Culture and Attitudes Towards Euthanasia: An Integrative Review

OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying ◽

10.1177/0030222820984655 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 003022282098465

Author(s):

Anjana A. Karumathil ◽

Ritu Tripathi

Keyword(s):

Social Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Review Of Literature ◽

Cultural Perspective ◽

Social Scientists ◽

End Of Life Decisions ◽

European North ◽

Similarities And Differences

We examine and integrate last two decades of research on euthanasia from a cultural perspective. After an exhaustive search from Scopus and Web of Science, 40 studies matching our criteria are included in the review. We qualitatively summarize the literature country-wise and use text map of co-occurring terms in the titles, keywords, and abstracts of these articles to determine the similarities and differences among sub-themes in continental clusters. Research done in Asian, European, North American, and multi-cultural studies suggests that attributes unique to each culture are instrumental in shaping public attitudes towards euthanasia. We also find that some cultures, despite the prevalence of euthanasia, are underrepresented in empirical research. This review of literature on the cultural nuances in end-of-life decisions such as euthanasia is pertinent to social scientists, healthcare professionals and social workers in any given time, but more so during such critical events as worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

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Stalking of social healthcare workers: Preliminary results of a study conducted in Sardinia, Italy

Rivista di Psicopatologia Forense Medicina Legale Criminologia ◽

10.4081/psyco.2018.28 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 73-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesca Manunza ◽

Vincenzo M. Mastronardi ◽

Monica Calderaro

Keyword(s):

Social Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Main Tool ◽

Total Sample ◽

Team Approach ◽

Review Of Literature ◽

Professional Educators ◽

Anonymous Questionnaire

Several studies have highlighted that particular social and professional categories are at higher risk of being victim of stalking. Physicians and healthcare workers in general are at risk of being harassed while practising their profession, especially by their patients; this risk has been shown to be higher for psychiatrists and psychotherapists. According to a recent study, 21% of psychiatrists has been a victim of stalking; length of stalking behaviour on healthcare workers varies from a few weeks to several years. Aim of the present work is to gain a better understanding and a highlight on the frequency with which stalking occurs toward social and healthcare workers of public health facilities in Sardinia. After a review of literature, an anonymous questionnaire, prepared ad-hoc, has been administered to a sample of 265 healthcare workers in Sardinia: out of the 210 who have answered, we have taken into consideration 187 healthcare workers, have excluded 23 operators (psychiatric rehabilitators, professional educators, social workers) and chosen to analyze victimization suffered by psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social healthcare workers. In our sample the subjects who reported harassments comparable to the crime of stalking are represented by 30 healthcare workers out of the total sample of 187 (16%). Females are the most frequently represented with a ratio of 23/30 (77%) compared to males 7/30 (23%). The risk of being a victim of harassment was higher for the group of psychiatrists and psychologists than for nurses. Among the victims, 18 were psychiatrists (60%), 3 psychologists (10%), and 9 nurses (30%). Healthcare professionals are at high risk of victimization. The main tool available to the services is the team approach to multi-problematic cases, avoiding isolation of the dyad designated operator-patient. The feeling of impotence and isolation that is frequent in the victims of stalking, as shown also in our sample, is highlighted by several studies in which 10% of the victims interviewed claims to have thoughts of suicide as a way out.

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End-of-Life Needs of Dying Patients and Their Families in Mainland China: A Systematic Review

OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying ◽

10.1177/0030222821997340 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003022282199734

Author(s):

Guobin Cheng ◽

Chuqian Chen

Keyword(s):

End Of Life ◽

End Of Life Care ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Symptom Control ◽

Mainland China ◽

Spiritual Needs ◽

Care Needs ◽

Dying Patients

Objective To map the current research status and understand existing findings regarding end-of-life care needs in Mainland China. Method First-hand, empirical studies on the needs of dying patients and/or their families in Mainland China were searched in Web of Science, Scopus, Proquest, Taylor & Francis Online and CNKI in December 2019. Findings were synthesized. Results A total of 33 (10 qualitative) studies were involved. Chinese dying patients and their families had physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs and needs for knowledge and information. Prevalent needs of dying patients were mainly symptom control and decent look, being treated kindly by professional caregivers, family accompany, dignity, and comfortable environment. Families mainly need healthcare professionals to take good care of patients and wishes for information, knowledge, and facilities to help themselves become better caregivers. Conclusions Findings lay the foundation for effective and tailored services for Chinese clients and provided insights for future investigations.

