La participación política de los inmigrantes en Italia: un caso de participación mediada

En el transcurso de las dos últimas décadas la presencia de extranjeros en Italia ha crecido considerablemente, dando lugar a relevantes consecuencias en el plano social, económico y demográfico. Sin embargo, las medidas de integración política puestas en acto, en particular aquellas previstas a nivel nacional, han resultado ineficaces, teniendo un impacto negativo en la vida de los ciudadanos inmigrantes, no logrando representar adecuadamente sus intereses de participación política y civil.Con el presente trabajo se han querido analizar de modo sistemático, en primer lugar, los instrumentos de representación política de los inmigrantes, implementados por las administraciones locales, con la finalidad de detectar, por una parte, algunos criterios que puedan resultar restrictivos o que limiten a los inmigrantes a participar plenamente en la vida política, y por otra parte, las experiencias de sucesos que pueden ser replicadas para reducir al mínimo tales impedimentos de participación.Además, junto a las incipientes formas de participación convencional, han sido exploradas las formas de participación no convencional, nuevas formas de compromiso que han desarrollado los grupos de inmigrantes con la finalidad de evitar los obstáculos de participación, en particular, la difusión del asociacionismo entre los migrantes.La idea de fondo, que emerge de este estudio, es que la actual estructura de oportunidades de participación política, por causa de la específica configuración de recursos y de orden institucional que ha asumido, aún no ha favorecido la movilización política de la población extranjera. En la práctica, las principales fuentes de legitimización de la participación se han manifestado mediante las organizaciones del tercer sector italianas y los sindicatos, que se han transformado en los canales privilegiados de la representación política de la población extranjera en Italia

Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being Among Adolescent Young Carers in Europe: A Cross-National Randomized Controlled Trial Study

Background/Objectives: This cross-national study focuses on adolescents who provide care and support to family members or significant others. Current evidence regarding their mental health and solutions to strengthen it is limited and mostly available in a few countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of a primary prevention intervention for improving the mental health and well-being of adolescent young carers (AYCs) aged 15–17 years in six European countries. The intervention was based on a psychoeducational program and tools adapted from the Discoverer, Noticer, Advisor, and Values (DNA-V) model. Methods: We designed a randomized controlled trial with 217 AYCs participating in the study, either in the intervention or control group. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention, and a 3-month follow up. Results: The results were mixed, as positive improvements in primary (i.e., psychological well-being and skills) and secondary (school/training/work functioning) outcomes were shown by the experimental group but, in most cases, they were not statistically significant. The qualitative data supported positive claims about the intervention and its appropriateness for AYCs. Conclusions: The study implementation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the consortium to adapt the design and may have influenced the results. More long-term studies are needed to assess similar mental health programs with this hard-to-reach target group

Recruitment of adolescent young carers to a psychosocial support intervention study in six European countries: lessons learned from the ME-WE project

Young carers provide a substantial amount of care to family members and support to friends, yet their situation has not been actively addressed in research and policy in many European countries or indeed globally. Awareness of their situation by professionals and among children and young carers themselves remains low overall. Thus, young carers remain a largely hidden group within society. This study reports and analyses the recruitment process in a multi-centre intervention study offering psychosocial support to adolescent young carers (AYCs) aged 15–17 years. A cluster-randomised controlled trial was designed, with recruitment taking place in Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom exploiting various channels, including partnerships with schools, health and social services and carers organisations. In total, 478 AYCs were recruited and, after screening failures, withdrawals and initial dropouts, 217 were enrolled and started the intervention. Challenges encountered in reaching, recruiting and retaining AYCs included low levels of awareness among AYCs, a low willingness to participate in study activities, uncertainty about the prevalence of AYCs, a limited school capacity to support the recruitment; COVID-19 spreading in 2020–2021 and related restrictions. Based on this experience, recommendations are put forward for how to better engage AYCs in research

Research and Innovation for and with Adolescent Young Carers to Influence Policy and Practice—The European Union Funded “ME-WE” Project

Young carers are children and adolescents who provide care to other family members or friends, taking over responsibilities that are usually associated with adulthood. There is emerging but still scarce knowledge worldwide about the phenomenon of young carers and the impact of a caring role on their health, social and personal development spheres. This paper provides an overview of the main results from the ME-WE project, which is the first European research and innovation project dedicated to adolescent young carers (AYCs) (15–17 years). The project methods relied on three main activities: (1) a systematization of knowledge (by means of a survey to AYCs, country case studies, Delphi study, literature review); (2) the co-design, implementation and evaluation of a primary prevention intervention addressing AYCs’ mental health (by means of Blended Learning Networks and a clinical trial in six European countries); (3) the implementation of knowledge translation actions for dissemination, awareness, advocacy and lobbying (by means of national and international stakeholder networks, as well as traditional and new media). Project results substantially contributed to a better understanding of AYCs’ conditions, needs and preferences, defined tailored support intervention (resilient to COVID-19 related restrictions), and significant improvements in national and European policies for AYCs

Italian Adolescent Young Caregivers of Grandparents: Difficulties Experienced and Support Needed in Intergenerational Caregiving—Qualitative Findings from a European Union Funded Project

