Perspectives Of Young Adults Research Articles

‘It's different, but it's the same’: perspectives of young adults with siblings with intellectual disabilities in residential care

Accessible summary Siblings often play important roles in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. This study suggests that young adults who have siblings in residential care can feel isolated in their experience. Adolescence appears to be a turning point and a time when siblings become aware of future caretaking responsibilities. There is a need for support for siblings of children and adults with intellectual disabilities who live in residential care. AbstractBackground: Siblings often play significant roles in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. This study aimed to give voice to young adults whose siblings have an intellectual disability and are in residential care.Materials and Methods: Six participants were interviewed, with interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology employed.Results: Emergent themes included family and sibling relationships and concerns for the future. However, ambivalence, in terms of conflicting feelings within participants themselves, was striking. Dissonances within narratives included identifying as ‘one family’ whilst living apart, experiencing guilt while being supportive of the residential placement, and emphasising the normality of the sibling experience whilst also feeling different and isolated.Conclusion: These findings reflect the particular complexity of sibling relationships when the person with an intellectual disability lives in residential care. There is a need to understand more about the perspectives of siblings, and the influence that residential care may have upon these.

"Perhaps I will die young." Fears and worries regarding disease and death among Danish adolescents and young adults with cancer. A mixed method study.

A cross-sectional national study was initiated in order to evaluate healthcare services and survivorship from the perspective of Danish adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. The purpose of the paper was to examine (Q1) to what extend Danish AYAs experienced fears and worries about dying; (Q2) with whom, if anyone, they had shared those worries; and finally, (Q3) how fears and worries influenced their daily life. The emphasis will be on Q3. A 151-item questionnaire (including two closed- and one open-ended questions about fears of death and dying) was distributed among all 15-29-year-old Danes registered with a cancer diagnosis from 2009 to 2013. A total study population of 822 persons participated. Data was analyzed using a mixed design of descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Q1: Almost 80% of AYAs with cancer expressed some worries about death; hereof, more than half of them expressed quite a bit or very much. The analysis showed significant gender differences, whereas age and duration of disease did not have any significant impact on such thoughts. Q2: One third had not talked to anybody about his or her worries. Q3: The analysis resulted in three overall categories: fear of disease and death having little or no influence (n=100), fear influencing in various ways (n=215), and fear of disease and death having a substantial influence (n=75). The majority of AYAs had experienced fears and worries about dying, but one third of them had not talked to anybody about those thoughts. It is an important clinical point that young age does not preclude fears and worries about dying in AYAs with cancer.

How Do Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer Experience Their Care? A European Survey.

To gather the perspectives of Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) with cancer across Europe on the care they received and research priorities for TYA services. A questionnaire was designed by TYA oncology specialists in the United Kingdom and translated into 11 other European languages. It was disseminated to TYAs in various European countries with the help of collaborators in the European Network for Cancer in Children and Adolescents (ENCCA). Free text responses were analyzed using a thematic approach. 301 participants representing 25 countries were entered into the analysis. Only 9% of the sample had experience of a ward solely for the use of TYAs. Two thirds of participants agreed with the need for TYA-specific services. Participants reported that important aspects of TYA care included access to psychological care, youth workers and physiotherapists, higher levels of staffing, and healthcare workers who understand the needs of TYAs and communicate effectively. The most frequently endorsed areas for future research were "monitoring after treatment," "communication between professionals and young people," "research about cancer," "fertility preservation," and "back to work/school." European collaboration between TYA and professionals in delivering this project has been feasible. This study contributes to developing a healthcare culture that values the perspectives of service users. It has provided an insight into what TYAs perceive as important aspects of their care, how they think TYA care can be improved, and what they consider to be important areas for research.

Lupus Means Sacrifices: Perspectives of Adolescents and Young Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Disease activity, organ damage, and treatment burden are often substantial in children and adolescents with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), and the complex interplay among the developing child, parents, and peers makes effective management difficult. We aimed to describe the experiences and perspectives of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with juvenile-onset SLE to inform strategies for improving treatment and health outcomes. Focus groups and face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with 26 patients ages 14-26 years, from 5 Australian hospitals in 2013-2014. Focus groups and interview transcripts were thematically analyzed. Five themes were identified: marring identity (misrepresented self, heightened self-consciousness, sense of isolation), restricting major life decisions (narrowed career options, threat to parenthood), multifaceted confusion and uncertainty (frustration at delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis, needing age and culturally appropriate information, ambiguity about cause of symptoms, prognostic uncertainty, confronting transition to adult care), resentment of long-term treatment (restricting ambition, animosity toward medication use), and gaining resilience and coping capacities (desire for independence, developing self-reliance, recalibrating perceived disease severity, depending on family and friends, trusting physicians). Young patients with SLE perceive they have substantially limited physical and social capacities and restricted personal and career goals. Psychosocial and educational interventions targeted at improving confidence, self-efficacy, disease-related knowledge, and social support, and at resolving insecurities regarding patients' capacity for self-management may alleviate psychosocial distress and improve adherence, and thus optimize health outcomes of adolescents and young adults with SLE.

