The experience of adults recovering from an eating disorder in professionally-led support groups

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archana Waller ◽  
Chiara Paganini ◽  
Katrina Andrews ◽  
Vicki Hutton

PurposeThe aim of the study is to explore the experience of eating disorder support group participants. The research question is “What is the experience of adults recovering from an eating disorder in a professionally-led monthly support group?”Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study explored the experience of adults recovering from an eating disorder in a professionally-led monthly support group. Participants were 18 adults recovering from an eating disorder who attended a monthly support group. The data were collected using an online anonymous survey and then analysed using a thematic analysis.FindingsThe main themes that emerged were: (1) sharing the pain and promise, (2) cautions and concerns and (3) facilitators have influence. The findings indicate that the support group provided a safe space to share their lived experience, that it reduced stigma and isolation, and improved participants' motivation and engagement. Moreover, the results revealed some challenges to the functioning of the group. These included management of discussions and dominant members, need for psycho-educational information and managing intense feelings, relating to body-related comparison and other mental disorder comorbidities.Originality/valueThis is the first study highlighting the valuable role of the facilitator in balancing content with compassion, in ensuring safety in the group, and potentially fulfilling a valuable education function in supporting participants in their eating disorder recovery journey.

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1094-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Martínez-Ávila ◽  
Richard Smiraglia ◽  
Hur-Li Lee ◽  
Melodie Fox

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss and shed light on the following questions: What is an author? Is it a person who writes? Or, is it, in information, an iconic taxonomic designation (some might say a “classification”) for a group of writings that are recognized by the public in some particular way? What does it mean when a search engine, or catalog, asks a user to enter the name of an author? And how does that accord with the manner in which the data have been entered in association with the names of the entities identified with the concept of authorship? Design/methodology/approach – The authors use several cases as bases of phenomenological discourse analysis, combining as best the authors can components of eidetic bracketing (a Husserlian technique for isolating noetic reduction) with Foucauldian discourse analysis. The two approaches are not sympathetic or together cogent, so the authors present them instead as alternative explanations alongside empirical evidence. In this way the authors are able to isolate components of iconic “authorship” and then subsequently engage them in discourse. Findings – An “author” is an iconic name associated with a class of works. An “author” is a role in public discourse between a set of works and the culture that consumes them. An “author” is a role in cultural sublimation, or a power broker in deabstemiation. An “author” is last, if ever, a person responsible for the intellectual content of a published work. The library catalog’s attribution of “author” is at odds with the Foucauldian discursive comprehension of the role of an “author.” Originality/value – One of the main assets of this paper is the combination of Foucauldian discourse analysis with phenomenological analysis for the study of the “author.” The authors turned to Foucauldian discourse analysis to discover the loci of power in the interactions of the public with the named authorial entities. The authors also looked to phenomenological analysis to consider the lived experience of users who encounter the same named authorial entities. The study of the “author” in this combined way facilitated the revelation of new aspects of the role of authorship in search engines and library catalogs.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Cleary

PurposeWhy did a powerful department of hospital doctors support a merger with a rival hospital that they knew would ruin their beloved workplace?Design/methodology/approachThis ethnographic study draws on 12 months of fieldwork consisting of 24 one-on-one interviews as well as 26 h of observations, informal conversations and archival records research to answer its research question. Grounded theory and the discourse analysis were employed to analyze all data.FindingsData reveal how participants' belief in a “merge or go bankrupt” narrative contributed to widespread support for a merger that seemed unthinkable on the surface. Although each doctor believes the merger will jeopardize or ruin their workplace culture, none resisted the merger nor did any ask hospital executives to provide evidence in support of their claims regarding the benefits of the merger (namely, that it would save their organization from inevitable bankruptcy).Research limitations/implicationsThe author relied on a family relative to introduce the author to and gain entry into this workplace. One potential consequence is biased interpretations of data. To address this, the author constantly revisited the data and compared the author’s interpretations with interviewees' words (i.e. “grounded” theory).Originality/valueThis study provides empirical and theoretical contributions to organizational storytelling scholarship.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 337-341
Author(s):  
Paul Campbell

