Traffic-related injuries represent a global public health problem, and contribute largely to mortality and years lived with disability worldwide. Over the course of the last decades, improvements to road traffic safety and injury surveillance systems have resulted in a shift in focus from the prevention of motor vehicle accidents to the control of injury events involving vulnerable road users (VRUs), such as cyclists and moped riders. There have been calls for improvements to the evaluation of safety interventions due to methodological problems associated with the most commonly used study designs. The purpose of this licentiate thesis was to assess the strengths and limitations of the interrupted time series (ITS) design, which has gained some attention for its ability to provide valid effect estimates. Two national road safety interventions involving VRUs were selected as cases: the Swedish bicycle helmet law for children under the age 15, and the tightening of licensing rules for Class 1 mopeds. The empirical results suggest that both interventions were effective in improving the safety of VRUs. Unless other concurrent events affect the treatment population at the exact time of intervention, the effect estimates should be internally valid. One of the main limitations of the study design is the inability to identify why the interventions were successful, especially if they are complex and multifaceted. A lack of reliable exposure data can also pose a further threat to studies of interventions involving VRUs if the intervention can affect the exposure itself. It may also be difficult to generalize the exact effect estimates to other regions and populations. Future studies should consider the use of the ITS design to enhance the internal validity of before-after measurements. / Traffic-related injuries represent a global public health problem, and contribute largely to mortality and years lived with disability. Over the course of the last decades, improvements to road traffic safety and injury surveillance systems have resulted in a shift in focus from motor vehicle accidents to injury events involving vulnerable road users (VRUs), such as cyclists and moped riders. There have been calls for improvements to the evaluation of safety interventions due to methodological problems associated with the most commonly used study designs. The purpose of this licentiate thesis was to assess the strengths and limitations of the interrupted time series (ITS) design, which has gained some attention for its ability to provide valid effect estimates while accounting for secular trends. Two national interventions involving VRUs were selected as cases: the Swedish bicycle helmet law for children under the age 15, and the tightening of licensing rules for Class 1 mopeds. The empirical results suggest that both interventions were effective. These results are discussed in the light of some methodological considerations regarding internal and external validity, data quality and the ability to fully understand key causal mechanisms behind complex interventions.

Evidence suggests that caring for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS remains one of the greatest challenges facing South Africa. Statistics indicate that there are 1.91 million AIDS orphans in the country (UNICEF, 2012; Statistics South Africa, 2009:8)). The majority of these orphans live in rural and poor urban households. Caring for orphans and vulnerable children places severe strain on support systems, such as the extended family; this spills over into the community. Providing care and support also places an extra burden on the already overstretched welfare sector and drains state resources. The primarily objective of this study was to explore community resilience strategies on challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng. A purposive sample of 32 participants was selected and field data were collected over a period of two months using a structured research guide. A combination of data collection methods was employed in order to explore different perspectives of community resilience strategies on challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in Benoni. Emerging data illustrate a clear account on the impact of the AIDS epidemic in Benoni. All of the respondents were directly or indirectly affected by the epidemic. This should be located within the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS and the high number of orphans in Ekurhuleni. The study findings further suggest a correlation between socioeconomic challenges and the AIDS epidemic in Ekurhuleni. This is demonstrated through the challenges experienced by orphans and vulnerable children in Benoni, which include: non-disclosure by parents of their illness; economic deprivation and disrupted schooling; children caring for an ill parent with AIDS and child-headed households; emotional, sexual and economic exploitation, stigmatisation and discrimination. Despite these challenges, through community resilience the Benoni community has taken some initiatives to mitigate against these challenges. This includes the establishment of a community vi based organisation which provides basic services to orphans and vulnerable children in Benoni. To date this organisation has successfully provided material and psychosocial to more than 278 orphans. The success of this initiative confirms the importance of community driven interventions using the resilience framework to supports orphans and vulnerable, rather than dependency on the government imposed programmes- top down approach. However, community based programmes need to be strengthened by the government and non-governmental organisations in order to maximise benefits.

