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Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this paper is to assess to what extent prohibitive drug policies hamper the management of drug problems from the perspective of young people who have experience with the criminal justice systems (CJS). Qualitative, in-depth interviews were carried out in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK) following a common interview guide to obtain comparative data on the life trajectories of drug experienced youth. Altogether 198 interviews with people aged 14–25 years were collected and analysed by national teams following a common coding book. Unintended consequences of drug policies for the individual and society were identified. Individual consequences included health consequences and traumatic experiences with law enforcement. Social consequences included those affecting social relations such as stigmatisation and those impacting on institutions, for example, focusing on drug use and neglecting other problems. This paper confirmed earlier research indicating unintended consequences of prohibitive drug policies but also added to the literature its cross-national perspective and use of young people narratives as a source of analyses. There are, however, policy measures available that may reduce the volume and range of unintended effects. Their implementation is crucial to reduce the array of unintended consequences of prohibitive drug policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile applications for digital contact tracing have been developed and introduced around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed as a tool to support 'traditional' forms of contact-tracing carried out to monitor contagion, these apps have triggered an intense debate with respect to their legal and ethical permissibility, social desirability and general feasibility. Based on a large-scale study including qualitative data from 349 interviews conducted in nine European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, German-speaking Switzerland, the United Kingdom), this paper shows that the binary framing often found in surveys and polls, which contrasts privacy concerns with the usefulness of these interventions for public health, does not capture the depth, breadth, and nuances of people's positions towards COVID-19 contact-tracing apps. The paper provides a detailed account of how people arrive at certain normative positions by analysing the argumentative patterns, tropes and (moral) repertoires underpinning people's perspectives on digital contact-tracing. Specifically, we identified a spectrum comprising five normative positions towards the use of COVID-19 contact-tracing apps: opposition, scepticism of feasibility, pondered deliberation, resignation, and support. We describe these stances and analyse the diversity of assumptions and values that underlie the normative orientations of our interviewees. We conclude by arguing that policy attempts to develop and implement these and other digital responses to the pandemic should move beyond the reiteration of binary framings, and instead cater to the variety of values, concerns and expectations that citizens voice in discussions about these types of public health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is there only one type of successful entrepreneurial ecosystem? This paper applies qualitative comparative analysis to identify and analyse configurations of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems in Europe. We test two rivalling causal logics: a completeness logic stating that all entrepreneurial ecosystem elements need to be present and the weakest link is the most important constraint, and a substitutability logic arguing that elements are substitutable. High entrepreneurship outputs can be realised with different entrepreneurial ecosystem configurations. However, focusing on regions with the highest entrepreneurship outputs, our results point at the importance of a complete entrepreneurial ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International comparative planning studies is a growing field of planning research that enjoys increasing recognition. In Europe in particular, various approaches have emerged over recent decades that can be considered established in the scholarly literature. However, a closer look at the literature reveals some weaknesses, particularly against the background of the methodological quality criteria of social science comparative research. For example, explanatory comparisons are rare in comparative planning studies. Often, case study research designs are chosen, while large N studies and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) are still rarely used. This paper summarises these weaknesses and points out avenues for further development. English title: How can we best compare different planning systems? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to understand the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemics on older people's lives. However, conducting qualitative research is challenging, because of the shortage of guidelines and methodological research on how to recruit and interview participants during biological disasters, such as pandemics. This paper documents the procedures we adopted to recruit and interview 40 older people living in a rural area of Northern Italy that was subject to the first full lockdown in Europe. Despite the challenges arising when qualitatively researching the old age population in pandemic times, our study has shown that it is feasible to recruit and interview older people remotely. Specifically, community engagement and tailoring video-interviews according to older people's needs and ICT skills are the key aspects to consider when designing these types of studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of serious games to improve collaborative skill transfer and retention has received considerable attention from scholars, web marketing practitioners and business consultants. Team rankings and learning progress in game learning analytics, however, have yet to be empirically examined. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to study the performance of competing teams in a web marketing serious game (Simbound), we highlight a combination of causal conditions (engagement, reach and profitability) affecting team rankings. This paper proposes a conceptual architecture of the forces that influence learning progress within a collaborative learning environment. This learning environment is studied for web marketing boot camps powered by Simbound at three European universities: Grenoble Alpes University (France), University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy) and Dunarea de Jos University of Galati (Romania). Gaining knowledge of cases through game learning analytics is valuable for two reasons: It emphasises the instructor’s role in mobilising players’ engagement, and it tests variability across cases, offering precursors of team performance rankings. This approach to collective skill retention highlights the moderating factors of team performance rankings, whilst purposely calibrating a gameable learning environment. This paper enriches our knowledge of how active experimentation in learning