journalArticle
Wilby
Robert L.
Evaluating the Potential of ChatGPT to Support Climate Risk and Adaptation Assessment
ABSTRACT
Adaptation to climate change is increasingly urgent, as efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions falter. Scaling up adaptation finance is essential to address climate risks, but no adaptation inventory covers all sectors and regions globally, especially for vulnerable, information‐scarce communities. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT could help bridge these gaps through rapid scoping of climate risks, adaptation options, programme costs and potential maladaptation. This paper uses structured conversations with ChatGPT to explore adaptations to climate hazards in the United Kingdom (for a national perspective), Bangladesh (for an education sector) and Ghana (for vulnerable communities). Queries were run multiple times to test consistency of outputs and contextual awareness. Early results are promising when compared with published information and expert insight. Nonetheless, practical steps can be taken for more effective use of LLMs, and these are captured in a checklist for users. Further research is needed to compare ChatGPT with other LLMs in giving reliable, domain‐specific information about climate risks and priority adaptations.
12/2025
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cli2.70013
2025-11-12 09:54:52
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
e70013
4
Climate Resilience and Sustainability
DOI 10.1002/cli2.70013
2
Climate Resilience
ISSN 2692-4587, 2692-4587
journalArticle
4
Climate Resilience and Sustainability
DOI 10.1002/cli2.60
1
Climate Resilience
ISSN 2692-4587, 2692-4587
Li
Kuo
Xu
Yinlong
Han
Xue
Li
Yingchun
Coping with future climate change positively‐adaptation policies and actions in China
Abstract
Due to global warming, extreme climate events such as heat waves and storms will become more and more frequent, which would lead to huge losses including human health, the economy, water resources, ecosystems, and so on. Facing a grave situation, adaptation is becoming more and more important for each country or each person. As a big developing country, China has made great efforts in the past decades; (1) a national climate change response coordination organization and a climate change management system and working mechanism have been established; (2) the law on climate change in China is under preparation and to be issued; (3) a climate change adaptation policy system from top to bottom, expanding from comprehensive departments to professional departments has been gradually formed; (4) a large number of regulations and actions related to climate change adaptation have been successively issued and implemented by local government departments; (5) especially the rural community adaptation actions should be paid more attention and given more support. In order to make the “2030 carbon peak, 2060 carbon neutral” come true, the whole country should put more attention and efforts into adaptation, including more funds, more personnel, more programs, more actions, and so on; the adaptation policies and actions should be more detailed and specific; the effects of adaptation should be monitored and evaluated in the whole process.
06/2025
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cli2.60
2025-11-12 09:55:07
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
e260
journalArticle
Ortega‐Rodríguez
Cristina
Martín‐Montes
Lucía
Licerán‐Gutiérrez
Ana
Moreno‐Albarracín
Antonio Luis
Nonprofit good governance mechanisms: A systematic literature review
Abstract
There is widespread acknowledgment of the importance of nonprofit good governance with a need for guidance on different effective mechanisms to increase ethical practices for the whole sector to assist professionals and researchers. This study explores two research questions: (1) What are the main reasons that inspire nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to implement good governance mechanisms? (2) What are the good governance mechanisms conducted by NPOs? The purpose is to serve as a reference and an instrument of reflection for interested NPOs exploring good governance mechanisms to make their accountability work more effective. We used a systematic literature review methodology for identification, selection, and analysis of published research on nonprofit good governance. A set of 89 articles published until 2021 was analyzed, and a new classification that identified 3 lines and 13 sublines of research was provided. Our results show that a variety of internal mechanisms and international third‐party initiatives are underpinned by the need to adhere to standards of ethics and honesty.