Many South Africans experience the severe impact of the HIVIAIDS pandemic. The AlDS orphan, specifically, has to suffer the adverse effects of this relentless worldwide catastrophe. The HIVIAIDS orphan is not just another orphan, but someone who suffers from exceptional pressures which may lead to depression, hopelessness and psychological trauma later in life (Coombe, 2003) In order to function well in these circumstances, nterventions that target resilient functioning are needed to empower the AlDS orphan. The purpose of this study was to document, by means of a literature review and empirical research, the phenomenon of resilience among AlDS orphans. In order to achieve this goal, it was necessary to elucidate the concepts HIV/AIDS, pandemic, impacts of the pandemic on South Africa and its orphans, resilience and empowerment of orphans. The aim of the empirical research was to investigate the phenomenon of resilience among HIVIAIDS orphans by conducting both survey and phenomenological research and to compare the functioning of resilient and non-resilient orphans. Some of the important findings include: South African AlDS orphans face multiple risk; the participants of this study show remarkable resilience in spite of adversity; and the resilient AlDS orphans in this study alluded to several intrapersonal and interpersonal protective factors which contribute to their resilience. The findings were used to generate guidelines for individuals, families, education and community stakeholders who interact with AlDS orphans and wish to intervene meaningfully in order to empower AlDS orphans towards (continued) resilient functioning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2007.

Many South Africans experience the severe impact of the HIVIAIDS pandemic. The AlDS orphan, specifically, has to suffer the adverse effects of this relentless worldwide catastrophe. The HIVIAIDS orphan is not just another orphan, but someone who suffers from exceptional pressures which may lead to depression, hopelessness and psychological trauma later in life (Coombe, 2003) In order to function well in these circumstances, nterventions that target resilient functioning are needed to empower the AlDS orphan. The purpose of this study was to document, by means of a literature review and empirical research, the phenomenon of resilience among AlDS orphans. In order to achieve this goal, it was necessary to elucidate the concepts HIV/AIDS, pandemic, impacts of the pandemic on South Africa and its orphans, resilience and empowerment of orphans. The aim of the empirical research was to investigate the phenomenon of resilience among HIVIAIDS orphans by conducting both survey and phenomenological research and to compare the functioning of resilient and non-resilient orphans. Some of the important findings include: South African AlDS orphans face multiple risk; the participants of this study show remarkable resilience in spite of adversity; and the resilient AlDS orphans in this study alluded to several intrapersonal and interpersonal protective factors which contribute to their resilience. The findings were used to generate guidelines for individuals, families, education and community stakeholders who interact with AlDS orphans and wish to intervene meaningfully in order to empower AlDS orphans towards (continued) resilient functioning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2007.

New immigrants to Canada are identified as a vulnerable population in mental health and, as a result, organizations are signaling the need to enhance their mental health supports. The research uses focus groups and questions based on the messaging of a Canadian school mental health program to understand how new immigrant mothers interpret and develop key aspects of their mental health literacy and how they attain parent empowerment. A thematic assessment of the knowledge, interpretation, action and decision-making of the study participants (n=7), all recent immigrants to Canada and mothers of high school students, shows that new immigrant mothers are prepared to follow a path towards mental health literacy. At the same time, however, there are barriers that can block progression towards mental health literacy for this audience. These findings are supported by three umbrella themes: the first main theme “home as haven” espouses maternal roles in mental health maintenance such as protector and communicator, the second main theme “knowledge versus suspicions of mental health and mental illness” represents informed views and support of mental illness and myths and illusions of mental illness, and the third main theme, “additional barriers to mental health literacy” includes the hardships of immigration and fear of knowledge. The study concludes that new immigrant mothers appreciate the importance of fostering mental health understanding and discussion with their children at the same time that they encounter obstacles to the advancement of their mental health literacy. This study is relevant to the field of communication in that it demonstrates the experience of new immigrant mothers as a secondary audience in mental health programming. As the caregivers of their children, they are in position to enforce the messages and health maintenance behaviours of a school-based mental health program aimed at adolescents.

Unhome: Objects of Vulnerability, references simple structures and ad hoc processes that come out of the human need for shelter. Proceeding from the need for physical protection from hostile environments, various techniques and technologies - inventions engendered by need - have been employed to clarify formal and conceptual concerns about housing. The provisional architectures represented have been constructed - as in vernacular architecture - by employing materials that are readily available or that come easily to hand. Rather than using conventional construction techniques and durable materials, however, the structures were erected by way of sewing, weaving, textiles, and recycled materials. The resultant objects remain vulnerable and fragile in potentially dangerous circumstances.

This thesis documents my research on the epidemiology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other transmissible infections among 'at risk' young people, injecting drug users and sex workers in inner Sydney, and how this contributed to the early understanding of these infections in these potentially vulnerable populations in Australia. It also demonstrates how this work informed the development of innovative health service models in Sydney??s Kings Cross, including the Kirketon Road Centre (KRC) and the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC), to address the public health risks affecting these populations over time. Sub-themes include the establishment of sentinel surveillance systems at KRC to monitor HIV and HCV prevalence and incidence as well as trends in drug use in these populations, considered to be key drivers of these epidemics in Australia. Another sub-theme is the clinical trials of pharmacotherapies for both opioid and psychostimulant dependence and the development of the dual treatment approach to HIV (and later HCV) and drug dependence that built upon this. KRC has been an exemplar of this approach, which has been shown to enhance treatment adherence among people who inject drugs ?? necessary to achieve treatment outcomes comparable to other affected populations. In more recent years my research has also included a focus on the epidemiology, physiology and treatment of opioid overdose and other injecting-related harms among IDUs. Underlying my work over the past 20 years has been my commitment to the social justice belief that health is a basic human right and that these socially marginalised populations should have equitable access to high quality evidence-based health care.

The purpose of this study is to determine social factors that influence help seeking behaviors by mothers who are concurrently involved in two social service systems: Child Protective Services (CPS) and family violence advocacy programs. Through the application of the behavioral model (of service use) for vulnerable populations, this study seeks to determine predisposing, enabling and need characteristics that impact help seeking behaviors at a family violence agency after participation in an ADVANCE (Acknowledging Domestic Violence and Navigating Child Protection Effectively) course, a group intervention class developed specifically for women involved with CPS. The research design is a mixed-method approach with an ADVANCE course evaluation embedded within the overall analysis of help seeking behaviors. The analytic strategies include pre-test/post-test means comparisons through paired t-tests, qualitative thematic analysis through arts-based methodology, and ordinary least squares and logistic regression analysis. This study considers six outcome variables related to protective help seeking behaviors: seeking services, seeking protective actions related to children, seeking a safety plan, seeking a protective order, seeking safe housing, and seeking financial independence. Several social factors identified influenced help seeking behaviors amongst child welfare involved women experiencing violence, namely, number of children, age of children, level of interest in services, previous participation in services, level of social support, perceived victim status, perceived need for a safety plan, and perceived need for change in family. This study should serve to enhance intervention practices utilized by both family violence advocates and child welfare professionals.

This dissertation studies partnerships among non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and the resulting consequences of these collaborations. The presence of NGOs in the international system is recognized with scholarly works examining what they are, what they do, and what is their role. However, it is also necessary to systematically analyze the causes for collaborations among NGOs and the following consequences. I ask what determines for NGOs to partner with one another. And, who benefits from these collaborations? I carefully place my study within the broader context of the main international relations paradigms and within the specific debates concerning the NGOs. Using social network analysis, quantitative tools, and in-depth interviews I find that similarity is a main determinant for NGOs to collaborate with one another. Importantly, my findings show that not only shared altruistic goals, as proposed by the dominant literature, but also shared strategic goals matter in the choices for partners. I further show that shared altruistic and strategic goals also influence who the final beneficiaries from the collaborations are. My findings reveal that less often vulnerable populations receive a direct help, even when the organizations advance principled goals. I conclude that NGOs have not only altruistic goals but also strategic needs and wants. The forging of their partnerships and the outcomes of their collaborations are influenced by these distinct goals. NGOs, as strategic actors, make complex decisions, that momentously bring a limited impact on vulnerable populations and the international system overall.

