Lack Of Anonymity Research Articles

@Shakespeare and @TwasFletcher: Performances of Authority

‘@Shakespeare: Trying to keep incognito with #WSCongress16 in town. If a scholar sees me I just say, “Hullo, lovely to meet you. I’m Peter Holland”/@TwasFletcher: Tell them you’re Me!’ (1 August 2016). This article looks at the anonymously-managed @Shakespeare account and its performance of Shakespeare’s authority on social media, in the context of the parody bot account @TwasFletcher. I argue that authority is established and performed by @Shakespeare through interaction with other authoritative accounts, literary in-jokes, engagement with academic conferences, and, most crucially, anonymity. The destabilising or undermining of Shakespeare’s online authority as performed by @TwasFletcher, is especially significant for its lack of anonymity: created by Hofstra University professor and associate dean Vimala C. Pasupathi, @TwasFletcher raises questions about how scholars who are not white, cis-het men make space for themselves within the authority commanded by Shakespeare, especially online. By inserting Fletcher into Shakespeare, Pasupathi herself performs authority in opposition to Shakespeare and the dominant idea of who a Shakespeare scholar should be or what s/he should do. This essay will therefore argue that two meanings of “authority”—recognized as true or valid on the one hand, and domineering, autocratic, or imposing on the other—play out through the relationship between @Shakespeare and @TwasFletcher on Twitter.

The New Irony of Free Speech

In his The Irony of Free Speech, published in 1996, Professor Owen Fiss argues that the traditional understanding of freedom of speech, as a shield from interference by the state, ended up fostering a system that benefited a small number of media corporations and other private actors, while silencing the many who did not possess any comparable expressive capacity. Conventional wisdom says that by dramatically lowering the access barriers to speech, the Internet has provided a solution to the twentieth-century problem of expressive inequality identified by Fiss and others. As this Article will demonstrate, however, the digital age presents a new irony of free speech, whereby the very system of free expression that provides more expressive capacity to individuals than ever before also systematically diminishes their liberty to speak. The popular view of the Internet as the ultimate promoter of freedom of expression is, therefore, too simplistic. In reality, the Internet, in its current state, strengthens one aspect of freedom (the capacity aspect) while weakening another (the liberty aspect), trading liberty for capacity. This Article will explore the process through which expressive capacity has become a definitive element of freedom in the digital ecosystem, at the expense of liberty. The process of diminishing liberty in the digital ecosystem occurs along six related dimensions: interference from multiple sources, state-encouraged private interference, multiple modes of interference, new-media concentration, lack of anonymity, and lack of inviolability. The result of these liberty-diminishing dimensions of our current system of free expression, taken together, is that while we may be able to speak more than ever before, it is doubtful that we are able to speak freely.

Caregiving, Employment and Social Isolation: Challenges for Rural Carers in Australia.

