Familial Patterning and Prevalence of Male Androphilia in Samoa

Previous research established that male androphilia (i.e., sexual arousal and attraction to adult males) clusters in families. Some studies find that male androphilia clusters in both the paternal and maternal lines, while others find that it clusters only in the latter. Most of the research investigating the familial nature of male androphilia has taken place in Western cultural contexts that are problematic for such research because they are characterized by low fertility. To address this, our previous work has examined familial patterning of male androphilia in Samoa, a high-fertility population in which androphilic males are readily identified due to their public status as fa’afafine (a third gender category). Building on this work, the present study replicated the familial nature of male androphilia in Samoa using a sample size that was ~122% larger than the one we previously employed (N = 382, M ±SD age: 29.72 years ±10.16). Samoan fa’afafine had significantly more fa’afafine relatives in their maternal and paternal lines compared to Samoan gynephilic males (p < .001). The prevalence of male androphilia was equivalent across both the paternal and maternal lines (all p > .15). The revised prevalence estimate of male androphilia in Samoa falls between 0.61% and 3.51%.     

“I Feel Like More of a Man”: A Mixed Methods Study of Masculinity,Sexual Performance,and Circumcision for HIV Prevention

Ethnographic studies from numerous societies have documented the central role of male circumcision in conferring masculinity and preparing boys for adult male sexuality. Despite this link between masculinity, sexuality, and circumcision, there has been little research on these dynamics among men who have been circumcised for HIV prevention. We employed a mixed methods approach with data collected from recently circumcised men in the Dominican Republic (DR) to explore this link. We analyzed survey data collected six to 12 months post-circumcision (N = 293) as well as in-depth interviews conducted with a subsample of those men (n = 30). We found that 42% of men felt more masculine post-circumcision. In multivariate analysis, feeling more masculine was associated with greater concern about being perceived as masculine (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.25–2.32), feeling more potent erections post-circumcision (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.26–4.03), and reporting increased ability to satisfy their partners post-circumcision (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.11–4.77). In qualitative interviews, these factors were all related to masculine norms of sexually satisfying one’s partner, and men’s experiences of circumcision were shaped by social norms of masculinity. This study highlights that circumcision is not simply a biomedical intervention and that circumcision programs need to incorporate considerations of masculine norms and male sexuality into their programming.     

From Despair to Integrity: Using Narrative Therapy for Older Individuals in Erikson’s Last Stage of Identity Development

Adults aged 65 and over are a growing population in the United States today. This population is underrepresented in the mental health literature despite the high rates of depression and suicide. Additionally, the newest generation of older individuals is more likely to seek therapy than past generations, furthering the need for mental health professionals to be prepared for treating older individuals. Erikson in Childhood and society, Norton, New York, (1950) describes this time period as being critical in terms of the final identity crisis, integrity versus despair. Integrity is marked by a positive evaluation of the individual’s entire life, less anxiety about death, and a feeling of gaining wisdom. Individuals who do not resolve this crisis can manifest despair in a number of ways, including depression, anger, and regret. This model proposes utilizing Narrative therapy (White in Maps of narrative practice, Norton, New York, 2007) to understand how elderly individuals evaluate their lives in reference to their environment. The model utilizes externalization, unique outcomes, and re-membering conversations to unlock subjugated stories and promote integrity.     

Dyadic Traumatic Reenactment: An Integration of Psychoanalytic Approaches to Working with Negative Interaction Cycles in Couple Therapy with Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors often face difficulties in their intimate relationships and struggle to engage in the process of couple therapy. Recent research has demonstrated that the negative interaction cycles of CSA survivors are more complex and entrenched than those of couples who do not present with a history of trauma (MacIntosh in J Couple Fam Psychoanal 3(2):188–207, 2013). This paper integrates the psychoanalytic concepts of repetition and enactment into the concept of the negative interaction cycle as articulated by Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), to provide an expanded understanding of these deeply entrenched dynamics in which the traumas of the past are embedded. The complex repetitions of early traumas in the negative interaction cycle of the couple are referred to as Dyadic Traumatic Reenactments (DTR). Two contrasting case studies are used to illustrate these concepts.     

Developing a culturally-specific mixed methods approach to global research

With much of the development of mixed methods occurring through the works of scholars from the US, the UK, Canada, and the Anglos-Saxon/English-speaking countries, the discourse about a global research community must consider how it needs to be sensitive to diverse cultures. Clearly, the discussion must focus on adapting mixed methods to best fit the problems of countries, the cultural norms of conducting research, and the scholarly talents of in-country investigators. Unfortunately, the mixed methods literature is largely silent on diverse cultural adaptations of mixed methods.In this article, we first trace the involvement of worldwide countries in the historic development of mixed methods. Then, to gain a better understanding of the use and adaptation of mixed methods in diverse world academic cultures, we provide a qualitative study of themes mentioned by participants from seven different countries. From both the historical overview and the qualitative study, we end by making suggestions about specific strategies for a global discourse about mixed methods research, and suggest a de-colonizing presence of the Anglo-Saxon/English-speaking countries in the global expansion of mixed methods.     

How to Construct a Mixed Methods Research Design

This article provides researchers with knowledge of how to design a high quality mixed methods research study. To design a mixed study, researchers must understand and carefully consider each of the dimensions of mixed methods design, and always keep an eye on the issue of validity. We explain the seven major design dimensions: purpose, theoretical drive, timing (simultaneity and dependency), point of integration, typological versus interactive design approaches, planned versus emergent design, and design complexity. There also are multiple secondary dimensions that need to be considered during the design process. We explain ten secondary dimensions of design to be considered for each research study. We also provide two case studies showing how the mixed designs were constructed.     

Sequentielles Mixed-Methods-Sampling: Wie quantitative Sekundärdaten qualitative Stichprobenpläne und theoretisches Sampling unterstützen können

Mixed methods sampling has played a minor role in methodological discussions so far. In particular, there is a lack of information about practical implementations and critical reflections of sampling decisions and sampling steps showing the benefits and challenges of different approaches. Therefore, this paper demonstrates by drawing on an empirical example, how quantitative secondary data analysis (German Socio-Economic Panel, Linked Employer-Employee Data, Employment History) can support the empirically informed formation of contrast groups for qualitative sampling plans as well as field access to these contrast groups. Furthermore, the article will show how an additional theoretical sampling can extend the empirically grounded composition of contrast groups and can build upon the quantitative secondary data. The discussion is based on a project with an explanatory sequential research design which combines quantitative secondary analysis with subsequent expert interviews with human resources managers in companies and narrative interviews with employees. The project focusses on the causes, practices, and consequences of employment relationships with an interrupted membership in the same employing organization (“recalls”).     

Quantifizierung

The challenge in data analysis often lies in taking account of the multi-dimensionality and complexity of the data and at the same time discovering patterns, which requires reduction and simplification. Quantitizing qualitative data can serve as an additional step during data analysis to broaden the perspective and collect complementary views. Examples from research illustrate how information gathered during one data collection can generate different types of data or how qualitative data can be transformed to be analysed statistically. Practicalities of integrating qualitative and quantitative analyses are illustrated to offer good-practice examples for transformation designs (QUAL → QUAN). With the methodological reflection of research practice I evaluate consequences for the field of mixed methods research, in which the statistical analysis of codes created during an interpretive phase plays a minor role.