B. Schulte, H. Stover, K. Thane, C. Schreiter, D. Gansefort and J. Reimer
Injection drug use (IDU) and IDU‐related infectious diseases such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are highly prevalent among prisoners…
Abstract
Injection drug use (IDU) and IDU‐related infectious diseases such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are highly prevalent among prisoners worldwide. However, little is known about the prevalence of IDUs, HCV/HIV and the availability of respective treatment options in German prisons. Data provided by prison physicians of 31 prisons, representing 14,537 inmates, were included in this analysis. The proportion of IDUs among all prisoners was 21.9%. Substitution treatment was available in three out of four prisons (74.2%). Overall, 1137 substitution treatments were provided annually with a wide range of treatment aims. The prevalence rate was 14.3% for HCV and 1.2% for HIV. Around 5.5% of all HCV‐infected prisoners were in antiviral treatment annually, 86.5% of all HIV‐positive inmates in antiretroviral HIV‐treatment. Generally, substitution treatment, and HCV and HIV testing and treatment are available. However, due to abstinence‐orientated treatment aims, substitution treatment is rarely available as maintenance treatment, and HCV/HIV‐treatment is mainly provided for patients with an existing treatment before imprisonment. The inconsistent data quality necessitates changes in prison‐related policy to improve surveillance and to generate aggregated data in German prisons. The selection process in this analysis might lead to overestimating the provision of substitution and antiviral HCV‐treatment.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of medical care within the German penal system. German prison services provide health care for all inmates, including…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of medical care within the German penal system. German prison services provide health care for all inmates, including psychiatric care. The reached level of equivalence of care and ethical problems and resource limitations are discussed and the way of legislation in this field since 2006 reform on federal law is described.
Design/methodology/approach
The article summarizes basic data on German prison health care for mentally ill inmates. The legislation process and factors of influence are pointed out. A description of how psychiatric care is organized in German prisons follows. It focuses on the actual legal situation including European standards of prison health care and prevention of torture, psychiatric care in German prisons themselves, self harm and addiction. Associated problems such as blood born diseases and tuberculosis are included. The interactions between prison staff and health care personal and ethic aspects are discussed.
Findings
The legislation process is still going on and there is still a chance to improve psychiatric care. Mental health problems are the major challenge for prison health care. Factors such as special problems of migrants, shortage of professionals and pure statistic data are considered.
Originality/value
The paper provides a general overview on psychiatric services in prison and names weak points and strengths of the system.
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Charles Thomas Tackney and Imran Shah
Authenticity/ الصحة (as-sehah) serves as a criterion or predictor variable for the purpose of a comparative theological investigation of employment relations parameters in light…
Abstract
Purpose
Authenticity/ الصحة (as-sehah) serves as a criterion or predictor variable for the purpose of a comparative theological investigation of employment relations parameters in light of social teachings from Sunni Islam and Roman Catholicism. Authenticity finds initial, shared significance in both religious traditions because of its critically important role in judgments concerning the legitimacy of source documents. It also stands in both traditions as an inspirational goal for human life.
Design/methodology/approach
Particular issues of theological method for cross-cultural analysis are addressed by the use of insight-based critical realism as a transcultural foundation. Workplace parameters, the minimal enabling conditions for the possibility of authentic employment relations, are then identified and compared. The authors explore shared expectations for authenticity enabling conditions in terms of the direct and indirect employer: those national laws, systems and traditions that condition the functional range of authenticity that can be actualized within national or other work settings as experienced in the direct employment contract.
Findings
The study found remarkable consistency in the minimal conditions identified by Roman Catholic and Sunni Islam social teachings for the prospects of authenticity in employment relations. These conditions addressed seven parameters: work and the concept of labor; private property; the nature of the employment contract; unions and collective bargaining; the treatment of wages; the relationship between managerial prerogative and employee participation; and the crucial role of the state as indirect employer.
Practical implications
Specific minimal or threshold conditions of employment are described to ensure the prospect for authenticity in modern employment relations according to religious traditions. These include just cause employment conditions, unions and collective bargaining support, some form of management consultation/Shura, a living wage and a consultative exercise of managerial prerogative.
Social implications
The study offers prescriptive and analytical aid to ensure assessment of circumstances fostering authenticity in employment relations.
Originality/value
The method and findings are a first effort to clarify thought and aid mutual understanding for inter-faith employment circumstances based on Roman Catholic and Sunni Islam social teachings through a transcultural foundation in cognitional operations. The criterion variable specification of authenticity conditions offers a fully developed basis to support further empirical research in management spirituality, corporate social responsibility and enterprise sustainability.
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Workforce development in rural communities to address a surge in opioid addiction and overdose related hospitalizations has been an unaddressed issue in the USA. This study aims…
Abstract
Purpose
Workforce development in rural communities to address a surge in opioid addiction and overdose related hospitalizations has been an unaddressed issue in the USA. This study aims to present an integrated, trauma-informed, behavioral workforce development initiative in a midwestern rural setting in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a mixed method, two-phased study: the first phase tracked and analyzed two focus group conferences involving experts (n = 6) and professionals (n = 8) to develop a training protocol; the second phase provided a training (n = 101), based on the protocol to future professionals and compared competencies before and after the implementation of the training.
