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Negative Experiences (negative + experience)
Selected AbstractsReengineering Academic Teams Toward a Network Organizational Structure,DECISION SCIENCES JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007Emmanouil Kaldis ABSTRACT This article examines student teamwork in the academic field from a structural perspective. Student teams are often prearranged and then left to organize themselves and get on with their work, without any further structural support; this, however, can become a negative experience on teamwork. A varied contribution among team members often occurs and unavoidably leads to friction and reduced performance. The aim of this project is to explore the main problems in academic teamwork and investigate tools that provide relevant solutions. We present the concept of network organizational structure and discuss how this can improve collaboration and communication. The main tools to achieve a structural transformation from the more traditional form of team organization to the fairer network form, and their implications are discussed. [source] Nurses with mental illness: Their workplace experiencesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2007Terry Joyce ABSTRACT:, This qualitative study explored the workplace experiences of nurses who have a mental illness. The ultimate goal of the study was to gain insights that would lead to the development of more supportive environments for these nurses. Interviews were conducted with 29 nurses in New South Wales, Australia. The interview transcripts were subjected to discourse analysis. One significant finding was the theme ,Crossing the boundary , from nurse to patient'. This encompassed three sub-themes: ,Developing a mental illness', ,Hospital admission', and ,Being managed'. For most of the participants, being a nurse with a mental illness was largely a negative experience. Often, nurses without a mental illness actively sought to reform the participants' behaviour to enforce what was seen as appropriate conduct for a professional nurse. This paper shows how nurses in this study dealt with the early concerns associated with mental illness. [source] Patients' evaluations of the quality of care: influencing factors and the importance of engagementJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2005Sophie H. Staniszewska BSc DPhil Aims., This paper reports a study exploring the process of patient evaluation and identifying the factors which influence this. Background., Patient experiences of health care have become a central focus for researchers, policymakers, clinicians and patient groups in many countries. While surveys of patient experiences have become increasingly common internationally, concerns about the validity of concepts such as satisfaction have cast doubt on the utility of their findings. These concerns reflect our limited understanding of patient evaluation and the factors that can influence this process. Methods., A qualitative design was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with a sample of outpatients in their homes in one county in England. In total, 41 patients participated in the study and were interviewed before their appointment. Of these patients, 37 were interviewed again after their appointment. Six of the latter were then re-interviewed 6 weeks after the appointment to explore whether evaluations had changed. Findings., Patient evaluation was influenced by a number of factors, including gratitude, faith, loyalty, luck and equity. The overall effect was to prompt positive evaluation, even when care was poor. These factors should be accounted for in the interpretation of patient experiences surveys. Patient experiences were further influenced by their sense of engagement with the system. A negative sense of engagement could have a major impact on the patient, resulting in disappointment or fear and a desire to leave the health care system, and in a negative evaluation of a specific aspect of care. Conclusions., Engagement may provide a more appropriate indicator of negative experience than dissatisfaction. The influence of these factors should be considered in future attempts to develop more sensitive and appropriate methods of eliciting patient experiences. [source] Childhood negative experiences and subclinical psychosis in adolescence: a longitudinal general population studyEARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2007Ellen De Loore Abstract Background:, Accumulating evidence suggests that experiences of trauma and victimization during childhood are associated with an increased risk to develop clinical and subclinical psychosis in adulthood. A recent cross-sectional study showed a significant association between trauma and psychotic experiences in adolescents. The current study aimed to extend these findings by investigating the longitudinal effects of negative life experiences on the risk for subclinical psychotic symptoms 2 years later in an adolescent general community sample. Methods:, Data were derived from the standard health screenings of the Youth Health Care Divisions of the Public Health Services, in the South of the Netherlands. A total of 1129 adolescents filled out a self-report questionnaire at age 13/14 years and 2 years later (15/16 years), assessing psychotic experiences, as well as experiences of being bullied, sexual trauma, and negative life events. Results:, Logistic regression analyses revealed that sexual trauma increased the risk for psychotic symptoms 2 years later. Life events contributed to the risk for psychosis over time and psychosis in turn gave rise to