Longitudinal Interviews Research Articles

The “ethnic core” as an unsung reference group

ABSTRACT Using longitudinal survey data and interviews, Edward Telles and Christina Sue’s book, Durable Ethnicity: Mexican Americans and the Ethnic Core (2019), seeks to explain both the endurance and variation of ethnicity among the Mexican American population. They offer the concept of the “ethnic core”: structures and institutions that promote ethnicity that serve as a counterpoint to the mainstream. The ethnic core is a major contribution to Mexican American and Latino/a studies that avoids valorizing a White, middle-class mainstream as the presumed “goal” of assimilation. Honouring Mexican Americans’ simultaneous participation in mainstream and ethnic communities, participation in (or removal from) the “ethnic core” contributes to intra-group variation. In presenting the ethnic core as an alternative to the “mainstream” (coded as White), Telles and Sue undercut the White supremacy pervading much academic scholarship and highlight the importance of a heretofore unsung reference group that exerts its own “gravitational pull” (the ethnic core).

Assessment of intimate partner violence abuse ratings by recently abused and never abused women

BackgroundThere are a paucity of directly reported intimate partner violence survivors’ experiences, especially in women of color. This study measures recently/currently abused women’s ratings of varied abuse events compared to ratings from never abused women.MethodsWomen in a single, urban, public hospital emergency department (ED) were screened for intimate partner violence using the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS). Two groups were identified - women abused within 1 year by an intimate partner or family member and those who screened negative for abuse. Using a two-group longitudinal survey and interview format, women completed visual analog scale ratings (0–100) for each of 20 abuse events/types. For analysis, each abuse type was placed on the 0–100 scale according to its designated rating.ResultsAverage age of participants in the abuse group (n = 30) was 33. Never abused women averaged age 50 (n = 32). The majority of participants were African-American: abused 67% and never abused 94%. Abused women rated name-calling (p < 0.02) and put-downs (p < 0.01) as more severe than never abused women. Other non-physical and physical forms of abuse such as threats, control, burns or forced sex were perceived more similarly between groups.ConclusionsAbused women perceive verbal abuse events differently compared to never abused women.

Exposure to Urbanized Poverty and Attitude Change: A Longitudinal Case Study on Service-Learning with Rural Undergraduate Criminal Justice Students

Criminal justice departments recognize the value of connecting students to real-world problems through service-learning activities. Yet, challenges exist in exposing students to diverse populations. The current study stepped outside the classroom, involving an extra-curricular group of criminal justice students, in a unique service-learning project. Students from a rurally located university traveled to the most poverty-stricken area in Los Angeles, California, known as Skid Row. Students partnered with The Burrito Project, making and serving 950 burritos to people living on the streets. To assess the impact on exposure to poverty, students completed a pre and post-test utilizing the Undergraduate Perceptions of Poverty Tracking Survey. Four years later, follow-up interviews were conducted. Survey results suggest no significant changes pre/post project completion while longitudinal interviews yielded rich data on the project impact. Future directions including criminal justice students within service-learning projects are discussed, especially considering inclusion of students early within their academic careers.

Using candidacy theory to explore unemployed over-50s perceptions of suitability of a welfare to work programme: A longitudinal qualitative study.

Welfare to work interventions seek to move out-of-work individuals from claiming unemployment benefits towards paid work. However, previous research has highlighted that for over-50s, particularly those with chronic health conditions, participation in such activities are less likely to result in a return to work. Using longitudinal semi-structured interviews, we followed 26 over-50s during their experience of a mandated welfare to work intervention (the Work Programme) in the United Kingdom. Focusing on their perception of suitability, we utilise and adapt Candidacy Theory to explore how previous experiences of work, health, and interaction with staff (both in the intervention, and with healthcare practitioners) influence these perceptions. Despite many participants acknowledging the benefit of work, many described a pessimism regarding their own ability to return to work in the future, and therefore their lack of suitability for this intervention. This was particularly felt by those with chronic health conditions, who reflected on difficulties with managing their conditions (e.g., attending appointments, adhering to treatment regimens). By adapting Candidacy Theory, we highlighted the ways that mandatory intervention was navigated by all the participants, and how some discussed attempts to remove themselves from this intervention. We also discuss the role played by decision makers such as employment-support staff and healthcare practitioners in supporting or contesting these feelings. Findings suggest that greater effort is required by policy makers to understand the lived experience of chronic illness in terms of ability to RTW, and the importance of inter-agency work in shaping perceptions of those involved.

