Social Science Protocols (E-Journal)
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Studying Resilient Action Strategies of First Line Managers
Get PDFBackground: One important key to an organization’s long-term competitiveness is the ability of first line managers (FLMs) to handle their role as a leader in daily work. FLMs main task is to contribute to a high and stable production output according to customer demands from an input that is characterized by instability and variability. To do so, FLMs must develop resilient action strategies – ways of working and daily problem solving that systematically facilitate to cope with instability. In this study protocol we present a methodological approach developed to evaluate and improve these.
Methods/Design: The research approach is collaborative and developmental and performed together with two companies. The approach integrates and extends the theory and application of a model on interactive research and a framework on activity analysis. It will be applied using data collection techniques like interviews, diaries, observations, document analysis, and questionnaires. The analysis and development stages will be performed both separate and in collaboration in workshops and the result is planned to end up in the joint writing of a generic handbook on advantageous action strategies for FLMs’.
Discussion: This study contributes with a new integration of two methodological approaches which provides a novel way to understand and develop dynamic on-the-job behaviour in work settings
Juvenile Sexual Offending: An EU Prevalence and State Response Study: Study Protocol
Get PDFBackground: Juvenile sexual offending is an area that has been largely under-researched to date and this has resulted in very little and sometimes conflicting research being published in the area. The dearth of empirical data in the space is concerning as it suggests that policy may not be underpinned by an empirical framework and this has far reaching implications for the development of laws, intervention programmes and the management of young people accused/convicted of a juvenile sexual offence. Moreover, the lack of an evidence-based framework has the potential to contribute to misinformation amongst the public who may be relying upon anecdotal news reports and exaggerated media representations.
Methods/Design: This study will use a survey to collect the same data from each European member state with the aim of generating comparable data. The first step in the design process was to design a typology of juvenile sexual offences so the data collected represents the same offences across each jurisdiction. The second step in the design process is to design a survey, using the typology, to collect data across each member country.
Discussion: This study aims to take a first step towards generating comparable data across each member state. As such this project will be the first to generate accurate comparable data on the prevalence of juvenile sexual offending across each EU Member State and data on how each Member State reacts to juvenile sexual offending
Mental Health and Wellbeing Impacts of Societal Attitudes Towards Forcibly Displaced Young People: A Scoping Review Protocol
Get PDFBackground: In less time than it takes to read this sentence, someone somewhere in the world will be forcibly displaced. With exponential increases in displacement likely to continue, research into the resettlement experiences and mental health of forcibly displaced people is essential. There is an abundance of research pertaining to the mental health and wellbeing of refugee populations and research that investigates societal attitudes towards refugees. However, there is a little research on the direct impacts of societal attitudes on the mental health and wellbeing of those from a refugee-like background, particularly young people.
Method: This scoping review seeks to systematically explore the academic and grey literature around both positive and negative societal attitudes in host countries, and the subsequent positive and negative impacts on young people from a refugee-like background. The search strategy consists of synonyms for the four basic constructs (youth, displaced people, mental health, attitudes). Six scholarly databases and grey literature will be searched. To be included in the Review, papers must study the affective component of attitudes in host countries, as well as reporting on the mental health impacts on young people from a refugee-like background. Findings will be thematically analysed using NVivo and presented in the full Scoping Review
Well-Being Programme for Caregivers of Persons with Spinal Cord Injury: A Feasibility Study
Get PDFBackground: SCI is a high-cost chronic disability, and it is a life-changing experience for family members and societies. For families, the unpredictable nature of the injury leads some of the members into an \u27unexpected career\u27 as family caregivers, the caregiver’s have to put enormous efforts, to provide continuous full-time caregiving for the recovery of Person with Spinal cord injury, which will affect the caregiver\u27s physical and mental health. The current study aims to develop and test the feasibility of a well-being programme for caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury.
Methods/Design: The current study adopts a Quasi-experimental study design, which have three phases; the first phase is to explore the needs of the caregivers by conducting in-depth interviews with different stakeholders. The second phase is to develop a well-being programme, and checking the feasibility of the programme is the third phase by recruiting 24 caregivers. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis, whereas quantitative data will be analyzed using appropriate parametric or non- parametric tests upon confirming normality of data distribution.
Discussion: This study would help us to understand the psycho-social issues and unique needs of the caregivers at different time periods. It also gives information about psycho-social interventions and outcome measures for the well-being of the caregivers
Humanitarian and Developmental Research Engagement during COVID-19: A Remote Research Approach
Get PDFBackground: Floods and storms are the most common natural hazards. Communities in remote, riparian areas are the most vulnerable in such disasters, particularly when local populations lack reliable energy and early warning systems for hazard response. Our study will investigate energy and flood resilience issues in such communities and use remote methods to enable research continuity in intra and post-pandemic contexts.
Methods/Design: A two-round Delphi process will be used to interview 16 participants from Nepal and Greece to understand their priorities and preferred solutions for energy and flood resilience issues. In Round One we aim to understand the current capabilities and vulnerabilities of our focus communities in these areas. In Round Two, we seek feedback on potential options that are either market-available/evidence-informed solutions or co-developed conceptual systems. Remotely deployed semi-structured interviews are the principal method for both rounds. The Round Two structured comparative review also employs choice-based conjoint analysis and SCORE analysis.
