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A snapshot of communication research in Spain that uses qualitative methods as the dominant methodological perspective is presented. We conduct a content analysis to study the characteristics, objects and techniques that predominate in a census of 1,025 scientific productions from 2007 to 2018, which includes doctoral theses, projects and articles published in scientific journals. In the indexed publications, there is a certain lack of qualitative articles, despite the importance they have in doctoral theses and research projects. These researches use or triangulate qualitative methods, but not all techniques are used equally. Communication studies frequently resort to discourse analysis and in-depth interviews, but the presence of observations and discussion groups is minimal. The objects of study are also varied, although audiovisual formats prevail over journalistic formats and there is a growing interest in digital media and formats. Finally, at the author level, the results reveal parity, although the gender gap in the highest level studies is worrying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The population with severe mental disorders (SMD) is a frequent user of emergency services. Situations of psychiatric decompensation can have devastating consequence and can cause problems in getting urgent medical care. The objective was to study the experiences and needs of these patients and their caregivers regarding the demand for emergency care in Spain. Methods: Qualitative methodology involving patients with SMD and their informal caregivers. Purposive sampling by key informants in urban and rural areas. Paired interviews were carried out until data saturation. A discourse analysis was conducted, obtaining a codification in categories by means of triangulation. Results: Forty-two participants in twenty-one paired interviews (19 ± 7.2 min as mean duration). Three categories were identified. 1º Reasons for urgent care: poor self-care and lack of social support, as well as difficulties in accessibility and continuity of care in other healthcare settings. 2º Urgent care provision: trust in the healthcare professional and the information patients receive from the healthcare system is crucial, telephone assistance can be a very useful resource. 3º Satisfaction with the urgent care received: they request priority care without delays and in areas separated from the other patients, as well as the genuine interest of the professional who attends them. Conclusions: The request for urgent care in patients with SMD depends on different psychosocial determinants and not only on the severity of the symptoms. There is a demand for care that is differentiated from the other patients in the emergency department. The increase in social networks and alternative systems of care would avoid overuse of the emergency departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been growing concern about the increase in gender-based violence (GBV) among young people. The aim of this study was to explore the grey zones in GBV alongside gender (masculinities and femininities) discourses in young adults. We used the concept of a "grey zone" as an analytical tool to identify possible contradictory discursive positions where the notions of victims and perpetrators of GBV converge and become ambiguous. We performed a qualitative study based on 20 semi-structured interviews and 4 focus groups (October 2019 to February 2020) in Spain with a sample of 49 cisgender women and men, aged between 18 and 24, some involved in feminist activism and some not. We conducted a sociological analysis of the discourse system. Study findings show how culturally constructed gender norms intervene in the ways in which young people understand and deal with GBV. When asked general questions about GBV, this concept was problematized along with gender assumptions and two discursive positions were identified: the discourse of "men as authors of GBV" and the discourse of "GBV as an individual genderless issue." When vignettes of everyday GBV situations were shown, grey zones became visible when discussing subtle forms of GBV influenced by the myths of romantic love, victim-blaming around sexual violence, digital GBV and bystander men intervention on GBV. In those grey zones, discourses on GBV were articulated around unequal notions of gender that, in turn, served as its justification, reproduction, and normalization. The grey zones identified represent contexts of oppression that illustrate how GBV is systematically reproduced, as well as the ways in which young people can be involved in it, perpetuating power and health inequalities. Our findings provide information as a guide to design GBV interventions and prevention actions that incorporate a focus on gender configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A positive experience of sexuality during youth is key to good sexual health later in life. Addressing young people's sexual health needs and sexual and reproductive rights is thus essential. This study aimed to identify unmet sexual health needs among youth in the city of Barcelona (Spain) through mixed methods research. We analysed the narratives of young people (n = 50) aged 14–24 years with different genders, origins, sexualities and socioeconomic backgrounds, collected from January to April 2019. A descriptive statistical analysis was also conducted on the records of visits to sexual health services and reasons for consultation. We found that 21% (n = 32,161) of young people aged 14–24 years had used sexual healthcare services in Barcelona between 2015 and 2017, while the reasons for consultation differed across sex, gender and socioeconomic background. Young people declared that they needed more information to enjoy their sexuality, to know where to go in case of an unexpected situation and to learn how to combat gender-based violence. They stated that the sexuality education they had received was sparse and focused on risks. We found that formal sex education is scarce, with informal sex education thus acquiring a major role. Current services can be improved by expanding coverage, training professionals and reducing acceptability and accessibility barriers. Sexism is ubiquitous in young people's sexual, dating and personal relationships. We recommend planning sexual health care services and formal sexual education, in which a strong gender strategy is embedded, as part of the same strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate crisis and the environmental emergency are a sign of uncertainty for the future of the planet. European and national educational directives establish the framework of action and the commitments that must be made by each agent to reach the new sustainable paradigm which is based on circularity. The school, as an institution of social transformation, faces a