N-acetylcysteine as an adjunctive treatment for bipolar depression and major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trials.

It remains unclear whether using N-acetylcysteine as an adjunctive treatment has any benefit for bipolar depression and major depressive disorder. A systematic review and random-effect meta-analysis of double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trials was conducted to explore the clinical question. Outcomes included improvement in depression scale scores (primary), Young Mania Rating Scale score, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale score, Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S) score, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale score, Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale score, Range of Impaired Functioning Tool score, Streamed Longitudinal Interval Clinical Evaluation for the Longitudinal Interview Follow-Up Evaluation score, quality of life scales scores, and the incidence of all-cause discontinuation and individual adverse events. Seven studies (n = 728, 8-24weeks, mean age = 46.81, % female = 58.45%) were included. N-acetylcysteine did not improve depressive symptoms compared with placebo (N = 7, n = 579, standardized mean difference (SMD) = - 0.12, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = - 0.38, 0.14, p = 0.38, I2= 52.74%). The meta-regression analysis detected an association between effect size and publication year (coefficient = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.11, p = 0.04, I2= 27.56%). Although N-acetylcysteine was superior to placebo in CGI-S score (N = 6, n = 563, SMD = - 0.28, 95% CI = - 0.47, - 0.10, p < 0.01, I2= 14.88%), there was no significant difference in the other efficacy outcomes between the treatment groups. Although N-acetylcysteine was associated with a higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events compared with placebo (N = 4, n = 537, risk ratio = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.37, 2.32, p < 0.01, I2= 0.00%, number needed to treat to harm = 7), there was no significant difference in all-cause discontinuation and other safety outcomes between the treatments. Although N-acetylcysteine decreased CGI-S score, no specific improvements in symptoms were identified.

Accepting, Justifying, and Resisting Identity Separation: Disidentification Processes During Layoffs

While organizational identity change has for long generated interest among researchers, the process of individual-level organizational disidentification remains largely an unexamined topic. Through a longitudinal interview study, we examine how Nokia layoff victims disidentified themselves from the organization during an assisted layoff process. We conducted an in-depth longitudinal study. Analysis Based on interviews of 20 assisted layoff victims (and additional 100 single interviews to be incorporatedreveals ), we identity four distinct paths of disidentification paths (accepting, justi-fying, ambivalent, and resisting) and thatexplain how people with different pre-layoff identity pro-files respond to job loss, engage in different sensemaking and utilization of layoff assistance, and develop different post-layoff identities.

Evaluative affect in the social practice of institutional identity: Making a case for connotative inversion

This article presents a discourse analysis of affect as a social practice, and its semiotic role in stance-taking, and institutional identity. We make use of longitudinal ethnographic interviews from two different institutional contexts to explore how affect entwines with stance-taking to perform identities which emerge both synchronically and diachronically. We expose and discuss consistent patterns of affective practice, where speakers produce affected stances that highlight aspects of identity. We focus on a practice we have called connotative inversion: a switch in evaluation by a single speaker on the same discursive object over time. Via this inversion, a speaker performs competing, salient aspects of identity through materially present means.

When the Ghosts Live in the Nursery: Postpartum Depression and the Grandmother-Mother-Baby Triad in Luzhou, China.

In Luzhou, China, where grandmothers often serve as primary caregivers for infants, the past and the future haunt new mothers suffering from postpartum depression. In this article, I draw upon longitudinal interviews conducted with ten families in Luzhou as part of a larger multi-sited ethnography of postpartum depression and anxiety. I argue that the grandmother-mother-baby triad model of infant care in interior urban China accentuates the pain of depressed postpartum mothers by making it difficult for them to rid their homes of the ghosts of past trauma and lost futures. Mothers resent and fear grandmothers even as they rely on them to care for their babies. Memories of trauma, perceived displacement by the grandmother as the mother figure for their babies, and lack of control over their households and children characterize postpartum mothers' experiences. Mothers primarily blame their mothers-in-law for their unhappiness even as they depend on themselves to "self-adjust."

