Bardauskienė, Raminta

This qualitative study examines cultural and social determinants of child marriage in Borno State, North-East Nigeria, focusing on push and pull factors sustaining the practice. The objective was to generate locally grounded evidence for culturally responsive interventions. The research collected data through focus group discussions with adolescent girls, parents, and community members, as well as key informant interviews with community and religious leaders across various Borno communities. Findings reveal communities define puberty onset as adulthood, expecting girls to marry upon menstruation. The parents, primarily the fathers, are the arbiters of marriages as the same is considered a shield against possible dishonour and protection from shame, premarital pregnancy, and misbehaviour. Poverty further promotes early marriages for families to lessen the economic burden. The recommendations include fostering parents’ and adolescents’ understanding of puberty and adolescent development, engaging religious and traditional leaders to shift harmful community norms, strengthening legal enforcement mechanisms and implementing economic empowerment programmes for vulnerable families. These integrated interventions are essential to break the cycle of child marriage and improve the prospects of girls in Borno State.

Loneliness among the older adults is a pressing problem worldwide. The deaths of loved ones, deteriorating health, the anticipation of one’s own death, and the absence of a person one could rely on result in people experiencing loneliness in older age. The goal of the European project "Digi-Ageing" is to combat age-related loneliness through digital tools and training for healthcare professionals. These tools include a digital loneliness identification tool (screening tool) to identify loneliness and a digital loneliness intervention tool (reminiscence tool), supported by a dedicated curriculum for user training. This paper's primary objective is to discuss the research methodology followed to address the issue of loneliness in the context of the Digi-Ageing project, and introduce the Digi-Ageing platform and its two novel tools designed to assess the degree of loneliness among elderly individuals, as well as steps to address them. The paper explores the tools' innovative features and potential applications across various countries. Furthermore, it aims to initiate a discourse on the tools' future prospects, particularly regarding their implementation with diverse vulnerable groups.

The aim of the article is to find out educational needs of older adults and to discuss the process of the training course development and its implementation jointly with older learners in Lithuania. Mixed methods research was applied incorporating survey and participatory research. The training course was developed based on international survey data aiming to reach older learners who had less possibilities to engage in a lifelong learning process. Data analysis revealed similarities across countries, based on which the general template of the course was developed. It included topics in biological, psychological and sociological aspects of ageing, networking and joint research possibilities. However, data showed that there were variations in needs not only between countries but inside countries as well. Participatory research approach allowed older learners to follow the needs and to make necessary changes. Such changes were made in content (for ex., some sociological topics substituted by culture) and in organization (less intensity and shorter sessions) of the course. Even if the learners agreed to involve in participatory research, at the end they were told that it was too many interviews and discussions. On the other hand, they were proud that other learners will take their designed course.

Socialinis darbas yra profesija, kur tiesioginis kontaktas su klientu yra esminis. Didžiulis postūmis taikyti informacines komunikacines technologijas (IKT) socialiniame darbe buvo COVID-19 pandemija, žymiai apribojus tiesioginio kontakto su klientais galimybes. IKT – tai elektroninės priemonės, naudojamos informacijai perduoti, manipuliuoti ir saugoti. IKT taikymo socialiniame darbe tyrimų Lietuvoje yra mažai. Straipsnio tikslas – atskleisti soci- alinių darbuotojų, dirbančių su šeimomis, informacinių technologijų taikymo galimybes ir pranašumus. Straipsnyje analizuojami 2023 m. atlikto kokybinio tyrimo rezultatai. Duomenims rinkti buvo pasitelktas pusiau struktūruotas interviu. Tyrimo dalyviai – socialiniai darbuotojai, dirbantys su sunkumų patiriančiomis šeimomis N mieste. Tyrime dalyvavo 11 socialinių darbuotojų. Visos tyrimo dalyvės buvo moterys, kurių amžiaus vidurkis 33 metai, darbo stažo socialinio darbo srityje vidurkis – 9 metai. Interviu trukmės vidurkis 40 min. Duomenų analizės metodu pasirinkta turinio analizė. Tyrimo klausimai: kokias IKT socialiniai darbuotojai taiko dirbdami su šeimomis? Kokioms socialinio darbo sritims taikomos KT? Kokie IKT taikymo pranašumai socialiniame darbe su šeima? Tyrimo duomenys rodo, kad kompiuteriai, išmanieji telefonai, programos ir plataus pobūdžio technologijos, kurios palengvina darbo veiklą ir procesus, tapo svarbiais darbo su šeimomis įrankiais.

