Explanations for infertility: The case of women in rural Ghana

Infertility is a troubling condition for couples, especially for women, in pronatalist cultures. The ways in which infertility is explained have important effects on the stigma associated with childlessness and thus on the suffering it causes. This article explored the explanations for infertility among involuntarily childless women in the North-East and Ashanti regions of Ghana. Thirty infertile married women were interviewed, 15 from each region, by using a semi-structured interview protocol. A phenomenological study design and thematic analysis were used to explore the aetiological explanations of their infertility. The data from the Ashanti region was transcribed verbatim from Twi to English, coded, and analysed into themes unlike the data from the North-East which was already in English. Most of these infertile women attributed their condition to supernatural factors irrespective of their settings, level of education, and religion. They proffered such explanations for conditions for which they could not readily pinpoint causes or when these were for them beyond comprehension. Other explanations of infertility were medical, such as fluid in the ovaries and hormonal imbalance. Moreover, lifestyle factors such as the use of contraceptives or having had an abortion were mentioned. Some women mentioned that the cause of their infertility had not been found. Health professionals should educate women on reproductive health issues. Counsellors and therapists should educate would-be couples on the possible challenges in marriages, especially concerning childlessness and infertility. Moreover, to reduce stigma, it is essential that the communities are educated on the documented causes of infertility. L'infertilité est une condition préoccupante pour les couples, surtout pour les femmes, et en particulier dans les cultures natalistes. La manière dont l'infertilité est expliquée a des effets importants dans la stigmatisation sur l'absence d'enfant et donc sur les souffrances qu'elle provoque. L'article rapport des explications de l'infertilité involontairement chez des femmes sans enfant dans les régions du Nord-est et d’Ashanti du Ghana. Trente femmes mariées infertiles ont été interrogées, 15 de chaque région, en utilisant un protocole d'entretien semi-structuré. Un plan d'étude phénoménologique et une analyse thématique ont été utilisés pour explorer les explications étiologiques de leur infertilité. Les données de la région d'Ashanti ont été transcrites textuellement du twi en anglais, codées et analysées en thèmes contrairement aux données du nord-est qui étaient déjà en anglais. La plupart de ces femmes infertiles attribuaient leur état à des facteurs surnaturels quelles que soient leur milieu, leur niveau d’éducation et leurs religions. Elles ont donné de telles explications pour des conditions pour lesquelles elles ne pouvaient facilement identifier les causes ou lorsque celles-ci étaient pour elles au-delà de la compréhension. D'autres explications de l'infertilité étaient médicales, telles que le liquide dans les ovaires et le déséquilibre hormonal. De plus, des facteurs liés au mode de vie tels que l'utilisation de contraceptifs ou l'avortement ont été mentionnés. Certaines femmes ont déclaré que la cause de leur infertilité n'avait pas été trouvée. Les professionnels de la santé devraient éduquer les femmes sur les questions de santé reproductive. Les conseillers et les thérapeutes devraient éduquer les futurs couples sur les défis possibles dans les mariages, en particulier en ce qui concerne l'absence d'enfant et l'infertilité. De plus, pour réduire la stigmatisation, il est essentiel que les communautés soient éduquées sur les causes documentées de l'infertilit

Kuinka paljon on tarpeeksi? Aineiston määrä laadullisessa tutkimuksessa

Aikuiskasvatuksen tutkimusmenetelmiä: Aikuiskasvatuksen asiantuntijat esittelevät aikuiskasvatustieteen tutkimusmenetelmiä ja näkökulmia tutkimukseen

Metelin muistelua

Kirja-arvostelu: Ulos rautahäkistä : metelin historia / Juhani Kirjonen. Likes, 2010

Being moved: A meaningful but enigmatic emotional experience

The emotion often labelled as “being moved” is a commonly felt but somewhat mysterious experience in which joy and sadness are combined in a specific way. In recent years, it has gained much research attention, particularly within psychology, mostly using quantitative methods. The topics of discussion have included, for example, whether being moved is caused by an intensification of social relations or rather by core values of life becoming salient. This article aspires to shed further light on this emotion by exploring descriptions and reflections on moving experiences written by Finnish participants (N = 56). The writings were collected through a web-based data collection service and analyzed by inductive categorization. The findings suggest that being moved is a commonly recognized emotional state with characteristic bodily concomitants, that it is difficult to control and is often held private. Yet being moved is evaluated as a positive and valuable phenomenon. The events that were reported in this study to arouse such experiences are categorized into three main groups: important life course events (progression of the life course, memories, achievements, the birth and growth of a child), intensification of social relations (compassion and empathy, opening interindividual boundaries, communal experiences, morality), and beauty (art, nature). Our interpretation of what is common to the diversity of events behind the emotion is that they reveal core issues deeply meaningful for individuals and human life.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Working people with type 1 diabetes in the Finnish population

Peer reviewe