Findings
There is a need of a trauma integrated approach in providing interprofessional training connecting health-care workers in rural communities to address the current opioid crisis to bring about cohesion among integrated and interdisciplinary teams. Workforce building will need to implement best practices not only among medical providers but among community mental health practitioners in rural areas.
Originality/value
This is a unique trauma-informed workforce development initiative in a rural community. Such studies are extremely limited and almost non-existent. Further initiatives need to be taken in this field to identify unique differences within communities that may hinder implementation.
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Refugees’ access to psychotherapeutic care is insufficient in Germany. One factor particularly contributing to hindering their access to adequate therapeutic care is a lack of…
Abstract
Purpose
Refugees’ access to psychotherapeutic care is insufficient in Germany. One factor particularly contributing to hindering their access to adequate therapeutic care is a lack of provision of language mediation. This paper aims to explore the institutional system in which the financing of language mediation in the context of the medical treatment of asylum seekers in Germany is located. It examines why the language barrier problem resulting from a lack of financing is not being solved, even though it has been well known for years as a structural problem of day-patient health care to refugees and migrants in Germany.
Design/methodology/approach
The financing of language mediation is analysed against the background of theories of the so-called “shunting yard”, in which public responsibilities for the assumption of costs are shifted from one level and actor to the other, thus preventing sustainable solutions being achieved. A mix of qualitative methods including the evaluation of official documents, reports and secondary literature, and of 23 expert interviews was used.
Findings
The financing of language mediation is a perfect example of the “shunting yard” phenomenon, with responsibilities being shifted between federal government, health insurance bodies and the municipalities in Germany. This paper argues that the specific financing structure in the German federal system can be viewed as a reason for the non-solution of the language barrier that hinders refugees’ access to health care.
Originality/value
The problem of the financing of language mediation in the context of health care has been rarely treated from a social sciences perspective. This paper contributes to addressing this gap.
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Muhammad Aqeel, Rafia Komal and Tanvir Akhtar
The purpose of this paper is to inspect the potential mediation pathways among emotional empathy, personality traits and coping strategies in orphan and non-orphan students…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to inspect the potential mediation pathways among emotional empathy, personality traits and coping strategies in orphan and non-orphan students. Additionally, it designed to investigate the association of coping strategies with emotional empathy and personality traits.
Design/methodology/approach
Purposive sampling technique and cross-sectional design were employed in current study. The data of 130 adolescents (institutionalized orphans, n= 62; school students, n=68) were included from different high schools and orphanages of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2017. Three instruments, emotional empathy scale (Mehrabian and Epstein, 1972; Shazia, 2004), coping of problem experience (Carver, 1989; Akhtar, 2005), and Eysenck personality questionnaire (Naqvi and Kamal, 2010; Eysenck, 1964; Eysenck and Eysenck, 1994), were employed to measure personality traits, emotional empathy and coping strategies in orphan and non-orphan students.
Findings
Mediation analyses illustrated that personality traits relegated active avoidance coping strategy through emotional empathy in orphan students. On contrary, the study findings demonstrated that neurotic personality promoted positive coping strategy through emotional empathy in non-orphan students.
Research limitations/implications
The methodological limitations of this study are that the sample is of 130 participants that limits the generalizability of its results; furthermore, it was done on only the male orphans students of only one institute. Further research can be done on different orphanages to enhance the generalizability of results. This study included orphan and non-orphan students from the two cities of Pakistan; consequently, its findings may not be generalizable to the whole population. In the future, cross-sectional and experimental researches working with more assorted data could help elucidate the mechanisms by which interpersonal factors affect and stimulate coping strategies in orphans and high school students.
Practical implications
This paper exposes a number of ways for upcoming future studies. This study findings can be employed to enhance knowledge and offer assistance for orphans, on how to identify and get help from coping resources to tackle various problems and how to build new psychological preventions and interventions strategies in the Pakistani society. There still exists a need to find out the effect of emotion, empathy on personality types in relation to different environmental conditions. The findings have implications for pedagogical intervention as such improvements can be initiated in the pedagogical context.
Social implications
This study comprised only orphan and non-orphan students from two twin cities of Pakistan; consequently, its findings may not be applicable to the whole population. In future, cross-sectional and experimental researches with more assorted data will assist clarify the mechanism that interpersonal factors affect and stimulate coping strategies in high school students.
Originality/value
Study findings proposed that coping strategies can be promoted by interpersonal factors such as personality traits and empathy to tackle different orphan’s psychological problem in various negative situation.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore how GenAI can help companies achieve a higher level of hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalization in the tourism industry, as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how GenAI can help companies achieve a higher level of hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalization in the tourism industry, as well as show the importance of this disruptive tool for tourism marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases to provide updated studies and expert authors to explore GenAI in the tourism industry. Analysing hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalization modalities through GenAI and their new challenges for tourists, tourism cities and companies.
