Full Range Of Experiences Research Articles

Investing in a better future: higher education and post-COVID Canada

Post-secondary education (PSE) is a vital part of civil society and any modern economy. When broadly accessible, it can enable socioeconomic mobility, improve health outcomes, advance social cohesion, and support a highly skilled workforce. It yields public benefits not only in improved well-being and economic prosperity, but also in reduced costs in health care and social services. Canada also relies heavily on the PSE sector for research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PSE has supported research related to the pandemic response and other critical areas, including providing expert advice to support public health and government decision-making, while maintaining educational programs and continuing to contribute to local and regional economies. But the pandemic effort has stretched already strained PSE resources and people even further: for decades, declining public investment has driven increases in tuition and decreases in faculty complement, undermining Canada’s research capacity and increasing student debt as well as destabilizing the sector through a growing reliance on volatile international education markets. Given the challenges before us, including climate change, reconciliation, and the pandemic, it is imperative that we better draw on the full range of experience, knowledge, and creativity in Canada and beyond through an inclusive, stable, and globally engaged PSE. Supporting PSE’s recovery will be key to Canada’s ongoing pandemic response and recovery. The recommendations in this report are guided by a single goal—to make the post-secondary sector a more effective partner and support in building a more equitable, sustainable, and evidence-driven future for Canada, through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analyzing the Gender Gap in Poland and Italy, and by Regions

High-income inequality, accompanied by substantial regional differentiation, is still a great challenge for social policymakers in many European countries. One of the important elements of this phenomenon is the inequality between income distributions of men and women. Using data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, the distributions of income for Italy and Poland were compared, and the gender gap in these countries was assessed. No single metric can capture the full range of experiences, so a set of selected tools were adopted. The Dagum model was fitted to each distribution, summary measures, like the Gini and Zenga inequality indices, were evaluated, and the Zenga curve was employed to detect changes at each income quantile. Afterward, empirical distributions were compared through a relative approach, providing an analytic picture of the gender gap for both countries. The analysis moved beyond the typical focus on average or median earnings differences, towards a focus on how the full distribution of women’s earnings relative to men’s compares. The analysis was performed in the different macroregions of the two countries, with a discussion of the results. The study revealed that income inequality in Poland and Italy varies across gender and regions. In Italy, the highest inequality was observed in the poorest region, i.e. the islands. On the contrary, in Poland, the highest inequality occurred in the richest region, the central one. The relative distribution method was a powerful tool for studying the gender gap.

Dionysus, Apollo, and Asklepios

ABSTRACTIt is one form of experience to study Greek myths and Greek gods through books, articles, journals, and film; it is another to be visited by any of them and, in this case, the god Dionysus, through disease. The article focuses less on sources of the god and more on the experience of his presence in illness and in surgeries that respond to his presence. During the author’s illness and slow recovery in April 2017 and continuing into the present day, he realized what the early Greeks had written about Dionysus as one who intrudes into one’s life, dismembers one’s normal ways of being, and then offers re-membrance once he is acknowledged and responded to. While Dionysus both dismembers and heals, so too the god Apollo and his son Asklepios are both healers and purifiers. Jung’s own thoughts on Dionysus and Apollo are presented here; for him these two gods serve as polarities and as complements to the psyche’s full range of experiences surrounding wounding, infection, affliction, and healing. The author believes there is a cost to the visitation by these gods that may alter one’s life and identity permanently. Such is the power of divinities that the Greeks have given us as a legacy of their own sense of the soul in sickness and in health.

Self-determination: what do people who experience severe mental illness want from public mental health services?

