Search

There have been growing concerns that social distancing and stay-at-home mandates have exacerbated loneliness for older people. Empirical evidence about older people's experiences of loneliness and COVID-19 have quantified this phenomena without considering how older people themselves define and understand loneliness. This paper explores how older New Zealanders conceptualized and experienced loneliness under 'lockdown' stay-at-home measures. This multi-methods qualitative study combines data from letters (n = 870) and interviews (n = 44) collected from 914 people aged over 60 and living in Aotearoa, New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a reflexive thematic analysis to conceptualise this data. We identify three interconnected ways in which older people conceptualised and experienced loneliness: (1) feeling disconnected relating to lack of emotional closeness to another often resulting from being physically separated from others and not being able to touch; (2) feeling imprisoned relating to separation from preferred identities and activities and was frequently associated with boredom and frustration; and (3) feeling neglected which often related to feeling let down by generalised and idealised forms of support, such as one's neighbourhood and health care system. Older New Zealanders experienced lockdown loneliness in three interconnected ways rather than as a stable and homogenous experience. Māori, Pacific, Asian and New Zealand European older people often discussed loneliness in different ways; attesting to loneliness being a culturally-mediated concept shaped by expectations around desirable social interaction. We conclude the paper with implications for research and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging research supports that some former collegiate athletes (FCAs) can become physically inactive after retiring from sport, which can exacerbate unfavorable changes in long-term health. While researchers have addressed transitional difficulties FCAs may experience after retiring, little empirical evidence exists on how to promote healthy post-sport physical activity (PA) levels for those who are insufficiently active. Because of FCAs' past sports training, considering their opinions for effective PA program components may be beneficial in early stages of behavioral intervention development. As such, 17 insufficiently active former National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes engaged in semi-structured interviews exploring their post-sport PA experiences and perceptions of effective program characteristics. Using Consensual Qualitative Research procedures, five domains were constructed. Three domains were discussed in a previous article; this paper overviews the remaining two, which describe participants' opinions of what would effectively promote PA in their population: (a) a desire for an 'athletics-lite' atmosphere in an FCA-targeted intervention, and (b) using technology to positively engage former athletes in their PA transition. While participants believed an athletics-based program where they are provided feedback and individualized workouts would be effective in maintaining PA, this may indicate underdeveloped autonomy in some FCAs regarding PA maintenance post-sport. Initially utilizing college sports personnel in a program may aid FCAs at risk of inactivity in transferring skills used in sport to independent PA maintenance after retiring. Further, the introduction and use of technology may help facilitate self-monitoring of progress, social support, and individualization when external resources are unavailable. Lay summary: Seventeen, inactive former college athletes (FCAs) were interviewed to understand enablers for promoting physical activity (PA) in their population. Utilizing sport/exercise personnel to help FCAs become more autonomous in their behavior and promoting self-monitoring through technology may help those in this population who struggle to maintain PA post-sport. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: On-campus programs should consider involving athletics personnel (e.g., coaches, athletic trainers, certified mental performance consultants) and, pending available resources, outside experts (e.g., exercise physiologists) to deliver techniques, strategies, and education to explicitly support retiring student-athletes in maintaining PA after retirement. The perceived need for an athletics atmosphere, such as a coach-figure and teammates to be competitive with, may indicate underdeveloped autonomy for maintaining PA in insufficiently active FCAs. While athletics personnel may be useful in early promotion of PA, programs should strive to help them build more self-determined forms of motivation and be self-sufficient in maintaining PA post-sport. Programs may consider promoting the maintenance of PA to students-athletes via the use of wearable devices, PA applications, and online resources to promote self-monitoring of behavior, facilitate social support, and provide education on healthy PA practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As policymakers globally recognize aging in place as the preferred option for most adults, there is a growing need to supplement family or informal caregiving for frail older adults with formal homecare services, particularly for those who require 24/7 care due to significant physical and/or cognitive impairment. The core objective of this qualitative study was to explore family members' experiences in employing live-in care workers, particularly the nature of their engagement and the quality of their relationships with these care workers. Our analysis of semi-structured interviews with 35 family caregivers revealed four themes: 1) challenges in acquiring support and developing dependency; 2) negotiation of roles, responsibilities, and moral dilemmas; 3) shifting emotions between trust and suspicion; and 4) role confusion, expectations, and disappointments. The study suggests that families might benefit from formal guidance regarding fostering and maintaining positive relationships in the homecare environment. This paper provides nuanced knowledge that may inform the development of such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definitions of adulthood for people with intellectual disability are often complicated, with