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This paper charts the journey from classroom-based training delivery to hybrid and virtual learning opportunities used to overcome the challenges imposed by public health restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health measures introduced in March 2020 had a significant effect on the ability of the Children First Information and Advice Service (CFIAS), in Tusla, Ireland's Child and Family Agency, to deliver services. One of the key tools used by the CFIAS to support understanding of responsibilities, and best practice, in child safeguarding by professionals, and within organisations, has been the provision of direct training and information sessions. The introduction of public health restrictions necessitated a complete rethink by the CFIAS on how child safeguarding training and information are delivered. The paper presents an outline of the background and context of child safeguarding in Ireland, followed by a description of some of the challenges experienced by the CFIAS in response to the pandemic public health restrictions. It includes discussion on strategies and solutions considered to overcome these challenges. There is further discussion on the tools and methods eventually used, followed by a reflection on lessons learned by the CFIAS in areas including training delivery and methodology, eLearning, and information provision. The paper provides an analysis of limited qualitative and quantitative data, as well as a reflection on the lived experience of the CFIAS team members responding to the challenges posed during this time period, rather than a preplanned research study on pedagogical approaches in adult learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of the Inclusive Research Network (IRN), an inclusive research group founded by the Centre for Disability Studies, contributing to a National Disability Research Agenda (NDRA) setting project. IRN members with ID carried out their own consultations with disability stakeholders. This paper sets out the experiences of the IRN members in facilitating focus groups as part of phase 2 of the NDRA project. As this project took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and state lockdowns, this paper also provides a reflection on new ways of carrying out research and provides an insight into the process for other groups seeking to engage in inclusive research of this nature in a challenging and changing environment. IRN members showed great interest in being involved in the project, and their motivations aligned with the project's objectives. Facilitating the focus groups on Zoom took some preparation and posed accessibility challenges but enabled a more diverse group of people to attend. IRN members with ID improved their online facilitation skills and confidence but concluded that they preferred working face to face. IRN members overcame the challenges presented by online focus groups, and their involvement added value to the NDRA project. Researchers are encouraged to continue practicing inclusive research in times of remote working and virtual interaction and to share their experiences for mutual learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the sharp increase in time spent at home due to COVID-19-related restrictions shaped parents' relationship satisfaction with their partners. Drawing on 78 in-depth interviews with heterosexual partnered parents with at least one child aged 18 or under, we find that this experience of what we call "enforced togetherness" had varied effects on couples' relationships. More than half of the respondents (fifty-five percent) reported improved relationship satisfaction, while fifteen percent reported a decline, and the remaining thirty percent no change. Individuals with higher satisfaction took advantage of enforced togetherness and sought out more frequent and intense communication and leisure activities, underscoring the importance of spending time in strengthening relationships. On the other hand, those who were unable or unwilling to engage in these activities, due to lack of support for increased care needs and their continued uneven distribution across the couple, saw their relationships deteriorate. Finally, individuals experienced stability in their relationships when their prior routines and arrangements remained largely undisrupted by the pandemic. Our findings shed light on the significance of time as a valuable resource for couples' relationships, while at the same time emphasizing the role of their agency in its utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic generated unprecedented challenges for educators world-wide. University teaching staff were forced to rapidly adapt to virtual classrooms during lockdown and the return to campus has seen continuing flux. Poor student mental wellbeing is a major concern and although nascent digital mental health interventions can increase reach and augment in-person services, research on the effectiveness of digital interventions is still in its infancy. The implementation of hybrid solutions is challenging due to the complexity and diversity of institutions; however, important lessons can be learned from the switch to online teaching and the integration of digital technologies during the transition process. This paper explores staff experiences of transition through the pandemic using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three teaching academics from English universities. Analysis yielded four group experiential themes: Transition was a traumatic process; Relationships as a source of support and strain; Opportunities for learning and growth; and Surviving and inspiring the mental wellbeing environment. Key findings revealed the switch to online working presented unique stressors, while relationships were pivotal for navigating transition and healthy personal development. Findings can inform transition guidance including the integration of hybrid pathways to support mental wellbeing for the whole learning community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic drew public attention to the essential work and vulnerability of low-income Latina immigrants. Less recognized were the ways immigrant community organizations mobilized under exceptional conditions to provide immediate support to their communities while continuing to work toward durable systematic change. This paper analyzes the approach of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over three decades, MUA developed an organizing model that builds transformative relationships among peers and provides direct services and leadership development for civic engagement. MUA has a long history of research collaborations and self-study aligned with critical community-engaged research methods and values. In 2019, MUA formed a research team of its leaders and academics to analyze the impact of their model. Since data collection occurred between March 2020 and December 2022, the research also documented the organization's response to COVID-19. This paper argues that specific organizational values and practices of liderazgo, apoyo, and confianza (leadership, support, and trust) proved to be particularly powerful resources for sustaining individuals and community work through the pandemic, enabling women who have experienced multiple forms of structural violence to perceive themselves as capable of healing themselves and their communities while working to address root causes of trauma and inequity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 lockdown has had serious consequences, including rethinking higher education. The study aims to enhance the knowledge base of online education and academic integrity through a case study of the Ludovika University of Public Service (LUPS), Budapest, Hungary. The research aimed to assess the teachers' experience with distance learning and examinations, including the change in workload, digital competencies, Moodle, Turnitin, and other software used during and after the lockdown. This paper summarizes the university-level policy changes induced during the lockdown, covering the introduction of emergency distance teaching and online examinations in academic integrity at the university. Two years after the first lockdown, the researchers made a survey (n = 145) about the