Epistemic authority and the gender lens

Researching 'hidden' forms of social inequality such as gender often poses particular challenges. Not least of these is how to uncover such dimensions of social life whilst preserving the perspectives of research participants, who may not consider such matters relevant to their lives, particularly if other forms of identity or oppression are more prominent for them. Here, I reflect on these issues in the context of researching user involvement in mental health services from a feminist perspective. I show how `uncovering' gender and other forms of social inequality in the field was aided through adopting a wide analytical lens focusing on power, along with reflexivity and openness in discussing my own political analysis and commitments in relation to the study area with the researched. I also describe how I attempted to resolve the epistemological-ethical issues involved through conceptualising these in terms of `situatedness' and gender salience and adopting a feminist standpoint which emphasised what researchers can, and indeed should, bring to the research enterprise. Related issues of power and empowerment in the research process are discussed

Some useful sources on mental health and human rights

Contributors to this themed section have referred to a range of sources on mental health and human rights, particularly those offering social policy and sociological perspectives. The sources below offer an elaboration of some key citations and some additional references and web sites on this theme which may be of particular interest to a social policy readership

Introduction: Mental health and human rights: social policy and sociological perspectives

Recognition of the effects of social, economic, political and cultural conditions on mental health and the personal, social and economic costs of a growing global mental health crisis (WHO, 2001; EC, 2005) mean that mental health and well-being are a current feature of social policy agendas at UK, European and world levels, with debate increasingly becoming framed in human rights terms. In the UK, policy drives to address social exclusion and health inequalities as key social and economic rights issues have encompassed attention to mental health and distress (DoH, 2003; Social Exclusion Unit, 2004) and mental health has been identified as a priority area for the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (Diamond, 2007; DRC, 2007). At the European level too, rights-based social policy approaches to promoting social cohesion (European Committee for Social Cohesion, 2004) and policy directives on the ‘right to health’ (Commission of the European Communities, 2007) have been centrally concerned with mental health and well-being, and have been accompanied by a European strategy on mental health for the EU (EC, 2005). At a global level, the World Health Organisation has declared enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health to be a fundamental human right (WHO, 2006). It has launched a new appeal on mental health which draws attention to the impact of human rights violations and cites social isolation, poor quality of life, stigma and discrimination as central issues for those with mental health needs (Dhanda and Narayan, 2007; Horton, 2007; WHO, 2007)

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

In the United Kingdom, changes in the policy, funding and commissioning landscape for mental health and well-being are posing opportunities and challenges for adult community learning (ACL). Opportunities include increased recognition of, and funding for, the ���wider benefits��� of learning, whereas challenges include the risks of ACL provision becoming hijacked by a health and well-being agenda that compromises its primary educational purpose and values. This paper engages with these policy debates through reporting on a study of mental health ACL that employed the capabilities approach along with two other complementary areas of social theory ��� recognition theories and theories of capitals. Its aim was to explore the means through which ACL impacts mental health and to draw out implications for policy and practice. Findings from focus groups with adult learners and tele-discussions with ACL practitioners revealed three main means through which the provision helped generate interlinked mental health and educational capabilities: providing recognition, generating resources (capitals) and enhancing agency freedom. Elaborating these findings, the paper sets out an argument for interpretation of the mental health and well-being agenda in ACL in terms of a humanistic, liberatory pedagogy that encompasses feminist praxis and draws out policy implications across the areas of ACL and mental health.University of Leiceste

Interventions for resilience in educational settings: challenging policy discourses of risk and vulnerability

‘Resilience’ has become a popular goal in research, social policy, intervention design and implementation. Reinforced by its conceptual and political slipperiness, resilience has become a key construct in school-based, universal interventions that aim to develop it as part of social and emotional competence or emotional well-being. Drawing on a case study of a popular behavioural programme used widely in British and American primary schools, this paper uses a critical social understanding that combines bio-scientific and social constructionist ideas in order to evaluate key challenges for policy, research and practice framed around resilience. The paper argues that although critical social perspectives illuminate important contemporary manifestations of old problems with behavioural interventions, and challenge narrow, moralising definitions of ‘risk’ and ‘vulnerability’, they coalesce with behavioural perspectives in a search for better state-sponsored responses to the shared question of how to build resilience amongst ‘vulnerable’ groups and individuals. Instead, we argue that critical sociologists need to resist responses that offer more sophisticated behavioural interventions and generate new forms of governance and subjectivity

Breaking down boundaries? Exploring mutuality through art-making in an open studio mental health setting

