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AbstractDespite theoretical accounts asserting the importance of children for the wellbeing of individuals as they age, research evidence suggests that children may be inconsequential when it comes to loneliness. Yet, there is reason to expect some subgroups may be more vulnerable to the impact of childlessness than others and this may also differ depending on the type of loneliness being assessed. This paper addresses the relationship between childlessness and social and emotional loneliness in middle and later life, including differential vulnerability associated with age, gender and marital/partner status. The study drew on data from three waves (2007, 2012 and 2018) of the Canadian General Social Survey for a nationally representative sample of adults aged 45 and older (N = 49,892). In general, childlessness assumed greater importance with regard to social than emotional loneliness. Women reported lower levels of social loneliness in conjunction with childlessness than men. Further, childlessness was associated with higher levels of overall and social loneliness among older than middle-aged adults. Fewer interactions were evident between marital/partner status and childlessness. Among women specifically, those who were co-habiting, separated/divorced or never married reported lower levels of social loneliness than their married counterparts. In contrast, childlessness was linked to greater emotional loneliness only among separated/divorced men and widowed women. Overall, our results suggest that having children available does matter for feelings of loneliness in middle and later life but that the relationship varies and is contingent on the social contexts (age, gender, marital/partner status) and the type of loneliness (social, emotional) involved.

This study investigates the reasons for the gaps in educational attainment between children from married biological parents and alternative families. Socioeconomic resources and parental behaviors are well‐established reasons, but these factors do not explain the entire relationship between family structure and educational outcomes. We argue that these parental‐level factors influence children's academic socialization and thus indirectly contribute to differential educational outcomes. Hence, this study considers whether children's academic characteristics are a complementary explanation for the effect of family structure on education. The logistic regression analysis demonstrates that these characteristics represent an important explanation for the lower educational attainment of children from alternative families. The decomposition analysis shows that academic characteristics are the predominant reason for the gaps in postsecondary educational attainment between children from married biological parents and alternative families. These characteristics account for a relatively higher proportion of these gaps than the combined direct effects of parental socioeconomic status and parental behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether there are intergenerational differences in the self-perceived integration of immigrants. The analysis disentangles this relationship from the effects of ethno-racial status and other individual-level characteristics. In addition, it examines the effects of neighborhood socio-demographic composition, such as living in an ethnic enclave. The study merges data from the 2001 Canadian Census and the post-censal Ethnic Diversity Survey. The study focuses on two dimensions of self-perceived integration, sense of belonging and feelings of discomfort living in the host society. The core finding is that the relationship between immigrant generation and integration is complex. This relationship is conditional on ethno-racial status and neighborhood of residence. The findings question "straight-line" theories of intergenerational progress and demonstrate the need to use a fine-grained approach for understanding the integration process.

This study examines the relationship between the racial composition of urban Canadian neighborhoods and national belonging and in–group belonging. The study employs multilevel data and an instrumental variable approach to estimate differences in sense of belonging between individuals from racially heterogeneous and racially homogenous neighborhoods. The study demonstrates that residential exposure to racial diversity has an independent effect on belonging, after adjusting for individual– and neighborhood–level variables that could confound this relationship. National belonging is strongest in heterogeneous neighborhoods, although this effect of diversity is nonsignificant for visible minorities. In–group belonging is weakest in heterogeneous neighborhoods, but this effect also reflects the attitudes of whites. The primary conclusions support intergroup contact theory, which suggests that exposure to racial diversity is an important mechanism for reducing intergroup antagonisms and promoting a cosmopolitan sense of belonging.

This study investigates the relationship between the density of people's ethno-racial in-group in their neighbourhoods (co-ethnic concentration) and trust in their neighbours. Previous studies demonstrate that ethno-racial diversity decreases trust in others, however, these studies rely on overly broad definitions of diversity and of trust, and often do not disaggregate the effects for Whites and ethno-racial minorities. Hence, this study examines the relationship between co-ethnic concentration and trust, focusing on how this relationship may change depending upon one's ethno-racial status. Putnam's (2007) analysis leads to a paradox in the sense that, according to the same principle that predicts declining trust amongst Whites, increasing diversity should lead to greater levels of trust for ethno-racial minorities whose share of the population increases with diversification. The findings demonstrate that there is a positive relationship between co-ethnic concentration and trust in neighbours and that this relationship holds for Whites as well as ethno-racial minorities.

SummaryChinese youth represent a high-risk group for sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, but there is little understanding of their sexual behaviours. Using nationally representative data, this study examines the social and demographic correlates of condom use by Chinese youth at sexual debut. It also examines the relationship context of condom use at sexual debut. The results indicate that condom use at sexual debut is very low in China, confirming that youth are a high-risk group. The results demonstrate that age and educational attainment are the primary indicators of condom use. Early sexual debut associates with a greater risk of unsafe sex at sexual debut and higher educational attainment increases the likelihood of self-protecting behaviours. The likelihood of self-protection also increases when sexual partners plan their sexual debut or discuss contraception beforehand. The results suggest that interventions are needed to provide youth with better knowledge about self-protection.

AbstractAs COVID-19 has swept across the world, the escalating number of confirmed and suspected cases overwhelmed the admission capacity of the designated hospitals. Faced with such a grim situation, governments made a quick decision to build emergency medical facilities to address the outbreak. However, the emergency medical facilities faced a huge risk of epidemic spread and improper site could lead to serious secondary transmission. Using the disaster prevention and risk avoidance function of urban green space can solve the problem of selecting the location of emergency medical facilities to a certain extent, with country parks having a high degree of compatibility with the latter. Based on the location requirements of emergency medical facilities, using Analytic Hierarchy Process and Delphi method, through analyzing the type of country parks, effective risk avoidance area, spatial fragmentation, distance from water sources, wind direction, and distance from the city, quantification of 8 impact factors such as hydrogeology and traffic duration was conducted to comprehensively compare 30 country parks in Guangzhou. The results showed that the overall quality of country parks approximated a normal distribution, with Lianma Forest Country Park having the highest comprehensive score and the most balanced distribution of scores for various impact factors. Considering safety, expandability, rehabilitation, convenience, pollution prevention, and fecal isolation, it is a preferred destination for emergency medical facility construction.