milestones being markedly different for this population. This is then associated with difficulties for both the people with intellectual disability and their parents, who are closely involved in this transitional period. This paper aims to report on parents' perception and experience of adulthood for their son or daughter with an Intellectual Disability (ID). Qualitative data were collected through 30 − 60-minute phone interviews with eight parents of a person with an intellectual disability aged 15 or older (mean parent age = 60; mean child age = 23). Thematic analysis found that Perception of Adulthood encompassed themes of Independence and Normality. Experiences of Adulthood were categorised under Government Services, Responsibility and Social Supports. Findings of this research provide information for the growing literature around adulthood for people with intellectual disability, as well as how to amend policies and procedures for services that cater to people with intellectual disability and their parents during this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a sound policy framework, the right of learners with disabilities in South Africa to inclusive and equitable quality education is not being met. A key reason hindering the realisation of this right is that there are very few teacher education programs focused on supporting learners with disabilities. Acknowledging the urgency of teacher education, in this paper we draw on qualitative data from 109 teacher participants and 39 course facilitators of a series of disability inclusion-focused teacher education short courses in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Based on their experience of the courses, we consider how teachers can be empowered to meet the diverse needs of their learners within an inclusive framework. Findings highlight that professional and personal growth facilitated a more empathic understanding of learners and the opportunity to collaborate with others, enabling teachers to find creative ways of solving problems faced in their workplaces. To support teachers in meeting the needs of their learners, teacher training should facilitate active reflection on the role they play in shaping the lives of their learners, and prepare teachers to respond to challenges strategically, taking advantage of the resources available to them within and beyond their school environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual revictimization can have a negative impact on many facets of women's wellbeing, yet limited evidence exists regarding specific interventions that support healing and the reduction of further revictimization. This paper will explore regional and rural women's experience of a group-based empowerment program, the Shark Cage program, in Victoria, Australia. The "Shark Cage" program aims to address revictimization by empowering women and girls to build personal boundaries and assertiveness within the context of gender equality and human rights. Data were collected via participant observations across the 8-week program, in combination with semi-structured interviews with participants (N = 11) pre and post intervention. All participants had access to therapeutic support outside of the program. Findings indicate that the program fostered connections among women with shared experiences of sexual revictimization, reducing feelings of isolation. Participants detailed the benefit of developing and practicing skills in reducing revictimization, such as assertiveness and boundary setting. Program learning and recovery was embedded within a network of embodied emotions, social connections, cultural norms and place-based relations that influenced how participants recovery could be understood, processed and addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper authentically represents the voices of non-verbal children with cerebral palsy using a case study design. Policy suggests that children should have the right to play and leisure opportunities, however non-verbal children with cerebral palsy have fewer choices. Additionally, children with communication, learning and mobility limitations are usually excluded from research. The aim of this research was to capture the voices of non-verbal children by exploring their well-being impact in terms of their experiences and choices about their level of participation in recreational activities. A qualitative case series study included interviews, observations, photographs and diaries. Where possible, the diaries were completed by both caregivers and children. Data were analysed thematically, and the lens of positioning theory applied. Seven children aged nine to sixteen years participated. The findings showed how equipment, people and environments enabled or hindered the children's participation. The children also advocated as champions for their own well-being. Positioning theory was applied across the data and was adapted offering a way to better understand the children's well-being responses. The findings demonstrate how these children were able to self-advocate, demonstrating their well-being by their intentional behaviours from their level of participation in a recreational activity. The voices of non-ambulant and non-verbal children are underrepresented in the literature. This study offers an innovative approach to highlight their voices using visual data. The images project the narrative about their choices for participation in recreational activities. The proposed kaleidoscope of well-being offers a way to demonstrate the fluctuations in their emotional responses from their participation. Choices for participation in recreational activities remains limited for non-ambulant and non-verbal children with cerebral palsy. Designers and policy makers should consider how equipment and environments can be adapted or created to increase the choices for non-ambulant and non-verbal children with cerebral palsy. Practitioners in health and social care should consider how to listen to the voices of non-verbal and non-ambulant children with cerebral palsy and their parents/guardians and work towards jointly setting participation goals to affirm their strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary welfare organizations engage in various evaluation practices to assess the quality of their services. In this paper we report a