‘Berrypicking’ in the formation of ideas about problem drinking amongst users of alcohol online support groups

Beliefs held by individuals about the illnesses or problems that affect them have been shown to impact upon the health and other outcomes that they achieve. Online support groups (OSGs) are one source of information used by those with health problems which may influence or determine what they think about their particular issue and how to resolve it. Problem drinking remains a major source of significant costs to society. This article explores whether the discussion forums of alcohol OSGs that do not follow the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous influence the formation of these beliefs, reporting on the outcome of thematic analysis of interviews with 25 users from five groups. It argues that Bates’ ‘Berrypicking’ model of information searching is helpful in illuminating group members’ information seeking activities. It looks at the four key aspects of berrypicking identified by Bates – the nature of the search query, the information ‘domains’ drawn on, the information retrieved and the search techniques used. The study finds that users are typically berrypickers, selecting information from different sources and forming their own interpretations

Online sobriety communities for women's problematic alcohol use: A mini review of existing qualitative and quantitative research

The increase in women's drinking is one of the most prominent trends in alcohol consumption in the UK in recent history, possibly exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdown measures. Higher rates of drinking are associated with substantial economic, health, and social costs. However, women are less likely to seek treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) than men and have less successful treatment outcomes from traditional treatment paths, such as 12-step programs and in-patient care. Female heavy drinkers may also experience particular forms of gendered stigma that affect their experiences of addiction and recovery and their desire or ability to access these more "traditional" services. This review provides an overview of existing qualitative and quantitative research regarding online sobriety communities that are predominantly utilised by women, such as non-12-step alcohol online support groups (AOSGs) and temporary abstinence initiatives (TAIs). This is a small-but expanding-body of literature emerging as "sober curiosity" and "mindful drinking" are trending in Western contexts such as the UK, particularly amongst young women who do not identify with traditional, binary recovery language such as "alcoholic" and "addict." This review highlights the gaps in research and concludes that further research regarding these new treatment pathways, and women's experiences when utilising them, must be conducted to provide more evidence-based options for women who want to address problematic drinking. Public health bodies could also learn more effective strategies from these innovative solutions to reduce alcohol consumption generally. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 Davey.

Alternative, online treatment paths for women’s problematic alcohol use: a review of existing qualitative and quantitative research

The increase in women's drinking is one of the most prominent trends in alcohol consumption in the UK in recent history, possibly exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdown measures. Higher rates of drinking are associated with substantial economic, health, and social costs. However, women are less likely to seek treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) than men and have less successful treatment outcomes from traditional treatment paths, such as 12-step programs and in-patient care. Female heavy drinkers may also experience particular forms of gendered stigma that affect their experiences of addiction and recovery and their desire or ability to access these more “traditional” services. This review provides an overview of existing qualitative and quantitative research regarding online sobriety communities that are predominantly utilised by women, such as non-12-step alcohol online support groups (AOSGs) and temporary abstinence initiatives (TAIs). This is a small—but expanding—body of literature emerging as “sober curiosity” and “mindful drinking” are trending in Western contexts such as the UK, particularly amongst young women who do not identify with traditional, binary recovery language such as “alcoholic” and “addict.” This review highlights the gaps in research and concludes that further research regarding these new treatment pathways, and women's experiences when utilising them, must be conducted to provide more evidence-based options for women who want to address problematic drinking. Public health bodies could also learn more effective strategies from these innovative solutions to reduce alcohol consumption generally

An exploration of mental health issues in independent education: Undergraduates’ memories of their secondary schools

Aims: This research investigated the lived mental health experiences of six university undergraduates as they looked back on their time at their independent secondary schools. The results will inform culturally specific counselling practices and school pastoral care programmes which support the psychological health and wellbeing of students, and it will contribute to further research into the mental health of young people within privileged secondary school environments. Methods: This epistemologically pluralistic study juxtaposed two different methods of investigation: 1. Semi-structured interviews were used within an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis methodology to explore the observations, attitudes, and feelings of the participants, then all transcripts were analysed phenomenologically to produce a richly detailed interpretation of the participants’ mental health experiences. An analysis of the data generated a number of themes and superordinate themes. 2. A survey of recent research in the field of sociology placed the participants' experiences within a wider social context. Results: Three superordinate themes were revealed: ‘Needing the help of others’, 'Feeling pressured', and 'Ambivalence'. The participants’ said their mental health depended on the safety of their close bonds with friends, parents, and teachers, yet their statements also suggested that the competitive natures of their school communities, together with overly demanding academic standards, sometimes caused damaging stress levels which overwhelmed students’ ability to cope. Extreme time pressure compromised their ability to sleep, spend time with friends, or enjoy learning. They were ambivalent about having privileged advantages, and they felt guilty when they did not achieve 'success' by providing their parents with the 'value for money' of top grades. Even though the participants supported the need for more mental health education and counselling services within schools, they implied that asking for help was culturally discouraged, so they did not utilise school counselling

Consumer Health Information Needs, Seeking and Searching Behavior By Rural Residents in the Kachia Grazing Reserve, with a Focus on Vector-borne Diseases

