The rapid development of immersive digital technologies has intensified scholarly debates regarding the societal implications of virtual environments. Beyond organizational and commercial applications, the metaverse represents a socio-technical space capable of reshaping social interaction, identity formation, and perceived inclusion within digital societies. However, empirical research examining how immersive digital experiences influence social integration and perceived digital inequality remains limited. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates the relationships among immersive engagement, perceived social connectedness, digital inclusion, and individual well-being within metaverse-like environments. Using a quantitative social science research design, survey data were collected from 386 adult users with prior exposure to immersive digital platforms, including virtual reality applications and avatar-based social spaces. To enhance contextual understanding, respondents were first presented with a brief scenario describing participation in a shared virtual social environment before completing the questionnaire. Measurement items were adapted from established scales in social psychology and digital sociology, and the proposed relationships were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results reveal that immersive engagement significantly enhances perceived social connectedness and feelings of digital inclusion. Perceived social connectedness, in turn, positively predicts psychological well-being and perceived social participation. Conversely, perceptions of digital inequality negatively moderate the relationship between immersive engagement and social inclusion, indicating that unequal access, digital skills, and technological confidence constrain the social benefits of virtual environments. The model explains a substantial proportion of variance in perceived social integration and well-being outcomes. This study contributes to social science literature by advancing understanding of the metaverse as a socio-technical phenomenon rather than solely a technological innovation. The findings offer insights for policymakers, platform designers, and social institutions seeking to promote inclusive and socially sustainable digital environments while mitigating emerging forms of digital inequality.

This study examines how contemporary Pakistani television dramas function as culturally influential texts that shape public understanding of women’s dignity, autonomy, and social justice. Focusing on Pamal, Jama Taqseem, and Case No. 9, the research argues that these serials operate beyond entertainment by challenging normalised cultural pressures that restrict women’s lives—particularly the moralisation of forced joint-family living, the social acceptance of women’s economic dependence, and the tendency to protect “reputation” at the expense of truth in cases of gendered harm. The objective is to investigate how Pakistani viewers interpret these narratives, what meanings they attach to the dramas’ moral claims, and whether such representations influence attitudes toward family structures, women’s work, and accountability.

Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative audience-reception approach using semi-structured interviews with Pakistani viewers (anticipated n=24–30). Purposive sampling will recruit participants across age groups (Gen Z, millennials, and parents) and household arrangements (joint vs. nuclear), with women comprising at least 70% of the sample to centre gendered lived experience. Interviews (35–50 minutes) will explore three thematic blocks: (i) joint-family expectations and marital autonomy, (ii) women’s independence as safety and survival, and (iii) truth, silence, and social responses to harassment and victim-blaming. Data will be transcribed and analysed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, contradictions, and perceived possibilities for change within Pakistani society.

By grounding the discussion in viewers’ interpretations, this research contributes empirically to debates on media, gender, and cultural transformation, demonstrating how televised storytelling can become a site of ethical reflection and social critique in Pakistan.

Introduction

The study analyses how early childhood education teachers in Spain perceive bullying among children aged 3 to 6, taking into account their training, their assessment of the school environment, and possible risk factors that trigger aggressive behavior. Although there is uncertainty about how to address bullying at this stage of education (3-6 years), it is clear that this problem exists and that many children are affected by the way their peers treat them at this age. This study aims to shed light on this issue.

Methods

The research was conducted with 70 early childhood education teachers aged 39-40. It should be noted that, in Spain, this profession is almost exclusively practiced by women at this stage of education. Variables related to the training received, the perception of coexistence in the educational center, the influence of risk factors, and knowledge of cases of bullying in their own center or in others were analyzed. To this end, non-parametric statistical tests were applied to identify differences by center ownership and the presence of specific plans against bullying.

Results

The results indicate that participants consider themselves insufficiently prepared to deal with bullying (2.66/5), while they rate coexistence in their schools very positively (4.29/5). They mainly attribute aggressive behavior to technology and television, placing less importance on the family and almost none on teachers' responsibility. Furthermore, teachers detect bullying more frequently in other schools than in their own. In addition, the presence of anti-bullying plans is associated with a better perception of the phenomenon and the school climate.

Conclusions

The lack of training and the externalization of the causes of bullying highlight the need to strengthen teacher training and implement prevention protocols from an early age.

