173 research outputs found
âThe past was never simply there to begin with and the future is not simply what will unfoldâ : a posthumanist performative approach to qualitative longitudinal research
Peer reviewedPostprin
Socio-Technical Practices and Work-Home Boundaries
Recent advances in mobile technology have had many positive effects on the ways in which people can combine work and home life. For example, having remote access enables people to work from home, or work flexible hours that fit around caring responsibilities. They also support communication with colleagues and family members, and enable digital hobbies. However, the resulting 'always-online' culture can undermine work-home boundaries and cause stress to those who feel under pressure to respond immediately to digital notifications. This workshop will explore how a socio-technical perspective, which views boundaries as being constituted by everyday socio-technical practices, can inform the design of technologies that help maintain boundaries between work and home life
Research encounters, reflexivity and supervision
Reflexivity in qualitative and ethnographic social science research can provide a rich source of data, especially regarding the affective, performative and relational aspects of interviews with research subjects. This paper explores by means of three case examples different ways of accessing and using such reflexivity. The examples are drawn from an empirical psycho-social study into the identity transitions of first-time mothers in an inner-city multicultural environment. Fieldnotes and supervision were used to engage with researcher subjectivity, to enhance the productive use of reflexivity and to address the emotional work of research. The methodology of the supervision was psychoanalytic, in its use of a boundaried frame and of psychoanalytic forms of noticing oneself, of staying engaged emotionally as well as creating a reflective distance. The examples illustrate how this can enhance the knowledge gained about the research subjects
Assessment as the site of power:A Bourdieusian interrogation of service user and carer involvement in the assessments of social work students
The centrality of service user and carer involvement in social work education in England is now well established, both in policy and practice. However, research evidence suggests their involvement in student assessments is underdeveloped and under researched. This study focused on the positioning of service users and carers in relation to other stakeholders involved in the assessments of social work students in England. Using narrative research methodology, 21 participants, including service users, carers, social work students, social work employers and social work educators, were offered a semi-structured individual interview. Participantsâ narratives revealed different power relations among those involved in social work studentsâ assessments and a lack of confidence among service users and carers in making failed assessment recommendations. The paper concludes by arguing the case for social work educators and service user organisations to provide joint training to support service users and carers in their role as assessors of social work students
'Barter', 'deals', 'bribes' and 'threats': Exploring Sibling Interactions
This paper investigates forms of strategic interaction between siblings during childhood. We argue that these interactions, characterised by notions of reciprocity, equivalence and constructions of fairness, are worked out in relation to responsibility, power, knowledge and sibling status. Birth order and age are not experienced as fixed hierarchies as they can be subverted, contested, resisted and negotiated. To explore these issues, in-depth individual and group interviews were conducted with a sample of 90 children between the ages of 5 and 17, drawn from 30 families of mixed socio-economic backgrounds in central Scotland with three siblings within this age range
Integrating critical realist and feminist methodologies: ethical and analytical dilemmas
This paper reflects on research carried out with a group of women receiving intensive family support aimed at addressing the cause of their familyâs âanti-social behaviourâ. The methodological approach to the research was
underpinned by the philosophical principles of critical realism. It was also informed by the ethical and political concerns of feminist scholarship. The paper reports on the potential points of tension that arise between feminism and critical realism in empirical research. In particular, attention is centred on the process of trying to marry approaches which stress the central role of participantsâ knowledge, particularly those who are âlabelledâ and whose voices are not readily heard, with the principle that some accounts of ârealityâ are better than others
Mothersâ accounts of the impact on emotional wellbeing of organised peer support in pregnancy and early parenthood: a qualitative study
Background
The transition to parenthood is a potentially vulnerable time for mothersâ mental health and approximately 9â21% of women experience depression and/or anxiety at this time. Many more experience sub-clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as stress, low self-esteem and a loss of confidence. Womenâs emotional wellbeing is more at risk if they have little social support, a low income, are single parents or have a poor relationship with their partner. Peer support can comprise emotional, affirmational, informational and practical support; evidence of its impact on emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and afterwards is mixed.