06/2024
en
Nonprofit good governance mechanisms
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nml.21598
2025-11-12 09:56:27
927-957
34
Nonprofit Management and Leadership
DOI 10.1002/nml.21598
4
Nonprofit Mgmnt & Ldrshp
ISSN 1048-6682, 1542-7854
attachment
Full Text
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/nml.21598
2025-11-12 09:56:32
3
application/pdf
journalArticle
Einolf
Christopher
Evidence-based volunteer management: a review of the literature
This article reviews 81 articles that directly tested the effectiveness of volunteer management practices. Many articles measured volunteers’ perceptions of the quality of management practices, not the practices themselves, making their utility to volunteer managers limited. Most articles used self-reported, cross-sectional surveys and subjective outcome measures such as satisfaction and intent to continue volunteering. Despite these limitations, current research supports the effectiveness of 11 best practices: liability insurance, clearly defined roles, job design, recruitment strategies, screening and matching, orientation and training, supervision and communication, recognition, satisfying motivations, reflection and peer support. No support has yet been found for three supposed best practices suggested by the practitioner literature: written policies, record-keeping and individual evaluations. Future studies should use more rigorous methods, including validated measures, external ratings of volunteer effectiveness, field experiments and longitudinal surveys.
07/2018
Evidence-based volunteer management
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/vsr/9/2/article-p153.xml
2025-11-12 09:58:41
153-176
9
Voluntary Sector Review
DOI 10.1332/204080518X15299334470348
2
ISSN 2040-8056, 2040-8064
book
Wiley Nonprofit law, finance and management series
Hoboken, N.J
John Wiley
Connors
Tracy Daniel
The volunteer management handbook: leadership strategies for success
2012
eng
The volunteer management handbook
K10plus ISBN
DOI: 10.1002/9781118386194
ISBN 978-0-470-60453-3 978-1-118-12740-7 978-1-118-12742-1 978-1-118-38619-4 978-1-299-31840-3
2nd ed
1
"Completely revised and expanded, the ultimate guide to starting--and keeping--an active and effective volunteer programDrawing on the experience and expertise of recognized authorities on nonprofit organizations, The Volunteer Management Handbook, Second Edition is the only guide you need for establishing and maintaining an active and effective volunteer program. Written by nonprofit leader Tracy Connors, this handy reference offers practical guidance on such essential issues as motivating people to volunteer their time and services, recruitment, and more. Up-to-date and practical, this is the essential guide to managing your nonprofit's most important resource: its volunteers. Now covers volunteer demographics, volunteer program leaders and managers, policy making and implementation, planning and staff analysis, recruiting, interviewing and screening volunteers, orienting and training volunteers, and much moreUp-to-date, practical guidance for the major areas of volunteer leadership and managementExplores volunteers and the law: liabilities, immunities, and responsibilitiesDesigned to help nonprofit organizations survive and thrive, The Volunteer Management Handbook, Second Edition is an indispensable reference that is unsurpassed in both the breadth and depth of its coverage"-- Volunteer resource program assessment, analysis, and planning -- Organization assessment and planning -- Volunteer models and management / R. Dale Safrit, Ryan Schmiesing -- Volunteer demographics / Harriet C. Edwards, R. Dale Safrit, Kimberly Allen -- Preparing the organization for volunteers / Jeffrey L. Brudney -- Shaping an organizational culture of employee and volunteer commitment / Judith A.M. Smith -- Operational assessment and planning -- Maximizing volunteer engagement / Sarah Jane Rehnborg, Meg Moore -- Assessment, planning, and staffing analysis / Cheryle N. Yallen, Barbara K. Wentworth -- Policy development for volunteer involvement / Linda L. Graff -- Strategic deployment and implementation -- Accession -- The latest approach to volunteer recruitment: competency-competence pathways and volunteer resource management systems / Stephen Hobbs -- Orientation: welcoming new volunteers into the organization / Harriett C. Edwards -- Training -- Training volunteers / Mary Kay Hood -- Communications -- Volunteer and staff relations / Nancy Mcduff -- Communication with volunteers and staff / Denise Sevick Bortree -- Program management -- Volunteer performance management: the impact wheel / Julie Anne Cross, Stephen Hobbs -- Risk management in volunteer involvement / Linda L. Graff -- Results and evaluation -- Evaluating the volunteer program: contexts and models / Jeffrey L. Brudney, Tamara G. Nezhina -- Evaluating impact of volunteer programs / R. Dale Safrit