In Lithuania's aging culture, aspects of older individuals' "loneliness" and social isolation are becoming increasingly relevant. Despite this, older adults frequently refuse to acknowledge these life's intricacies. Numerous studies indicate that older individuals link social isolation and loneliness to a life of failure and personal worthlessness. As a result, rather than finding solutions, people frequently choose to isolate themselves even more and refrain from discussing these issues with friends or family. The loneliness experienced by older peopleshould be acknowledged, and steps to increase social inclusion will not only extend but also greatly enhance their quality of life.Participatory research was employed to conduct the study. It is a systematic study in direct cooperation with persons for whom the research question is relevant, with the aim of acting or changing something. Participatory research favours collaborative research, where researchers and interested groups actively collaborate with sharing information and expertise. The study was conducted in a care institution providing social services. Every participant in the participatory research gave their consent to participate in the study, and they were informed about its goals, methods, and use of data. They were also given the choice to leave the study at any time if they felt it was inappropriate.The study revealed that loneliness is discerned through the emotions and behaviours of older adults; an individual's loneliness is reflected in both mental and physical health. Emotions like indifference, rage, despair, boredom, needing attention, longing, and the want to speak are signs that someone is lonely. Older people sometimes openly express loneliness but loneliness can also be associated with depression. Concerning employee motivation for change, it was observed that employees displayed a keen interest in training, comprehending its necessity and benefits. Simultaneously, it was noted that some employees may exhibit passivity and a lack of motivation to embrace change and accept innovations. Therefore, the myth that older workers are less likely to change and innovate as well as to increase their knowledge andabilities has been partially validated by participatory studies.

Lithuania, as most of the EU countries, has an aging population. At the beginning of 2019, there were 552.4 thousand elderly people (aged 65 and older), or 19.8 per cent of the total resident population. Each seventh man and each fourth woman were aged 65 and older ‘(Official statistics portal, 2019). The aim of the paper is to investigate possibilities of Lithuanian social policy to meet older adults’ digital needs for better inclusion and active ageing. Paper is based on secondary data analysis including legal documents (EU and National Programmes, Strategies, Orders), scientific research, statistical (of older adults’ population) and other data (results of national research). A significant proportion of older adults lack the skills to use digital technology, which are essential for successful functioning in society. The rapid development of technology and the recent Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated the transference of many services on the Internet. The importance of the use of technology for older adults was particularly evident during the Covid 19 pandemic. Various research works revealed that the telephone, and less often the computer, had become the main working tool for a significant proportion of close care workers. This situation points to a new need for the development of digitised social services and a new approach to social policy.

Although frailty is an important, well-characterized concept in the provision of medical care to older adults, it has not been linked to the concept of vulnerability developed in the humanities and social sciences. Here, we distinguish between the two main dimensions of vulnerability: a fundamental, anthropological dimension in which people are exposed to a risk of injury, and a relational dimension in which people depend on each other and on their environment. The relational notion of vulnerability might provide healthcare professionals with a better understanding of frailty (and its potential interaction with precarity). Precarity situates people in their relationship with a social environment that might threaten their living conditions. Frailty corresponds to individual-level changes in adaptation to a living environment and the loss of ability to evolve or react in that environment. Therefore, we suggest that by considering the geriatric notion of frailty as a particular form of relational vulnerability, healthcare professionals could better understand the specific needs of frail, older people-and thus provide more appropriate care.