Communal Quirks and Circlejerks: A Taxonomy of Processes Contributing to Insularity in Online Communities

Online communication offers the potential for bridging con-nections, exposing users to new views and experiences by fostering socially heterogenous communities. However, in the absence of deliberate attempts to promote diversity, communities may tend towards insularity: a state where members and content are similar or homogenous, and where deviation from these norms is discouraged. This paper presents a taxonomy of processes contributing to insularity, synthesizing findings from a broader longitudinal interview study on engagement with online communities over time with previous literature. Using thematic analysis, sixteen processes were identified which were associated with four broad stages: formation (selective connections, network homophily, shared interests, audience segmentation); propagation (circlejerking, upholding community standards, avoiding conflict, tailoring content); reaction (individual avoidance, collective reaction, mocking deviance, derogating outsiders); and perpetuation (modelling, prior feedback, echo chambers, gatekeeping). These findings highlight the need to consider more diverse mechanisms by which communities become insular, and the role that platform features play in facilitating these processes.

Threats and physical violence in female-dominated workplaces in times of an economic crisis

PurposeThe recent global economic crisis affected workplaces in many countries, raising questions about the employees' situation. While most work-related studies in times of crises focus on job loss and unemployment, this study analyzes workplace violence in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis among municipal employees within care and education.Design/methodology/approachMixed method approach was used for data collection; longitudinal online surveys and focus group interviews were used.FindingsThe prevalence of workplace violence increased between the three time points of the study, in particular in downsized workplaces. A higher proportion of employees working in care were exposed to threats and physical violence than employees in education as clients of employees in care services were more likely to lash out against employees due to cutbacks in services. Focus groups interviews indicated that the causes of increased workplace violence may be due to a spreading effect both from within and outside the workplace.Practical implicationsAs workplace violence can have serious consequences for the health and well-being of employees, it is important for those who have responsibility for the work environment and occupational health in the workplace to design policies that take these findings into account.Originality/valueBased on the mixed methods, longitudinal survey and focus group interviews, this study contributes to knowledge on workplace violence in times of economic crises. It shows that the prevalence of workplace violence increased not only directly after the economic collapse but also continued up to five years later.

Anyone, but not Everyone: Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Claims of Who Can Do Engineering

This paper examines students’ claims about who can become an engineer and what it takes in engineering culture to be successful. Through longitudinal interviews with 20 undergraduate engineering students, we found that participants’ descriptions of who can ‘do’ engineering were paradoxical. Participants simultaneously maintained that ‘anyone’ could do engineering and that individuals must also possess certain characteristics to become engineers. This study connects these students’ responses to broader conversations regarding social advancement and meritocratic values within U.S. engineering culture. Participants’ responses reflect a definition of engineering that may on the surface appear open but is in practice exclusionary to individuals who do not conform to certain expectations. While many discussions of culture in engineering focus on the values and practices of ‘core’ members such as faculty or practicing engineers, it is imperative to consider the understandings that students bring to their university and enact while being enculturated into the engineering profession. This study contributes to the literature by examining the ways cultural values are upheld and reified among undergraduate engineering students.

The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Long-Term Outcomes in Disorder-Specific vs. Nonspecific Psychotherapy for Chronic Depression

BackgroundChildhood maltreatment (CM) predicted poorer outcomes in acute depression treatment with CBT, IPT and Supportive Psychotherapy (SP). The Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) fared well in patients with chronic depression and CM during acute treatment, yet there is a considerable lack of empirical evidence for long-term outcomes. MethodsWe analyzed one and two-year follow-up data of 268 patients randomized to 24 sessions (20 weeks) of acute and 8 sessions (28 weeks) of extended treatment with CBASP or SP. Primary outcome was the number of well weeks as measured by the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation Interview (LIFE). Secondary outcomes included self- and clinician-rated depression symptoms. We investigated this moderating effect for any CM and for specific subtypes of CM. ResultsIntent-to-treat analyses revealed that the presence of CM did not significantly moderate long-term effects of CBASP compared to SP. The analysis of trauma subtypes revealed that patients with childhood emotional abuse had statistically significant worse outcomes than patients without (main effect, p=.015) and that the advantage of CBASP over SP was larger in patients with childhood emotional abuse than in patients without (interaction effect, p=.045) after 1 year. No significant effects were found for other trauma subtypes. LimitationsThe measurement of CM was limited to retrospective self-assessment. ConclusionsThe presence of CM did not significantly moderate long-term treatment effects of CBASP compared to SP. When trauma subtypes were considered, CBASP was more effective than SP after one year in patients who retrospectively reported emotional abuse.