Discussion: By collecting information from both professionals and non-experts, we aim to understand what options are perceived as reliable, realistic and appropriate for flood-prone communities. The remote research design enables continuity and community access to development-focused research and its outputs, and a flexible, cost-effective approach for researchers and partner organizations
Future Directions: Study Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Evaluation of a State-based Social Housing Strategy and Three Social Housing Programs
Get PDFBackground: In the Australian state of New South Wales nearly 60,000 approved applicants are waiting for social housing. Future Directions for Social Housing is a response to this challenge. This collection of housing programs aims to provide more social housing, support and incentives for leaving social housing and a better social housing experience. This document presents the protocol of the evaluation of these programs and the overarching Future Directions Strategy.
Methods/Design: The evaluation will use a Type 1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid design, with an integrated, dual focus on assessing the effectiveness of Future Directions and better understanding the context for reform implementation. Program effectiveness will be examined using quasi-experimental techniques applied to linked administrative data. The implementation context will be examined via program level data, qualitative interviews and focus groups with stakeholders and tenants. Some quantitative survey and administrative data will also be used. Findings from the implementation evaluation will be used to inform and interpret the effectiveness evaluation. Economic evaluations will also be conducted.
Discussion: This methodology will produce a high-quality evaluation of a large, complex government program which aims to facilitate rapid translational gains, real-time adoption of effective implementation strategies and generate actionable insights for policymakers
Systematic Review on the Impact of Different Presentations of Maternal Depression on Children\u27s Socio-Emotional Development: A Study Protocol
Get PDFBackground: Maternal depression from the perinatal period onwards is associated with an increased likelihood of suboptimal socio-developmental outcomes in offspring, with increasing interest in the extent to which sustained maternal depression impacts on these associations. The current protocol outlines the methodology of a systematic review to synthesise the evidence on the impact of maternal depression from the perinatal period onwards and offspring socio-emotional development, defined as internalising, externalising, and social competence outcomes. We aim to explore the effects of timing, chronicity and severity of maternal depression on outcomes, and identify sources of methodological bias.
Methods/Design: The conduct and reporting of the protocol will adhere to PRISMA-P guidelines. The systematic review will be conducted using the following electronic databases: APA PsycInfo, EMBASE, MEDLINE. Grey literature will be searched from the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database.
Discussion: Findings from the systematic review will enhance knowledge around potential heterogeneity of timing, chronicity and severity of maternal depression and its impact on offspring socio-emotional development
Strategies to Prevent Online Sexual Abuse of Children: A Systematic Review of the Literature Protocol
Get PDFOnline sexual abuse of children has severe and lasting implications. In addition to there being many avenues to commit sexual offences via technology, there are many ways to intervene. Industry-related prevention and intervention strategies are often targeted at blocking or catching a potential offender. Justice initiatives through punitive measures are targeted towards the perpetrator. Education and awareness campaigns are a means to prevent abuse before it happens or help a victim come forward to seek support and retribution. A systematic review of the literature will endeavour to find research that emphasizes intervention through education and awareness strategies for children and adolescents, including an analysis of the effectiveness of such programs. This protocol follows PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and provides details of the literature review and research parameters. 
Models of Recovery in Mental Illness: Protocol for an Overview of Systematic Reviews and Qualitative Meta-Syntheses
Get PDFBackground. Discourse on the possibility of recovery from serious mental illness has become increasingly dominant among mental health professionals. Mental health recovery has been conceptualized variously by researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and persons with mental illness. Several systematic reviews have synthesized the experience of recovery from the perspective of persons with mental illness, and offer different models of recovery. This proposed overview aims to summarize the methodological characteristics of systematic reviews on mental health recovery and to synthesize models of recovery from the perspective of persons with mental illness.
Design and analysis. The authors will use systematic review methods to identify and synthesize systematic reviews on the phenomenon of recovery in mental illness. A pre-specified search strategy will be used to search academic databases and libraries of the Campbell Collaboration, Cochrane Collaboration, and Joanna Briggs Institute for published and gray literature. Two authors will independently screen titles/abstracts and full texts. Authors will pilot the data extraction form before independently extracting data and appraising study quality. Reflexive thematic analysis, informed by a hermeneutic orientation towards the included texts, will be used to synthesize models of recovery presented in eligible studies.
Discussion. This overview will synthesize systematic review evidence on consumer perspectives of mental health recovery. Findings could inform future research, clinical practice, and policy by elucidating similarities and differences in recovery models across demographic or diagnostic categories and identifying how environmental, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors contribute to recovery.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD4201914297
Underlying Equity Discourses of the World Health Organization: A Scoping Review Protocol
Get PDFBackground: Globally, increasing attention has been paid to the concept of equity in the context of health, largely stemming from the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) beginning in the late 1970s with the Declaration of Alma-Ata (WHO, 1978) and more recently following the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH, 2008) and their final report in 2008. Despite increasing attention to this issue, there is global ambiguity on the true definition of “health inequity”, “health inequalities”, or “health disparities” (Braveman, 2006, p. 167; Braveman & Gruskin, 2003).
Methods/Design: This original scoping review clarifies how the WHO conceptualizes equity. It also identifies the theoretical underpinnings guiding the WHO’s approach to equity and its broader implications. This protocol followed the PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) (Tricco et al., 2018), with details discussed in the full protocol.
Discussion: To date, much of the research on health equity globally has been restricted to chronological discussions over time or specific research fields (Borde & Hernández, 2018, p. 3). Therefore, researching the WHO’s approach to equity in terms of alignment with theory and broader normative standpoint(s) becomes increasingly important in addressing a gap in the literature. In addition, because the definition of equity in the context of health has practical implications for its operationalization (Guerra, Borde, & Salgado De Snyder, 2016), this work seeks to clarify in the concept of equity used by the WHO in hopes of moving towards a shared understanding to bridge action [e.g. in measurement and accountability (Braveman & Gruskin, 2003)]