scholarly journals Making Sense of an Unknown Terrain

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Hughes ◽  
Louise Locock ◽  
Sue Simkin ◽  
Anne Stewart ◽  
Anne E. Ferrey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Impact

Self-harm is common in young people, and can have profound effects on parents and other family members. We conducted narrative interviews with 41 parents and other family members of 38 young people, aged up to 25, who had self-harmed. Most of the participants were parents but included one sibling and one spouse. This article reports experiences of the parent participants. A cross-case thematic analysis showed that most participants were bewildered by self-harm. The disruption to their worldview brought about by self-harm prompted many to undergo a process of “sense-making”—by ruminative introspection, looking for information, and building a new way of seeing—to understand and come to terms with self-harm. Most participants appeared to have been successful in making sense of self-harm, though not without considerable effort and emotional struggle. Our findings provide grounds for a deeper socio-cultural understanding of the impact of self-harm on parents.

What Youth Want

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avi Max Spiegel
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
First Person ◽  
New Politics ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Personal Empowerment ◽  
Islamist Movements

This chapter continues the discussion of the lives of young Islamists, focusing on their articulations of their hopes and goals. Analyzing the trove of data that the author uncovered from first-person narratives and life histories, transcripts, and extended participant observation, the author found that young people were looking for nothing less than a new sense of self. Their decisions are multiple, multilayered, and constantly renegotiated, but they can only be understood by making sense of the new identities that are sustained by their collective action. The author argues that Islamism is not simply ideological; it is instrumental—an avenue to a new identity, to new ways of seeing and thinking about themselves. The author dubs this the new politics of personal empowerment, where Islamist movements are reimagined as individual improvement factories: places to go not simply to become better Muslims, but to better their lot in life or the perception of that lot.

Screenshot, save, share, shame: Making sense of new media through screenshots and public shame

First Monday ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Corry
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New Media ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Media Environments ◽  
New Media Technologies

This article engages in a qualitative thematic analysis of media discourse about two prominent cases involving screenshots and public shame: the story of Amanda Todd, a Canadian teenager who took her own life after years of cyberbullying facilitated by screenshots; and the story of Anthony Weiner, the New York U.S. Congressman whose political career crumbled after screenshots revealed extramarital flirtations. It shows how screenshots violated the assumed boundaries of media environments, and in doing so prompted moments of public sense-making around new media. By focusing on cases where public shaming collides with the introduction of new media technologies, this article also offers an opportunity to understand how public spectacles of emotion, specifically of shame, shape new media technologies’ meanings and uses.

scholarly journals Threats to epistemic agency in young people with unusual experiences and beliefs

Synthese ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph W. Houlders ◽  
Lisa Bortolotti ◽  
Matthew R. Broome
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Therapeutic Relationship ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Clinical Encounter ◽  
Epistemic Agency ◽  
The Impact

AbstractA good therapeutic relationship in mental health services is a predictor of positive clinical outcomes for people who seek help for distressing experiences, such as voice hearing and paranoia. One factor that may affect the quality of the therapeutic relationship and raises further ethical issues is the impact of the clinical encounter on users’ sense of self, and in particular on their sense of agency. In the paper, we discuss some of the reasons why the sense of epistemic agency may be especially fragile in young people with unusual experiences and beliefs. We argue that it is important to identify and avoid behaviours that can undermine young people’s contributions as epistemic agents in the clinical encounter.

scholarly journals PAIN AND THE UNSPOKEN EMOTION: SHAME

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 126-141
Author(s):  
Howard Bath
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Impostor Phenomenon ◽  
Social Emotion ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Thinking Processes ◽  
Deep Sense

Anger, fear, and sadness are frequently described emotions that are experienced by many young people in care, but there is another common emotion that is less often named and understood. Shame — the deep sense of not belonging, of being defective or deficient in some way, of feeling unlovable — is a painful and pervasive social emotion that also involves our thinking processes and sense of self-worth. It has been described as a “pit of despair” that “envelops” many young people in care, a toxic force that drives behaviours we struggle to understand including some aggression and self-harm. Referencing Nathanson’s  Compass of Shame, this article looks at some common coping strategies as well as masks or proxies of shame including the so-called “impostor” phenomenon – even the “drive for normality” described by James Anglin in 2002 could be seen as an attempt to escape from shame’s isolating clutches. Strategies for helping young people understand and cope with shame, including the fostering of healthy connections and the judicious use of words, are then explored.

scholarly journals Family-witnessed resuscitation: focus group inquiry into UK student nurse experiences of simulated resuscitation scenarios

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pontin ◽  
Gerard Kenny ◽  
Issy Bray ◽  
John Albarran
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Research Ethics ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Student Nurses ◽  
Student Nurse ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Qualitative Focus Groups ◽  
The Impact

AimsTo describe the impact of family members’ presence on student nurse performance in a witnessed resuscitation scenario. To explore student nurses’ attitudes to simulated family-witnessed resuscitation and their views about its place in clinical practice.BackgroundFamily-witnessed resuscitation remains controversial worldwide. Hospital implementation remains inconsistent despite professional organisation support. Systematic reviews of international literature indicate family members wish to be involved and consulted; healthcare professionals express concerns about being observed while resuscitating. Student nurse perspectives have not been addressed.DesignQualitative, focus groups.MethodsParticipants: UK university second-year student nurses (n=48) who participated in simulated resuscitation scenarios (family member absent, family member present but quiet or family member present but distressed). Data generation 2014: focus group interview schedule—five open-ended questions and probing techniques. Audio recordings transcribed, analysed thematically. Research ethics approval via University Research Ethics committee.FindingsOverarching theme=students’ sense making—making sense of situation (practically/professionally), of themselves (their skills/values) and of others (patients/family members). Students identify as important team leader allocating tasks, continuity of carer and number of nurses needed. Three orientations to practice are identified and explored—includes rule following, guidance from personal/proto-professional values and paternalistic protectionism.DiscussionWe explore issues of students’ fluency of response and skills repertoire to support family-witnessed resuscitation; explanatory potential to account for the inconsistent uptake of family-witnessed resuscitation. Possible future lines of inquiry include family members’ gaze as a motivational trigger, and management of guilt.