continuation of the introduced solutions. The results show that a remarkable reordering started while the technical and technological backgrounds were available for the changes. The teachers could feel a significant increase in workload with distance education and have low trust in maintaining the standards of academic integrity. However, the research shows moderate and low levels of digital competencies in the majority of teachers, which clearly defines the most crucial task leading to success. Maintaining the monitoring system with objective indicators of the development and the opinions of the interested parties is essential for successful strategies in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with COVID-19-hit Kenyan slums and the numerous interventions civil society organizations implemented during the first waves of the pandemic since it was initially detected in March 2020. As part of a comprehensive project using mixed methodology, including desk research and key informant interviews, community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations, together with other stakeholders of their collaborative networks, were investigated regarding the roles that they played, the projects they carried out, and the interventions they were involved in in the mitigation of the negative impacts of COVID-19. This paper investigates how COVID-19 actually hit Kenyan slums and how it affected civil society organizations during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of access to basic services played a big part among the key effects of COVID-19 on migrants and refugees. This paper examines the governance dynamics behind public services for migrants and refugees to understand how COVID-19 has impacted them and what accounts for different levels of adaptive capacity. It employs a mixed methods approach, using egocentric network analysis and qualitative interviews to compare the service ecosystems in four European cities from 2020 to 2022 (Birmingham, Larissa, Malaga, and Palermo). The paper explores the impact of two conditions on the service ecosystems' ability to adapt to the pandemic: the structure of governance and the presence of dynamic capabilities. We argue that the ability of local governments to manage pandemic challenges is highly dependent on the formal distribution of comprehensive competences across various levels (the structure of governance), and the quality of network cooperation between different administrations and civil society (dynamic capabilities). Our analysis reveals that while both conditions are critical for the level of adaptive capacity in public services' provision, the structure of governance is more likely to act as a constraint or trigger for coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an influx of misinformation surrounding the virus and its origins. This paper examines the negative consequences of neoliberal self-care discourses related to COVID-19 that contributed to the disinfodemic, focusing on the wellness industry. Some health gurus and wellness instructors promoted lifestyle adjustments and self-care to prevent contracting the virus and sometimes blamed COVID-19 patients for contracting it. These claims contributed to vaccine hesitancy and pseudo-scientific beliefs. The misinformation was attractive partly because it promised individual control and independence from mainstream (scientific) advice. These discourses existed before the pandemic but were amplified within the wellness community after the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper concludes by exploring the feminist notions of care and solidarity as a counter to the neoliberal notion of self-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bangladesh government issued a lockdown throughout the country from March–May 2020 in response to the COVID-19. The sudden lockdown caused economic ruptures across the country due to job loss. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the outbreak through 40 in-depth interviews with men and women living in three Dhaka informal settlements from January to November 2021 to identify gaps to mitigate negative downstream effects of global pandemic policies. In this paper, we explore the critical importance of social networks as coping mechanisms for those who lost livelihood due to COVID-19 lockdown. Due to the congested living conditions in informal settlements, many established residents foster close, trusting relationships, and a strong sense of community. Formal and informal networks in urban slums, whether reciprocal or strategic, played an integral role as a way of coping during times of scarcity. We found limited analysis in public health literature on the resilience of these social networks and its impact on health and wellbeing. Our paper attempts to unpack the ways our respondents drew on their own social networks to combat the socio-economic and emotional health challenges brought on by a lack of adequate formalized support as part of the pandemic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manner in which individuals worldwide shared art during the most challenging months of the COVID-19 pandemic stands as one of the most significant instances of creative social resistance in recent history. As a collective tool of resistance against emotional trauma, and as a means to foster a sense of community and well-being, the study of this phenomenon offers a compelling avenue for research into creativity and its social functions. This paper presents a descriptive case study of a successful 50-day collective experience within a neighborhood community in Madrid, Spain, during a period when the city, as a notably exceptional case study for research, bore one of the heaviest burdens of COVID-19 in the world. Data were gathered through in-depth personal interviews and direct observations. Applying a connected approach drawing on the fields of the Sociology of Art and Media Studies, three key findings emerge: (1) participants emphasized shared live artistic performances as the primary catalyst for fostering a sense of community, collective resilience, and overall well-being; (2) their sense of togetherness was further bolstered by digital and media support, as recordings of live performances were shared with loved ones living elsewhere, as well as with journalists and on social networks. This network of communication played a pivotal role in connecting individuals; (3) the combined efforts of both initiatives contributed to the development of a more positive individual and shared narrative surrounding the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered new working modalities, typically aimed at flexibility. However, the COVID-related restrictions caused adverse effects such as unemployment, precariousness, and social anxiety. Effects on working conditions differ depending on the socio-demographic features of those affected (e.g., gender, social status, economic situation, ethnicity). Scholars agree that people who were disadvantaged before the pandemic—the so-called minority power groups, e.g., women, young people, and immigrants—suffered the most from its effects. This literature review systematizes the main findings of studies on one of these minority power groups, namely women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, COVID-19 took many people by surprise, as did the intercontinental waves of protest triggered by the casual racist murder of George Floyd by a US policeman. The years of 2020 and 2021 will undoubtedly be remembered for massive, unexpected disruptions that require new social normalities to be negotiated. These social disruptions were triggered by unexpected viral pandemics and viral video footage. Yet they built on already existing, entrenched inequities marked by the intersections of racialisation/ethnicisation, social class and gender. It was common, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, for politicians and commentators to espouse a narrative that COVID-19 "does not discriminate". This is, of course, true. However, the research analyses that followed showed that both COVID-19, and the measures taken to arrest it, exacerbated already existing social inequalities. This paper draws on two narratives of the racialized impact of COVID-19 to examine the ways in which the authors mobilise intertextual