Findings
Findings reveal that GenAI technology exponentially improves consumers’ segmentation and personalization of products and services, allowing tourism cities and organizations to create tailored content in real-time. That is why the concept of hyper-segmentation is substantially focused on the customer (understood as a segment of one) and his or her preferences, needs, personal motivations and purchase antecedents, and it encourages companies to design tailored products and services with a high level of individual scalability and performance called hyper-personalization, never before seen in the tourism industry. Indeed, contextualizing the experience through GenAI is an important way to enhance personalization.
Originality/value
This paper also contributes to enhancing and bootstrapping the literature on GenAI in the tourism industry because it is a new field of study, and its functional operability is in an incubation stage. Moreover, this viewpoint can facilitate researchers and companies to successfully integrate GenAI into different tourism and travel activities without expecting utopian results. Recently, there have been no studies that tackle hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalization methodologies through GenAI in the tourism industry.
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Rupa Kalahasthi, Jacob Wadsworth, Cory A. Crane, Jonathan Toole, Cassandra Berbary and Caroline J. Easton
Homelessness is a growing concern across the globe that has multiplied during the pandemic. According to a recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD…
Abstract
Purpose
Homelessness is a growing concern across the globe that has multiplied during the pandemic. According to a recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD, 2018), 20% of the homeless population have a severe mental illness and 16% chronically used substances. This paper aims to address the effectiveness of in-shelter mental health services provided by qualified clinicians.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, clients from a homeless shelter were provided in-shelter mental health intake and resources by predoctoral clinicians. Their pre- and postdistress scores were recorded to establish the effectiveness of the intervention.
Findings
Ninety-eight guests were provided services of which 51% reported co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnoses. There was a clinically significant difference in the pre- to postsession distress levels based on the ratings at the intake session. It was noted that making services accessible increased the ability to provide triage services, help with housing options and integrate care with other providers and decrease distress levels.
Research limitations/implications
The current program was implemented in only one shelter in Upstate New York, other similar settings need to be explored in different locations. Objective indicators will be analyzed in the future to establish the effectiveness of services.
Practical implications
This paper outlines a procedure that can guide and help future projects to establish clinical care at homeless shelters across the USA and globally. This paper provides examples of the intake form, list of resources and basic coping strategies that can aid other clinicians and researchers to establish similar programs.
Social implications
This paper sheds light on the mental health needs of an underserved and underrepresented population in the field of mental health – the homeless. The guidelines outlined in this paper can help set up more mental health clinics at homeless shelters and make mental health services more accessible, which can help prevent recurring homelessness.
Originality/value
This paper establishes guidelines for effective single session interventions that help decrease distress levels. This paper also establishes the need for in-shelter services to overcome barriers in mental health care for the homeless population.
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Renee O’Donnell, Kostas Hatzikiriakidis, Melissa Savaglio, Dave Vicary, Jennifer Fleming and Helen Skouteris
To reduce rates of homelessness, recent efforts have been directed toward developing non-conditional supported housing programs that prioritize the delivery of housing support and…
Abstract
Purpose
To reduce rates of homelessness, recent efforts have been directed toward developing non-conditional supported housing programs that prioritize the delivery of housing support and individual services, without tenancy conditions (i.e. maintaining sobriety and adhering to mental health treatment). As promising as these programs are, findings generally show that while housing stability is improved, other individual outcomes remain largely unchanged. No review to date has synthesized the collective evidence base of non-conditional housing programs, rather the focus has been on specific programs of delivery (e.g. Housing First) or on specific population groups (e.g. those with mental illness). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which non-conditional housing interventions improve housing and well-being outcomes for all persons.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic search of the literature was conducted for randomized controlled studies that evaluated the effectiveness of a non-conditional housing intervention in improving housing and health outcomes among any participant group.
Findings
A total of 31 studies were included in this review. Non-conditional supported housing programs were found to be most effective in improving housing stability as compared to health and well-being outcomes. Policymakers should consider this when developing non-conditional supported housing programs and ensure that housing and other health-related outcomes are also mutually supported.
Originality/value
This is the first review, to the authors’ knowledge, to synthesize the collective impact of all non-conditional supported housing programs. The current findings may inform the (re)design and implementation of supported housing models to prioritize the health and well-being of residents.
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Chang‐Jian Zhou, Yi Yang and Tian‐Ling Ren
This paper aims to propose a new model to study the relationship between the acoustic properties of the thickness shear mode (TSM) in lateral field excited (LFE) film bulk…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a new model to study the relationship between the acoustic properties of the thickness shear mode (TSM) in lateral field excited (LFE) film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR) and the gap distance of the surface electrodes.
Design/methodology/approach
In the finite element analysis, harmonic and modal analyses are performed to obtain the admittance spectrum and determine the mechanical vibration mode. The results are used to modify the ideal model used in the theoretical calculation.
Findings
In the case of LFE FBAR, the acoustic velocity and electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2) of the TSM decreases as the gap distance decreases and there is a compromise between the exciting effectiveness and the acoustic properties.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a new method to study the dependences of the acoustic properties of the lateral field excited FBAR on the gap distances of the surface electrodes through the extraction of the static capacitance based on the finite element simulation results.