Editorial multimodality and society

This issue, the first of volume 4, marks the start of Multimodality & Society’s fourth year and provides a good moment to look across the past 3 years to review and reflect on the journal’s contribution to multimodality. Multimodality & Society aims to consolidate and advance multimodal theory, methodologies, and empirical understanding of interaction and communication. This editorial considers the collective contribution of the 12 issues published to date and points to how the journal can continue to push the boundaries of multimodality forward. We highlight the significance of the journal’s expansion of multimodal formats, and several directions embedded in the journal scope which we have advanced

A systematic review and qualitative research synthesis of the lived experiences and coping of transgender and gender diverse youth 18 years or younger

Background: Research on the daily experiences of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth 18 years or younger is limited, making it essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of their internal and external experiences related to gender identity. Aim: This systematic review and qualitative research synthesis fills this research gap by examining the lived experiences and coping of TGD youth, including prepubertal children. Methods: The review was pre-registered according to PROSPERO on the Open Science Framework and followed the ENTREQ reporting guidelines. A Qualitative research synthesis, according to Howell Major and Savin-Baden, was conducted. Results: Seventeen peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2023 fulfilled inclusion criteria and quality assessment. Synthesized themes were: (1) “Navigating gender identity”, with two sub-themes, Meaning-making and Considering visibility (2) “Navigating relations”, with four sub-themes: Longing for belonging, Supportive actions, Lack of safety and Coping inside out (3) “Navigating society with two sub-themes Inclusion and exclusion and Beyond control. Our findings demonstrate that TGD youth view gender identity as fluid and benefit from a supportive environment that facilitates genuine exploration. Coping strategies develop intricately, influenced by multifaceted factors. Discussion: Unlike previous research on the negative effects of minority stress, our review underscores the cumulative impact of subtle daily stressors on TGD youth’s well-being, highlighting the significance of an environment where gender is not a constant concern. By shedding light on these dynamics, this synthesis contributes to a comprehensive understanding of TGD youth’s perspectives for professionals and a broader audience

Risk of skin tears associated with nursing interventions : A systematic review

Background: Skin tears are a significant problem for patients and healthcare professionals. They can cause pain, impact quality of life, and become chronic and infected. The risk of skin tears is associated with dependence in daily life activities and with nursing interventions. Objectives: To examine which nursing interventions increase the risk of skin tears. Design: Systematic review. Data sources: The MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in March 2022. Publication years: Publications included were from 2012 to 2022. Results: Seventeen articles were included in the final analysis reporting nursing interventions associated with the risk of skin tears. Hygiene with cold water and soap, not applying leave-on products to moisten/protect dehydrated skin, and wearing short sleeves were found to be associated with skin tears. Transferring patients into and out of bed in a rough manner and wearing jewelry or long nails can increase the risk of skin tears. Removal of adhesive dressings or bandages can also cause skin tears. Conclusion: Nursing staff need to know which interventions put their patients at risk of skin tears and which interventions are recommended to prevent skin tears. Nursing care can affect the health of the patient's skin

FÖRSTÅR, KAN OCH VILL LÄNDERIMPLEMENTERA PARISAVTALET? : Fyra länders kontexter och förutsättningar för att implementera Parisavtalet

The purpose of the study is, based on implementation theory and Lennart Lundquist’s three concepts- understanding, capability, and willingness, to identify whether these factors can affect the implementation of the Paris Agreement in four countries. Through a qualitative text analysis of the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) of four countries, using understanding, capability, and willingness as categories, various aspects have been identified and are presented in the results. The study focuses on four countries with similar climate and economies to establish criteria as closely as possible. The study takes a hermeneutic approach as the authors interpret the material. The results indicate that the countries understand the Paris agreement and why implementation is necessary, considering the environmental issues present today. The countries also present measures for implementations, such as economic or technical aspects on how to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, as well as their priorities in relation to their circumstances. The countries also demonstrate a willingness to carry out implementation, and their ambitions are considered high based on their explanations. The conclusions highlight that implementation theory, and the three concepts of understanding, capability, and willingness can be used to understand the context in which countries implement the Paris Agreement

Can Media Enhance Deliberative Democracy? Exploring Media Monitoring Capabilities in 14 EU‐Countries

