Crime prevention is taking action early before serious problems arise. Waiting for a problemto arise is costly, inefficient and worse for the individual and society. Nevertheless, much ofthe preventive work today is devoted to intervening in individuals with obvious and numerousrisk factors. The study was carried out in an outpatient care company called Hassela Skåne,the company takes care of exposed high-risk children and youth people who have a highprobability of falling into crime or becoming victims of crime. The purpose of the studies wasto map Hassela Skåne's data to see what differences there are between their child/youthintervention and family intervention regarding risk factors and goal fulfillment, in order tofind possible development paths to a favorable intervention. The material used includes anumber of different static risk factors from the outpatient care company Hassela's database,linked to the individuals who are/are being treated at Hassela. The result showed that therewere no differences between different types of intervention, neither in terms of risk factorsnor goal achievement, but the result is very likely to be influenced by the majority ofbackground factors. Continued research on evaluations within outpatient care in Sweden isrequested, in order to build on favorable interventions that can reduce child and youthdelinquency.

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the development of violent crime in the geographical area belonging to the district courts of Mellersta- and Västra Värends, as well as Växjö Magistrate´s Court, during the period 1960—1970. The questions addressed include: What was the demographic distribution among crime victims and perpetrators in terms of gender, age, possible alcohol influence during the crime, and the relationships between the victim and the perpetrator? To what extent were young people perpetrators? How have the number of judgements changed over time? How can crime history be utilized in high school education? The prime material used consists of judgements from court records, and the theoretical frameworks include social vulnerability, peer influence and socialization, among others. The method employed is primarily quantitative, with the results presented in tabular form. The study confirms previous research on violent crimes, revealing that the majority of those convicted or victimized by violence during the period were men. However, one woman faced charges of rape but was ultimately convicted for assault, a charge outside the scope of sexual offences. The highest average age (31,8 years), including both men and women was found in Växjö Magistrate´s Court and stood out in the study. Concerning youth offenders, the study revealed that in Västra Värends district court, the majority (36,6 %) were in the 15—20 age group. Alcohol emerged as a recurring factor in the study. Of the total cases in Mellersta Värends district court, 65,6 % were influenced by alcohol at the time of the defense. In conclusion, the study confirms that socialization, peer influence and alcohol played significant roles in shaping the characteristics of violent crimes during this period.

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In urban environments, ozone air pollution, poses significant risks to respiratory health. Fixed site monitoring is the primary method of measuring ozone concentrations for health advisories and pollutant reduction, but the spatial scale may not reflect the current population distribution or its future growth. Moreover, formal methods for the placement of ozone monitoring sites within populations potentially omit important spatial criteria, producing monitoring locations that could unintentionally underestimate the exposure burden. Although air pollution affects all people, the combination of underlying health, socioeconomic and demographic factors exacerbate the impact for socially vulnerable population groups. A need exists for assessing the spatial representativeness and data gaps of existing pollution sensor networks and to evaluate future placement strategies of additional sensors. This research also seeks to understand how air pollution monitor placement strategies may neglect social vulnerabilities and therefore, potentially underestimate exposure burdens in vulnerable populations.

