Violence against Women: An Exploration of the Physical and Mental Health Trends among Immigrant and Refugee Women in Canada

Violence against women is a serious health and social problem for women worldwide. Researchers have investigated the broad physical and mental health consequences of violence against women but few have focused on immigrant and refugee women. We assessed the history of violence and the impairment of physical and mental health among 60 women participants from the Iranian and Sri Lankan Tamil communities in Toronto, Canada. Our survey findings revealed that the participants had experienced various types of violence throughout their lifespan, with psychological abuse by a spouse/partner occurring most frequently in the past 12 months. Commonly reported types of abuse included insulting, criticizing, and intimidation by partner (psychological abuse); slapping, hitting, and shoving (physical abuse); and forced sexual intercourse and sexually degrading acts (sexual abuse) by a partner/spouse. We found that a substantial proportion of the participants also had experienced physical and mental health impairment, which could be a result of the various types of violence they had experienced throughout their lifespan. Research and practice implications are provided

Case 8 : Reaching the Hard-to-Reach: Conducting Research on Elder Abuse in Toronto\u27s Arab Community

A number of factors common to the post-migration context have been shown to negatively impact the lives of new immigrants to Canada. Within the Arab community in Ashcroft, certain factors such as sponsorship requirements, intergenerational cohabitation practices, financial dependence, language barriers, and cultural stigmas often act as risk factors, increasing the vulnerability of older adults to abuse. Caroline Rochester has recently accepted the research coordinator position for the Elder Abuse Project at Rudyard University. The goal of the study is to identify the key factors that increase the risk of abuse of elders in the Arab community. Once these factors are better understood, it will be possible to develop culturally relevant strategies to address the risks that are amenable to change. Caroline’s team wants to collect qualitative data by organizing focus group interviews with community members; however, she is running into numerous difficulties conducting research with this hard-to-reach population. Mistrust of the research process and the absence of mutually beneficial relationships with the community have brought participant recruitment to a standstill. Moreover, the team’s failure to consider the cultural context of the population being studied has directly inhibited the progress of the project. It is clear that the current research methodology is not working and that a new approach is required. Caroline wonders what actions she should take to improve the research process. The goal of this case is to introduce readers to a number of commonly encountered concerns when conducting research with hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations. Through the development of solutions to the problems faced by the protagonist, readers will become more familiar with the principles of community-based participatory research and gain an understanding of the importance of cultural competence in research practice

Species Diversity, Community Structure and Functions of Lagoon and Estuarine Mangrove Ecosystems in Pottuvil to Okanda Coastal Stretch in the East Coast of Sri Lanka

Studies on mangroves in Sri Lanka are mostly confined to the western, north-western and southern parts. Thus, the main objective of this study was to determine the distribution, abundance and diversity of true mangrove species, identify mangrove communities and calculate the carbon stocks of five mangrove ecosystems in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka namely Pottuvil, Hada Oya, Ragamwela, Panama and Okanda. Mangroves were sampled using 84 randomly allocated 1010 m2 plots. True mangrove species were identified, height and diameter at breast height (dbh) of trees >10 cm dbh were recorded. Species density, frequency, dominance and different diversity indices were calculated. Plant communities were identified using multivariate analysis procedures. Biomass and carbon stocks were estimated using allometric equations. Soil samples were collected from top 0.3 m layer in five randomly selected locations in each plot. Pooled samples were used to determine soil organic carbon (loss on ignition method), salinity, conductivity, pH and total dissolved solutes. Light intensity below and away from the canopy was determined and net photosynthesis rate was estimated. Nine true mangroves were recorded in Panama estuarine lagoon and the least number of species (3) were recorded from Ragamwela creek. Highest Shannon diversity value (H’=1.7) and the lowest Simpson index (0.22) was obtained for the Panama mangrove. Nearly half of the true mangrove species (11) that have been recorded from Sri Lanka occurs in the five study sites. Seven different plant communities were identified in the analysis. Soil salinity showed a significant difference among sites, while pH did not vary very much. Highest total organic carbon was recorded in Pottuvil lagoon (558.4±131.8 t/ha), and the lowest in Ragamwela creek (200.9±38.5 t/ha). The highest above ground carbon was recorded in Hada Oya estuary (336.0±123.0 t/ha), while lowest in Ragamwela creek (76.1±60.2 t/ha). Net photosynthesis rates were similar among study sites, the highest was recorded in Hada Oya estuary (2,445.1±553.3 gcm-2/year). It can be concluded that the mangroves in the Eastern province have a moderate diversity with high carbon stock. However, as most mangroves are under different anthropogenic threats, it is immediately required to take measures to conserve them.Keywords: Mangrove ecosystem, Community structure, Species diversit

Immigrant Mental Health, A Public Health Issue: Looking Back and Moving Forward

The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) strategy calls for promoting the health and wellbeing of all Canadians and to improve mental health outcomes. Each year, one in every five Canadians experiences one or more mental health problems, creating a significant cost to the health system. Mental health is pivotal to holistic health and wellbeing. This paper presents the key findings of a comprehensive literature review of Canadian research on the relationship between settlement experiences and the mental health and well-being of immigrants and refugees. A scoping review was conducted following a framework provided by Arskey and O’Malley (Int J Soc Res Methodol 8:19–32, 2005). Over two decades of relevant literature on immigrants’ health in Canada was searched. These included English language peer-reviewed publications from relevant online databases Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Healthstar, ERIC and CINAHL between 1990 and 2015. The findings revealed three important ways in which settlement affects the mental health of immigrants and refugees: through acculturation related stressors, economic uncertainty and ethnic discrimination. The recommendations for public health practice and policy are discussed

