Search

Background: There is growing recognition that communication can be affected in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can negatively impact relationships, employment and psychological well‐being. Some persons with MS (PwMS) implement strategies to facilitate their communication; however, some do not. Most PwMS who report communication changes do not engage with speech–language pathology (SLP) services. This raises concerns that a large portion of communication changes associated with MS go under‐recognized and unmanaged. Little is known about what PwMS want and need to facilitate effective communication. Aim: To explore what PwMS want and need to better manage their communication changes. Methods & Procedures: Three focus groups were conducted online using Zoom, with a total of 12 PwMS. Participants were an opportunistic sample of PwMS within Australia recruited via advertisements distributed to various MS organizations and clinics. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis to provide a qualitative analysis of the data. Outcomes & Results: Two main themes emerged: (1) accessible knowledge and a holistic approach; and (2) partnerships. Specifically, the identified wants and needs of participants included: (1) assessment; (2) information; (3) raising awareness; (4) support groups; (5) a whole‐person approach to intervention; (6) geographically and economically accessible and navigable services; (7) effective patient–physician interactions; and (8) a multidisciplinary team‐based approach (e.g., SLP, psychology, neuropsychology, occupational therapy). Conclusions & Implications: This study identified a wide range of unmet wants and needs of PwMS related to communication changes. Participants wanted improved collaborative partnerships with healthcare professionals to better manage their communication changes. For example, healthcare professionals could ask PwMS about potential communication changes, provide education and make appropriate referrals. Education and information provision could focus on communication changes in MS, factors that trigger or exacerbate communication changes, impacts, self‐management strategies, and available supports and services. Specific implications for clinical practice and future research are suggested in this paper, including ideas for patient education materials and content, suggestions for communication‐specific screening and information that could be shared in patient–physician interactions, the development of guidelines to systematically screen, assess, manage and monitor communication changes in MS, and the design of evidence‐based communication interventions for this clinical population. The results from this study can be used to guide the design of supports and services to help PwMS better manage communication changes, with the aim to reduce the negative impacts. What this paper adds: What is already known on this subject: PwMS can experience communication changes across a range of domains, including speech, voice, fluency, expressive and receptive language, and cognitive–linguistic functions. These changes can have profound and far‐reaching negative impacts on educational and vocational outcomes, social participation, relationships, psychological well‐being, and quality of life. Most PwMS who report communication changes do not engage with SLP services. There has been little research exploring what PwMS want and need to help manage their communication changes. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This research is the first study of its kind that sets out specifically to explore what PwMS want and need to better manage their communication changes. This study increases our understanding of, and provides valuable insights into, the specific types of supports and services PwMS desire to access, and the partnerships and kinds of interactions PwMS dream of having with healthcare professionals to manage these changes. This information can facilitate the development of future interventions to manage communication changes in MS. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: PwMS wanted healthcare professionals to ask about potential communication changes, provide education and make appropriate referrals. When providing education and information on communication changes in MS, healthcare professionals should focus on covering symptoms, triggers, impacts, self‐management strategies, and available supports and services. There is a timely need to develop guidelines and interventions to manage communication changes in MS to reduce their negative impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the number of children and young people needing care keeps rising and fewer people are becoming foster carers, efforts to support carers and workers in foster caring are essential. This paper considers the experiences of carers and foster care agency workers involved in Australia's piloting of the Mockingbird Family. With a view understanding experience, data were collected via focus groups with carers and agency workers (n = 20) involved in piloting, implementation and evaluation. Deductive analysis applied the theory of experience to generate understanding of experience, as both intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions to capture strengths in the Mockingbird Family's foster caring networks. These dimensions of experience included collective passions of carers and workers; experiential change over time; collective experiences as a moving force; and experiences as transformational. Understanding of experience associated with the perceived strengths of the Mockingbird Family, including strategies to promote strong professional relationships between carers and