The article aims to describe the experiences of 87 Italian adolescent young caregivers (AYCs) of grandparents (GrPs), with reference to the caregiving stress appraisal model (CSA) that provides a theoretical lens to explore the difficulties encountered and support needed in their caring role. Qualitative data were drawn from an online survey conducted within an EU Horizon 2020 funded project. An inductive thematic analysis was carried out, and the findings were critically interpreted within the conceptual framework of the CSA model. The analysis highlighted three categories of difficulties: material, communication and emotional/psychological. The most common material difficulty was the physical strain associated with moving “uncooperative” disabled older adults. The types of support needed concerned both emotional and material support. The study provides a deeper understanding of the under-studied experiences of AYCs of GrPs. Based on these findings, policies and support measures targeted at AYCs of GrPs should include early needs detection, emotional support and training on intergenerational caring in order to mitigate the stress drivers. Moreover, the study advances the conceptualisation of the CSA model by considering the above-mentioned aspects related to intergenerational caregiving

Physical activity during the retirement transition of men and women : a qualitative longitudinal study

The retirement transition is a major life change affecting people's lifestyles and behaviors, including those in relation to physical activity (PA), which is a key component of active ageing. Previous research analyzing the effect of retirement on PA levels has shown mixed results, and few studies investigated this issue in a gender perspective, thus, highlighting a need of knowledge in this respect. Aims of this study focused on the experience of PA during the retirement transition were to understand typologies of PA and possible changes in these typologies, to identify behavioural types relative to PA practice and levels, and to distinguish the main drivers and barriers for practicing PA associated with the different behavioural types. A further goal of the study was to investigate the abovementioned aims considering differences between women and men. Analyses were carried out within a three-year qualitative longitudinal study (2014-2016), which explored the individual experience of PA during the transition from work to retirement of 24 women and 16 men in Italy, with interviews carried out one year before and one and two years after retirement. Results show that preferred PA for both women and men was walking, along the transition to retirement. Over time, several participants replaced physically demanding activities with lighter ones. Six behavioural types were identified, describing individuals who incremented, started, or maintained the same level of PA, people who decreased PA levels or stopped it, and individuals who had a fluctuant behavior towards PA, or who had never practiced it. In general, poor health represented the main barrier to PA. For men, the main driver to PA was its effects on body shape, while for women, socialization/networking. In order to stimulate a more effective promotion of PA during the retirement transition, policy implications were discussed in light of the results obtained

The influence of gender and class on the transition to retirement: A longitudinal qualitative study on Italian older workers’ experiences

The aim of this study is the reconstruction of the multifaceted points of view related to the transition from work to retirement using a gender perspective. This article includes 40 interviews of ageing Italian workers, 24 women and 16 men, carried out in the cusp of retirement (wave 1) and two years after retirement (wave 3). The experiences related to the ‘decision to retire’ and ‘life after retirement’ were analysed using a complex theoretical framework based on the work of Bourdieu combined with the concept of gendered habitus developed by feminists’ theorizations. The findings identified the elements characterizing women’s narratives in such a way that it was possible to describe the ambivalent women’s positions embedded in the Italian socio-economic context. The voices of the participants were taken as case examples to draw attention to the critical nature of personal gendered identities, which are mostly influenced by structural conditions related to a particular welfare regime (e.g. work and retirement policies) aiming to fix normative behaviours in later life. Nevertheless, the gendered habitus, as an expression of inner discourses, illustrates at the same time the nature of both constraints and freedom possessed by the respondents. We conclude by pointing out the importance of reflexive social approaches applied to the study of gender inequalities in later life

Health Emergencies, Falls, and Use of Communication Technologies by Older People with Functional and Social Frailty: Ageing in Place in Deprived Areas of Italy

Frail older people ageing alone in place need help to perform daily living activities, especially when functional limitations are increasing and formal/informal supports are lacking. This context represents a risk of experiencing health emergencies, in particular falls. It is thus important to understand how seniors manage these potential difficulties and who helps them. The present study aimed to explore these dimensions in Italy, where 120 qualitative interviews were carried out in 2019 within the “Inclusive ageing in place” (IN-AGE) research project, involving frail older people living alone at home. A content analysis was conducted. Results showed that seniors need to manage health emergencies regarding heart and breathing problems but mainly episodes of falls are reported, with consequent fractures and fear of falling again. In several cases, the use of a mobile phone was crucial in order to seek for help, and the first to intervene were children, in addition to some neighbors. Some seniors also referred their ability to call independently the General Practitioner (GP) or the emergency room, in order to not disturb family members. These findings highlight new useful insights for policy makers, regarding health emergencies prevention and management measures to put in place, especially concerning falls, and the support provided by communication technologies

Difficulties and Needs of Adolescent Young Caregivers of Grandparents in Italy and Slovenia : A Concurrent Mixed-Methods Study

Many adolescent young caregivers (AYCs) care for a grandparent (GrP) with chronic disease, especially in countries with no or low developed long-term care systems and/or level of awareness of and policy responses to young caregivers. This mixed-methods study aimed at shedding light on the needs and difficulties faced by a sample of 162 adolescents aged 15–17, caring for GrPs, living in Italy (87) and Slovenia (75), respectively. A multiple linear regression model was built for the quantitative data. Qualitative data were content analysed using an open coding process. Italian and Slovenian respondents reported a moderate amount of caring activity and relatively high positive caregiving outcomes. Nevertheless, one out of three AYCs reported health problems due to their caring responsibilities. Compared to their Italian counterparts, Slovenian respondents were supported to a lesser extent by public services. Italian respondents faced communicative and practical problems; Slovenian AYCs experienced mainly emotional discomfort. AYCs from both countries requested emotional and practical support from formal services and family networks. Further, Slovenian AYCs requested emotional support and a personalized learning plan from schoolteachers. Support measures aimed at training AYCs of GrPs on geriatric care are recommended to address specific issues related to ageing and long-term care needs