analytics metrics can develop skills for real business competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study deals with the first empirical study on a performance typology of social enterprises (SEs). Based upon a sample of 61 Greek SEs, the empirical findings outline how the group of 'Impact Maximisers' (43 SEs) performs better than the group of 'Social Missionaries' (18 SEs). This paper goes beyond the evident focus on qualitative research and practice within the social entrepreneurship field. By discussing how different dimensions shed light on the performance potential of SEs in a European country, where they grow exponentially, this study serves as a bellwether for performance comparisons across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on research undertaken as part of the EU funded EPPIC project, this paper aims to update and elaborate on the relationship between drug use and offending behaviours by exploring variations within a cross-national sample of drug-experienced young people in touch with criminal justice systems. Adopting a trajectory-based approach, interviews were undertaken with 198 young people aged 15–25 in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and UK). Data were analysed by applying the Bennett and Holloway categorization of the drugs-crime link, with a focus on the concept of social exclusion as developed by Seddon. Three main types of mechanisms (economic, pharmaceutical, and lifestyles) are used to interpret the data, showing how the relationship between drugs and offending can vary according to type of substances and over time. Furthermore, it can be associated with very different degrees of social exclusion and needs. The results suggest that while economic inequalities still play key roles in explaining drug use and offending, both behaviours can originate from a state of relative deprivation, resulting from the contradictions inherent in 'bulimic societies' that raise aspirations and desires while providing young people scarce opportunities for self-realisation and social recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite sustained efforts to promote engineering careers to young women, it remains the most male-dominated academic discipline in Europe. This paper will provide an overview of UK data and research on women in engineering higher education, within the context of Europe. Comparisons between data from European countries representing various regions of Europe will highlight key differences and similarities between these nations in terms of women in engineering. Also, drawing on qualitative research the paper will explore UK students’ experiences of gender, with a particular focus on the decision to study engineering and their experiences in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social work profession in Albania is relatively young and social services in the country continue to develop. But over the past three decades, Albania has experienced significant growth and transformation in its social work education programmes. Nevertheless, there is very little published work on the Albanian social work education system and its implementation on the ground. Currently, the main sources of social work graduates are three Schools of Social Work in Tirana, Shkodra, and Elbasan. Programmes at the bachelor's and master's level all incorporate policy, research, and practice education. The social work curriculum, originally transplanted from the United States, has gone through reforms following the Bologna process and continues to be revised to meet local needs. Drawing from a multi-country study of the social service workforce in southeast Europe, this paper presents baseline data on social work education in Albania. 62 participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews, case stories, and focus group discussions with consensus-building exercises. The findings highlight both the opportunities and challenges of this relatively young profession in Albania. Besides increasing understandings of social work education in Albania, this research adds to emerging regional and global themes in the development of social work education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale research projects, conducted in a cross-European context, are increasingly attractive to educational researchers and policy-makers. However, this form of comparative research across cultures brings problems concerning the standardization of data collection and analysis, particularly where ethnographic research is concerned, as it prioritizes a full range of qualitative research strategies. This paper outlines the use of a universal model and the approaches recently taken by two research teams and contrasts these with another recent nine-partner comparative European study that used ethnographic methods. We then describe the analytical procedures used in the project, which encouraged participant observation and individual researcher interpretation in order to generate grounded accounts and outline how they were culturally sensitive and meaningful to research teams who used varied analytical approaches. However, this raised difficult issues for the 'final' analysis and the production of a loosely coupled research report. Our pragmatic solution was a process of 'qualitative synthesis' whereby individual partner reports were collated by the Project Director and treated as data and a grounded theory approach was applied to generate tentative theory in respect of creative learning. The paper concludes by arguing that data generated by a loosely coupled approach to qualitative comparative research which uses a wide range of data collection methods can be effectively analysed with a qualitative synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: There is a growing consensus worldwide that palliative care needs to be both more inclusive of conditions other than cancer and to improve. This paper explores some common challenges currently faced by professionals providing palliative care for patients with either cancer or dementia across five countries. Method: One focus group (n = 7) and 67 interviews were conducted in 2012 across five countries: England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, with professionals from dementia, cancer and palliative care settings. Results: The interviews revealed five common challenges faced across the five countries: communication difficulties (between services; and between professionals, and patients and their families); the variable extent of structural/functional integration of services; the difficulties in funding of palliative care services; problematic processes of care (boundaries, definitions, knowledge, skills and inclusiveness) and, finally, time constraints. Conclusion: These are not problems distinct to palliative care, but they may have different origins and explanations compared to other areas of health care. This paper explored deeper themes hidden behind a discourse about barriers and facilitators to improving care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the capital structure and the choice of financing alternatives across a broad sample of Central and Eastern European companies. Our investigation is built on two methods: the first concentrates on capital structure decisions through