Introduction : If people who experience severe and enduring mental illness are to experience recovery, the health care context in which they engage needs to foster human rights, self-determination and social inclusion. This qualitative research aims to advance understanding about processes that influence self-determination by engaging and involving people who experience mental illness in meaningful conversations about how health care systems impact recovery. Theory / Methods : People over age 18 who experience severe mental illness and who were living in South East Queensland were recruited through community-based mental illness support organisations. 42 people participated in five semi-structured group interviews. Digitally recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. In conjunction with the theoretical lens of self-determination theory, principles of thematic analysis were used to code and categorise data. Emergent themes were constantly compared until the most parsimonious themes that accounted for all data were identified. Approval to conduct the study was obtained from relevant Human Research Ethics Committees. Results : People indicated that being engaged in their care was central to the experience that they desired from a safe health care system, yet actual experiences differed. People also emphasised the need for accurate, empathic communication; the importance of building and maintaining trust-based relationships; integration and continuity of care between providers and sectors within the health care system; and gaining access to care when and as needed. Discussion : People who experience severe mental illness understood that achieving autonomy in high-risk mental illness situations was tricky; that in some circumstances there were valid reasons for autonomy and self-determination to be thwarted. However, unreflective use of blanket restrictive practices without providing reasonable alternative activities disabled them. People wanted to be engaged in their care; with health professionals in autonomy supportive ways; and with health and social support networks that assisted in recovery. Conclusion : Overall, people who experience severe mental illness want individual health professionals and the collective health care system to engage them in their care. However, they often found that restricted access to adequate, timely and well-integrated support left them feeling disempowered. Lessons learned : Responsive health professionals in integrated health care systems that engage people in a person-centred manner are fundamental for recovery and to the fulfilment of their basic psychological needs: autonomy, connectedness and competence. Limitations : A small number of participants for a single geographic area limit the generalizability of this study. Additionally, participants may have engaged in the research because they had a high level of interest in sharing their experiences, and the opinions of other people who were less invested in their care is unknown. In a group interview situation, they may not have felt comfortable to express to express their full range of experience. Future research : Self-determination theory is primarily a theory of motivation. Further study needs to be undertaken to understand the motivational influences that impact how health professionals engage people who experience severe mental illness.

5th National Audit Project (NAP5) on accidental awareness during general anaesthesia: patient experiences, human factors, sedation, consent, and medicolegal issues

The 5th National Audit Project (NAP5) of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland into accidental awareness during general anaesthesia (AAGA) yielded data related to psychological aspects from the patient, and the anaesthetist, perspectives; patients' experiences ranged from isolated auditory or tactile sensations to complete awareness. A striking finding was that 75% of experiences were for <5 min, yet 51% of patients [95% confidence interval (CI) 43-60%] experienced distress and 41% (95% CI 33-50%) suffered longer term adverse effect. Distress and longer term harm occurred across the full range of experiences but were particularly likely when the patient experienced paralysis (with or without pain). The patient's interpretation of what is happening at the time of the awareness seemed central to later impact; explanation and reassurance during suspected AAGA or at the time of report seemed beneficial. Quality of care before the event was judged good in 26%, poor in 39%, and mixed in 31%. Three-quarters of cases of AAGA (75%) were judged preventable. In 12%, AAGA care was judged good and the episode not preventable. The contributory and human factors in the genesis of the majority of cases of AAGA included medication, patient, and education/training. The findings have implications for national guidance, institutional organization, and individual practice. The incidence of 'accidental awareness' during sedation (~1:15,000) was similar to that during general anaesthesia (~1:19,000). The project raises significant issues about information giving and consent for both sedation and anaesthesia. We propose a novel approach to describing sedation from the patient's perspective which could be used in communication and consent. Eight (6%) of the patients had resorted to legal action (12, 11%, to formal complaint) at the time of reporting. NAP5 methodology provides a standardized template that might usefully inform the investigation of claims or serious incidents related to AAGA.

The 5th National Audit Project (NAP5) on accidental awareness during general anaesthesia: patient experiences, human factors, sedation, consent and medicolegal issues.

