Spartan Daily, December 4, 2000

Volume 115, Issue 63https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/9630/thumbnail.jp

P.S. I love you : understanding the impact of posthumous digital messages

A number of digital platforms and services have recently emerged that allow users to create posthumous forms of communication, effectively arranging for the delivery of messages from ‘beyond the grave’. Despite some evidence of interest and popularity of these services, little is known about how posthumous messages may impact the people who receive them. We present a qualitative study that explores the type of experiences potentially triggered upon receiving such messages. Our findings firstly suggest that posthumous messaging services have the potential to alter the relationship between the bereaved and the deceased, and secondly provide insight into how users make sense of this altered relationship. Through the inference of a set of design considerations for posthumous communication services, we reveal a number of conflicts that are not easily solvable through technological means alone, and which may serve as starting points for further research. Our work extends the growing body of research that is concerned with digital interactions related to death and dying

Independent- Nov. 13, 2001

https://neiudc.neiu.edu/independent/1262/thumbnail.jp

The Spinnaker [Vol. 33 No. 95]

Student newspaper for the UNF communit

The Experience of the COVID Pandemic for People with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in the U.K.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, referred to as COVID-19 in this paper) is a novel coronavirus first discovered in Wuhan, China (Tan & Aboulhosn, 2020). Since it’s discovery it has spread across the world and as of 8th May there have been 156,496,592 confirmed cases of COVID around the world with 3,264,142 confirmed deaths (WHO, 2021). Current literature suggests the pandemic and subsequent government responses have had a significant impact on the global population with rises in mental health difficulties, poorer physical health, relationship difficulties and changes to people’s work lives. Despite an awareness of people with chronic illnesses being at greater risk of severe illness and death from covid-19, there is minimal research on how the pandemic has impacted this group, and even less on how it has affected people with specific types of chronic illness such as epilepsy or congenital heart disease (CHD). Due to these identified gaps in the literature, this study focussed on the experiences of people with CHD during the pandemic in the U.K. Informed by critical realist epistemology and using qualitative methodology nine participants took part in semi-structured interviews to gather information on how their lives had been impacted by the current pandemic. Ages ranged from 32 to 54 years and the sample consisted of seven women and two men. Using inductive thematic analysis three themes were constructed from the data; ‘vulnerability’, ‘wellbeing’ and ‘staying connected’. Similarly, to existing research, participants identified difficulties in their mental wellbeing, changes in their physical health and difficulties in relationships and work. Difficulties experienced by being labelled as vulnerable, being in the shielding group or not, narratives from others as ‘burdensome’ and significant lifestyle changes were raised and add to the existing literature. Recommendations for further research and improvements to government policy and guidelines are made

Narrating Identities: Adult Children of Alcoholics and Their Social Support Systems

This study examines communication between adult children of alcoholics and the social support systems that result from their relationships with their alcoholic parents. These relationships may form either with the alcoholic parent or with others around them. Surveys and a focus group were used to draw information from participants concerning social support systems, communication patterns, coping methods, and critical incidents that occurred during childhood. Adult children of alcoholics were also found to suffer from interpersonal problems, dependency problems, poorer communication skills, approval seeking tendencies, and intimacy problems. The findings of this report suggest that good social support minimizes the negative effects of alcoholism on children

An exploration of the awareness of hygienic swimming behaviours and an evaluation of a public health intervention, to reduce the transmission of cryptosporidium

Background: Educating swimming pool users about hygienic swimming behaviours, such as not swimming whilst suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, is key to reducing the transmission of cryptosporidium, which is an infectious disease. There is limited literature focusing on hygienic swimming behaviours. Aim: To explore awareness of hygienic swimming behaviours and to develop and evaluate a public health intervention to reduce the transmission of cryptosporidium. Methods: A study was conducted using a exploratory sequential design, involving semi-structured interviews with 28 stakeholders (e.g. swimmers, pool operators). These findings informed the development of a questionnaire completed by 407 swimmers/parents of swimmers. These studies explored awareness and ways to raise awareness of hygienic swimming behaviours. The findings informed the development of a poster to raise awareness of such behaviours, and a small-scale evaluation was conducted with 153 respondents. Findings and discussion: Many factors were identified which influenced hygienic swimming behaviours, including current awareness, cultural factors and the design of swimming facilities. Respondents identified a variety of methods for raising awareness, of hygienic swimming behaviours with a poster in the changing rooms being the most preferred method. Positive feedback was provided about the poster, which was perceived as being easy to read and informative. Of note, respondents also reported that the poster had encouraged them to consider their own hygienic swimming behaviours. Implications and recommendations: A resource has been created as part of this study, and it is hoped that it will be used by swimming facilities across Wales, and potentially further, to encourage people to swim, and to do so hygienically. The poster developed has raised awareness of hygienic swimming behaviours and received positive feedback in terms of evaluation from swimmers/parents of swimmers and endorsement from Public Health Wales. Permission to include the Public Health Wales logo on the poster demonstrates the value and importance of the message, especially as currently there is no legal requirements for swimming pools to display such information