Methods
This was a descriptive qualitative study, informed by phenomenological social psychology, exploring womenâs experiences of the impact of organised peer support on their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and in early parenthood. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with women who had received peer support provided by ten projects in different parts of England, including both projects offering âmental healthâ peer support and others offering more broadly-based peer support. The majority of participants were disadvantaged Black and ethnic minority women, including recent migrants. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results
47 mothers were interviewed. Two key themes emerged: (1) âmothersâ self-identified emotional needsâ, containing the subthemes âemotional distressâ, âstressful circumstancesâ, âlack of social supportâ, and âunwilling to be open with professionalsâ; and (2) âhow peer support affects mothersâ, containing the subthemes âsocial connectionâ, âbeing heardâ, âbuilding confidenceâ, âempowermentâ, âfeeling valuedâ, âreducing stress through practical supportâ and âthe significance of âmental healthâ peer experiencesâ. Women described how peer support contributed to reducing their low mood and anxiety by overcoming feelings of isolation, disempowerment and stress, and increasing feelings of self-esteem, self-efficacy and parenting competence.
Conclusion
One-to-one peer support during pregnancy and after birth can have a number of interrelated positive impacts on the emotional wellbeing of mothers. Peer support is a promising and valued intervention, and may have particular salience for ethnic minority women, those who are recent migrants and women experiencing multiple disadvantages
Identifying characteristic features of the retinal and choroidal vasculature in choroideremia using optical coherence tomography angiography
PURPOSE: Using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to investigate the area with flow in the superficial retinal vessel network (SVRN) and choriocapillaris (CC) layer among male subjects with choroideremia (CHM), female carriers, and normal controls to identify vascular changes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Images of SRVN and CC layer were acquired in 9 affected males, 5 female carriers, and 14 age- and gender-matched controls using the Angiovue software of the RTVue XR Avanti. RESULTS: The mean age was 33 years for affected male CHM patients (median 30 years), 46 years for female carriers (median 53 years), and 39 years for controls (median 38.5). Mean SRVN area±SD in subjects with CHM was 12.93±2.06âmmÂČ, in carrier subjects 15.36±0.60âmmÂČ, and in controls 15.30±1.35âmmÂČ (P<0.01). The mean CC area±SD with flow was 6.97±5.26âmmÂČ in CHM subjects, 21.65±0.17âmmÂČ in carriers and 21.36±0.76âmmÂČ in controls (P<0.01). SRVN and CC area with flow showed a negative correlation in CHM subjects with the age (r=â0.86; P<0.003 and r=â0.77; P<0.01, respectively). CC area with flow had a positive correlation with SRVN (r=0.83, P<0.001). Overall, visual acuity had a negative correlation with SRVN and CC area with flow (r=â0.67, P<0.001 and r=â0.57, P<0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to highlight changes in the SRVN in CHM subjects. OCTA detected a reduced area with flow in both retinal and choroidal circulations, and may be a useful tool for monitoring natural history and disease progression in forthcoming clinical trials
Impact and the reflexive imperative in criminal justice policy, practice and research
This chapter is a substantive editorial introduction to the book, Reflexivity and Criminal Justice: Intersections of Policy, Practice and Research. It develops and argues for an account of reflexivity in criminology beyond the researcher-researched relationship to the field of research itself. Universities are under increasing pressure to document the value of their work, often defined instrumentally in terms of immediate practical and commercial activities. This has led to increasing emphasis on âpartnershipsâ and knowledge exchange with organisations and actors outside of academia. While such relationships may be empowering and supportive of good research and thriving societies, they also raise critical questions about agenda setting and valuation of social science. These questions become especially acute in a discipline such as criminology, with its attention to crime control, surveillance and state punishment, topics which can be co-opted by particular interests. We address the potential and risks of reflexivity in this setting, concluding that it might offer a stance that assists researchers in exposing the complicated dynamics of the conditions of criminal justice research in contemporary times. The content of the chapters comprising the book are summarised and woven into the discussion throughout this introduction
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