📄 social_science

Teaching Staff as Gatekeepers for Student Mental Health in Higher Education: Findings from an Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study on Mental Health Promotion, Psychological Crises, and Stigma

This exploratory sequential mixed-methods study reveals that while teaching staff in German universities are recognized as vital gatekeepers for student mental health, their effectiveness is currently hindered by unclear role expectations, insufficient training, and a gap between low personal stigma and high perceived public stigma, necessitating improved institutional support and training strategies.

Maria Koschig, Michéle Müller, Steffi G. Riedel-Heller, Ines Conrad2026-06-25
📄 social_science

Tension, depression, and culture among women in rural Bangladesh: Continuity and change

This study compares contemporary interviews with 60 rural Bangladeshi women to historical ethnographic records, revealing that while enduring patriarchal institutions like dowry and patrilocality continue to cause distress, new stressors such as micro-debt and pharmaceutical addiction have emerged alongside unfulfilled hopes for greater educational and economic opportunities.

Lesley Jo Weaver, Fahmida Tofail, Alison Karasz2026-06-25
📄 social_science

From Identity Mirrors to Academic Equity: Elementary Teachers’ Conceptualizations and Enactment of Culturally Responsive Teaching

This qualitative study of 39 Pennsylvania elementary teachers reveals that while Culturally Responsive Teaching is universally grounded in relationships and cultural competence, its conceptualization and enactment differ developmentally, with K–2 educators prioritizing emotional safety and identity affirmation while older grade teachers focus more on academic responsiveness and curriculum adaptation, highlighting a need for age-appropriate professional learning to advance critical consciousness.

Tugce Arda Tuncdemir2026-06-25
📄 social_science

Just adaptation at work: A framework for analysing occupational health and safety

This paper proposes a conceptual framework integrating labour process theory and climate justice to analyze occupational health and safety, arguing that just climate adaptation requires addressing power asymmetries and prioritizing workers' health to prevent maladaptive outcomes driven by conflicts between capital, productivity, and environmental protection.

Diego Velásquez, Patrizio Tonelli2026-06-25
📄 social_science

Urban Mobility, Demographic Change, and Spatial Mismatch in African Cities: Rethinking Transportation and Inclusive Development. The Case of Greater Accra, Nairobi, and Lagos.

This study utilizes a comparative analysis of Greater Accra, Nairobi, and Lagos to argue that rapid urbanization, demographic shifts, and fragmented informal transport systems create severe spatial mismatches in African cities, necessitating integrated, equitable, and sustainable mass transit policies to achieve inclusive development.

Emmanuel Owusu Agyei2026-06-25
📄 social_science

Exploring the Accessible Design of Virtual Reality Games of Different Intervening Purposes with People with Dementia at Different Stages

This study evaluates the accessible design of virtual reality games for people with dementia across different cognitive stages, revealing that single-purpose interventions have limitations and proposing future design strategies focused on multi-dimensional interventions, AI-driven difficulty matching, and emotionally intelligent social agents.

Hefeng Wang, Mingying Lan, Yangcheng Bu, Chenxuan Liu, Junhui Li, Li Gao, Tianyang Zeng, Jingqi Li, Jie Dong2026-06-25