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This response explores some of the themes identified by the four interlocutors in the symposium on my book The Asian Gang Revisited. In particular, the piece reflects on the role and limitations of the research as ethnographic practice, and on three key issues identified in the review pieces: around space (and time), structure and agency; and "being/becoming Muslim". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the burgeoning literature on organised crime within the community, little research has focused on the prison as a 'space' for organised crime. Based on ethnographic and qualitative research conducted within male English and Welsh prisons, this article critically examines how organised crime functions within these prisons. It is argued that the prison has become a fertile site for organised crime which is 'transported', rather than 'transplanted', into and out of prison in ways that extend the reach of criminal networks and alter the character of prisoner society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Adapted paddleboard provides an outdoor leisure-time physical activities (LTPA) opportunity with many health benefits (e.g., physical activity, reduced stress, social engagement). However, nearly 50% of individuals with disabilities do not participate in any LTPA. Quality of LTPA participation influences sustainable adherence, while optimizing participant experiences. An adapted paddleboard program is offered in Quebec City, for adults with physical disabilities, but little is known about how participants perceive their quality of participation. This study aimed to describe individuals with disabilities' perceived quality of participation in the adapted paddleboard program, and to explore their suggestions of strategies to support meaningful engagement in the program. Methods: An ethnographic mixed-methods design was conducted, consisting of participant observations during the 13-week program and semi-structured interviews based on the Quality Parasport Participation Framework (QPPF). Measure of Experiential Aspects of Participation (MeEAP) questionnaire were collected. A mixed approach of data analysis was used for qualitative data and descriptive statistics were conducted for quantitative data. Results: Nine participants (8F) with various disabilities (42±15 years old) participated in the study. Emergent dimensions of quality of participation included belongingness and autonomy. Facilitators to participation were identified, such as autonomy support through volunteers and provision of adaptive equipment. Barriers to participation included water access and level of individual challenge. Suggested strategies to improve engagement included water access closer to parking and multiple groups for variable skill levels. Conclusions: Participants expressed high-quality of participation in adapted paddleboarding. The study allows the development of knowledge about conditions that enhance the experience of participating in outdoor LTPA. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Adapted paddleboard is an increasingly popular activity that can be adapted with material and environmental accommodations for people with disabilities to enable and enhance participation in outdoor leisure-time physical activities (LTPA). Several facilitators, such as the safety of the site or the social support created by the group, enhance quality of experience in leisure-time physical activities (LTPA) including adapted paddleboard; therefore, support sustainable adherence in the practice of physical activities, well-being and social participation. Further opportunities to practice LTPA such as adapted paddleboard in a public space to promote social inclusion are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of pluriversal politics, which encompasses the vast array of alternatives to ecologically destructive and colonial capitalism, is crucial for envisioning emancipatory futures. However, the diversity of the initiatives composing the pluriverse poses obstacles to the unity necessary to dismantle interconnected systems of oppression, thus creating an intrinsic dilemma between diversity and unity. This paper explores the navigation of this challenge within emancipatory and pluriversal projects, drawing on material from ethnographic research on the Neapolitan Commons movement. The case study illuminates how social movement actors achieve simultaneous unity and diversity through the grassroots-developed concept of 'hegemony of non-hegemony.' In the Neapolitan context, this framework allows diversity to thrive while maintaining essential unity, crucial for confronting economic and political powers. The findings underscore how grassroots, autonomous, and pluriversal degrowth practices can challenge capitalist growth dynamics through unity in diversity, hence suggesting the unnecessary nature of state-led, top-down, or uniformizing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of people who blog about their own terminal illness and dying through the lens of anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief is a concept which is frequently applied to those people who will be bereaved by death, rather than those who are themselves dying. Ethnographic content analysis of terminal illness blogs of two Australian women clearly narrate experiences of loss and grief which can be understood through the frame of anticipatory grief. Yet they also document positive experiences of growth and connection which can be conceptualized as resilience rather than a demonstration of denial of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to normative views on grief, phenomenological descriptions of grief aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the lived experience, providing space for both uniqueness and universality. However, it is unclear how application of phenomenological descriptions contributes to bereavement care. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of phenomenological descriptions of grief through autoethnographic exploration. The lived experience of the first author's grief following the death of his husband illustrates two strands of time that increasingly desynchronize: the alienated reality of everyday life and the lingering presence-in-absence of the deceased. Processing grief involved a fundamental reorganization of his identity through representation of and identification with the deceased. Clinical applications of phenomenological descriptions include diagnosing existential manifestations of Prolonged Grief Disorder, cultural aspects, and psychoeducation for the bereaved and for those close to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This article explores my journey as a Samoan woman who migrated as a young mother to Aotearoa‐New Zealand, completed nursing qualifications, later specialising in mental health nursing, and eventually completed doctoral studies. Since July 2023 I have been a Lecturer in the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Environmental Studies, Auckland University of Technology. Methods: This article uses autoethnographic and narrative methods to collect data from my own life, to explore the experiences of Samoan people in the mental health system of Aotearoa‐New Zealand. Criteria for reporting qualitative research was used to prepare the paper. Findings: My story showcases the benefits of having both clinical and cultural understandings in the context of mental health care in Aotearoa‐New Zealand. The gap between the rhetoric and the reality of the 'New Zealand dream' for Samoan people mirrors the gap between policy and practice in relation to Pacific strategy plans for mental health care. Conclusions: By writing about my experiences, I aim to support better understanding of core concerns for Samoan people when they are engaging with mental healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the extent of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with developed countries having a higher incidence than developing ones. On the other hand, Latin America lacks studies on autism because the instruments for its detection and diagnosis have not been psychometrically validated. This study aimed to analyze the differences in ASD traits among individuals in Spain and Colombia, with results indicating no significant differences in sample characteristics regarding age, sex, and type of ASD. However, differences in diagnostic comorbidity with intellectual disability have been found between both samples and factors related to the characteristics of the Colombian cases may have influenced the results. Specifically, higher levels of severity of stereotypes, compulsions, and restricted interests were found in Colombian individuals