Experiencing menopause in the UK: The interrelated narratives of normality,distress, and transformation

ABSTRACT

We investigated the experience and perspectives of menopause among 48 UK mothers through qualitative in-depth interviews. Interviews were analyzed thematically then explored using social science theories. Three interdependent narratives emerged: menopause as a normal, biological process, distinct from self and social transitions; menopause as struggle, an “idiom of distress” expressing upset, identity loss, shame, and social upheaval; and menopause as transformative and liberating, arising from biopsychic and relational changes. Some women followed a predictable “rite of passage” trajectory with transformation emerging from distress, but not all: Menopause arises from a complex interplay of personal predicament, somatic change, and sociocultural context.     

Regional cultures and health outcomes: Implications for performance measurement,public health and policy

The U.S. Medicare program now ties payment to health care providers based on their patients’ outcomes. This change comes as compilations of data on geographic variations in health outcomes and quality of care indicate patterns that appear to be deeply ingrained. This study explores whether cultural characteristics correlate with health outcomes such that quality indicators may be measuring something other than quality of care, and whether regional subcultures have a significant impact on public health. It concludes that two cultural dimensions, social capital and traditional/rational-secularism, which explain a sufficient proportion of outcome variations to cast doubt as to whether outcome measures capture provider quality. Correlations are explored between American regional subcultures identified by Joel Lieske and the variation in health outcomes. In a multidimensional analysis of Lieske's typology, results indicate that certain U.S. subpopulations have cultural advantages or disadvantages relating to health.     

Harmful Algal Blooms in South Carolina Residential and Golf Course Ponds

The South Carolina coastal zone is among the fastest growing areas in the U.S., and population epicenters are marked by dense brackish water pond (lagoon) coverage associated with housing complexes and golf courses. Surveillance efforts in 2001–2002 documented the widespread occurrence of several types of potentially or measurably toxic harmful algal blooms (HABs) in these ponds. These man-made retention ponds were constructed in order to serve as a buffer between developed areas and open estuaries or for aesthetic reasons. However, the combination of restricted tidal flow and nutrient and/or contaminant deposition creates a stimulatory environment for potential HAB formation. These discoveries introduce the need to consider mitigation measures to existing ponds and HAB preventive strategies for future pond construction.     

The changing influence of religion on U.S. fertility: Evidence from rhode Island

Traditionally one of the indisputable generalizations in demography has been that Catholics have higher fertility than Protestants and Jews (Freedman, Whelpton, & Campbell 1959; Ryder & Westoff 1971; Westoff, Potter, & Sagi 1964; Whelpton, Campbell, & Patterson 1966). Recently, however, doubts have been raised about the continued validity of this longstanding and heretofore widely accepted generalization.     

Risk factors associated with osteoporosis in Hispanic women

This study examined risk factors for osteoporosis in Hispanic women. Factors examined included ethnicity, gender, age, height, weight, family and personal history of fractures, height loss, exercise, diet, time since menopause or hysterectomy, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), calcium supplementation, hypertension, thyroid disease, diabetes, arthritis, chemotherapy, family history of breast cancer, use of water pills, fosamax, steroids, alcohol, and smoking. Most results found parallel those found in the Caucasian population. Heavier patients had greater bone density, as well as patients who exercised and those using HRT. Older patients had lower bone density as did diabetic patients. Results not anticipated were higher bone density in patients not taking calcium supplements, and in patients who consumed alcohol.     

The effects of crisis,cynicism about change,and value congruence on perceptions of authentic leadership and attributed charisma in the 2008 presidential election

The current study examines leadership in the context of the 2008 presidential election. Longitudinal data were collected across three regions of the United States to yield 414 responses. Perceptions of crisis were positively related to attributed charisma but not perceptions of authentic leadership. Value congruence moderated the relationship between cynicism and attributed charisma for Obama (but not for McCain) and between cynicism and perceptions of authentic leadership for McCain (but not for Obama). Attributed charisma was found to have augmenting effects over authenticity in predicting voting behavior. The contributions made to the charismatic, authentic, and crisis leadership literatures are discussed and directions for future research presented.     

“See Media”: Coco Fusco’s Direct Address and the Performance of In/Security

Abstract

A Room of One’s Own: Women and Power in the New America (2006–2008) is a multi-media performance art piece by visual artist Coco Fusco. In a lecture style performance staged at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as part of their 2007 symposium The Feminist Future: Theory and Practice in the Visual Arts, Fusco explores the use of women in US military interrogation efforts during the height of the War on Terror and – problematic and violent as it may be – mounts a parallel attack against the art world itself. Although invited to speak, Fusco speaks (performs) out of turn – and out of sync in order to level a critique at the very establishment in which the symposium was held. In doing so, Fusco directs our attention towards the interwoven workings of power, surveillance, silence, and the making and the performances of particular kinds of citizen/subjects/enemy combatants/art objects/interrogators/artists. This article seeks to address how visual culture and US military security discourses are inextricably linked through interwoven histories and unsettling relationships between race and national security, national security and feminism, as well as race and feminism.     

The Changing Roles of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

The 2000 U.S. Census reported there were 158.9 million people ages 30 and older living in households in the United States, of whom 5.8 million (or 3.6%) were co-resident grandparents, defined as living with grandchildren younger than 18. Among these findings, 2.4 million (42%) were also grandparent caregivers. It is estimated that 1 in 10 grandparents will be the primary caregiver for at least 6 months for a grandchild before the child's eighteenth birthday. This article will discuss some of the challenges and hardships that these grandparents are faced with while raising their grandchildren. In addition, some attention to practice and policy are looked at to provide assistance to grandparents and kinship that may be raising relatives. There will be financial burden, worry, health issues, and freedom restrictions for this population. Many of these families may not be aware of programs, services, and resources that are available to them.     

Mexican American and European American Adolescents' Dating Experiences across the Ecosystem: Implications for Healthy Relationships within an Ecodevelopmental Framework

Dating health interventions that target the complex, multi-systemic spheres in which adolescents experience their first romantic relationships are required. This study utilizes an ecodevelopmental approach to better understand Mexican American and European American youths' perceptions of how peers, parents, school, and the media act both independently and collectively to affect their dating lives, also elucidating how such systems are at times in conflict. Seventy-five middle adolescents participated in focus groups divided by gender and ethnicity to uncover differences and similarities within and across groups. Findings underscore the importance and widespread effects of romantic relationships for adolescents' social development and the need for intervention programs that target multiple points of intervention while attending to mesosystemic conflicts across systems.     

Say it Loud: The Obama Effect and Racial/Ethnic Identification of Adolescents

The current study examined how self-reported racial/ethnic identification of adolescents living in poverty may be related to significant societal events and seminal public figures. Data from a multiple cohort longitudinal study, conducted in Mobile, Alabama between 1998 and 2011, were used to examine the impact of Barack Obama's nomination and presidency on racial/ethnic identification. The results show that significantly more adolescents changed their self-reported racial/ethnic identification from White or Mixed-Race to Black or Mixed Race after the election than before. These results suggest that a distant public figure can serve as a role model with observable effects for adolescents.