reproductive framework that feeds the consumer socio-economic structure, covering up the urgency of the problem. The aim is to identify the forces for change to improve the intervention mechanisms in the educational field in Spain aimed at fostering the involvement and the participation of young people. The qualitative methodology combines discourse analysis using Grounded Theory and prospective analysis using the scenario method. By means of a validated questionnaire, semistructured interviews and focus groups are conducted with technicians and managers, trainers of trainers, teachers, and researchers (n=53). The discourse of the agents and legislation on education and sustainability are analysed to generate substantive theory. By means of the theorization obtained, drivers and constraints are identified, establishing a probability and impact matrix that allows for the visualization of three possible futures. It concludes with a set of recommendations to strengthen the desired scenario and to reduce the possibilities of the dystopian scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at describing the eating experience of people diagnosed with and treated for laryngeal cancer. Going beyond the mere conceptualization of "after-effect" or the quantification of the disease's impact on the basis of standardized questionnaires, we present a qualitative analysis of the narratives of such experiences. Ethnographic study. Data is obtained from conversations, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and written documents. A discourse analysis of the narrative information was conducted, with process coding and using the constant comparative method, inductive content analysis, category analysis, units of meaning associated with each other, and triangulation. The impact of cancer on eating processes is not limited to nutrition, but also affects the social and cultural value of food, which is put into question. The symbolic and social values which accompany the traditional way of eating are modified, which is connected with impaired quality of life. The impact on the eating process and its relationship with quality-of-life impairment are clear and connect with the importance of eating ways in culture and social organization. Greater attention should be paid to these contexts in clinical practice, which can affect even more than the impact on communicative processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the ways that fertility clinics in the Czech Republic and Spain attract international fertility clients for fertility treatment involving egg donation. I draw upon a content analysis of 18 fertility clinics' advertising materials and 31 in‐depth interviews with fertility professionals in the Czech Republic and Spain, and Canadian fertility travellers to show how clinics use cultural health capital (CHC) to persist as popular destination sites for fertility travellers. I argue that the use of evidence‐based medicine and patient‐centred care combined with bioracial discourses are strategies by which clinics create a culture of fertility care that is legible to white, middle‐class, hetero travellers. My interviews with fertility patients who travelled to these sites show the ways in which CHC is interactional—I document how fertility travellers desire these specific practices that are both created for and marketed to them. By expanding the definition of CHC to show how fertility clinics market and fertility travellers expect a particular culture of fertility medicine, I elucidate the interactions between clinics and professionals that reinforce ideals of white motherhood and the stratification of reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compassion and empathy are considered to be elements of paramount importance in professionals working with individuals in need. However, the term 'compassion' generates controversy among social workers, while the term 'empathy' seems to be more universally accepted among these professionals. This qualitative study used a hermeneutic approach and aimed to explore and understand social workers' experiences with empathy and compassion in the community setting. Between January and June 2019, nine in‐depth interviews and two focus group sessions were conducted with social workers from community social centres and primary healthcare centres in the province of Almería (Spain), with a total of 23 participants. The software Atlas.ti 8.0 was used for discourse analysis. Professionals reported that it was necessary for them to have an empathic attitude towards service users, and claimed that being empathic towards individuals in need was a moral obligation. They also reported that, although being empathic is a trait of these professionals, they have to avoid being affected by it, and that there are situations that block empathy. With respect to their perception of compassion, different interpretations of the concept were found: some professionals understand compassion as pity; other professionals have difficulty understanding the term and other professionals understand compassion as help. It has become necessary to change and develop the very conceptualisation of compassion and to create compassion promotion programmes, as this is fundamental for the protection and satisfaction of social workers themselves and for the sustainability of the support they provide to individuals who are in great distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the participation processes displayed by women with physical functional diversity in Spain, from the perspective of feminism and human rights. Responses from 18 participants with physical functional diversity allowed us to describe the female participants, as well as to explain their participation histories and plans, including any enabling or obstructing elements. This feedback also allowed us to interpret the participation models of women in positions or situations of influence. This paper, using qualitative methodology, combines grounded theory, intersectionality, and discourse narration to analyse the life contexts and elements that impede access to social participation on a level playing field for these women. The results present emancipatory tools for women and arguments for political decision-making that can help women overcome oppression and violence, thereby facilitating their integration into society. The defence of people's rights is a professional endeavour grounded in social work theory and involves drawing attention to inequalities, in this case, those faced by women with functional diversity. Social work training should prepare social workers for advocacy based on human rights and be led by people with disabilities themselves. Research into disability in social work yields advances in strategies for social and civic participation, particularly for women with functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]