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Despite higher reported rates of mental ill-health than the general population, professionals working in the animal care industry have low reported rates of help-seeking behavior. Potential factors involved in veterinary professionals' reluctance to seek help include stigma toward mental ill-health, practical barriers to accessing supports, and a cultural normalization of symptoms in the industry. This preliminary study sought to explore these factors in a sample of veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and veterinary technicians and examine effects of gender, years' experience, and practice location. A total of 408 veterinary professionals working in Australia and New Zealand completed an online survey between June and December 2021 measuring perceived stigma, practical barriers to mental health help-seeking, perceptions of normalized psychopathology and sickness presenteeism. Results indicated moderate levels of both perceived stigma and barriers to mental health help-seeking. Interestingly, psycho/pathology (e.g., burnout, fatigue, and sickness presenteeism) was perceived to be a normalized aspect of the profession by majority of respondents. Although no effect of gender or geographic location were observed, stage of career did have an effect on findings. Early career veterinary professionals were identified as more vulnerable to perceived stigma and barriers to care. The practical and research implications of the findings are discussed and include the need for mental health to be more centrally incorporated into the veterinary curriculum and professional development. Also discussed is an agenda for future research aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of professionals working in the animal care industry.

This article examines the mechanisms of desire at work in Molière's Don Juan, focusing on the interplay between cultural norms and individual psychology. Touching on some key scenes in the play, we will explore how Don Juan's behavior is shaped by societal expectations of masculinity and sexual conquest, as well as his own psychological motivations and desires. The study shows how Don Juan's pursuit of pleasure and power is influenced by cultural norms surrounding gender, religion, and social class, and how these norms interact with his own psychological makeup to create a complex and often contradictory character. By highlighting the complex interplay between cultural norms and individual psychology, this article sheds a new light on the enduring appeal and relevance of Don Juan as a literary and cultural figure. Themes addressed in the article: desire and seduction, gender roles and stereotypes, cultural norms and conventions, morality and religion, individual psychology and motivation, power and status, social class and hierarchy, performance and identity, justice and punishment, theatricality and meta-theatre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the globalization of business, historically developed business practices based on cultural values can suddenly become dysfunctional. Chinese exporters, particularly in small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for instance, are adopting new trade credit risk practices in response to unreliable international customers. Through 45 in-depth interviews, we investigated how Chinese SMEs are changing their perspectives on International Trade Credit Risk Management by employing a cultural values evolution approach. We explained why some Chinese exporters, but not others, shift from affect-based to fact-based risk management practices concerning trade credit. As a major outcome of our research, we identified and articulated four alternative stances towards credit risk: conventionalism, polycentrism, pragmatism, and rationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International migration to North America continues to rise, and with it the meeting of different cultural norms surrounding child caregiving and supervision. Previous research shows that high rates of reporting of supervisory neglect involving migrant families may partly result from these different norms and challenges particular to the migrant context. In this study, five focus groups were conducted with migrant caregivers (n = 19) and children aged 12–17 years (n = 25) to explore their experiences surrounding caregiving changes in migration as well as factors that help and hinder child supervision in migrant communities in Montreal, Canada. Results following thematic analysis indicate that family roles change in migration, but that caregivers and children perceive these changes differently. Families perceive and experience discrimination and judgment of their parenting practices from community members and fear that those will be labelled neglectful. Change in families' social support, especially at the neighbourhood level, has an important influence on caregiving practices. Results also show that parents' preparation of children to provide care for siblings and others is often not recognised as a strength by service providers in direct contact with families. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely acknowledged that high-level AI principles are difficult to translate into practices via explicit rules and design guidelines. Consequently, many AI research and development groups that claim to adopt ethics principles have been accused of unwarranted “ethics washing”. Accordingly, there remains a question as to if and how high-level principles should be expected to influence the development of safe and beneficial AI. In this short commentary I discuss two roles high-level principles might play in AI ethics and governance. The first and most often discussed “start-point” function quickly succumbs to the complaints outlined above. I suggest, however, that a second “cultural influence” function is where the primary value of high-level principles lies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breastfeeding Support Groups are deemed effective in promoting breastfeeding initiation and duration, but few studies have addressed the mothers' perspectives. To investigate the role and impact of Breastfeeding Support Groups on breastfeeding mothers in Ireland from the women's perspective. Specific objectives included the assessment over time of breastfeeding self-efficacy knowledge, use, and limitations of BSGs and whether they contributed towards women achieving their breastfeeding goals. An online survey using an established, validated Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy tool and custom-designed questions was administered at two time points as part of a larger sequential explanatory mixed methods' design. Cultural Historical Activity Theory was used as the theoretical framework. Majority of respondents at Phase 1 (N = 978) were multiparous, urban dwellers, and breastfeeding more than twelve months. Mothers first attend Breastfeeding Support