“Lighting Up”: Listening to Young Adult Perspectives on Smoking, Smoking Contexts, and Risk

“Lighting Up”: Listening to Young Adult Perspectives on Smoking, Smoking Contexts, and Risk

“We’re Automatically Sex in Men’s Eyes, We’re Nothing But Sex…”: Homeless Young Adult Perceptions of Sexual Exploitation

Research shows that homeless youth are uniquely vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). But what are young adult perspectives on definitions and pathways of CSE? We analyze focus group data from participatory research with a homeless youth-serving agency. Participants were a ethnically diverse sample/ethnically diverse sample of twenty four female-identifying young adults (ages 18–23) receiving services. Some perceptions of the participants were consistent with previously documented pathways into CSE. But, important novel themes emerged, including: sexual exploitation as a continuum of sexually explicit interactions (i.e. stripping, fetish, survival sex, trafficking); ever-present conversations and decision-making about CSE in homeless youth and young adult culture; and the paradoxical issue that service-seeking around homelessness and overt identification of CSE victims can target them for greater victimization.

Perspective of Young Adults on Male Nurses

Perspective of Young Adults on Male Nurses

Teenage Pregnancy in Latino Communities: Young Adult Experiences and Perspectives of Sociocultural Factors

Racial and ethnic inequities persist in teenage pregnancy rates, prompting examinations of how to provide better attuned teen pregnancy prevention in key affected communities. The current study focused on sociocultural factors of teen pregnancy in Latino communities, using in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews to elicit the experiences and perspectives of young adult Latino/as (some who prevented and others who directly experienced teen pregnancy in their own lives). Using a grounded theory approach to data analysis, avoiding teen pregnancy emerged as related to 7 facets of youth experience. Findings offer a critical window into the complex interplay of these experiences in Latino teens' lives, particularly when using a gender-sensitive lens. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

‘Performing identity’

This study examined the issue of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) from the perspective of young adults. The focus was on how participants actively imparted meaning to themselves and others, and how they constructed and performed their identities through the situated interaction of the research interview. Students at the University of Cape Town (ages 18–25), were invited to participate in unstructured individual interviews and/or focus groups about IPV and intimate relationships. A total of 24 young adults volunteered to participate. The results revealed that young people are knowledgeable and concerned about IPV. Participants underscored the importance, intensity and timing of intimate relationships in their lives- and signaled its significance and consequence for their current identity projects. Female participants had specific investments in how their talk achieved selfpresentation goals: they used their narratives as a resource to account for their experiences, negotiate and present their preferred identities, and manage their reputations.

Seeing digital technologies from the margins

The social, political, cultural and economic issues raised by digital tools are usually seen from the perspective of highly-educated and wealthy young urban adults in North America and Western Europe. The call for papers for this issue of Journal des Anthropologues sought to encourage authors to take a different approach. We wanted them to problematize the challenges raised by digital technologies and their utilization ‘at the margin’. Thus, contributors were first asked to seize the signifi...

Exploring the work lives of adults with serious mental illness from a vocational psychology perspective.

Current vocational services for adults with serious mental illness remain largely atheoretical and disconnected from mainstream vocational psychology research and practice. This study explored the perspectives on work of adults with serious mental illness, compared perspectives of young and older adults, and assessed these perspectives for the applicability of a well-established theory of vocational psychology. A national sample of 76 individuals with mental illness engaged in the workforce completed a semistructured questionnaire. We applied the principles of a participatory approach to consensual qualitative research methodology in the study design and data analysis. Results yielded a large number of categories, which clustered under domains representative of the primary constructs of social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, 2013). These domains included the antecedents of self-efficacy, namely, personal accomplishments, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and physical or emotional states as well as additional constructs of outcome expectations, personal goals, and contextual barriers. The SCCT model will likely provide a useful framework to bridge the gap between career development theory and vocational services for individuals with mental illness.

Exploring Young Adult Sexual Minority Women's Perspectives on LGBTQ Smoking

Smoking rates are higher among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals than among heterosexuals. These disparities are exacerbated during the transition from youth to young adulthood. The current study uses in-depth qualitative interviews to understand perceptions of LGBTQ smoking among LBQ-identified women (N = 30, ages 18 to 24). Major themes identified include the belief that smoking was a way of overcoming stressors faced by heterosexual and LGBTQ young adults alike, a mechanism to relieve sexuality-related stressors, and an ingrained part of LGBTQ culture. Results may suggest unique stressors influence LGBTQ smokers. Implications for smoking cessation interventions for LGBTQ youth are discussed.