PurposeThis paper explores the role of professional collaboration and agency during the global COVID-19 pandemic and possible lessons for the future from the perspective of a teacher, leader and postgraduate researcher.Design/methodology/approachThis essay explores the complex role of collaboration and agency in responding to the challenges arising during the global COVID-19 pandemic utilizing research as well as the author's lived experience.FindingsThe author finds that through a renewed emphasis on effective professional collaboration and agency, not only are there opportunities to embed lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is also scope to work towards education systems that reflect the complex global socio-political contexts communities may find themselves in and the evolving needs that result from them.Originality/valueThis paper offers insights into the work of teachers and school leaders, the increasing complexity of their roles over time, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering what this might mean for the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-203
Author(s):  
Hilary Downey ◽  
John F. Sherry

PurposeThe actual uses to which public art is put have been virtually ignored, leaving multifarious dynamics related to its esthetic encounters unexplored. Both audience agency in placemaking and sensemaking and the agentic role of place as more than a mere platform or stage dressing for transformation are routinely neglected. Such transformative dynamics are analyzed and interpreted in this study of the Derry–Londonderry Temple, a transient mega-installation orchestrated by bricoleur artist David Best and co-created by sectarian communities in 2015.Design/methodology/approachA range of ethnographic methods and supplemental netnography were employed in the investigation.FindingsParticipants inscribed expressions of their lived experience of trauma on the Temple's infrastructure, on wood scrap remnants or on personal artifacts dedicated for interment. These inscriptions and artifacts became objects of contemplation for all participants to consider and appreciate during visitation, affording sectarian citizens opportunity for empathic response to the plight of opposite numbers. Thousands engaged with the installation over the course of a week, registering sorrow, humility and awe in their interactions, experiencing powerful catharsis and creating temporary cross-community comity. The installation and the grief work animating it were introjected by co-creators as a virtual legacy of the engagement.Originality/valueThe originality of the study lies in its theorizing of the successful delivery of social systems therapy in an esthetic modality to communities traditionally hostile to one another. This sustained encounter is defined as traumaturgy. The sacrificial ritual of participatory public art becomes the medium through which temporary cross-community cohesion is achieved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 669-676
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colasanti ◽  
Valerio Fiori ◽  
Rocco Frondizi

PurposeThe aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of nudges and considerations stemming from behavioural economics on the promotion and enhancement of knowledge circulation in public libraries. In fact, literature indicates that an approach based on nudging individuals towards desired behaviours may be more effective than top-down policy actions that may be perceived as excessive.Design/methodology/approachIn order to answer the research question, the paper analyses an exploratory case study regarding the network of public libraries in Rome, called Biblioteche di Roma (BdR). BdR launched its online platform in 2009, but it was never able to create a strong connection with offline activities, and contributions by readers (such as comments and book ratings) remained very low. In 2018, BdR introduced a gamification section in its website, with the goal of increasing users' interactions and book circulation. Data resulting from the use of gamification, both at city level and within different neighbourhoods, will be presented and analysed.FindingsResults indicate that the introduction of gamification was successful in increasing users' interactions and engagement, both online and offline.Originality/valueThe paper is valuable as it explores the introduction of nudge theory and gamification in the public library system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Vincent Leith

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of knowledge sharing and what is experienced as being shared as knowledge sharing unfolds. In particular, the paper explores affect as a key aspect of knowledge sharing in an organisational context.Design/methodology/approachA practice theoretical approach is applied to the study combined with a phenomenological research methodology that focusses on the “lived experience” of participants.FindingsKnowledge-sharing practice was found to encompass cognitive, social, bodily and affective dimensions. Affect was found to be a significant component of the practice as revealed by participant emotion and the use of conversational humour.Research limitations/implicationsIn light of the findings, the researcher recommends a focus on participant sensings in practice theoretical research, in combination with sayings, doings and relatings.Originality/valueThe approach to the study is significant in that, in contrast to previous practice-based research in information studies, it applied a methodology adapted from phenomenology. This combination of approaches opened the investigation to the multi-dimensional experiential nature of knowledge-sharing practice highlighting the significant role of affect in knowledge sharing.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-712
Author(s):  
N. Arranz ◽  
Marta F. Arroyabe ◽  
Juan Carlos Fernandez de Arroyabe