Groups primarily to meet other breastfeeding mothers with many attending multiple types of group formats weekly. Qualities considered extremely important in breastfeeding supporters were: personal breastfeeding experience breastfeeding knowledge empathy understanding and listening skills There was no statistical difference in breastfeeding self-efficacy over time (z = -1.296, p =.195, r = -0.06). Participants attend Breastfeeding Support Groups to 'meet other mothers' in a convenient and local location, and not necessarily for a problem. Breastfeeding Support Groups normalise breastfeeding through social support, with breastfeeding supporters providing knowledge, empathy, understanding listening, and personal breastfeeding experience. Breastfeeding self-efficacy was high and did not increase over time, suggesting mothers need to be highly efficacious in this cohort to breastfeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionConsistent with international promulgation on the criminalization of filicide, Ghana’s Children’s Act 1998 (560) and the Criminal Justice Act criminalizes any form of torture against children. Yet, perpetrators of filicide in Ghana may go unpunished due to the beliefs in cultural norms that justify filicide acts. The cultural narratives of filicide can impede on the application and effectiveness of the laws of filicide.MethodThe study employed a vignette approach to explore the views of 19 adults, who were parents between 69 years of age and 30 years of age, in rural and urban Ghana on the laws of filicide in Ghana and filicide intervention measures. The interviewees were provided with narratives on two different vignettes (developed based on real life cases), followed by semi-structured questions to probe the narratives. The interviews were analyzed following Fraser’s narrative thematic analysis procedure.ResultsThe study identifies the association between cultural beliefs and the communities’ understanding of the concept of filicide. Though community members are aware of the criminalization of filicide acts, the majority of them were not informed about the laws against filicide in Ghana. Addressing filicide cases within the community was the most preferred option for the participants, as they believe that some children, termed “spirit children” (SC), deserve to be killed. Resorting to spiritual intervention from concoction men emerged as the normative pathway to obtain community approval for filicide. Police interventions were considered necessary in non-spiritual related filicides. Community members were only prepared to cooperate with the law in filicide cases if the filicide act has no connection with spirituality.ConclusionThe study adds to understanding of the concept of filicide outside western societies. The importance of intensive community campaigns against filicide acts, and norms that support filicide acts, has relevance for all counties.

Environment-behavior theories, which are at the intersection of architecture, psychology and social sciences, have been revisited through current field studies and this review article has been constructed in the context of the survival instinct that is at the heart of human existence. Perception is essential in comprehending and evaluating space and social environments. The processes in which perception is cognized and the types of meanings that security and belonging needs gain in the living environment are among the important criteria to be considered. In this article, it is reminded again with examples how the norms of the culture to which one belongs and the conflicts between the needs of individuality and socialization codify the space and thus change and transform one's spatial behavior.

The article discusses how diversity in contextual situations affects the nature of the research like evidence-base that clinicians, educators, and program planners use to inform their work also is affected. It mentions importance for transparency and cross-cultural understandings in the research; and also mentions focus on socio-cultural aspects of a specific universal socio-biological process.

Context and background The Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa endorsed through the adoption of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges by the African Heads of States in 2009 is having "a strong gender component which aims at "strengthening security of land tenure for women which require special attention" and "ensuring that land laws provide for equitable access to land and related resources". Despite this progressive framework, restricted rights to access, use, inheritance, control and ownership of land by women in Africa are still strongly felt at grassroots level and can be attributed to the imbalances of power relations between men and women based on patriarchal systems and associated social norms that discriminate against women. Goal and Objectives: This paper focuses on the results of a multi countries project which aims at creating a pathway to economic justice on women's land rights to empower women in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The project is targeting grassroots women that are affected by unequal land and property ownership, to be at the forefront of demanding the implementation of the existing progressive policies to achieve equity and equality in property and land ownership. Results: The project brought grassroots women from across Africa within the banner of one common cause, to amplify the voice of African women against the tyranny of injustice with regards to land and property rights. In this sense it is working to bring the marginalized, socially, culturally and economically excluded grassroots women to the mainstream where they can challenge inequalities and champion their own development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past five decades, hip hop has become a widely celebrated genre of music, yet misconceptions still exist surrounding the hip hop community’s norm of sampling. This paper explores the origins of hip hop and the concept of sampling that is central to the genre. Sampling can be conceptualized as an eight-pronged framework involving three types of wholesale appropriation, three types related to lyrical quotation, and two types related to the variety of music or beats. Each type is discussed, and some examples are given. Following this overview, the ethics of sampling is explored via the context of the origins of copyright in the United States, which, some consider, to be a sampling of the first copyright law from Great Britain, the Statute of Anne. Historic litigation against hip hop artists is also discussed, as well as how these specific cases changed the attitude of record labels and their willingness to allow their artists to sample from outside the genre. The paper culminates with a discussion on various sampling norms within various communities and how they can be viewed as potential ways to revitalize U. S. copyright law.

The Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa endorsed through the adoption of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges by the African Heads of States in 2009 is having “a strong gender component which aims at “strengthening security of land tenure for women which require special attention” and “ensuring that land laws provide for equitable access to land and related resources”. Despite this progressive framework, restricted rights to access, use, inheritance, control and ownership of land by women in Africa are still strongly felt at grassroots level and can be attributed to the imbalances of power relations between men and women based on patriarchal systems and associated social norms that discriminate against women. Women in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have equal rights to make key decisions on land because they are considered to be mere “guardians”, holding land in trust for their sons (Uvuza, 2016). By strengthening grassroots women collective capacity to effectively engage social, cultural and political systems and practices that obstruct grassroots women equality with men on matters of land, it helps in influencing change for an engendered land governance respecting traditional structures. This paper will focus on the results of a multi countries project which aims at creating a pathway to economic justice on women’s land rights to empower women in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The project is targeting grassroots women that are affected by unequal land and property ownership, to be at the forefront of demanding the implementation of the existing progressive policies to achieve equity and equality in property and land ownership. The project brought grassroots women from across Africa within the banner of one common cause, to amplify the voice of African women against the tyranny of injustice with regards to land and property rights. In this sense it is working to bring the marginalized, socially, culturally and economically excluded grassroots women to the mainstream where they can challenge inequalities and champion their own development. Empowered grassroots women developed the confidence and propensity to advocate for their ownership of land with decision makers and duty bearers creating a shift in cultural and social norms at local level. Collaborations between grassroots women and traditional and local leaders forged through the project have inspired the creation of an inclusive environment which supports women to participate in available economic and political spaces. As an example, grassroots women were standing for leadership positions in their localities during national elections in Uganda. They were vying for positions of councilors and women representatives.

Genetically modified (GM) crops are the most important agricultural commodities that can improve the yield of African smallholder farmers. The intricate circumstances surrounding the introduction of GM agriculture in Africa, however, underscore the importance of comprehending the moral conundrums, regulatory environments, and public sentiment that exist today. This review examines the current situation surrounding the use of GM crops in Africa, focusing on moral conundrums, regulatory frameworks, and public opinion. Only eleven of the fifty-four African countries currently cultivate GM crops due to the wide range of opinions resulting from the disparities in cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. This review proposed that addressing public concerns, harmonizing regulations, and upholding ethical standards will improve the adoption of GM crops in Africa. This study offers ways to enhance the acceptability of GM crops for boosting nutrition and food security globally.

Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Context and background Zambia has grappled with implementing the land titling from 2017 when it started the piloting of the National Land Titling Programme through the seventh National Development Plan (2017- 2021). The implementation started in 2017 with a small pilot project conducted in Lusaka City in areas called Madido and Kamwala. In 2018, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) signed an MoU with Medici Land Governance (MLG) to conduct another larger pilot to collect landownership information for 50,000 land parcels in Lusaka City using modern technology, such as use of drone imagery and artificial intelligence for identification of property boundaries, use of tablets and apps to collect ownership information from landowner, automation of production of survey diagrams and general plans of areas. Goal and Objectives: The objective of this paper is to address the issues around the use of private financing to secure tenure rights in urban areas and the issues around cultural beliefs among some communities in Lusaka, and the problems around customary land boundaries and expansions of towns affecting the cultural settings in the fringes of urban areas. Methodology: The MLNR, in partnership Medici Land Governance is working towards enabling the systematic titling of former farms or converted/replanned areas in order to update the existing cadastre and land information system. These are large farms in urban areas that have been replanned and even developed but landowners were still waiting for titles or former government or parastatal land that were sold. This paper reports on the progress made thus far, the challenges and opportunities to carry out a successful systematic land titling programme. The paper also tackles issues around challenges with traditional land boundaries versus state land. The paper recommends the need to carry out comprehensive reforms around the whole land administration system. This includes developing a unified land registry with devolved authority to local authorities, improving the land administration system with linked and integrated key registers such as the National Registration Information System being developed, the Registration of Companies and Societies, and linking to more electronic payment platforms. The paper concludes that private sector participation in the land sector needs support using results-based approaches of financing by multilateral partners as envisaged in the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Medicinal plant cultivation was examined in the context of cultural beliefs. • Plant cultivation acceptability is influenced by cultural mores and perceptions. • Plants that were 'allowed' to be cultivated tended not to be declining in the wild. • Many plants perceived to be declining in the wild are Least Concern on the Red List. • Important to integrate local socio-cultural norms/practices into cultivation schemes. Cultivation of medicinal plant species has been recommended as a conservation intervention to reduce the pressure on wild populations that are under threat of extirpation due to overexploitation, but there have been reports of resistance among some traditional healers and muthi traders to such initiatives. This resistance raises questions of whether there are cultural barriers to cultivation that go beyond the frequently cited concerns that cultivated plants lack 'strength' and are 'polluted' in some way. This study therefore aimed to examine medicinal plant cultivation in the context of beliefs and perceptions held by resource users towards plants that are considered culturally acceptable to cultivate, those that should not be cultivated, and plants that are perceived to be scarce and/or declining in availability, and to evaluate whether there are relationships between these factors. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 42 traditional healers and 72 muthi traders sampled from one rural village, two townships and five traditional medicine markets between KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, South Africa. Participants named 185 plant ethnospecies during the investigation (corresponding to ±171 species), of which, according to cultural norms and ancestral guidance, 98 ethnospecies were allowed to be cultivated, 68 should not be cultivated, and 23 were cited as being both allowed and should not be cultivated. The cultural factors were not specified due to sacred traditions that knowledge holders were typically not at liberty to reveal and they are thus defined only broadly as 'beliefs' and 'norms'. There was a very weak, non-significant correlation between ethnospecies that are culturally acceptable to cultivate and those that are perceived to be declining in availability, hence plants that were most frequently cited as declining tended not to be cited as those that were allowed to be cultivated. There was also weak, but significant, correlation between ethnospecies that both traditional healers and muthi traders said they were allowed to cultivate. Furthermore, there was no correlation between plants that are allowed to be cultivated and those that should not be. Since traditional medicine practices encompass culture and the workings of ancestors, it is essential that traditional healers and muthi traders are included in cultivation initiatives to ensure that these interventions are culturally appropriate for the beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a paucity of research on HIV risk factors and risk reduction among African immigrants living in the US. This is despite the fact that the literature on HIV prevention and treatment continues to grow. We conducted a focused review to identify cultural factors contributing to the high incidence of HIV among African immigrants and best practices to increase engagement in HIV prevention services in this population. We conducted a search for empirical research published between 2009 and 2019, yielding 17 relevant studies with 16 unique samples. Inadequate knowledge about HIV transmission, low HIV risk perception, and stigma may be barriers to engaging in HIV prevention. Targeted interventions included bundled HIV testing, flexible scheduling, and involvement of community leaders in intervention planning and implementation. Implications for practice and directions for future research among this population