quantitative information applying panel regression for the period 2005-2008 to allow a closer look at the strength of the pecking order and static tradeoff theories; and the second extends the analysis with a qualitative questionnaire on the explicit and latent preferences behind financing policy. The same set of randomly selected 498 firms that fairly represent size classes and countries by the weight of their economic performance are investigated. The CFOs' answers reflect a pecking order driven behavior, with a limited role for the target leverage ratio; this is confirmed by the estimated coefficients of the panel regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a qualitative investigation on user reactions, opinions, and sentiments about a TV-based technological solution developed within the EasyReach Project of the EU Ambient Assisted Living Joint Program to promote social interaction of less educated elderly people, that is, those individuals who, because of poor scholarization, low income, and, possibly, linguistic barriers, still find it difficult to use computers in order to improve their socialization. Experimental data were collected by extensive trials involving 40 real-end users. A methodology called “scenario engagement” was applied to get participants engaged in a live demonstration with the mediation of a facilitator who assisted elderly people to interact with the system. Results point out that the system can be effectively employed to foster social interaction, particularly when it is introduced in a collective use environment (e.g., Senior Center). Although the focus of the investigation was on information and communication technology-enabled social environments, the end users themselves strongly suggested to include in future system releases extra functions considered as essential opportunities for their potential digital lives: that is, medical or health services and bridges toward public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Growing demand for Global Health (GH) training and the internationalisation of education requires innovative approaches to training. Blended learning (BL, a form of e-learning combining face-to-face or real-time interaction with computer-assisted learning) is a promising approach for increasing GH research capacity in low- to middle-income countries. Implementing BL, however, requires additional skills and efforts from lecturers. This paper explores lecturers' views and experiences of delivering BL courses within the context of two north-south collaborative research capacity building projects, ARCADE HSSR and ARCADE RSDH. Design: We used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences and perceptions of 11 lecturers involved in designing and delivering BL courses collaboratively across university campuses in four countries (South Africa, Uganda, India and Sweden). Data were collected using interviews in person or via Skype. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used. Results: Participants reported that they felt BL increased access to learning opportunities and made training more flexible and convenient for adult learners, which were major motivations to engage in BL. However, despite eagerness to implement and experiment with BL courses, they lacked capacity and support, and found the task time consuming. They needed to make compromises between course objectives and available technological tools, in the context of poor Internet infrastructure. Conclusions: BL courses have the potential to build bridges between low- and middle-income contexts and between lecturers and students to meet the demand for GH training. Lecturers were very motivated to try these approaches but encountered obstacles in implementing BL courses. Considerable investments are needed to implement BL and support lecturers in delivering courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates that the accessibility market is not homogenous, but it entails different sub-segments with distinct needs and requirements. Ultimately each person is unique in his/her abilities and preferences and this is more evident in this market. Secondary research revealed the size of the accessibility market in Europe to be 127 million people. Extensive qualitative research through 16 focus groups has demonstrated that the main requirements of these segments focus on three interlinked elements, namely accessible built environment, information regarding accessibility and accessible information online. Traditional segmentation contradicts the central concept of participation, as directed by the social model of disability, and it entails assumptions regarding the requirements of the market segments. Information communication technologies (ICTs) can assist destinations to effectively address the particular requirements of these market segments through the use of profiling and personalisation features, which will allow users themselves to specify their requirements. Through the use of ICTs, users are enabled to declare their needs and requirements. Destinations can then offer suitable products and services according to the particular needs of each traveller, encourage participation, congruent with the social model of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to make a contribution to the empirical study of the development of European citizenship at grass roots level, through the analysis of political participation of non-French EU citizens resident in France (NFEUCRIFs) at local elections in 2001 and 2008 in France. Official statistics show that whilst there has been a considerable increase in 2008 both in terms of voter registration and election to municipal councils compared with 2001, these figures still represent only a tiny proportion of the total number of voters and elected candidates. Nevertheless, France remains a fruitful site for further qualitative analysis of how these 'pioneers' of European citizenship may (or may not) be contributing to the building of some kind of 'Eurodemocracy' at grass-roots level, and whether or not any links between municipal politics and the wider European framework can be meaningfully established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an economic analysis of innovation strategies used in the pharmaceutical industry. It explores the relation- ship between the size of the firm and its capacity to innovate, because it is generally agreed that innovation is proportional to the size of the firm. However, biotech firms, which are generally small companies, have a number of advantages in terms of research and development. Though these firms are more innovative than large groups, they also need a huge amount of investment because the time from discovery of a molecule to the marketing of a new medicine is very long (10 to 15 years). We will show from a number of examples that different innovation strategies have developed. The aim of these strategies is to consolidate and combine the advantages big Pharma with those of small biotech firms. The first strategies were market-driven and in the form of R&D partnerships between big Pharma and biotech firms. The second came about as a result of industrial policy. From the case of France to Europe as a whole, we will explain network strategies and the creation of bio-clusters, and the policies that