The editorial introduces the topic of this thematic issue, which is the important role of society’s media monitoring capabilities, i.e., to produce information about what media “do” to society, and more precisely for democratic development both the here and the now and in the longer term. The theoretical and methodological aspects of the thematic issue are presented according to the approach of an EU‐funded project Mediadelcom, which aims to explain interconnections between the news media transformations and the risks and opportunities for deliberative communication. One of the stages of the project investigates media monitoring capabilities in different countries. The eight articles introduced in the editorial contribute to deepening the perspectives on the capabilities of media monitoring in the 21st century, and to understanding their function in detecting potential risks and opportunities for democratic public deliberation

Den allmänna värnplikten som verktyg för ökad social integration : Upplevelser hos värnpliktiga med utländsk bakgrund

In the discussion of different integration solutions in Sweden, conscription usually appears. In Sweden, the conscription was disused from the year 2010 to the year 2017. When it was reintroduced in the year 2017 the conscription returned in a different context. Despite the argumentation for the conscription as a tool to increase social integration there have been no studies in Sweden examining this nor how people with foreign background experience the conscription in Sweden. Therefore this study aims to examine how people with foreign backgrounds experience conscription in Sweden and if and how they experience it as social integrative. The aim is also to examine if conscription can be used as a tool to increase social integration. Four interviews with Swedes who have foreign backgrounds and have completed the conscription constitute the empirical material. Socialization and social integration are the theoretical frameworks in this study. The material was analyzed with the thematic analytical method. The findings of the study revealed that two of the respondents experienced suspicion connected to their background during the muster. The respondents also expressed that they had unclear expectations of what the conscription would be like since they had no people in their closest circle who had completed the Swedish conscription. This may have led to a slight disadvantage during the beginning of the conscription. But overall the respondents had no negative experience during the conscription connected to their background and only positive experiences were highlighted. Furthermore, the findings of the study indicate that conscription in Sweden can be a tool to increase social integration. This was shown by the way the conscripts were treated equally and how they were formed to value the collective the highest. This also showed through the socialization process that the respondents underwent during conscription which had clear effects after the conscription as well

Painful Sex in Context : Understanding Vulvodynia from a Relational Perspective

Vulvodynia is a multifactorial persistent pain condition, characterized by pain in the vulva upon touch or pressure. It negatively impacts sexual function, satisfaction, and relational wellbeing. Relational factors have been indicated as integral to the understanding and outcomes of vulvodynia. The overall aim of this dissertation was to further the understanding of women’s pain-related behaviors in relation to the dyadic and normative contexts of vulvodynia. Using a person-oriented approach, study I explored links between coping behaviors, i.e., avoidance and endurance on the one hand, and on the other, relational and pain catastrophizing, perceived partner responses, and motivational goals, in a sample of 128 women with vulvodynia. Study II explored the significance of normative context for the experience of vulvodynia by qualitatively investigating subjective experiences of five women living with dyspareunia in a queer relationship. Using behavioral observation and self-report, study III investigated patterns of sexual communication quality in heterosexual vulvodynia couples (n = 25) as compared to couples without pain (n = 37), and assessed potential associations with pain, self-disclosure, and sexual assertiveness. The findings from the three studies together highlight the significance of the normative context and relational factors such as the emotional quality of sexual communication and women’s relational cognitions, for women’s pain-related experiences and coping behaviors. A new theoretical model, the Interpersonal Pain Coping Model of Vulvodynia, is proposed as a way of integrating contextual factors such as partner behaviors and sexual scripts into the understanding of women’s behavioral response to vulvodynia

Tariff overhang and aid : Theory and empirics

In this paper, we consider aid payments as a possible explanation for tariff overhangs. We set up a theoretical model in which rich countries use development aid to pay for tariff concessions by poorer countries. The more aid they receive as compensation, the more poor countries reduce the applied tariff below the bound tariff rate. Anticipating this mechanism, countries can negotiate a bound tariff rate that induces the joint optimal applied tariff and aid as outcomes. We empirically examine the relationship between tariff overhangs and donor aid preferences using detailed data on WTO members’ bound and applied tariff rates under the Uruguay agreement. The data sample contains a predominant majority of WTO members that are aid recipients under the Uruguay agreement. Our results provide support for the model’s aid-for-trade mechanism