Includes bibliographical references and index Machine generated contents note: Preface. Part One Volunteer Resource Program Assessment, Analysis, and Planning.Organizational Assessment/Planning. Chapter 1 Volunteer Models and Management (R. Dale Safrit, Ed. D. North Carolina State University and Ryan Schmiesing, Ph. D. Ohio Community Service Council). Chapter 2 Volunteer Demographics (Harriett C. Edwards, Ed. D., R. Dale Safrit, Ed. D. and Kimberly Allen, North Carolina State University). Chapter 3 Preparing the Organization for Volunteers (Jeffery L. Brudney, Ph. D., Cleveland State University). Chapter 4 Shaping an Organizational Culture of Employee and Volunteer Commitment (Judith A.M. Smith, D.M., HandsOn Jacksonville, Inc.). Operational Assessment/Planning. Chapter 5 Maximizing Volunteer Engagement (Sarah Jane Rehnborg, Ph. D. and Meg Moore, MBA, University Of Texas at Austin). Chapter 6 Assessment, Planning and Staffing Analysis (Cheryle Yallen, MS, CNY Enterprises, Chicago, IL and Barbara Wentworth, MS). Chapter 7 Policy Development for Volunteer Involvement (Linda L. Graff, BSW, MA, Linda Graff and Associates Inc.). Part Two Strategic Deployment and Implementation. Accession. Chapter 8 The Latest Approach to Volunteer Recruitment Competency-Competence Pathways and Volunteer Resource Management Systems (Stephen Hobbs, Ed. D., WELLthLearning.com). Chapter 9 Orientation. Welcoming New Volunteers into the Organization (Harriett C. Edwards, Ed. D., North Carolina State University). Training. Chapter 10 Training Volunteers (Mary Kay Hood, M.S., Hendricks Regional Health).Communications. Chapter 11 Volunteer and Staff Relations (Nancy Macduff, MACE, Macduff/Bunt Associates). Chapter 12 Communicating with Volunteers and Staff (Denise Sevick Bortree, Ph. D., Pennsylvania State University). Program Management. Chapter 13 Volunteer Performance Management. The Impact Wheel (Julie Cross, Ph. D., Stratagem, Inc. and Stephen Hobbs, Ed. D., WELLth Learning Network). Chapter 14 Risk Management in Volunteer Involvement (Linda L. Graff, MA, Linda Graff and Associates Inc.). Part Three Results and Evaluation. Chapter 15 Evaluating the Volunteer Program. Contexts and Models (Jeffrey L. Brudney, Ph. D., Cleveland State University and Tamara G. Nezhina, Ph. D., Depaul University). Chapter 16 Evaluating Impact of Volunteer Programs (R. Dale Safrit, Ed. D., North Carolina State University). About the Editor. About the Contributors. About the Website. Index Series title from CIP data
journalArticle
Russo
Nancy Felipe
Pirlott
Angela
Gender‐Based Violence: Concepts, Methods, and Findings
Abstract:
The United Nations has identified gender‐based violence against women as a global health and development issue, and a host of policies, public education, and action programs aimed at reducing gender‐based violence have been undertaken around the world. This article highlights new conceptualizations, methodological issues, and selected research findings that can inform such activities. In addition to describing recent research findings that document relationships between gender, power, sexuality, and intimate violence cross‐nationally, it identifies cultural factors, including linkages between sex and violence through media images that may increase women's risk for violence, and profiles a host of negative physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes associated with victimization including unwanted pregnancy and abortion. More research is needed to identify the causes, dynamics, and outcomes of gender‐based violence, including media effects, and to articulate how different forms of such violence vary in outcomes depending on cultural context.
11/2006
en
Gender‐Based Violence
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1196/annals.1385.024
2025-11-12 10:02:18
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
178-205
1087
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1196/annals.1385.024
1
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
ISSN 0077-8923, 1749-6632
book
Cham
Springer International Publishing
Djamba
Yanyi K.
Kimuna
Sitawa R.
Gender-Based Violence: Perspectives from Africa, the Middle East, and India
2015
en
Gender-Based Violence
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-16670-4
2025-11-12 10:03:59
https://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-16670-4
ISBN 978-3-319-16669-8 978-3-319-16670-4
journalArticle
Bhugra
Dinesh
Till
Alex
Sartorius
Norman
What is mental health?
