A Complicated Legacy Defines School Librarians as Teachers

The article analyzes how the legacy of school librarianship inform the future of school librarians as teachers. Topics discussed include lower test scores and fewer opportunities to develop critical thinking and digital literacy skills among students, need for the federal government to recognize the importance of school libraries and how well-staffed school library with a qualified librarian can provide essential services and resources

Combat injuries, body image and romantic relationships: A stakeholder workshop to specify new research directions

The nature of military combat activities means personnel can receive injuries that result in a change to appearance, such as scarring and limb loss.Emerging evidence from ongoing research and public involvement work with combat-injured veterans has highlighted the potential impact of appearance-altering injuries on the romantic relationships of injured veterans. A program of work including a small interview study and a stakeholder workshop, was conducted to ignite investigation into the experiences of combat-veterans in terms of their romantic relationships, following an appearance-altering injury. This report presents the outcomes of the stakeholder workshop including the objectives, activities, and outcomes, highlighting gaps in knowledge and support, identifying challenges to researching this specific population of veterans, and their partners, defining research areas and questions that if attended to could address the gaps in knowledge and support, and determining short-medium term and long-term research priorities

Awakening by Kate Chopin: Her maturity and the morality of suicide

Themes of maturity, liberty, and the ability to morally commit suicide are explored through Edna Pontellier of Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening' and a variety of philosophies including early feminist theory and early utilitarianism. It is found through the language of the narration that Edna was not emotionally mature enough to claim liberty, and she was not mature enough to conclusively and morally come to the decision to end her life

Exploring U.S. Veterans’ post-service employment experiences

© 2018, © 2018 Society for Military Psychology, Division 19 of the American Psychological Association. Although most U.S. veterans transition to civilian life successfully, securing employment and reintegrating into civilian communities, some veterans face transition challenges that can lead to or exacerbate mental and physical health problems. Emerging research from a survey conducted by Prudential indicates that difficulty transitioning to civilian life is largely attributable to employment (Prudential, 2012). This study sought to understand veterans’ employment experiences. Four focus groups (n=33) with pre- and post-9/11 veterans who at the time were accessing housing and employment support services were conducted. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts led to the emergence of 2 master themes: (a) organizational and societal barriers, such as limited availability of transition programs, discharge type, negative experiences of support services, and perceived discrimination; and (b) personal barriers, such as lack of initiative to plan and difficulty adjusting to working with civilians. Since data was collected for this study, updates to TAP have been implemented; this may have alleviated some of the reported barriers. The role of veterans’ personal characteristics in employment requires attention in the context of agency, initiative, identity, and cultural adjustment. Policy, programmatic, practice, and future research recommendations are made

U.K. Army medical and unit welfare officers' perceptions of mental health stigma and its impact on army personnel's mental health help seeking

Mental health stigma and barriers to care (BTC) reportedly impede help seeking among U.K. military personnel. Military service providers' perceptions of this link were investigated. Secondary thematic analysis of interviews with 21 U.K. Army unit welfare and medical officers led to three master themes: military culture, barriers to care, and stigma alleviation success. It was perceived that military culture and associated stoicism create beliefs surrounding legitimacy of mental health problems, confidentiality, and career concerns that affect help seeking. Decreased stigma was perceived and attributed to current stigma reduction interventions. Recommendations for education based stigma reduction methods are made

(Loss of) the super soldier: Combat-injuries, body image and veterans’ romantic relationships

Purpose: Some military personnel sustain physical injuries that alter their appearance, such as limb-loss and scarring. Veterans injured this way may experience body image distress and mental and physical wellbeing difficulties. While research with civilians indicates those with appearance-altering conditions may experience relationship difficulties, this issue remained unexplored among combat-injured veterans. This study aimed to understand how veterans who sustained appearance-altering combat injuries experienced and understood their changed appearance within the context of their romantic relationships. Materials and method: Semi-structured interviews with four male UK combat-injured veterans were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Three superordinate themes were generated: (loss of) the super solider; new states of vulnerability; and injury tests relationships. Conclusions: Masculinity was central to participants’ military identity and represented by their military bodies. Following injury and the loss of their military body, some experienced relationship challenges including a test to the foundations and commitment of their relationships. In contrast, some veterans’ relationships grew stronger, especially among participants who described dyadic coping. Additional challenges were related to decreased self-confidence, appearance concerns, and sex and intimacy. Implications for the provision of relationship support for combat-injured veterans and their partners through the long-term trajectory of rehabilitation are discussed.Implications for Rehabilitation Changes to veterans’ body and physique following appearance-altering combat-injuries may affect identity, self-esteem, confidence, perceived attractiveness, sexual activity, and romantic relationships. Appearance-altering combat injuries may test the stability and strength of existing romantic relationships and introduce new challenges in initiating new romantic relationships. Peer support is helpful for combat-injured veterans adjusting to appearance-altering injuries and the impact on their romantic and intimate relationships. Combat-injured veterans may benefit from specific relationship support provided during their rehabilitation and recovery, to help alleviate relationship difficulties, minimise relationship breakdown, and support those whose relationships end post-injury