workers, is an important element in strengthening environments of children and young people in care. Safe and stable environments are crucial for wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel, temporally sensitive analytical method for qualitative researchers, which is simultaneously timely and necessary given increasing recognition of the fundamental role that time plays in organizational life and scholarship. As a result of this recognition, research designs considering temporality have substantially increased over the past decade. However, while methods for qualitative data collection using longitudinal and 'shortitudinal' designs, in particular qualitative diary methods, have become increasingly common, analytical methods capable of fully exploiting the temporal nature of such data have lagged behind their quantitative counter‐parts, where we see marked progression in analytical methods and procedures. In this paper, we argue that this lack of progression in approaches for analysing qualitative diary data hinders our knowledge and theoretical development when it comes to incorporating temporality, particularly in the exploration of phenomena at individual‐/micro‐levels, arguably most salient to organizational psychology researchers. We respond to these challenges by introducing a novel, step‐by‐step analytical approach that facilitates rigorous incorporation of temporality into the analysis and theorization of micro‐level, qualitative diary data, termed Thematic Trajectory Analysis (TTA). Practitioner points: Existing qualitative analytical methods have limitations when applied to qualitative diary data and have thereby limited the questions that may be explored, and understood, through qualitative data.Offers an alternative, step‐by‐step, analytical approach for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand within‐person changes and dynamism in organizations.Enables the benefits of qualitative diaries to be better exploited by both researchers and practitioners and thereby lead to better understanding of how organizational processes unfold, and in turn, lead to stronger intervention mechanisms.Demonstrates the utility of combing textual and visualized data outputs in understanding complex and dynamic phenomena in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resource (HR) managers play a critical role in supporting workers during organizational crisis recovery, but this support is hampered when employee energy is drained during difficult times. We develop relational theory and practical suggestions to address how employees can generate energy from interpersonal interactions in a post‐crisis context. Drawing from interviews, field observations, and archival data of interpersonal interactions in the surf and boardsport industry in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, we investigated individual energetic contributions and the process which generated relational energy, defined as psychological resourcefulness generated from interpersonal interactions that enhances work capacity. Our analysis revealed that in the aftermath of a crisis, employees generated relational energy by engaging in processes of perspective taking and interpersonal adjustment while engaging in crisis‐recovery work. This was particularly true when their personal contributions to the interactions were negative or neutral in valence and of low intensity. This is in contrast to assumptions in the literature and industry cultural norms, but was essential to fueling interdependent work efforts during crisis recovery. These findings extend and refine theory on energy at work to help inform HR practice by developing understanding of how the energy generated from other people can be an important resource to help sustain crisis recovery, and how HR managers can support these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older adults experiencing chronic homelessness (i.e., prolonged homelessness and a disabling condition) have low rates of advance care planning (ACP) despite high rates of morbidity and mortality. Rehousing of homeless‐experienced individuals into permanent supportive housing (PSH) may present an opportunity to introduce ACP; but this is unknown. Therefore, we explored staff and resident perceptions of conducting ACP in PSH. Methods: We conducted semi‐structured interviews with PSH staff (n = 13) and tenants (PSH residents) (n = 26) in San Francisco. We used the capability (C), opportunity (O), motivation (M), behavior (COM‐B) framework within the Behavior Change Wheel model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to inform interviews, categorize themes, and guide qualitative thematic analysis. Results: The mean age of PSH residents was 67 (SD = 6.1) years and 52% were women. Of staff, 69% were women. Important COM‐B barriers included ACP complexity (C), complicated relationship dynamics (O), resource limitations (O), pessimism (M), variable staff confidence (M), and competing priorities (M). Facilitators included easy‐to‐use documents/videos, including the PREPARE for Your Care program (C), stability with housing (O), exposure to health crises (O), potential for strong relationships (O), and belief that ACP is impactful (M). Recommendations included adapting materials to the PSH setting, providing staff trainings/scripts, and using optional one‐on‐one or group sessions. Conclusions: We identified behavioral determinants related to ACP for formerly chronically homeless older adults in PSH. Future interventions should include using easy‐to‐use ACP materials and developing resources to educate PSH residents, train staff, and model ACP in groups or one‐on‐one sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]