new life events. No significant association with bullying was found after controlling for confounders. Conclusion:, The results provide further evidence for an association between childhood environment and psychosis in the crucial developmental period of early adolescence. Early and later psychological stress, if severe, may impact on the risk for psychosis in adolescence through mechanisms of person,environment interaction and correlation. [source] ,We didn't know it would get that bad': South Asian experiences of dementia and the service responseHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 5 2003Alison Bowes BA PhD Abstract The aim of the present paper was to examine some views and experiences of dementia among older South Asian people, as well as their families and carers, and to explore central issues of service support. Data were collected in Scotland through interviews with 11 professionals working with South Asian people with dementia, and four case studies of South Asian people with a diagnosis of dementia, as well as their families and carers. The case studies demonstrated overwhelmingly negative experiences of dementia, with poor quality of life, desperate needs for support, lack of access to appropriate services, little knowledge of dementia, and isolation from community and family life. The interviews with professionals described a strong demand for services, a need to develop awareness and knowledge about dementia in South Asian communities, and a need to promote more culturally sensitive, individually responsive services. Similarities between South Asian people and the non-South Asian population include stress on carers, increasing isolation, problematic diagnostic practices, lack of knowledge and demand for service support. Differences include limited use of non-National Health Service (NHS) support, dealing with later stages of dementia at home, particularly negative views about residential care, culturally based attitudinal differences and use of the term ,dementia' in English as neutral rather than stigmatising. The present authors suggest that there is little knowledge and experience of dementia in South Asian communities, as well as restricted access to appropriate services, despite the efforts of voluntary sector and NHS special projects. There is demand for services, especially at home. Services need to develop individual responsiveness for effective working in a diverse society. [source] Language and Regional Differences in Evaluations of Medicare Managed Care by HispanicsHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008Robert Weech-Maldonado Objectives. This study uses the Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) survey to examine the experiences of Hispanics enrolled in Medicare managed care. Evaluations of care are examined in relationship to primary language (English or Spanish) and region of the country. Data Sources. CAHPS 3.0 Medicare managed care survey data collected in 2002. Study Design. The dependent variables consist of five CAHPS multi-item scales measuring timeliness of care, provider communication, office staff helpfulness, getting needed care, and health plan customer service. The main independent variables are Hispanic primary language (English or Spanish) and region (California, Florida, New York/New Jersey, and other states). Ordinary least squares regression is used to model the effect of Hispanic primary language and region on CAHPS scales, controlling for age, gender, education, and self-rated health. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The analytic sample consists of 125,369 respondents (82 percent response rate) enrolled in 181 Medicare managed care plans across the U.S. Of the 125,369 respondents, 8,463 (7 percent) were self-identified as Hispanic. The survey was made available in English and Spanish, and 1,353 Hispanics completed one in Spanish. Principal Findings. Hispanic English speakers had less favorable reports of care than whites for all dimensions of care except provider communication. Hispanic Spanish speakers reported more negative experiences than whites with timeliness of care, provider communication, and office staff helpfulness, but better reports of care for getting needed care. Spanish speakers in all regions except Florida had less favorable scores than English-speaking Hispanics for provider communication and office staff helpfulness, but more positive assessments for getting needed care. There were greater regional variations in CAHPS scores among Hispanic Spanish speakers than among Hispanic English speakers. Spanish speakers in Florida had more positive experiences than Spanish speakers in other regions for most dimensions of care. Conclusions. Hispanics in Medicare managed care face barriers to care; however, their experiences with care vary by language and region. Spanish speakers (except FL) have less favorable experiences with provider communication and office staff helpfulness than their English-speaking counterparts, suggesting language barriers in the clinical encounter. On the other hand, Spanish speakers reported more favorable experiences than their English-speaking counterparts with the managed care aspects of their care (getting needed care and plan customer service). Medicare managed care plans need to address the observed disparities in patient experiences among Hispanics as part of their quality improvement efforts. Plans can work with their network providers to address issues related to timeliness of care and office staff helpfulness. In addition, plans can provide incentives for language services, which have the potential to improve