lay behind them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work with groups is an integral part of practice within the profession of social work. It is therefore important to ask why this is the case, as there is a tendency for only a small number of social workers decide to lead groups. In this research, we hoped to understand what motivates and discourages social workers from leading groups. The analysis of the research data revealed that this method of social work is evolving in the NGO sector, which often gets involved in solving ignored social issues, and, what is more, these organizations are characterized by flexibility and partnership. The article presents the results of qualitative research aimed at understanding how the group work method is applied by social workers working in the child welfare system of NGOs in Lithuania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child sexual abuse (CSA) impacts individuals and communities in numerous ways, including their faith. This study's aim was to learn from individuals who have an interest and/or expertise in spirituality and CSA about how various groups can support those impacted by CSA. The participants (n = 76) took part in a symposium focused on this topic and responded to an online survey with open-ended questions. Three themes emerged: negative impacts, direct response, and institutional changes. Using these responses, a model for Spiritually Informed Care is described, and implications for practice for those who work with those who have been impacted by CSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving rigour is one of the key challenges in qualitative research. Despite a significant amount of triangulation efforts in regards to data, methods, researcher and theory, actual coding aspects do not get the same level of analytical attention. This 'technical' triangulation can be improved and made more transparent by incorporating methodology of other disciplines, like legal science. Within the traditional 'black-letter' research, at least in continental Europe, the application of canons, especially the 'Savigny Canons', has a proven track record of structuring legal interpretation. Such interpretation from a technical perspective shares quite a few similarities with interpretation in qualitative research. Hence, it is proposed to also apply them in qualitative research in tourism, given the interdisciplinary nature of tourism as a field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the experienced barriers of care for treatment-seeking trans individuals (TSTG) in three large European clinics. Methods: An online follow-up questionnaire was filled out by 307 TSTG individuals as part of the research protocol of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI). Data was collected during follow-up in 2017/2018, around 5 years after participants had their initial clinical appointments in Ghent (Belgium), Amsterdam (the Netherlands), or Hamburg (Germany). Background characteristics, country, treatment characteristics and mental health were analyzed in relation to experienced barriers of care (EBOC, measured though agreement with statements). Results: The majority of participants reported various EBOC, oftentimes more than one. The most-frequently reported EBOCs pertained to the lack of family and friends' support (28.7%, n = 88) and travel time and costs (27.7%, n = 85), whereas around one-fifth felt hindered by treatment protocols. Also, a significant share expressed the feeling that they had to convince their provider they needed care and/or express their wish in such way to increase their likelihood of receiving care. A higher number of EBOCs reported was associated with more mental health problems, lower income and female gender. Conclusions: A substantial number of TSTG individuals within three European health care systems experiences EBOCs. EBOCs relate to both personal and systemic characteristics. These findings can help health care providers and centers to improve care. More research must be done to better understand the diversity among TSTG individuals and the corresponding barriers experienced. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2021.1964409 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advocacy is one of the core functions of public health and is a key tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Public health associations play a key role in advocating for the development and implementation of strategies to prevent diseases and promote health and well-being. This study aims to map out the focus of public health advocacy carried out by selected national public health associations over 4 years, between 2018 and 2021, in order to identify gaps and strengths and support associations and professionals in their advocacy efforts. Twelve national public health associations participated in the study. Official policy documents produced between 2018 and 2021 were collected and analysed. The title and summary of the policy documents were examined line by line and coded into the main subject categories and themes. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted. Policies were assessed from global and regional perspectives. A total of 220 policy documents were analysed. Overall, the largest number of policy documents came from high-income countries and dealt with environmental health and communicable diseases, including COVID-19, with, however, important differences among regions. In the African region, public health advocacy focused mainly on strengthening health systems; Europe and South America were mostly concerned with communicable diseases and pandemic management; and North America and the Western Pacific regions focused primarily on climate change. Limited attention was paid to international health and health as a human right in all regions. Our study showed that, especially in high-income countries, public health associations actively engage in advocacy; however, more effort needs to be devoted to implementing a more international and intersectoral approach at the global level, anchored in health as a human right and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explored the experiences of transracial Korean adoptee returnees who were born in Korea, separated from their biological families, raised in the United States and three European countries by White families, and given an Anglicized or Germanic name at the time of their adoption. This study focused on participants' journeys of reclaiming their Korean birth names and the various influences that factored into this decision. Data were collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews (in-person or via Skype) and coded using grounded-theory methods that integrated a constructivist-interpretivist and critical epistemological paradigm. Participants (N = 12) were transracial Korean adoptees with ages ranging from 22 to 42 years (M = 32.67 years) who were between 0 and 88 months (M = 22.33 months) at the time of adoption, all of whom had returned to Korea. Results from the interviews revealed 11 axial categories and 2 overarching selective categories related to the name reclamation process: (a) name reclamation was part of a larger identity development process; (b) factors that prevented or slowed the name reclamation