“Little Annabel Harvey and her fight with cancer”: healthy young people’s representations of youth cancer

Our recent work on the Growing Up with Cancer project showed that a cancer experience profoundly changes relationships between young people (YP) and their peers. YP can experience a sense of social dislocation as peer groups move on, important social markers are missed, or YP develop different life priorities. As part of understanding these experiences we were keen to examine the perspective of the peers who occupy the social worlds that YP return to after cancer treatment.Aim: To investigate the cultural discourses or representations about cancer and young people circulating among adolescents.Conclusions: Few participants drew on personal knowledge about a young person with cancer; their imagining of youth cancer was based on experiences of cancer in older relatives and through the media (this likely accounts for the perception that cancer inevitably leads to death in young people). Participants showed empathy for the experiences of young cancer survivors, particularly in relation to identity and relationship changes. Young cancer survivors may find these insights useful when returning to school and other peer group settings, while healthcare professionals could harness this support to smooth the young people's transitions across social worlds

Parenthood in young cancer survivors is more than a combination of motivation and capacity

Schmidt et al. (2016) recently reviewed published literature on the reproductive intentions and parenthood motivations of cancer survivors. The authors highlight cancer survivors’ incentives for entering parenthood and concerns about having children post-diagnosis. This welcome addition to the literature on parenthood in survivors of cancer in adolescence and young adulthood throws into sharp relief an important gap in current research: the experiences of cancer survivors who do become parents after cancer diagnosis. Between 1998 and 2004, the relative survival rate for Australians aged 12–24 years diagnosed with cancer was 85% (AIHW 2011). In theory, most of these young survivors had many years to consider and/or become parents. In our recent study of young people’s experiences of ‘Growing up with Cancer’ (Lewis et al. 2013), we heard from two women who became mothers despite being told by their oncologist that they were infertile as a result of cancer treatment. They described parenthood as a positive experience, helping them find purpose in a life that had been destabilised by cancer, ‘motherhood gave me something more to look forward to in life. It’s also helping me to actually want to get on track’ (Lewis 2013). We also know from our research that some young cancer survivors face lifelong challenges managing the ongoing effects of illness and treatment including chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and the ever present apprehension of relapse or a second cancer

Use of Winter Dens by Porcupines, Erethizon dorsatum, in Wisconsin

Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) dens were monitored in Sandhill Wildlife Area in central Wisconsin between 1996-1997 and 2002-2003 to determine whether they displayed fidelity. Fidelity declined between years, with a higher proportion of Porcupines displaying fidelity to a specific den within a single winter than between winters. Yearlings displayed higher fidelity to den sites than adults. Fidelity was stronger among Porcupines occupying rock vs. tree dens. Familiarity with home spaces and onset of snowfall and snowfall depth also probably influence selection of dens

Toilet talk: (Trans)Gendered negotiation of public spaces

Public toilet provision in the UK fails to meet the needs of cis women while trans communities are absent from current building regulations. This research explores how individuals negotiate differing positions on toilet provision and accessibility. The data was formed of online posts on Dezeen, a forum for building design professionals, and Mumsnet, a parenting forum, in response to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government ‘Technical review on increasing accessibility and provision of toilets for men and women’. Discursive Psychology was used to explore how accessibility to toilets is constructed. There is also an opportunity to explore how a discursive approach can be applied interdisciplinary with town planning and the built environment. Gender identities are situated and constructed within public toilets. Talk about refuge in public bathrooms involved the negotiation of who belonged in differing gender categories and who warranted a need for refuge. Where men are explicitly acknowledged as an issue, cis and trans women are collectively identified as requiring a safe space. Cis women are presented as a threat to trans women and other cis women who are misgendered. Discourse about toilet provision draws upon both heteronormative ideology to challenge access to trans people and others who challenge normative gender roles. Talk about toilets involves warranting ‘place-identity’ as gender identity is situated and access limited to those who are constructed as belonging

Interpreting Price Response in Enrollment Decisions: A Comparative Institutional Study

While national research has shown that student financial aid has a positive, direct effect on the first-time enrollment of students, there has been little published research that examines the impact of the aid strategy on whether students enroll at a single institution. This article analyzes the influence of aid on the enrollment decisions of all accepted applicants at four institutions and interprets this research. In most instances, the amount of aid offered was negatively associated with first-time enrollment, indicating that aid offers were insufficient to promote enrollment for the otherwise-average applicant. This suggests that institutions need to study carefully the use of their own funds as a means of increasing yield

Assessing the Impact of Financial Aid Offers on Enrollment Decisions

Historically, colleges and universities have lacked models for systematically assessing the impact of their financial aid strategies on the enrollment decisions of admitted applicants. This study tests a model for assessing the impact of aid offers on enrollment decisions. The analysis demonstrates that: 1) financial aid strategies have a substantial influence on enrollment; and 2) the systematic analysis of student enrollment decisions can help institutional administrators refine their financing decisions