02/2013
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764012463315
2025-11-12 10:04:45
3-4
59
International Journal of Social Psychiatry
DOI 10.1177/0020764012463315
1
Int J Soc Psychiatry
ISSN 0020-7640, 1741-2854
attachment
Full Text
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0020764012463315
2025-11-12 10:04:46
3
application/pdf
journalArticle
D’Alfonso
Simon
AI in mental health
12/2020
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352250X2030049X
2025-11-12 10:05:03
112-117
36
Current Opinion in Psychology
DOI 10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.04.005
Current Opinion in Psychology
ISSN 2352250X
journalArticle
Usmani
Sadia Suhail
Sharath
Medha
Mehendale
Meghana
adolescent behavior
adolescent psychiatry
psychiatry
virtual reality exposure therapy
Future of mental health in the metaverse
The metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were some of the hottest tech terms in 2021, according to a Google Trends search. Our review aims to describe the metaverse and NFTs in the context of their potential application in the treatment of mental health disorders. Advancements in technology have been changing human lives at an ever-increasing pace. Metaverse, also known as the three-dimensional (3D) internet, is the convergence of virtual reality (VR) and physical reality in a digital space. It could potentially change the internet as we know it, with NFTs as the key building blocks in the new expansive virtual ecosystem. This immersive 3D virtual world boasts the features of the real world with the added ability to change the surrounding environment according to individual needs and requirements. VR, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) have been employed as tools in the treatment of various mental health disorders for the past decade. Studies have reported positive results on their effectiveness in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. VR/AR/MR have been hailed as a solution to the acute shortage of mental health professionals and the lack of access to mental healthcare. But, on the flip side, young adults tend to spend a significant amount of time playing 3D immersive games and using social media, which can lead to insecurity, anxiety, depression, and behavioural addiction. Additionally, endless scrolling through social media platforms negatively affects individuals' attention span as well as aggravating the symptoms of adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We aimed to explore the ramifications of expanding applications of the metaverse on mental health. So far, no other review has explored the future of mental health in the context of the metaverse.
2022
eng
PubMed
PMID: 36189180
PMCID: PMC9472101
e100825
35
General Psychiatry
DOI 10.1136/gpsych-2022-100825
4
Gen Psychiatr
ISSN 2517-729X
attachment
Full Text
https://gpsych.bmj.com/content/gpsych/35/4/e100825.full.pdf
2025-11-12 10:05:40
3
application/pdf
attachment
PubMed entry
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36189180
2025-11-12 10:05:38
3
text/html
journalArticle
Berrang-Ford
Lea
Ford
James D.
Paterson
Jaclyn
Are we adapting to climate change?
2/2011
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959378010000968
2025-11-12 10:06:29
https://www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/
25-33
21
Global Environmental Change
DOI 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.09.012
1
Global Environmental Change
ISSN 09593780
book
Rethinking peace and conflict studies
Basingstoke
Palgrave Macmillan
Richmond
Oliver P.
The transformation of peace
2007
eng
K10plus ISBN
ISBN 978-1-4039-2109-3 978-0-230-55407-8
286
Includes bibliographical references and index. - Originally published: 2005
journalArticle
Rush
Alexandra
Brown Urban
Jennifer
Davis
William J.
Linver
Miriam R.
Exploring Pathways to Purpose in Scouts
Youth purpose was investigated using a two-phase embedded design with youth participating in Scouts BSA ( N = 3,943), ages 9–20 ( M = 14.0, SD = 1.9). Participating Scouts were mostly White (91%) and male (98%). In Phase 1, we conducted a two-step cluster analysis on Scouts’ survey responses to three purpose dimensions (personal meaning, goal-directedness, beyond-the-self orientation). Four clusters emerged: Purposeful, Explorers, Dreamers, Nonpurposeful. In Phase 2, we explored qualities of purpose within each cluster and programmatic features and relationships within the scouting context fostering youth purpose with a Scout subsample ( N = 30) who completed semi-structured interviews. Results demonstrated that adults supporting scouting, inspiration from older peers, and opportunities to help others and explore new activities supported youth purpose.
09/2024
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07435584221091488
2025-11-12 10:10:47
1326-1357
39
Journal of Adolescent Research
DOI 10.1177/07435584221091488
5
Journal of Adolescent Research
ISSN 0743-5584, 1552-6895
journalArticle
Roberson
Quinetta M.