communication with providers and staff among Spanish speakers. Finally, health plans can reduce the access barriers faced by Hispanics, especially among English speakers. [source] Perceiving and experiencing fictional characters: An integrative account1JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003Johan F. Hoorn Abstract: ,Fictional characters (FCs) and mediated persons in literature, theater, film, art, TV, and digital media fulfill basic psychological functions, although the processes involved remain unspecified. Departing from identification and empathy hypotheses, a new context-sensitive model draws upon similarity studies, empirical aesthetics, persuasion, emotion, and social psychology. The Perceiving and Experiencing Fictional Characters model (PEFiC-model) has three phases. During encoding, observers judge FCs in terms of ethics (good-bad), aesthetics (beautiful-ugly), and epistemics (realistic-unrealistic). Comparison entails appraisals of personal relevance as well as valence towards and (dis)similarity between the dramatis personae and the self. In the response phase, appreciation of FCs is a trade-off between the parallel, unipolar processes of involvement and distance. Intricate involvement-distance conflicts occur when subjective norms disagree with ingroup norms. Furthermore, features participate in multiple (fuzzy) sets (e.g., partly good and partly bad). PEFiC can handle complex responses towards representations of (non-existent) others, such as attractive dissimilarity, the beauty in ugliness, the appeal of negative experiences, and fascination for evil, as well as mixed emotions, ambivalence, and neutral end-states that actually conceal emotional confusion. [source] Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being AloneJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 1 2003Christopher R. Long Christopher R. Long and James R. Averill, Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being Alone, pp. 21,44. Historically, philosophers, artists, and spiritual leaders have extolled the benefits of solitude; currently, advice on how to achieve solitude is the subject of many popular books and articles. Seldom, however, has solitude been studied by psychologists, who have focused instead on the negative experiences associated with being alone, particularly loneliness. Solitude, in contrast to loneliness, is often a positive state,one that may be sought rather than avoided. In this article, we examine some of the benefits that have been attributed to solitude,namely, freedom, creativity, intimacy, and spirituality. In subsequent sections, we consider the environmental settings and personality characteristics conducive to solitude, how time spent alone is experienced differently across the life span, and the potential dangers related to the attractiveness of solitude. We conclude with a brief discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of solitude. [source] Evaluation of negative emotional care experiences in burn careJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 14 2008Björn Wikehult MSc Aim and objective., To assess recollection of negative emotional experiences during burn care. Background., Patients in intensive care frequently report negative emotional experiences. Patients with severe burns who are treated in intensive care units undergo painful care procedures, but there have been no recent evaluations of their care experiences. Design., Former burn patients (n = 42) were randomly assigned to three groups: postal questionnaire, telephone interview and face-to-face interview. Methods., Assessments included negative care experiences (feelings of uncertainty, powerlessness, being afraid, insecure, being a nuisance, or neglected), severity of injury, patient satisfaction, personality traits and psychological symptoms. Results., Overall, the degree of recalled negative experiences was low and associated with greater severity of injury, more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and lower satisfaction with care. The feeling of powerlessness was the most common, as 67% of participants had such feelings to some extent. Conclusions., Overall, negative care experiences were uncommon and most prevalent among the severely injured. Such experiences were also associated with psychological symptoms and lower patient satisfaction. Relevance to clinical practice., Although relatively uncommon, negative emotional care experiences should be monitored more closely during care. [source] Putting aid in its place: Insights from early structuralists on aid and balance of payments and lessons for contemporary aid debates,JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2009Andrew M. Fischer Abstract Recent debates on aid and development are waged on narrow terms in comparison to earlier debates in the 1950s and 1960s. The principal concern of the ,structuralist' pioneers of development economics, and the key absence in the current debates, was an understanding of the structural impediments faced by countries going through late industrialisation and rapid urban growth. These result in chronic trade deficits, shortages of foreign exchange and persistent balance of payments disequilibria. The positive potential of aid was understood to lie in its ability to mediate these imbalances in the context of national industrialisation strategies. By the same logic, this potential is lost if countries run trade surpluses. Current debates on aid mostly overlook this dual logic, despite the fact that both positive and negative experiences of post-war development largely vindicate these structuralist insights, particularly in light of current global financial imbalances. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Relatives of persons with recently discovered serious mental illness: in need of support to become resource persons in treatment and recoveryJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2010K. NORDBY cand. polit. rpn Accessible summary ,,Relatives want the health workers to regard the patient not only as sick but also regard him/her as a person. Parents want to get involved at an early stage and find it important that their opinions and experiences are heard. The staff also express that relatives possess knowledge that should be important for them to receive. ,,The relatives underline the importance of an opening for hope to be present at all time, else you do not have the strength to cope with the situation. No matter how pessimistic the staff are, hope must be expressed. ,,The relatives want to know what happens after discharge. They do not always know what questions to ask before discharge as challenges are discovered gradually. They want to know how to behave and what to say to their family member with a psychiatric illness. When parents can impart their concerns and receive adjusted counselling their level of stress is reduced. ,,It is important to consider relatives as resource persons. The staff consider themselves as experts on psychosis and the parents as experts on their own children. Abstract A considerable amount of research on the treatment of young people suffering from serious mental illnesses states that good collaboration with relatives is essential for reducing relapse, improving recovery and enhancing quality of life for patients and relatives. The aim of this study was to explore and describe what facilitates active involvement for relatives in the treatment and rehabilitation of their family member. The present study is a part of a larger cooperative inquiry project carried out in a mental hospital in southern Norway focusing on improving practices for collaboration with relatives. This sub-study presents results from eight focus group interviews with relatives and staff members. Data were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the relatives had mostly positive experiences from their encounters with the staff, although some negative experiences were articulated. Both relatives and staff underlined the importance of developing a good encounter characterized by sharing information, giving guidance and support according to the relatives' needs as well as addressing existential issues. This was perceived as a necessary basis for the relatives to become active participants in the treatment and rehabilitation process. To activate this basis, the relatives are dependent on the staff members' ability to convey and nurture hope related to the patient's recovery and quality of life. [source] Nurse,client processes in mental health: recipients' perspectivesJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2006R. COATSWORTH-PUSPOKY rn mscn An ethnonursing method was selected to explore and describe nursing support relationships, from the perspectives of recipients, within the mental health subculture. Data sources consisted of three semi-structured client interviews (n = 14) and field notes. When nurses were described as nice and friendly, and validated the client as a person by listening, three overlapping phases of development emerged from the data. These included: a glimmer of help, exploring and problem solving, and saying goodbye. When clients had negative experiences with nurses, they felt a lack of trust towards nurses and felt that their feelings were left unexplored. As a result, the relationships deteriorated. Deterioration began immediately in the first phase called withholding, and continued through the phases of avoiding and ignoring, and struggling with and making sense of. These findings raise healthcare providers' awareness about developing and deteriorating nurse,client relationships, and support the value of the therapeutic relationship as an instrument to restore and promote clients' health. [source] Perceiving Discrimination on the Job: Legal Consciousness, Workplace Context, and the Construction of Race DiscriminationLAW & SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 2 2010Elizabeth Hirsh Despite the continued importance of discrimination for racial labor market inequality, little research explores the process by which workers name potentially negative experiences as race discrimination. Drawing on the legal consciousness literature and organizational approaches to employment discrimination, we assess the effect of social status, job characteristics, and workplace context on the likelihood that workers perceive race discrimination at work. Analyzing data from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, we find that ascriptive status is associated with perceptions of discrimination, with African Americans, Hispanics, and women more likely to perceive racial discrimination, net of job and organizational controls. Results also suggest that workers with a greater sense of entitlement (as indicated by job authority, promotion experience, and union membership) and knowledge of legal entitlements (as indicated by education level and age) are more likely to perceive workplace racial discrimination. Other workplace conditions can signal fairness and decrease perceptions of racial bias, such as formalized screening practices and having nonwhite supervisors, whereas working among predominantly nonwhite coworkers increases the likelihood of perceiving discrimination. These findings suggest that personal