Transitions in young adulthood: Exploring trajectories of parent-child conflict during college.

This longitudinal study examined trajectories of parent-child conflict from the perspective of young adults during their college years. Using group-based trajectory modeling, self-report data from 3 time points were analyzed and 4 conflict trajectories emerged. The largest group of students (65%) had low, stable levels of parent-child conflict. Ten percent of the sample reported increases in parent-child conflict, and the remainder (25%) reported 1 of 2 patterns of decreasing parent-child conflict. Students with at least 1 immigrant parent were more likely to experience changes in parent-child conflict in contrast to peers with no immigrant parents. Contrary to our hypotheses, individuals in the groups in which conflict was decreasing were more likely to experience psychological distress. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the heterogeneity of conflict trajectories over time, particularly considering the contextual influence of immigrant family status.

Young Adult Social Networks and Labour Market Attachment: Interpersonal Dynamics that Shape Perspectives on Job Attainment

AbstractFollowing a qualitative study design with young adults (aged seventeen to twenty-nine) of a racialised minority status (n= 36) in a low-income community in Toronto, Canada, we found that social relationships and dynamics greatly influenced perspectives towards labour market success. Respondents identified that interpersonal relationships with employers, family members and neighbourhood/community members influenced their perseverance and motivation for upward social mobility through securing and maintaining employment. The findings highlight the fundamental relationship between perceptions of upward social mobility and individual social capital. In particular, the wide array of social networks that can influence the perspectives of racial minority young adults – both positively and negatively. The findings extend contemporary discussions about the relationship between social capital and career aspirations among racial minority young adults, to include a spectrum of interrelated social networks that collectively aid in improving personal development. While contemporary discussions focus on the utility of informal knowledge sharing about career development and post-secondary attainment, the findings here demonstrate the importance of policy and programme solutions that support the mobilisation of a wider array of embedded social resources, within the social networks of racial minority young adults, that help support positive perceptions towards upward social mobility.

Young Adult Perspectives on a Successful Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care in Sickle Cell Disease.

ObjectiveThis qualitative study sought to learn from young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) about their experience leaving pediatric care and perspective on what makes a successful transition.MethodsFifteen young adults with SCD who had left pediatric care within the previous five years participated in focus groups led by a trained moderator. Transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory.ResultsFour main themes emerged from the analysis: facilitators of transition (meeting the adult provider prior to transfer, knowing what to expect, gradually taking over disease self-management and starting the process early), barriers to transition (negative perceived attitude of adult staff, lack of SCD specific knowledge by both patients and staff, and competing priorities interfering with transition preparation), what young adults wished for in a transition program (opportunities to meet more staff prior to transfer, more information about the differences between pediatric and adult care, learning from a peer who has been through the process, more SCD teaching, and flexibility in transition preparation) and how they define a successful transition (gradually assuming responsibility for self-management of their SCD).ConclusionOur findings present unique opportunities to learn from young adults with SCD about ways to improve current transition programs.

Drug Sales, Gender, and Risk: Notions of Risk From the Perspective of Gang-Involved Young Adults

We examine gender and meanings of risk in interviews (2007–2010) with gang-involved young men and women (n = 253) engaged in illicit drug sales in San Francisco, California. The in-depth interviews from this NIDA-funded study were coded using the software NVivo to identify patterns and themes. We examine their interpretations of the risks of drug-selling and their narratives about gender differences in these risks. We find distinct discourses regarding the role of femininities and masculinities and male and female bodies in shaping risk as well as the nexus between gender, family, and risk for female drug sellers.

Perspectives on Psychotropic Medication Treatment Among Young Adults Formerly Served in Public Systems of Care: A Thematic and Narrative Analysis

This study examines the perspectives of psychotropic medications held by young adults with mood disorder diagnoses. This article presents an analysis of qualitative interviews with 52 young adults who had been involved with public systems of care during adolescence and had used psychiatric medications. A concatenated analytic approach was used. First, we used a thematic analysis across cases, then a narrative analysis within selected cases. Two main themes emerged from the thematic analysis that captured aspects of the experience of taking medication. First, young adults described the effects of the medications and how they thought the medications were working. They described the impact on their moods, thinking, bodies, and functioning, and the ways in which these effects related to their lives. Second, the process of taking medications emerged as an important aspect of the medication treatment experience, including the trial-and-error nature of treatment and interactions with psychiatrists. The narrative analysis within cases identified that some youth created a medication narrative composed of three elements: why medications were needed, what medications do, and participants’ outlook on future medication use. These narratives are helpful in understanding prior patterns of service use and are instructive in framing young people’s future intentions to use medications. Findings support the importance of eliciting the perspectives of young adults about their treatment and ensuring that services are designed and delivered in developmentally appropriate ways tailored to this group.