with ASD compared to the Spanish population. Future studies should increase the sample size and analyze the psychometric properties of autism detection and diagnosis instruments in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Applying an ecological dynamics perspective with the Skilled Intentionality Framework, this study examined whether an integrated coach learning and development framework could be successfully implemented in Australian female tennis coaching. Methods: Participants were all females: qualified coaches (N = 4), coach developers (N = 2) and athletes, aged 15–18 years (N = 7). Participants completed an online survey, examining socio-demographics, playing/coaching history and learning outcomes. An ethnographic and action research approach utilising the Learning in Development Research Framework (LDRF) was undertaken over 20 weeks of coach learning and development. Coaches followed two female coach developers (one as the primary investigator) for a minimum of two hours per week (in situ learning), while the coaches worked directly with athletes. To identify influential factors, multiple data collection strategies were employed, including surveys, semi-structured interviews, observations, critical reflections and focus groups. Results: Perceived program benefits (e.g., coach self-confidence and reassurance) and on-court/off-court support were verified within qualitative interview-derived data. Conclusion: Findings identify the positive influence of an integrated coach learning and development framework on continued Australian female coaching career progression, highlighting coach development implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I examine the fluctuations of the moral connotations attributed to migrants’ subjectivity in the Sicilian city of Messina (Southern Italy), where the Catholic Church represents an active and powerful institution grappling with Catholic-faith migrant groups – particularly Sri Lankans, who constitute a significant non-EU foreign group in the region. If Sri Lankans living in Messina (the majority of whom are Catholic and Sinhalese) come to be morally crafted as ‘good’ migrants in local perceptions, this status is anything but permanent. Drawing on the results of ethnographic research, I will argue that Sinhalese are perceived as good migrants not only for their reassuring religious belonging but also because of the local diocese’s pastoral work towards their ecclesial integration, which is attained through rough paths and at the cost of internal fragmentation within the Catholic family. It is within this troublesome interaction between the Church and Sinhala Catholics that the latter become ‘good’ migrant subjects. However, outside of the diocese’s protective umbrella, the moral qualities usually ascribed to Sinhalese can be used against them, their presence being associated with social disorder, moral panic, and urban degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport is widely recognized as a powerful tool for promoting ‘social good,’ with significant potential for advancing personal, community, and economic development. In this context, the impact of Sport for Development (SfD) programs on livelihood and social mobility has been examined. However, research remains limited on the autonomous steps youth take to enhance their livelihood chances. This study examines how participants in SfD programs within the Global South navigate the program's objectives to pursue their career pathways and opportunities in sport. Drawing on eleven months of ethnographic research in two sport-based organizations in São Paulo, Brazil, and semi-structured interviews with diverse actors, this paper uses Freire’s pedagogy of autonomy and the notion of hope as theoretical lenses. The findings reveal that participants actively shape their futures through SfD projects, crafting autonomous pathways toward improved livelihoods and aspiring for professionalization within the sport sector. Although their opportunities are influenced by neoliberal ideals, the SfD initiatives foster hope and nurture a strong sense of identity among participants. In their pursuit of better livelihoods and social mobility, young people strive to break free from the likelihood of failure within the ‘regimes of hope’ in the Brazilian football system. Findings show how the pedagogy of autonomy can be a promising theoretical avenue to conceptualize SfD in terms of its participants’ search for independent livelihood and social mobility. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for SfD actors to view the SfD curriculum as an ongoing dialogic construction, collaboratively shaped with participants, to better reflect their lived experiences and aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article explores the post-migration mobilities of Japanese migrant artists in Berlin to contribute to scholarship on creative mobility. By focusing on non-Western artists, we add a more nuanced understanding of the migration-mobility nexus to this scholarship. Our findings reveal that even ‘privileged’ migrants from the Global North, who are typically seen as benefiting from mobility, face forms of social and economic precarity in their everyday lives. The study examines the tension between mobility capital, which frames mobility as an opportunity for enrichment, and mobility risk, where movement entails significant vulnerabilities. Based on ethnographic research, including interviews with 32 Japanese migrant artists in Berlin, we investigate how Japanese artists in Berlin negotiate feelings of belonging through mobilities to balance their professional and personal lives, lives that were further complicated through the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that mobilities are not only a means to achieve career goals, but also to navigate multiple belongings and to cope with mobility induced risks and vulnerabilities in migrant artists’ lives. Overall, this research expands current understandings of mobility by analyzing how precarity and belonging intersect for non-Western migrants in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the case of the Brussels housing project “Care and Living in Community”, this paper aims to contribute to debates on care and justice in the context of alternative housing initiatives and compassionate communities. Drawing on an ethnographic research in the project and using the analytical lens on the ethics of care developed by Joan Tronto, we analyse how different associations conceived a caring community and how various steps of care unfold in the project. The analysis will highlight the potential of an alternative housing initiative in developing a caring community, but also foreground some ethical dilemmas and questions that come along with mobilizing both redistributive and recognitive dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State authorities in Europe invest immense resources in what the EU insists on calling the 'fight against illegal migration'. Based on ethnographic research in two German cities, this paper shows that a tough approach towards illegalised migration can only be implemented through state practices that operate at the margins of, or even cross, the boundaries of what is legally permissible. This argument is developed through an analysis of informal practices that frontline staff in registry offices and migration administrations deploy to prevent, or at least disturb, illegalised migrants' attempts to regularise their status by becoming the parent of child that is entitled to German citizenship. Drawing on the autonomy of migration approach, I use migrants' struggles within and against Germany's migration and citizenship regime as an epistemic device to expose three kinds of informally institutionalised counter-tactics of street-level bureaucrats that qualify as unlawfare. The analysis shows that officials, in their attempts to forestall migrants' practices of self-legalisation, frequently resort to practices that are legally questionable or outright unlawful themselves. Ultimately, not only a tough stance on illegalised migration, but the very production of migrant illegality emerges as contagious as it implicates an illegalisation of state practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores an alternative territorial sensibility – ‘diasporic territoriality’ – that is rooted in the search for belonging outside of a putative ‘homeland’ amongst dis/placed communities. Drawing on ethnographic research with 26 members of Singapore’s Sikh diaspora, we examine the everyday spaces of diasporic belonging that simultaneously reproduce and resist colonial imaginings of Punjabi territory. Many first-generation diasporas continue to define themselves through regional affiliations inherited from colonial legacies, with Singapore’s gurdwaras serving as a spatial ‘fix’ for mapping territorial logics from the Punjab. However, these colonial imaginaries are increasingly contested and ‘unmapped’ by younger generations who seek to socialise in alternative spaces of belonging based on shared pieties and upbringing. By reimagining belonging beyond essentialist framings of home-diaspora connections, the idea of ‘diasporic territoriality’ contributes to decolonising prevailing understandings of territory and belonging. Doing so provides a provocative counterpoint to re-evaluate state-sponsored narratives of integration within the context of multiculturalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to illustrate the pivotal role that the environment plays in early child development (ECD), drawing upon data derived from the ethnographic research on children's daily routines. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were conducted over the course of several fieldwork periods (2013–2018). The concept of "mutual raising" is employed to examine the daily interactions between middle-aged children and their domestic animals. To gain an insight into how children develop sophisticated and ecologically relevant skills to become autonomous and responsible for the care of others within the context of environmental interdependence, we present and analyze a cultural practice that is salient to the identity and way of life in rural communities of the Andean region in South America: becoming a shepherd. Considering the aforementioned findings, it can be posited that being able to care for others represents a significant developmental milestone. This discussion highlights the limitations of the dominant theoretical and disciplinary lens through which ECD is currently studied, those so-called W.E.I.R.D societies. Consequently, it is imperative to advocate for an integrative and transdisciplinary framework for ECD studies that incorporates anthropological evidence and the cultural experiences of children and families who have been historically marginalized by dominant ECD models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon ethnographic research with families as they navigate a year in 'Brexit Britain', this article explores how people live with Brexit, examining the effect of Brexit politics on everyday personal life, particularly relationships with family. In order to examine how macro-political events and timescapes interact with the quotidian, the article explores interactions between 'Brexit time' (including key political moments as well as periods of slowed political activity) and 'personal time' (including the day-to-day rhythms of everyday life and more special occasions). The temporal interactions between Brexit and people's daily lives, whether through the constant low-level simmering presence of the issue, the impactful moments when Brexit 'boils over' into family life, or a more profound relationship with the substance of Brexit politics, offer a lens through which we can understand how politics and other socio-economic events of (inter)national significance are lived in the context of everyday personal lives. The resonance of this analysis applies beyond Brexit and contributes to political sociology more broadly as well as to sociologies of everyday personal life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is debate around offering ethnic studies to high school students. Ethnic studies connects learning to students' lives and analyzes the workings of racism to construct avenues toward equity. As the debate unfolds, it is critical to examine ethnic studies' implications for youth development and the mechanisms that link it to student outcomes. One of ethnic studies' long-stated goals is fostering students' critical consciousness. Critical consciousness refers to critical reasoning around inequality (critical reflection), motivation to challenge inequality (critical motivation), and action taken to disrupt inequality (critical action). Little research has examined youth critical consciousness development within ethnic studies—a consciousness-raising system. Consequently, this longitudinal mixed-methods study examines students' critical consciousness development in ethnic studies and sheds light on the contextual characteristics (i.e., critical school socialization) that foster critical consciousness. Analyses of 459 ninth-grade students' (52% girls, 4% nonbinary; 1% Asian, 1% Black, 4% multiracial, 64% Latinx, 7% Native American, 15% described their own race, 7% skipped the question; Mage = 13.92) survey data, and focus group data with 19 students, revealed that ethnic studies-enrolled students grew more in their critical reflection than nonenrolled students. However, the quantitative data demonstrated decreasing critical motivation among all students, whereas the qualitative data suggested emergent critical motivation among ethnic studies-enrolled students. Furthermore, critical school socialization and teacher pedagogy were key to ethnic studies consciousness-raising. Altogether, this study highlights that ethnic studies fosters youth critical consciousness—a worthwhile outcome that should be considered in policy debates about ethnic studies. Public Significance Statement: This research examines how youth's reasoning and feelings about inequality develop within ethnic studies courses. Given the intense debate around the appropriateness and utility of such curricula for youth in the United States, this study offers research insights into the consequences of youth enrollment in ethnic studies and presents strategies for maximizing the benefits and minimizing the costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the politics of famine is crucial to understanding why famines still occur. A key part of this is how famine is remembered, understood, and discussed. This paper focuses on songs popular among communities that have recently experienced deadly famine. Contemporary famines almost always manifest in armed conflict contexts, where there is limited political freedom. Here, songs and music can be an important way to debate sensitive political issues. This paper focuses on the way that songs and music shape 'regimes of truth' around famine, and who is shamed and held accountable for associated suffering. It is based on long‐term ethnographic research, the recordings of famine‐related songs, and collaborative analysis in Jonglei and Warrap States (South Sudan) in 2021–24. The paper shows how songs can mock soldiers for their seizing of assets during times of hunger and how they can create familial shame for famine suffering, shifting responsibility away from the real causes to family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examined the cross-cultural validity of nonviolent communication (NVC) behaviors as measured using the Nonviolent Communication Behaviors Scale (NVCBS) and explored their potential relationship with post-traumatic stress (PTS). Methods: We analyzed data from two samples (N = 412 Chinese adults and N = 283 English-speaking adults). Results: The best-fitting model of NVCBS was the proposed three-factor model ("self-connection," "authentic self-expression," and "empathic listening"), with configural, metric, and scalar invariance established across samples with different languages and sociocultural backgrounds. The NVCBS had satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity and was negatively associated with PTS. The findings were replicated across the two samples. Discussion: NVC behaviors can be reliably and validly measured using the NVCBS. Given its brevity and measurement invariance across cultures, the NVCBS is a promising tool to facilitate future studies on NVC. Moreover, a lack of NVC behaviors may be a social-behavioral feature associated with PTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of Mexican migration to the United States posit that from the 1940s to the 1970s rural men were migrant protagonists while women stayed home. If women migrated, they relied upon men's established networks. However, archival and ethnographic research with Indigenous Zapotec women from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, disrupts this narrative and demonstrates how women – instead of men – pioneered migrant networks. Originally employed in domestic service in Mexico City, Zapotec women leveraged work relationships to find opportunities in the United States. Subsequently, they helped other women to migrate. Studies have never documented these women-led migrant networks. Drawing on the analytic of racial capitalism, this article argues that Indigenous women's migration was not an anomaly, but rather a key aspect of the gendered and racialized logics of accumulation