Australia has one of the world’s highest life expectancy rates, and there is a rapidly growing need for informal caregivers to support individuals who are ageing, have chronic illness or a lifelong disability. These informal carers themselves face numerous physical and psychological stressors in attempting to balance the provision of care with their personal life, their work commitments and family responsibilities. However, little is known about the specific challenges facing rural carers and the barriers that limit their capacity to provide ongoing support. A cross-sectional survey composed of open-ended responses and demographic/socioeconomic measures used routinely by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) was used with a cohort of 225 rurally-based carers within New South Wales, Australia. Demographic questions specified the respondents’ age, gender, employment, caregiving status, condition of and relationship to the care recipient, postcode, residency status, and distance and frequency travelled to provide care. Open-ended comments sections were provided to allow participants to describe any issues and problems associated with caregiving including employment, travel, residency, carer support groups and any other general information. The results show that most rural carers were middle-aged women supporting a spouse or a child. Unpredictability associated with providing care exacerbated demands on carers’ time, with many reporting significant employment consequences associated with inflexibility and limited job options in rural locations. Specific issues associated with travel requirements to assist with care were reported, as were the impacts of care provision on the respondents’ own personal health. The majority of carers were aware of the social supports available in their local rural community, but did not access them, leaving the carers vulnerable to marginalisation. Problems associated with employment were noted as resulting in financial pressures and associated personal stress and anxiety for the caregivers. While this issue is not necessarily limited to rural areas, it would appear that the lack of opportunity and flexibility evident in rural areas would exacerbate this problem for non-metropolitan residents. The participants also identified specific barriers to the provision of care in rural areas, including the significant impact of travel. Access to support services, such as carer groups, were rarely accessed due to a mix of factors including inaccessibility, poor timing and a lack of anonymity. Financially, there was considerable evidence of hardship, and there is an urgent need for a comprehensive review of government and community-based support to better meet the needs of rural carers.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of an Integrated In-person and Mobile Phone Delivered Counseling and Text Messaging Intervention to Reduce HIV Transmission Risk among Male Sex Workers in Chennai, India.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk for HIV infection in India, particularly those who engage in transactional sex with other men (i.e., male sex workers; MSW). Despite the need, HIV prevention efforts for Indian MSW are lacking. As in other settings, MSW in India increasingly rely on the use of mobile phones for sex work solicitation. Integrating mobile phone technology into an HIV prevention intervention for Indian MSW may mitigate some of the challenges associated with face-to face approaches, such as implementation, lack of anonymity, and time consumption, while at the same time proving to be both feasible and useful. This is a pilot randomized controlled trial to examine participant acceptability, feasibility of study procedures, and preliminary efficacy for reducing sexual risk for HIV. MSW (N=100) were equally randomized to: (1) a behavioral HIV prevention intervention integrating in-person and mobile phone delivered HIV risk reduction counseling, and daily, personalized text or voice messages as motivating "cognitive restructuring" cues for reducing condomless anal sex (CAS); or (2) a standard of care (SOC) comparison condition. Both groups received HIV counseling and testing at baseline and 6-months, and completed ACASI-based, behavioral and psychosocial assessments at baseline, 3, and 6months. Mixed-effects regression procedures specifying a Poisson distribution and log link with a random intercept and slope for month of follow-up was estimated to assess the intervention effect on the primary outcomes: (1) CAS acts with male clients who paid them for sex, and (2) CAS acts with male non-paying sexual partners-both outcomes assessed over the past month. The intervention was both feasible (98% retention at 6-months) and acceptable (>96% of all intervention sessions attended); all intervention participants rated the intervention as "acceptable" or "very acceptable." A reduction in the reported number of CAS acts with male clients who paid them for sex in the past month was seen in both study conditions. MSW in the intervention condition reported a faster rate of decline in the number of CAS acts with male clients in the past month from the baseline to both the 3-month (B=-1.20; 95% CI -1.68, -0.73; p<0.0001) and 6-month (B=-2.44; 95% CI -3.35, -1.53; p<0.00001) assessment visits compared to the SOC condition. Post-hoc contrasts indicated that, at 3months, participants in the intervention condition reported 1.43 (SD=0.29) CAS acts with male clients in the past month compared to 4.85 (SD=0.87) in the control condition (p=0.0003). Furthermore, at 6months, the intervention condition participants reported 0.24 (SD=0.09) CAS acts with male clients in the past month compared to 2.79 (SD=0.79) in the control condition (p<0.0001). Findings are encouraging and provide evidence of feasibility and acceptability, and demonstrate initial efficacy (for reducing sexual risk for HIV) of a behavioral HIV prevention intervention for Indian MSW that combines daily, personalized text or voice messages with mobile phone-delivered sexual risk reduction counseling and skills building. Future testing of the intervention in a fully powered randomized controlled efficacy trial is warranted.

P230 Sexual health workers are at higher risk of poor sexual health: a pilot study

IntroductionThe effects of occupation on personal heath have been described, but there is a paucity of literature on how working in sexual health affects an individual’s sexual behaviour.MethodsWe gained informed consent from a focus group of 6 female and 2 male sexual health workers in 2010. The focus group was tape recorded, anonymised and transcribed. We used thematic analysis to generate themes.ResultsSexual health workers feel confident in making an assessment of their own sexual behaviour; yet acknowledge that this self-assessment is not consistently reliable. Access to medication (including antibiotics and emergency contraception) leads to an increase in sexual risk taking in this group. Self-medication occurs for unplanned risks rather than pre-planned. There is reluctance on the part of sexual health workers to consult colleagues due to concerns about lack of anonymity, confidentiality and how positive results will be managed. Sexual health workers feel that these behaviours are a barrier to good sexual health. They also feel that both patients and sexual partners expect them to be more sexually experienced; this can lead to discord in personal relationships. Sexual health workers feel that due to the nature of their work, they have a greater and more realistic insight into sexual relationships; in particular monogamy. They also have greater confidence in their ability to discuss sex with their children and families.DiscussionThis pilot study suggests that sexual health workers may be at risk of poor sexual health and have specific sexual health needs not currently addressed.