The 5th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland into accidental awareness during general anaesthesia yielded data related to psychological aspects from the patient, and the anaesthetist, perspectives; patients' experiences ranged from isolated auditory or tactile sensations to complete awareness. A striking finding was that 75% of experiences were for <5min, yet 51% of patients (95% CI 43-60%) experienced distress and 41% (95% CI 33-50%) suffered longer-term adverse effect. Distress and longer-term harm occurred across the full range of experiences but were particularly likely when the patient experienced paralysis (with or without pain). The patient's interpretation of what is happening at the time of the awareness seemed central to later impact; explanation and reassurance during suspected accidental awareness during general anaesthesia or at the time of report seemed beneficial. Quality of care before the event was judged good in 26%, poor in 39% and mixed in 31%. Three quarters of cases of accidental awareness during general anaesthesia (75%) were judged preventable. In 12% of cases of accidental awareness during general anaesthesia, care was judged good and the episode not preventable. The contributory and human factors in the genesis of the majority of cases of accidental awareness during general anaesthesia included medication, patient and education/training. The findings have implications for national guidance, institutional organisation and individual practice. The incidence of 'accidental awareness' during sedation (~1:15000) was similar to that during general anaesthesia (~1:19000). The project raises significant issues about information giving and consent for both sedation and anaesthesia. We propose a novel approach to describing sedation from the patient's perspective which could be used in communication and consent. Eight (6%) of the patients had resorted to legal action (12, 11%, to formal complaint) at the time of reporting. The 5th National Audit Project methodology provides a standardised template that might usefully inform the investigation of claims or serious incidents related to accidental awareness during general anaesthesia.

On Kant’s Hedonism

Kant's ethical writings contain a hedonistic view of human motivation. This has been pointed out by several commentators. Less noticed, however, is his hedonic life perspective, present in his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View and Critique of Judgment. This life outlook covers the full range of experience, so that Kant speaks not only of pleasures of the senses and the aesthetic imagination but also of pleasures felt through concepts (Begriffe) and ideas (Ideen). In the first part of the paper, I discuss how Kant's hedonistic view of human motivation is integral to his metaphysics of morals, by examining his four theorems and supporting arguments presented in the Critique of Practical Reason. The second part explores Kant's hedonic life outlook contained in his Anthropology and Critique of Judgment. I claim that his hedonic perspective is indeed presupposed by his hedonistic view of all human choices outside morality.

Prevention of smoking among adolescent girls: health promotion strategies for nurses.

Adolescent girls experience a range of interpersonal pressures that affect their health and development. Their identities are linked to where they live, what they believe, how they learn, and how they view themselves. Efforts to influence the behavior of adolescent girls must address and draw from this full range of experiences. Cigarette smoking is associated with multiple social and personal risks, and the prevalence is rising in this population. School nurses can combine concepts from the Health Beliefs Model and Social Learning Theory to reach out to and teach adolescent girls the risks of smoking and develop health-promoting behaviors.

Editorial comment: As we read

Mathematics—queen of the sciences! But who serves and pays allegiance to this monarch? Is it not he who has bad a rich background and full range of experience? Many are denied the pleasures of mathematics simply for Jack of this experience. Those who are denied may not know what they have missed. Yet how rich is the life of one who appreciates the beauty, form, and even “application” of the varied forms of mathematics!

Currents of Change in American Race Relations

r NHE NEGRO in every generation has had to relive almost the full range of experiences that represent his historical rise . i in America; and although he is anxious to forget his past, this is almost impossible for him to do. As a proponent of change, anxious to forget the past, the Negro tends to concentrate his interests and activities upon the future, while the opponent of change in race relations, fearful of the future, ties himself to the past and all that it represents as a 'way of life'. Betsveen these two extremes on the treadmill is the gradualist he likes to be identified svith movement, but he is not prepared to go anywhere. The period immediately following World War II was spoken of as a time in which it was 'fashionable' to be a Negro; more substantial gains in the direction of full citizenship were being made for and by him than in the fifty years previous. Although the same can still be said of the present, one of the sharpest points of diSerence discerned in recent years focuses upon the direction and pace of change in race relations. The present era of race relations displays an uneven pace of change, in which the Negro in some areas has advanced at a pace faster and with less conflict than the fondest hopes of his most sincere advocates. In other areas, change has been abysmally slosv; and in some cases, almost non-existent. Five areas of change illustrate this thesis: The Armed Forces, public school desegregation, public and private housing, professional baseball, and college teaching. In a monograph treating this subject in another context, Kenneth Clark cites eight other areas of significant racial changes: 1 these five areas hosvever, provide a range of types sufficient for the purpose of this analysis. In these five areas, the process and pace of change in race relations haxre been the function of at least five important factors: