Anne Nolan

Sexual violence, and more broadly gender-based violence (GBV), is a pervasive global issue. In this report, data from the 2022 Sexual Violence Survey (SVS), collected by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), are used to examine patterns of victimisation1 among those that have experienced adult sexual violence in Ireland.2 In order to prevent sexual violence and to provide, and target, supports to those who are victims of such violence, a better understanding of the patterns of victimisation is needed. This study surveys the relevant literature and presents descriptive and multivariable regression analyses of the main factors associated with adult sexual violence in Ireland. The factors examined include sex, age, sexual orientation, level of education, country of birth, disability (at the time of the survey) and relationship status, as well as urbanisation and level of deprivation of the area in which they live. The analysis undertaken is based on responses from over 4,000 individuals aged 18 and above, who completed the SVS between May and December 2022. The research was carried out under a programme of research funded by Cuan, the statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) agency.

Many mental health difficulties first emerge in adolescence and can have lasting impacts on later-life outcomes. In this paper, we focus on young people’s mental health difficulties, as measured by the internalising and externalising difficulties subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Using data from two cohorts of Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), we use group-based modelling techniques to examine how internalising and externalising difficulties evolve between the ages of 3 and 13 for the ’08 Cohort, and between the ages of 9 and 17 for the ’98 Cohort. We also focus on the key transition point of age 9 to 13, contrasting the experiences of young people from the two cohorts, born 10 years apart. The results indicate that most young people in Ireland display low levels of mental health difficulties, but that there is considerable change over time, and some young people experience persistently high levels of mental health difficulties. Consistent with prior research, girls display higher rates of internalising difficulties, while boys display higher rates of externalising difficulties. When comparing these difficulties across both cohorts between the ages of 9 and 13, we find an increase in internalising difficulties (most pronounced among girls) for the ’08 Cohort, in contrast to a decline between these ages for the ’98 Cohort. As further waves of the ’08 Cohort become available, it will be important to determine whether this reflects an earlier increase in young people’s internalising difficulties which continues beyond the age of 13, or whether this stabilises or possibly declines. The findings add to the emerging literature on how young people’s mental health difficulties vary by age and gender, and how internalising difficulties in particular have increased in recent times.

Sexual violence (SV), and gender-based violence (GBV) more generally, is a pervasive global problem. While women and girls are most affected, sexual violence affects all sections of society, with profound consequences for the physical, psychological and economic wellbeing of both victims and their families. In Ireland, the recently established statutory agency Cuan co-ordinates and drives the implementation of Zero Tolerance, the third national strategy for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). In this context, Cuan and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) have established a joint research programme to provide evidence to inform DSGBV policy development. The purpose of this report, the first in a series of reports from the research programme, is to provide an overview of the national and international data and research on adult sexual violence, with a particular focus on identifying the definitional and measurement issues that need to be considered when making comparisons of prevalence and incidence rates1 over time and between countries.

Air pollution is a major risk factor for disease and premature mortality worldwide. In Ireland, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which originates largely from burning solid fuel for heating, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), derived from road transport, in particular from diesel engines, are the main contributing sources of poor air quality. In addition to the mortality and morbidity burden, air pollution also imposes a significant economic burden, in terms of healthcare costs, lost productivity, impact on agricultural crops and damage to buildings and infrastructure. In this report, we scope out the data and methods to estimate the healthcare costs of poor air quality in Ireland, focusing on three types of healthcare: emergency inpatient hospitalisations, general practitioner (GP) care and prescribed medicines dispensed in community pharmacies (community pharmacy services). As the available data in Ireland preclude a comprehensive analysis of the healthcare costs associated with poor air quality, the data and methodological approach used in this report provide a framework that can be used to inform future data collection and research studies on this issue.

Adolescence and young adulthood are critical periods in the development of healthy sexual health and relationships, as patterns of behaviour that develop during these life stages shape outcomes throughout the life course. Recent rises in notifications of certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people in Ireland have raised concerns over the extent to which young people have the skills and information to make healthy choices in relation to their sexual health and wellbeing. In this context, sexual health literacy – i.e., the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and use information and services to inform decisions and actions – is a key protective factor for the prevention of negative sexual health outcomes and for allowing young people to be more in control of their own sexual and reproductive health. In this report, we used data from Cohort ’98 of Growing Up in Ireland, the national longitudinal study of children and young people in Ireland, to examine the factors associated with sexual health literacy among young adults, and how sexual health literacy is associated with sexual health behaviours (i.e., condom and contraception use). The Growing Up in Ireland data on sexual health literacy were collected in 2018 when the young people were 20 years of age, and the measure of sexual health literacy was based on answers to two questions that gauged knowledge of female fertility and STI prevention methods.