Medical and Welfare Officers beliefs about post-deployment screening for mental health disorders in the UK Armed Forces:a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine currently serving United Kingdom (UK) military Medical and Welfare Officers views on the potential introduction of post-deployment screening for mental ill health. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Medical and Welfare Officers. Interview transcripts were analysed using data-driven thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: positive views of screening; reliability of responses; impact on workload; and suggestions for implementation. Interviewees viewed the introduction of screening post-deployment as likely to increase awareness of mental health problems whilst also reporting that service personnel were likely to conceal their true mental health status by providing misleading responses to any screening tool. Concern over reliability of responses may provide one explanation for the reluctance of service personnel to seek help for problems, as they could feel they will not be taken seriously. Welfare Officers felt they would not have the knowledge or experience to respond to help-seeking. Although participants were concerned about potential impact on their personal workload, they indicated a desire to positively engage with the screening programme if research showed it was an effective tool to improve mental health care. CONCLUSIONS: Welfare and healthcare providers are well disposed towards a screening programme for mental health but highlight a few concerns in its implementation. In particular Welfare Officers appear to require more training in how to respond to mental ill health. Concerns about available funding and resources to respond to increased workload will need to be addressed should post-deployment screening for mental health be introduced in the UK military

Body image concerns and psychological wellbeing among injured combat veterans with scars and limb loss: A review of the literature

A narrative literature review aimed to determine the nature and prevalence of body image and psychosocial concerns and associated support needs among veterans with combat-related appearance-altering injuries. A systematic approach to a narrative review included searching published and grey literature between September 2018 and January 2019 and again in November 2019. Four hundred and twenty-seven papers were retrieved and judged against the eligibility criteria. Four papers were considered eligible and relevant and included in the review. Limited research investigating body image and psychosocial concerns among combat veterans with an altered appearance exists. The four papers indicate that combat injured veterans may experience body image distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Military culture may enable resilience. Additional research is required to determine the scope and nature of the psychosocial impact of appearance-altering injuries among combat injured veterans. Further research should identify support gaps and inform the development of evidence-based interventions where needed

Veterans’ civilian employment experiences: Lessons learnt from focus groups

Emerging evidence highlights employment as a key factor influencing the success of transition from military to civilian life. Historically, employment programs have focused on improving skills such as resume writing and interview skills. However, it is likely that employment challenges are more than these practical barriers. Four focus groups with employed and unemployed Gulf War Era II veterans were conducted aimed at moving past a practical perspective by gaining experiential understandings of veterans’ employment. Thematic analysis indicated that the veterans’ employment experiences were best understood temporally in two master themes: pretransition and the divergent experiences of veterans who did and did not plan ahead and living the transition and the veterans’ experiences of employment barriers and facilitators. Further to the two master themes, an underlying thread of the need for self-determination was evident. Interpretation of the results led to the development of recommendations for policy, service provision, and future research

Utility of repeat cytological assessment of thyroid nodules initially classified as benign: clinical insights from multidisciplinary care in an Irish tertiary referral centre.

BACKGROUND: Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the tool of choice for evaluating thyroid nodules with the majority classified as benign following initial assessment. However, concern remains about false negative results and some guidelines have recommended routine repeat aspirates. We aimed to assess the utility of routine repeat FNAB for nodules classified as benign on initial biopsy and to examine the impact of establishing a multidisciplinary team for the care of these patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 400 consecutive patients (413 nodules) who underwent FNAB of a thyroid nodule at our hospital between July 2008 and July 2011. Data recorded included demographic, clinical, histological and radiological variables. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty seven patients (89 %) were female. Median follow-up was 5.5 years. Two hundred and fifty eight (63 %) nodules were diagnosed as benign. The rate of routine repeat biopsy increased significantly over the time course of the study (p for trend = 0.012). Nine Thy 2 nodules were classified differently on the basis of routine repeat biopsy; one patient was classified as malignant on repeat biopsy and was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma. Eight were classified as a follicular lesions on repeat biopsy-six diagnosed as benign following lobectomy; two declined lobectomy and were followed radiologically with no nodule size increase. CONCLUSIONS: The false negative rate of an initial benign cytology result, from a thyroid nodule aspirate, is low. In the setting of an experienced multidisciplinary thyroid team, routine repeat aspiration is not justified