are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article applies an anthropological perspective of violence to critique and interrogate the concept of social justice. It analyses Bangladeshi sex workers' "lived experience" of symbolic and structural violence in different social worlds—the community and family, and brothels—as a new framework for understanding social injustice. We find that violence and injustice exist in a complex web of power, identity, social structures and culture, shaped by power relations, discriminating social structures, and oppressive cultural norms which push the sex workers into the cycles of violence. These forms of violence impede an individual's capabilities, life chances and dignity, the factors that determine one's experience of social justice. From a social policy perspective, our study suggests that social justice to sex workers concerns, first and foremost, with addressing their needs for safety and security, thus, enabling them to experience equity, dignity, protection and human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Privacy law, as it regulates the nonconsensual disclosure of personal life, is instrumental to how reputation in human society becomes created, destroyed, and redistributed. In the contemporary Chinese society, as in elsewhere, privacy protection, and the lack thereof, have played an important role in the making of the 'haves' and 'have-nots' in the society's reputation landscape. This Article makes a systematic effort towards accounting for China's contemporary legal regime that regulates its public figure privacy problems. Through examining leading court cases and relevant regulatory practices, this Article demonstrates that the Chinese privacy regime in the twenty-first century, as embedded in the country's overall information regulation apparatus, differs in significant ways from the corresponding Western paradigms in terms of its operational structure, cultural logic, and political dynamics. Since the beginning of the post-Cultural Revolution era, China's status-based privacy regime has for the most time been highly protective of government officials until they become expelled from the official ranks. It is often laissez-faire with respect to the privacy of famous individuals outside of the government system, but with notable exceptions for those enjoying an exalted status in the realm of high culture. Furthermore, it can be conspicuously hostile towards grassroot figures who aspire for the limelight. The impact such public figure privacy regime may have had on China's reputation landscape is conceivably regressive. As this Article explains, underlying such regime is a lasting, albeit evolving, cultural tradition that tends to associate privacy protection with a hierarchical moral outlook. Notwithstanding the importance of culture, this Article further argues that China's privacy regulation must also be understood as embedded in the country's political context. As the status-based privacy regime produces disparate reputational consequences, it provides the state with a lever to incentivize and manage a diverse network of elites, whom the state considers as agents for upholding its political and moral authority and implementing its policy agenda. China's privacy regime in the new millennium may thus be understood as having stemmed from an intricate political process as the state strategically responds to rising challenges from increasingly powerful and competing market and social forces over the production of information, fame, and influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract By investigating deep-rooted cultural norms, this paper explores whether and how traditional gender role attitudes impact income gaps between men and women and identifies causal effects via instrumental variable and other causal inference methods. Based on data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2013, the results show that traditional gender role attitudes have a strong negative effect to the earnings of women but have no significant effect on men’s incomes. Through Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, this research finds that the different effects of gender role attitudes on the incomes of men and women appear to play a prominent role in causing the gender gap in earnings. In addition, gender role attitudes have an indirect and broad effect on gender income inequality through educational attainment, labor force participation, working hours, and occupational status. These results provide us with a new perspective for understanding the persistence and mechanisms of gender income stratification under educational equalization and have implications for gender equality policies.

Racism remains a root cause of underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx scholars across STEM. It also contributes to a lack of diversity in science communication, the types of science stories that are told, and the communities science communicators seek to engage. Racism is omnipresent in STEM, from education to research to science communication (SciComm), because STEM institutions operate within a culture systematically privileging Whiteness, i.e., a White supremacy culture (WSC), that dictates the norms and practices that most in these fields heedlessly accept and replicate. In this Perspective, we acknowledge the ways in which SciComm and SciComm training perpetuate WSC and examine how SciComm trainers can use their power to dismantle it. SciComm trainers pioneer new methods of sharing ideas and influence the culture of STEM, so are uniquely situated to bring about systemic change to address these problems in SciComm, STEM, and society, starting with four core themes for action: (1) Authentic Interrogation, Acknowledgment, and Accountability; (2) Representation; (3) Culturally Responsive Practice; and (4) Inclusion. We also describe our current work, which builds upon the Key Traits of Inclusive SciComm identified by leaders in the field, to co-create a framework to guide authentic, culturally competent, and inclusive SciComm. The draft framework integrates the Key Traits across spheres of influence (e.g., self, interpersonal, community, institution, society: politics and culture), with the ultimate goal of using SciComm to supplant WSC across these spheres of influence, with new co-created norms centering minoritized scholars, science communicators, and audiences in STEM.

ABSTRACT Context and background Zambia has grappled with implementing the land titling from 2017 when it started the piloting of the National Land Titling Programme through the seventh National Development Plan (2017-2021). The implementation started in 2017 with a small pilot project conducted in Lusaka City in areas called Madido and Kamwala. In 2018, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) signed an MoU with Medici Land Governance (MLG) to conduct another larger pilot to collect landownership information for 50,000 land parcels in Lusaka City using modern technology, such as use of drone imagery and artificial intelligence for identification of property boundaries, use of tablets and apps to collect ownership information from landowner, automation of production of survey diagrams and general plans of areas. Goal and Objectives: The objective of this paper is to address the issues around the use of private financing to secure tenure rights in urban areas and the issues around cultural beliefs among some communities in Lusaka, and the problems around customary land boundaries and expansions of towns affecting the cultural settings in the fringes of urban areas. Methodology: The MLNR, in partnership Medici Land Governance is working towards enabling the systematic titling of former farms or converted/replanned areas in order to update the existing cadastre and land information system. These are large farms in urban areas that have been replanned and even developed but landowners were still waiting for titles or former government or parastatal land that were sold. This paper reports on the progress made thus far, the challenges and opportunities to carry out a successful systematic land titling programme. The paper also tackles issues around challenges with traditional land boundaries versus state land. The paper recommends the need to carry out comprehensive reforms around the whole land administration system. This includes developing a unified land registry with devolved authority to local authorities, improving the land administration system with linked and integrated key registers such as the National Registration Information System being developed, the Registration of Companies and Societies, and linking to more electronic payment platforms. The paper concludes that private sector participation in the land sector needs support using results-based approaches of financing by multilateral partners as envisaged in the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches.

Gabrielle Palmer has written, taught, and campaigned about infant nutrition issues, particularly the unethical marketing of baby foods, since the 1970s. Her seminal book, The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts are Bad for Business, has guided many breastfeeding advocates for over 40 years through three editions and multiple printings. As a breastfeeding counsellor during the 1970s, she helped establish the United Kingdom's advocacy pressure group Baby Milk Action. She worked as a volunteer in Mozambique during the 1980s. During the 1990s she co-directed the International Breastfeeding Practice and Policy course at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, until she went to live for 2 years in China. Over the years, she has worked for various health and development agencies, including serving as HIV and Infant Feeding Officer for the United Nations Children's Fund, New York, and also taught at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). She is a mother and a grandmother. (This is a verbatim interview that has been edited for readability: MA = Maryse Arendt; GP = Gabrielle Palmer). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do cultural norms that allow individuals to choose their social relationships put them at risk for, or protect them from, loneliness? After all, more freedom to choose whom to relate to may promote that individuals can choose higher-quality relationships (which protects from loneliness), but it may also imply a higher risk of social isolation (which puts at risk for loneliness). We propose that the solution to this cultural loneliness paradox of choice is to distinguish whether more individual choice flows from cultural norms that provide more opportunities for new relationships (as implied by higher relational mobility; higher RMn), or from cultural norms that allow to leave established relationships (as implied by lower relational stability; lower RSn). Specifically, we suggest that more individual choice protects from loneliness when emerging from higher RMn (which allows to establish new higher-quality relationships), but puts at risk for loneliness when emerging from lower RSn (which increases the risk of social isolation by undermining the stability of established relationships). Findings from two cross-sectional survey studies in four European countries (Study 1: Finland, N = 237; Portugal, N = 261; Study 2: Poland, N = 242; Austria, N = 2 41) supported this line of thought: Higher RMn was consistently related to lower loneliness across all samples, and lower RSn was related to higher loneliness in two out of four samples (and either non-significantly related to higher loneliness or unrelated to it in the other two samples). We discuss the importance and implications of differentiating RMn and RSn to resolve the cultural loneliness paradox of choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children are expected to self‐regulate their behaviour, even in emotionally charged situations. Yet, such expectations for self‐regulation, the degree to which compliance is expected, and the specific regulatory behaviours deemed desirable, vary by culture, age of child, and specific situation. In this study, 34 Chinese (17 females) and 39 U.S. (19 females) preschoolers were observed and compared in two socioemotionally challenging situations. Children's compliance to explicit and implicit rules, their regulatory behaviours, and the associations between regulatory behaviours and rule compliance were analysed across the two samples. U.S. children showed greater resistance to temptation and similar levels of repair of mishap as compared to Chinese children. In addition, Chinese children used more avoidance and self‐soothing strategies and fewer distractive strategies than U.S. children. The effectiveness of regulatory behaviours in predicting rule compliance varied by both task condition and cultural group. Object and self distractions were associated with lower rule compliance in the mishap task. Social distraction was positively predictive of U.S. children's rule compliance in the mishap task, but negatively associated with their compliance in the temptation task. Social distraction was unhelpful for Chinese children's compliance in both tasks. The complexities of cultural variations and dynamics in their relations to children's rule compliance and regulatory behaviours are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies data from the China Education Panel Survey (N = 7954; boys: 51.28%; M age = 13.92) to explore students' perceptions of teachers' responses to their mental health issues and how students' and parents' level of engagement with school is associated with teachers' responses. The results suggest that in addition to being influenced by the severity of students' mental health issues, teachers' responses are highly influenced by the school engagement levels of students and parents. This study highlights teachers' uneven attention to students' mental health issues, which is inadequately addressed in real-life research and practice. • Teachers' attention to students' mental health issues may not be evenly distributed. • Four different profiles of students are identified. • Students in different profiles have distinct perceptions of teachers' responses to mental health issues. • Teachers' responses are influenced by the school engagement of students and parents. • Teachers' responses to students' mental health issues need to be understood within cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adolescents require opportunities to engage in occupations and need to have the requisite aptitude and agency to choose the occupations they want or need to engage in. Occupations are defined as the everyday activities that people choose to engage in individually or as groups that bring meaning and purpose to their lives. These occupations can be chosen or enforced. There is a paucity of literature around the occupations that adolescents in rural contexts choose and the meaning underlying their choices. This study explored the occupations of school-going adolescents of Pitseng, Lesotho, to gain insight into adolescent behaviour, and the strategies needed to develop sustainable health promotion programs for adolescents in this area. Methods: A descriptive qualitative research design was used. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 47 adolescents aged between 13 and 15 years from three high schools in Pitseng, Leribe district, Lesotho. Data was collected using focus group interviews after consent was obtained from the parents or caregivers and assent from the adolescents. Data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's method. Results: Three main themes emerged from the study: realities of customary rural life, facilitators of occupational engagement, and wellbeing versus risky behaviour. Participation in daily routine occupations, cultural norming, resource scarcity, school milieu and leisure engagement were subthemes derived under the first theme. The subthemes identified under the theme facilitators of occupational engagement were intrinsic motivation, and vicarious modelling and peer support. The third theme encompassed the conceptualisation of wellbeing and risky behaviour as subthemes. The adolescents were found to engage in risky behaviour to escape the monotony in their daily lives. This could be attributed to them having fewer choices for recreational activities during their free time. Some adolescents were able to improvise and attempted to enjoy their lives with fewer occupational choices. The natural environment, coupled with creativity, facilitated the engagement of adolescents in fun activities. Conclusion: The dominant influences relating to the adolescents' occupational choices and participation in activities were the impoverished rural context and the traditional inherited practices. The protracted timeframes for completing basic activities and household responsibilities and the scarcity of resources for leisure led to a restricted range of leisure activities. The traditional cultural context influenced gender-based differences in the manifestation of occupations. Despite the challenges, the adolescents showed resilience, creativity and a strong desire to improve their futures. Moreover, in this culturally steeped environment, the school and the community chief may be the two best entry points for organisations planning to facilitate health promotion programs. They are recognised and sanctioned power bases in rural communities. Recommendations for education, leisure, health promotion and further study were made for Pitseng.

This paper examines the contestation over human rights norms between Acholi traditional authorities and everyday realities on the one hand, and international peacebuilding actors on the other. Within this contestation, the focus is on women’s and children’s rights. When implementing human rights programmes, some international peacebuilding actors presented culture and rights as conflictual and attributed human rights violations to culture. This created tension between Acholi traditional authorities and everyday realities on the one hand, and international peacebuilding actors on the other. The paper argues that Acholi traditional authorities responded to the ‘assault’ on Acholi cultural values by presenting alternative narratives of human rights violations, to show that culture and rights overlap and are not conflictual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Parents play an integral role in young adults' sexual health including human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine decision-making. The objective of this study was to explore conversations regarding sexual activity in Haitian households and the influence of such conversations on young Haitian women's HPV vaccine discussion with their parents. Methods: From a large university in the southeastern United States, 30 Haitian-American college women (ages 17–26) were recruited for semi-structured in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Most participants stated that they either did not have conversations regarding sexual activity or the conversations that they had were described as 'uncomfortable' or 'awkward'. Many participants stated that once parents knew that HPV is sexually transmitted, their discussions about the vaccine would be considered an announcement of their sexual debut or sexual activity. Hence, many decided to not discuss the HPV vaccine with their parents. Conclusion: Findings have important implications for HPV vaccine uptake. Results showed that a lack of conversations about sexual activity within Haitian households led to limited discussions about the HPV vaccine among young Haitian-American college women and their parents. Future HPV vaccine uptake efforts should integrate familial and cultural beliefs about female sexuality, while focusing on cervical cancer prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]