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Society is becoming increasingly image based. As individuals regularly record moments both mundane and momentous, images potentially lose or gain power to communicate important information. Social work scholars have argued that social work should incorporate images into both interventions (Chapman and Hall, 2016; Chapman et al., 2014) and research (Marshal et al., 2009). A recent review provides an overview of visual methodologies in social work (Clark and Morriss, 2015). The most popular means of doing this has been through the incorporation of Photovoice (Wang and Burris, 1997) into the social work research repertoire. Yet, in Photovoice, although images are central, text remains the unit of analysis. This paper aims to augment the existing literature in social work by focusing on ways in which images can be data in and of themselves and how image-based data interact with text-based data. We will begin with ethical considerations, proceed to step-by-step instructions for coding and analyzing image-based data in ATLAS.ti, and finally discuss interpretation. A case example drawing on a visually based project originally conducted with in-country Chinese migrant mothers will illustrate the outlined methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does more money always mean that people are happier with their lives? To test the social comparison hypothesis as applied to happiness, this study uses survey data from the 2002 Chinese Household Income Project to examine the association between household economic resources and happiness in urban China. Household economic resources are measured as both income and assets (e.g., net worth and net worth minus home equity). In addition, the analyses include measures of relative income and relative assets. Results of ordinary least square regression analysis show a positive association of absolute income with the happiness score whereas relative income is negatively associated with happiness. Although household assets are a significant and positive predictor of self-assessments of happiness, measures of relative household assets do not correlate with happiness. Study findings suggest the level of happiness among urban populations could be increased through policies that promote pro-poor growth and equal distribution of economic resources. In addition, introducing asset-building policies as supplements to other social assistance programs may promote happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the newly available China Family Panel Studies 2010 survey data and a propensity score matching method, this study examines the possible influence of participation in China's primary welfare program, Dibao, on household head's time use pattern in both urban and rural areas. We find that Dibao lowered recipients' time spent on various leisure and social activities and increased their time spent on unspecified activities or being idle for both urban and rural residents. Urban Dibao recipients also tended to spend less time on education activities, while rural Dibao recipients spent less time on work activities but more time on personal care and household activities. These findings provide pioneering evidence on the possible link between welfare participation and time use patterns in the global welfare literature. As Dibao continues to expand, the empirical evidence from this article suggests that Dibao might have some unintended adverse effects on recipients, including less time spent on leisure and social activities, reduced time on work and education activities, and more time on being idle. Future reforms of Dibao and its supplementary policies and programs need to consider how best to promote both the economic and holistic well-being of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volume of research on high educational expectations among young people is increasing. Yet, there are still research gaps in what we know about the key predictors of young people's educational expectations, especially in the Sub-Saharan African context. This study aims to complement existing research on asset effects by testing two related propositions about how child and parent savings relate independently to children's expectations for university education. We use propensity score analysis with data from a random sample of junior high school students in Ghana. Findings reveal that parent savings are positively associated with higher probability of children having higher educational expectation. We also find that parents' savings have stronger effect on children's educational expectations compared to children's savings. We discuss implications for early exposure of young people to savings opportunities and its potential to ensure educational progression and optimum psychological and economic benefits to students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the United States, loneliness is increasingly becoming a public health crisis. Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) report loneliness at rates much higher than the general population. In this secondary data analysis, we examine how subjective and objective social isolation influence perceptions of mental health and well-being. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, we conducted a multivariate hierarchical regression analysis to determine the unique influence both subjective and objective isolation had on perceptions of mental health and well-being in adults with SMI. Results: Rates of reported loneliness in those with SMI was consistent with the literature. Increased perceptions of loneliness were found to be a significant predictor of decreased self-report mental health rating and increased frequency of bothersome symptoms. Increased perceptions of social support were also a significant predictor in increased self-report mental health rating and frequency of bothersome symptoms. Conclusion and Implications for practice: For social workers and providers of services to individuals with SMI, it is important to understand the prevalence of loneliness in the population. It is also critical to provide those with SMI social support and inclusion interventions that aim to increase perceptions of mental well-being. Additionally, the distinction between subjective and objective social isolation provides evaluators of social support interventions a more accurate definition from which to measure. Impact and Implications: This study suggests that peer support programs impact feelings of loneliness among participants, and less loneliness was related to more favorable mental health self-assessments. Additionally, mental health self-assessments were not directly impacted by peer services alone. The findings demonstrate the benefit of peer support programs and further our understanding of the programs effect on loneliness and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents a new method for localizing and identifying a target through walls with known wall parameters. A time-delay difference curve (TDDC) is utilized in this method for target localization and identification. The characteristic of the TDDC can be applied to estimate the incident angle and offset the influences in propagation path and propagation time delay brought from the wall. This letter analyzes the method and gives out the theoretical TDDC. Extensive simulations and experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Understanding adolescent drug use mechanisms is critical for drug use prevention. Although some theories such as the gateway theory suggest that drug users gradually transition into using more addictive drugs, there is no consensus about such a hypothesis. One important factor that hinders the advancement of knowledge in this area is the scarcity of longitudinal studies examining the type of drugs adolescents initially use and the different pathways adolescents take to transition into using other drugs as they grow older.Methods: Using the pooled sample of adolescent dug users (14-17 years old; n = 10,644) from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015-2018), we constructed longitudinal data on adolescents' illicit drug use history other than the use of tobacco and alcohol based on the age of drug initiation. This allowed us to investigate what drugs were initially used by adolescents, how the use of these drugs may have progressed into a new drug, and whether there were racial/ethnic differences in the initiation and progression. The retrospective longitudinal data analyses applied life table method and Cox regression models.Results: Two thirds of the adolescent drug users initiated their drug use trajectories with marijuana, one quarter with inhalants, and the remaining with hallucinogens, prescription drugs, and hard drugs. Adolescent drug users who initiated with different drugs showed unique trajectories to the use of a new drug. By year 8, the probability of using a new drug was about 40% and 70% to 80% for adolescents who initiated with inhalants and other drugs, respectively. The probability of using a new drug for adolescents who initiated with marijuana and inhalants accumulated stably over time, and its difference with that of other drug users diminished over time. The multivariate Cox regression models suggest the observed discrepancies generally held after controlling for covariates. There were also racial/ethnic differences in adolescent drug use initiation and progression, with Black/African American adolescents being the least likely to switch to the use of a new drug.Conclusion: Adolescents' initial use of marijuana and inhalants may lead to substantial risks of using other drugs over time. It is therefore important to screen adolescent drug use comprehensively and provide early interventions to prevent an escalation to more detrimental drugs. The findings provide new evidence to support aspects of both the gateway and generalized risk drug use theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol use among Chinese vocational school students is widespread and associated with many negative consequences. However, alcohol-specific antecedents for this population are understudied.Objectives: The current study explored: (a) which alcohol-specific antecedents are the most salient predictors for alcohol use intentions, (b) whether any mediational relationships exist among these alcohol-specific antecedents, and (c) whether gender-based differences exist among these relationships.Methods: This study analyzed data from 1,230 vocational school adolescents in three Chinese cities. Survey data were analyzed using dominance analysis and structural equation modeling.Results: Personal norms were the most salient antecedents for alcohol use intentions, followed by injunctive norms from friends and parents, descriptive norms from friends and classmates, and positive belief about drinking. We observed a statistically significant mediational chain from descriptive norms to injunctive norms, and in turn to personal norms and positive beliefs, and finally to alcohol use intentions. Gender moderated some of the paths.Conclusions: Alcohol use norms and beliefs among Chinese vocational school students have distinct predictive relationships with