20 research outputs found
Shortâ and longerâterm impacts of Child Friendly Space Interventions in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Uganda
Alastair Ager - ORCID 0000-0002-9474-3563
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9474-3563Karin Diaconu - ORCID 0000-0002-5810-9725
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5810-9725Background
The establishment of Child Friendly Spaces (CFSs) has become a widespread intervention targeting protection and support for displaced children in humanitarian contexts. There is a lack of evidence of impact of these interventions with respect to both shortâterm outcomes and longerâterm developmental trajectories.Methods
We collected data from caregivers of Congolese refugee children residing in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement at three timepoints. To assess shortâterm impact of CFSs, we compared indicators assessed shortly after refugeesâ arrival (baseline, T1) and endline (T2, three to six months after CFS implementation) amongst 430 CFS attenders and 161 nonattenders. Followâup assessments after the end of CFS programming were conducted 18 months postâbaseline (T3) with caregivers of 249 previous CFS attenders and 77 CFS nonattenders.Results
In the shortâterm, attendance at CFSs was associated with better maintenance of psychosocial wellâbeing (PSWB; β = 2.093, p < .001, Cohen's d = .347) and greater increases in developmental assets (β = 2.517, p < .001, Cohen's d = .231), with significantly stronger impacts for girls. CFS interventions meeting higher programing quality criteria were associated with greater impact on both PSWB and development assets (β = 2.603 vs. β = 1.793 and β = 2.942 vs. β = 2.337 for attenders at higher and lowerâquality CFSs c.f. nonattenders, respectively). Amongst boys, benefits of program attendance were only indicated for those attending higherâquality CFS (β = 2.084, p = .006 for PSWB). At followâup, however, there were no discernable impacts of prior CFS attendance on any measures. Age and school attendance were the only characteristics that predicted an outcome â developmental assets â at followâup.Conclusions
Attendance at CFSs â particularly involving higherâquality programming â supported children's wellâbeing and development. However, sustained impact beyond active CFS programming was not demonstrated. Intervention goals and strategies in humanitarian contexts need to address the challenge of connecting children to other resources to facilitate developmental progress in conditions of protracted displacement.This research was funded by World Vision International and Elrha's Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme (elrha.org/r2hc), which aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. At the time of the award supporting this study, the R2HC program was funded equally by the Wellcome Trust and the UK Department for International Development.https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.1306960pubpub1
Buried asparagines determine the dimerization specificities of leucine zipperâmutants
Regulation of gene expression by many transcription factors is controlled by specific combinations of homo- and heterodimers through a short Îą-helical coiled-coil known as a leucine zipper. The dimer interface of a leucine zipper involves side chains of the residues at the a, d, e, and g positions of the (abcdefg)(n) heptad repeat. To understand the basis for the specificity of dimer formation, we characterized GCN4 leucine zipper mutants with all 16 possible permutations and combinations of isoleucines and asparagines at four a positions in the dimer interface, using a genetic test for the specificity of dimer formation by Îť repressor-leucine zipper fusions. Heterodimers were detected by loss of repressor activity in the presence of a fusion to a dominant-negative mutant form of the DNA-binding domain of repressor. Reconstruction experiments using leucine zippers from GCN4, Jun, Fos, and C/EBP showed that this assay distinguishes pairs that form heterodimers from those that do not. We found that the mutants have novel dimerization specificities determined by the positioning of buried asparagine residues at the a positions. The pattern of buried polar residues could also explain the dimerization specificities of some naturally occurring leucine zippers. The altered specificity mutants described here should be useful for the construction of artificial regulatory circuitry