Partially shared objects and the (Elusive) potential of expansive learning: the case of “jury” in community-based citizenship classes for Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee elders

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on community-based citizenship classes for Bhutanese refugee elders held in central Ohio. As part of a larger longitudinal study centered in the ethnographic and discourse analytic traditions, the article analyzes a classroom moment where the notion of a “jury” is briefly taken up and discussed. This moment is put into dialogue with relevant data from student interviews and teacher playback sessions using cultural-historical activity theory as an analytical framework to argue that the understanding of a “jury” is a “partially shared object” that reveals asymmetrical power relations between activity systems, with implications for expansive learning opportunities.     

Barriers to Utilization of Mental Health Services amongst Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors: Service Providers’ Perspective

ABSTRACT

Most research on child sexual abuse has been on survivors to the exclusion of service providers. This paper focuses on one group of findings from a larger qualitative study. The aim of the paper is to identify existing services and highlight the gaps in the current programs available for male CSA survivors from the perspective of service providers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 mental health service providers, recruited from two Southern and Central Ontario cities. Findings presented here report service providers’ perspective of gaps in services for male CSA survivors. “Limited Male CSA Programs”, “Institutional Barriers”, “Attitudinal Barriers”, and “Systemic Gaps” emerged as four major themes from the data analysis. Findings demonstrate the need to re-evaluate currently available service and highlights gaps in mental health service available for male CSA survivors. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.     

Extreme Ritualistic Alcohol Consumption Among College Students on Game Day

Abstract

Alcohol use and the related consequences associated with college football games are a serious public health issue for university communities. Objective: Examining “Extreme Ritualistic Alcohol Consumption” (ERAC), defined as consuming 10 or more drinks on game day for a male, and 8 or more drinks for a female, is the focus of this study. Participants: In the fall of 2006, college students ages 18 to 24 were randomly selected to complete the Game Day Survey. Methods: Researchers utilized a cross sectional research design to collect data. Results: Sixteen percent of the respondents engaged in ERAC on game day, whereas 36% drank 5 or more drinks (4 or more for females). Male, Caucasian, Greek (members of a social fraternity or sorority), and students of legal drinking age consumed alcohol at disproportionately high rates. Conclusion: Alcohol use is common on game day, with a significant percentage of students placing themselves at risk by drinking large amounts of alcohol.     

Elder self neglect: A geriatric syndrome or a life course story?

AimsTo explore the unique aspects of the elder self-neglect phenomenon and to achieve phenomenological understanding of self-neglect through the eyes of self-neglecting elders.MethodA qualitative study based on a sample of 16 self-neglecting elders. Data collection was performed through in-depth semi-structured interviews, followed by content analysis.FindingsFour major themes emerged from the older participants: “I was unlucky:” a life course of suffering; “That's the way it is:” self-neglect as a routine of life; “They tell me that I'm disabled:” old age as exposing situations of self-neglect; “My empire:” how do I perceive my old age.ConclusionsSelf-neglect is not necessarily an issue of old age, but is related to the person's life history. Self-neglect as a way of life accompanied the participants into old age, but it was not originated or created there. The overall message of the self-neglecting elders was to see them as human beings and not as old neglected people; not to label them as an “age syndrome” but to perceive them in a holistic and humanistic manner.     

“Funny Face”: Shareware for Child Counseling and Play Therapy

SUMMARY

“Funny Face,” an off-the-shelf children's computer game, is used in play therapy and counseling with preschool and latency age children by the author/designer, who also serves as the therapist.     

“Home” for Now or “Home” for Good?

ABSTRACT

This article explores accommodation experiences of East Europeans in London. Based on in-depth interviews with recent Polish and Lithuanian migrants it highlights a range of accommodation strategies that they exercise living in London. The article argues that instead of being passive users of the housing services in the immigration country, East European migrants skillfully manipulate the British housing market in order to achieve maximum benefit from the limited housing options available them. In this way, the article reflects on the dilemmas of making “home” and contributes to the theoretical refinement of the concept of “home” in the context of temporary accommodation.     

Poor theory and the art of plastic pollution in Nigeria: relational aesthetics,human ecology,and “good housekeeping”

ABSTRACT

The art of plastic pollution from Nigeria marks more than an environmental consciousness. It also marks an ecological consciousness based on contemporary plastic-waste artists’ commitment to advocating the recovery of traditions of repurposing materials and of skilled craft work. These contemporary artists are proposing that Nigeria negotiate its own modern identity by recuperating creative traditions of object making that combine the values of utility and of artistry in the practice of craft. The emphasis on plastic specifically as an artistic medium highlights the clash of what eco-artist Bright Eke calls a “bottled life” – entrapped, wasteful, unhealthy, ego-centric – with a traditional ethos of interconnectedness and eco-consciousness. Drawing together data from personal interviews, filmed documentaries, and museum talks, this essay argues that the current generation of artists is using salvaged plastic as a primary medium to rethink Nigerian ecology in terms of “good housekeeping” – a specifically Nigerian oikos.     

