English Adults Research Articles

Classification performance of Spanish and English word recognition testing to identify cochlear implant candidates

Objective To explore the effects of language on word recognition ability and associated access to cochlear implants in Spanish- and English-speakers with hearing loss. Design Retrospective chart review. Study sample The study included 1411 English and Spanish-speaking adults with sensorineural hearing loss. Word recognition as a function of pure-tone average was evaluated by test language. Sensitivity and specificity of word recognition testing performed using the NU-6 and Spanish Bisyllables in discriminating between cochlear implant and non-cochlear implant candidates were analysed. Results Spanish-speakers had significantly poorer thresholds compared to English-speakers, yet significantly better word recognition, t(2763) = 1.86, p < 0.05. The effect of test language on word recognition increased with increasing hearing loss severity, F(3, 2762) = 6.03, p < 0.001, partial η2 = .007. The sensitivity and specificity of word recognition testing were 93% and 74% respectively for Spanish, and 95% and 75%, respectively, for English word recognition tests in meeting referral criteria for cochlear implant evaluation. Conclusions Based on classification performance analysis, Spanish and English word recognition measures exhibit comparable effectiveness in referring patients for cochlear implant evaluation. While Spanish-language measures yielded better performance, this does not result in a significant difference in referral rates for Spanish versus English speakers for unaided word recognition scores of 60% or less.

Action plans increase advance care planning documentation and engagement among English and Spanish-speaking older adults.

Advance care planning (ACP) has been reconceptualized as a health behavior. Action plans (APs), or patient-directed mini contracts, improve behavior change. However, no prior studies have assessed whether APs can increase ACP documentation and engagement. We included English and Spanish-speaking primary care patients from San Francisco, ≥55 years of age, with ≥2 serious or chronic illnesses. Participants were in the intervention arm of the PREPAREforYOURcare.org trial and asked at baseline to choose 1 of 5 actions (e.g., choose a surrogate). At 6 months, we assessed whether participants completed their AP and if completion was associated with demographics, electronic health record (EHR) ACP documentation, and five-point ACP Engagement Survey scores. We used t-tests, chi-squared, multivariate analysis adjusted for baseline ACP and clustering by physician, and qualitative thematic analysis to explore reasons for non-completion. The mean age of 586 participants was 65 ± 10 years; 44.0% women, 45.9% Spanish-speaking, 31.4% had limited health literacy, and 43% completed an AP at 6 months; surrogate-related (47.4%), tell others about medical wishes (33.7%), ask clinicians questions (13.7%), and decide what matters most in life (5.2%). Participants with limited versus adequate health literacy were less likely to complete an AP (25.4% vs 35.9%, p = 0.01). Completing an AP was associated with greater ACP EMR documentation 49.8% vs 35.6%, p < 0.001 (adjusted odds ratio: 2.06; 95% CI [1.43-2.97]) and engagement (adjusted five-point scores [3.69; 95% CI 3.57-3.81 vs 3.10; 95% CI: 2.98-3.21], p < 0.001). Themes for non-completion included not being ready and logistical issues (e.g., surrogate deceased). Among English and Spanish-speaking older adults, creating an ACP AP resulted in greater documentation and engagement. APs may help facilitate ACP behavior change as part of effective ACP interventions. Additional support may be needed for patients with limited health literacy and those facing logistical barriers.

Comparing Measuring Methods for Speech Timing During Rapid Automatic Naming Tasks Using Arabic and English Bilingual Adults

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks have been used to assess word retrieval speed and reading speed. However, measures of reading rate may be affected by structural differences between languages. This study was designed to measure talking speed differences in the utterances of a group of speakers whose first language (L1) was Arabic and second language (L2) was English. Three hypotheses were tested: the language structure differences would result in L2 productions with slower utterance rates; the L2 speaking rate would be characterized by greater utterance interruptions than the L1; and the articulation rate would more accurately indicate the naming speeds of the participants. Twenty Arabic- and English-speaking young adults completed RAN tasks for number and object naming in both languages. Utterance rate, speaking rate, and articulation rate were measured. The participants exhibited similar utterance durations in the two languages and utterance rate in words per second, but faster utterance rates in Arabic when measuring the utterance rate in syllables per second. They exhibited more pauses and longer pauses during the English productions, particularly for the object naming. Finally, the speaking rate in syllables per second and articulation rate in syllables per second were equivalent as utterance rates.

