Alternative Constructions of Partner Relationships in Chronic Illness: A Qualitative Study Exploring Concurrent Relationships

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110307
Author(s):  
Michaela Sorber ◽  
Christiane Knecht ◽  
Michael Meng ◽  
Andreas Büscher ◽  
Wilfried Schnepp
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Alternative Form ◽  
Partner Relationship ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Care Relationship ◽  
Relationship Construction ◽  
Concurrent Relationships

Chronic illness can have a profound impact on couples’ relationships. In dealing with relational changes, new constructions and forms of relationships may arise. In the context of a larger grounded theory study on relational processes and practices in couples faced with chronic illness, this article focuses on concurrent relationships as an alternative form of relationship construction which embodies an additional relationship existing parallel to that of the couple confronted with chronic illness. Based on qualitative interviews with a subsample of five persons within the larger study, conditions for the development and characteristics of concurrent relationships are presented. From an individual and shared life questioned by chronic illness, concurrent relationships are formed in the attempt to be able to live on together in a new partner relationship and a continued care relationship. This can lead to new constructions of relationships, family life, and social relations in everyday life.

scholarly journals ‘Living in parallel worlds’ – bereaved parents’ experience of family life when a parent with dependent children is at end of life from cancer: A qualitative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110017
Author(s):  
Cherith J Semple ◽  
Eilís McCaughan ◽  
Esther R Beck ◽  
Jeffrey R Hanna
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Dependent Children ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Parent

Background: When a parent of dependent children (<18 years old) is at end of life from cancer, this has a profound impact on the family. Children less prepared for the death of a parent are more susceptive to poorer psychosocial adjustment in later life. There is a lack of understanding from the literature surrounding what support parents require, and how they navigate this end of life experience. Aim: To explore bereaved parents’ experience and needs for families when a parent is at end of life from cancer with dependent children. Design: In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 bereaved mothers and fathers, identified from the general public, a family support service and hospice. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Parents often live in ‘parallel worlds’ throughout the end of life period. In one world, ‘living in the moment’, cherishing the ordinariness of family life, remaining hopeful treatment will prolong life, whilst adapting as the illness unfolds. The other world presents as ‘intermitted glimpses that death is approaching’, shadowed with painful emotional concerns surrounding their children and the future. At the end, death rapidly approaches, characterised as suddenly ‘falling off the cliff’; placing significant demands on the well-parent. Conclusions: Amidst challenges, clinicians should provide parents with clear information surrounding a poor prognosis, so families can plan and prepare for parental death. There is a need for healthcare professionals to engage, encourage and equip parents, as they prepare their children throughout the end of life experience for the inevitable death of a parent.

Exploring protective factors through positive psychology and salutogenesis in Danish families with type 2 diabetes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Meldgaard ◽  
Louise Norman Jespersen ◽  
Tue Helms Andersen ◽  
Dan Grabowski
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Analytical Framework

Summary People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) live with several challenges, which may enhance the risk of poor mental and physical health. However, despite living with a chronic illness, some individuals manage to achieve a life with positivity and well-being. The objective of this study is to explore the potential of Positive Psychology and Salutogenesis when analyzing how families with one or more members with T2D experience having resources leading to thriving. Data consist of 18 semi-structured family interviews with 38 participants. Data were analyzed using systematic text condensation with the concepts of sense of coherence and upward/downward spirals as the analytical framework. The analysis revealed three overall findings: (i) T2D is perceived as manageable due to general optimism despite living with a chronic illness; (ii) establishing supportive social relations means having the opportunity to share the burden of diabetes; and (iii) achieving an open dialogue and communicating the difficulties of diabetes without straining surroundings with negative illness communication. The three overall findings may reinforce each other in an upward spiral and enhance the sense of coherence. These findings have implications for diabetes management research and our understanding of psychological health in chronic illness. The overall goal is to help people with diabetes create meaning with their illness and make use of their social environment through dialogue and communication in order to increase positivity, optimism and mental health.

Compulsory Treatment in the Community in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-89
Author(s):  
Urania Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Mental Health Patients ◽  
Conditional Discharge

This article examines the current legal framework and practice of the conditional discharge of mental health patients in Hong Kong under Section 42B of the Mental Health Ordinance from a human rights perspective. Using existing literature and findings from semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with medical professionals, the author argues that the current regime lacks adequate safeguards for mental health patients, both in law and in actual practice, and suffers from the absence of a clear guiding purpose. As such, the law and practice of conditional discharge would most likely infringe patients’ fundamental rights to private and family life and to liberty and personal security. The article concludes with the suggestion that an evidence-based approach is required to determine the purpose of the regime and how it may be best designed for that end.

Working around the Law: Navigating Legal Barriers to Employment during Reentry

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (03) ◽  
pp. 726-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dallas Augustine
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Alternative Form ◽  
Legal Consciousness ◽  
Double Bind ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Formerly Incarcerated ◽  
Barriers To Employment ◽  
The Law ◽  
Legal Barriers

Employment has been cited as one of the most effective protections against recidivism for formerly incarcerated people; however, job seekers with criminal records face barriers to employment after prison. They find themselves in a legal double bind where they are simultaneously compelled to obey the law (by finding “legit” work) but also legally barred from doing so. To navigate this conflictual legal positioning, job seekers with felony records develop strategies of working around the law to find employment. Through thirty qualitative interviews with people with felony records, I examine this alternative form of legal consciousness and detail the ways in which individuals navigate the legal barriers to acquiring “good” work. Ultimately, job seekers’ often extralegal strategies of law abidance blur the line between compliance with and defiance of the law.

Measuring the quality of life in mild to very severe dementia: Testing the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the German version of the QUALIDEM

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 825-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Nikolaus Dichter ◽  
Christian G. G. Schwab ◽  
Gabriele Meyer ◽  
Sabine Bartholomeyczik ◽  
Olga Dortmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Rater Agreement ◽  
Severe Dementia ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Care Relationship

ABSTRACTBackground:Quality of life (Qol) is an increasingly used outcome measure in dementia research. The QUALIDEM is a dementia-specific and proxy-rated Qol instrument. We aimed to determine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability in residents with dementia in German nursing homes.Methods:The QUALIDEM consists of nine subscales that were applied to a sample of 108 people with mild to severe dementia and six consecutive subscales that were applied to a sample of 53 people with very severe dementia. The proxy raters were 49 registered nurses and nursing assistants. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability scores were calculated on the subscale and item level.Results:None of the QUALIDEM subscales showed strong inter-rater reliability based on the single-measure Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for absolute agreement ≥ 0.70. Based on the average-measure ICC for four raters, eight subscales for people with mild to severe dementia (care relationship, positive affect, negative affect, restless tense behavior, social relations, social isolation, feeling at home and having something to do) and five subscales for very severe dementia (care relationship, negative affect, restless tense behavior, social relations and social isolation) yielded a strong inter-rater agreement (ICC: 0.72–0.86). All of the QUALIDEM subscales, regardless of dementia severity, showed strong intra-rater agreement. The ICC values ranged between 0.70 and 0.79 for people with mild to severe dementia and between 0.75 and 0.87 for people with very severe dementia.Conclusions:This study demonstrated insufficient inter-rater reliability and sufficient intra-rater reliability for all subscales of both versions of the German QUALIDEM. The degree of inter-rater reliability can be improved by collaborative Qol rating by more than one nurse. The development of a measurement manual with accurate item definitions and a standardized education program for proxy raters is recommended.

Social Relations and Mortality

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni C. Antonucci ◽  
Kira S. Birditt ◽  
Noah J. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Survival Analyses ◽  
Best Friend ◽  
Buffering Effects

Among older adults social relationships influence mortality, but it is less clear how. We examined associations between relationship quality with spouse, child, and best friend and mortality; and whether the associations varied in the presence of chronic illnesses. Survival analyses ( N = 514; 59 percent women aged ≥ 60) revealed sometimes counterintuitive main and buffering effects. Individuals who reported greater negative relationship quality with their children and friends lived longer. Buffering models suggest that relationships may exacerbate the effects of chronic illness on mortality and emphasize the importance of using a more nuanced approach when examining the effects of social relations on mortality.

Studying the Particular, Illuminating the General: Community Studies and Community in Wales

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 672-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickie Charles ◽  
Charlotte Aull Davies
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Community Studies ◽  
The Family ◽  
Community People ◽  
Work Affect ◽  
General Community

This article is inspired by Frankenberg's (1990) claim that the best way to understand general social processes is through the study of their manifestation in the details of social life. We look at how studies of community that have been carried out in Wales, particularly Village on the Border and The Family and Social Change ( Rosser and Harris, 1965 ), have accomplished this link between the particular and the general. We then consider the findings of our own research, which is a restudy of Rosser and Harris, showing how they provide a counterbalance to grand theoretical claims about the transformations that are affecting community and family life. We find that although factors such as increasing geographical mobility and women's greater participation in paid work affect people's experiences of community, people continue to place a high value on what they call communities. Such communities are spoken about and defined in different ways but all are based on local social networks of kin, neighbours and friends and/or locally-based associations. They are also gendered, with women playing a key role at both informal and formal levels of community. We suggest that the apparent resilience of local social relations evident in our research may help to explain the continued cultural and political resonance of community in Wales.

Revitalisation gone wrong: Mixed-income public housing redevelopment in Toronto’s Don Mount Court

Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (16) ◽  
pp. 3405-3422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine August
Keyword(s):  
Public Housing ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Social Community ◽  
Housing Redevelopment ◽  
New Urbanist ◽  
Improved Design ◽  
Mixed Income

This article challenges the presumed benevolence of mixed-income public housing redevelopment, focusing on the first socially-mixed remake of public housing in Canada, at Toronto’s Don Mount Court (now called ‘Rivertowne’). Between 2002 and 2012 the community was demolished and replaced with a re-designed ‘New Urbanist’ landscape, including replacement of public housing (232 units) and 187 new condominium townhouses. While mixed redevelopment is premised on the hope that tenants will benefit from improved design and mixed-income interactions, this research finds that many residents were less satisfied with the quality of their housing, neighbourhood design, and social community post-redevelopment. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews and ethnographic participant observation, this article finds that tenant interviewees missed their older, more spacious homes in the former Don Mount, and were upset to find that positive community bonds were dismantled by relocation and redevelopment. Challenging the ‘myth of the benevolent middle class’ at the heart of social mix policy, many residents reported charged social relations in the new Rivertowne. In addition, the neo-traditional redesign of the community – intended to promote safety and inclusivity – had paradoxical impacts. Many tenants felt less safe than in their modernist-style public housing, and the mutual surveillance enabled by New Urbanist redesign fostered tense community relations. These findings serve as a strong caution for cities and public housing authorities considering mixed redevelopment, and call into question the wisdom of funding welfare state provisions with profits from real estate development.

PUPILS' EXPERIENCES OF SCHOOL AND FAMILY LIFE. A COMPARISON BETWEEN ESTONIA AND RUSSIA

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-209
Author(s):  
Egil Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
The Soviet Union

In spite of common regime under the Soviet Union, Russia and Estonia have different traditions and cultural backgrounds, which may influence the parents' upbringing of the children.The focus of this study is teenagers' perception of their upbringing and the perceived demands on them from adults as well as from peers. In total 1.040 pupils, ranging in age from 12 to 14, took part. Of these, 548 were from Estonia and 492 from Russia. The pupils answered a questionnaire including questions about interests, parents' demands, schoolwork and social relations with their families and with their peers. Factor analyses of data were made separately for the two countries as well as for the whole study and the pupils' answers in Estonia and Russia were compared, with country and sex as independent variables. Some of the results indicate cultural differences as well as differences in external living conditions.

scholarly journals Stages of busi(-)ness and identity

Ethnologies ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Lightfoot ◽  
Valérie Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Family Business ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Work Space ◽  
Small Family ◽  
The Family ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Creation

Résumé This article explores how space gets mobilised in the performance of “family business”. The very concept of the “family business” collapses some deeply entrenched distinctions in Western modern societies, those between home and work, private and public, family life and business rationality, distinctions that are mapped over space through the creation of boundaries between work space and family space, home and office. The “family business”, especially when run from home, unsticks this ordered sense of space as familial images and business stages are collapsed. Our analysis of small family run boarding kennels focuses on the way space is used to frame different stages of action. In particular, we draw upon theatrical metaphors to explore the work that goes into the staging of identities and social relations. We first discuss the relationships between space, stages, performance and identity through a theatrical lens; we then draw upon material from our study of family run boarding kennels to explore how owner-managers use space as a malleable resource from which they carve out and assemble different stages to perform their business and themselves to different audiences. After going back into the theatre to discuss the role of stages in weaving together coherent stories in the family business or in drama, we close by exploring the limitations of the theatrical metaphor for the analysis of social life.

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