that subsidised economic growth in Mexico during the 'Mexican Miracle' (1940s to the 1970s). Accordingly, while Zapotec women found opportunity in international migration, they were rendered surplus through a similar racialized logic that devalued their reproductive labour on both sides of the border. This article contributes to studies of U.S./Mexican migration by centreing the historical geographies of racialized accumulation logics when exploring how Indigenous Mexicans have moved to the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increase in non-communicable disease burdens and aging populations has led to a rise in the need for palliative care across settings. In resource-limited settings such as Indonesia, however, notably in rural areas, there is a lack of professional palliative care. Little is known about specific palliative care navigation, as previous studies have mostly focused on cancer care navigation. A locally tailored approach is crucial. Aim: To explore how patients and families navigate palliative care and the problems they experience. Design: An ethnographic study using in-depth interviews and observations, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Setting/participants: Interviews with 49 participants (patients, family caregivers, and health professionals) and 12 patient-family unit observations in Banyumas, Indonesia. The analysis: Patients and families navigated palliative care through different strategies: (1) helping themselves, (2) utilizing complementary and alternative medicine, (3) avoiding discussing psychological issues, (4) mobilizing a compassionate and advocating community, and (5) seeking spiritual care through religious practices. Conclusions: Our participants used intricate care networks despite limited resources in navigating palliative care. Several problems were rooted in barriers in the healthcare system and a lack of palliative care awareness among the general public. Local primary health centers could be potential palliative care leaders by building upon pre-existing programs and involving community health volunteers. Cultivating a shared philosophy within the community could strengthen care collaboration and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing global awareness of the importance of matters of equity and social justice. In health professions education (HPE), research has focused at undergraduate level and on health sciences curricula. Increasingly, health care professionals engage in HPE Master's and doctoral studies, where they are educated as curriculum designers and 'producers' of knowledge through their research. Considering their role in shaping what (and how it) is taught in health sciences curricula, questions can be asked about the extent to which postgraduate pedagogies are mindful of matters of social justice. As supervisors of postgraduate HPE students and as directors of such programmes, we interrogated and juxtaposed our perspectives on social justice and how these perspectives influence our postgraduate HPE supervisory and directing practices in our respective contexts. Methodology: Utilising a duo‐ethnographic approach, in which we each represented a site of enquiry, we generated data through written reflections and dialogic engagement framed around research questions about (1) our understanding of social justice, (2) how this influenced our practices as postgraduate supervisors and (3) how this influenced our practices and policies as directors of postgraduate studies. We recorded and transcribed our data generation meetings. Based on open coding of the transcriptions and written reflections, we constructed a conversation around our research questions. We integrated our reflexive journals in the conversation. Findings and Discussion: Our conversations were characterised by three sets of ideas involving the terminology around social justice, the complex nature of social justice, and the individual and social justice. These played out differently in our contexts, but they caution both of us against assumptions and encourage us to create time for conversations with our students, to consider what we 'teach' them, how we guide them and how we avoid gatekeeping their entry into the disciplinary space. Through duo‐ethnographic study, van Schalkwyk and Frambach explores social justice in the context of postgraduate health professions education [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The article presents findings of an ethnographic study carried out in Poland with homeless people living on the street and in a hostel. Interpretative orientation was used to ensure the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about their perspectives. The paper has two aims. First, it reconstructs the limits and risks of "(un)helpful help" and its impact on experiences of stigma. Second, it addresses how good intentions and policy efforts can have negative consequences, drawing on data from two separate research studies. The first research included seven male homeless people living on city streets. The second was carried out with 20 homeless people served by an agency working for homeless people. A qualitative methodology was employed for this critical ethnography, according to which the authors analyzed the data using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Findings: The research revealed a number of support measures which, instead of positively changing their situation from the participants' points of view, can exacerbate it by further stigmatizing homeless people with support based on helpers' stigmatizing approaches which can compound homeless people's negative experiences of "help." Applications: An understanding of the mechanisms of structural and systemic stigmatization from the participants' perspectives can help shift responsibility for their situation away from homeless people themselves toward society's responsibility as a whole. It highlights how there needs to be a change of consciousness and approaches within assistance systems, shifting the balance from an asymmetrical to a symmetrical relationship based on partnership and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Trauma is common and may lead to lasting adverse effects on health. Trauma-informed practice does not treat trauma but uses a strengths-based approach to encourage engagement in services. Objective: To understand how physiotherapy attends to trauma-informed principles. Methods: This qualitative ethnographic study was set in an Australian hospital. Three data collection methods were used, including observations of clinical practice, interactive reflexive group discussions with physiotherapists, and interviews with patients. Data analysis included an initial inductive phase followed by thematic mapping to trauma-informed principles. Critical reflexivity was used throughout to examine how the authors' perspectives and assumptions affected the analysis. Results: Twelve observations of consultations, ten interviews with people receiving physiotherapy, and five group discussions with physiotherapists were conducted. Themes produced within each of five principles of trauma-informed care included: Safety: not just a number, uncertainty beyond managing physical risks, upbeat approach as default needs balance, pragmatic environments inadequate; Trustworthiness: touch needs further consideration, assumed consent; Choice: limited options; Collaboration: let's do it together, variable consideration of the patient as expert, task focus, pushing the "right" treatment, missing insight into power imbalance; Empowerment: extending function and independence, building nonphysical skills but lack of clarity. Conclusion: Physiotherapy incorporates crucial aspects of trauma-informed care, but opportunities exist to enhance physiotherapists' skills and knowledge, particularly in relation to non-physical safety considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article applies an autoethnographic approach to the journey a patient and their partner undertook as they negotiated a medical adverse event. The resultant cascade of conditions lasted almost 4 years and resulted in the eventual death of the patient. The narrative is told from the dual perspectives of both the patient and their partner, providing a valuable resource for the practice of patient and family-centered care. This article illuminates the patient's experience of comfort across a continuum of healthcare settings and how both the patient and their partner were able to enact agency despite challenging institutional barriers, to become partners in their healthcare journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with diverse ways in which indigenous people learn, engage with and construct knowledge in their everyday lives and