Increases in cases of diarrheal disease, respiratory infections and pregnancy complications have been reported in the literature following floods caused by heavy rainfall. Analyzing the association between health records of outcomes related to flooding demarcated by satellite observations will be helpful to evaluate the use of satellite observed products in the mitigation of health risks for future flood events. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index (CDC SVI), a relative index assigned to census tracts, measures sociodemographic factors that may affect the ability of communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme weather events. This index, which quantifies social vulnerability is expected to have a positive relationship with health outcomes associated with flooding. This study uses an inundation map created using observations from active remote sensing satellites to classify census tracts that were flooded after the historic rainfall caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017. The duration or period of the inundation was determined using United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge data. A controlled before and after study design was used, and the relative risk (RR) of 11 cause-specific emergency department (ED) visits among the flooded census tracts compared to non-flooded tracts during and after the flood period was modelled using modified Poisson regression while adjusting for a baseline period and the age, ethnicity, race and sex of the patient. Further modification of this relationship by social vulnerability, as measured by CDC SVI quartiles, was examined. The results of this study show that flooding was associated with an increase in ED visits related to carbon monoxide poisoning, insect bites, dehydration, hypothermia, intestinal infectious diseases, and pregnancy complications during the flood period. The average rate of ED visits related to pregnancy complications and insect bites were greater among the flooded tracts compared to the non-flooded tracts in the month following the inundation. Modification of this association by CDC SVI was observed in some cases, such that ED visits were higher or lower in census tracts within higher vulnerable quartiles compared to the least vulnerable quartile. Evaluating the usefulness of earth observations and the CDC SVI in estimating the health risk associated with floods due to Hurricane Harvey has provided understanding the use of these products for future flooding events in identifying specific communities with increased health risks during and following flooding events. / Master of Science / Studies have shown that flooding following heavy rains might increase cases of flood-related health outcomes such as diarrhea, respiratory infections and pregnancy complications among the people in flooded communities. With advancements in satellite technology and image processing, areas that are flooded can be mapped using images captured by satellites within a few days after the flooding. Such maps can then be used to identify communities that might experience greater health risks due to the flooding. This study evaluated the use of such an inundation map created after Hurricane Harvey's floods of 2017 to determine the health risk among the flooded communities with respect to the non-flooded communities. We found that the census tracts that were identified as flooded using the inundation map experienced a greater number of ED visits related to carbon monoxide poisoning, insect bite, dehydration, hypothermia, intestinal infectious diseases, and pregnancy complications compared to the non-flooded census tracts during the period of 19 days after the landfall of Hurricane Harvey. Also, the month following this period, ED visits related to pregnancy complications and insect bites were still greater among the flooded tracts compared to the non-flooded tracts. As the socio-economic status, housing and transportation quality vary among different communities, the association between flooding and the health of the people in different communities may also differ. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index (CDC SVI) is a relative vulnerability value assigned to each census tract based on the social characteristics of the population that influence the ability to prevent human suffering and financial loss in a disaster. We analyzed how census tracts grouped as very high, high and moderate vulnerability based on the SVI differ from least vulnerable census tracts in terms of this association. The results show that the association differs between different vulnerability groups for total ED visits and ED visits related to insect bites, intestinal infectious diseases and dehydration. We conclude that the satellite-based products along with the CDC SVI might be useful in identifying communities that might need support to overcome health risks following flooding.

Natural disasters have become more severe and frequent than previous assessments with global warming. The increasing risk of natural disasters presents different groups of populations with diverse vulnerabilities, particularly those underrepresented social groups which need specific support before, during, and after extreme disasters. Hence, it is highly desired to examine vulnerability quantitatively and qualitatively across different social groups in risk to natural disasters. This dissertation study aims to investigate the measure of social vulnerability to two types of climate change-related natural disasters: sea-level-rise floodings and wildfires. In the study of sea-level-rise floodings, high-risk flooding areas are first identified for a coastal city. Then, we measure social vulnerability index (SVI) using a new SVI metric to identify vulnerable social groups which should be paid more attention for coastal flooding disaster mitigation. Compared to existing SVI methods, the new SVI leverages principal component analysis and analytic hierarchy process to achieve a better social vulnerability analysis. In the study of wildfires, we focus on the understanding of minority vulnerabilities and their disparities to wildfires over time and space. Minority vulnerabilities are analyzed with spatial clustering methods including Local Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi*. The vulnerability disparity is measured based on a reference point from which the quantity separates a minority group on a particular place. Both location quotient and location amplitude index are used to quantitively measure the vulnerability disparity among different minorities. Lastly, in addition to the “direct” impact of disasters on vulnerable population, this dissertation study also conducts vulnerability analysis to failed infrastructure (e.g., power systems) due to disasters, i.e., the “indirect” impact of disasters on different social groups. Recently, scheduled power outages known as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) are becoming increasingly common to mitigate threats of wildfires to power systems. However, current PSPS decision making processes do not consider the unequal distribution of various social groups, particularly those who are more vulnerable to the power outage. This study investigates the measure of social vulnerability in high-risk fire areas to PSPS, which will help decision makers to better determine the efficiency of a PSPS event for wildfire mitigation.