Demographic variation in preferred sources for suicide prevention and mental health crisis services among U.S. adults

IntroductionRecent federal policy initiatives (e.g., 988 Lifeline, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics) aim to increase access to mental health crisis services. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of U.S. adults reporting being “very likely” to reach out to different sources if they/a loved one were experiencing suicidality or a mental health crisis. MethodsA nationally representative Ipsos KnowledgePanel survey of 5,058 U.S. adults (response rate = 55.0 %) in English and Spanish was conducted in June 2023. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the reported likelihood of reaching out to five different sources of support in a crisis, controlling for past 30-day psychological distress and demographic characteristics. ResultsOne-in-four respondents (27.8 %; 95 % CI = 26.5 %, 29.0 %) were very likely to reach out to a crisis line and 33.6 % (95 % CI = 32.3 %, 34.9 %) were very likely to reach out to a mental health professional. A friend/family member was the most frequently identified source of support (44.7 %; 95 % CI = 43.4 %, 46.1 %). After adjustment, people of younger ages, male gender, and identifying as Republican had significantly lower odds of reporting being very likely to reach out to a crisis line and mental health professional. Black and Hispanic respondents had significantly higher odds of reporting being very likely to reach out to a crisis line and someone in their religious network than non-Hispanic Whites. ConclusionsMost U.S. adults report not being very likely to reach out to a crisis line or mental health professional if experiencing suicidality/crisis, although variation across demographic groups exists.

Disentangling gender, sex, and biology: a mixed methods study of gender identity data collection tools

ObjectivesWe used community-based mixed methods to test whether transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people preferred gender identity questions developed by community members over current questions in use and generate hypotheses about data collection preferences. MethodsWe interviewed twenty TGD adults in English and Spanish, asking them to rate and discuss their responses to questions. We analyzed quantitative data with descriptive statistics and qualitative data with template analysis, then integrated them. ResultsMore participants preferred gender identity questions that were currently in use. Themes: 1) TGD participants find questions about “gender” and related terminology unclear because of conflations of sex, gender, and other constructs. 2) TGD participants resist cisgenderism in questions about gender identity. 3) TGD people desire questions that allow for autonomy, privacy, and safety. 4) Contextual factors, particularly safety, influence whether and how TGD people answer questions about gender and sex. ConclusionsTGD people have varied concepts of sex and gender and preferences about data collection. Future research should investigate the impacts of disentangling gender, sex, and biological factors, which could decrease stigma for TGD people. Practice implicationsMedical care that disentangles gender, sex, and biological factors could improve data collection effectiveness and the safety of TGD people.

Associations Between Divorce Histories and Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among Middle Aged and Older Adults

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use has been considered a coping strategy related to stressful and traumatic life events such as relationship loss. Yet, the effects of marital status on health behaviors are generally studied cross-sectionally or over one transition. We explored associations between the frequency and quantity of alcohol use with the number of episodes and duration of separation/divorce events across adulthood among English adults in mid to later life. Methods: This study used life history data from wave 3 (2006/07) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging to compute marital sequences based on marital status at each year of age from 18 years of 6,355 adults aged 50–80 years. These sequences were used to compute the portion of adulthood spent separated/divorced and the number of episodes of divorce. These variables were used as predictors in logistic regressions predicting unhealthy alcohol use, while also controlling for current marital status. Results: We found that the number of episodes of separation/divorce increased the odds of drinking ≥5 days/week and binge drinking (≥6 drinks/occasion for women; ≥8 drinks/occasion for men), whereas the portion of adulthood spent divorced was not associated with drinking frequency or binge drinking. Some nuances by gender were also noted. Conclusions: Recurrent transitions into separation/divorce over adulthood appears to increase risk of unhealthy alcohol use in mid to later life beyond the risks associated with current marital status.

The burden of diabetes-associated multiple long-term conditions on years of life spent and lost

Diabetes mellitus is a central driver of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), but population-based studies have not clearly characterized the burden across the life course. We estimated the age of onset, years of life spent and loss associated with diabetes-related MLTCs among 46 million English adults. We found that morbidity patterns extend beyond classic diabetes complications and accelerate the onset of severe MLTCs by 20 years earlier in life in women and 15 years earlier in men. By the age of 50 years, one-third of those with diabetes have at least three conditions, spend >20 years with them and die 11 years earlier than the general population. Each additional condition at the age of 50 years is associated with four fewer years of life. Hypertension, depression, cancer and coronary heart disease contribute heavily to MLTCs in older age and create the greatest community-level burden on years spent (813 to 3,908 years per 1,000 individuals) and lost (900 to 1,417 years per 1,000 individuals). However, in younger adulthood, depression, severe mental illness, learning disabilities, alcohol dependence and asthma have larger roles, and when they occur, all except alcohol dependence were associated with long periods of life spent (11–14 years) and all except asthma associated with many years of life lost (11–15 years). These findings provide a baseline for population monitoring and underscore the need to prioritize effective prevention and management approaches.