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Women who frequent soup kitchens: A cultural, gender-mainstreaming perspective

Journal of Social Work ◽

10.1177/1468017318765993 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 397-414

Author(s):

Chaya Possick

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Social Workers ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Social Needs ◽

Gender Mainstreaming ◽

Food Services ◽

Cultural Perspective ◽

Grounded Theory Method ◽

Field Notes ◽

User Friendly

Summary The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the meanings Israeli women who frequent soup assign to this experience. The study is based on participant observation and 16 recorded interviews with women in eight soup kitchens in Israel. The study adopts a gender-mainstreaming approach to food security that privileges the life knowledge of women living in poverty. The grounded theory method was employed in the collection and analysis of the data-field notes and interviews. Findings Four main categories regarding women’s constructions of motivations for frequenting soup kitchens emerged: (1) nutritional needs, (2) feeding others, (3) overall economic strategy, and (4) social needs. The issue of dealing with shame is also explored from a humanist and cultural perspective. Applications The findings indicate the need for social workers to consider food security, and eating arrangements when making assessments, evaluating interventions and developing programs and policies in all practice settings. Social workers need to provide information about community food services that are accessible and user-friendly for their women clients who deal with food insecurity and social isolation. Soup kitchens should be structured to allow for active participation of the service users in the administration and operation of food security programs. Finally, social workers should adopt a critical, feminist position regarding women’s use of soup kitchens as an oppressive survival strategy that stems from inequality in gender and class power relations.

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Socio-literary Study of Robert Browning and Darwesh Durrani’s Dramatic Monologues: A Comparative Literary Approach

sjesr ◽

10.36902/sjesr-vol2-iss2-2019(125-143) ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 125-143

Author(s):

Raham Dil Khan ◽

Dr. Khan Sardaraz

Keyword(s):

Social Issues ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Gender Violence ◽

Close Reading ◽

Cultural Perspective ◽

The Past ◽

Literary Theories ◽

Reading Technique ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

Dramatic Monologues

Previous literature is laden with research on Browning’s dramatic monologues from various perspectives. This paper will compare Browning’s dramatic monologues with Derwesh Durrani’s poetry from socio-literary perspective. Literary theories of analogy and variation will be used to find out similarities and differences in their poetry. Two poems from each poet have been selected for analysis through close reading technique on the model of theories of variation and analogy. Stratified sampling technique was used for taking the representative sample from the data. The findings reveals that Darwesh’s poetry exhibits most of the dramatic features of Browning’s dramatic monologues, but his poetry is more poetic, while Browning’s poetry is more dramatic; Browning invigorates the past, Darwesh recreates the present. In addition, Browning’s poems deals with domestic issues like gender violence, love and marriage, Darwesh’s poetry deals with social issues and patriotism, and contrary to Browning, he stands for women’s rights and sensibilities. This paper suggests further studies purely from socio-cultural perspective of Darwesh’s dramatic monologues, which will contribute to the existing literature on dramatic monologues.

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Doing Harm

Reproductive Ethics in Clinical Practice ◽

10.1093/med/9780190873028.003.0017 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 212-231

Author(s):

Jeanne Flavin ◽

Lynn M. Paltrow

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Workers ◽

Criminal Law ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

New Mothers ◽

Confidential Information ◽

Patient Confidentiality ◽

Hospital Social Workers ◽

Medical Health ◽

Private Matter

Under the guise of “protecting the unborn,” anti-abortion and related measures such as feticide laws are being used as the basis for arresting pregnant women and new mothers. It is often the case that the initial disclosure of information that led to the involvement of criminal law, child welfare, or other state authorities has been made by healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and hospital social workers. Pregnant patients—like other patients—should expect that their medical health is a private matter and that healthcare provider–patient confidentiality will be respected. Such disclosures have legal, social, and public health consequences and frequently lead to interventions that are punitive and counterproductive, not protective. This chapter describes the ethical obligations of healthcare professionals, including their duty to advocate for the protection of confidential information and to work to change unjust practices, policies, and laws.