Effective Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies are crucial in minimizing vulnerabilities and mitigating disaster impacts. This thesis explores the integration of social vulnerabilities within Germany's national disaster management documents. Using a qualitative case study methodology, the research critically analyses six key documents to assess how these address the needs of various vulnerable groups. Findings indicate that while there is an awareness of the need to consider social vulnerabilities within national frameworks, operationalization remains inconsistent, with some documents more comprehensively integrating these considerations than others. The study highlights the dynamic nature of vulnerability and the necessity of adopting inclusive and adaptive disaster management practices that go beyond traditional approaches. By offering insights into the strengths and limitations of current DRR policies in Germany and by bridging the gap between theoretical vulnerability concepts and practical applications, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on enhancing societal resilience and ensuring equitable disaster preparedness and response.

National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) are central instruments supporting developing countries in their adaptation efforts and enhancing climate resilience. As the NAP documents outline a country's vulnerabilities to climate change and planned adaptation strategies, it is essential to examine how the most vulnerable groups are considered. In the IPCC’s Sixth Synthesis Report, the concepts of maladaptation and transformational adaptation feature prominently, with prior research connecting these concepts to the inclusion of vulnerable groups in adaptation efforts.This thesis provides an in-depth assessment of how vulnerable groups and communities are considered in the three selected NAPs of Bhutan, the Marshall Islands, and Zambia. A normative theoretical framework, the maladaptation-transformative adaptation continuum, is developed from relevant academic research to examine the consideration of vulnerable groups and communities throughout the NAP. Utilising a deductive qualitative content analysis, the central elements of this framework will be operationalised to review the three selected NAP documents. The findings indicate that all of the examined NAPs take vulnerable groups and communities into account by explicitly identifying the most vulnerable social groups, and including adaptation actions that target these vulnerable groups. The inclusion of vulnerable groups and communities in the formulation process and the planned implementation of adaptation measures vary, reflecting different positions along the maladaptation-transformative adaptation continuum.

Mountains are hazardous places. Framed in political ecology and disaster theory in geography, this research set out to answer the overarching question of how the risk of climate-related disasters has changed in mountain areas of Guatemala at the start of the century. It involved four main related activities that examined key elements of disaster risk: 1) the trigger, assessing extreme rainfall trends based on daily records; 2) the hazards, through an evaluation of the relevance of land use and cover (LUC) to slope failure; 3) elements of social vulnerability, looking at its geography and trend at the turn of the century, and also exploring the role of globalisation in specific communities; and 4) an assessment and mapping of disaster risk in two sites, including an estimation of exposure levels to hazards. Methods range from statistical analysis of quantitative data (rainfall, landslide, and vulnerability chapters), GIS-based modelling (risk mapping), and qualitative analysis including interviews. The main findings state that: increasing annual and extreme rainfall has contributed to higher disaster risk only in a few areas; LUC change from forest to annual crops has increased risk in a few locations but it has not done so in most of the volcanic highlands either because there has been only minor LUC change or because LUC does not seem to have an effect on slope failure in certain types of geology. Disaster risk has decreased overall because vulnerability has become lower in the vast majority of mountain areas but risk may be higher as a result of increased exposure to hazards either in mountain communities or in marginal areas of the capital and surrounding municipios. The analysis of risk helped identify four mountain zones where risk is very likely to have increased. Further research questions are mostly related to studying the evolution of climate-related disaster risk in those areas.