The experience of sexual intercourse for the first time is a significant life event, and influenced by a range of individual, cultural and societal factors. Age of first sexual initiation is a major area of policy and research focus, as the circumstances of first sex (e.g. whether contraception was used, whether it was perceived to have occurred ‘at the right time’), and the consequences of first sex for later outcomes (e.g. diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early parenthood), have important implications for health and wellbeing. In this report, we use data from the ’98 Cohort of Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), the national longitudinal study of children and young people in Ireland, to examine the factors associated with age of sexual initiation among young adults, and the way in which age of first sex influences the circumstances of first sex and selected outcomes. Age and circumstances of first sex, and selected outcomes, are all based on data collected during the fourth wave of data collection for the ’98 Cohort of GUI, when the young people were 20 years of age.

Recognition of the need to limit climate change has led countries to sign up to concerted efforts to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These efforts culminated in the ratification of the Paris Agreement by Ireland and 196 other countries in 2015. This agreement, and the subsequent Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act of 2021, commit Ireland to a GHG emissions reduction goal of at least 55 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. These commitments to reduce GHG emissions through various Climate Action Plans will have considerable economic and societal ramifications, including on population health. For EU countries, the health implications of climate change are estimated to be extensive, while climate change may impede the sustainability of healthcare service provision. The changing climate, predicted to intensify, can exacerbate health impacts, especially in vulnerable demographic groups such as children, older people, and individuals with chronic diseases. However, in addition to the direct benefits for health from emission reductions (e.g., from fewer extreme weather events), emission reduction policies may also have co-benefits for health, e.g., the shift to more bicycle-based commuting through increased cycle lanes or the switch to lower meat consumption can help reduce emissions and improve health outcomes. Despite the growing evidence on the link between increasing temperatures, and likely emission reduction target policies, on health, little evidence exists on the health effects of climate change and associated mitigation actions in an Irish context. The aim of this report is to contribute to the understanding of the link between climate change and health by examining the impact of temperature changes on health and healthcare utilisation in Ireland. While there are multiple dimensions of climate change that may affect health (e.g., increasing temperature, increased precipitation, wildfires, etc.), temperature change is considered one of the principal health threats facing Ireland with respect to climate change. First the report undertakes an in-depth review of the literature on the link between temperature change and health, focusing on evidence from other regions with moderate climates that are similar to Ireland. It also provides an overview of the literature that has assessed the health benefits and co-benefits of climate change mitigation action. Second, the report utilises Met Éireann temperature data to develop Irish climate projections based on simulations performed by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC). Next, the research examines the impact of increases in temperature on use of emergency in-patient hospital care in Ireland. Finally, the report also outlines some of the potential health benefits and co-benefits of climate change mitigation actions, in Ireland.

Background: Mental illness is the leading cause of years lived with disability, and the global disease burden of mental ill-health has increased substantially in the last number of decades. There is now increasing evidence that environmental conditions, and in particular poor air quality, may be associated with mental health and wellbeing. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis uses data on mental health and wellbeing from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a nationally representative survey of the population aged 50+ in Ireland. Annual average PM_2.5 concentrations at respondents’ residential addresses over the period 1998–2014 are used to measure long-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5. Results: We find evidence of associations between long-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5 and depression and anxiety. The measured associations are strong, and are comparable with effect sizes for variables such as sex. Effects are also evident at relatively low concentrations by international standards. However, we find no evidence of associations between long-term ambient particulate pollution and other indicators of mental health and well-being such as stress, worry and quality of life. Conclusions: The measured associations are strong, particularly considering the relatively low PM_2.5 concentrations prevailing in Ireland compared to many other countries. While it is estimated that over 90 per cent of the world’s population lives in areas with annual mean PM_2.5 concentrations greater than 10 μg/m³, these results contribute to the increasing evidence that suggests that harmful effects can be detected at even low levels of air pollution.

This report draws on the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study to look at pornography use among over 4,500 young adults at 20 years of age. Pornography use was captured as part of a module of questions on different types of internet use. The rich information provided by the GUI study allows us to explore the potential influence of a range of factors on pornography use and to examine the way use is related to key aspects of wellbeing and sexual behaviour among young adults. Pornography use is found to be highly gendered, with 64 per cent of young men and 13 per cent of young women reporting use. For this reason, analyses in the report look separately at the factors for young women and men.