Women's experiences of participation in a pregnancy and postnatal group incorporating yoga and facilitated group discussion: A qualitative evaluation

BackgroundThis paper reports on a small qualitative research study which explored women's experiences of participation in a pregnancy and postnatal group that incorporated yoga and facilitated discussion. The group is offered through a community based feminist non-government women's health Centre in Northern NSW Australia.QuestionThe purpose of the research was to explore women's experiences of attending this pregnancy and postnatal group.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative approach was used to explore women's experiences of attending the group. Fifteen women participated in individual, in-depth face-to-face interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the qualitative data.FindingsSix themes were developed, one with 3 subthemes. One theme was labelled as: ‘the pregnancy and motherhood journey’ and included 3 sub-themes which were labelled: ‘preparation for birth’, ‘connecting with the baby’ and ‘sharing birth stories.’ The other five themes were: ‘feminine nurturing safe space’, ‘watching and learning the mothering’, ‘building mental health, well-being and connections’, the “group like a rock and a seed’ and ‘different from mainstream’.ConclusionThis research adds to the overall body of knowledge about the value of yoga in pre and postnatal care. It demonstrates the value of sharing birth stories and the strong capacity women have to support one another, bringing benefits of emotional and social well-being, information, resources and support derived from group based models of care.     

DTREE,The Electronic DSM-111-R

A study showing that student internet behavior differed significantly for students with high scores on a test of depression is thought to be the first to consider the relationship between internet use and depression that focuses on patterns of online behavior rather than content. Study findings have the potential for use in the human services as a way to assess and/or promote mental health. Although the data were collected anonymously with Institutional Review Board approval and participants' informed consent, objections have been raised suggesting this type of data collection represents “Big Brother” or the monitoring of individuals' behavior without their awareness as portrayed in George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. The importance of this type of research in furthering our understanding of the impact of Internet use on human behavior is emphasized. Additionally, the role of the university is stressed as a location for conducting ethical research which disseminates findings via publication to inform and spur policymakers to develop appropriate guidelines to prevent misuse of new knowledge and technology.     

The health outcomes of housing adaptations

In 1999-2000 a team of professionals and researchers carried out the largest research study so far undertaken with recipients of housing adaptations in England and Wales to discover how effectively the adaptations had achieved their objectives. Amongst the findings was evidence that well-designed adaptations had beneficial, and/or preventative effects on both physical and mental health; that these benefits were long-term and that they extended beyond the disabled person to help the health of other family members. The evidence presented is linked with key themes from other research to trace in detail the pathways that lead from unadapted or badly adapted housing to mental and physical ill health. It is suggested that these themes, including the meaning of home and the concept of intrusion are vital to understanding how health gains may be achieved through adaptation, and are useful and relevant to the broader debate on links between housing and health.     

Temperamental Vulnerability and Negative Parenting as Interacting Predictors of Child Adjustment

This study examines parenting by temperament interactions in predicting child adjustment. Participants included 40 first and second graders, their mothers, and teachers. Child report of maternal psychological control and hostility was assessed using the Child Puppet Interview. Mothers completed temperament scales from the Child Behavior Questionnaire, and teachers provided information on child adjustment. As expected, among children high in irritable distress, maternal psychological control was associated with internalizing problems and maternal hostility was associated with externalizing problems. Among children with poor effortful control, maternal hostility was associated with externalizing behavior. This study offers evidence that the effects of negative parenting are accentuated among children with temperamental vulnerabilities.     

Heideggerian existentialism and social work practice with death and survivor bereavement

Heideggerian existentialism has not been applied on a widespread basis to the Generalist Social Work Practice Model. This paper explores the relationship between social work practice with bereavement issues and Heideggerian existentialism. Applications of Heideggerian existentialism in the social work profession with clients and families experiencing bereavement are examined. Conceptual applications also address future utilization of Heideggerian existentialism.     

Value,Attitude, and Belief Determinants of Willingness to Accept a Facility for the Homeless

Basic values, attitudes toward the homeless, and specific beliefs about a proposed facility were examined, along with the NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) phenomenon, to explore if, and to what degree, these factors affect community acceptance or rejection of a facility for the homeless. Previously designed Protestant ethic (PE) and Humanitarian-Egalitarian (HE) scales were used to measure two basic values (Katz & Hass, 1988). Scales to measure attitudes toward the homeless and beliefs about a planned facility were developed. As predicted, values, attitudes, and beliefs correlated with each other and were related to plan acceptance, so that HE, pro-homeless attitudes, and positive beliefs about the plan were positively related to acceptance, and PE, anti-homeless attitudes, and negative beliefs about the plan were positively related to rejection. Also as predicted, four proximity measures were all related to acceptance of the plan.     

Identifying key performance indicators in food technology contract R&D

Innovating companies increasingly rely on outsourcing to Contract Research Organisations (CROs) for their Research and Development (R&D), which are largely understudied. This paper presents the outcome of a case study in the field of food technology contract research, identifying context specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for a CRO. KPIs were identified with a modified version of the Wageningen Innovation Assessment Tool, with which 72 finished successful and less successful projects were analysed. We developed a benchmarking tool to evaluate starting or running innovation project quality, which allows for direct, in situ project improvements by project leaders at CROs.     

The destruction of liberty in French Guiana: law,identity and the meaning of legal space, 1794–1830

Abstract

This article examines the colonial legal culture of French Guiana from 1794 to 1830 during a period marked by dramatic historical rupture; slaves in the colony who were liberated by decree of the French legislature in 1794 were returned to slavery under Napoleon. People who managed to remain free in the nineteenth century endured humiliating legal handicaps as well as challenges to their free status. In Guiana during this period, a person's access to the ‘rights of man and citizen’ depended on intricate and ultimately fragile legal structures. The perils besetting Guiana's freed people during and after the French Revolution often arose from the highly adjustable character of legal space – the legal status of imperial territory in relation to domestic soil. This article draws on archival materials including notarial documents and trial records to reconstruct the role of law and legal discourse in mediating everyday life, familial relationships and social encounters on the French colonial frontier.     

Five cases illustrating the possibilities and limitations of indirect treatment of problem children 1

Most of the published literature on disability determination focuses on prevalence, applying for benefits, or sociodemographics. There is a paucity of literature that addresses the impact on treatment when a clinician is asked to contribute to a disability determination in the midst of an ongoing psychotherapy. In addition, the clinical literature is primarily written by and for psychiatrists. Yet a disability determination during psychotherapy is at the heart of clinical social work practice when it attends to the patient’s environment by offering help with material needs, while simultaneously providing relationally based treatment.