Disentangling the Meanings of Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations
Given the emergence of a new rhetoric in the field of diversity, which replaces the term diversity with the term inclusion, this study comparatively investigates the meanings of diversity and inclusion in organizations. The findings of Study 1, which used a qualitative methodology to explore the construct definitions and to derive a measure of attributes to support diversity and inclusion, revealed conceptually distinct definitions. The reliability and factor structure of the scale was evaluated in Study 2 and cross-validated in Study 3. The results supported a five-factor model of diversity and inclusion and suggest a distinction between the concepts, although the terms may not describe separate types of work environments but different approaches to diversity management.
04/2006
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1059601104273064
2025-11-12 10:11:50
https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license
212-236
31
Group & Organization Management
DOI 10.1177/1059601104273064
2
Group & Organization Management
ISSN 1059-6011, 1552-3993
journalArticle
Brandtner
Christof
Höllerer
Markus A
Meyer
Renate E
Kornberger
Martin
Enacting governance through strategy: A comparative study of governance configurations in Sydney and Vienna
Over the past two decades, research has emphasised a shift from city government to urban governance. Such a shift brings about its very own challenges, namely governance gaps, uncertain configurations in governance and a limited capacity to act. In this paper, we argue that the concurrent rise of strategy documents in city administration addresses these challenges. Our central claim is that strategy documents can be understood as a distinct discursive device through which local governments enact aspired governance configurations. We illustrate our argument empirically using two prominent examples that, while showing similar features and characteristics, are anchored in different administrative traditions and institutional frameworks: the city administrations of Sydney, Australia, and Vienna, Austria. The contribution of the paper is to show how strategy documents enact governance configurations along four core dimensions: the setting in space and time, the definition of the public, the framing of the res publica and legitimacy issues. Moreover, our comparative analysis of Sydney and Vienna gives evidence of differences in governance configurations enacted through strategy documents.
04/2017
en
Enacting governance through strategy
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098015624871
2025-11-12 10:12:15
1075-1091
54
Urban Studies
DOI 10.1177/0042098015624871
5
Urban Studies
ISSN 0042-0980, 1360-063X
attachment
Accepted Version
https://research-api.cbs.dk/ws/files/46787864/renate_e_meyer_enacting_governance_acceptedversion.pdf
2025-11-12 10:12:18
3
application/pdf
journalArticle
Akiva
Thomas
Cortina
Kai S.
Smith
Charles
Involving Youth in Program Decision-Making: How Common and What Might it Do for Youth?
11/2014
en
Involving Youth in Program Decision-Making
DOI.org (Crossref)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10964-014-0183-y
2025-11-12 10:15:45
1844-1860
43
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
DOI 10.1007/s10964-014-0183-y
11
J Youth Adolescence
ISSN 0047-2891, 1573-6601
journalArticle
Kirchhoff
Esther
Keller
Roger
Blanc
Barbara
Empowering young people—the impact of camp experiences on personal resources, well-being, and community building
Introduction
Personal resources and resources of the sociocultural environment help children and adolescents to successfully cope with challenges in everyday life, which is associated with better individual well-being. SCOUT, the ‘Study on Competence development in OUT-of-school settings’, investigated whether participation in a summer camp enhanced adolescents’ personal resources, well-being, and readiness to contribute to the community.
Methods
The research took place during the Swiss National Jamboree of the Swiss Guide and Scout Movement, a two-week event in the summer of 2022, with a paper-pencil pretest (beginning of the camp – T1) and posttest (end of the camp – T2) survey (
N
= 607, aged 14–17). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine whether personal resources, well-being, and readiness to contribute to the community changed over time, and structural equation models were applied to test the direct and indirect effects of caring support from group leaders on the development of these variables.
Results
In less than two weeks, camp participants demonstrated increased empathy, emotional self-control, optimism, and assertiveness. Furthermore, the adolescents reported more positive emotions, higher self-esteem, and stronger readiness to contribute to the community. Group leaders played a crucial role by influencing the positive development of well-being and readiness to contribute to the community both directly and indirectly through the promotion of personal resources.
