influential articles on COVID-19 related to vaccine safety. The findings provided valuable insight into the scientific research progress in this domain and suggest scaling-up research and information dissemination on COVID-19 and vaccine safety.

[Mental health and psychological burden of children and adolescents during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic-results of the COPSY study]. / Seelische Gesundheit und psychische Belastungen von Kindern und Jugendlichen in der ersten Welle der COVID-19-Pandemie ­ Ergebnisse der COPSY-Studie.

BACKGROUND: The drastic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on the psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents. OBJECTIVES: COPSY is the first national, representative German study to examine mental health and quality of life of children and adolescents during the pandemic. Results are compared with data of the representative longitudinal BELLA study conducted before the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Internationally established instruments for measuring health-related quality of life and mental health (including anxiety and depressive symptoms) were administered to n = 1586 parents with 7­ to 17-year-old children and adolescents, of whom n = 1040 11- to 17-year-olds also provided self-reports, from 26 May to 10 June 2020. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate tests. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of the children and adolescents and 75% of the parents felt burdened by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to the time before the pandemic, the children and adolescents reported a lower health-related quality of life, the percentage of children and adolescents with mental health problems almost doubled, and their health behavior worsened. Socially disadvantaged children felt particularly burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two-thirds of the parents would like to receive support in coping with their child during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a mental health risk to children and adolescents. Schools, doctors, and society are called to react by providing low-threshold and target-group-specific prevention and mental health promotion programs.

Peer Relationships and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: Results From the German BELLA Study.

Background: Poor mental health affects adolescent development and is associated with health and social outcomes in later life. The current study uses cross-sectional data to explore the understudied aspects of peer relationships as a predictor of depressive symptom severity of adolescents in Germany. Method: Data from the German BELLA study were analyzed. We focused on the most recent measurement point of the BELLA study and analyzed data of 446 adolescents (aged 14-17 years). Peer relationship was measured using four items from the internationally established Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Depressive symptoms were assessed via seven items of the German version of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D). Hierarchical linear regression models were computed to explore the association between depressive symptoms and peer relationships. Hierarchical linear regression models served to determine the added predictive effects of each aspect of peer relationships. Result: The regression model showed that 22% of the variance of the severity of depressive symptoms could be explained by the quality of adolescents' peer relationships (F(1,444) = 125.65, p < 0.001). Peer acceptance has the most substantial unique contribution to peer relationship as a predictor of depressive symptom severity (Change in R 2 = 0.05; Change in F = 27.01, p < 0.001). The gender-specific analysis shows different trends for boys and girls. Conclusion: The quality of peer relationships is a significant predictor of adolescents' depressive symptoms severity. Improved peer acceptance, dependability, and ease of making new friends are significantly associated with reduced depression symptoms for Germany's adolescent population.

The rewarding properties of methamphetamine in an invertebrate model of drug addiction.

The rewarding properties of drugs in the mammalian system depend on their ability to activate appetitive motivational states. The associated underlying mechanism is strongly conserved in evolution and invertebrates have recently emerged as a powerful new model in addiction research. The natural reward system in crayfish has surprisingly proven sensitive to human drugs of abuse, providing a new model for research into the basic biological mechanisms of drug addiction. In this study, we examined the presence of natural reward systems in crayfish, and then characterized its sensitivity to 2.5 µg/g, 5.0 µg/g and 10.0 µg/g doses of methamphetamine (METH). Using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, we demonstrated that irrespective of the number of doses of METH injected into the pericardial system, crayfish seek out a particular tactile environment that had previously been paired with the METH. This study demonstrates that crayfish offer a comparative and complementary approach in addiction research. It contributes an evolutionary context to our understanding of a key component in learning and of natural reward as an important life-sustaining process.

Correction to "Molecular and Physiological Factors of Neuroprotection in Hypoxia-tolerant Models: Pharmacological Clues for the Treatment of Stroke".

[This corrects the article on p. 1 in vol. 9, PMID: 25780340.].

Molecular and Physiological Factors of Neuroprotection in Hypoxia-tolerant Models: Pharmacological Clues for the Treatment of Stroke.

The naked mole-rat possesses several unique physiological and molecular features that underlie their remarkably and exceptional resistance to tissue hypoxia. Elevated pattern of Epo, an erythropoietin (Epo) factor; c-fos; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); and hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α) contribute to the adaptive strategy to cope with hypoxic stress. Moreover, the naked mole-rat has a lower metabolic rate than any other eutherian mammal of comparable size that has been studied. The ability to actively reduce metabolic rate represents a strategy widely used in the face of decreased tissue oxygen availability. Understanding the different molecular and physiological factors that induce metabolic suppression could guide the development of pharmacological agents for the clinical management of stroke patient.