Domestic violence is a widespread problem across the world. Unlike the USA and UK, domestic violence in India, as defined in the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, is not gender-neutral. Even in the Indian criminal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, it is defined as cruelty committed against the woman by her husband or relatives. The historical patriarchal system still dominates the domestic violence discourses in India. According to the latest crime statistics (Crime in India, 2023), one-third (33%) of the cases of crimes against women involve domestic violence (1,49,165 cases of 4,48,211 cases). This indicates the extent to which domestic violence is deep-rooted. The historical patriarchal system dominates the domestic violence discourses in India. In recent years, domestic violence has started to be recognized as a social problem. This violence at home not only affects the victim (women), but also has consequences on other individuals, especially the children. The present research aimed to understandchildren’s experiences of domestic violence and identify the risks associated with exposure to domestic violence. A comprehensive interview schedule was prepared to collect data from the children. The self-esteem of the children was also assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The respondents of the research were children of age 16-18 years of age, who were directly or indirectly exposed to domestic violence between their parents, identified through a pre-survey conducted at their educational institutions. The findings revealed that more than half of the respondents witnessed their parents fighting for as long as they could remember. More than three-fourths of the respondents had only a moderate level of self-esteem. The other key findings of the research such as levels of physical abuse, involvement of children during violence, and impact of violence on the well-being and self-esteem of children, are discussed in detail in the paper.

Palliative care evolved with the recognition of subjectively experienced human suffering at the end of life. However, suffering becomes addressable at scale only when recognised, prioritised, and acted upon through social institutions. This paper examines how an understanding of consciousness and suffering shapes the governance and distribution of palliative care within health systems, with implications for global inequities in palliative care. Based on an interdisciplinary synthesis of social science, bioethics, and the global health policy literature, this paper analyses why palliative care remains unevenly integrated, despite strong normative commitments at the international level.

There are persistent asymmetries between high-income and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in palliative care coverage and access to essential medicines, especially opioids. These inequities are not attributable solely to differences in economic resources, but are also mediated by institutional mechanisms, such as regulatory regimes, health financing structures, workforce authority, and political prioritisation. Examples are used to illustrate how alternative institutional arrangements, such as task shifting in opioid prescribing and community-based care platforms, can expand access even in resource-constrained settings.

Palliative care should be conceptualised as a social institution grounded in shared human consciousness. Inequitable access reflects differences in how societies value, govern, and operationalise suffering. Addressing these disparities requires not only clinical capacity but policy coherence, proportionate regulation, and accountability mechanisms that recognise the relief of suffering as a core obligation of health systems.

How public health institutions in the Global South mobilize institutional memory, everyday practices, and situated technologies to manage extreme uncertainty during health crises? Based on long-term qualitative research conducted at a Brazilian public infectious disease hospital between 1980 and 2022, the study examines organizational responses to successive epidemics, including HIV/AIDS, H1N1, yellow fever, COVID-19, and a suspected Ebola case. Rather than focusing solely on formal governance structures or biomedical protocols, the analysis foregrounds how care is practically enacted through historically accumulated knowledge, improvisation, and ethical decision-making in everyday institutional life.
Methodologically, the research draws on oral history interviews with health professionals, analysis of institutional documents, and narrative reconstruction of crisis situations. These materials reveal persistent tensions between standardized, technology-driven models of clinical management and context-sensitive forms of care shaped by local constraints, professional experience, and social inequalities. Special attention is given to the role of technological infrastructures, such as clinical protocols, surveillance systems, and decision-support tools, and to how they are interpreted, adapted, and sometimes contested by frontline workers.
Rather than treating technology or artificial intelligence as neutral or universally progressive forces, the paper argues that technological tools acquire meaning only through situated use within specific institutional, historical, and political contexts. Building on critical perspectives in social sciences and science and technology studies, the paper proposes the concept of a biopolitics of care to capture how care practices operate simultaneously as organizational strategies, ethical commitments, and political responses to crisis.
By centering empirical evidence from a public hospital in Brazil, the study contributes to debates on society and technology, health governance, and Global South knowledge production. It challenges dominant narratives that frame technological innovation as detached from history and power relations, suggesting instead that institutional resilience depends on the interplay between technology, memory, and socially embedded practices of care.

Introduction: Individuals with histories of child protection involvement (CPI) are disproportionately represented in justice systems, yet the institutional mechanisms linking welfare contact to later justice involvement remain underexamined, particularly in Global South contexts. Drawing on life course theory and situating outcomes within the developmental stage of emerging adulthood, this study examines whether CPI is associated with youth justice involvement (YJI) among emerging adults, and whether educational disruption (ED) and psychological distress (PD) operate as parallel pathways.

Methods: The sample comprised justice-involved individuals aged 18 to 25 years in Punjab, Pakistan, recruited from community-based supervision programs following court involvement or institutional release. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was employed to test direct and indirect associations among CPI, ED, PD, and YJI.

Results: CPI was positively associated with ED and PD. Both ED and PD were significantly associated with YJI and functioned as parallel mediating mechanisms. CPI also demonstrated a direct association with YJI, indicating cumulative institutional exposure across the life course.

