Stopped in our tracks: From ‘giving an account’ to an ethics of recognition in feminist praxis

When the Western Australian government announced in 2010 that Indigenous people would be compensated for unpaid wages, a Yindjibarndi woman named Bigali Hanlon submitted an application to access her government files so that she could lodge a claim. At the age of four, Bigali was taken from her home in Mulga Downs, Western Australia to live in a church‐run hostel for ‘fair‐skinned’ Indigenous children until she was sent into indentured domestic service as a teenager. Three large files document her history. These files, combined with in‐depth interviews, and a film about Bigali and other Indigenous Australian people, Walking Tracks Back Home, form the basis of this article. In reflecting on the issues raised by Bigali's story, we draw on feminist writing on the costs associated with being called to give an account of oneself, considering how listening might form the basis of an ethics of recognition in feminist praxis.     

I can hear the birds: using audio recordings to assess perceptions of amenity in urban riparian environments

Urban Ecosystems - The restorative qualities of nature (amenity values) have been explored for their benefits to human wellbeing. Yet methodology to assess restorative qualities is generally...     

Insecure Attachment Predicts History of Divorce,Marriage, and Current Relationship Status

The goal of this research was to test the predictive ability of attachment styles and dysfunctional relational communication patterns to predict adults’ relationship status (i.e., single/partnered and ever-married/ever-divorced). Anxious and avoidant attachment styles and dysfunctional relational communication patterns (i.e., criticism, defensiveness, contempt, stonewalling) were predictors of relationship status in 413 adults who participated in an online survey. The results indicated that anxious and avoidant attachment styles significantly predicted both history of divorce and single versus partnered relationship status. The dysfunctional communication patterns did not explain a great deal of variance in relationship history and status above and beyond insecure attachment, although dysfunctional communication was significantly and consistently associated with insecure attachment. These results indicate that some of the individual characteristics that generate a risk for divorce might also pose a barrier to repartnering after a divorce.     

‘Nobody wants the parents involved’: Social norms in parent and adolescent responses to cyberbullying

Parent involvement is considered essential to preventing cyberbullying, yet little is known about how parents respond to cyberbullying when it occurs. With this in mind, this study uses data from focus groups with parents (n?=?48) to examine their responses to hypothetical cyberbullying scenarios in which their child is presented as a victim, aggressor, or bystander. We investigate how parents’ responses conform to, deviate from, or complicate normative recommendations and advice from researchers and advocacy organizations. In addition, we conducted interviews with adolescents (n?=?17) to see how their responses to cyberbullying converge with or contradict parents’ reactions. Results suggest that while parents are concerned about online aggression and are familiar with parenting norms and expectations around cyberbullying, social context and relationships complicate their responses. Children, however, view cyberbullying as normal and believe that parents should not intervene. Our findings suggest a need for improved communication with parents around boundary conditions and preferred responses to cyberbullying as well as a need for continued conversation around rapidly evolving norms for parenting and digital technology.     

The Receipt of Government Food Assistance: Differences Between Metro and Non-Metro Households

This research investigated differences in households’ receipt of government food assistance through such programs as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; free and reduced school meals; and related local and/or federal programs. With panel data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation that span the Great Recession, differences in the receipt of government food assistance in metro and non-metro areas were identified. Longitudinal random effects models suggest that despite relatively similar levels of food insecurity in 2005 and 2010, a higher proportion of non-metro households received government food assistance. Results also suggest that this assistance gap widened post-recession when government resources were expanded. These results inform a continuing debate about the efficient allocation of resources intended to reduce food hardship disparities, and increase family economic well-being, in metro and non-metro areas.     

Interventions that Foster Healing Among Sexually Exploited Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Sexual exploitation of children and adolescents is a pressing, yet largely under-recognized form of child abuse. The goals of this review were to identify interventions that have been implemented with sexually exploited children and adolescents and to better understand their effectiveness for fostering healing with this population. Our systematic search generated 4,358 publications of which 21 met our inclusion criteria. Based on their objectives and delivery, we organized the interventions into five categories: (a) focused health and/or social services, (b) intensive case management models, (c) psychoeducational therapy groups, (d) residential programs, and (e) other. Most programs were gender-specific, targeting girls and young women with just one being for boys and young men only. Studies reported on a range of outcomes including psychosocial outcomes, risky behaviors, trauma responses, mental health, protective factors, and public health outcomes. Despite differences in delivery, most of the interventions did, to some degree, appear to foster healing among sexually exploited children and adolescents. Findings from this review have implications for researchers, policy and program developers, and frontline practitioners who, through partnerships with one another, can advocate for the creation of evidence-informed, purpose-built, and thoughtfully delivered interventions.     

Young bisexual people’s experiences of microaggression: Implications for social work

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on negative identity experiences reported by young bisexual people in a 28-day daily study, and the implications of these experiences for social work practice. Participants ranged in age from 18–30 years, had Internet access, could read and write in English, and identified as bisexual or felt the label applied to them. Participants who completed at least one diary entry (n = 91) included 49 women, 30 men, and seven genderqueer people. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, data were organized according to the social ecological model. Erasure, stereotyping, and oppressive discourse microaggressions occurred at both the institutional and interpersonal levels. The majority of reported microaggressions occurred at the interpersonal level, with erasure and stereotyping being most common. Participants also reported three types of intrapersonal microaggressions: internalized oppressions, internalized stereotypes, and ambivalence about coming out. Findings can inform social workers’ efforts to increase their capacity to support bisexual people.     

Generations learning together: pilot study for a multigenerational program

Generations need to spend time in meaningful activities to facilitate more healthy interactions. An interdisciplinary team worked together to implement an enriching, intergenerational project with 4 year olds, college students, and older adults. College students played an active role in planning/facilitating activities. The overall objective of the research was assessing perceptional change between the generations using pre/posttests with college students, pre-post interviews with older adults, and pre-post teacher led discussions with children. Findings suggest that older adults and college students had improved perceptions. Children’s perceptions remained negative with some positive perceptions.     

Towards Critical Intersections of Ageing,Housing and Well-Being

ABSTRACT

Across the life course, far-reaching socio-demographic and health related transformations are influencing the meaning of home in the UK. The collection presented in this Special Issue of Home Futures critically interjects into the ‘where and when’ of dwelling during the process of ageing with key concepts explored within this introductory article. It argues that, change is seen through the disruption of conventional ideas of ageing ‘at home’, traditional understandings of ‘the older person’ and its corollary social imaginaries, alongside the relationship between care practices and homes. Many of these shifts are being addressed through a range of emerging housing (and collaborative) alternatives. The article concludes by considering how discussions in this special issue disclose the home, from a range of social and material angles, as a diverse process and experience of meaning making over time, deeply entangled with health and well-being, disrupting traditional understandings of ‘place making’ in later life.     

Racial Segregation and School Poverty in the United States, 1999–2016

Race and Social Problems - Research over the past decade suggests that racial segregation appears to have the largest implications for students’ achievement when linked to racial differences...