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Burden of caregivers of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration – a scoping review

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610219000176 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tina Karnatz ◽

Jessica Monsees ◽

Diana Wucherer ◽

Bernhard Michalowsky ◽

Ina Zwingmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Caregiver Burden ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Case Reports ◽

Behavior Changes ◽

Behavioral Disturbances ◽

Young Onset Dementia ◽

And Behavior

ABSTRACT Background: Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is the second-most common cause of young-onset dementia. Personality and behavior changes lead to high caregiver stress and burden, but little support is available. Our aim is to present the evidence on the characteristics, challenges and unmet needs of caregivers as well as on possible interventions. Methods: We conducted a scoping review on caregiver burden using PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect. A total of 69 articles were considered eligible and were analyzed in the present study. Results: Through the analysis of 69 empirical articles, our results show that caregivers of patients with FTLD are often younger in age, have children and find behavioral disturbances to be the most burdensome. Nine studies assessed the needs of and support for caregivers. Ten studies compared the burden in different forms of FTLD, 19 compared FTLD to other types of dementia, and one compared the caregiver burden between two countries. Eight studies reported on interventions for caregivers or interventions taking burden into account. One study assessed the support structure for caregivers of FTLD patients. Five case reports, eight research overviews and three reviews addressed specific needs and challenges. Conclusions: Further research should reproduce and validate efficacious interventions and focus on underage children of FTLD patients and findings from non-Western countries. Additionally, support structures for FTLD caregivers should be assessed and extended. Awareness both in the wider population and among healthcare professionals is an urgent need for the future.

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Living with a chronic disease: A quantitative study of the views of patients with a chronic disease on the change in their life situation

SAGE Open Medicine ◽

10.1177/2050312120910350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 205031212091035

Author(s):

Inger Benkel ◽

Maria Arnby ◽

Ulla Molander

Keyword(s):

Chronic Disease ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Life Support ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Life Situation ◽

Interpersonal Support ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

New Situation ◽

Structured Questionnaire ◽

Negative Outcome

Objectives: Chronic diseases have an impact on and change patient’s lives which means that they need to find ways to cope with the new situation. The aim was to describe how the chronic disease has influenced patients’ views of their life situation. Methods: The study was quantitative in design with data collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to compare similarities and differences between patients with asthma-allergy, diabetes mellitus, cancer and inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis. Results: Changes in their life were experienced as a negative outcome for the majority of participants. Support can be in the form of interpersonal support from various persons, but also from activities and beliefs/religion. Family and friends as well as healthcare professionals were identified as being most supportive. Sadness and worry were the most common emotions among the participants and their surrounding networks. Conclusion: People with a chronic disease have to live with the consequences the disease has for their life situation. They need to find strategies to cope with the negative outcome in their new life. Support from their own network and healthcare professionals can be helpful in the new life situation.

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On the institutional and intellectual division of labor in epigenetics research: A scientometric analysis

Social Science Information ◽

10.1177/0539018419898394 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 117-143

Author(s):

Julien Larregue ◽

Vincent Larivière ◽

Philippe Mongeon

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Behavior Genetics ◽

Scientometric Analysis ◽

Extended Version ◽

Social Scientists ◽

Editorial Material ◽

Social Biology ◽

Environmental Epigenetics ◽

Social Scientific

While numerous qualitative social scientific analyses of (environmental) epigenetics have been published, we still lack a macro-level, quantitative assessment of the field of epigenetics as a whole. This article is aimed at filling this gap. Mobilizing an extended version of the Web of Science, we constituted a corpus of 199,484 documents (articles, reviews, editorial material, etc.) published between 1991 and 2017 and performed several scientometric analyses to map out the development and structure of the epigenetics field. Three main results were drawn from these investigations. First, contradicting the hope expressed by some social scientists that their disciplines will find solace in epigenetics’ social biology, it is striking that the scientists, journals and institutions that drive most of the research in the field are overall little concerned with social and environmental dimensions of gene expression. Second, and confirming existing qualitative analyses, we find that epigenetics is constituted by diverse networks of scholars, institutions and research specialties that enjoy relative autonomy from each other and approach epigenetics through different thematic interests, from cognitive functions to cancer, to DNA methylation in plants and molecular biology. Third, findings obtained from the bibliographic coupling showed that these different networks became more and more autonomous over the last decade, which suggests that we are currently witnessing the constitution of a scientific archipelago akin to that of behavior genetics (Panofsky, 2014: 33) rather than to a discipline per se. At the same time, this differentiation was less pronounced conceptually speaking, as we also observed a clear standardization of the keywords used in epigenetics articles between 1991 and 2017, with DNA methylation and RNAs serving as rallying signs for different communities of researchers.

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