scholarly journals Characteristics of Hardcore Male Smokers in Taiwan: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
Hui-Wen Huang ◽  
Kuang-Chieh Hsueh ◽  
Wen-Wen Li ◽  
Chih-Ling Huang
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Motivation To Quit ◽  
Smoking Behaviors ◽  
Southern Taiwan ◽  
Hardcore Smokers ◽  
Persistent Smoking

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of hardcore smokers who were previously hospitalized. Study design: A descriptive qualitative design was used to investigate a sample of 29 male Taiwanese smokers. Methods: Male hardcore smokers were recruited at a hospital in southern Taiwan and their smoking behaviors and attitudes were explored in semistructured interviews. Inclusion criteria were: (1) smoking at least weekly or daily during the past year, (2) 100 cigarettes during the lifetime, (3) persistent smoking, or (4) at least one hospitalization. Audio-recorded interview data were analyzed using content categorization of the responses. Results: Four main themes emerged to describe characteristics of Taiwanese hardcore smokers: (1) physiological and psychological dependence, (2) no motivation to quit despite knowledge of negative health consequences, (3) social interaction and cultural norms, and (4) negative attitudes toward, but compliance with, smoking-free policies. Conclusions: The results can inform public health nurses of characteristics of Taiwanese hardcore smokers, which in turn may develop effective smoking cessation program to increase smoking cessation rate among Taiwanese hardcore smokers.

scholarly journals Breast Cancer (BC) Is a Window of Opportunity for Smoking Cessation: Results of a Retrospective Analysis of 1234 BC Survivors in Follow-Up Consultation

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2423
Author(s):  
Marion Nicolas ◽  
Beatriz Grandal ◽  
Emma Dubost ◽  
Amyn Kassara ◽  
Julien Guerin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Window Of Opportunity ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Lower Alcohol ◽  
Smoking Behaviors

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Smoking is the principal modifiable risk factor for cancers and has a negative influence on long-term survival. We conducted a retrospective study on consecutive BC survivors seen at follow-up consultations between 3 June and 30 October 2019 at Institut Curie, Paris, France. Smoking behaviors were evaluated prospectively via interviewer-administered questionnaires. The aim of this study was to describe smoking-related patient care at diagnosis and smoking cessation patterns in women with a history of BC. A total of 1234 patients were included in the study. Smoking status at diagnosis was missing from electronic health records in 32% of cases, including 13% of patients who smoke. Only 20% of the 197 patients currently smoking at diagnosis recalled having a discussion about smoking with a healthcare professional. Radiotherapists and surgeons were more likely to talk about complications than other practitioners. The main type of information provided was general advice to stop smoking (n = 110), followed by treatment complications (n = 48), while only five patients were referred to tobaccologists. Since diagnosis, 33% (n = 65) of the patients currently smoking had quit. Patients who quit had a lower alcohol consumption, but no other factor was associated with smoking cessation. The main motivation for tobacco withdrawal was the fear of BC relapse (63%). This study highlights room for improvement in the assessment of smoking behavior. Our data raise important perspectives for considering BC treatment and follow-up as a window of opportunity for smoking cessation.

The Acceptability and Effectiveness of Videos Promoting Smoking Cessation Among Australians Experiencing Mental Illness

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110347
Author(s):  
Ratika Sharma-Kumar ◽  
Cheneal Puljević ◽  
Kylie Morphett ◽  
Carla Meurk ◽  
Coral Gartner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Promote Smoking Cessation ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Signed Rank Test ◽  
High Level

