Exposure to socio-political unrest and wellbeing of older people in Hong Kong

Natural and human-made disaster and associated health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults in India: Findings from LASI, 2017-18

BACKGROUND

Droughts, flash floods, rail accidents, and riots are relatively regular occurrences for those living in many low- and middle-income countries like India. While such natural and human-made disasters put everyone in harm's way, their toll on specific segments of society-like older adults-is the heaviest. Therefore, in this study, we examine (1) the prevalence of natural and human-made disasters in India and (2) the association between natural and human-made disasters and several physical and mental health outcomes among older Indians.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing data come from the 2017-18 wave 1 of the nationally representative Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, comprising a sample of 29,333 older adults (14,120 males and 15,213 females) aged 60 years and above. Multivariate random intercept multilevel logistic regression analysis is used to examine the association between natural and human-made disasters and poor self-rated health, difficulty in activities of daily living, difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, depressive symptoms, and psychiatric disorder.

RESULTS

Overall, 3.58% of older adults reported that they have encountered any type of natural or human-made disaster in the past five years. Compared to those who did not experience any (natural or human-made) disaster, older adults who experienced any disaster had a higher prevalence of poor self-rated health (33.4% vs 23.31%), difficulty in activities of daily living (33.94% vs 23.00%), difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living (60.09% vs 47.70%), communicable diseases (49.57% vs 25.86%), depressive symptoms (17.30% vs 8.06%) and psychiatric disorders (3.42% vs 2.78%). After adjusting for the selected variables and the contextual effect, the odds of poor self-rated health (1.64 [1.40, 1.92]), difficulty in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living (1.89 [1.61, 2.21] and 1.63 [1.40, 1.89]), communicable and non-communicable diseases (2.12 [1.83, 2.46] and 1.38 [1.20, 1.60]), depressive symptoms and psychiatric disorder (1.67 [1.55, 2.05] and 1.52 [1.33, 2.18]) were significantly higher among older adults who experienced a natural or human-made disaster than their counterparts without such an experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Relative to their non-exposed counterparts, older Indians who survived natural or human-made disasters endured an inflated risk of poor self-rated health, functional difficulties, communicable and non-communicable diseases, depressive symptoms, and psychiatric disorders. As such, post-disaster efforts should be grounded in policies and programs that address disaster-related trauma and diseases and improve the functional, physical, and psychological facets of health among older disaster survivors.

Political activism and wellbeing among older adults in Israel

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The aging process is characterized by encountering challenging situations and losses that may influence the subjective wellbeing of older adults. This study investigates the influence of the political-social crisis that unfolded in Israel in 2023 on the wellbeing of senior citizens. Additionally, it explores whether their participation in protests has contributed to their wellbeing.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted interviews with 30 older adults who were actively engaged in the protest movement against the judicial overhaul. Our sampling approach was designed to encompass a diverse range of factors, including various age groups beyond 65 years, prior involvement in protest activities, geographical distribution, religious involvement, professional backgrounds, and differing political viewpoints.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed three key findings: (1) The participants reported feeling fear and anxiety due to the conflict, leading to a decrease in their wellbeing. (2) Participating in protests uplifted their spirits and provided social support, resulting in improved emotional and social wellbeing. (3) When asked about their perception of the crisis in the future, the participants expressed mixed views: Some were cautiously optimistic and others profoundly pessimistic, while the sentiments of some participants fluctuated.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This qualitative study indicates the negative impact of political-social crisis on older adults' wellbeing, as well as the limited contribution of political activism to its improvement. Equally important, the research highlights the need for stakeholders in aging and gerontology to prioritize promoting older adults' mental health regularly and during political crises.

An agent-based framework to study forced migration: A case study of Ukraine

The ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine has forced over eight million people to migrate out of Ukraine. Understanding the dynamics of forced migration is essential for policy-making and for delivering humanitarian assistance. Existing work is hindered by a reliance on observational data which is only available well after the fact. In this work, we study the efficacy of a data-driven agent-based framework motivated by social and behavioral theory in predicting outflow of migrants as a result of conflict events during the initial phase of the Ukraine war. We discuss policy use cases for the proposed framework by demonstrating how it can leverage refugee demographic details to answer pressing policy questions. We also show how to incorporate conflict forecast scenarios to predict future conflict-induced migration flows. Detailed future migration estimates across various conflict scenarios can both help to reduce policymaker uncertainty and improve allocation and staging of limited humanitarian resources in crisis settings.

Personal Competence or Environmental Characteristics? Factors Influencing Happiness among Ageing Adults in Hong Kong Around the Period of COVID-19 Pandemic

Drawing upon person-environment fit perspective, this study examines the joint and interactive influences of personal competence and environmental characteristics on the happiness of ageing adults around the period of COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected in two rounds, before and during the pandemic, with 2,028 participants aged 55 years and older in Hong Kong. Personal competence encompassed financial status, physical health, and mental capital, while environmental characteristics included experiences of ageism, perceived social conditions, and age-friendly policies. Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine personal and environmental influences on happiness. Results indicated a significant decline in happiness following the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. Mental capital was found to have the strongest positive influence on happiness, followed by physical health, financial status, and social conditions. Mental capital mitigated the negative relationship between experiences of ageism and happiness. Practical interventions are informed to improve the well-being of ageing adults during pandemic.

Differences in mental indicators and state-hope related to the level of engagement in social unrest: Israel 2023

Background

This study examined the interplay between engagement in social unrest, mental indicators, state-hope and demographic variables. In addition, mental indicators and state-hope were compared in line with levels of engagement in social unrest.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, conducted from March 23 to April 10, 2023, 2031 Israelis were recruited via a survey company. Participants completed self-report questionnaires to assess engagement in social unrest, anxiety, social unrest related distress, state-hope and demographic variables.

Results

Participants with higher engagement in social unrest, who opposed the law reform, were prone to higher levels of social unrest related distress, anxiety, and lower levels of state-hope compared to those not engaged in social unrest activities or those who supported the law reform.

Conclusions

Concerns regarding unmet mental health needs, during and following social unrest, regardless of the engagement level, should be actively addressed by mental health professionals and health policy makers.