Mediation pathways for reduced substance use among parents in South Africa: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Substance use is a major public health concern worldwide. Alcohol and drug use have increased during recent decades in many low- and middle-income countries, with South Africa, where this study was conducted, having among the highest rates in the world. Despite existing evidence on the effectiveness of family-based interventions in reducing substance use among parents and caregivers in low- and middle-income countries, little is known about the mechanism of change that contributes to the reduction.

Power to participants: methodological and ethical reflections from a decade of adolescent advisory groups in South Africa.

Whilst the HIV response has made significant progress in increasing representation of adults affected by HIV, the meaningful inclusion of children and adolescents has lagged. But this may be a pivotal moment of change. We report on a decade of conducting adolescent advisory groups in South Africa, to reflect on youth advisory processes.

Parenting, mental health and economic pathways to prevention of violence against children in South Africa.

Background: Parenting programs based on social learning theory have increasing empirical evidence for reducing violence against children. Trials are primarily from high-income countries and with young children. Globally, we know little about how parenting programs work to reduce violence, with no known studies in low or middle-income countries (LMICs).

Patterns and biases in an Arctic herbarium specimen collection: Implications for phenological research.

Premise Of The Study: Herbarium specimens are increasingly used in phenological studies. However, natural history collections can have biases that influence the analysis of phenological events. Arctic environments, where remoteness and cold climate govern collection logistics, may give rise to unique or pronounced biases.