A rural shelter in Ontario adapting to address the changing needs of women who have experienced intimate partner violence: a qualitative case study.

Intimate partner violence is a significant public health problem, with shelters offering the predominant community-based solution. Shelters in Canada are mandated to provide a safe place, protection planning, advocacy and counseling among other services. Recently it has been noted the role of the shelter was shifting from an inpatient to outpatient model with a focus on increased integration of health and social services. This changing role of the shelter is amplified within the rural context where resources and cultural norms may be limited or incompatible with help-seeking behaviors. Women's shelters located in rural settings provide services within a specific cultural context that can be at odds with the needs of women who have experienced abuse, because cultural values such as rural pride, lack of anonymity, and lack of services may inhibit access to health and social services. The purpose of this in-depth qualitative case study was to examine and explore how one rural Canadian women's shelter role was changing and how the shelter was adapting to achieve the changing role. The theoretical framework utilized was a feminist intersectional lens. Qualitative interviews (averaging 60 minutes) were conducted with shelter service providers (n=6) and women staying in the shelter or utilizing shelter services (n=4). Throughout semi-structured interviews, data-trustworthy steps were taken including member-checking and paraphrasing to ensure data were an accurate representation of participants' experiences. Inductive content analysis of all interviews and field notes was conducted independently by two researchers. Analysis revealed the shelter's role was changing to include filling gaps, case management, and system navigation. To achieve the changing role, relationship building, community mobilization (both education and empowerment), and redesigning delivery were implemented as adaptation strategies. Together both the changing role of the shelter and the adaptation strategies being implemented were found to be working toward a larger goal of transformation of cultural and structural norms related to violence against women. This study uniquely identified the specific changes to the role of one rural Canadian shelter and the adaptations strategies utilized to adapt to the changing needs of women. The changing role of the shelter and the adaptation strategies being utilized have significant implications for the health of women given the increased use of healthcare services for women who have experienced violence. Specifically, the changing role of the shelter has the potential to decrease healthcare service use while increasing the potential fit of services. Further research is required to assess the impact of the changing role of the shelter on the healthcare needs and outcomes for women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

Rurality's Influence on Women's Intimate Partner Violence Experiences and Support Needed for Escape and Healing in Australia

ABSTRACTA key factor for increasing help-seeking behavior among women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) lies in better understanding how social environment affects decisions about when and why individuals take action to end IPV. This article presents original data from 36 in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with women IPV survivors living in rural Australia to address urban-centric and quantitative biases in much IPV research. Derived from first-hand experiences, results reveal rurality's systemic challenges (economic disadvantage, unemployment, lack of informal support, limited availability/access to sociolegal and formal support services due to transportation and parenting responsibilities, quality alternative housing, and timely/relevant crisis counseling) exacerbated personal capacity to end IPV and sociopsychological factors (stigma, isolation, lack of anonymity, abusive partners’ controlling behavior, and normative violence) thwarted IPV disclosure, help seeking, and healing in rural communities. Collectively, women's experiences evidence IPV's complexity as a social problem, misperceived definition, and breadth of influence. In-depth insights highlight location and culture's relevance to IPV knowledge, experience, service provision, and uptake, suggesting benefits may arise if practitioners and policy makers tailor IPV information and services, specifically crisis housing and counseling, in light of how rurality systemically stymies and psychologically affects women's best efforts to escape and heal.

What do young people think about their school-based sex and relationship education? A qualitative synthesis of young people's views and experiences

ObjectivesAlthough sex and relationship education (SRE) represents a key strand in policies to safeguard young people and improve their sexual health, it currently lacks statutory status, government guidance is outdated...

House Staff Participation in Patient Safety Reporting: Identification of Predominant Barriers and Implementation of a Pilot Program.