alcohol use intentions. Alcohol use prevention programs designed for this population need to address normative beliefs (descriptive, injunctive, and personal norms) and the perceived benefit of alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Used a comprehensive list of 15 substances for latent class analyses. • Yielded six types of youth substances use patterns. • Examined multi-levels factors on youth substance use patterns. • Used a large sample of state-level survey data. • Connected the findings with youth substance use prevention interventions. Substance use among youth often involves multiple types of substances. Little is known about how the use of common, lower-risk substances (e.g., alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana) co-occur with the less common and higher-risk substances (e.g., opioids and methamphetamine). This study aims to identify distinctive substances use patterns and investigate the multi-level factors associated with substance use patterns under the social determinants of health framework. This study used data from the 2016 Arizona Youth Survey (n = 30,187). Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify the patterns based on 15 types of substances. We used multinomial logistical regression to explore the correlates of substance use classification. We identified a five-group model: (1) Serious Users, (2) Moderate Users, (3) Non-progressive Users, (4) Common Substance Users, (5) Abstainers. We found that variables at the individual, peers, family, school, and community levels were associated with the group membership. The findings advanced knowledge about key eco-systemic factors and their role as predictors of substance use patterns. Examining the predictors at multi-levels also provided a strong foundation for the design of future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted deep-rooted health disparities, particularly among Latinx immigrants living on the Mexico–US border. This article investigates differences between populations and adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. This study investigated whether there are differences between Latinx recent immigrants, non-Latinx Whites, and English-speaking Latinx in their attitudes and adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. Data came from 302 participants who received a free COVID-19 test at one of the project sites between March and July 2021. Participants lived in communities with poorer access to COVID-19 testing. Choosing to complete the baseline survey in Spanish was a proxy for being a recent immigrant. Survey measures included the PhenX Toolkit, COVID-19 mitigating behaviors, attitudes toward COVID-19 risk behaviors and mask wearing, and economic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. With multiple imputation, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to analyze between-group differences in mitigating attitudes and behaviors toward COVID-19 risk. Adjusted OLS regression analyses showed that Latinx surveyed in Spanish perceived COVID-19 risk behaviors as more unsafe (b = 0.38, p =.001) and had stronger positive attitudes toward mask wearing (b = 0.58, p =.016), as compared to non-Latinx Whites. No significant differences emerged between Latinx surveyed in English and non-Latinx Whites (p >.05). Despite facing major structural, economic, and systemic disadvantages, recent Latinx immigrants showed more positive attitudes toward public health COVID-19 mitigating measures than other groups. The findings have implications for future prevention research about community resilience, practice, and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to explore the relationship of mother's ways of coping with stress and family communication with the child internalizing and externalizing behaviors in Ukraine. Methods: In a cross-sectional sample of 294 mother-and-child (9–16 years of age) Ukrainian dyads, mothers answered questions from the revised Ways of Coping Checklist, FACES Family Communication scale, Child Behavior Checklist, and questions about their sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Robust regression results suggest increased internalizing behaviors were statistically associated with poor family communication (b = −.19, 95% CI [−.30, −.08], p <.01), maternal coping by accepting responsibility (b = 2.14, 95% CI [.44, 3.84], p < 0.05), escape-avoidance (b = 3.79, 95% CI [1.00, 6.58], p < 0.01), planful problem solving (b = 2.80, 95% CI [.61, 4.99], p < 0.05), child female gender (b = −2.53, 95% CI [−4.22, −.83], p <.01) and lower family income (b = −.003, 95% CI [−.006, −.0001], p <.01). Increased child externalizing behaviors were statistically associated with maternal seeking social support (b = 3.25, 95% CI [1.06, 5.43], p <.01), decreased positive reappraisal (b = −1.52, 95% CI [−2.91, −.12], p <.05), maternal unemployment (b = −2.80, 95% CI [−5.30, −.30], p <.05), poor family communication (b = −.46, 95% CI [−.59, −.34], p <.001), and child male gender (b = 3.48, 95% CI [1.53, 5.44], p <.01). Poor family communication was linked with significantly higher increase in internalizing behaviors for girls compared to boys (b =.17, 95% CI [.03,.32], p <.05). Conclusions: When examining child internalizing and externalizing behaviors it is important to consider the role of family communication and maternal coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Light therapy has become an increasingly common treatment for adults with depression, yet the role of light therapy for non-seasonal depression among older adults remains unclear.Objective: This meta-analysis sought to evaluate the effectiveness of light therapy among older patients with non-seasonal depression.Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and CBM from the inception of each database to May 2017. Two researchers conducted the literature screening, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment independently. We used the Cochrane Collaboration's bias assessment tool to evaluate the risk of bias for included studies, and Review Manager 5.2.3 Software for the meta-analysis.Results: Six trials with a total of 359 patients were included, and five studies were assessed as being of low risk for bias. We evaluated the effect of light therapy on depression by the reduction of depressive symptoms (SMD = 0.45; 95% CI= [0.14, 0.75]). The subgroup analysis did not find significant moderating effects of depression with intervention intensity, light type, measuring scale or intervention duration.Limitations: Most of the study samples were not representative of the larger population of adults and therefore caution should be used when interpreting the findings.Conclusions: Light therapy has a positive effect on geriatric non-seasonal depression. Studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the curative effect of light therapy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sixth generation (6G) communication will use the terahertz (THz) frequency band, which requires flexible regulation of THz waves. For the conventional metallic metasurface, its electromagnetic properties are hard to be changed once after being fabricated. To enrich the modulation of THz waves, we report an all-optically controlled reconfigurable electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect in the hybrid metasurface integrated with a 10-nm thick MoTe2 film. The experimental results demonstrate that under the excitation of the 800 nm femtosecond laser pulse with pump fluence of 3200 μJ/cm2, the modulation depth of THz transmission amplitude at the EIT window can reach 77%. Moreover, a group delay variation up to 4.6 ps is observed to indicate an actively tunable slow light behavior. The suppression and recovery of the EIT resonance can be accomplished within sub-nanoseconds, enabling an ultrafast THz photo-switching and providing a promising candidate for the on-chip devices of the upcoming 6G communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A total of 26 peer reviewed studies were included in this scoping review. • Factors can be classified into child, caregiver, relationship, and legal/cultural/social factors. • The most common risk factors were caregiver's financial needs and physical health. • The most protective factor was caregiver's spirituality/religion. • More rigorous studies are needed in the future. African American children are disproportionately placed in kinship care, specifically with kin caregivers who have pressing service needs given their relatively poor physical and mental health, and low economic status. Kinship caregivers often face challenges, however, they also show resilience when raising relative children. Although the literature has examined risk and protective factors that affect kinship caregiving, no scoping review has been conducted to summarize these factors as they relate to African American kinship caregivers. This study aims to summarize the risk and protective factors that affect African American kinship caregiving. Twenty-six studies were identified from this scoping review. A data template was used to extract information on data/sample, research methods, and risk and protective factors. This review found that the risk and protective factors in the identified studies can be summarized into four types: child, caregiver, relationship, and legal, cultural or social issues. Caregiver factors were examined from the perspective of physical and behavioral health, parenting, and resources. The most common risk factors were caregivers' low social economic status or great financial need, and caregivers' physical health. The most common protective factor was caregivers' spirituality or religion. This review helps to better understand the risk and protective factors for African American kinship caregivers. Policies should be informed by African American kinship caregivers' unique qualities to provide useful cultural solutions. Evidence based interventions should be developed and provided to African American kinship caregivers to improve their parenting abilities and to provide them with additional resources and supports. Implications for child welfare research are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Assets for children are positively associated with their academic performance. • Parental educational expectations are a partial mediator between assets and academic performance. • Asset-building policy have potential to promote children's educational achievement. Previous research found positive correlations among asset accumulation for children, parental educational expectations, and students' educational achievement. However, more research is needed to validate the mediation effects of asset accumulation on children's educational achievement through parental expectations. We create a sample of children (N = 1,101) using data from a longitudinal and nationally representative survey in China, and apply three sets of multiple regressions to examine the proposed mediation hypothesis. We use family savings for children measured in 2012 to predict parental expectations and children's academic performance in 2014. Analyses also include lagged indictors of parental expectations and children's academic