The social cure: Why groups make us healthier and how policymakers can capitalise on these curing properties

Social networks have been shown to help protect mental and physical health. But how can we develop and sustain policy to socially engage communities to reap such health benefits. First, the value of social groups needs to be incorporated into cost–benefit analyses that are used to make decisions about resource allocation. Moreover, by thinking of social identity resources as real tangible resources, social identity policy has the potential to become a forethought rather than an afterthought, writes Jolanda Jetten

Rain event properties at the source of the Blue Nile River

In the present study, spatial and temporal patterns of rain event properties are analysed. These event properties are rain event depth, event duration, mean event rain rate, peak rain rate and the time span between two consecutive rain events which is referred to as inter-event time (IET). In addition, we assessed how rain event properties change when the period over which rainfall data is aggregated changes from 1 to 6 min and when the minimum inter-event time (MIT) changes from 30 min to 8 h. Rainfall data is obtained from a field campaign in two wet seasons of June–August (JJA) of 2007 and 2008 in Gilgel Abbay watershed that is situated at the source basin of the Upper Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. The rainfall data was automatically recorded at eight stations. The results revealed that rain event depth is more related to peak rain rate than to event duration. At the start and towards the end of the wet season, the rain events have larger depth with longer duration and longer IET than those in mid-season. Event rain rate and IET are strongly related to terrain elevation. Sekela which is on a mountain area has the shortest IET while Bahir Dar which is at the south shore of Lake Tana has the longest IET. The period over which rainfall data is aggregated significantly affected the values of rain event properties that are estimated using relatively small value (30 min) of MIT but its effect diminished when the MIT is increased to 8 h. It is shown that increasing the value of MIT has the largest effect on rain event properties of mountain stations that are characterised by high rainfall intermittency

Bitter Remnants

Bitter Remnants is composed of six short stories which collectively explore trauma, or the remnants left by life-defining catalysts. Whether through violence, sex, relationships, or emotional or psychological distress, a person’s errors leave residue that does not necessarily vanish or heal; it often hides and evolves as the person attempts to move forward. These stories reflect that it is not the act of watching someone’s downfall that brings empathy; it is fully immersing oneself in a character’s worldview, committing these acts alongside them, and witnessing the effects. Together, these stories represent the complexity and grayness of “doing wrong.” Sex, pain, and death, or fear of death, are deeply rooted in the everyday, so inherently, these can be detrimental when wielded by human beings under pressure. Overall, Bitter Remnants traverses the primal, the vulnerable, and the foolish. It acknowledges constraints in order to test them, and it plays in spaces without one singular morality in order to explore erosion, hypocrisy, ethical grayness, and human intricacy. Each story—and this collection as a whole—is intended to be an equally true and absurd portrait of life, as well as a representation of the ways in which people indulge in chaos, only to have to confront the remains

Towards understanding vulnerability: Investigating disruptions in cropping schedules in irrigated rice fields in West Java

Unsafe conditions may increase the vulnerability of farmers natural hazards and reduce the capacity of farmers to prevent or recover from disaster impacts. This study aimed to investigate disruptions in cropping schedules to understand unsafe conditions that contribute to vulnerability in irrigated fields served by Ir. Djuanda (Jatiluhur) reservoir in West Java. Firstly, the deviation of ongoing cropping schedules from the official cropping calendar was evaluated using the time-series Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) derived from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imageries. Secondly, reasons for disruptions in cropping schedules were explored using an in-depth interview with farmers, extension officers, and water managers and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. Thirdly, the progression from potential causes to consequences of the disruption was identified using a Bow-Tie analysis. Unsafe conditions were identified using the result of the Bow-Tie analysis. Finally, several ways to reduce vulnerability were suggested. This study has successfully showed that cropping schedules deviate from the official cropping calendar in the study area. Reasons for disruptions in cropping schedules include economic motives, weather variabilities, geographic locations, coping strategies, farmers’ interactions, and agricultural infrastructures. The Bow-Tie analysis has visualized the progression from potential causes, disruptions in cropping schedules, to potential disaster impacts. Unsafe conditions have been identified, categorized into the dangerous locations, unsustainable farming activities, unsuitable coping strategies, fragile infrastructures, and inaccurate perceptions, have been pinpointed. Addressing unsafe conditions is likely to able to reduce vulnerability in irrigated rice fields

Individual, group, and temporal perspectives on the link between wealth and realistic threat

Peer reviewe

“Is it me or should my friends take the credit?” The role of social networks and social identity in recovery from addiction

This study explored the role of social network and social identity factors in recovery from addiction. The sample consisted of 537 individuals who completed a survey about their experiences of recovery. Results indicated that the transition from addiction to recovery was characterized by an increase in social connectedness and changes in social network composition coupled with the emergence of a “recovery” identity. These factors accounted for 14% of the variance in quality of life when controlling for known predictors, accounting for a greater proportion of variance than substance use variables. Results suggest that recovery from addiction can be understood as a socially mediated transition characterized by social network and social identity change, which drive broader improvements in quality of lif