Discussion
The findings indicate that young people benefit not only from participating in collaborative activities in a stimulating environment, but also from caring support provided by their group leaders.
2024-2-14
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348050/full
2025-11-12 10:17:00
1348050
15
Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348050
Front. Psychol.
ISSN 1664-1078
attachment
Full Text
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348050/pdf
2025-11-12 10:17:03
3
application/pdf
blogPost
International Labour Organization
Serrière
Nicolas
Elder
Sara
International Labour Organization. Employment, Labour Markets and Youth Branch,
Handbook on policy areas to reduce youth in NEET status
The handbook aims to bring clarity to the complex policy landscape required to reduce the number of young people in NEET (not in employment, education or training) status through targeted interventions. It offers a simplified categorization of policy measures – from profiling, outreach and engagement of youth outside of the labour market and supporting the unemployed youth. It promotes putting all elements together in an integrated youth employment (and NEET-targeted) strategy – and showcases existing national practices that others can learn from
2025
en
https://researchrepository.ilo.org/esploro/outputs/manual/995669056502676
2025-11-21 06:12:18
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
DOI: 10.54394/MMRV0675
journalArticle
Tange
Hanne
Solidarity, uncertainty or fear? Emotional responses to flags and flag-waving at an international youth camp
2025-07-04
en
Solidarity, uncertainty or fear?
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14708477.2025.2490902
2025-11-21 06:12:50
495-509
25
Language and Intercultural Communication
DOI 10.1080/14708477.2025.2490902
4
Language and Intercultural Communication
ISSN 1470-8477, 1747-759X
journalArticle
Tange
Hanne
Radecka
Aniela
(Self-) organizing and organization in Polish civil society volunteers’ Ukraine Action, 2022–2023
2025-10-02
en
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17448689.2025.2567843
2025-11-21 06:13:13
1-14
Journal of Civil Society
DOI 10.1080/17448689.2025.2567843
Journal of Civil Society
ISSN 1744-8689, 1744-8697
journalArticle
Dibben
Chris
Playford
Chris
Mitchell
Richard
Be(ing) prepared: Guide and Scout participation, childhood social position and mental health at age 50—a prospective birth cohort study
Background
Mental health is a major concern in many countries. We explore whether youth participation in the Scouts and Guides could protect mental health in later life and in particular whether it might reduce inequalities in mental health associated with early life socioeconomic position.
Methods
Using the 1958 birth cohort National Child Development Study, we tested whether Scouts–Guide attendance was associated with mental health (SF-36, Mental Health Index (MHI-5)) controlling for childhood risk factors and interacted with social class.
Results
Of the 9603 cohort members, 28% had participated in the Scouts–Guides. The average MHI-5 score was 74.8 (SD 18.2) at age 50. After adjustment, for potential childhood confounders, participation in Scouts–Guides was associated with a better MHI-5 score of 2.22 (CI 1.32 to 3.08). Among those who had not been a Scout–Guide, there was a gradient in mental health at age 50 by childhood social position, adjusting for other childhood risk factors. This gradient was absent among those who had been a Scout–Guide. Scout–Guides had an 18% lower odds of an MHI-5 score indicative of mood or anxiety disorder. The findings appeared robust to various tests for residual confounding.
Conclusions
Participation in Guides or Scouts was associated with better mental health and narrower mental health inequalities, at age 50. This suggests that youth programmes that support resilience and social mobility through developing the potential for continued progressive self-education, ‘soft’ non-cognitive skills, self-reliance, collaboration and activities in natural environments may be protective of mental health in adulthood.
03/2017
en
Be(ing) prepared
DOI.org (Crossref)
https://jech.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/jech-2016-207898
2025-11-21 06:15:21
275-281
71
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
DOI 10.1136/jech-2016-207898
3
J Epidemiol Community Health
ISSN 0143-005X, 1470-2738
attachment
Full Text
https://jech.bmj.com/content/jech/71/3/275.full.pdf
2025-11-21 06:15:24
1
application/pdf
Communications, partnerships and advocacy
Diversity and Inclusion
Good Governance and financial sustainability
Impact measurement and digital transformation
Innovative Education
Safeguarding and Well-being
Volunteering