1. The Young Adult Perspective on Health Insurance

THE YOUNG ADULT PERSPECTIVE ON HEALTH INSURANCE Charlene A. Wong, MD , David A. Asch, MD , Cjloe M. Vinoya, BS , Carol A. Ford, MD, FSAHM , Tom Baker, JD , Robert Town, PhD , Raina M. Merchant, MD . University of Pennsylvania/The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; University of Pennsylvania; The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Penn Law School; The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention and Intervention in a Community Setting: Perspectives of Young Adults and Professionals

Adolescent dating violence (ADV) is a significant community problem. In this study, we examine the perspectives of two groups (young adults who experienced ADV as teens and professionals who work with teens) on ADV prevention/intervention in a community context. We interviewed 88 young adults and 20 professionals. Our research team used Thorne’s (2008) interpretive description methods to determine participants’ perspectives on community views on ADV, community ADV prevention/intervention programs, and ideal ADV prevention/intervention strategies. Participants perceived most communities as being blind to ADV. They perceived prevention programs as unavailable, inappropriate, or impersonal. Young adults indicated that professionals should use a gradual approach with teens experiencing ADV. Participants suggested that ideal prevention programs should include personal development and education. Helping professionals can use these findings to develop effective community-based ADV prevention/intervention program.

Qualitative projective techniques in political brand image research from the perspective of young adults

Purpose – This paper aimed to focus on political marketing and utilised a number of projective techniques to explore the UK Conservative Party’s “brand image” amongst young adults aged 18-24 years. There is little guidance in the extant literature regarding projective technique analysis. Furthermore, there are explicit calls for insight and more understanding into the analytical process. Responding to this identified gap in the literature, this paper provides an illustrative guide that can be used to analyse and interpret findings generated from qualitative projective techniques. Design/methodology/approach – This paper opted for an exploratory study using focus group discussions, combined with qualitative projective techniques. Eight two-hour focus group discussions were conducted with 46 young citizens aged 18-24 years from three locations in England. Focus groups were conducted prior to the 2010 UK General Election. The data from the projective techniques were thematically analysed by the researcher. Findings – This research provides insight into the broad process used to analyse and interpret the qualitative projective expressions in relation to the UK Conservative Party’s brand image from the perspective of young adults. Furthermore, this paper highlights that projective techniques can provide an insight into underlying feelings and deep-seated attitudes towards political parties, candidates and the positive and negative aspects of brand image. Research limitations/implications – Several limitations became apparent at the end of this study. As this is a qualitative study, findings cannot be generalisable to the wider population. Additionally, it is important to note that the researcher had limited experience of conducting focus group discussions combined with projective techniques, and this can be considered a limitation. Nevertheless, the researcher did attend professional “effective depth interviewing” training delivered by the “Marketing Research Society” before data collection. This goes some way in addressing this limitation. Practical implications – This paper provides an illustrative guide and insight into the analytical process that can be used to analyse and interpret findings generated from qualitative projective techniques. This can be used by academics with little experience of projective techniques. Furthermore, this framework may be useful for practitioners such as marketers, political parties and candidates to explore and analyse the external image of other political brands. The elicitation ability of qualitative projective techniques facilitates greater expressive insight that may remain hidden if traditional direct data collection tools such as interviews and questionnaires are used. Social implications – This paper provides some understanding into how to analyse subjective meaning such as feelings, attitudes, perceptions and associations revealed through projective techniques. Furthermore, projective techniques can provide access to the private conscious and unconscious inner-world of the participant. They allow respondents to express themselves with greater detail and discussion compared with direct questioning. This research, therefore, presents greater insight in managing and analysing expressions generated from this non-intrusive approach that can encourage open disclosure with less hesitancy, verbally less demanding and suitable to overcome emotional, language and cultural barriers. Originality/value – This paper adds to the under-researched and undefined practice of analysing projective expressions by providing an illustrative process to interpret and understand insight generated from qualitative projective techniques. Thus, answers the explicit calls for detailed guidance in this area of research. This was achieved by critically reviewing and adapting the approaches taken by Boddy, 2005, Butler-Kisber, 2010 and Hofstede et al., 2007 and incorporating them into a pragmatic systematic framework. This research could be used as a foundation for future studies and a point of reference for people with limited knowledge of projective technique analysis.