Information is considered the basic material for making decisions. People from all walks of life have information needs for business and personal use. Consumer Health Information (CHI) is an emerging form of information made accessible to the layperson. It is a simplified form of information from the types of information available to medical professionals. This study examines the health information behavior of the residents of one region in the Kachia Grazing Reserve (KGR) located in the North West of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. This dissertation explores the health information needs, seeking and searching behavior of the residents of selected communities that are affected by two vector-borne fly diseases in Nigeria. Insects such as flies are responsible for the transmission of diseases to humans, including trypanosomiasis, caused by the tsetse fly, and malaria, caused by mosquitos. These flies are commonly found in and affect mostly rural dwellers in Nigeria. This study investigates some of the broader contextual issues that may influence consumer health care needs as well as seeking-searching behavior. It asks participants whether they believe their health information needs are being met or not. The study applied a qualitative approach to sampling 50 adult participants. It relied on a triangulation data collection method using a questionnaire, interview instrument, and focus group discussion. NVivo version 12 was used in the data analysis to create a coding scheme following the stages of open, axial, and selective coding processes to develop a grounded theory of rural residents’ information behaviors. The findings of the research revealed various health information needs and seeking behavior the rural residents engaged in; it also revealed the factors that influenced their seeking and searching activities. Furthermore, the findings highlighted the information sources they used and the problems associated with the information-seeking and searching process. The model that was inductively derived from the grounded theory data analysis explains further in detail the strategies and processes members of the community use in their health information-seeking and health-searching behavior

The development of a reference database of health information resources to facilitate informed lifestyle choice

This study investigates, within the current health care situation, the interrelationship of the user, resources and tool in the design of a prototype WELLNESS database-driven web site. A shift has taken place in health care, in which the base of conventional medicine has broadened to integrate other systems, practices and worldviews. These include complementary and alternative medicine, health promotion, disease prevention and wellness. Emphasis is placed on the need to take personal responsibility for one's own health and wellness. The global burden of chronic disease, reaching epidemic proportions, is increasingly linked to risk factors resulting from personal lifestyle choices. The growing evidence of the user's need to make personal, informed, lifestyle choices and their reliance on the Web for health information, required investigation. WELLNESS, a specific orientation to health and wellness, formed the framework within which the user and resources were defined and the tool designed. The user was profiled as the WELLNESS health information seeker, hereby contributing significantly to an understanding of the user in this new context. The user profile informed the establishment of resource selection criteria and tool design. The identification of WELLNESS content selection criteria, within a five-dimensional model, was required to ensure quality, relevant and credible resources. The tool is comprised of the WELLNESS thesaurus and WELLNESS database-driven web site. The WELLNESS thesaurus was constructed based on a combination of relevant thesauri. It will be used as an indexing tool. An investigation of existing health information web sites highlighted the importance of designing a specific WELLNESS database-driven web site. A database host was identified against which the original study's conceptual schema was assessed. A low-fidelity prototype web site was designed as the interface between the WELLNESS health information seeker and the database of WELLNESS health information resources. This study has epidemiological, philosophical, epistemological, sociological and psychological relevance. The provision of access to WELLNESS health information resources, made available in the WELLNESS database-driven web site, for personal, informed lifestyle choice by the WELLNESS health information seeker could potentially contribute to the reduction of the global burden of chronic disease.Information ScienceD.Litt. et Phil. (Information Science

Living with a long-term condition: a grounded theory.

This study explores and explains how people make sense of their long-term, potentially life-threatening, health condition. Thrombophilia offers an example of a little-researched condition which may not affect people significantly on a day-to-day basis, but can lead to acute illness. The second condition under consideration, asthma, was selected due to its similarity in this regard. The literature indicates that information about long-term conditions is acquired from various sources and influenced by experience. Such conditions are frequently perceived as being problematic. However, some are accepted, and affected individuals can achieve wellbeing. The literature does not offer insights into how knowledge may support this process of achieving wellbeing. A constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted, and interviews used to collect data from ten individuals affected by thrombophilia. Constant comparison of the data was carried out. Theoretical sampling suggested the inclusion of six people with a second long-term condition, and the process continued until saturation was reached. Findings indicated a two stage process. Gaining knowledge comprises of phases occurring pre-diagnosis and during diagnosis, and this assists participants in making sense of their condition. Living with a long-term condition consists of the phases making informed decisions, accepting the condition, and living with it. Previous research has not elucidated this entire process or the importance of the pre-diagnosis phase. Based on these findings, a theory is offered. This proposes that individuals diagnosed with a long-term condition create constructs about it based on information and experiences, which are used as the foundation for decisionmaking. Some people are able to accept their condition and its nuances. Those who understand their condition, make informed decisions and accept it are able to live with it. Those who are unable to do so will live alongside their condition and do not integrate it into their lives

Cultural Dynamics in a Globalized World

The book contains essays on current issues in arts and humanities in which peoples and cultures compete as well as collaborate in globalizing the world while maintaining their uniqueness as viewed from cross- and inter-disciplinary perspectives. The book covers areas such as literature, cultural studies, archaeology, philosophy, history, language studies, information and literacy studies, and area studies. Asia and the Pacific are the particular regions that the conference focuses on as they have become new centers of knowledge production in arts and humanities and, in the future, seem to be able to grow significantly as a major contributor of culture, science and arts to the globalized world. The book will help shed light on what arts and humanities scholars in Asia and the Pacific have done in terms of research and knowledge development, as well as the new frontiers of research that have been explored and opening up, which can connect the two regions with the rest of the globe