Forced migrations driven by conflicts, natural disasters, and persecution severely disrupt cultural identity and exacerbate health vulnerabilities in displaced populations. This narrative review focuses on both physical and mental health outcomes in exploring the intricate relationships between forced migrations, cultural dislocation, and health risks. The study identifies four key themes. First, the aspect of forced migrations and cultural identity highlights the fragmentation of cultural practices and reveals the challenges of identity reconstruction. Second, the facet of forced migration and health vulnerabilities underscores the increased risks of infectious diseases, malnutrition, and mental health disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Third, the interplays of cultural identity and health reveal that the preservation of cultural practices can buffer against negative health influences while cultural losses exacerbate the deterioration of health. Finally, culturally sensitive policies and interventions require healthcare systems to adopt culturally competent approaches that can address the unique challenges confronting forced migrants. The review concludes by identifying gaps in the literature, including the need for additional research on long-term health outcomes and the effectiveness of culturally sensitive interventions. This study delivers valuable insights for policymakers and healthcare providers seeking to improve the well-being of displaced populations through culturally responsive care.

This study examined typology among Chinese older adults based on living alone and loneliness and their correlates and the urban-rural difference between them. Data were derived from the 2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Four subgroups were generated - living alone and feeling lonely, living alone but not lonely, not living alone but feeling lonely, and neither living alone nor feeling lonely. Multinomial logistic models were used. Among the 14,469 respondents, 7.84% lived alone and felt lonely, 8.69% lived alone but did not feel lonely, 20.13% did not live alone but felt lonely, and 63.34% neither lived alone nor felt lonely. Compared with those who neither lived alone nor were lonely, older adults who lived alone and were lonely were characterized by low socioeconomic status and poor health, as well as a lack of family support and participation in individual activities. Older adults who lived alone but were not lonely generally reported good health. In contrast, older adults who were not living alone but were lonely generally reported poor health and lacked community old-age care services and participation in individual activities. The results indicate that investigating living alone and loneliness in tandem could provide a better understanding of the social circumstances of older adults within each subgroup and help provide tailored services for each subgroup.

The present study explores the reliability and accuracy of various spatial mapping methodologies in estimating and presenting the spatial characteristic and dynamics (location, distribution, density, and size) of the population in South Africa. As a basic underlying concept, the study first explores spatial heterogeneity, that is, that every location is related to every other location, and those nearby are related stronger. This study, therefore, illustrates the spatial relationships between locations and the spatial pattern of the population in South Africa. Analyzing the spatial images determines the extent of such influence and the nature of the spatial patterns. To this end, a granular gridded population dataset was derived using satellite image data, and the NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center gridded population of the world version 4 population images and datasets were used. Several spatial data models and geostatistical applications were applied to study the spatial characteristics and dynamics of the population of South Africa from 2000 to 2020. Spatial analysis was performed using R-Studio, QGIS, and GeoDa. Among others, the results point to the fact that the South African population is very densely located that population density decreases marginally outward and suggests that the underlying process for the population distribution is stationary. This study proposes that it is indeed possible to reliably and accurately estimate and present gridded population images and datasets using spatial and geostatistical methodologies.

The prevalence of single motherhood, associated with adverse maternal and child health outcomes, is now increasing rapidly across Nigerian states. The distribution of single mothers could vary widely across geographical settings in highly heterogeneous Nigerian states with diverse sociocultural, religious, and ethnic beliefs, which are some of the drivers of parenting styles. Using cross-sectional data from four waves of the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey, we analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of single motherhood across Nigerian states. Within a Bayesian context, we considered a binomial likelihood for the single motherhood variable and included the categorical variables as linear effects. The metrical covariate, the age of the women, was modeled assuming a second-order random walk prior, while the state random effect was modeled using a Gaussian intrinsic conditional autoregressive prior. The findings indicate strong spatial clustering that shows a North-South divide over time, with high chances of single motherhood recorded in most southern states. These spatial distributions persisted after accounting for the observed covariates, indicating that the clustering serves as a proxy for other indicators that exert an unmatched influence on the prevalence of single motherhood across geographic settings. We found that Christian women are more prone to single motherhood compared with Muslim women. Similarly, educational attainment, household wealth index, urban residency, and ethnicity are predictors of single motherhood in Nigeria. Interventions to ease the burden of single motherhood in Nigeria could be more impactful if states in the southern fringe are given priority.

Education is one of the pre-eminent avenues for improving the socioeconomic status of marginalized communities. In India, performance in the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) Examination dictates the opportunities for obtaining higher education and building a successful career. Hence, the present study aims to explore the spatial variation in the performance of socially marginalized students from Assam in the HSLC Examination 2022, from the angle of gender, religion, and medium of instruction. Data obtained from the Board of Secondary Education, Assam, were used for calculating percentages, depicting spatial variation with the help of a choropleth map, and illustrating the gender gap graphically. A significant spatial variation in the performance of students in the HSLC examination was observed, with the range of variation being much wider for the socially marginalized students. In most of the districts, the socially marginalized students underperformed compared to all other students in general. Among the socially marginalized students, a gender gap in favor of males in the examination performance was detected in most of the districts in Assam, but in a few districts, an opposite phenomenon highlighting the gender gap in favor of females was evident. There were distinct spatial variations in the performance of the socially marginalized students in the HSLC examination across gender, religion, and medium of instruction. As education is an important pathway through which socially marginalized groups can elevate their socioeconomic status, there is an urgent need for the authorities to improve their performance in the HSLC examination.

