University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences - Social Work and Rehabilitation
University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Theology - Ethics in Social Work
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Social work, integration of high-skilled staff in the Czech Republic, immigration
5
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF SENIORS 65+ Jitka Vacková, Kvetoslava Rimárová, Lenka Motlová, Renata Švestková, Erik Dorko, et al. Central European Journal of Public Health, 2024 OBJECTIVES The main aim of the article is to indicate how selected socioeconomic factors contribute to the selected characteristics of the subjectively perceived health of seniors 65+ living in the Czech Republic. METHODS Data collection took place in the Czech Republic from 27 January 2020 to 14 February 2020. The total number of interviews carried out in the research was 1,172, from a representative quota sample of seniors from the senior population living in the Czech Republic. Questionnaires were distributed in the form of PAPI interviews. RESULTS The assessment of subjective social status increases with education and employment (these three aspects are closely linked), and the assessment transferred to the senior years. CONCLUSION The accumulation of advantages and disadvantages should encourage the Government of the Czech Republic, as well as other European states, to focus on those who, based on their low levels of education and social status, have very low assessments of their subjective health. Prevention (in both health and social fields), which includes access to information and the subsequent better life decisions, must be implemented throughout a person's lifetime (so as to reduce the disadvantages that accumulate from the cradle to the grave).
INTEGRATION SERVICES FOR FOREIGN SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC STAFF IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Eva Fichtnerová, Jitka Vacková Problems and Perspectives in Management, 2022 This study analyzes the status of integration services for foreign highly skilled staff at higher education and scientific institutions in the Czech Republic. This paper is relevant as it is essential to obtain data and information about services and possible barriers affecting the quality of life and professional experience with work migration to another country. The study conducted a survey and obtained feedback from 221 respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed in SASD 1.4.10. and SPSS. Moreover, the paper employed qualitative research in the form of open-ended questions processed by open coding in Atlas.ti 7.The analysis described the quality of the employer’s services, their offer, and frequency, as well as satisfaction with the work and social environment in the Czech Republic. Barriers to integration were identified; they include complicated administration, the need to learn the Czech language, and cultural and mental differences. Deficiencies in services for common life necessities were highlighted, e.g., provision of suitable accommodation, adequate school facilities for children, dual-career jobs, or medical treatment. The study resulted in the idea of the introduction of a service system, based on coordinated social services, for the reception of experts from abroad and better conditions for their integration. This system will increase the attractiveness of Czech institutions to the influx of brains from abroad. AcknowledgmentThe authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this paper.
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN SELECTED ASPECTS OF SOCIAL SITUATION AND HEALTH STATUS OF FOREIGNERS LIVING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC J. Vacková, K. Rimárová, Lenka Motlová, Renata Švestková, Eva Fichtnerová, et al. Central European Journal of Public Health, 2022 OBJECTIVES Demographic differentiation caused by the history of migration in the Czech and Slovak Republics led the authors of this article to analyse generational differences in the groups of foreigners living in the Czech Republic (CR) and the impact of generational differences on selected aspects of their social situation and perceived health. The crucial research question was whether and to what degree do different generations of foreigners vary from each other and what impact this has had on their social situation and health determinants. METHODS The main goal was to examine mutual relationships between selected characteristics of social situation and health determinants in various groups of foreigners living in the CR. A total of 1,003 questionnaires among foreigners officially living in the Czech Republic were collected and analysed. In the area of subjective perception of health, a comparison of foreigners with Czech citizens (representative sample of Czech seniors; 1,172 respondents) in the age category 65+ was made in order to find out whether this perception differs between senior foreign nationals and senior Czechs. RESULTS Older individuals (50-64 years and 65+ years) appeared to have the best integration into Czech society. This age generation felt positive about stay and migration status in the CR. Older foreigners differ from older Czech citizens who tend to refer to their health as very good to rather good compared to foreigners who described their health as neither good nor bad. The middle generation (30-49 years) of foreigners was characterized by hard work and the initial stages of integration into Czech society. This group also reported positive feelings about living in the CR relative to their home country. CONCLUSION The oldest generation of foreigners is the best integrated in the Czech Republic (with regard to selected aspects tested in this article). This generation is able to offer new immigrant effective integration strategies. However, they assess their subjective health one degree worse in comparison with Czech seniors (representative sample), this finding should lead to the setting of preventive programmes related to a healthy lifestyle, including lifestyle for foreigners living in the Czech Republic.
Motives for the migration of scientific, research and academic workers Eva Fichtnerová, J. Vacková Problems and Perspectives in Management, 2021 The higher education system needs personalities who guarantee high quality of academic and scientific performance. This paper deals with the motives of their migration to/from HEIs, knowledge of which is important for their HR management and increasing global competitiveness. The theory is based on the idea of internationalization (Knight, 2012) and push-pull factors (Ravenstein, 1889), leading to the recruitment of highly qualified labor from abroad. The analysis focused on the “circulation of brains” in modern Europe. The final part contains a graph of the research methodology.Three main areas of the motivation process affecting migration have been identified. At the macro-level, this is political support, which enables the arrival of experts and creates conditions for own professionals to gain experience abroad, but return. This applies to working conditions, adaptation, and integration. Economic conditions at the mezzo-level are based on the motives of finding a better job opportunity and one’s living conditions. The transfer of knowledge increases the country’s economic potential. At the micro-level, there is an impact of an individual’s character traits and surrounding social networks. It depends on the influence of a family, school, friends, the desire to apply language and other skills, and experience abroad. The knowledge of the motives for migration should be a stimulus for taking appropriate measures at higher education institutions leading to the creation of a multicultural environment and the readiness of HEIs to use «brain circulation» to increase their excellence in academic and scientific performance. AcknowledgmentThis research did not receive a specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The researchers have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