qualitative exploration of how technology-enabled evaluations are understood by organizational members who participate in quality assurance activities in Swedish social services. The study contributes to critical information systems literature, focusing on the tensions professionals experience in relation to the digital systems they use for evaluations. For example, "quantities" take precedence over the qualities of such work, as information systems constrain ambitions to realize knowledge-based social services. The results reveal three tensions in professionals' evaluation-related activities arising from conflicting uses or desires. One is between desires for flexible systems that enable reflection and standardized digital support systems. Another is between uses or desires for indicators that are meaningful at the operational level and for general, comparable measures at the management level. The third is between desires to use evaluation procedures for learning and control. The study contributes to both theory and practice related to technology-enabled evaluation of welfare services, and critical perspectives on information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people in Colombia present high rates of mental health problems, to which the country’s history of armed internal conflict contributes in complex ways. Mental health services in Colombia are fragmented, inadequate, and difficult to access for many. Young people’s help)seeking is often hindered by mental health stigma and/or poor experiences with services. This paper presents a thematic analysis of qualitative data from a mixed-methods study aimed at developing and testing a mental health intervention for Colombian youths. We draw upon theoretical lenses from scholarly work on stigma and Sen’s ‘capabilities approach’ to inform our analysis of interviews and group discussions with staff and young people involved in the state-funded human capital building programme ‘Jovenes en Acción’ (JeA). By illustrating how study participants talked about stigma, vulnerability, mental health services organisation, and the challenges of discussing mental health topics in a learning environment, we illuminate aspects of mental health support and anti-stigma interventions that might need enhancing. In particular, we suggest that more emphasis on ‘community competencies’ as complementary to and interrelated with individual competencies would strengthen young people’s individual and collective resources for mental wellbeing while being in line with the sociocritical principles of existing human capital-enhancing programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing scholarly attention has been paid to the reproductive injustices experienced by Indigenous women. However, the breastfeeding experiences of Indigenous women have infrequently been explored. This study uses a qualitative description research approach to explore the breastfeeding experiences of Indigenous women members of a non-federally recognized tribe in the Gulf South. Key themes included: 1) Shifting generational practices; 2) Lack of institutional resources; 3) Inadequate support from healthcare providers; and 4) Institutional and community supports for breastfeeding. These findings highlight the need for increased institutional and community support, and breastfeeding education, so that Indigenous women can reach their breastfeeding goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults' engagement in age-friendly community (AFC) initiatives is considered an essential element of community transformation. However, research on older adults' experiences of engaging in AFC initiatives remains nascent. Based on qualitative interviews with 23 older adult participants from 15 AFC initiatives across four states in the United States (U.S.), our reflexive thematic analysisidentified three themes regarding what participants value from their engagement: (a) social contribution; (b) social connectedness and integration; and (c) staying active and personal growth. Exploring older adults' interest in contributing to, connecting with, and growing in their community can inform recruitment and retention in AFC initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work is a practice-based profession with social justice as a core value and ethical principle. Social work programs incorporate social justice into both the explicit and implicit curricula. However, there has been a longstanding divide in how to address social justice at systemic levels while fostering socially just and competent practice. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine how MSW students describe their learning about social justice and social work practice. To explore this area of inquiry, we conducted three focus groups (N = 16) with current MSW students or recent MSW graduates from Canadian social work programs. Participants described the following five themes that either facilitated or created barriers in their learning about social justice and social work practice: 1) reflection on practice, 2) negotiating discomfort, uncertainty, and safety, 3) learning from lived experiences, 4) learning how to embody social justice in practice, and 5) receiving support, supervision, and coaching. We discuss the implications for social work education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospital-based chaplains provide crucial spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and staff during times of intense life changes and crises. Chaplains are regularly exposed to suffering and their work may result in personal mental and emotional health challenges. To understand chaplains' perceptions of the impact of their work and methods to cope, a secondary analysis of a mixed-methods study on chaplain well-being was undertaken. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine hospital-based chaplains and data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results revealed that participants perceive their work as offering both trials and rewards, and their efforts to cope with trials include interpersonal support, intrapersonal resources, and spiritual resilience. Personal insights into chaplains' experiences may help inform organizational interventions to support these essential members of the care team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]