Patient safety event (PSE) reporting is a critical element for healthcare organizations that are striving for continuous quality improvement. Although resident physicians routinely provide the majority of direct patient care, the level of their participation in PSE reporting historically has been low. In addition, as part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Next Accreditation System, the Clinical Learning Environment Review site visit assesses residents' engagement in PSE reporting at each accredited academic institution. The objective of this study was to understand the common barriers to PSE reporting and design an intervention to increase the number of PSE reports by resident physicians. We surveyed 304 residents and fellows to assess attitudes toward the PSE reporting system and identify barriers to submitting online PSE reports. Based on this analysis of barriers, we piloted interventions with the internal medicine residency program and measured their effect on resident PSE reporting. Of the survey respondents, 58% had never submitted a PSE report. The most commonly identified barriers were too much time required to submit a report (38% of all respondents), lack of education on how or what to report (37%), lack of feedback or change after reporting (19%), and concern for repercussions or lack of anonymity (13%). Based on this analysis of barriers, we piloted interventions with the internal medicine residency program to educate residents about PSE reporting through a reminder message in their orientation e-mail, informational slides at the end of conferences that described what and how to report, a pocket card with reporting instructions, and leadership encouragement during walk rounds by chief medical residents and the program director. Compared with the 10 weeks before the start of the intervention, the number of PSE reports submitted by internal medicine residents more than doubled, from 16 to 37 reports (P < 0.01). This increase in resident PSE reporting was sustained for 20 weeks despite the interventions lasting only 8 weeks. A resident-driven intervention that fostered a culture of encouragement for PSE reporting through leadership support and targeted education increased the number of PSE reports submitted by internal medicine residents at our health system. Hospitals and health systems should seek to understand the common barriers to PSE reporting from this important group of direct patient care providers and administer structured educational programs to encourage their participation.

Blogracy

The current approach to build social networking systems is to create huge centralized systems owned by a single company. However, such strategy has many drawbacks, e.g., lack of privacy, lack of anonymity, risks of censorship and operating costs. In this paper the authors propose a novel P2P system that leverages existing, widespread and stable technologies such as DHTs and BitTorrent. In particular, they introduce a key-based identity system and a model of social relations for distributing content efficiently among interested readers. The system they propose, Blogracy, is a micro-blogging social networking system focused on: (i) anonymity and resilience to censorship; (ii) authenticatable content; (iii) semantic interoperability using activity streams. The authors have implemented the system and conducted various experiments to study its behaviour. The results are presented here, regarding (i) communication delays for some simulations of node churn, (ii) delays measured in test operations over PlanetLab, in direct communication, and (iii) through the I2P anonymizing network.

Security Improvement on Biometric Based Authentication Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Fuzzy Extraction

Wireless sensor networks are used to monitor physical or environmental conditions. However, authenticating a user or sensor in wireless sensor networks is more difficult than in traditional networks owing to sensor network characteristics such as unreliable communication networks, resource limitation, and unattended operation. As a result, various authentication schemes have been proposed to provide secure and efficient communication. He et al. suggested a robust biometrics-based user authentication scheme, but Yoon and Kim indicated that their scheme had several security vulnerabilities. The latter then proposed an advanced biometrics-based user authentication scheme; in this paper, we analyze this advanced scheme and perform a cryptanalysis. Our analysis shows that Yoon and Kim's scheme has various security weaknesses such as a biometric recognition error, a user verification problem, lack of anonymity and perfect forward secrecy, session key exposure by the gateway node, vulnerability to denial of service attacks, and a revocation problem. Therefore, we suggest countermeasures that can be implemented to solve these problems and then propose a security-enhanced biometrics-based user authentication scheme using fuzzy extraction that conforms to the proposed countermeasures. Finally, we conduct a security analysis for the proposed biometrics-based user authentication scheme.

Urbanormativity, Spatial Privilege, and Judicial Blind Spots in Abortion Law

Urbanormativity, Spatial Privilege, and Judicial Blind Spots in Abortion Law

La intimidación entre los escolares y nuevas formas de violencia

This article is intended to collect some results of the several studies that have been made concerning Bullying and Harassment among boys and girls who attend basic education institutions in the central part of Santa Cruz province, in Argentina. It encloses theoretical framework about the problem of bullying and violence among children at school. It presents information about the region, some common aggressive behaviors as well as different ways and places in which those violent habits might be produced, according to children. Describes school populations suffering from such practices and analyzes some differences from school years, gender and zonal characteristics. It also shows samples of Victimization Rate and General Aggression Rate got in the area. Open to further discussion, this work provides certain description about some bullying phenomenon in the area, such as the case of the “Round-up Effect” , produced by the lack of anonymity in barely populated places. This article presents new emerging issues in the research field, like the appearance of n ew ways of violence , related to digital communication technologies such as instant messaging, e-mail, chat, blog, photoblog and social networks. To conclude, it offers some ideas about the construction of Early Warning Devices and Early Intervention Devices.