attributions of discrimination vary across social groups and their environments, and demonstrate the importance of workplace context for understanding how individuals apply legal concepts, such as discrimination, to their experiences. [source] A comparison study of career satisfaction and emotional states between primary care and speciality residentsMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2006Donald E Girard Objective, To evaluate career satisfaction, emotional states and positive and negative experiences among residents in primary care and speciality programmes in 1 academic medical centre prior to the implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) duty hour requirements. Design, Cross-sectional survey. Measurements, All 581 residents in the academic health centre were asked to participate voluntarily in a confidential survey; 327(56%) completed the survey. Results, Compared to their primary care colleagues, speciality residents had higher levels of satisfaction with career choice, feelings of competence and excitement, lower levels of inferiority and fatigue and different perceptions of positive and negative training experiences. However, 77% of all respondents were consistently or generally pleased with their career choices. The most positive residents' experiences related to interpersonal relationships and their educational value; the most negative experiences related to interpersonal relationships and issues perceived to be outside of residents' control. Age and training level, but not gender also influenced career satisfaction, emotional states and positive and negative opinions about residency. Conclusions, Less satisfaction with career choice and more negative emotional states for primary care residents compared to speciality residents probably relate to the training experience and may influence medical students' selections of careers. The primary care residents, compared to speciality residents, appear to have difficulty in fulfilling their ideals of professionalism in an environment where they have no control. These data provide baseline information with which to compare these same factors after the implementation of the ACGME duty hours' and competency requirements. [source] Developing Evidence-Based Nursing Roles: Lessons Learned From the Health Care Integrator RoleNURSING FORUM, Issue 2 2008Jennifer J. Hatzfeld MEd, RN-BC TOPIC.,Developing evidence-based nursing roles. PURPOSE.,This study examined a unique nursing role in the United States Air Force to determine if it had been well institutionalized and to identify barriers and facilitators during the implementation process. SOURCE OF INFORMATION.,Individuals functioning in the role were surveyed to measure time spent on specific job-related tasks, additional duties, and positive and negative experiences. CONCLUSIONS.,Eighty-seven percent of the respondents (n = 45) indicated that the role had been well implemented, although wide variation existed in tasks performed and major organizational barriers identified. Findings of this study can be used to guide the development of other evidence-based positions. [source] The Workers' Compensation System: Worker friend or foe?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2004Lee Strunin PhD Abstract Background The workers' compensation system was designed to help injured workers who have substantial medical expenses and perhaps have lost a great deal of income. This study determines both similarities and differences in how workers experience their interactions with the workers' compensation systems in Florida and Wisconsin. Methods Ethnographic open-ended interviews with 204 workers from Florida and 198 workers in Wisconsin were conducted. All the workers had back injuries in 1990 and were either paid workers' compensation temporary disability benefits for at least 4 weeks or received permanent disability benefits or compromise settlements. Results Some interactions with the workers' compensation system were positive. However, the majority of respondents in both states experienced their encounters with the workers' compensation system as cumbersome, frustrating, and demeaning. Conclusions Mistrust, stigmatization, payment delays, and refusal of insurer personnel to pay benefits contribute to workers' negative experiences with the workers' compensation system. These insurer behaviors raise the costs to injured workers of workers' compensation benefits and thus may reduce the propensity of eligible workers to apply for benefits. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:338,345, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Asylum-seekers and refugees: a structuration theory analysis of their experiences in the UKPOPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 4 2006Ruth L. Healey Abstract Much of the literature on asylum-seekers and refugees tends to be atheoretical. This article uses ideas from Giddens' structuration theory as a conceptual framework to analyse the voices of a group of asylum-seekers and refugees. The empirical database consists of semi-structured interviews with 18 asylum-seekers and refugees living in the UK from a wide range of countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Poland, Somalia and the Yemen. The study shows that the experiences of asylum-seekers and refugees are impacted by both structural and individual agency factors. The former, it is argued, consist of public and political reaction towards the increase in the number of asylum applications, while the latter include asylum-seeker and refugee experiences of specific places and people which can create social networks. Structural factors had the greatest impact upon the integration of the participants into the host society. The nature of the experiences of asylum-seekers and refugees can influence the way they feel about their position in the host society. For example, negative experiences of the UK can reduce their sense of security in the society, whereas positive experiences can increase their feelings of comfort. Structuration theory conceptualises how asylum-seekers and refugees utilise coping strategies to raise their comfort level in the host country. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ,Admission into a helping plan': a watershed between positive and negative experiences in breast cancerPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 8 2010Sara Lilliehorn Abstract Cancer patients are in an exposed situation that raises certain psychosocial needs in contact with health care. Previous studies have mainly investigated these needs by assessments on pre-defined categories. Objective: The purpose of the present study is, from the patients' perspective, to identify breast cancer patients' psychosocial needs, and to synthesise them in a model reflecting the core of these needs. Methods: Seventy-one patients treated with radiation therapy were consecutively included and repeatedly interviewed about their experiences of health care. ,Critical incidents' where identified from the interviews and analysed due to the similarities,differences technique in grounded theory. Results: Four categories of needs where detected: ,access', ,information', ,treatment' and ,how approached'. These categories and their properties merged into a core category,,admission into a helping plan'. These findings are well understood in terms of attachment theory. In times of immanent danger and stress people strive to find a ,safe haven' to attach to. Cancer patients' ,safe haven' can be described as ,a helping plan'. It is not the result of a separate patient,caregiver relationship but is created by a pattern of individual experiences from all kind of contacts with the health-care system as a whole. Conclusions: The presented model of patients needs as converging into ,admission into a helping plan' may serve as an easily comprehendible model for caregivers, guiding them to contribute to the patient's feeling of security and trust, and thus to the patient's own ,hope work'. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prisoners' Families and Resettlement: A Critical AnalysisTHE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 3 2007HELEN CODD This, in turn, has led to increased official recognition of the value of supporting the family ties of prisoners. However, although providing assistance to prisoners' families with reference to their role in preventing reoffending may be of value in pragmatically improving their often profoundly negative experiences, such an approach is problematic on a number of grounds. This article critically analyses the issues. [source] The Quality of Health Insurance Service Delivery for Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Patient PerspectiveAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 10 2010E. J. Gordon Increased attention has been devoted to improving quality care in kidney transplantation. The discourse on quality care has focused on transplant center metrics and other clinical parameters. However, there has been little discussion on the quality of health insurance service delivery, which may be critical to kidney recipients' access to transplantation and immunosuppression. This paper describes and provides a framework for characterizing kidney transplant recipients' positive and negative interactions with their insurers. A consecutive cohort of kidney recipients (n = 87) participated in semistructured interviews on their interactions with insurance agencies. Patients reported negative (37%) and/or neutral or positive (79%) interactions with their insurer (a subset [16%] reported both). Perceived negative experiences included: poor service, logistical difficulties with confusing and time-consuming paperwork, poor communication, rude behavior and concerns about adequate coverage. Positive experiences related to: having good coverage, a simple application process, straightforward transactions and helpful communication. Findings suggest that even when patients have insurance coverage, difficult interactions with insurers and limited skills in navigating insurance options may limit their access to needed medications and health services. Future research is needed to test this hypothesis in a larger population. [source] When Being Different Is Detrimental: Solo Status and the Performance of Women and Racial MinoritiesANALYSES OF SOCIAL ISSUES & PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2002Mischa Thompson Individuals experience solo status when they are the only members of their social category (e.g., gender or race) present in an otherwise homogenous group. Field studies and surveys indicate that members of socially disadvantaged groups, such as women and racial minorities, have more negative experiences as solos than do members of privileged groups, such as Whites and males (Kanter, 1977; Niemann & Dovidio, 1998). In this article, we review research showing that the public performance of women and African-Americans is more debilitated by solo status than that of Whites and males. We also show that this effect is exacerbated when negative stereotypes about the performer's social group seem relevant to their performance, and we discuss the contributing roles of lowered performance expectancies and feelings of group