livelihoods. Drawing on the concepts of lifeways it explores the nature of the shared values, meaningful social interactions and multiple forms of communication – including interactions with human, non-human entities and the spirit world – of indigenous peoples of the Southeast Peruvian Amazon. Indigenous Arakbut knowledges and ways of knowing are the basis of their 'education system' and emerge from their history and vision of the world. However, their lifeways and education system have become fragmented, scattered and go unrecognised in the context environmental destruction from gold mining and lack of territorial control. The article draws on indigenous perspectives and ethnographic research to demonstrate the importance of indigenous education systems for the maintenance and continuing transformation of vigorous place-based lifeways attuned to 21st century visions for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a long tradition of intergenerational transfer of knowledge in Nepali communities. While local languages are seen as crucial means for preserving, transmitting and applying traditional knowledge, ongoing social change has raised concern that local languages and knowledge as foundations of learning and cultural identity are being weakened. This paper, based on ethnographic fieldwork in Brahmin-Kshatriya and Chamling Rai communities in the western and eastern hill districts of Nepal, contributes insights on indigenous intergenerational learning by exploring the literacy, language and learning strategies of eight local families. To ease the accessibility of traditional knowledge to the younger generations, they opt for creative and innovative ways of using bilingual approaches, different scripts and translanguaging. The article discusses how the identified indigenous intergenerational practices can contribute to better address the learning needs of local communities. Building on such local practices supports an alternative approach to literacy and language in intergenerational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Living with risk is a salient part of everyday living and although risk affects everyone, older adults are often regarded as a high-risk group, particularly older adults who are aging with a disability, such as vision loss. A prominent focus within low vision rehabilitation is the provision, and training, of older adults in the use of low vision assistive devices as a strategy to manage risks in both the home and community environment. This study aimed to unpack the influence of assistive technologies on experiences of risk among eleven older adults (aged 65+) with age-related vision loss. Materials and methods: This critical ethnographic study used home tours, the go-along method, and a semi-structured in-depth interview. Results: The study identified five prevailing themes including: 1) Moving away from the individualization of risk; 2) The cost of assistive technologies as a risk contributor; 3) Practicing 'responsible living'; Technology as an adaptive strategy to risk taking; 4) Resisting the label of 'at risk'; The influence of technology on self-identity; and 5) Technology as a substitution versus supplement for social connectedness. Conclusions: The study findings highlight the importance of moving beyond a technico-scientific perspective of risk, in which risk is framed as an objective phenomenon located in older adults' bodies, and instead framing risk within a broader sociocultural perspective which moves our attention to those contextual or environmental factors that shape experiences of risk for older adults with vision loss. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Risk taking is an inevitable aspect of everyday living. An individualized approach to risk management is problematic. The cost of assistive technology is a contributing risk factor. Technology use may cause risks to social identity, embarrassment, and stigma. Technology use can help mitigate risk among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is increasingly utilized in healthcare. Some rehabilitation professionals employ 3D printing for orthoses, prostheses, and assistive technologies (AT). However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many practitioners have reservations about adopting 3D printing into their practices, and empirical research in this area is limited. The aim of the study was to document my experience while learning 3D printing. In this autoethnographic study, journal entries and photos of the artifacts were collected during the process of learning 3D printing. These data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: Being motivated to learn 3D printing, Experiencing challenges and implementing possible solutions, and Achieving developmental milestones in learning 3D printing. These milestones offered practical insights and solutions for new learners by providing a roadmap for navigating the journey of learning 3D printing. This personal experience offered opportunities and posed challenges in the context of learning to use 3D printing in the rehabilitation field. It is hoped that this study will inspire others to explore 3D printing and potentially contribute to the development of 3D printing training programs for students and rehabilitation professionals. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: The study contributes to understanding of 3D printers use for individuals with disabilities, whether in occupational therapy or non-occupational therapy contexts. By highlighting the issues and challenges documented in this study, individuals with no prior exposure to 3D printing can better manage their expectations when embarking on their own 3D printing journey. This experience can serve as an inspiration for occupational therapy students and other students in rehabilitation programs to share their own stories about their encounters with 3D printing, potentially sparking new approaches to practice. The knowledge and experience gained through 3D printing might help to develop a 3D printing training workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore home care nurses' experience of enablers and barriers for planned home death in municipal health care. Design: A focused ethnography. Methods: This qualitative study collected data from 20 semi‐structured interviews of home care nurses and 8.5 h of participant observations. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The findings in our study show that home care nurses consider supportive cultures, a commitment to safety and continuity when facilitating planned home deaths and family rotations to be enablers for planned home deaths. Barriers to planned home deaths involve a lack of palliative experience affecting confidence, shortages of nurses and medical supplies and night shift challenges. Conclusion: This study underscores the need for supportive organizational cultures, ongoing education and improved communication and staffing policies to enhance the quality of care and the experiences of patients and home care nurses, especially in the context of planned home deaths. Impact: The study adds knowledge to the evidence base of the practice of facilitating planned home deaths. The findings of the study could offer valuable insights for shaping future policies or devising effective implementation strategies. Reporting Method: Adherence to the COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative research was maintained. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. What Does this Article Contribute to the Wider Global Clinical Community?: Identified enablers and barriers provide a new perspective, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of planning home deaths.The study emphasizes supportive cultures, safety commitment and family rotations as crucial for planned home deaths, guiding healthcare professionals to adopt best practices and enhance palliative care quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceuta and Melilla are considered exemplary models of the border spectacle. The fences of these cities typify the notion of 'Fortress Europe' and impel the emotional engagement of the inhabitants with migration control policies. This article focuses on the experiences of local activists who have resisted migration containment policies. Through a close examination of the emotional geographies of activism in border areas, and the effect of migration policies on the everyday, this article aims to uncover the civic emotions underlying the lived realities of activists. Furthermore, by addressing the methodological challenges of investigating social emotions, this study integrates visual elicitation methods into ethnographic research. The evocative power of cinema allows films to act as visual stimuli that convey the intimate narratives of activists, which encompass compassion, outrage, or fatigue in the context of pro-migrant mobilization. By drawing on the mundane experiences of borders, this article delves into the intersection of emotions, activism, and borders to elucidate experiences against migration control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of research have established a significant association between people struggling with an eating disorder and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Despite a robust literature indicating a link between these two mental health conditions, few studies have explored how differential risk factors interact over time to produce this comorbidity. Using the lens of syndemic risk, this study applied a critical case study design to identify the social and contextual conditions that give rise to the circumstances in which eating disorders and suicidal behaviors cluster together. Specifically, we draw on life history and clinical ethnographic interviews with an adolescent and her mother to illustrate the intersections between psychosocial and structural processes. Through our analysis, we develop a model for syndemic risk that foregrounds poverty, racism, heterosexism, and gender oppression as critical to the production of mental health comorbidities. As we delineate in our findings, multiple forms of oppression led to a higher risk of exposure to stressful and traumatic experiences, including physical maltreatment, emotional abuse and neglect, sexual coercion, and peer victimization. These events contributed to the emergence of psychological and social vulnerabilities associated with heightened eating disorder and suicide risk. Ultimately, our qualitative study contributes to understanding how syndemic risk factors interact and mutually reinforce one another over time to shape comorbid psychopathology. In doing so, our findings shift understandings of mental illness as emerging from individual vulnerabilities to a conception of mental health that is framed within a multidimensional perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's experience of disability-related stigmatization is a central social justice issue across cultures. Yet children's voices are rarely heard by policy makers, and available programs for children with disabilities typically lack input from children's own experiences. This paper presents a cross-cultural case study of how three children with disabilities in Japan and the U.S. responded to stigmatization from their "typically-developing" peers. We choose these cases for in-depth examination to contextualize and deepen our understanding of themes identified from our larger, ethnographic study. Similar to the participants in our larger study, these elementary school-aged children experienced disability-related stigmatization, including teasing and bullying. They actively responded to reduce their immediate exposure to stigmatization. Some of these responses, however, created additional challenges. For example, children's physical fighting in response to teasing resulted in punitive discipline in the U.S. Children's avoidance of peers undermined academic achievement and psychosocial development, especially in Japan where peer groups are central contexts for education. Furthermore, children's responses to stigmatization often concealed their peer struggles or were misunderstood by educators, which delayed their access to appropriate support. We discuss social work implications for child-centered programs of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ethnographic research was conducted at two intensive Scandinavian music academies with the aim of examining the extent to which there is a Nordic approach to advanced instrumental music teaching. Data collected through observations, interviews, and discussions revealed academy structures, instrumental techniques, and the use of metaphors in teaching. The study found a blend of Nordic pedagogical traditions, instrument-specific approaches, and personal teaching methods. The Scandinavian instructors tended to employ personalized coaching styles, emphasizing independent thought and interpretation. A characteristic form of politeness and directness was identified among the Nordic pedagogues that shares some features with renowned masterclass teachers in other contexts. Further research is needed to fully grasp this Nordic approach, potentially leading to typologies or explanatory models. The study underscores the need for continued exploration and analysis of diverse instructional strategies and cultural influences in music education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the policy implementation of non-specific symptom pathways within the English National Health Service. Methods: A multi-site ethnographic project was conducted in four hospitals that contained non-specific symptom pathways between November 2021 and February 2023. The research involved observation (44 h), interviews (n = 54), patient shadowing, and document review. Results: The study examined how the policy concept of 'holistic' care was understood and put into practice within four non-specific symptom pathways. Several challenges associated with providing holistic care were identified. One key challenge was the conflict between delivering holistic care and meeting timed targets, such as the Faster Diagnosis Standard, due to limited availability of imaging and diagnostic tools. The interpretation of a holistic approach varied among participants, with some acknowledging that the current model did not recognise holistic care beyond cancer exclusion. The findings also revealed a lack of clarity and differing opinions on the boundaries of holistic care, resulting in wide variation in NSS pathway implementation across health care providers. Additionally, holistic investigation of non-specific symptoms in younger patients were seen to pose difficulties due to younger patients' history of health anxiety or depression, as well as concerns over radiological risk exposure. Conclusions: The study highlights the complexity of implementing non-specific symptom pathways in light of standardised timed cancer targets and local cancer policies. There is a need for appropriately funded organisational models of care that prioritise holistic care in a timely manner over solely meeting cancer targets. Decision-makers should also consider the role of non-specific symptom pathways within the broader context of chronic disease management, with a particular emphasis on expanding diagnostic capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we use institutional ethnography to investigate the intersection between provincially mandated digital technologies intended to streamline decision-making, improve communication, and create efficiencies and the development and implementation of strategies to institutionalize Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (or EDI) in child welfare contexts. These two moves collide in the Child Welfare Redesign – a state-led initiative that organizes the convergence of data and diversity work in local Children's Aid Societies in the Canadian province of Ontario. Drawing on 38 interviews with child welfare directors, supervisors, and managers coupled with extensive documentary research, our findings show how the Ontario Child Welfare Redesign goal to make child welfare services more "inclusive" and "culturally appropriate" for Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities who are overrepresented among those receiving child welfare services is undermined by the continued use of provincial information management infrastructure and the provincially mandated Child Protection Standards and Tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by Freud's "Mourning and Melancholia" and expanding upon his notions within the social context, this article proposes an innovative concept called "age melancholy" to describe the multifaceted elements of social loss experienced by empty nest older adults. While most studies emphasize a psychological–individualist approach to this phenomenon, age melancholy frames older age as a process marked by a loss of social engagements. The findings are grounded in anthropological fieldwork conducted from 2010 to 2013 in a lower-income neighborhood of Tel Aviv. They are based on deductive comprehension of social melancholy, combined with inductive qualitative analyses of 29 meetings within a designated narrative group of older Mizrahi women—Jewish immigrants from Islamic countries. The results reveal that empty nest older adults perceive their loneliness, fragile health, and approaching death as interrelated aspects of social detachment, leading to melancholy. However, whereas their emotional