Current Issues and Future Trends in Sociology: Extending the Debate in Sociological Research Online

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Mothers and Others: Promoting Healthy Living Through Research

This article considers how women and girls - whether they mother biologically related children or not - are affected by the often contradictory ideologies of motherhood and consider the relationship between non/motherhood and un/healthy living. It considers some of the ways to further promote healthy living for mothers and others. Résumé Cet article étudie comment les femmes et les filles - qu'elles soient mères naturelles ou non d’enfants - sont affectées par des idéologies souvent contradictories de la maternalité et considère la relation entre les conditions de vie avec/sans la maternité et les conditions de vie saines et malsaines. Il considère certaines des manières qui peuveent promouvoir d'advantage un mode de vie sains pour les mères et pour les autres

An Understanding of Religious Doing: A Photovoice Study

The ability to participate in everyday activities that hold meaning and value is a determinant of health and wellbeing. Occupational therapists work with people when health and social barriers limit this valued participation. However a challenge persists in including religious practice or ‘doing’ within therapy, with many occupational therapists feeling ill-equipped and reluctant to address religious doing. The study reported here examines religious doing within the lives of participants from a number of faith traditions. A photovoice method is used, with participants discussing photographs that they have taken to describe their religious doing. Data are analyzed using a phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach. Findings are grouped into six themes and are explored using both verbatim quotes from transcripts and some of the photographs taken by participants. A reflective description of the core aspects of participants’ practical religious doing is constructed from the data, with the intention of providing occupational therapists with a basis from which to begin to consider practical religious doing within the lives of their clients. It is proposed that occupational therapists do not need an in-depth knowledge of theology and doctrine but rather an understanding of key and familiar occupational principles such as person-centred habits and routines, and community connectedness

A Scoping Review Protocol to Map Empirical Evidence that Illuminates the Dark Side of Occupations Among Adults

The objective of this review is to explore existing literature to identify, map, and synthesise past accounts of occupations that could be considered as constituting the dark side of occupation and which could, consequently, be identified and discussed as such. Presenting findings through use of a synthesis matrix, and formulating a descriptive account of the types of occupations (including their form, function, meaning, and contribution to identity and becoming) that constitute the dark side of occupation, is anticipated to assist with prioritising future collaborative research endeavours, as part of an intended programme of research. Specifically, the review questions are: What past accounts of occupations have been discussed or explored in the literature that would constitute falling under the conceptual ‘umbrella’ of the dark side of occupation? What specific occupations that challenge the pervasive belief in the link between health and occupation have been discussed for the adult population, across all cultures? Where do gaps of knowledge remain regarding the less explored occupations people subjectively experience, and which indicate the priority research areas that need to be explored from an occupational perspective

"Am iz kwiin" (I'm his queen): Combining interpretative phenomenological analysis with a feminist approach to work with gems in a resource-constrained setting

This article focuses on working with gems using a feminist approach to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in a resource-constrained setting. The research explores the experiences of maternal disclosure of HIV to children of HIV positive mothers in Kingston, Jamaica. A feminist approach helps recognise power imbalances within research relationships and the women’s lived experiences. We present three “gems” which illuminate women’s lived experiences and explore how popularised representations of women’s sexuality and mothering influence disclosure discourses. We use emotion work as a conceptual resource to structure the women’s narratives and challenge existing policy discourses, which arguably represent disclosure within a binary, rationalist, decision-making framework. This article adds to global literature on maternal HIV disclosure and problematises policy discourses by bringing into relief the emotion work women engage in when deciding if and how to communicate their HIV status to their children. It adds to the body of research using IPA, particularly in resource-constrained settings where IPA has thus far had little application

Thinking sociologically about health and health care

About the book: This exciting new volume offers a comprehensive collection of classic and contemporary readings in the sociology of health and healthcare, structured around five core areas: Sociological perspectives on health and healthcare Making methodological sense of health and healthcare Inequalities and diversity Bodies, minds and emotions Power, professions and practice The Sociology of Healthcare encourages reflective practice and critical thinking. Each of the 28 extracts includes commentary by the editors, activities and questions to stimulate debate and aid learning, and a selection of annotated further readings

Whose choice is it anyway?: Decision making, control and conception

Contemporary Western societies are characterised by the expectation that women wish to and are able to control their experiences of fertility. Changes in medical technology and advances in reproductive medicine have played an important role in strengthening this expectation together with other changes, such as the availability of free contraception. However, this paper draws on data from two qualitative sociological research projects which demonstrate that women's expectations of reproductive choice and control are not always realised. Women's experiences of fertility are mediated by a dominant discourse which assumes that women both want and will achieve biological motherhood. The data suggest that women actively 'try' to achieve conception with the expectation that this is both controllable and easy. In some instances this seems to be the case, but many women soon realise that achieving conception is sometimes problematic or, indeed, not possible. This paper concludes by arguing that whilst women may wish to control their experiences of fertility, their expectations of choice and control are frequently an illusion