Qualitative synthesis of young people's views of sex and relationship education

BackgroundSex and relationship education (SRE) is a contested issue but debate is dominated by professionals, parents, and the media. We aimed to investigate young people's experiences of SRE. MethodsWe searched for qualitative studies published between Jan 1, 1990, and Feb 17, 2015, of young people's views of SRE using the terms “adolescent”, “young people”, “sex and relationships”, education”, “sex education”, “sexual health education”, “qualitative research”, “qualitative” (Medline, Embase, PsychINFO); and “adolescent”, “child”, “view”, “perception”, “experience”, “sex education”, “SRE”, “sexual health education”, “school”, “qualitative” (Sociological Abstracts, IBSS, ERIC, Web of Science, CINAHL). Hand searches were also conducted. No language restrictions were imposed. We included studies with students aged 4–19 years in full-time education, young adults aged 19 or younger, or adults 25 years old or younger if recalling SRE; qualitative methods of data collection and analysis; and school-based or linked SRE. We excluded studies focusing solely on HIV/AIDS and studies of students with special needs. References found electronically were double screened and eligible papers appraised by two independent reviewers using criteria derived from reviewing qualitative research appraisal checklists. Data were extracted from included papers by the same two independent reviewers and synthesised using a meta-ethnographic approach. Findings31 relevant publications were identified electronically (from a total of 539), and 37 by hand-searching. Of these 68 publications, 54 remained after quality appraisal (47 studies). Young people reported receiving negative, gendered, and heterosexist content that ignored the fact and diversity of their sexual activity and failed to provide information they wanted. Students were vulnerable during SRE, with young men anxious to conceal sexual ignorance and young women risking sexual harassment if they participated. Both wanted a safer environment in SRE and some young women expressed a preference for single sex classes. Students were positive about sexual health experts and peer educators but disliked having their own teachers deliver SRE because of blurred boundaries, lack of anonymity, teachers’ embarrassment, and poor training. The appendix gives examples of young people's quotes. InterpretationYoung people should be involved in developing SRE programmes. SRE content should be unbiased, positive, and reflect sexual diversity and the fact of many young people's sexual activity. SRE should take place in a safe environment and be delivered by experts, probably from outside school. FundingNational Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research.

NFC and Cloud-Based Lightweight Anonymous Assessment Mobile Intelligent Information System for Higher Education and Recruitment Competitions

The lack of anonymity when being examined is a problem for students and teachers alike. So far, student identification in examination processes consists in a physical mark that unmistakably represents the student. New technologies provide us with methods that can handle digital data in an efficient and secured way. Android Operating System for mobile devices has had a steady increase in the number of users during the last 6 years. On the other hand, due to its popularity the trend for Smartphone devices is to increase their functionalities by adding new technologies such as Near Field Communication (NFC), but although there are several successful use cases of this technology, it has not been fully explored in the Education area, in special regarding anonymous assessment processes. With the joint use of these technologies, Android and NFC, personal data such as name or student identification number can be replaced by a small tag fixed on the examination papers, physically identical to those of the other students in that examination process. This paper describes a platform that allows the student to keep its anonymity throughout the entire process of the examination including correction and exam review.

Naturally occurring peer support through social media: the experiences of individuals with severe mental illness using YouTube.

Increasingly, people with diverse health conditions turn to social media to share their illness experiences or seek advice from others with similar health concerns. This unstructured medium may represent a platform on which individuals with severe mental illness naturally provide and receive peer support. Peer support includes a system of mutual giving and receiving where individuals with severe mental illness can offer hope, companionship, and encouragement to others facing similar challenges. In this study we explore the phenomenon of individuals with severe mental illness uploading videos to YouTube, and posting and responding to comments as a form of naturally occurring peer support. We also consider the potential risks and benefits of self-disclosure and interacting with others on YouTube. To address these questions, we used qualitative inquiry informed by emerging techniques in online ethnography. We analyzed n = 3,044 comments posted to 19 videos uploaded by individuals who self-identified as having schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder. We found peer support across four themes: minimizing a sense of isolation and providing hope; finding support through peer exchange and reciprocity; sharing strategies for coping with day-to-day challenges of severe mental illness; and learning from shared experiences of medication use and seeking mental health care. These broad themes are consistent with accepted notions of peer support in severe mental illness as a voluntary process aimed at inclusion and mutual advancement through shared experience and developing a sense of community. Our data suggest that the lack of anonymity and associated risks of being identified as an individual with severe mental illness on YouTube seem to be overlooked by those who posted comments or uploaded videos. Whether or not this platform can provide benefits for a wider community of individuals with severe mental illness remains uncertain.