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of obstacles and institutional factors on the cooperation for innovation. The collaboration between different types of organizations has been seen as a strategy that allows the firms to obtain reciprocal benefits, and that incentivises innovation. However, following D’Este et al. (2012) and Antonioli et al. (2017), the authors assume that the decision to cooperate is perceived as a strategy to overcome the obstacles and barriers of the innovation process. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyze these questions in the frame of the PITEC-2013 data that covers the period 2012–2013 and includes 5,461 Spanish innovative companies. Findings The results support that an important drive for the firm’s cooperation is to overcome the obstacles of the innovation process. Moreover, the type of partner for cooperation is influenced by the different perception that those companies have on the obstacles to innovation. Additionally, results contribute to the regional literature with new empirical evidence to characterize regions in terms of innovation. Such factors shed new light about the intensity of regional innovation and variables of the cooperation pattern. Originality/value Considering that a fourth of the Spanish companies develop technological cooperation agreements (PITEC, 2013), it is still observed that the level of cooperation and their results are lower with respect to other countries in the environment, therefore to analyze the role of cooperation agreements, evaluating the factors that characterize the dynamics of these agreements, is a critical research question for the Spanish economy.


Author(s):  
Jan Lees ◽  
Fiona Lomas ◽  
Rex Haigh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of the expert by experience, and its benefits and challenges. Design/methodology/approach Review of the relevant literature and a case study has been performed. Findings The role of the expert by experience is fluid and complex. Staff need to understand the ambiguities of the role. Practical implications Experts by experience (XBXs) play an important role in TC practice. They need support and supervision. Staff need to learn about the complexities and fluidity of the role, and to be aware of its transitional position between service user and staff member. Social implications XBXs challenge the binary notion of staff and service user. The role calls for a different relational rather than procedural conceptualisation. Originality/value This is the first description of the lived experience of an expert by experience, working in a therapeutic community setting, with the analysis of the helpful and unhelpful aspects of the role.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Ian Cummins

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent National Appropriate Adult Network (NAAN) report on the role of the appropriate adult. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the NAAN report and a review of relevant policy and research literature. Findings There to Help 2 highlights that there are still significant gaps in the provision of appropriate adult schemes across England and Wales. These gaps potentially place vulnerable adults at increased risk. Originality/value This paper is a review of recent research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 730-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Cegarra-Sanchez ◽  
Juan-Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro ◽  
Anthony Wensley ◽  
Jose Diaz Manzano

Purpose Knowledge acquired from sources of unverified information such as gossip, partial truths or lies, in this paper it is termed as “counter-knowledge.” The purpose of this paper is to explore this topic through an exploration of the links between a Hospital-in-the-Home Units (HHUs) learning process (LP), counter-knowledge, and the utilization of communication technologies. The following two questions are addressed: Does the reduction of counter-knowledge result in the utilization of communication technologies? Does the development of counter-knowledge hinder the LP? Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the relevance of communication technologies to the exploration and exploitation of knowledge for 252 patients of a (HHU) within a Spanish regional hospital. The data collected was analyzed using the PLS-Graph. Findings To HHU managers, this study offers a set of guidelines to assist in their gaining an understanding of the role of counter-knowledge in organizational LPs and the potential contribution of communication technologies. Our findings support the proposition that the negative effects of counter-knowledge can be mitigated by using communication technologies. Originality/value It is argued in this paper that counter-knowledge may play a variety of different roles in the implementation of LPs. Specifically, the assignment of communication technologies to homecare units has given them the means to filter counter-knowledge and prevent users from any possible problems caused by such counter-knowledge.


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