narratives to protest against racism and call for resistance to the racisms they identify. The paper argues that, while the authors do not overtly position themselves as calling for change, their narratives are crafted in ways that resist current constructions of their racialized or religious groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings from a microcredit (financial inclusion) scheme that has been operated by a non-governmental organization since 2012 in a local community in Ghana, and sustained through the COVID-19 pandemic. It first examines microfinance, women's empowerment and third-sector organizational dynamics. It then provides an overview of microfinance in Ghana within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by dissecting the organization's microcredit, training and women's empowerment programmes. The following part documents the findings, with brief concluding thoughts and policy implications appearing in the last section. It is argued here that financial schemes, particularly those operated by third-sector organizations, can play a significant role in helping women in particular to deal with the secondary effects of COVID-19 by providing improved non-financial services and easy access to microfinance at low, sustainable interest rates. These findings have implications for policy formulation and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought increased attention to the existing gender asymmetries in academia, which have been extensively studied in the literature. Using the analytical lens of "gendered academic citizenship", this paper takes a micropolitical perspective to examine how the pandemic has impacted the dynamics of academic work, specifically focusing on the often-overlooked aspect of everyday interactions in the work environment. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis of survey data collected from 1750 lecturers and researchers in Portuguese higher education and research institutions, the study uncovers that women, especially those who are younger, single, have specific caregiving responsibilities, and are in the early stages of their careers, were more vulnerable to experiencing "everyday" microaggressions such as silencing, exclusion, belittlement, being ignored, lack of validation, and invisibility compared to men during the pandemic. These findings suggest that, while the marginalization of women in academia is a longstanding issue, the virtual work model has created a platform for the expression of subtle forms of disempowerment and discrimination against women. These dynamics are perpetuated within the micropolitics of organizations, shaping subjective feelings of belonging and circulating differential levels of recognition within academic institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on organizations and company human resource policies, multiple changes have been made to employee work behaviors. This paper developed a concept model on career plateaus, job burnout, work engagement, and turnover intention and examined it through a non-random sampling survey of 285 employees at resorts in Macao. The results revealed that career plateaus positively impact job burnout and turnover intention, and job burnout positively impacts turnover intention. The study found that career plateau negatively impacts work engagement and positively impacts turnover intention, and work engagement negatively influences turnover intention. Job burnout and work engagement partially mediate the relationship between career plateau and turnover intention. Training negatively moderates career plateau toward work engagement, and job rotation moderates career plateau toward turnover intention. Accordingly, organizations should consider the impact on employees' careers when designing training and job rotation policies in response to the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unaccompanied minors are among the most vulnerable undocumented immigrants facing removal proceedings in US immigration court. To avoid being sent back to violence and deprivation in their home countries, unaccompanied minors may apply for asylum or deportation relief for abandoned, abused, or neglected children. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a crisis for American society that also had key impacts on immigrants' lives and their ability to interact with state systems to apply for legal status and claim rights. This paper asks: (1) How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect unaccompanied minors' social vulnerabilities in the US?; and (2) How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the US immigration bureaucracy and the work of nonprofit advocates who broker unaccompanied minors' interactions with these state systems? Findings show that the pandemic exacerbated unaccompanied minors' social vulnerabilities, with especially adverse effects on indigenous youths, those in legal limbo, unrepresented youths, and those experiencing job loss. The pandemic also disrupted the US immigration bureaucracy and, consequently, the work of advocates who broker immigrants' interactions with these systems, making it more difficult to interact with traumatized youths to obtain necessary information for their cases, meet strict deadlines, and identify their needs. This case study provides lessons on how states and civil society strategically manage a "crisis" and discusses the implications for immigrants' rights and vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic highlight structural inequities in our educational systems and force educators to ask prominent questions about the role of school as conditions continue to shift. This paper explores challenges and opportunities for moving forward in the fields of teaching and teacher education. Through presenting a framework of education for liberation, sociocultural learning theory, and fostering cultural assets, the value of live, in-person teaching is highlighted. Embracing this moment in history through honoring the lived experiences of students and striving for more collective approaches to teaching and learning are discussed as future possibilities in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we ask how the Finnish Roma community handled the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the information reached Roma communities. The previous studies indicate existing health inequalities between Finnish Roma and the general population. The point of departure for the article is crisis communication between Finnish Roma and national authorities. The themes of racialization, mistrust and Roma relying on peers as a source of information and support became apparent. From this setting, this article sheds light on the way of speaking, usage of language, (Finnish) as a social construction of ethnic identity and expression of (non)belonging. At the same time, the usage of languge and codeswitching reveals social stratifications among the Finnish Roma population. Findings indicate that subtle forms of exclusion of Roma prevail in Finland and are materialized as a "left alone mentality". Consequently, Roma persons working as civil servants or NGO workers would potentially constitute a crucial link between health authorities and the Roma population. This link, however, should be constantly maintained. The study is a qualitative study and based on thematic interviews among Roma actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on the tourism sector. Economies with a large weight of external tourism were especially affected, as was the case with the Azores region. This paper aims to analyse the level of this crisis and the resilience of tourism recreation companies specializing in canyoning in the Azores region, and whether these reactions led to more sustainable business models. The adopted methodology considered the analysis of recent statistical data on tourism and the available information on COVID-19 pandemic-related impacts. In parallel, questionnaires were applied to all tourism recreation companies in Portugal, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with all the canyoning providers in the Azores region. Results show that all companies survived the crisis, and some have made significant changes to their business models. Furthermore, some degree of success was observed in how services adapted to new demand characteristics, given the small size of most of these businesses and the specialization of their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a well-established body of evidence that intergenerational bonding programs (IGPs) can improve the overall well-being of older adults and strengthen relationships and understanding between generations. There is limited literature on the experience of IGPs in an Asian context, despite many of these countries facing faster rates of population ageing than other Western countries. In Singapore, intergenerational bonding is a priority in national efforts to encourage successful ageing. This paper presents a case study of the development and implementation of a co-located (shared site) model IGP in Singapore. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders, the aim of this case study is to present the realities of the evolution of an IGP from conceptualisation through to implementation, and used the nursing home's COVID-19 experience to illustrate issues of sustainability affecting IGPs with vulnerable populations. The findings will inform the development and implementation of similar future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people were globally the most vulnerable during the pandemic. This paper examines the mortality and psychological crisis of older people during the pandemic in four cities, namely Wuhan, Milan, London, and Hong Kong, in order to explain their high death rates. The sample cities were purposefully selected to cover different degrees of social connectedness and outbreak periods. Quantitative data were employed to account for death and suicide data. Qualitative data analyses in government reports, public press releases, NGO announcements, and journal articles were used to study government responses and disruptions of essential healthcare services. Published scientific studies provided important information on the psychological stress and resilience of older people. Findings based on a welfare regime perspective showed that society and governments have not learned from the experiences of other countries, which resulted in high numbers of preventable deaths. Older people have successfully coped with living difficulties while serious psychological disturbances and suicidal ideations were absent at least for the period up to 2022. Older care home residents, unfortunately, were not protected with proper shielding and available vaccinations. Public inefficiency and negligence contributed to a disproportionately high rate of mortality in nursing homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the travel behavior relating to Public Transport (PT) changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and which are the expectations about the extent of PT use post-pandemic. A revealed preferences questionnaire survey was distributed within an academic community in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. To understand the factors potentially determining the future PT use, hierarchical ordered probit and bivariate ordered probit models were estimated. Results showed that the frequent PT users reduced by almost 75% during the pandemic. More than 29% of the local academic community members are reluctant to resume PT use at pre-pandemic levels. Non-captive users, teleworkers and those being unsatisfied with cleanliness and safety are less willing to travelling by PT post-pandemic. Female and under-stress passengers were found to particularly appreciate the use of facemasks and the increased service frequencies as post-pandemic policy measures. The study findings can inform the recovery strategies of transport authorities in order to retain the PT ridership at levels that will not threat the long-term viability of service provision. Future research may complement these findings by examining other population segments, such as the commuters and the elderly, under more advanced modelling techniques to account for additional unobserved behavioral patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has left international cooperation and liberalistic values in crisis. As liberalism's downfall is widely discussed, international collaborations like the European Union are criticised for their inability to operate adequately during the pandemic. The four examples in this paper are middle power countries (South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore) in terms of economic scale and influence. The purpose of this study was to uncover possibilities for and limitations of these middle powers within international cooperative efforts during and after the pandemic. The unknown factor is the path the post-pandemic world will follow. Will nations focus on independent survival? Or will international cooperation shape the new world? Globalisation already seems to have progressed too far for the national egoism of the great powers to prevail. Even if face-to-face is replaced by virtual and offline meetings move online, the social nature of humans remains unchanged, and international cooperation remains valid. The four middle power countries in Asia, which are included among the most economically successful countries, are important to international society based on their relatively excellent quarantine performance. What is important in the diplomacy of middle power countries is not traditional security and hard power but the soft power of international law, human rights, health security, and international cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heavy economic, social, and psychological toll of pandemic lockdowns around the world and their disproportionate effect on women are widely acknowledged, but different socioeconomic backgrounds and contexts may influence the degree to which stay-at-home measures impact their lives. Additionally, knowing that violence against women tends to increase during times of crisis, we are testing if the additional burden of victimization represents an added load to the perceived social impacts of the lockdown. Using 2021 survey data from a random sample of 1541 Portuguese women, the paper explores, through logistic regression models, the social impact of the lockdown on the lives of women, its socioeconomic determinants, and the role played by violence against women during the pandemic. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown did not equally affect all facets of women's social lives, and women with higher education status and that experienced income reductions due to the measures taken to control the pandemic are more prone to experience a more severe negative impact of the lockdown on the various facets of their lives. Additionally, having been a victim during the pandemic partially mediates the effect of education and income reduction on the social outcomes of the lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain was one of the countries in which more severe lockdown policies were imposed during the second term of 2020 to mitigate the unprecedented health crisis. The measures restricted citizens' mobility, obliging families to stay confined at homes for 99 days since 15 March 2020. The measures created a number of challenges that affect the family climate. This paper aims to empirically analyse how the family climate in Spain has been affected by COVID-19. The family climate assessment was based on an online questionnaire answered by 2034 citizens. A multi-criteria decision-making method rooted in fuzzy logic and TOPSIS, and a fuzzy clustering method, are applied to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 on the family climate. The fuzzy clustering method reveals that there are three different family climate profiles, namely (1) extreme positive, (2) extreme negative, and (3) intermediate. Our results show that some traits affect having a more or less positive family climate. The authors discuss the main contributions and the policy implications that could provide insights into future measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 13 November 2020 and 11 February 2021, an online national survey of 2003 Asian Australians was conducted to measure the type and frequency of self-identified Asian Australians' experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey also aimed to gauge the relationships between racist experiences and targets' mental health, wellbeing and sense of belonging. In this paper, we report findings on the type and frequency of online racist experiences and their associations with mental health, wellbeing and belonging. The survey found that 40 per cent of participants experienced racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within that group, 66 per cent experienced racism online. The demographic pattern of those most likely to experience online racism were younger age groups, males, those born in Australia, English speakers at home, non-Christians, and migrants who have been in Australia less than 20 years. Analysis also found a strong correlation between Asian Australians' experiences of online racism and poor mental health, wellbeing and belonging. The relationship between experiencing racism, non-belonging and morbidity were more pronounced for those who experienced online racism compared to those who experienced racism in other offline contexts. This points to the corrosive nature of online racism on social cohesion, health and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to examine the COVID-19 crisis in Russia, France, Germany, and the UK, as covered by the Russian state media outlet RT (formerly Russia Today). I view the RT coverage through the prism of biopolitics and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to demonstrate multiple discrepancies in its "post-truth" knowledge production strategies. I argue that these strategies aim to expose the hybrid and controversial nature of biopolitical governance in Western democracies during the COVID-19 pandemic as they struggle to strike a balance between imposing social restrictions and safeguarding public health. I also show how the (post)liberal biopolitical debate on personal responsibility and state resilience in times of emergency could be applied by authoritarian regimes for self-description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of China's new wave of COVID-19 in May 2023, the issue of tackling COVID-19 misinformation remains relevant. Based on Lippmann's theory of public opinion and agenda setting theory, this article aims to examine the concept of digital pseudo-identification as a type of logical fallacy that refers to supporting journalists' opinions with 'false' arguments that lack factual evidence. To do so, the study applied computer-aided content analysis, as well as rhetorical and critical discourse analyses, to examine 400 articles related to four COVID-19 vaccines ('Oxford-AstraZeneca', 'Pfizer-BioNTech', 'Sputnik V' and 'Sinovac') published on the online versions of two major British and American mainstream media sources between August 2020 and December 2021. The results of the study show that journalists of the 'The New York Times' and 'The Guardian' used similar logical fallacies, including the opinions of pseudo-authorities and references to pseudo-statistics and stereotypes, which contributed to creating distorted representations of the COVID-19 vaccines and propagating online misinformation. The study also reveals political bias in both of the mainstream media sources, with relatively more positive coverage of the European vaccines than non-European vaccines. The findings have important implications for journalism and open up perspectives for further research on the concept of digital pseudo-identification in the humanities and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the realm of disinformation, across all media platforms, a crucial subject of interest seems to be immigration, which produces the so-called 'racial hoaxes'. Racial hoaxes are closely linked to the spread of populist ideologies and ethnic stereotypes, both of which are psychosocial processes that, during health crises, could acquire particular features based on cultural differences. This study analysed the main contents of 239 racial hoaxes in relation to three main features: the country of origin (i.e., France, Italy and Spain), the stereotypical contents, and the COVID-19 pandemic period. The results highlight some similarities across these three countries but also peculiarities in terms of topics and stereotypical contents that were magnified during the pandemic period. The peculiarities of emerging racial hoaxes are discussed in relation to the stereotype content model and the literature on populist discourses, providing valuable information for use in psycho-educational intervention, policymaking and social integration efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022 highlighted the significant role of news media as a tool of communication among different social actors. Due to the novelty of the virus, most citizens turned to official news outlets to obtain reliable information about the disease and pandemic regulations. Therefore, a content analysis of news coverage in different countries provides insight into their Quadruple Helix dynamics, which reflects new patterns of knowledge democracy under consideration of the media-based public sphere. This article aims to trace the patterns of prevalent topics related to COVID-19 news in Turkish and British mainstream news agencies between September 2020 and March 2022. By deploying content analysis, this research endeavours to elicit public discourses created around the pandemic. These media agencies engaged in critical commentary on the pandemic situation and the policies enacted during this period, updating citizens with the latest information. However, the differences in the political and social structures of each country influence their Quadruple Helix knowledge exchange, which has a high impact on transformation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the extensive influence of COVID-19 on the affective states of school principals and teachers. A comparative, qualitative study was conducted on Latvian and South African participants' experiences during the pandemic, with a focus on leadership, change, extra workload, ICT, and uncertainty. A total of 59 participants from rural, urban, and private schools in both countries took part in this study. Data were collected by conducting interviews with open-ended questions after which themes were identified and grouped. The results demonstrated that the states of mind of Latvian school principals and teachers were more affected than those of South Africans for whom vaccination was not compulsory. Furthermore, it was found that technological adaptation was easier for Latvian than for South African educators. The role of the Department of Education has evoked mixed feelings. Leadership, and the lack of it, also influenced the affective states of school principals and teachers. Emotional support from society, family, and colleagues was experienced differently in Latvia than in South Africa. The results of this study revealed that a pandemic can be experienced differently by principals and teachers but also that there are similarities in these experiences, as no one is ever completely prepared for the effects of a pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current pandemic is sustained in dichotomies and distancing, as most of us awkwardly have recently experienced. Moreover, COVID-19 has definitely put the spotlight on social inequalities that are underpinning our society and it has highlighted the escalation of the state surveillance capability and new forms of oppression too. The discrimination ingrained in our societies, built on a historically defined regime of racialized oppression and structural disadvantage of racialized citizens and migrants, was produced well before the coronavirus, but it is now casting a different shade, reinforcing forms of exclusions, highlighting the pandemic as a political issue. Hence, this paper addresses a range of political perspectives of the lived experiences in and through social space with examples of narratives in language which capture the everyday political experiences of the pandemic within Europe. The kind of language used and its profound effect on the growing discourse regarding COVID-19 is the main focus in this paper. I here explore the intertwining of language and politics during the pandemic and bring out the countervailing narratives that seem to be in constant tension. I then ask where this takes us, not only in terms of scholarship and expansion of