Gender violence in schools: taking the ‘girls-as-victims’ discourse forward

This paper draws attention to the gendered nature of violence in schools. Recent recognition that schools can be violent places has tended to ignore the fact that many such acts originate in unequal and antagonistic gender relations, which are tolerated and ‘normalised’ by everyday school structures and processes. After examining some key concepts and definitions, we provide a brief overview of the scope and various manifestations of gender violence in schools, noting that most research to date has focused on girls as victims of gender violence within a heterosexual context and ignores other forms such as homophobic and girl violence. We then move on to look at a few interventions designed to address gender violence in schools in the developing world and end by highlighting the need for more research and improved understanding of the problem and how it can be addressed

Challenges to and opportunities for improving mental health services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Ireland: a narrative account

The views and opinions of people who use mental health services are being increasingly acknowledged in relation to rights-based, socially-inclusive, and recovery-oriented care. However, little is known of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in this respect. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences and needs of LGBT people in relation to mental health services. The study was an exploratory design utilizing mixed methods. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a survey instrument (n = 125) and in-depth semistructured interviews (n = 20) with a sample of people who had completed the survey. This paper will report on the findings from the interview data. The data were thematically analysed, and the main themes that emerged included accessing services, treatment choices, mental health service experiences, and other supports. The findings inform the discussion, and recommendations are made in terms of future mental health practice, education, and research

The Possibility of Wellness

In 2006 the Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) launched a narrative research project to collect the recovery stories of people in Scotland living with and recovering from mental health problems. Increasingly, studies have used narrative or qualitative methodologies as a route to uncovering factors that help individuals towards recovery from mental health problems, and as a means to explore in some depth the nature and meaning of individual recovery.(1) The use of narrative is compatible with the principles of recovery. Narrative often emphasises things happening over time, or a chronological sequence of events, and recovery is often visualised as a journey over time and experience. Ageing and growing is emphasised in narrative literature, as they are in recovery literature. Of more importance, the use of narrative places the narrator, not the researcher or clinician, at the centre of the journey. It has been shown in other narrative studies (2,3) that the process of narrating, reframing, retelling, restorying, reauthoring, questioning and reformulating one’s lifestory can provide a sense of meaning and possibility to individuals. It can also have a positive and empowering impact on a recovery journey, allowing narrators to demystify their experiences and re-focus on the positives. For the research reported here, a total of 64 individuals were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview schedule. Narrators were asked to: reflect on factors that had helped or empowered them on their recovery journey comment on factors that had been detrimental to their well-being and recovery journey discuss what factors had helped them sustain their well-being discuss any learning they had experienced from their journey describe what recovery felt like for them. The results from these interviews provided a view of people’s recovery journeys as they perceived them at the time of interviewing. The aim was to learn from the uniqueness of each individual’s experience and to identify common factors, share stories to inspire hope, and suggest tools and techniques for recovery. Findings would also establish a Scottish evidence base of factors that help or hinder an individual’s recovery from long-term mental health problems, helping to inform policy makers and mental health practitioners while guiding and informing the future work of the SRN.The interviews were conducted by ‘paired interviewers’(interviewer and interview assistant), lasted between 40 and 90 minutes, and were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Additional field notes (observations and reflections) were added by the interview assistants. Initial themes were checked with narrators, after which interviewers and principal researchers collaboratively constructed broad interview themes across the interview population. Using data management software, the complete transcripts were double coded by the two principal researchers, using the broad themes. Themes were further refined through inductive thematic analysis of the data to identify anomalous, recurrent and contrasting features in the transcripts.The data are still being written up in a series of reports focusing on key themes. This article draws on the report focusing on the narrators’ perceptions of the role of identity in recovery. All unattributed quotes are from SRN research participants

The Possibility of Wellness

In 2006 the Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) launched a narrative research project to collect the recovery stories of people in Scotland living with and recovering from mental health problems. Increasingly, studies have used narrative or qualitative methodologies as a route to uncovering factors that help individuals towards recovery from mental health problems, and as a means to explore in some depth the nature and meaning of individual recovery.(1) The use of narrative is compatible with the principles of recovery. Narrative often emphasises things happening over time, or a chronological sequence of events, and recovery is often visualised as a journey over time and experience. Ageing and growing is emphasised in narrative literature, as they are in recovery literature. Of more importance, the use of narrative places the narrator, not the researcher or clinician, at the centre of the journey. It has been shown in other narrative studies (2,3) that the process of narrating, reframing, retelling, restorying, reauthoring, questioning and reformulating one’s lifestory can provide a sense of meaning and possibility to individuals. It can also have a positive and empowering impact on a recovery journey, allowing narrators to demystify their experiences and re-focus on the positives. For the research reported here, a total of 64 individuals were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview schedule. Narrators were asked to: reflect on factors that had helped or empowered them on their recovery journey comment on factors that had been detrimental to their well-being and recovery journey discuss what factors had helped them sustain their well-being discuss any learning they had experienced from their journey describe what recovery felt like for them. The results from these interviews provided a view of people’s recovery journeys as they perceived them at the time of interviewing. The aim was to learn from the uniqueness of each individual’s experience and to identify common factors, share stories to inspire hope, and suggest tools and techniques for recovery. Findings would also establish a Scottish evidence base of factors that help or hinder an individual’s recovery from long-term mental health problems, helping to inform policy makers and mental health practitioners while guiding and informing the future work of the SRN.The interviews were conducted by ‘paired interviewers’(interviewer and interview assistant), lasted between 40 and 90 minutes, and were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Additional field notes (observations and reflections) were added by the interview assistants. Initial themes were checked with narrators, after which interviewers and principal researchers collaboratively constructed broad interview themes across the interview population. Using data management software, the complete transcripts were double coded by the two principal researchers, using the broad themes. Themes were further refined through inductive thematic analysis of the data to identify anomalous, recurrent and contrasting features in the transcripts.The data are still being written up in a series of reports focusing on key themes. This article draws on the report focusing on the narrators’ perceptions of the role of identity in recovery. All unattributed quotes are from SRN research participants

Public engagement, knowledge transfer, and impact validity

Public engagement and knowledge transfer are now necessary supplements to academic research and teaching activity for university-based psychologists in the United Kingdom. However, a “deficit model” of public understanding is often assumed by national policies. We argue that bidirectional approaches between researchers and concerned communities are necessary, and that bidirectional transfer recognizes different kinds of expertise and experience. We argue further that researchers working in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) psychology have routinely been engaged in bidirectional translational work, by drawing on historical and recent examples. Bidirectional models of knowledge transfer do not resolve all of the potential problems that arise during public engagement. For example, it is not clear how academics should respond when end users do not accept their findings. However, involving concerned communities is clearly necessary to achieving, and maximizing, impact validity and LGBT psychologists have long been at the forefront of so doing