Why did England change its law on deceased organ donation in 2019? The dynamic interplay between evidence and values.

In the three years since the law on adult deceased organ donation consent in England changed to include an opt-out system, there has been no discernible change to donation rates. The lack of a positive impact on donation rates was predicted by many of those who took part in debates before and during the passage of the Bill through Parliament. This invites the question as to why England moved to an opt-out system for organ donation despite equivocal evidence of likely benefit and opposition from expert health professional organisations. To address this question qualitative analyses of Parliamentary debates on organ donation was undertaken. This revealed a shift from a dominant position, which gave primacy to the evidence of likely effects, towards a more normative position where a deemed consent option was viewed as the 'correct thing to do' and the limited and conflicting evidence viewed in a positive light. By 2017, following Wales's move to an opt-out system, together with continued lobbying for similar changes for England by professional and patient groups, alongside sustained public popularity for organ donation, the balance of opinion had shifted towards a system where deemed consent would become the default position for most English adults.

Bidirectional Associations of Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Function Over Time

Cognitive decline and depressive symptoms often co-occur among older adults, and they share several mechanisms. Despite the fact that cognitive dysfunction has been linked to increased depressive symptoms, the directionality of this association remains unclear. To examine whether there is a bidirectional association between depressive symptoms and cognitive function in English adults aged 50 years or older throughout a 16-year follow-up period. This cohort study included a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling English adults aged 50 years or older. The current analysis included 8268 eligible participants with relevant data. These participants were examined every other year from 2002 and 2003 until 2018 and 2019, resulting in a follow-up period of up to 16 years. Data were analyzed from July to November 2023. The bivariate dual change score models were used to estimate the multivariable associations between depressive symptoms and cognitive function, which were interchangeably used as exposures and outcomes. Cognitive measures include memory and verbal fluency tests, while the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale evaluated depressive symptoms. The study population of 8268 participants had a mean (SD) age of 64 (10) years at the study baseline, and 4517 participants (55%) were female. Higher depressive symptoms were cross-sectionally associated with poorer memory (β intercept, -0.018; standard error [SE], 0.004; P < .001) and verbal fluency (β intercept, -0.009; SE, 0.004; P = .02) at study baseline. A steeper linear change in depressive symptoms was associated with an accelerated memory change (β intercept, -0.253; SE, 0.079; P = .001), and a linear change in memory was associated with an acceleration in depressive symptoms over time (β intercept, 0.016; SE, 0.006; P = .005). This bidirectional change was not observed with verbal fluency. In this study, greater depressive symptoms were associated with poorer memory at the study baseline and steeper memory change over time. A gradual linear change in depressive symptoms contributed to accelerated memory loss and vice versa, suggesting that psychological mood and memory performance are intrinsically associated.

Dominant-while-speaking: How bilingual Norwegian–English children conceptualize goal-oriented motion events

Aim: This study investigates how simultaneous bilingual Norwegian–English children conceptualize goal-oriented motion events in their two languages, which have different and partly conflicting language-specific conceptualization patterns (the so-called holistic, endpoint-oriented perspective vs. a phasal perspective with focus on ongoingness). Design: The experiment combined three different methodologies to measure attention to endpoints: elicitation of spoken data, eye-tracking, and a subsequent memory test. A total of 23 bilingual Norwegian–English children participated on a separate day for each language. The comparison groups comprised monolingual Norwegian children ( n = 21), first language (L1) Norwegian adults ( n = 30), and L1 English adults ( n = 20). Data and analysis: The statistical analysis included calculations of endpoints mentioned and endpoints remembered in each language and for both sessions, and an event-related analysis was conducted to establish the total length of all fixations on the areas of interest (AoIs [the endpoints]), in each language and for both sessions. Findings/conclusions: The results showed an effect of the language of operation on conceptualization, independent of language dominance, but depending on the situation. In their first session, the bilingual children showed a strong awareness of the prototypical conceptualization pattern in the language they were speaking. In their second session, the children’s conceptualization was influenced by their first. Hence, we can talk about a flexible conceptual dominance linked to language, the situation, and to previous experience. Originality: This study for the first time explores simultaneous bilingual children’s conceptualization of goal-oriented motion events in their two languages and with different methodologies. Significance/implications: This study brings new insights into our understanding of early bilingualism at a conceptual level, with implications for the field, but also for parents, caregivers, and stakeholders, who at times need to be reminded about children’s unique capacity for language learning.