performance as control variables. Results suggest that family savings for children are positively and significantly associated with subsequent parental educational expectations and children's academic performance. A partial mediation process is supported by the results. The study highlights the policy and practice significance of asset building for children; asset building for children could be a potential policy tool to promote educational development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There are about 65 million LBC in mainland China, who are vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes. • It initially reviews mental health interventions with RCTs for LBC in mainland China. • By reviewing 12 studies, 4 intervention formatsare effective onLBC's mental health. • Multiple helping professionals are involved with social workers completely absent. • Current studies are effective in LBC's mental health but relatively poor in quality. Left-behind children (LBC) are an at-risk population in China with emerging mental health needs. This study aimed to systematically review experimental studies of interventions that promote mental health wellbeing of LBC in mainland China. We reviewed both English and Chinese language studies published from 2000 to 2019 via a comprehensive search involving the databases PubMed and two database aggregators (ProQuest and EbscoHost) plus China National Knowledge Infrastructure. We retained empirical articles if they involved randomized controlled trials of mental health interventions focused on LBC in mainland China. We included twelve studies in our review. Across the twelve studies, various intervention formats–including group-based services, sports activities, holistic nursing services, and a combination of multiple formats–improved LBC's mental health. The primary helping professionals included research teams from universities, teachers from local schools, and multidisciplinary teams. Social workers were not involved in any intervention. This review found that, although the field is new, the limited set of studies suggests that interventions might improve the mental health of LBC. The evidence base, however, is relatively poor in quality. The current state of the science calls for more wide-spread dissemination and rigorous evaluation of mental health interventions for LBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship foster caregivers often face serious challenges but lack adequate parenting capacities and resources. The importance of parenting interventions for kinship foster caregivers has been recognized, and researchers have assessed the effect of various parenting interventions on the caregivers and children. However, no systematic review has been conducted to summarize findings related to parenting interventions targeting kinship care. This study systematically summarizes the effect of parenting interventions on kinship foster caregivers and their cared for children, and examines the intervention strategies and research methods used in order to provide a context in which to better understand effects of interventions. From six academic databases, 28 studies were identified for review. A data template was used to extract the following information from each study: intervention targets, research design, settings, intervention description, outcome measures, and main results for each study. Various parenting interventions targeting kinship foster care families have been developed to improve parenting capacities and reduce parental stress. Most of the interventions had a positive impact on the outcomes of both caregivers and children, although the assessed outcomes often differed across studies. Parenting interventions improve caregivers' parenting competency, reduce parental stress, and advance child wellbeing. However, some interventions appear less promising in achieving targeted goals. The findings suggest that promoting evidence-based parenting interventions with a special focus on kinship care is important for child welfare. Future directions for research are also discussed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have increasingly investigated the influences of neighborhood structural factors on adolescent substance use, limited research has discussed the influences of neighborhood process factors. This study examined the role of neighborhood social cohesion in adolescent substance use. We hypothesized that neighborhood social cohesion is associated with decreased adolescent depression and peer substance use, which further affects adolescent substance use. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we examined the direct and indirect effects of neighborhood social cohesion on adolescent substance use. We also explored the mediation effects of peer substance use and adolescent depression. This secondary data analysis used the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data. The final sample featured 3112 American adolescents aged 15. Almost half (48.39%) of the participants were female. 9.5% of 15-year-old adolescent reported alcohol use, 1.8% reported smoking cigarettes, and 13.2% reported marijuana use in the past year or month. Findings indicate that social cohesion only indirectly affects adolescent substance use, and peer substance use is a significant mediator of adolescent substance use. Adolescent depression only mediated the relationship between social cohesion and cigarette use. Findings suggest that practitioners should consider the neighborhood environment when treating adolescent substance users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]