Symbols of Division: Plantations along South Carolina's Coast

ABSTRACT

As social barriers between classes increase in the United States, settlements reifying these barriers also increase. Along South Carolina's coast, (primarily) Euro-American upper-class retirees isolate themselves from the local (primarily) African-American population within gated communities often called “plantations.” The irony is not lost on locals. Using data from interviews and observations collected over the past decade, the article presents the sentiments of those inside and outside these new plantations. Questions are also raised about the social and cultural contexts, meanings, and consequences of gated communities.     

In Search of Resiliency in Families

Abstract

This study explores the process of relationship development in marriages that foster personal and relationship growth. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve individuals/six couples in marriages that promote individual and relationship growth. Grounded theory methodology was employed and “Empowering Connections” emerged as the core theme. Empowering connections are characterised by a process of growth captured by the following categories: “Connecting Emotionally,” “Loving Respectfully,” “Expanding One's Self,” and “Experiencing Empowering Connections.” The results of the study contribute to the understanding of marriage and provide insight to premarital couples, people who want to improve their marriage, and to therapists working with couples.     

Using network analysis to conduct a system-wide program evaluation within a university

ObjectiveTo conduct a system-wide assessment using social network analysis (SNA) to examine how 14 important issues (e.g., consent; racism) are addressed through education, training, and programming at a university.MethodsEvaluators conducted interviews with campus departments responsible for educating/training on the 14 issues. Interviews revealed which programs (n = 52) were offered that addressed the 14 issues, and data on audience characteristics, date of delivery, and which issues were covered in each program were collected. SNA was used to calculate degree and create visualization graphs illustrating patterns of content-coverage across all 52 programs.ResultsThe average degree was 19.38 (SD = 9.70), meaning programs overlapped in topic area with nearly 20 other programs, on average. Most programs (n = 36; 69.2 %) were attended by audiences of 500 people or less. “Diversity and inclusion” represented the topic area with the most programs (n = 23), whereas “suicide” and “bullying/hazing” had the least number of programs (n = 3). Degree was negatively correlated with attendance numbers (r=-.310, p < .001), indicating the more a program overlapped in content with other programs, the smaller the audience.ConclusionsThis study supports the use of network analysis in conducting systemic evaluations of programs offered at a university, complementing the work of ongoing, local-level program evaluations.     

Traversing the Margins: Intersectionalities in the Bullying of Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth

SUMMARY

This study explores the perspectives of service providers and youth advocates on bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and intersectionalities in LGBT peer victimization. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine key informants (4 male, 4 female, 1 transgender male; 4 gay, 3 lesbian, 2 non-identified; 6 white, 1 South Asian, 2 Middle Eastern) recruited using purposive sampling from diverse education and social service settings. Narrative thematic analysis and a constant comparative method were used to identify themes. Five themes emerged from the data: (1) “transgressing gender norm boundaries”; (2) homophobic sexism vs. sexist homophobia; (3) “you choose sexuality or you choose race”; (4) newcomer youth and citizenship; and (5) “multiple wires together … create the cage.” Findings suggest the importance of an intersectional approach to conceptualizing and addressing LGBT bullying and to uncovering the differential experiences of bullying among LGBT youth. Bullying related to sexual orientation should not be assumed to be the only or primary form of violence shaping the lives of LGBT youth.     

Bioactive compounds of the Mediterranean diet and prostate cancer

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this review is to examine the evidence on the effects of bioactive constituents of the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) on prostate cancer (PCa) risk.

Methods: The search for articles came from extensive research in the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We used the search terms “Mediterranean diet,” “lycopene,” “vitamin E,” “vitamin C,” “Selenium,” “resveratrol,” “prostate cancer,” and combinations, such as “lycopene and prostate cancer” or “resveratrol and prostate cancer.”

Results: Numerous studies investigating the effect of various dietary nutrients on PCa have suggested that selenium is probably the most promising. Several studies reported reduced PCa risk associated with vitamin C and E intake, while other studies reported no association. Lycopene inhibits cell proliferation and inducts apoptosis, thus protecting against cancer. Also, it has been found in various in vivo and in vitro studies that resveratrol, inhibits PCa development.

Conclusions: The high content of bioactive phytochemicals in the MeDi is of particular interest in the prevention of PCa. Further large-scale studies are required to clarify the effect of MeDi bioactive compounds on prostate health, in order to establish the role of this diet in the prevention of PCa.     

“Fractured Reflections” of High-Status Black Male Presentations of Self: Nonrecognition of Identity as a “Tacit” Form of Institutional Racism

ABSTRACT

This article examines the effects of “tacit” expectations about race, which are institutionalized in an Interaction Order that frames how we “see” high-status occupational identity. There is an essential moment in presenting Self before Other(s) when it is the turn of the Other(s) to recognize, respond to, and ratify that presentation. The Self is a social accomplishment that requires mutual cooperation from others. Failure to recognize and ratify competent presentations of self, reported frequently by black men, can strip those presentations of the social identity they claim and the dignity, power, and authority associated with that identity. We argue that these “tacit” expectations about identity follow black men wherever they go—no matter how successful they are. Using accounts drawn from interviews, we examine the persistent failure of Others to recognize and ratify high-status black male identities and the legitimate authority they carry.     

