A focus on pleasure? Desire and disgust in group work with young men

There are a number of persuasive arguments as to why sexual pleasure should be included in sexual health work with young people, including the suggestion that this would provide young people with accounts of gender and sexuality that are more critical and holistic than those presented in the popular media, pornography and current sex education curricula. This paper considers the possibilities for engaging young men in critical group work about sexual pleasure in research and education contexts, drawing on a mixed-methods study of young people’s understandings and experiences of ‘good sex’. The paper provides a reflexive account of one focus group conducted with a group of heterosexual young men and two youth educators. It explores some of the challenges to building relationships with young men and creating ‘safe spaces’ in which to engage in critical sexuality education in socially unequal contexts. In this case study, adult-led discussion elicits rebellious, ‘hyper-masculine’ performances that close down opportunities for critical or reflective discussion. Although there are some opportunities for critical work that move beyond limited public health or school-based sex education agendas, there is also space for collusion and the reinforcement of oppressive social norms. The paper concludes by imagining possibilities for future research and practice

An Exploration of the Impact of Mentoring Upon Job Satisfaction for New Elementary Principals in Washington State

This study sought to examine the mentoring experiences of new principals in Washington State and its impact on their job satisfaction. This quantitative study employed the Principal Induction and Mentoring Survey (PIMS) to 496 Washington State public elementary school principals who were serving in their first five years of their principalship. Using a correlational design, this study explored (1) the impact mentoring had on job satisfaction for elementary school principals, (2) the relationship between job satisfaction and gender, (3) the relationship between job satisfaction and teaching experience, and (4) the underlying structure of the PIMS. Results from this study suggest the overall job satisfaction of mentored principals is higher than those who were not mentored. However, job satisfaction did not differ between genders or years of teaching experience. The data indicated mentoring as a strong system of support for new principals, and it is a practice increasingly implemented across the state. The scale analyses of the PIMS suggest the need for retooling to better measure and understand job satisfaction of new school principals. This study may be used to inform future research regarding implications of mentoring new principals, as well as efforts to increase the effectiveness with interested stakeholders of their mentoring programs

Handgun carrying patterns and suicide risk among youth.

Recent data have shown marked increases in carrying of handguns among youth. Though firearms are often discussed using a lens of prevention of violence towards others, the majority of firearm deaths are suicides. Youth suicide has also seen steady increases across the United States in the past decade, demanding urgent solutions to curb this concerning trend. Klonsky and May’s Three Step Theory (3ST) outlines three primary steps that lead to death by suicide and proposes that access to and familiarity with lethal means, such as firearms, make up a critical component of the etiology of suicide. With youth suicide and youth access to firearms both on the rise, there is a need to better understand the youth who carry guns and their risk profile for suicide. This study used data from the statewide Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Survey to examine characteristics, subgroups, and suicide risk among the growing group of youth who carry handguns. Data for nearly 90,000 Kentucky 10thgraders were analyzed from the 2012, 2014, and 2016 KIP Survey administrations. A total of 9,268 10th graders over all three waves reported carrying handguns in the past year. Handgun carrying increased 158% among 10th graders during the study window, with more than 12% of 10th graders carrying handguns in 2016. Handgun carrying was more common among males, certain racial/ethnic groups, students receiving free/reduced lunch, and students living in more rural communities. Handgun carrying was also associated with various suicide risk factors, and students who carried handguns were more likely than their peers to have seriously considered, planned, and attempted suicide. Four subgroups were identified through latent class analysis, three of which had high probabilities for multiple risk factors for suicide. These three classes were found to have elevated likelihoods of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. An in-depth examination of each subgroup and their suicide risk is provided, contextualized within the 3ST. Prevention implications are discussed: suicide prevention among handgun-carrying youth, suicide screening/prevention among youth with related risk factors, and policies that limit access to firearms all may reduce suicide risk among youth

What is good sex? : young people, sexual pleasure and sexual health services

This thesis investigates young people's understandings and experiences of 'good sex' and sexual pleasure, documenting the resources young people use to make sense of these meanings in the context of their everyday lives and relationships. The study uses a situated approach to explore the methodological possibilities for researching sexual pleasure with a diverse group of young people in one urban location and to examine the ways in which pleasure is embedded, mediated and gendered in young people's sexual cultures. The research is used to contribute to debates about the inclusion of pleasure in sexual health services for young people and make suggestions for future research/practice. Drawing on data from survey, focus group and interview methods the thesis documents the diversity of young people's understandings of 'good sex' and sexual pleasure, suggesting that young people have access to a range of competing discursive and affective frameworks for making distinctions between what counts as 'good' and 'bad' sex. Analyses suggest that sexual meanings and values are contested and contingent on young people's shifting sex and relationship experiences and social locations. Timeliness and reciprocity emerged as key contested areas, shaped by enduring gender arrangements and participants' evolving sexual biographies. The thesis provides a reflexive account of the practice of researching sexual pleasure with young people, reporting on each method to argue that the findings are situated, shaped by interactive and material context. The research documents the benefits of using critical feminist reflexivity to interrogate how researcher/practitioners can create safe spaces for engaging young people in work around sexual pleasure and concludes that possibilities for realising the 'pleasure project' in practice will depend on local, institutional and political context

Dyfodol y Cwricwlwm Addysg Rhyw a Pherthnasoedd yng Nghymru: Argymhellion y Panel o Arbenigwyr Addysg Rhyw a Pherthnasoedd Rhagfyr

This report outlines the key findings and recommendations of the Sex and Relationships Education Expert Panel. This panel was established by the Cabinet Secretary for Education to help inform the development of the future Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) curriculum in Wales

Teenagers\u27 safety at work : dangerous tasks and safety training.

Teenaged workers are twice as likely to be injured on the job as adult workers, and face a number of differences developmentally and psychosocially that present challenges for their safety at work. Little research has focused on the tasks that teenagers perform at work and what factors mediate their performance of hazardous tasks and tasks prohibited by law. Data used for this thesis was collected through a survey of 884 teenagers enrolled at two public high schools in Louisville, Kentucky in Spring 2011. Focus groups and interviews were also conducted with 42 employed teenagers in Spring 2010 to provide qualitative data. Demographic, behavioral, and work-related factors associated with performing of tasks that are hazardous or prohibited are discussed. Additionally, the impacts of safety training methods, lessons, and length on performance of these tasks are examined. Important findings include new insights into the role of race in teens\u27 safety at work as well as the novel finding that longer safety training is associated with lower proportions of teens performing hazardous and dangerous tasks. Implications of the results are discussed

Reliable Indicators of Cancer Related Malnutrition for an Outpatient Oncology Nutritional Screening Tool Identified Through a Systematic Review

© 2014 Humphreys et al.; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedPeer reviewedFinal Published versio