A regulamentação da presença do psicólogo na equipe mínima dos Centros de Referência de Assistência Social - CRAS, efetivada em 2005, ampliou o campo de trabalho dessa categoria profissional e suscitou uma série de questões sobre o seu fazer relacionadas: ao lugar a ser ocupado pelo psicólogo nesta política, aos desafios que se apresentaram diante da conexão com outros campos de saber e aos entraves frente ao trabalho com a população, conforme apontado em pesquisas sobre o tema. Considerando o caráter relativamente novo dessa inserção, os debates e pesquisas em torno do tema são essenciais para a facilitação desse processo. Desse modo, a partir dos pressupostos teórico-metodológicos da Psicologia Social Crítica, o presente estudo propõe-se a analisar a atuação de seis psicólogos que compõem as equipes dos CRAS de um município da Grande São Paulo, para discutir a possibilidade de esses profissionais empreenderem uma práxis efetiva nesse contexto. A abordagem adotada para a pesquisa foi a qualitativa, realizada por meio da observação participante e de conversas orientadas por um roteiro semiestruturado. Foi possível compreender que a estrutura de trabalho, na qual os profissionais estão inseridos, constitui-se na precarização dos recursos, na objetificação das relações, no caráter contraditório e inconsistente dos métodos instituídos como meios para atingir os objetivos dessa política, bem como, na preeminência do assistencialismo, da tutela e da responsabilização das pessoas por sua marginalização. Aspectos que, historicamente, marcaram o campo da assistência social. Essas situações geraram sofrimento para os profissionais, diante da descontinuidade do trabalho com as pessoas atendidas e a dúvida sobre a significância do seu trabalho. Este estudo também mostrou que a prática da Psicologia no CRAS volta-se mais para o trabalho com as individualidades do que com as coletividades. Situação atribuída tanto a uma formação profissional que prioriza o ensino da Psicologia clínica tradicional, cuja concepção de homem está desvinculada de seu contexto social, quanto à matricialidade familiar focalizada pela atual política de assistência social. No sentido oposto, foi possível perceber a existência de alguns espaços conquistados como formas de resistência a esse desfuncionamento, como a criação de métodos alternativos e coletivos para o acompanhamento das famílias e de outros que se voltam para a humanização do trabalho, ao lutar por espaços de trocas, horizontalidades, diálogos, e respeito ético e político aos sujeitos. Esses resultados podem contribuir com a reflexão sobre as possibilidades de atuação do psicólogo em um horizonte emancipatório / The regulation of the psychologists presence in the minimal staff of Social Assistance Reference Centers - CRAS, which took place in 2005, extended the work field of this professional category and raised a series of questions about their actions, taking into account the uncertainty about which place to occupy in this framework of public policies; the challenges that emerged in connection with other fields of knowledge, and the barriers facing the work with the population. These aspects were highlighted in researches conducted on the topic and by myself, when I was a Basic Social Protection member until 2012. Given the relatively new nature of this subject, which is still being consolidated, as well as SUAS, discussions and researches around the topic are essential for facilitating this process. Thus, from the theoretical and methodological assumptions of Critical Social Psychology, this study proposes to analyze the performance of six psychologists who belong to CRAS teams located in São Paulo in order to discuss the possibility of these professionals to undertake a effective práxis in that context. The adopted research approach was qualitative, conducted through participant observation and conversations guided by a semi-structured script. With this study, it was possible to understand that the structure of work, in which professionals are inserted, constitutes the precariousness of resources and the objectification of relations, the contradictory and inconsistent nature of the methods instituted as means to achieve this policys objectives as well as the welfarism, guardianship and individuals accountability for their marginalization preeminence; aspects that have historically impacted the field of social assistance. These situations led to suffering for professionals, who are unable to establish a long term service to each person or family and tend to doubt the significance of their work. This study also showed that the practice of psychology in CRAS is more focused on individualities, rather than collectivities. This is due to the fact that training emphasizes traditional clinical psychology and a mans conception that is disconnected from its social context, as well as the familiar matriciality focused by the current policy of the social assistance. These conditions leave the professional susceptible to the incorporation of dominant ideologies during their treatments. In the opposite direction, it is possible to realize the creation of gaps, managed as forms of resistance to this malfunctions, such as alternative and collectives methods for monitoring the families and other methods focused on the humanization of work, allowing room for exchanges, horizontality, dialogues, and ethical and political respect for people subjects. These results can contribute to the discussion about the possibilities of the psychologists role in an emancipatory horizon