process. Limitations and future areas of research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant health workers fill care gaps in their destination countries, but they also actively engage in improving living conditions for people of their countries of origin through expatriate professional networks. This paper aims to explore the professional links that migrant health workers from sub-Saharan African countries living in five African and European destinations (Botswana, South Africa, Belgium, Austria, and the United Kingdom) have to their countries of origin. Qualitative interviews were conducted with migrant doctors, nurses, and midwives from sub-Saharan Africa (N=66). A qualitative content analysis of the material was performed using the software ATLAS.ti. Almost all migrant health workers have professional ties with their countries of origin supporting health, education, and social structures. They work with non-governmental organizations, universities, or hospitals and travel back and forth between their destination country and country of origin. For a few respondents, professional engagement or even maintaining private contacts in their country of origin is difficult due to the political situation at home. The results show that African migrant health workers are actively engaged in improving living conditions not only for their family members but also for the population in general in their countries of origin. Our respondents are mediators and active networkers in a globalized and transnationally connected world. The research suggests that the governments of these countries of origin could strategically use their migrant health workforce for improving education and population health in sub-Saharan Africa. Destination countries should be reminded of their need to comply with the WHO Global Code of Practice for the international recruitment of health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The involvement of social workers in policy-making processes is grounded in a professional requirement for promoting social justice, however, it is inherently a political activity related to the socio-political context in which it occurs. What does this political involvement mean when it comes to minority social workers in multicultural societies, who are expected to act as policy actors in policy arenas designed by the majority group in society? This article is based on the assumption that minority social workers, whose number is on the rise in various European countries, need opportunities and motivations in a socio-political context in order to act as policy actors in cross-cultural political situations. Using insights from the literature on the political participation of ethnic minorities and knowledge in the field of public policy, we present a theoretical Minority Policy Practice model (MPP) to examine different factors that may affect the involvement of minority social workers in policy practice. These new theoretical understandings are expected to serve as a basis for advancing training programmes and designing policy procedures to increase the involvement of minority social workers as policy actors in multicultural countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite norms and regulations on accessibility, people with disabilities continue to face many problems in the built environment and it happens, in particular, in historic places and buildings. These, so numerous in Italian and European old cities, are not accessed only as tourist and/or cultural attractions but they are often accessed as public places, workspaces and study places in which accessibility should be ensured. This article is based on a qualitative research carried out in Trento, an old Italian city, in which people with disabilities and representatives of public and private organisations working in the area of urban or building construction and maintenance were interviewed. The findings show, in particular, that norms and regulations on conservation often prevail on those on accessibility, even when they could coexist and, at the same time, improve universal accessibility in historical built environments. In Italy, Europe and elsewhere, standards should be applied to ensure equal rights to people with disabilities in all aspects of life, including access to the built environment. Local, national and international governments and institutions assign great importance to the conservation of historic city centres and buildings. This study found that there is only a partial - and often inconsistent - implementation of the laws on accessibility in historic built environments, as priority is given to the protection of such environments. Precedence given to the conservation of historic built environments causes many accessibility issues, thus limiting the possibility of people with disabilities to move around independently and carry out everyday life activities. The study suggests that art-historical values and accessibility can go hand in hand, in particular if people with disabilities are included in decision-making processes and can have their say through participatory planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence the perceived stigma of two assistive devices for visual impairment, namely the white cane and smart glasses. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with eight European students were conducted to probe their experiences and knowledge related to disability, assistive technology, visual impairment, as well as handheld and wearable devices. Close relationships with disabled people seems to have a positive influence on participants perceptions about stigma, disability, and assistive technology. Academic background seems to not have any influence. The aesthetics of assistive devices was observed as an important factor that influences the adoption or abandonment of the device. Device without negative symbolism but with modern aesthetics (smart glasses) were positively accepted by the participants than the device with traditional aesthetics and symbolisms of visual impairment (white cane). Designers should, therefore, consider aesthetics in addition to functionality in order to avoid the perceived stigma, thereby reducing the chances of device abandonment. Understanding the factors that influence the perceived stigma associated with assistive technology can help designers and developers to reduce assistive technology abandonment and perceived stigma. Designers need to consider both functionality and aesthetics. While functionality is crucial for the users' adaptation, aesthetics is important for the users' positive perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Dealing with work related stress is a declared priority of European Union mental health policy. A particularly under-researched sector in this regard is the community vocational support sector for people with mental health and intellectual disability problems. Aims. To report on the organisational profile of the vocational support and rehabilitation sector forpeople with mental health and intellectual disabilities as this relates to occupational stress, in five European countries (Austria, Ireland, Italy, Romania and UK). Methods. A sector profile questionnaire was distributed to representative organisations in five countries and a short