2,478 research outputs found
How do new/recent mothers experience unwanted harm thoughts related to their newborn? A thematic analysis
Objective: The aim of this qualitative research study was to explore how new/recent mothers experience infant-related harm thoughts (IRHTs).
Background: New/recent mothers’ experiences of intrusive, infant-related harm thoughts remain a taboo topic, yet several studies indicate such thoughts are common. Understanding the normal experience of such thoughts is needed to improve the postpartum experiences of mothers, and clinical practice. The aim was to elicit a fuller, critical understanding of the experience of harm thoughts in a mixed, non-clinical sample, exploring how they are understood, managed and shared by women.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight new/recent mothers who had experienced IRHTs related to their youngest child, born within the last two years. Data were analysed with Thematic Analysis.
Findings: The results yielded three core themes: Heightened emotions; Constructions of motherhood and maternal identity; Costs and benefits of sharing.
Conclusion: Findings corroborate previous literature showing that IRHTs commonly occur among non-clinical postpartum mothers, highlighting their intense emotional impact, and barriers to women reporting them due to stigma. Results also highlighted ways in which the pervasive ideology of motherhood informed mothers’ meaning-making of IRHTs. Some pathologised their IRHTs in order to maintain their ‘good’ mother identity. However, others reconfigured their maternal identity in response to IRHTs, through a constructive process of self-development. Recommendations include discussing the ideology of motherhood with pregnant women and partners and facilitating open, normalising discussion of IRHTs
Can a Lattice String Have a Vanishing Cosmological Constant?
We prove that a class of one-loop partition functions found by Dienes, giving
rise to a vanishing cosmological constant to one-loop, cannot be realized by a
consistent lattice string. The construction of non-supersymmetric string with a
vanishing cosmological constant therefore remains as elusive as ever. We also
discuss a new test that any one-loop partition function for a lattice string
must satisfy.Comment: 14 page
Symmetries of the Kac-Peterson Modular Matrices of Affine Algebras
The characters of nontwisted affine algebras at fixed level define
in a natural way a representation of the modular group . The
matrices in the image are called the Kac-Peterson modular
matrices, and describe the modular behaviour of the characters. In this paper
we consider all levels of , and for
each of these find all permutations of the highest weights which commute with
the corresponding Kac-Peterson matrices. This problem is equivalent to the
classification of automorphism invariants of conformal field theories, and its
solution, especially considering its simplicity, is a major step toward the
classification of all Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal field theories.Comment: 16 pp, plain te
Interesting times: a short introduction from the new editorial team of Gender and Education
Editoria
On parity functions in conformal field theories
We examine general aspects of parity functions arising in rational conformal
field theories, as a result of Galois theoretic properties of modular
transformations. We focus more specifically on parity functions associated with
affine Lie algebras, for which we give two efficient formulas. We investigate
the consequences of these for the modular invariance problem.Comment: 18 pages, no figure, LaTeX2
Staying in place during times of change in Arctic Alaska: The implications of attachment,alternatives, and buffering
The relationship between stability and change in social-ecological systems has received considerable attention in recent years, including the expectation that significant environmental changes will drive observable consequences for individuals, communities, and populations. Migration, as one example of response to adverse economic or environmental changes, has been observed in many places, including parts of the Far North. In Arctic Alaska, a relative lack of demographic or migratory response to rapid environmental and other changes has been observed. To understand why Arctic Alaska appears different, we draw on the literature on environmentally driven migration, focusing on three mechanisms that could account for the lack of response: attachment, the desire to remain in place, or the inability to relocate successfully; alternatives, ways to achieve similar outcomes through different means; and buffering, the reliance on subsidies or use of reserves to delay impacts. Each explanation has different implications for research and policy, indicating a need to further explore the relative contribution that each makes to a given situation in order to develop more effective responses locally and regionally. Given that the Arctic is on the front lines of climate change, these explanations are likely relevant to the ways changes play out in other parts of the world. Our review also underscores the importance of further attention to the details of social dynamics in climate change impacts and responses
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