La démonstration de la participation des gènes dans la formation des comportements humains est l’une des plus grandes découvertes récentes pour les sciences humaines. La nécessité de trouver une raison génétique et héréditaire comme cause des comportements humains a conduit à l’émergence d’une nouvelle branche de la génétique scientifique baptisée « Génétique du Comportement ». La recherche en génétique du comportement ne limite pas à la simple démonstration de l’importance des facteurs génétiques dans l’étude du comportement, et permet de poser la question de l’action des gènes et des facteurs environnementaux sur le comportement. Pour les sciences humaines, les sciences sociales et la psychologie, l’influence des gènes sur les activités mentales, comportementales et cérébrales de l’homme est un objet d’étude. Ainsi, depuis l’émergence de la génétique du comportement, il est devenu plus facile d’expliquer la manifestation des comportements humains et des maladies mentales. Le domaine très étendu de la génétique du comportement a engendré une multitude de préoccupations morales et sociales ainsi que juridiques. Bien que nombre de ces préoccupations ne soient pas spécifiques à la génétique du comportement, ou même à la génétique, il y a toujours de bonnes raisons d'être conscients d'eux. Les implications politiques d'une base génétique pour les comportements sont très répandues et s’étendent au-delà de la clinique dans les domaines socialement importants de l'éducation, la justice pénale, la procréation et le travail. La nouveauté et le développement considérable de ce nouveau domaine de la génétique expliquent en partie pourquoi les spécialistes de l’éthique sont peu au fait des questions éthiques et juridiques y afférant, notamment en termes de conséquences et de recherches. Cela démontre l’existence de failles profondes, tant au niveau national et international, que dans la protection des participants vulnérables aux examens et aux recherches en génétique comportementale. Le but dans cette thèse est de vérifier juridiquement les risques de discrimination et de stigmatisation, les défis juridiques et les encadrements nécessaires dans le champ d’application des recherches génétiques comportementales à l’égard du public, des droits fondamentaux des sujets concernés et des participants vulnérables ayant des maladies mentales ou une tendance aux comportements qualifiés d’ « antisociaux ». / Demonstrating the involvement of genes in the formation of human behavior is one of the greatest recent discoveries in the human sciences. The need to find a genetic and hereditary reason for human behavior led to the emergence of a new branch of scientific genetics called "Behavioral Genetics". Behavioral genetic research does not limit the simple demonstration of the importance of genetic factors in the study of behavior, and allows asking this question how genes and environmental factors have an effect on behavior. Recently, in the human sciences and psychology, the influence of genes on human mental, behavioral and cerebral activities is widely studied. The extensive field of behavioral genetics has engendered a multitude of moral and social concerns as well as legal issues almost since its inception. Although many of these concerns are not the same as behavioral genetics, or even genetics, there are always good reasons to be aware of them. The political implications of a genetic basis for behaviors are widespread and extend beyond the clinic into areas that are socially important for education, criminal justice, procreation and ultimately for the upbringing of children. The novelty and considerable development of this new area of genetics partly explains why ethics specialists have the right to ignore the ethical and legal issues relating to them, particularly in terms of consequences and research. This demonstrates the existence of profound loopholes, both nationally and internationally, and in the protection of vulnerable participants in behavioral genetics testing and research. The purpose of this thesis is to legally verify the risks of discrimination and stigmatization, legal challenges and frameworks as well as the scope of behavioral genetic research with regard to the public, the fundamental rights of the subjects concerned and the vulnerable participants.