Re-orientating Dietetic Interventions for Adults with Eating and Weight Concerns: A Qualitative Study of the Well Now course – Part 1

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-66
Author(s):  
Lucy Aphramor ◽  
Nazanin Khasteganan
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Health Gain ◽  
Weight Concerns ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Impact

This research examines the impact of attending a Well Now course on participants’ wellbeing and contrasts this with their reports of previous experiences of seeking support with weight concerns. The Well Now course teaches health-gain and body respect. As such, it offers people a way of making sense of their experiences around food and eating that is premised on criticality, compassion and respect. This is the first of two articles discussing research findings. This was a qualitative, community-based study using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The participants were women and men who had completed a 6 session Well Now course. Interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed verbatim and data were manually sorted. Coding categories were developed and participants’ quotes were assigned to these using thematic analysis. The study had ethics approval*. Participants described how engaging with the Well Now philosophy in a supportive group had beneficially impacted their health and sense of self-worth. The reorientation made available through Well Now enhanced psychosocial variables and behaviours known to impact on health, such as mood, self-esteem, eating/exercise habits and interpersonal relationships. They recounted instances where recommendations to follow a weight-corrective approach, and attendant size bias seen in health practitioner’s attitudes, had had a detrimental impact on their wellbeing and sense of self-worth. A professional commitment to socio-politically aware practice is recommended as a means of advancing equity, helping people heal from body shame and meeting our ethical responsibilities as health practitioners.  

scholarly journals Understanding the Experience and Needs of School Counsellors When Working with Young People Who Engage in Self-Harm

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 4844
Author(s):  
Ben Te Maro ◽  
Sasha Cuthbert ◽  
Mia Sofo ◽  
Kahn Tasker ◽  
Linda Bowden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
School Staff ◽  
School Counsellors ◽  
Self Harm

Self-harm rates are increasing globally and demand for supporting, treating and managing young people who engage in self-harm often falls to schools. Yet the approach taken by schools varies. This study aimed to explore the experience of school staff managing self-harm, and to obtain their views on the use of guidelines in their work. Twenty-six pastoral care staff from New Zealand were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed and coded using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: The burden of the role; discrepancies in expectations, training, and experience; and the need for guidelines to support their work. This research, therefore, demonstrated a need for guidelines to support school staff to provide support around decision making and response to self-harm in the school environment.

scholarly journals ‘They needed the attention more than I did’: How do the birth children of foster carers experience the relationship with their parents?

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Adams ◽  
Alexander R Hassett ◽  
Virginia Lumsden
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Parent Child

Research has highlighted the potential tensions and risk of disruption to care placements when foster carers have birth children living at home. Given the limited research attention given to these young people and the importance of retaining carers, it seems important for policy and practice to investigate the parent–child relationship in this context. Therefore, this study seeks to explore how the birth children of foster carers experience their relationship with their parents. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews with eight such young people (aged 14–16 years). Three superordinate themes emerged: (1) relational processes that give value to my role in the family; (2) threats to our relationship; and (3) making sense as a way of managing the threats. Each of these contained several subthemes. While there were consistent patterns of experience, there was also individual variation. The findings suggest that the processes of ‘making sense’ and ‘feeling valued’ serve to buffer the impact of potential threats to the parent–child relationship. Theoretical implications include the application of a model that elucidates the relationship between the themes. This has clinical implications for understanding and informing the way services support both foster carers and their children.

scholarly journals A Mixed-method Analysis of Community-Engaged Theatre Illuminates Black Women’s Experiences of Racism and Addresses Healthcare Inequities by Targeting Provider Bias

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 004695802097625
Author(s):  
Sally Wasmuth ◽  
Kevin Pritchard ◽  
Cierra Milton ◽  
Emily Smith
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Strongly Agree ◽  
Provider Bias ◽  
The Impact

Theatre has been a powerful means of eliciting social change. This paper describes methods and outcomes of a theatre project to reduce healthcare inequities experienced by Black women. We conducted narrative interviews with a convenience sample of Black women and conducted thematic analysis of interview transcripts to learn about their experiences of healthcare and to inform development of a professional theatrical production. To assess the impact of the performance on the audience, we used a single post-test concurrent mixed-methods design using a self-created Likert-type survey that included space for open-ended responses. Ten Black women completed narrative interviews. Thematic analysis revealed 5 main themes: being ignored, being accused, being talked-down to, fearing harm, and being hurt. Narratives were used to create a script that centered on these themes, and that was professionally produced and performed. Audience members (n = 113, 25% healthcare providers) produced a mean total post-test score of 19.28 (agree/strongly agree) on a 25-point survey with 2 items scoring in the 2 to 3 range (disagree/not sure). Thematic analysis data revealed the extent to which Black women experienced discrimination in multiple settings. Quantitative survey data suggested audience members conceptually understood and were aware of inequity, but open-ended responses revealed this information was new for some, and prior knowledge for others. The audience reported planning to change personal behaviors that may contribute to inequity. Participants were unsure if they had contributed to inequity in the past. The performance stimulated conversation about implicit bias and discrimination and encouraged audience members to examine their contributions to the problem. Future pre-post studies are needed to better assess the impact of the performance. Theatre has the potential to illuminate the extent and nature of discrimination in healthcare and society, and to foster conversations that allow audience members to consider their own potential contributions to discrimination.

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