Spanish–English bilinguals’ use of demonstratives esta and esa

Abstract The limited research on bilinguals’ demonstratives suggests that bilingualism may result in a reduced number of demonstrative forms in bilinguals’ linguistic systems as well as a shift in the factors that constrain demonstrative usage. The current study investigates Spanish nominal demonstrative use among Spanish-speaking monolingual adults in Mexico and two groups of Spanish–English bilingual adults in New Mexico: Adult Arrivals, who were born and raised in a Spanish-speaking country, and U.S. Raised bilinguals, who were born in the U.S. or arrived by age seven. Proximal demonstratives este/esta ‘this’ and medial demonstratives ese/esa ‘that’ were elicited using a puzzle task. All groups varied between este/esta and ese/esa. The monolinguals were likelier than the bilinguals to produce ese/esa when referring to referents farther from themselves and closer to the addressee. Whereas the monolinguals and Adult Arrivals tended to produce este/esta rather than ese/esa when the experimenter selected the incorrect referent, thereby creating a misunderstanding, the U.S. Raised bilinguals showed the opposite trend. The findings are interpreted in the context of typological research indicating that distance between the addressee and the referent impacts demonstrative usage in Spanish but not English. It is hypothesized that increased exposure to English may correspond to reduced attention to the addressee when choosing which demonstrative to use.

Exploring English learning motivation among Chinese older adults

With increasing attention paid to the effects of learning a foreign language (FL) on older adults in the currently ageing world, psychological individual difference (ID) variables (e.g. learning motivation) remain much under-investigated, compared with cognitive IDs. This exploratory study examined older adults’ English learning motivation in the Chinese context of English as a foreign language (EFL) by conducting a web-based survey ( n = 510) and semi-structured interviews ( n = 21). Results showed that (1) the selected sociobiographical variables influenced older adults’ English learning motivation to different degrees, among which education, use frequency of English and socioeconomic status (SES) emerged as very important predictors; and (2) four motivators for English learning by older adults emerged as traveling or visiting relatives abroad, keeping the brain in shape, supporting inter-generational communication, and having general interest in the target FL. As one of the first systematic attempts to explore English learning motivation among Chinese older adults, the present study (1) contributes to a further understanding of English learning motivation among older adults in the Chinese EFL context, and (2) provides pedagogical and policy implications for English language teaching targeting older adults.

Enhancement of phonemic verbal fluency in multilingual young adults by transcranial random noise stimulation

Several studies have analyzed the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on verbal fluency tasks in non-clinical populations. Nevertheless, the reported effects on verbal fluency are inconsistent. In addition, the effect of other techniques such as transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) on verbal fluency enhancement has yet to be studied in healthy multilingual populations. This study aims to explore the effects of tRNS on verbal fluency in healthy multilingual individuals. Fifty healthy multilingual (Spanish, English and Basque) adults were randomly assigned to a tRNS or sham group. Electrodes were placed on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus. All participants performed phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks before, during (online assessment) and immediately after (offline assessment) stimulation in three different languages. The results showed significantly better performance by participants who received tRNS in the phonemic verbal fluency tasks in Spanish (in the online and offline assessment) and English (in the offline assessment). No differences between conditions were found in Basque nor semantic verbal fluency. These findings suggests that tRNS on the left prefrontal cortex could help improve phonemic, yet not semantic, fluency in healthy multilingual adults.

Linguistic Skills Development of Adults in Learning English as a Foreign Language: Speaking Skill in Ecuadorian Entrepreneurs

Linguistic Skills Development of Adults in Learning English as a Foreign Language: Speaking Skill in Ecuadorian Entrepreneurs

Barriers and Lack of Access to Veterinary Care in Canada 2022

Introduction: Despite concerns about access to veterinary care in Canada, there are no previously published national survey data. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of barriers to veterinary care faced by Canadian dog and cat owners, and to identify associated factors. Methods: This was a national online survey conducted in mid-2022, the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was nationally representative of English and French-speaking Canadian adults as regards region, age, and sex. Results: Eighteen per cent of the respondents (440/2,500) could not access wanted or needed preventative veterinary care in the past 12 months; 12% (305/2,500) could not access sick care; and 8% (195/2,500) could not access emergency care. The most frequent barriers were the inability to afford care (preventative – 124/440, 28% of those who were unable to access care; sick – 75/305, 25%; emergency – 34/195, 17%); and the inability to obtain an appointment (preventative – 95/440, 22% of those who were unable to access care; sick – 80/305, 26%; emergency – 47/195, 24%). Twenty-one per cent (522/2,500) could not access other pet needs, most frequently pet food (43% of those who lacked access); grooming (34%); and training (28%). Recent immigrants (&lt;5 years) and young people (18–34 years old) were more likely to report barriers. Affordability and appointment availability were the two most frequently occurring barriers. Conclusions: This survey identified a large number of pet owners who faced barriers to veterinary care. There is a need for industry leaders, educators and regulators to help support initiatives to expand access to care.

Development of the Children's English and Spanish Speech Recognition Test: Psychometric Properties, Feasibility, Reliability, and Normative Data.

The Children's English and Spanish Speech Recognition (ChEgSS) test is a computer-based tool for assessing closed-set word recognition in English and in Spanish, with a masker that is either speech-shaped noise or competing speech. The present study was conducted to (1) characterize the psychometric properties of the ChEgSS test, (2) evaluate feasibility and reliability for a large cohort of Spanish/English bilingual children with normal hearing, and (3) establish normative data. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate speech perception in children (4-17 years) and adults (19-40 years) with normal hearing using the ChEgSS test. In Experiment 1, data were collected from Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual adults at multiple, fixed signal-to-noise ratios. Psychometric functions were fitted to the word-level data to characterize variability across target words in each language and in each masker condition. In Experiment 2, Spanish/English bilingual adults were tested using an adaptive tracking procedure to evaluate the influence of different target-word normalization approaches on the reliability of estimates of masked-speech recognition thresholds corresponding to 70.7% correct word recognition and to determine the optimal number of reversals needed to obtain reliable estimates. In Experiment 3, Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children completed speech perception testing using the ChEgSS test to (1) characterize feasibility across age and language group, (2) evaluate test-retest reliability, and (3) establish normative data. Experiments 1 and 2 yielded data that are essential for stimulus normalization, optimizing threshold estimation procedures, and interpreting threshold data across test language and masker type. Findings obtained from Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children with normal hearing in Experiment 3 support feasibility and demonstrate reliability for use with children as young as 4 years of age. Equivalent results for testing in English and Spanish were observed for Spanish/English bilingual children, contingent on adequate proficiency in the target language. Regression-based threshold norms were established for Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children between 4 and 17 years of age. The present findings indicate the ChEgSS test is appropriate for testing a wide age range of children with normal hearing in either Spanish, English, or both languages. The ChEgSS test is currently being evaluated in a large cohort of patients with hearing loss at pediatric audiology clinics across the United States. Results will be compared with normative data established in the present study and with established clinical measures used to evaluate English- and Spanish-speaking children. Questionnaire data from parents and clinician feedback will be used to further improve test procedures.

Prospective associations between changes in physical activity and sedentary time and subsequent lean muscle mass in older English adults: the EPIC-Norfolk cohort study