Gay and Lesbian Couples at Home: Identity Work in Domestic Space

ABSTRACT

Social research into gay/lesbian experiences of home has tended to posit domestic environments as alienating for gay/lesbian subjects, silencing their sexual identities. Meanwhile, work on the spatiality of sexual identity more broadly has largely focused on individuals or communities, not couples or households. In this context, this article aims to recover the importance of home for gay/lesbian couples. I explore how cohabiting gay/lesbian couples generate shared identities through domestic space, examining various ways in which these couples use homes to establish and consolidate their partnerships. Empirical data is drawn from twenty-three in-depth interviews with gay/lesbian Australians who are cohabiting, or have cohabited, with a long-term partner. The sample is largely limited to white, educated, middle-class gay men and lesbians living in urban Australia, providing an ethnographic window into the domestic identity-formation of a particular community of practice. Four key themes regarding “coupled identities” at home emerged from the interviews: (i) the importance of privacy and control at home for enabling gay/lesbian partnerships; (ii) the negotiated creation and use of shared domestic spaces; (iii) the accumulation and arrangement of household objects in those domestic spaces; and (iv) the importance of maintaining separate “personal” spaces for each partner for the well-being of the relationship.     

Scientific Acedia

Abstract

Using a gendered context, this paper examines women's fear management strategies. Using twenty-six in-depth interviews with married and divorced participants, the researcher considers one question: “How does gender influence fear management strategies among newly married and divorced women?” Results depict a unique intersection between strategies women use to manage fear of crime and the ways they “do gender” that vary by the marriage context, providing insight into women's fear of crime.     

Waterpipe Smoking Among College Students in the United States: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Objective: To review the literature on college student waterpipe use with a focus on undergraduates in the United States. Participants: Undergraduate students. Methods: Studies were accessed using the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Premier. Searches included combinations of the following keywords: “waterpipe,” “hookah,” “shisha,” “nargila,” “argileh,” “hubble bubble,” “college,” “university,” and “student.” Results: Results demonstrate that approximately 1 in 5 American college students report past-year waterpipe use. Results also suggest that there are a number of established correlates of waterpipe smoking, including male gender, Arab ethnicity, cigarette smoking, and the belief that waterpipe smoking is less harmful than cigarette smoking. Conclusions: Despite its harmful health effects, waterpipe smoking is quite common among college students. Future research with better methodologies and theoretical frameworks are needed to advance the field.     

Slipping through the cracks: Examining the realities of a child-friendly prison system

IntroductionThe health effects for children with incarcerated parents, and methods to improve children's experience of the justice system, are under-researched areas. While some work has been done to illuminate these concerns, practical implementation of a “child-friendly prison” has been slow.AimsA Health Directorate-funded project examining children's interactions with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) justice system was conducted in 2013, which made a number of recommendations. The current study sought to examine the ongoing impacts of parental incarceration for children in the ACT and follow up on the recommendations.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with seven key stakeholders with a relationship to the research area. The interviews were summarised, and a thematic analysis was carried out to identify relevant ideas. Results from recent Detainee Health and Welfare Surveys were used to estimate the number of children affected.ResultsThe findings from the interviews concluded that little action was taken in response to the original report, that children's rights and agency were compromised, that the prison lacked accessibility, that consistent and individualised information should be provided to affected children, and that a previously operational homework program should be reinstated. Model facilities were identified.ConclusionThree broadly-applicable recommendations were made in response to the data from the surveys: increasing accessibility of public transport, the establishment of a child liaison officer at prisons, and maintaining extended family visits.     

Becoming a Street Kid

ABSTRACT

This analysis explores the perceptions of youth on the street in constructing identity throughout their street life experiences. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with 98 street youth and 42 service providers in Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, and participant and non-participant observations of street life and shelter culture in all three locations. The findings highlight the stages of “becoming a street youth” and the elements that shape engagement in, and disengagement from, street life.     

Social Care Work in the Recent Past: Revisiting the Professional/Amateur Dichotomy

Abstract

The present article challenges the received wisdom of the distinctiveness of professional social work in Australia and its dichotomous juxtapositioning against work undertaken by those without formal social work qualifications. Findings are presented from a qualitative study of Australian Catholic sisters’ experiences of social care work in the recent past, based on indepth interviews with sisters who collectively worked in a variety of fields from the 1950s to the time of writing. Sisters’ accounts of work with marginalised people reveal many similarities with the values and principles of social work. This suggests a blurred line between “professional” social work and “amateur” social care work. In an era of reconsideration of many certainties, Australian social work could profitably reflect on its commonalities with, and differences from, practice domains outside professional social work.