Community-based participatory arts projects have been shown to promote well-being and mental health recovery. One reason for this is because they provide opportunities for mutuality – connectedness to others and different kinds of sharing and reciprocity. Yet research into mental health arts projects has not focused on shared creative practice between participants/members and practitioners. This article reports on qualitative research in an arts and mental health organization employing an open studio approach in which art therapists made art alongside members. It explores the possibilities for, and tensions associated with, generating mutuality between studio managers and members through this approach. Conducted from a critically engaged, feminist sociological perspective, the study encompassed an analytical focus on power, especially gender relations. Findings are presented along three themes: (de)constructing and obscuring relational asymmetries; mutual acceptance and its limits; and maintaining, working with and challenging ‘boundaries’. Implications for applied arts and mental health practice are highlighted

Alginate oligosaccharides enhance the antifungal activity of nystatin against candidal biofilms

Background: The increasing prevalence of invasive fungal infections in immuno-compromised patients is a considerable cause of morbidity and mortality. With the rapid emergence of antifungal resistance and an inadequate pipeline of new therapies, novel treatment strategies are now urgently required.Methods: The antifungal activity of the alginate oligosaccharide OligoG in conjunction with nystatin was tested against a range of Candida spp. (C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. auris, C. tropicalis and C. dubliniensis), in both planktonic and biofilm assays, to determine its potential clinical utility to enhance the treatment of candidal infections. The effect of OligoG (0-6%) ± nystatin on Candida spp. was examined in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and growth curve assays. Antifungal effects of OligoG and nystatin treatment on biofilm formation and disruption were characterized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ATP cellular viability assays. Effects on the cell membrane were determined using permeability assays and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).Results: MIC and growth curve assays demonstrated the synergistic effects of OligoG (0-6%) with nystatin, resulting in an up to 32-fold reduction in MIC, and a significant reduction in the growth of C. parapsilosis and C. auris (minimum significant difference = 0.2 and 0.12 respectively). CLSM and SEM imaging demonstrated that the combination treatment of OligoG (4%) with nystatin (1 µg/ml) resulted in significant inhibition of candidal biofilm formation on glass and clinical grade silicone surfaces (p < 0.001), with increased cell death (p < 0.0001). The ATP biofilm disruption assay demonstrated a significant reduction in cell viability with OligoG (4%) alone and the combined OligoG/nystatin (MIC value) treatment (p < 0.04) for all Candida strains tested. TEM studies revealed the combined OligoG/nystatin treatment induced structural reorganization of the Candida cell membrane, with increased permeability when compared to the untreated control (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Antimicrobial synergy between OligoG and nystatin against Candida spp. highlights the potential utility of this combination therapy in the prevention and topical treatment of candidal biofilm infections, to overcome the inherent tolerance of biofilm structures to antifungal agents

Jellyfish Collagen: A Biocompatible Collagen Source for 3D Scaffold Fabrication and Enhanced Chondrogenicity

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease leading to degeneration of articular cartilage, causing morbidity in approximately 8.5 million of the UK population. As the dense extracellular matrix of articular cartilage is primarily composed of collagen, cartilage repair strategies have exploited the biocompatibility and mechanical strength of bovine and porcine collagen to produce robust scaffolds for procedures such as matrix-induced chondrocyte implantation (MACI). However, mammalian sourced collagens pose safety risks such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy and possible transmission of viral vectors. This study characterised a non-mammalian jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) collagen as an alternative, safer source in scaffold production for clinical use. Jellyfish collagen demonstrated comparable scaffold structural properties and stability when compared to mammalian collagen. Jellyfish collagen also displayed comparable immunogenic responses (platelet and leukocyte activation/cell death) and cytokine release profile in comparison to mammalian collagen in vitro. Further histological analysis of jellyfish collagen revealed bovine chondroprogenitor cell invasion and proliferation in the scaffold structures, where the scaffold supported enhanced chondrogenesis in the presence of TGFβ1. This study highlights the potential of jellyfish collagen as a safe and biocompatible biomaterial for both OA repair and further regenerative medicine applications

Influential Article Review - Business and Parents

This paper examines entrepreneurship. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: The present study investigates the relationship between the number of children in the household and mothers and fathers’ propensity to become and remain owners of limited liability businesses. We started by identifying all full-time employed taxpayers in Norway in 2004 between 25 and 50 years of age. In this study, we look at the relationship between the number of children in the household and the propensity of these non-entrepreneurs to become and remain business owners from 2005 to 2016. For both sexes, the results show a positive and linear relationship between the number of children at home and business ownership and a U-shaped relationship between the size of the household brood and exit from business ownership. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German