BackgroundThe longitudinal associations between physical behaviours and lean muscle mass indices need to be better understood to aid healthy ageing intervention development.MethodsWe assessed physical behaviours (total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity, total sedentary time and prolonged sedentary bout time) for 7 days using hip-worn accelerometers. We also assessed domain-specific physical behaviours (walking, cycling, gardening and housework time) with self-report questionnaires at baseline (2006–2011) and follow-up (2012–2016) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study. We assessed body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at follow-up in 1535 participants (≥ 60 years at baseline). From this, we derived appendicular lean muscle mass (ALM) indices (% relative ALM = (ALM/total body weight)*100), body mass index (BMI)-scaled ALM (ALM/BMI, kg/kg/m2) and height-scaled ALM (ALM/height2, kg/m2)). We evaluated the prospective associations of both baseline and change in physical behaviours with follow-up muscle mass indices using multivariable linear regression.ResultsOver 5.5 years (SD 14.8) follow-up, higher baseline accelerometer-measured physical activity and lower sedentary time were associated with higher subsequent relative ALM and BMI-scaled ALM, but not height-scaled ALM (e.g. 0.02% higher subsequent relative ALM per minute/day of baseline MVPA for men). Greater increases in physical activity and greater declines in sedentary time variables were associated with higher subsequent relative ALM and BMI-scaled ALM, but not height-scaled ALM (e.g. 0.001 kg/kg/m2 subsequent BMI-scaled ALM and 0.04% subsequent relative ALM per min/day/year increases in LPA over follow-up; 0.001 kg/kg/m2 subsequent BMI-scaled ALM and -0.03% subsequent relative ALM per min/day/year less of total sedentary time over follow-up).Greater increases in women’s cycling and gardening over follow-up were associated with greater subsequent relative ALM (cycling 0.9% per hour/week/year; gardening 0.2% per hour/week/year) and BMI-scaled ALM (cycling 0.03 kg/kg/m2 per hour/week/year; gardening 0.004 kg/kg/m2 per hour/week/year).ConclusionPhysical behaviours across all intensities, and in women more specifically cycling and gardening, may help prevent age-related declines in muscle mass.

A Cross-sectional Study on the Impact of Educational Status on Physical Activity Level in Danish and English Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

ObjectivesPhysical activity is associated with improved health in people with type 1 diabetes. However, physical activity level may be associated with socioeconomic status. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between education level and physical activity level among people with type 1 diabetes. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data on physical activity level (high or low) was measured using the Saltin–Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale, and education level (low, medium, or high) was self-reported. ResultsRespondents were recruited from outpatient clinics (Steno Diabetes Centre Aarhus, Denmark; Nordsjællands Hospital, Denmark; or Sheffield Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, United Kingdom), by health-care personnel from September 2019 to July 2021. A total of 324 people with type 1 diabetes were included (54% male, median age 50 years [interquartile range 30–60 years]). Education level was low in 10%, medium in 33%, and high in 57%. A logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, cohabitation status and nationality, found that a medium vs. high education level was associated with lower odds of a high physical activity level (odds ratio [OR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32–0.94, p=0.029), while no association was found for low vs. high education level with high physical activity level (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.25–1.29, p=0.173). ConclusionsMedium education level compared with a high education level was associated with a lower level of physical activity in people with type 1 diabetes. Health-care professionals are advised to be attentive of physical activity levels among people with type 1 diabetes.

‘They are doing it because they love it’: U.S. and English fan perceptions of women footballers as ‘role models’

We draw from 102 interviews with American and English adults who attended the 2019 Women’s World Cup to examine how fans perceive women footballers as ‘role models’, with attention to the operations of gender ideology. Despite the recent professionalization and commercialization of women’s football, there is a dearth of research on fan perspectives of players as role models. Our findings show that most fans perceive role modelling as women’s accessibility and authenticity in interaction. Fans naturalize women’s often uncompensated labor as role models through a supposed love for their sport and desire to see its future growth, endorsing a gender essentialist view of women as notably caring and giving in comparison to men. However, a minority of fans embrace a more critical view by identifying role modelling as an expectation placed disproportionately on women within an already unequal resource environment. We conclude that role modelling is a gendered expectation for elite women footballers and that fans can be a source of pressure towards its enactment.

Correction criteria for the qualitative analysis of the prison population: drugs possession/consumption and gender violence.

People with language difficulties cannot face challenges related to social skills. Those language disorders affect academic, work environments, and social interaction, leading to maladaptive and aggressive behaviors. Young inmates are at high risk of experiencing unrecognized language deficiencies. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze linguistic pathologies that can influence criminal behavior (drugs possession/consumption and gender violence crimes). There are many standardized tests to evaluate and detect language difficulties in adults in English. However, there are relatively few options in Spanish; there are no tests that evaluate language qualitatively and in depth. Most of the research is conducted with children and adolescents. To propose a reliable coding system for the correction and interpretation of narratives (essays and narratives) from the Battery for the Evaluation of Writing Processes (PROESC) in the prisoners charged of drugs possession or consumption and gender violence crimes. The sample was composed of 287 men. They completed the Demographic, Offense, and Behavioral Interview in Institutions, the International Personality Disorders Examination (IPDE), and PROESC. We found that the proposed coding system presented high concordance, that is, high inter-rater reliability. The classification system for the correction and interpretation of narratives was shown to be reliable.