There are high rates of tobacco smoking among people who experience mental illness (MI). While videos are an effective method of disseminating health-related information, there is limited research investigating the effectiveness of video-delivered education promoting smoking cessation among people living with MI. This formative study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and acceptability of targeted video resources providing smoking cessation information and advice to smokers with MI. This study used a mixed-method design; 29 Australian smokers living with MI completed a preinterview survey including 12 questions assessing knowledge about smoking cessation, watched six videos developed by the research team providing information about smoking cessation, took part in semistructured interviews about the videos’ quality, content, and format, and then completed a postinterview survey identical to the preinterview survey to assess changes in smoking cessation-related knowledge. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to calculate changes in cessation-related knowledge, and thematic analysis was used to identify common themes in qualitative data. We found a statistically significant increase in participants’ smoking cessation-related knowledge scores after watching the videos. Participants indicated an overall high level of acceptability of the videos’ quality, content, and format, and findings from the semistructured interviews reflected these favorable views. This study’s findings provide a new understanding of the effectiveness and acceptability of customized video-based education to promote smoking cessation among people living with MI, and can be used to inform the content and focus of video resources aimed at increasing knowledge about smoking cessation for people experiencing MI.

“Unfortunately I’m a Massively Heavy Sleeper”: An Analysis of Fathers’ Constructions of Parenting

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 680-701
Author(s):  
Ashlee Borgkvist ◽  
Jaklin Eliott ◽  
Shona Crabb ◽  
Vivienne Moore
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
The Past ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Involved Fathers

Expectations for fathers have changed over the past few decades—research has shown that many men express more egalitarian views toward fatherhood and being more involved in parenting, particularly in the caretaking and emotional aspects of parenting. However, despite intentions expressed before parenthood, parenting will often play out along more traditional, gendered lines. In this research, we demonstrate how discourses used by fathers might work to maintain gendered divisions in relation to parenting and work. Data were collected through semistructured interviews that covered men’s experiences of work and parenting. Discourse analysis was employed to analyze the data. We identified that while participants expressed a desire to be involved fathers, often this did not transpire. Participants’ inability to, or decisions not to be, actively involved was accounted for in various ways, and suggested a tension between what fathers recognize they should be doing, and what they are doing, as parents.

Attitudes Toward the Past, Present, and Future: Associations With Self-Reported Academic Outcomes in Academically Talented Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 001698622110194
Author(s):  
James R. Andretta ◽  
Frank C. Worrell
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Academic Rank ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Academically Talented ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Time Attitudes ◽  
Emotional Outcomes ◽  
Attitude Scales ◽  
Social Emotional Outcomes

The Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory–Time Attitude Scales (AATI-TA) were used to examine the association between time attitudes and self-reported academic and social–emotional outcomes in 967 academically talented adolescents ( M age = 14.27, SD = 1.42) attending a summer educational program. The AATI-TA consists of six subscales assessing positive and negative attitudes toward the past, present, and future. Bivariate associations between AATI-TA subscales scores and outcomes were small. Cluster analyses of AATI-TA scores yielded several profiles, labeled Pessimists, Negatives, Ambivalents, and Positives. Students with Positive and Ambivalent profiles reported greater course enjoyment, higher perceived academic rank, and higher expected summer GPA than their peers with the Negative profile, even though the groups did not differ on how challenging they perceived the courses to be, time spent on homework, and studying. In keeping with previous research using the AATI-TA, Positives reported the most favorable outcomes, Negatives the least, and Ambivalent and Pessimistic adolescents fell between these two groups. Future research on time attitudes should include measures of actual academic performance.

scholarly journals Financial Hardship, Motivation to Quit and Post-Quit Spending Plans among Low-Income Smokers Enrolled in a Smoking Cessation Trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 117822181987876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Rogers ◽  
Jose Palacios ◽  
Elizabeth Vargas ◽  
Christina Wysota ◽  
Marc Rosen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Financial Hardship ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Motivation To Quit ◽  
Trial Testing