The present study examined unmet health-care needs (UHN) among older adults living alone in Thailand. This study had two specific objectives: (i) to analyze the effect of living alone on UHN using a matched sample obtained from a propensity score matching method and (ii) to analyze the sociodemographic determinants of UHN using the entire sample of data. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were employed, along with Thailand’s 2019 Health and Welfare Survey dataset. The findings indicated that older people living alone experienced 1.613 (confidence interval [CI]: 1.066 - 2.440) times more UHN than those living with others (Objective 1). Moreover, older people with low incomes and chronic diseases experienced 1.391 (CI: 1.015 - 1.923) and 5.629 (CI: 4.375 - 7.243) times more UHN than their counterparts (Objective 2). Non-medical costs and a lack of social support facilitating access to health care (e.g., a lack of caretakers to bring older people to health-care providers and a lack of affordable transportation options) may have been the primary causes of the high UHN rate for these groups, as indicated in previous studies. Thus, the government should continue its efforts to alleviate these issues. Specifically, the existing community health volunteer program should prioritize older people living alone who need caretakers during illness. Local health authorities should support the program by offering health emergency vehicles, especially to those living outside major cities with limited transportation options to access health-care providers. The government should also increase the old-age allowance to enhance the financial independence of older people and extend the current telemedicine services to district hospitals and community health centers. Such measures have significantly improved health-care access for low-income older people who do not have extra resources to travel to health-care providers and chronically ill older people who need regular health care in Thailand.

The present study aims to explore and compare changes in Indian family relationships, marriage, and career choices from the perspectives of three different generations. A total of 30 participants, 10 from each of the three generational groups participated in the study: 61 years and above (pre-globalization generation [Pre-G]), 40 - 60 years (transition generation [Trans-G]), and 18 - 30 years (contemporary young generation [Cont-G]). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in February and March 2023. Thematic analysis revealed several major changes perceived by the participants, including the shift from joint families to nuclear families, changes in filial piety, an increased sense of individual autonomy, a more egalitarian nature of families, an increase in the number of working women, a decrease in the quality of family relationships, more authoritative parenting, positive in-law relationships, changes in the nature of marriages, changes in the process of mate section, and changes in decision-making about education and career. The comparison of perspectives across the three generations showed distinct differences. The older generation was critical but showed a readiness to accept changes. The middle generations viewed the changes negatively and exhibited high resistance. In contrast, the younger generations viewed the changes as liberating and were willing to embrace them. The implications for family policies and cross-cultural research are discussed.

The global trend of financialization has introduced significant risks and uncertainties, exacerbated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the economic and financial conditions of various groups. While existing research indicates that women generally exhibit lower levels of financial literacy and tend to have less access to financial resources compared to men, empirical research on gender disparity in financial health is still limited. This study aims to bridge this gap by analyzing gender differences in household financial health, using nationally representative household data from China and propensity score matching analyses. Contrary to prevalent beliefs, the findings reveal better financial health among female-headed households. For example, using the nearest neighbor matching, we found that female-headed households have a better balance of income and expenditure than male-headed households (β = 0.173, p < 0.001). Moreover, female-headed households are more likely to possess commercial insurance (β = 0.433, p < 0.001) and investment products than male-headed households (β = 0.082, p < 0.05). In addition, considering that women manage the day-to-day household consumption and are financial outperforming men, the implementation of household finance-related policies and programs, such as asset-building policies and Children’s Development Accounts, would be more effective if targeted toward women in households.

The division of labor and decision-making within households is highly influenced by gender norms and resource allocation. However, there has been a marked shift away from traditional gender roles in domestic tasks and decision-making in recent years. This study examines the division of domestic responsibilities, childcare, and decision-making within households, as well as the socioeconomic factors that influence these dimensions in Iran. Data come from the “Survey of Married Lifestyle,” which included 1736 married people aged 18 years and over in Tehran, selected through a multi-stage random sampling process. The results reveal that while women are increasingly involved in decision-making, they still primarily shoulder the burden of household chores and childcare. Factors such as women’s education and income, as well as men’s education and dual-earner status, are key determinants of the division of labor in households. Social policies that focus on enhancing women’s access to education and economic opportunities are crucial for promoting gender equality and empowering women in household decision-making.

In today’s society, entrepreneurial activities are important, as they can create social values and wealth. This study explores entrepreneurial activities across various European countries and proposes a novel approach for its effective measurement. To this end, this study utilizes established indices by the World Bank - the 2020 European Chamber (EuCham) index, and the migrant integration policy index (MIPEX), which focuses on migrant integration. In addition, it introduces a novel index, called the Migrant Entrepreneurship (IMIGRENT) index, to accurately quantify a country’s attractiveness for entrepreneurial activities. These are part of the respective indexes for entrepreneurial activities, such as company registration processes, personal affairs, accommodation, and environmental conditions. A country’s attractiveness for entrepreneurial activities is evaluated based on entrepreneurs’ preferences and diverse needs, as well as immigrants’ citizenship. After comparing the three indices mentioned above, more similar results are obtained for the 2020 EuCham and the IMIGRENT index than MIPEX, attributable to the greater importance given to financial factors in the IMIGRENT and EuCham indexes compared with MIPEX, which prioritizes social and integration-related factors. Notably, the IMIGRENT index reports some important additional values in a comparative analysis of European countries, such as the role of immigrant citizenship, and the country’s legislation, as well as other aspects related to personal affairs, accommodation, social services, or the host country’s weather.