experiences are tainted by age melancholy, it is temporal and contextual and may be mitigated through social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives an account of the impact of spaces of linguistic non-understanding and spaces of linguistic partial understanding in the first author's linguistic ethnographic doctoral study of lawyer-client communication within UK immigration legal advice meetings. The paper uses the researching multilingually framework as a lens for exploring how the researcher's positionality as a native speaker of English, an elementary-level learner of Arabic, and a non-speaker of other languages she encountered were material to the research process. Data in the form of researcher reflections, notes and records made about the impact of language(s) at different stages of the project is drawn on to examine the role of linguistic support – in the form of input from translators – at each stage, and the exercise of linguistic reflexivity in relation to this dimension of the research. The paper argues for the need, when doing ethnographic research in contexts of linguistic unpredictability, to be reflexive about the literacy practices and language ideologies of people involved in linguistic support, since these are also part of the language ecology that shapes the process of knowledge production. Thus, linguistic reflexivity is part of a practice of epistemological accountability in multilingual linguistic ethnography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amidst the difficulty and contentiousness of improving hospitals, a relatively new approach is the Relational Model of Organizational Change (RMOC). However, this approach has its own challenges, including reports that its focus on communication and relationships is undervalued despite evidence supporting its use to facilitate practice improvements in hospitals. Research suggests power dynamics in hospitals influences how the RMOC is used, but the precise mechanisms through which this occurs have not been fully examined. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how power dynamics shaped the implementation of a program using the RMOC in a hospital: the QPH RC Program. Methodology: Institutional ethnography was applied to explicate textually mediated ruling relations (power dynamics) and examine how they exerted their influence on the QPH RC Program. This involved interviewing people and analyzing texts embedded in work processes that organized the implementation of the program. Results: The QPH RC Program was embedded in a cluster of ruling relations comprising an economic rationalist and scientific discourse and project management methodology. These ruling relations exerted their power via textually mediated social processes that influenced the focus and management of the program. Conclusion: The ruling relations functioned to align the QPH RC Program with the priorities of the hospital, suggesting that financial objectives were prioritized over objectives to improve communication or culture. Practice Implications: Future research and practice change should include investigating and addressing the intersection of institutional contexts and the application of the RMOC to facilitate practice improvements in health care organizations, particularly hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In southeastern Nepal, international labor migration has led to complex socioeconomic changes, including expanding smallholder landownership, class differentiation, and the transformation of land from a productive to a speculative asset. Based on ethnographic research focusing on villagers' narratives, this article finds that political imaginaries drawing on rural Marxist thought play a crucial role for interpreting recent historical experience but are losing purchase amidst increasingly dispersed, opaque, and contradictory processes of accumulation. It then identifies the emergence of a new speculative imaginary, through which villagers attempt to navigate but also reinforce these new constellations of inequality, capital, and labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) is commonly utilized for evaluating how dysphagia impacts the quality of life (QoL) of patients across physical, functional, and emotional dimensions. The primary aim of the research was to linguistically validate and culturally adapt the DHI to the Bangla version. A cross-sectional study design was chosen, with Beaton's protocol as the guiding framework for validating and adapting the DHI. It has followed a systematic process of forward translation, participation in expert discussions, and subsequent back translation to obtain a reviewed version. The Bangla version, DHI-Ban, was administered purposefully to 50 dysphagia patients in the Clinical Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) and was also administered to 50 healthy individuals for comparison. Of the fifty, eighteen dysphagia subjects were assigned again after two weeks for the retest. The DHI-Ban demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.89) and good test-retest reproducibility (ICC = 0.86). The Spearman test confirmed significant construct validity (p < 0.01), and the Wilcoxon test identified significant differences (p < 0.001) between patients and healthy individuals. Feedback from participants was also taken into account for acceptance and clarity. In conclusion, the adapted DHI-Ban has emerged to be a reliable patient-reported tool for assessing dysphagia in Bangla-speaking individuals. Incorporating the Bangla language framework facilitates its comprehension and effectiveness, further solidifying its reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The management of acute deterioration following surgery remains highly variable. Patients and families can play an important role in identifying early signs of deterioration but effective contribution to escalation of care can be practically difficult to achieve. This paper reports the enablers and barriers to the implementation of patient- led escalation systems found during a process evaluation of a quality improvement programme Rescue for Emergency Surgery Patients Observed to uNdergo acute Deterioration (RESPOND). Methods The research used ethnographic methods, including over 100 hours of observations on surgical units in three English hospitals in order to understand the everyday context of care. Observations focused on the coordination of activities such as handovers and how rescue featured as part of this. We also conducted 27 interviews with a range of clinical and managerial staff and patients. We employed a thematic analysis approach, combined with a theoretically focused implementation coding framework, based on Normalisation Process Theory. Results We found that organisational infrastructural support in the form of a leadership support and clinical care outreach teams with capacity were enablers in implementing the patient-led escalation system. Barriers to implementation included making changes to professional practice without discussing the value and legitimacy of operationalising patient concerns, and ensuring equity of use. We found that organisational work is needed to overcome patient fears about disrupting social and cultural norms. Conclusions This paper reveals the need for infrastructural support to facilitate the implementation of a patient-led escalation system, and leadership support to normalise the everyday process of involving patients and families in escalation. This type of system may not achieve its goals without properly understanding and addressing the concerns of both nurses and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cham diaspora's relationship to home and homeland is complex and marked by a number of tensions. Specifically, the Cham's experiences of exclusion and migration have created a notion of imagined space regarding the places they call home. Based on ethnographic research conducted in 2010 and 2011, this paper addresses notions of home and the homemaking process among Cham Muslims in Cambodia, particularly those who reside in Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham. The analysis for this study is centred on the interplay of past experiences, spatial-spiritual-behavioural movement and the performance of piety through educational, sartorial and home décor preferences. Exploring narratives from the Cham community in Cambodia, this article illustrates how religious identity is entangled with perceptions of home and homemaking processes. This study found that younger and older Cham in Cambodia have different imaginings of home and belonging, based on their experiences, education and religious affiliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we contribute to a discussion of