Background: Tobacco spending may exacerbate financial hardship in low-income populations by using funds that could go toward essentials. This study examined post-quit spending plans among low-income smokers and whether financial hardship was positively associated with motivation to quit in the sample. Methods: We analyzed data from the baseline survey of a randomized controlled trial testing novel a smoking cessation intervention for low-income smokers in New York City ( N = 410). Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between financial distress, food insecurity, smoking-induced deprivation (SID) and motivation to quit (measured on a 0-10 scale). We performed summative content analyses of open-ended survey questions to identify the most common plans among participants with and without SID for how to use their tobacco money after quitting. Results: Participants had an average level of motivation to quit of 7.7 ( SD = 2.5). Motivation to quit was not significantly related to having high financial distress or food insecurity ( P > .05), but participants reporting SID had significantly lower levels of motivation to quit than those without SID ( M = 7.4 versus 7.9, P = .04). Overall, participants expressed an interest in three main types of spending for after they quit: Purchases, Activities, and Savings/Investing, which could be further conceptualized as spending on Oneself or Family, and on Needs or Rewards. The top three spending plans among participants with and without SID were travel, clothing and savings. There were three needs-based spending plans unique to a small number of participants with SID: housing, health care and education. Conclusions: Financial distress and food insecurity did not enhance overall motivation to quit, while smokers with SID were less motivated to quit. Most low-income smokers, including those with SID, did not plan to use their tobacco money on household essentials after quitting.

The Floating Signifier of “Radicalization”: Correctional Officers’ Perceptions of Prison Radicalization

2020 ◽  
pp. 009385482096974
Author(s):  
William J. Schultz ◽  
Sandra M. Bucerius ◽  
Kevin D. Haggerty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Correctional Officers ◽  
Gang Membership ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Prison Staff ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Interpretive Frames

The number of people incarcerated for extremist actions has grown over the past decades. The resulting prospect of prison radicalization has contributed to widespread risk responsibilitization among prison staff. Low-level correctional officers now perceive themselves as being directly responsible for detecting radicalization on their units. Consequently, radicalization has become a meaningful topic for prison staff, one which shapes their daily actions and perceptions. However, officers’ understandings of radicalization may not conform with accepted definitions. Through 131 semistructured interviews with Canadian correctional officers, we demonstrate how radicalization functions as a floating signifier in prison, influencing officer thought and behavior in meaningful ways while eluding easy definition. Officers redefine radicalization to fit interpretive frames around religion and race, gang membership, and mental health, irrespective of whether stereotypical extremists exist in a given prison. We demonstrate how radicalization, when operating as a floating signifier, can significantly influence officers’ perceptions and front-line prison operations.

scholarly journals Reflections on the Challenges of Writing a (Pre-)History of the “Polarized” Present

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-408
Author(s):  
Thomas Zimmer
Keyword(s):  
American Politics ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Intellectual Life ◽  
Master Narrative ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S

Polarization is everywhere. It is, according to the Pew Research Center, “a defining feature of American politics today.” Elected officials, journalists, and political pundits seem to agree that it is a severe problem in urgent need of fixing, maybe even the root of all evil that plagues the United States, from dysfunction in Congress to the decay of social and cultural norms. Many historians, too, have embraced the concept of polarization for its explanatory power: It has emerged as the closest thing to a master narrative for recent American history. In this interpretation, the “liberal consensus” that had dominated mid-twentieth-century American politics and intellectual life—the widely shared acceptance of New Deal philosophy and broad agreement on the desirable contours of society and the pursuit of certain kinds of public good—gave way after the 1960s to an age of heightened tension, dividing Americans into two camps that since then have regarded each other with deepening distrust. Yet too few historians have reflected on the limits and potential pitfalls of using polarization as a governing historical paradigm. It is high time, therefore, to pause to consider the larger implications of approaching the past through the prism of polarization.

Gender and Computer Anxiety

2005 ◽  
pp. 1257-1265
Author(s):  
Sue E. Kase ◽  
Frank E. Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Computer Anxiety ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

Because of their ability to enhance productivity, computers have become ubiquitous in the workplace. By the early 1990s the use of computers in the workplace reached a per capita penetration that the telephone took 75 years to achieve (Webster & Martocchio, 1992). During the past several decades, there has been both speculation and hard research related to the psychological effects of computer technology. More recently the role of attitudes towards computers in influencing the acceptance and use of computer-based management information systems (MIS) has been highlighted by a growing number of MIS researchers. Generally, these studies focus on the negative attitudes towards computers and concerns about the impact of MIS on individual performance in the workplace.

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