The organizational embeddedness of social capital: a comparative case study of two voluntary organisations

Social capital is a popular, but contested concept. It draws attention to the way in which social relations and constructed forms of social organization can produce outcomes on individual and collective levels. However, it is often founded on individualistic, rational-choice models of human behavior that neglect its embeddedness. I explore the embeddedness of social capital through a comparative case study of two voluntary sport organizations in the UK. Through close analysis of in-depth interviews and longitudinal observation, I look at the processes of social capital development and at how socio-organizational context and identity shape these processes

Sexuality and sex education of adolescents with intellectual disability: mothers' attitudes, experiences, and support needs

Few studies have considered families' views about adolescents' sexual development. The authors compared attitudes and behaviors of mothers of young people with (n  =  30) and without intellectual disability (n  =  30). Both groups placed similar importance on dealing with their children's developing sexuality and were similarly confident in doing so. Mothers of young people with intellectual disability held more cautious attitudes about contraception, readiness to learn about sex, and decisions about intimate relationships. Mothers expressed concerns about their children with intellectual disability and sexual vulnerability. They had also spoken about fewer sexual topics with their children and began these discussions when their children were older. The findings can inform more sensitive supports and materials to help families deal with the sexual development of their o

Typicality and subtle difference in sibling relationships : experiences of adolescents with autism

Although researchers have explored siblings’ perspectives on their relationships with a brother or sister with autism, there is a lack of research on the perspective of the child with an ASD. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 adolescents with an ASD. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Two major themes emerged from the analytic process: 1. Adolescents’ reports of seemingly typical sibling interactions, and 2. A typical sibling interactions influenced by having an ASD. Despite the social context reinforcing views that autism impacts the sibling relationship in an atypical way, the overwhelming sense from participants was of typical sibling relationships. The assumption of atypical relationships in families of children with autism may need to be re-evaluated