face-to-face survey was conducted with 25 local managers (five from each country) to draw up a profile and facilitate a comparative description and analysis. Results. It was found that there is no national and European data collected at any level in this sector upon which to base effective policy interventions to combat occupational stress specific to professionals working in this sector. Results indicate that the sector in a number of the countries sampled does not have effective mechanisms in place to deal with occupational stress. Conclusion. Developing effective transnational occupational stress management policy that supports staff working in this sector and measuring its success is greatly impaired by a failure to effectively define the purpose of the sector and collect and collate national data to support it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines some of the conceptual and definitional constraints associated with the use of statistical data on international migration in Europe. It explores the research potential of using large-scale international datasets in qualitative research, with particular reference to migration data in cross-national social research. The approach suggested is to identify specific reference data subsets with the aid of detailed documentation and metadata, and to use carefully selected migration data as indicators in the analysis of global economic, political and social structures, and social processes. Drawing on knowledge of Eurostat's database on international migration, examples are presented in which recognition of the data problems can help the user to identify subsets that aid qualitative research on migration related topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the systematic literature review process is extensive, but a justified explanation of how a narrative literature review process progresses remains absent from the existing literature. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding about the narrative literature review process. By building on process theory and the literature on systematic literature reviews and by empirically examining the literature review processes for bachelor's theses in a European business school, we reveal that a narrative literature process is iterative, non-structured and multi-layered; contains several cumulative written outcomes; and is embedded in a social context wherein various official and non-official actors guide and support the beginning researcher. This study is a fresh attempt to explain the progress of a literature review process with help of process theory, thereby offering novel insights into the research on literature reviews in general and on narrative literature reviews across various fields of human sciences specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article aims to map the research trends on the processes of students' transition to higher education in the European context. For this, a review of literature was carried out, aiming to understand how the processes of transition to higher education in Europe are being studied. The qualitative analysis of these references allowed us to understand how the research relates to the social and political situations in the contexts in which it occurs, and it was possible to identify relationships between research perspectives and the challenges of educational contexts over time. From this premise, there are also differences found between studies of the European context, in general, and those that are specific to the Portuguese context. While in the European context an educational perspective on the transition is highlighted, in the Portuguese context, a more psychological or individual perspective was found, with a greater focus on the student and his/her characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low-risk drinking guidelines across Europe portray a wide variation. We turned to European experts to identify areas of agreement and disagreement on questions relevant to forming and communicating low-risk guidelines: need and purpose of guidelines, criterion for low risk, desired components and stratification, views over evidence base and communication aspects. Methods: A policy Delphi survey carried out in two rounds in 2015 with public health and addiction experts (n = 51), using the web-based eDelfoi survey tool. Both closed and open-ended questions were used and free-format comments were invited. Frequency counts are presented, and textual answers and comments were subjected to qualitative content analysis. In the second round, key questions were repeated, and new questions, formulated based first-round comments, were presented. Results: The experts considered as the main rationale for drinking guidelines the public’s right to be informed about risks of drinking. Separate guidelines were called for regarding longer term average consumption and drinking on single occasions, and at-risk groups and high-risk situations were identified that require special attention. Scepticism arose from the complexity of alcohol-related risks and, in particular, from the need to differentiate the advice for various subgroups. Conclusions: The Delphi survey provided insight into aspects of forming low-risk drinking guidelines that go beyond the epidemiology and will potentially help towards more aligned messages in future guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No psychological research has been done investigating the experiences of adoption by sexual minorities living in Europe. This qualitative study is the first cross-national research within the European context giving the floor to LG (lesbian and gay) adoptive parents in order to explore the main challenges they encountered in the transition to adoptive parenthood. Sixty-two LG adoptive parents (16 lesbians and 46 gay men) living in Belgium (n = 14), France (n = 26), and Spain (n = 22) participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to gather information about two key steps in the adoptive path: the decision making and the adoption process itself. Results revealed that while choosing to adopt, LG adoptive parents experienced numerous self-doubts and emotional conflicts driven by introjected heteronormative assumptions about family. During the adoption procedure, they were confronted with a large number of challenges and legal roadblocks connected to their sexual minority status. Exploring the experience of the first generation of LG adoptive parents in Europe provides insight into the great impact that the sociolegal context has on their lives. Findings suggest the necessity of promoting practice geared not only to fight discrimination but also to provide better support to LG people throughout the adoption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses fuzzy set qualitative methods, with Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2014 data, to show differences in the entrepreneurial determinants between European developed countries and non-European developing countries. We first estimate baseline regression models and then develop fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to study the necessary and sufficient conditions of entrepreneurial activity. Results indicate that, while in Europe, the key determinants are education and technological equity; individuals in developing and nondeveloped countries tend to be, or become, entrepreneurs independently of the macroeconomic background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Immigrant men who have sex with men (MSM) are vulnerable to HIV. In the last decade, several rapid HIV-testing facilities targeting MSM have been established around the world and seem popular among immigrants. This study analyzes factors contributing to immigrant MSM's use of Actuel sur Rue (AsR), a community-based rapid HIV-testing site in Montreal's gay village, where 31% of clients are immigrants. From October 2013 to January 2014, AsR staff compiled a list of new clients born outside of Canada. With their consent, 40 immigrant MSM were reached among these new clients for a 15-minute phone survey entailing open-ended and multiple-choice questions. The survey sought immigrant MSM's reasons for visiting AsR; satisfaction with service and staff; and open comments. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted with the qualitative data, and descriptive statistics were produced with the quantitative data. The qualitative findings indicate that the main reasons for seeking an HIV test were a recent risk, routine testing, or being in a new relationship. Clients chose AsR mainly because it is easily accessible, service is fast or they heard about it from a friend. The quantitative findings indicate that rates of satisfaction were high (over 90% were satisfied about all aspects except for openings hours) and more than 80% felt comfortable while receiving services at AsR. Nevertheless, this study's findings have implications for improving services. They stress the importance of offering rapid yet comprehensive service and of taking into account immigrant MSM's concerns for confidentiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Press items ( N = 1327) about addiction related problems were collected from politically independent daily newspapers in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland from 1991, 1998, and 2011. A synchronized qualitative coding was performed for discerning the descriptions of the genesis to the problems in terms of described causes to and reasons for why they occur. Environmental explanations were by far the most common and they varied most between the materials. The analysis documents how the portrayals include traces of their contextual origin, relating to different media tasks and welfare cultural traditions. Meaning-based differences were also assigned to the kind of problems that held the most salience in the press reporting. A general worry over societal change is tied into the explanations of accumulating addiction problems and underpins the press reporting in all countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The study compares young adults' cultural understandings of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its connections with alcohol use and gender roles. Data and analyses: Comparative focus group interview data were collected in seven countries (Argentina, Finland, Italy, Nigeria, Uganda, Uruguay, Sri Lanka). Similar lists of codes and coding procedures were used in analyzing the data in all countries. Findings: According to the dominant image of IPV, the perpetrator is a man and the victim is a woman. Many discussions dealt with the gender-specific legitimation of IPV, and the groups from different countries expressed somewhat different views on the gender differences, the moral responsibility of both parties and the mitigating factors of violent behaviour in these discussions. Views on alcohol as a contributing factor for IPV were more similar in all cultures. According to most of the groups, intoxication offers a culturally acceptable excuse to escape responsibility, alcohol's pharmacological effects make violent behaviour more likely, heavy drinking can affect the relationship in a negative way, and the victim's drinking increases the risk of violence. Alcohol was said to have a somewhat different role in situational and in continuous IPV. Conclusions: Results give support to reduction of heavy use of alcohol as an available and feasible method of prevention of IPV. However, prevention of IPV requires paying attention to its other reasons as well, especially the structural gender inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Building on an earlier quantitative study which found that gay/ bisexual men from Central and Eastern Europe were at greater risk of sexual ill health following migration to the UK, the aim of this qualitative study is to explore how the process of migration itself may have influenced the migrants' sexual behaviour and attitudes. Methods. To address these questions, we conducted 17 in-depth interviews in London with gay/bisexual male migrants from Central and Eastern Europe, drawing on Fisher and Fisher's Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model as an interpretive framework. Results. We find that the sexual behaviours of our respondents have been significantly influenced by the process of migration itself. In particular, extricating themselves from the traditional systems of social control in their home societies and having greater access to gay venues in London resulted in their increased sexual activity, particularly in the first phase of migration. High-risk sexual behaviour was found to be a factor of sexual mixing, the use of commercial sex and perceptions of risk in the UK vis-á-vis Central and Eastern Europe, with each of these factors also influenced by the process of migration. Risk-prevention behaviour depended upon the possession of appropriate risk-prevention informa-tion, motivation to use condoms and appropriate behavioural skills, with the latter two factors in particular influenced by social mores in the home country and the UK. Conclusions. The interviews suggested a number of migration-related factors that increased the STI and HIV risk for these migrants. A number of potentially important policy recommendations stem from our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to present the results of an international study on outreach approaches in the private domain in social work with a focus on moral dilemmas. The reason to start the study was to investigate if a trend in Dutch social work toward outreach approaches can be recognized in other European countries and what can be learned from other outreach practices. First, a definition of outreach approaches in the private domain was discussed. Next, data were collected by interviews with social workers in four different countries, executed by social work students and researchers. Although no evidence was found that outreach approaches in other countries than the Netherlands are increasing, many similarities were found in social workers' interpretation of their outreach work. All the interviewees emphasized that outreach approaches are intended for excluded people who are at risk or a risk and who are not in contact with social services. All workers stress the importance of gaining trust and staying in touch. A dilemma is that workers often find themselves between two fires. They tend to give priority to the relation with the client and accept that this can contradict rules of organizations or