ethics within school bullying research by reflecting on our own recent ethnographic study into the relations between school bullying and the institutional context of schooling conducted at three elementary schools and one lower-secondary school in Sweden. We argue for a reflexive, responsive, and flexible adult researcher role when conducting ethnographic research into school bullying; what we term the caring adult role. The caring adult role provides a means of ethically conducting research by helping to facilitate access, navigate power relations, provide a consistent starting point for deciding when to intervene in ethically questionable situations, and a way for adult researchers to differentiate themselves from those adults in schools who may be perceived by students as non-caring. We argue that this is an ethically sounder approach than one that suspends all adult-like characteristics and avoids directing or correcting the behaviour of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we reflect on our experiences with teaching ethnographic skills and sensibilities to MSc students at a Dutch university. Using methods such as (self)observation, journaling and reflection, we highlight dilemmas (conceptual, practical, ethical) faced by students when doing ethnographic fieldwork and dilemmas that emerged in classroom discussions, including: the tension between participation and observation, member checking, and what constitutes meaningful intervention. We invoke the notion of agony to express a sense of struggle in dealing with these dilemmas and we introduce the sensitising concepts of agonistic sensemaking and agonistic spacemaking as ways to jointly explore divergent responses to the issues at hand, while rethinking our views on good ethnographic research and pedagogy. Our reflections serve to explore the potential of agonistic learning in higher education by generating productive debate from the tensions of difference, promote a reflexive approach to ethnography and social science research, and inform curriculum development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating practices are central to the everyday life of the addressees of pedagogical organisations. However, the eating practices of young people who live in residential care groups have rarely been the focus of educational research. This article presents the findings of an ethnographic research project on the eating practices of adolescents living in these facilities in Germany. We examined the participants' eating practices in their everyday lives by studying residential care groups. In this article, the eating practices of young people in the lifeworld contexts of family, peer group, school, vocational training, or work are studied. Changes in lifeworlds and eating practices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are also addressed. Furthermore, the article discusses the ethnographic research methods and the adaptations of these methods to the post-pandemic condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the global concern about mental health in the world, different approaches are being explored in its approach and treatment. In this line, the care of the spiritual dimension has been shown in many studies to have a significantly positive relationship. In mental health units, the comprehensive approach that involves comprehensive care considers the spiritual dimension as an aspect of care that contributes to coping with mental health problems. Methods: This is qualitative research with a descriptive design and an ethnographic approach, using interviews with forty-five professionals from Spanish and Portuguese mental health units. Results: The professionals do not define the term spiritual health in the same way; however, all interviewees believe that S/R positively influences the mental health of their patients, although few address it. They believe that their own S/R can influence their attention to spiritual needs. Among the limitations are the lack of training and time due to the prevailing biomedical model. Lack of time and specific training in spiritual care are the main aspects to which they attribute the shortage in meeting spiritual needs. Most of them expressed feeling challenged to care for the spiritual dimension after this research. Conclusions: More studies are needed on the spiritual care provided by mental health professionals to specify specific training and the associated challenges in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cultural and religious structures encompass a set pattern of values, beliefs, systems and practices that define a community's behaviour and identity. These structures influence women's health-seeking behaviour and access to maternal health services, predisposing women to preventable maternal health complications. However, most maternal health policies have focused on biomedical strategies, with limited attention to women's cultural challenges around childbirth. The overall aim of this paper is to provide a thick description and understanding of cultural and religious structures in Nigeria, their meaning and how they influence women's use of maternal health services. Methods: Roper and Shapira's (2000) focused ethnography comprising 189 h of observation of nine women from the third trimester to deliveries. Using purposive and snowballing techniques, 21 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions comprising 13 women, were conducted in two Nigerian primary healthcare facilities in rural and urban area of Kogi State. Data was analyzed using the steps described by Roper and Shapira. Results: Using the PEN-3 cultural model, nine themes were generated. Positive factor, such as the language of communication, existential factor, such as religion, and negative factors, such as the use of prayer houses and lack of women's autonomy, were either positive or negative enablers influencing women's use of maternal health services. Additionally, women's perceptions, such as their dependency on God and reliance on cultural norms were significant factors that influence the use of maternal health services. We also found that the use of herbal medicine was a negative enabler of women's access to facility care. At the same time, family support was also a positive and a negative nurturer that could influence how women use facility care. Finally, factors such as religion, Ibegwu, and male child syndrome were negative nurturers influencing women's contraceptive use. Conclusion: Cultural and religious structures are significant factors that could promote or limit women's use of maternal health services. Further studies are needed to understand culturally focused approaches to enhance women's use of maternal health services in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with disabilities worldwide experience disparities in oral health. Parents and children encounter challenges in accessing quality dental care. Similar challenges are experienced in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of oral healthcare for children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was an ethnographic study. The sample size was 25 participants, comprising of 12 pediatric dentists and 13 parents of children with disabilities. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, employing a topic guide. A pre-defined analytical framework was developed from the study objectives and framework analysis used to analyse data. Results: The study identified significant barriers and facilitators to oral healthcare for children with disabilities. Barriers included long travel distances, inadequate clinic facilities, a shortage of specialist pediatric dentists, inefficiencies in referral systems, and financial constraints. Other challenges were related to physical barriers in clinics, cultural norms, and socioeconomic inequalities. Facilitators, though fewer, included personal connections, specialized disability friendly clinics, and the Priority Card Program, albeit with limited effectiveness. Suggestions for improvement highlighted the need for better training for dental professionals, enhanced clinic accessibility, and greater financial support for families. Conclusion: Accessibility of dental care for children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia remains a significant challenge due to systemic barriers and individual-level obstacles. The study underscores the need for policy reforms, enhanced professional training, and the improvement of physical and financial accessibility to dental services. Addressing these issues through comprehensive educational programs and targeted interventions is essential for reducing oral health disparities and improving care for children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]