knowledge, but also with a pragmatic edge to it, trying to figure out how is it possible for us to achieve some sort of cognitive shift in our approach in order to learn from this challenge and from this new perspective. Methodologically, as well as looking at existing data, references to attitudes in general are made. A theoretical discussion on migration and language, and the kind of intersection between them, is offered, from the point of view of critical theory, before pointing to the metaphors used, the implications they allow, and how all these fit together, in the form of a concluding discussion. Metaphor or not, the power of language in its ramifications of articulations about the pandemic and the idea of distance underlines COVID-19 as a deeply political issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the impact of short-stay accommodation (SSA) on housing dynamics, community welfare, and economic development in the Margaret River regional area. Grounded in an exploratory research paradigm, qualitative methods were used to gather insights from key stakeholders such as property owners, realtors, and council officials. Purposive sampling was utilized to select participants with diverse experiences and perspectives on SSA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, totaling 21 interview sessions spanning almost 600 min, to capture in-depth and nuanced perspectives on SSA's impact and regulatory landscape. Thematic analysis of the interview data, which was divided into two segments, revealed significant concerns regarding housing affordability, community well-being, and regulatory effectiveness. Additionally, the study uncovered a complex relationship between SSA and population dynamics, highlighting implications for the local housing infrastructure and market stability. The findings underscore the urgency of collaborative policy interventions to address the housing crisis and mitigate the adverse effects of SSA on local communities. Policymakers and stakeholders can utilize these insights to develop holistic strategies that prioritize equity, inclusivity, and shared prosperity in shaping the future of housing in regional areas such as Margaret River. This study contributes original insights by providing a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted implications of SSA on housing dynamics and community welfare in a regional context. By using qualitative methods and engaging key stakeholders, the research offers unique perspectives on the challenges and opportunities associated with the proliferation of SSA, thereby advancing scholarly discourse, and informing evidence-based policymaking in the field of housing studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by policy measures to combat the virus, evoked public protest movements world-wide. These movements were formed not only in the virtual world but also through local protest gatherings. In contrast to previous research that studied movements in the virtual world through digital network analysis, this study recognizes the importance of the spatial dimension of social movements through local interaction. We therefore introduce a large-scale spatial–social network analysis of a georeferenced Twitter user network to understand the regional connections and transnational influences of the local movement through the virtual network. Our findings indicate that the virtual social network is distinctly structured along geographic and linguistic boundaries. Furthermore, our analysis of transnational influences reveals that the connections within Austria itself hold greater significance compared to their impact on external regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, we wanted to determine how the islanders viewed environmental organizations as part of an effort to understand the relationships between attitudes, institutions, and environmental and social justice issues. As a category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Maria was one of the strongest to hit Puerto Rico. Yet, the US mainstream media coverage of this and other environmental issues was lacking. From a total of 90 environmental organizations in Puerto Rico, we surveyed 19 that were active in the southwest of the island. We asked: (1) How do local people view environmental and social justice issues and (2) given their organizations' efforts to deal with these issues, what are their successes? To address these questions, we developed a survey in English and Spanish and conducted personal and online interviews with 30 relevant individuals. Their most successful outcomes included: (1) educating and creating greater awareness of environmental issues; (2) introducing environmental changes into their communities; and (3) becoming and surviving as economically sustainable organizations. The results inform our understanding between environmental organizations and social and environmental justice in Puerto Rico and more broadly, because the organizations surveyed are at the center of fighting climate change and achieving environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted families and displaced individuals. For migrant workers, these disruptions and displacements exacerbated the state-imposed constraints on family formation. But how did high-skilled and high-wage immigrants, presumably immune from these challenges, provide care to and receive care from families during the pandemic? Based on 33 in-depth interviews with high-skilled Asian Indian immigrants in the USA during the pandemic, we note disruptions in their care to and from families. These disruptions reveal a persistent pattern of dispersion in immigrant families which leads to what we call "dispersed care." By "dispersed care" we identify the effects of various state-imposed immigration laws and policies, which force immigrants to divide and allocate care among multiple fragments of their families in home and host countries. Dispersed care affects immigrant workers' professional output, forcing them to make difficult choices between their career and care commitments. To unsettle the assumed homogeneity of high-skilled "Asian Indians," we choose participants at diverse intersections of their migration pathways—naturalized US citizens, permanent US residents, and temporary visa holders or nonimmigrants. While naturalized US citizens and permanent residents have better resources to maintain transnational family ties than nonimmigrants, all of them face the intersectional challenges of dispersed care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pandemic-related changes, including the expansion of remote work and the closure of schools and daycare supports, posed unprecedented challenges to parents' conceptions of their work and home routines. Drawing on interviews with 88 heterosexual partnered parents, we examine the different ways parents understand what it means to balance work and family responsibilities and how their conceptions shaped satisfaction with their balance during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we discover that parents held three distinct conceptions of work–family balance at the outset of the pandemic: (1) individualistic (where balance is understood as an individual pursuit and regarded independently of their partner's efforts in the work and family spheres), (2) specialized (where each partner specializes in one sphere, producing balance between spheres), and (3) egalitarian (where partners share responsibilities in both spheres). Next, among the women and men who held specialized or egalitarian conceptions of balance, most sustained their level of satisfaction. In contrast, among those with individualistic conceptions, most women (but not men) reported a change in their satisfaction. These findings provide new insights about the varied meanings people attach to the concept of "work–family balance" and how these diverse conceptions have consequences for satisfaction with gender dynamics in households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of the care infrastructure that occurred during the COVID-19 crisis exposed society's continued reliance on women and mothers as default caregivers. But less is known about how this crisis produced gendered mental health outcomes, especially in occupations characterized by intensive work cultures such as academia. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative responses from a May 2021 campus-wide survey of faculty at a large research university in the United States, we explore gendered patterns in faculty caregivers' time use, stress, and perceptions of institutional support. Our findings demonstrate that childcare responsibilities were not merely more substantial for women than men in terms of hours, but they were also qualitatively different, with women's hours being more unpredictable, interruptive, and mentally and emotionally demanding. We also show that the pandemic took a higher toll on women faculty's mental health compared to men's. This gap in mental health emerged not merely because women were spending more time caregiving on average, but also because the university's policies did not effectively support the most strained caregivers. This study contributes empirical evidence to research on academic caregivers during the pandemic and to work demonstrating how (1) gendered caregiving dynamics shape mental health and remote work experiences and (2) the reliance on individual solutions to balancing work and family has failed even relatively privileged workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the COVID-19 pandemic's immediate and long-term impact on Argentina's labor market with a focus on gender disparities and the mediating role of the public vs. private sectors. Using household survey data, we assess men and women's employment trends before, during, and after the pandemic. Our findings reveal gender-specific recovery patterns that interact with the employment sector. The most prominent short-term effect of the pandemic was a dramatic increase in inactivity for both men and women. However, men recovered their level of labor force participation sooner than women, and one of the mechanisms behind this disparity was sector employment. While men predominantly benefitted from quicker reintegration in both the formal and informal private sectors, women leaned toward the public sector for stability during and after the pandemic. The heightened feminization of public sector employment is a further indication that the sector is critical for sustaining women's employment and promoting gender equity in the labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health crisis triggered by COVID-19 has exerted a profound influence on both conventional communication methods and the manifestations of interaction within the virtual sphere. Gradually, studies on digital communication have taken on an increasingly prominent role in various social science disciplines that address determinants such as the crisis of misinformation or digital interaction in contemporary societies. This study aims to analyze the key research topics that sociology has addressed in relation to the pandemic, along with the level of innovation in the utilization of digital sources and analytical methodology. The analysis is grounded in the hypothesis that the effects of the pandemic have led the discipline of sociology to reassess and more fully integrate studies on digital communication. On this premise, a systematic review of studies sourced from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases was executed. Innovative computational methodologies were employed for the categorization of articles and the elucidation of principal research topics. Furthermore, this research scrutinized the principal digital platforms utilized in these investigations and assessed the extent of methodological innovation applied to data analysis. The outcomes unveiled a pronounced ascendancy in the prominence of communication studies during the pandemic. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the utilization of digital data sources in research remains surprisingly limited. This observation highlights a potential avenue for further exploration within the domain of sociological research, promising a more profound and contemporaneous comprehension of social phenomena amid times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the evolving landscape of information dissemination, the importance of social media has become crucial. This is especially apparent in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, where we observed social media integration into different parts of daily life, yielding myriad impacts. The present study investigates the effects of social media on the communication dependency of Emirati individuals who engage with these platforms, further leading to communication with friends, family, and professional connections in the post-pandemic era. Based on the media dependency theory, this research gathered data from 385 respondents that were further analyzed by using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that Emirati users widely rely on social media for communication and interactivity. It is further found that social media use is significantly linked to communication with friends and families among the study respondents. Finally, the use of social media for professional communication also remained significantly related, indicating social media as a potential source of communication among Emiratis in the post-pandemic era. Thus, the broader agreement remained towards the role of social media as an agent to sustain socialization even after the disease outbreak. It is concluded that as we progress, both individuals and organizations must adopt the potential benefits of these platforms while also effectively managing the challenges they bring. Improving digital literacy and adaptability will be crucial for effectively navigating this growing communication environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global threat to the world's population. The aim of the presented exploratory study was to reveal and analyse social thinking about COVID-19 in two different cultural contexts: Russia and Malaysia. Social representation (SR) theory is a promising framework to analyse the symbolic response to the global health emergency. This exploratory study was conducted at the time of new COVID-19 variants' emergence, accompanied by quarantine measures, and mass vaccination was not elaborated yet (12 October–15 December 2020). The total sample (convenience sampling) consisted of 349 young adults from Malaysia (n = 195, 35.4% males, 64.6% females) and Russia (n = 154, 10% males, 90% females) aged 17–36 years. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants, and an online version of the questionnaire was proposed to participants. The free association technique was used as the main tool in order to reveal the content of SRs. This prototypical analysis allowed us to reveal a hypothetical structure of SRs in the two cultural groups. These SR structures in each sample were crystallised around mostly negative elements. While in the Malaysian sample, the key elements were troubling and disturbing (death, pandemic, virus, quarantine), in the Russian sample (quarantine, disease), these elements could be seen as a rationalisation (or even a denial) of the COVID-19 threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working remotely at least some of the time has long been seen as promoting a better integration of work and care obligations, even though prepandemic research is mixed as to the extent to which parents benefit emotionally from remote work. We exploit dual social experiments in schooling and work spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic to understand any stress-reducing effects of working from home under different school-closing state policy contexts. The pandemic led to an unprecedented shift to (and subsequent away from) remote and hybrid work but also to the implementation of various containment policies, most notably school closures driving a shift to remote learning that were put into effect to different degrees across U.S. states. Drawing on parents' data from a U.S. nationally representative panel survey of workers who spent at least some time working from home since the pandemic onset, we use mixed-effects models to examine whether and in what ways cross-state and over-time variations in school closure policies shape any stress-reducing impacts of remote/hybrid work. Results show that when schools were not mandated to close, remote/hybrid work largely reduces parents'—especially mothers'—stress. However, an opposite pattern emerges in the face of closing mandates. These patterns are especially pronounced among white mothers and are not observed among nonparents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the differences in the correlation between deaths and the Hispanic share for different Hispanic subgroups in New York City. Such differences are predicted by Segmented Assimilation Theory as different assimilation paths. The study is carried out at the level of PUMAs, and it is argued that such geographic locations are macro-level factors that determine health outcomes, as the theory of Racialized Place Inequality Framework claims. The study presents a spatially correlated model that allows to decompose the spatial effects into direct and indirect effects. Direct effects are linked to the macro structure where the individual lives, while indirect effects refer to effects in the adjacent macro structures where the individual lives. The results show that both types of effects are significant. The importance of the direct effects is predicted by RPIF, while the importance of the indirect effects is a new result that shows the complexity of the effects of macro structures. The article also shows results for subsamples that allow to test the importance of different factors that have been linked to the excess deaths observed among Hispanics. The effects of such factors are also found to be heterogenous among the different Hispanic subgroups, which also provides evidence in favor of the Segmented Assimilation Theory. Access to health insurance and doctor density are found to be the most important elements that serve as protective factors for all Hispanic subgroups in New York City, signaling its importance in achieving assimilation for Hispanic immigrants to New York City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the factors affecting the fear of job loss, which is characteristic of various phases of an economic crisis. We used a representative sample of data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey-Higher School of Economics for 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2021. It was assumed that the factors that determine the level of layoff anxiety are dynamic. The current economic conditions caused by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing prerequisites of a new economic crisis in Russia have promoted increased interest in this area. Method: Binary choice models were estimated using the maximum likelihood method with the calculation of average marginal effects. State ownership in the capital of an organization, a high income, job satisfaction, good qualifications, and a positive assessment of one's health reduce layoff anxiety. The fear of job loss was found to peak at 45 years of age. The factors associated with job insecurity can be permanent or temporary, depending on the phase of the economic cycle. The conclusions of this study may be of interest to the management of organizations interested in increasing the efficiency of labor and production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The lockdown that was forced by the Jordanian government as part of the attempt to contain the COVID-19 outbreak included extreme measures such as home confinement and the shutting down of schools' special education centers. This study explores the experiences of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during this significant life disturbance. (2) Methods: Eleven mothers of children with ASD took part in semi-structured telephone interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and underwent thematic analysis. (3) Results: The analysis was conducted in an iterative consensus-building process to identify mothers' experiences, concerns, challenges, coping strategies, and perceived needs during the lockdown. The main themes that emerged from the analysis were maternal stress, maternal fears, and maternal hopes. Our findings indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak greatly affected the family lives of the mothers interviewed, which required them to optimize their coping strategies and resilience. (4) Conclusions: The mothers faced significant difficulties during the pandemic and there is an urgent need to support them on multiple levels. Additionally, our findings reveal the need for more research that takes Jordan's cultural context into account when determining how best to support children with ASD and their parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the telework model has become popular globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this new model of work organization generates conflicting opinions regarding the positive and negative effects that its implementation can bring to organizations. In this study, sentiment analysis of Twitter-based teleworking in a post-pandemic COVID-19 context was conducted. A set of Twitter conversations is examined by applying text mining and opinion analysis techniques. The results show the prevalence of positive sentiments regarding telework. In addition, opinions are generally associated with confidence, anticipation, and joy. According to the results, it is recommended to consider telework as an opportunity to improve worker well-being. However, it is important to consider some factors, such as the sector to which the company belongs, the characteristics of the job, and the working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This concept paper describes how the evidence-based Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) model of autism treatment was adapted for delivery via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple features of existing video conference technology were utilized for implementation of PRT motivational strategies with young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). PRT is an empirically supported treatment for ASD which can be taught to parents and delivered directly by trained therapists. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the majority of clinical care for children with ASD had to be transitioned to telehealth delivery, models for parent training had been previously established. However, no model for direct clinician delivery of virtual PRT existed. This manuscript outlines practical details of the model developed by our team and provided to a total of 17 families between April 2020 and May 2021. Key lessons from technological adaptations of the PRT motivational strategies are described in order to inform future empirical investigation of this approach. The virtual PRT delivery model can serve as a guide for engaging children in meaningful social interaction and communication practice via video conference software, with implications for expanding access to autism treatment as well as for motivating a wide range of children in distance learning activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply influenced the economy of all nations, and Mexico is no exception. This effect is distinct for different groups of the population, with variable socio-economic and demographic characteristics, that live in regions of contrasting features. An efficient apparatus for measuring expenditure variations and tendency is the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey performed by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography in accordance with the international standardization established at the Canberra Conference; the latter permits, every two years, for different surveys to be comparable in time and space. Hence, in Mexico, there are three surveys for 2018, 2020, and 2022. The results of the comparison indicate that different groups of the Mexican population have experienced the pandemic with multiple impacts, apparently without large proportional variation regarding expenditure but with greater variation in time-use conditions. Moreover, it became apparent that even though the lower strata of Mexico's population have fewer proportional variations concerning income after the COVID-19 outburst, they must incorporate more family members into working activities to achieve a survival line; the latter results in the abandonment of school from various young household members that will negatively impact the quality of their lives in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]