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A longitudinal qualitative study of undergraduate women nursing students demonstrated the profound and pervasive influence of the heterosexual intimate relationship on their university engagement and achievement. Hitherto, the importance of women's private lives have been underappreciated in the arenas of student equity and retention. The study showed that traditional ideas of gender held within the intimate relationship were highly detrimental to student autonomy and capacity to engage, and that the university's organisation and delivery of the curriculum exacerbated the situation. Participants made personal sacrifices, which, while enabling continuation of their studies, were deleterious to academic achievement and wellbeing. For eight women, this involved separation from their partners. These results have generic implications given the renewed focus on gender equity in higher education. They have specific implications for nurse education, given the rising numbers of mature-age women nurse students, and predicted nursing workforce shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues the insufficiency of the traditional application of cultural, social and economic capital in conceptualising the non-traditional student experience. Built on the thematic analysis of 52 in-depth interviews with 28 mature-age women nursing undergraduates with family responsibilities in Australia, an alternative, expanded model of capital is proposed. The qualitative study, underpinned by Gadamer's Hermeneutic Philosophy, revealed multiple threats and enablers to progression throughout the degree. Dimensions of capital previously unacknowledged in the nursing literature were necessary to fully conceptualise these rich and complex findings, including important student strengths. These dimensions: aspirational, navigational, resistant, familial and experiential capital, compensated when traditional dimensions were lacking, or incongruent with university expectations. This longitudinal study further revealed how the availability and importance of capital altered with the changing curriculum and participants' personal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues for an expansion of the idea of the first-in-family student to include the student whose spouse or partner has not been to university. Between 2015 and 2016, a qualitative longitudinal study, guided by Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy, was undertaken. Twenty-nine undergraduate women nursing students who began university in a heterosexual intimate relationship participated. All 29 were interviewed in their fourth semester of their degree (or part-time equivalent), and 23 of these 29 completed a second interview in their last semester. Thematic analysis of the resultant 52 interviews revealed the participants who were the first person in their intimate relationship to go to university faced a series of difficulties associated with this relationship. The partners of these women were less willing to share in the university journey and offered little emotional support. Participants experienced personal growth and widened worldviews during their degree, and developed a more liberal stance on gender roles within the relationship. The women's changing perspectives and their partners' ongoing lack of emotional, and also practical support, tested the dynamics of the intimate relationship. The situations of tension and conflict that ensued challenged the women's progression and with this, the stability and functioning of the relationship itself. Higher education initiatives are proposed to support this vulnerable student group. This includes partner outreach activities, enhanced pastoral support systems, and a flexible and responsive approach from the university to women who experience relationship difficulties during their degree. Further research is required to build a body of evidence around the first-in-relationship student experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, researchers explored the relationship between alcohol use and life transitions among women aged 50 to 70 years in Australia and Denmark. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews of 49 women, with thematic analysis indicating that alcohol use is a normal and accepted activity among Australian and Danish women. Alcohol use was influenced by women's specific life transitions including their retirement status. Using alcohol as a crutch was not a legitimate story, but women found it acceptable to temporarily manage stress. The researchers provided insight to women's perceptions on drinking that may guide future international public health strategies for this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Clinical Implications The transition into residential aged care (RAC) is often associated with loss, grief, isolation and loneliness. This scoping review aimed to identify quantitative research which focused on reducing the negative effects associated with transition, thereby improving the transition experience.A scoping review, which concentrated on quantitative research, was conducted. MEDLINE, CINAHL andPSYCHINFO databases were searched using the initial search terms “olderadults”, “residential aged care” and “transition”.From the 457 original citations identified, four met the inclusion criteria. The interventions used a range of professionals and clinicians, diverse content, and a mixture of outcomes. The content of the more successful studies were underpinned by mental wellness themes and helped to reduce depressive symptoms among new residents.Our review provides a summary of interventions aimed at improving the transition experience for older adults moving into RAC and highlights gaps in the literature. This review is limited by the paucity of quantitative research in this area. Further research is required to address the negative psychosocial effects associated with transition into RAC.Assessing which of the transition phases an individual is in can help individualize interventions to reduce negative symptoms relating to transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims:To review recent occupational therapy literature to establish the current level of evidence on how occupation may influence participation and may prevent or reduce social isolation in community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and over.Methods: Pertinent electronic databases were comprehensively searched using a guiding search strategy and inclusion criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment was conducted on included studies.Results: 14 studies were included in the review. The occupational domains within the studies that contributed to social participation or social isolation included instrumental activities of daily living, education, leisure, work and social participation.Conclusions: Evidence is emerging within recent literature to support a positive relationship between occupations, social participation and the prevention of social isolation in community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and over. Evidence supports the highly relevant and valuable role of occupational therapy in facilitating healthy aging through supporting social participation and addressing social isolation for the increasingly aging global population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]