Hvorfor vi, av alle? Mellomlederes opplevelser av relasjonen i en omstillingsprosess

Problemstilling: Hvordan opplever mellomledere relasjonen til sin leder og sine medarbeidere in en omstillingsprosess i en kommunal organisasjon? Hensikt: Med denne oppgaven har jeg ønsket å bidra til økt innsikt i hvordan mellomledere på sykehjem/helsehus opplever leder – medarbeiderrelasjonen. Hvilke verdier preger dem i relasjonsfremmende arbeid og hvordan har dette bidratt i positivt i omstillingsprosessen og læring gjennom mellomlederens erfaringer? Teori og Metode: Studien tar utgangspunkt i teori om relasjonsledelse og verdibasert ledelse. Jeg har gjennomført individuelle dybdeintervjuer med seks mellomledere; fire avdelingsledere og to institusjonsledere. Jeg har tatt et fenomenologisk perspektiv. Resultat: Analysen ga følgende hovedfunn: Leder – medarbeiderrelasjonen ble påvirket av kommunikasjon, kjennskap til medarbeidere, lederegenskaper, lederens holdninger, forventninger til medarbeidere, godt felleskap, verdibevissthet, ledererfaringer, lederstrategier, lederutfordringer og tiltak for å styrke relasjonen. Mellomledere bruker arbeidsrelasjoner som et middel for å lykkes med omstillingsprosessen og leder – medarbeiderrelasjon gir mellomledere motivasjon til å stå i krevende omstillinger. Konklusjon: Mellomledere opplevde at leder – medarbeiderrelasjonen motiverer dem til å stå i omstillingsprosesser og de bruker arbeidsrelasjonen som middel for å få positiv innvirkning på omstillingen

Genetic And Biochemical Studies Of Human Apobec3h Enzyme

The AID/APOBEC enzymes are DNA/RNA cytosine deaminases with important functions in innate and adaptive immunity. APOBEC3 enzymes play a crucial role in restricting the replication of exogenous retroviruses such HIV-1 and endogenous retrotransposition events. In particular, APOBEC3 enzymes have evolved in humans by gene duplication to compose seven members. APOBEC3H is highly diverse in its allelic sequence and the distribution is population-specific. It has evolved under strong positive selection over millions of years. To study the catalytic mechanism, structure, function and the underlying cause of its high diversity, a high resolution crystal or NMR structure is required are not yet available. The human APOBEC3H splice variant 183 was purified as an N-terminally poly-histidine tagged construct and it was tested for biochemical activity as the first step in characterizing the enzyme

Prevalence and Correlates of Internet Gaming Disorder Among an Advanced Level Student Population from Colombo, Sri Lanka

Background: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is rising in many low and middle-income countries owing to the increasing popularity of electronic gaming and technology availability among adolescents. However, the epidemiology of IGD in South Asia remains largely unknown. We aimed to determine IGD’s prevalence and associations, including motivations for gaming, among a Sri Lankan school-going population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Advanced Level students aged 16-18 attending four Colombo Educational Zone schools. Of the 412 randomly sampled recruits, 395 consenting participants filled a pretested questionnaire exploring gaming habits, motivations, and psychosocial factors. English and Sinhala versions of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) were used, and IGD was identified if ?5 items in the scale were endorsed. The Sinhala IGDS9-SF demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability, and its factorial validity was affirmed via Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results: Among the sample, 81.5% (n=322) were gamers. A majority of these gamers preferred mobile gaming (64.0%) and Multiplayer Battle Royale games (27.0%). The prevalence of IGD was 5.06% (95% CI = 2.90–7.22) and was significantly higher (p<0.05) among males, who constituted 52.4% of the sample. Daily weekday gaming for ?6h, low involvement in student societies, poor relationship with parents, escape motive, and fantasy motive were positively associated with IGD, and the Competition motive was negatively associated with IGD in multivariable analyses. Conclusion: The prevalence of IGD was considerably high in our student population and is associated with specific motives, poor parent-child relationships, and low extra-curricular involvement

A review of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Indian water bodies

Little information exists on the occurrence and the ultimate fate of pharmaceuticals in the water bodies in India despite being one of the world leaders in pharmaceutical production and consumption. This paper has reviewed 19 published reports of pharmaceutical occurrence in the aquatic environment in India [conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WTPs), hospital WTPs, rivers, and groundwater]. Carbamazepine (antipsychoactive), atenolol (antihypertensive), triclocarban and triclosan (antimicrobials), trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (antibacterials), ibuprofen and acetaminophen (analgesics), and caffeine (stimulant) are the most commonly detected at higher concentrations in Indian WTPs that treat predominantly the domestic sewage. The concentration of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin in Indian WTPs were up to 40 times higher than that in other countries in Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America. A very few studies in Indian rivers reported the presence of ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, ketoprofen, erythromycin, naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac and enrofloxacin. Similar compounds were reported in rivers in China, indicating a similar usage pattern in both of these developing countries. In a study reported from an open well in southern India, the groundwater showed the presence of cetirizine, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, citalopram and terbinafine, which was close to a WTP receiving effluents from pharmaceutical production