society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration of soccer players has increased in recent years. In this study, we examined the experiences of elite young soccer players as they engaged in a migratory transition from their home country to an English Premier League (EPL) club. Five young players, who made the migratory transition between the ages of 16 and 24, were interviewed. Data were analysed using the principles of content analysis. Verbatim text was then aligned to the emergent themes. Results indicate that young migratory players face the initial frenzy that is associated with an approach from an EPL club before going through a “decision” phase, followed by a period of “migration” and “acculturation” before establishing (or not) their “home from home”. The challenges of leaving home and family while trying to establish themselves as a professional player in an environment that (still) appears to be beset with (traditional) English soccer culture (i.e. high tempo, ruthless, macho, and aggressive) are recounted. While the player's family was a significant source of social support, there is still a need for qualified personnel (e.g. sports psychologists) and/or appropriately trained international recruitment staff and football agents (i.e. in areas of social, psychological, and/or performance lifestyle) to support young players through their migratory transition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The focus of this article is the process of doing memory-work research. We tell the story of our experience of what it was like to use this approach. We were enthused to work collectively on a “discovery” project to explore a method with which we were unfamiliar. We hoped to build working relationships based on mutual respect and the desire to focus on methodology and its place in our psychological understanding. The empirical activities highlighted methodological and experiential challenges, which tested our adherence to the social constructionist premise of Haug's original description of memory work. Combined with practical difficulties of living across Europe, writing and analyzing the memories became contentious. We found ourselves having to address a number of tensions emanating from the work and our approach to it. We discuss some of these tensions alongside examples that illustrate the research process and the ways we negotiated the collective nature of the memory-work approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we examine generalised helping and specifically the importance people attach to helping other people, the extent to which they help in practice and their perceptions of how much people living locally help each other. We consider the extent to which the value of help is associated with other civic engagement activities such as, for example, volunteering, signing a petition and contacting a politician. Our findings suggest that the importance people attach to helping others and the extent to which they help in practice (in terms of helping with or attending activities in their local area) varies considerably across Europe. People are more likely to see helping other people as important than actually help in practice. However, helping in practice is more strongly associated than helping as a value, with other civic engagement activities. It seems that the value of help is detached from what people do in their everyday lives. Both the value of help and helping in practice are associated with the extent to which people in their local area are perceived to help each other. Our findings concerning generalised helping have important implications for the understanding of civic society and the contribution citizens can make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explored the experiences of three football goalkeepers coping with negative media coverage. Goalkeeping is a hard position to play as you become scrutinized from all angles, and keepers are often blamed for losses by the media. The study of the media as a stressor is a relatively unexplored field. In this investigation, we chose qualitative semi-structured interviews as an explorative method. The respondents who were interviewed came from three different teams in a European Premier Division. Results revealed that the coping strategies used by the three goalkeepers may be organized into three major categories; social support, avoidance and problem-focused coping. The evaluation of the coach meant more than the game reports printed in the press. To cope with the perceived negative content in the media, the goalkeepers avoided buying, reading or watching news reports, or giving interviews on match day. With experience, the goalkeepers reported getting better in focusing on the task and the next move, and did not worry as much about the match reports. Experience seemed to be crucial for this specialist position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The REDCo project addressed the question of how study of religions and values in schools could contribute to either dialogue or tension in Europe. Researchers in the humanities and social sciences co-operated in order to gain better insight into how European citizens of different religious, cultural and political backgrounds could enter into dialogue which respected freedom of religion or belief. Empirical studies, targeting students in the 14- to 16-year age group, included a dual perspective of, on the one hand, the subjects' own perspectives and, on the other hand, analyses of examples of observed teaching. The project was funded by the European Commission for the period from March 2006 to March 2009 and was co-ordinated by the University of Hamburg. Eight European countries (Estonia, Russia, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France, England and Spain) participated. This contribution, by the project co-ordinator, provides an overview of the project and presents a personal evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscarriage, a common event in the early stages of pregnancy, has been associated with clinical levels of anxiety and depression. Most of the evidence describing what is helpful for women in their journey through miscarriage has been conducted in the UK. As the Australian health care system is somewhat different, this study uses qualitative methods to examine whether Australian women face different challenges when coping with miscarriage. Semi-structured interviews with 9 women (aged 35-42; M=37 years), who had experienced miscarriages in the previous 2 years, were conducted, and a thematic analysis carried out. Engagement, acknowledgement and support from families, health care providers and the community were positive aspects for women after miscarriage. Unfortunately, the medical management of miscarriage was often described as poor. A lack of information received, in combination with insensitive comments and lack of empathy while being treated in hospital, were very negative aspects of women's miscarriage experiences. Our findings are consistent with similar research conducted in the UK. A multi-level approach to miscarriage which involves support and education for women, their families, and health care professionals may help minimise the extent of women's distress after miscarriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]