Deconstructing empathy: A qualitative examination of mentor perspective-taking and adaptability in youth mentoring relationships

Empathy has been identified as a central component of effective youth mentoring relationships yet little is known about what empathy within mentoring relationships looks like and the specific aspects of empathy that may be at work in this context. Longitudinal qualitative interview data with 50 mentor participants in a larger study of mentoring relationship development were used to examine mentors’ expressions of different dimensions of empathy within their narratives about the nature and quality of their mentoring relationships. Two main dimensions of empathy were identified: (a) perspective-taking, which was marked by mentors’ descriptions of their efforts to relate to the youth’s experiences and to understanding things from the youth’s point of view and (b) adaptability, which was conveyed through the mentors’ descriptions of their openness to the wants, needs, and experiences of the youth and to their flexibility in the relationship and responsiveness to the youth. Mentors who described being able to engage empathically with their mentees also conveyed greater satisfaction with the experience of mentoring.

Stories from the fourth age: autonomy and the lives of older care home residents

AbstractTransition to a care home often follows a hospital admission and can be distressing. Care home settings play an important role in the care of many people at the end of life. This longitudinal study employed a narrative approach, aiming to explore the perspectives of older care home residents on transitions to, and life and death within, care homes. Five participants, aged 85 years and over, were recruited from two privately owned care homes in the South-West of England. All participants had a diagnosis of an advanced progressive condition (excluding advanced dementia), or were thought to be frail. Longitudinal interviews (19 in total) were conducted over a ten-month period. A structural narrative analysis was performed and participants’ narratives are presented under three headings, with one participant's story chosen to illustrate each narrative type: ‘becoming a care home resident’, ‘living in a care home’ and ‘death and dying’. Findings revealed that care home residents experience a loss of autonomy and a lack of agency; they are often excluded from decision-making. Older care home residents have few choices with regard to care at the end of life. Further work is required to improve transition into care homes, including support and advocacy during decision-making, which often takes place in hospitals at a time of crisis.

Understanding How Parents Make Meaning of Their Child\u2019s Behaviors During Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Longitudinal Qualitative Investigation

A family’s journey in understanding their child’s behaviors in relation to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) frequently begins with screening. This study aimed to characterize the interpretive processes that unfold for parents. We employed longitudinal interviews with 19 families engaged in a community-based multi-stage screening protocol. Parents participated in 1–6 interviews dependent upon children’s length of engagement in the screening protocol; data were analyzed through modified grounded theory. Parents who moved towards understanding their child’s behaviors as ASD expressed (1) sensitization to ASD symptoms, (2) differentiation from other developmental conditions, and (3) use of the ASD diagnosis to explain the etiology of concerning behaviors. Identifying interpretive processes involved during ASD screening provides new opportunities for shared decision-making.

Racial Disparities in Stroke Recovery Persistence in the Post-Acute Stroke Recovery Phase: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.

Blacks have a higher burden of post-stroke disability. Factors associated with racial differences in long-term post-stroke disability are not well-understood. Our aim was to assess the long-term racial differences in risk factors associated with stroke recovery. We examined Health and Retirement Study (HRS) longitudinal interview data collected from adults living with stroke who were aged >50 years during 2000-2014. Analysis of 1,002 first-time, non-Hispanic, Black (210) or White (792) stroke survivors with data on activities of daily living (ADL), fine motor skills (FMS) and gross motor skills (GMS) was conducted. Ordinal regression analysis was used to assess the impact of sex, race, household residents, household income, comorbidities, and the time since having a stroke on functional outcomes. Black stroke survivors were younger compared with Whites (69 ± 10.4 vs 75 ± 11.9). The majority (~65%) of Black stroke survivors were female compared with about 54% White female stroke survivors (P=.007). Black stroke survivors had more household residents (P<.001) and comorbidities (P<.001). Aging, being female, being Black and a longer time since stroke were associated with a higher odds of having increased difficulty in ADL, FMS and/or GMS. Comorbidities were associated with increased difficulty with GMS. Black race increased the impact of comorbidities on ADL and FMS in comparison with Whites. Our data suggest that the effects of aging, sex and unique factors associated with race should be taken into consideration for future studies of post-stroke recovery and therapy.