Issues around household pharmaceutical waste disposal through community pharmacies in Croatia

Croatian regulations mandate pharmacies to receive unused medicines from households. Pharmacies are considered as producers and holders of pharmaceutical waste and are obliged to finance this service. Model where pharmacies are responsible for financing disposal of unused medicines without reimbursement is not common in Europe. Present service was not tested before implementation. To investigate the elements of the pharmaceutical waste disposal service provided by pharmacies, and to gain insight into the factors that might influence the effectiveness of the service. Setting All pharmacies in the city of Zagreb. Each pharmacy was asked to weigh the collected waste from the public during a period of 30 days, between June 1st and July 10th of 2011, absent from any media advertisement and answer a specifically designed questionnaire that was exploring possible connections between the amount of collected waste, type of pharmacy ownership, discretion while disposing, location of the container, appropriate labeling and to compare the amount of collected waste between neighborhoods. Quantity of collected unused medicines from the public. Of 210 pharmacies, 91 participated completing the questionnaire (43 % response rate). The total amount of collected waste was 505 kg. Pharmacies owned by the city of Zagreb had higher response rate (74 %) than privately owned pharmacies (36 %), and collected significantly higher amount of waste. Anonymity when disposing influenced collected quantity, while labelling and location of the container did not. There were differences in the amount of collected waste between neighborhoods due to the demographic characteristics and number of pharmacies per capita. The effectiveness of the pharmacy service of collecting unused medicines in Croatia shows a number of weaknesses. The amount of collected medicines is below the European average. Functioning of the service seems to be negatively influenced by the type of pharmacy ownership, distribution of pharmacies and lack of anonymity when disposing unused medicines. Additionally, type of ownership is connected with financial burden for pharmacies. Governmental bodies should examine current legislation regulating pharmaceutical waste disposal, particularly financial responsibility for providing the service, in order to increase pharmacies' compliance. Advertising of the service may increase awareness of the importance of proper disposal of unused medicines.

Factors Influencing Falsehood in Online Educational Research

The presented article reveals the results of empirical research which aimed to diagnose the factors influencing telling falsehood. The research was performed while relying on the previous model of the factors influencing falsehood in online educational research (presented in the research paper ‘Factors Influencing Falsehood in Online Educational Research’, Social Sciences Vol. 80, No 2 (2013). This research was performed in two aspects: firstly there were analyzed telling falsehood facts, frequency and reasons of all survey respondents; secondly there was presented the scientific literature analysis pointing out the importance of factors, that influence telling falsehood. The above mentioned aspects were chosen with the intention to answer the following problem questions: what factors influencing telling falsehood are frequent in research practice? How important are the factors influencing telling falsehood that are systemized in a theoretical model? The research results showed that more than a half of survey participants stated being not sincere and not open. There were revealed three main reasons of telling falsehood in online educational research. They may be defined as shortage of time, striving for a better image, and lack of anonymity. The analysis of scientific literature also highlighted that the most important factors influencing telling falsehood in online educational research are researcher’s imposed authority, respondents’ attempts to create a better image, lack of the supportive environment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.84.2.7484

Structural barriers to receiving health care services for female sex workers in Russia.

Female sex workers in Russia have been particularly vulnerable to recent social, political, and economic changes. In this article, we describe the facilitators and barriers for sex workers receiving health care services in St. Petersburg, Russia. We conducted observations at medical institutions and nongovernmental organizations and in-depth interviews with 29 female sex workers. We identified the following barriers: poverty, not having documents, lack of anonymity in testing, and the official registration system. We identified the following facilitators: intervention by family members, social connections within the health care system, and referral services from a nongovernmental organization. Our findings indicate a need for reassessing policies and designing programs that better facilitate the use of health care services for the most vulnerable populations. This should include the expansion of support systems and outreach services designed to help female sex workers navigate the health care system.

Participation in research involving novel sampling and study designs to identify acute HIV-1 infection among minority men who have sex with men

HIV-1 infection disproportionally affects African-American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). Their inclusion in biomedical and behavioral research is critical to understanding and addressing HIV vulnerability. Using focus groups, we sought to understand the perceptions related to participating in biomedical research of acute/recent HIV-1 infection (AHI) using complex sampling and data collection methods to reach this hidden group at highest risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV. Given the potential impact of AHI on HIV transmission in MSM, it is important to understand this intersection for HIV prevention, care, and treatment purposes. The aim of this study was to understand how recruitment and data collection methods affect AHI research participation willingness particularly among MSM of color. Findings suggest that major barriers to research participation with complex sampling to identify AHI and intensive risk behavior collection such as diary methods are lack of anonymity, partner disclosure, and study fatigue. The authors explore implications for future study designs and development based on these findings.