representativeness. We discuss how findings from social psychological research can be applied towards the goal of reducing the decrements typically associated with being the only member, or one of few members, of one's race and/or gender in the environment. [source] The Eight Trigrams of the Chinese I Ching and the Eight Primary EmotionsASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Warren D. TenHouten Durkheim and Mauss, in Primitive Classification, concluded that the emotions play a causal role in the history of dual symbolic classification systems, but could not test this intuitive speculation because they saw a classification of the emotions as impossible. In this paper a portion of Plutchik's psychoevolutionary model of the primary emotions are assumed to be valid and are then investigated through analysis of one of their three case studies of primitive classification, that of classification in ancient China, where their emphasis was on the eight "trigrams" or "powers" that they saw arranged in a "divinatory compass." The trigrams are three-line components of the "hexagrams," the six-line figures that are interpreted as master signs in I Ching divination rituals. Using Plutchik's psychoevolutionary classification of the emotions as a basis of comparison, especially his model of the primary emotions as adaptive reactions to the positive and negative experiences of four existential problems , identity, temporality/reproduction, hierarchy, and territoriality , it is found that both trigrams and primary emotions exist as four pairs of opposites. The eight trigrams and eight primary emotions similarly can be seen as adaptive reactions to the four basic problems of life. Through structural analysis, correspondences between the trigrams and the primary emotions are developed, the result being that the primary emotions are structurally isomorphic and very close in first meanings to the primary attributes of the trigrams. Implications of this isomorphism of structure for the development of a social psychology of the emotions are discussed. [source] Expectation and experiences of childbirth in primiparae with caesarean sectionBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2008I Wiklund Objective, The aim of this study was to examine the expectations and experiences in women undergoing a caesarean section on maternal request and compare these with women undergoing caesarean section with breech presentation as the indication and women who intended to have vaginal delivery acting as a control group. A second aim was to study whether assisted delivery and emergency caesarean section in the control group affected the birth experience. Design, A prospective group-comparison cohort study. Setting, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Sample, First-time mothers (n= 496) were recruited to the study in week 37,39 of gestation and follow up was carried out 3 months after delivery. Comparisons were made between ,caesarean section on maternal request', ,caesarean section due to breech presentation' and ,controls planning a vaginal delivery'. Methods, The instrument used was the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ). Main outcome measures, Expectations prior to delivery and experiences at 3 months after birth. Results, Mothers requesting a caesarean section had more negative expectations of a vaginal delivery (P < 0.001) and 43.4% in this group showed a clinically significant fear of delivery. Mothers in the two groups expecting a vaginal delivery, but having an emergency caesarean section or an assisted vaginal delivery had more negative experiences of childbirth (P < 0.001). Conclusions, Women requesting caesarean section did not always suffer from clinically significant fear of childbirth. The finding that women subjected to complicated deliveries had a negative birth experience emphasises the importance of postnatal support. [source] Impact of childhood vitiligo on adult lifeBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2008M.W. Linthorst Homan Summary Background, The onset of vitiligo occurs before the age of 20 years in 50% of patients. Having a chronic disease in childhood can impede a child's health-related quality of life (HRQL). Objectives, Firstly, to compare the social and psychosexual development and current HRQL of young adult patients with childhood vitiligo with those of a group of healthy controls. Secondly, to compare these outcomes in patients reporting negative childhood experiences with those of patients not reporting negative childhood experiences. Methods, Eligible patients were mailed questionnaires on (i) sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, (ii) social and psychosexual development, (iii) generic and dermatology-specific HRQL, (iv) presence of negative childhood experiences related to vitiligo, (v) specification of these negative experiences and (vi) patients' recommendations for further care. Results, A total of 232 patients with vitiligo completed the questionnaires. Social and psychosexual development and generic HRQL in young adult patients with childhood vitiligo were not different from those of healthy controls. However, patients reporting negative childhood experiences reported significantly more problems in social development than those not reporting negative experiences. Furthermore, negative childhood experiences were significantly associated with more HRQL impairment in early adulthood. Conclusions, Reporting negative experiences from childhood vitiligo appears to be associated with HRQL impairment in young adults with vitiligo. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||