Conclusion: Fragmented child protection responses in childhood appear to contribute to justice system involvement during emerging adulthood through educational and psychological pathways. The study advances crossover research in a Global South context and highlights the need for integrated educational and mental health services within child protection systems to reduce subsequent justice contact.

Introduction: Viticulture is undergoing rapid technological change, from harvest mechanization to data-driven precision practices. In DOCa Rioja (Spain), sectoral innovation increasingly incorporates digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives (e.g., the DATADOC project promoted by the regulatory council). While these innovations promise efficiency gains, they may also reshape rural labor markets and reinforce inequalities among producers and workers. This study examines how technologisation is transforming labor demand and workforce profiles in DOCa Rioja.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory mixed-methods case study. Quantitatively, we synthesized secondary evidence on agrarian employment dynamics and mechanization, including an official series of agricultural Social Security affiliations in La Rioja (Jan 2009–Jul 2025) and sectoral indicators related to machinery adoption. We also compared indicative harvesting costs (manual vs. mechanical) using cost estimates reported for the region. Qualitatively, we conducted three semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders (a small vineyard owner, a seasonal worker, and an enology student) to capture perceptions of adoption drivers, constraints, and social impacts. A documentary analysis of institutional materials describing DATADOC and AI-enabled precision tools was used to contextualize the regional innovation agenda.

Results: Findings indicate labor reorganization consistent with "creative destruction". Mechanical harvesting reduces operational costs (about EUR 260/ha vs. about EUR 480/ha for manual harvesting; approximately a 40% difference) and helps address seasonal labor scarcity, but it also displaces low-skilled manual tasks. At the same time, new profiles emerge (e.g., specialized machinery operators, agricultural remote-sensing technicians, and vitivinicultural data analysts), with unequal access shaped by age, education, and training opportunities. Adoption capacity is uneven: better-capitalized actors invest more easily, while smaller operators rely on external service providers.

Conclusions: Technological innovation in DOCa Rioja is not socially neutral. To avoid widening rural inequalities, innovation strategies should be coupled with workforce transition policies, including targeted training and inclusive access to precision-agriculture tools.

Introduction:
The increasing availability of inexpensive sachet-packaged alcohol, commonly referred to as “pelebe” in many Nigerian communities, has generated growing public health and social concerns. Its low cost, portability, and widespread street-level distribution make it easily accessible to adolescents and young people in contemporary Nigerian society. This accessibility raises concerns about early initiation into alcohol consumption and associated risky behaviours among youth. Despite regulatory efforts by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to control the production and sale of sachet alcohol, its use remains widespread. This study examines patterns of sachet alcohol consumption among Nigerian youth and explores its social and health implications.

Methods:
The study employed a cross-sectional survey design among youth in southwestern Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed to assess patterns of sachet alcohol consumption, motivations for use, and perceived consequences associated with its intake. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyse the data.

Results:
The findings indicate that sachet alcohol consumption is relatively common among youth, largely due to its affordability, ease of access, and peer influence. Participants also associated its use with several negative outcomes, including engagement in risky behaviours, reduced academic concentration, and potential health complications.

Conclusion:
The study highlights the potential public health risks associated with the widespread availability of sachet alcohol among young people. Strengthening regulatory enforcement, public health education, and youth-focused intervention programmes is essential to mitigate the harmful effects of sachet alcohol consumption among Nigerian youth.

Introduction:

Digital technologies are increasingly shaping education, employment, and civic participation worldwide. However, in many developing societies, young people continue to face structural barriers that limit their ability to benefit fully from technological advancements. This study examines the digital opportunity gap among youth, focusing on access, skill development, and real-world technology adoption within a developing country context.

Methods:

The research adopts a qualitative and observational approach, drawing on real-life experiences, youth engagement initiatives, and documented community-level practices. Informal interviews, participation in educational programs, and analysis of publicly available reports were used to understand how young individuals interact with technology in learning, networking, and career development environments. The study emphasizes practical realities rather than theoretical or computational modeling.

Results:

Findings indicate that limited access to quality digital infrastructure, lack of structured digital skills training, and insufficient institutional support significantly restrict youth participation in the digital economy. While social and professional platforms provide new opportunities for learning and networking, their effective use remains uneven due to awareness gaps and socioeconomic constraints. The research also highlights that motivated youth often rely on self-learning and community-driven initiatives to overcome these challenges.

Conclusions:

The study concludes that narrowing the digital opportunity gap requires coordinated efforts from educational institutions, policymakers, and technology platforms. Emphasis should be placed on affordable access, practical digital literacy, and inclusive technology policies. Addressing these issues can enable youth to participate more effectively in social, educational, and economic development, contributing to more equitable digital societies.