The developmental origins of hoarding disorder in adolescence: a longitudinal clinical interview study following an epidemiological survey

Hoarding disorder (HD) is hypothesized to originate in childhood/adolescence but little is known about the presentation of hoarding symptoms in youth and their natural history. In this longitudinal study, we tracked and conducted in-depth psychiatric interviews with twins who participated in an epidemiological survey and screened positive on a measure of hoarding symptoms at age 15. Twins screening positive for clinically significant hoarding symptoms at age 15 (n = 42), their co-twins (n = 33), a group of screen negative twins (n = 49), and their parents underwent a clinical assessment a median of 3 years after the initial screening. The assessment included psychiatric screening, hoarding symptoms and cognitions, in-home or photographic assessment of clutter levels, parental accommodation and familial burden. None of the participants had significant levels of clutter at follow-up and thus did not meet strict criteria for HD. However, twins meeting partial criteria (i.e., DSM-5 criteria A and B) for HD (n = 28) had more psychiatric disorders and scored significantly higher on all measures of hoarding symptoms including researcher-rated levels of clutter in their homes, compared to twins who did not meet partial criteria for HD (n = 46). As currently defined in DSM-5, HD may be rare in young people. A non-negligible proportion of young people who were screen positive on hoarding symptoms at age 15 had substantial hoarding symptoms and other psychopathology at follow-up. Whether and how many of these individuals will develop full-blown HD is unknown but the results offer unique insights about the probable origins of HD in adolescence.

Conceptualization of Empowerment and Pathways Through Which Cash Transfers Work to Empower Young Women to Reduce HIV Risk: A Qualitative Study in Tanzania

Although cash transfers (CT) are hypothesized to reduce AGYW’s HIV risk, little is known about the mechanisms through which CT empower AGYW. We explored the impact of a CT intervention on AGYW’s sexual decision-making in order to describe the pathways through which the cash may influence risk behavior. The study employed qualitative methods involving: 20 longitudinal in-depth interviews (IDIs), 40 cross-sectional IDIs, 20 narrative IDIs, and two focus group discussions with AGYW ages 15–23 participating in a CT intervention. AGYW’s conceptualized empowerment as: “independence”, “hope and aspiration”. Potential pathways through which CT empowered AGYW were: economic, hope and aspiration for a better future, and access to knowledge. As a result of this empowerment, AGYW reported reductions in transactional sex, experiences of intimate partner violence, and risky-sexual behaviour. A sense of responsibility developed through economic empowerment, enhanced participants’ self-esteem and confidence in decision-making leading to changes in AGYW’s sexual risk behaviors.

Evolution of social networks in early psychosis

ABSTRACT Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia are consistently found to have smaller social networks, as well as deficits in metacognition; the results for those with comorbid substance misuse are contradictory. The role of metacognition in the development of social relationships in individuals with early psychosis and comorbid substance misuse is poorly understood and few studies have investigated its impact longitudinally. Method: A mixed method approach was used to analyze data from 10 verbatims from semi-structured, retrospective longitudinal interviews, and metacognition ratings. Results: Distinct profiles were identified and appeared stable over time in their reactions to life transition. Profile 1 presented with overall better metacognitive abilities, and varied on the onset, conclusion and diversity of relationships. Profile 2 showed poorer abilities, and completely changed social networks at transitions. The presence of mutually supportive relationships and of personal interest contributing to friendship formation differentiated profiles. Conclusion: Two profiles emerged: distinct in their stability and quality of friendships, as well as in their metacognitive abilities and substance use friendships. Interests, and intensity of the interpersonal connection also distinguished both profiles.

Support needs and health-related quality of life of family caregivers of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and admission to a specialised weaning centre: A qualitative longitudinal interview study

ObjectivesFamily caregivers of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation may experience physical and psychological morbidity associated with a protracted intensive care unit experience. Our aim was to explore potentially modifiable support needs and care processes of importance to family caregivers of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and transition from the intensive care unit to a specialised weaning centre. Research methodology/designA longitudinal qualitative descriptive interview study. Data was analysed using directed content analysis. SettingA 6-bed specialised weaning centre in Toronto, Canada. FindingsEighteen family caregivers completed interviews at weaning centre admission (100%), and at two-weeks (40%) and three-months after discharge (22%) contributing 29 interviews. Caregivers were primarily women (61%) and spouses (50%). Caregivers perceived inadequate informational, emotional, training, and appraisal support by health care providers limiting understanding of prolonged ventilation, participation in care and decision-making, and readiness for weaning centre transition. Participants reported long-term physical and psychological health changes including alterations to sleep, energy, nutrition and body weight. ConclusionsDeficits in informational, emotional, training, and appraisal support of family caregivers of prolonged mechanical ventilation patients may increase caregiver burden and contribute to poor health outcomes. Strategies for providing support and maintaining family caregiver health-related quality of life are needed.