Sense Of Powerlessness Research Articles

Effects of power and implicit theories on donation

Charities have difficulty raising money to execute their plans, which are mainly focused on addressing social challenges. As a big proportion of donations come from individual consumers, understanding their different characteristics and psychological states is important. Power has a psychological quality that varies during everyday interactions and influences consumers’ actions. Investigating the impact of power state on donation intentions across two studies, this research first illustrates that powerless consumers with a high level of incremental theory of emotion show an increased willingness to donate, and second, negative affect is the underlying mechanism in the interaction between sense of powerlessness and the incremental theory of emotion on donation intentions. These results have theoretical and empirical implications.

Exploring Self-Silencing in Workplace Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Female Software Engineers

Self-silencing has been extensively studied in the context of the relational aspect of the female psyche. The previous research on self-silencing mostly emphasized on intimate partner relationships and not much is explored in the context of workplace relationships, that is, relationships with colleagues, team managers etc. The present study aims to explore the self-silencing phenomenon in workplace relationships among a sample of female software engineers (N=21) in India. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select the participants of the study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect the data for the thematic analysis. At first, theoretical thematic analysis was done where Dana C. Jack’s (1991) self-silencing theory has been used as the theoretical lens. Then, inductive thematic analysis has been used for unravelling the mechanisms, antecedents, consequences involved in self-silencing inside the organization. The result revealed that the need to maintain relationships, need to conform to the traditional feminine roles, a sense of powerlessness, and some factors inherent to the culture of the organization functioned as the antecedents of self-silencing in the organizational setting. Self-silencing inside an organization is also found to affect the female software engineers’ psychological wellbeing and their growth in career. Moreover, it hampers the growth of the organization since negative experiences inside organizations go unreported and women self-silence their views and opinions in group meetings leading to organizational ignorance.

798-P: New Insights into Diabetes Burnout

Significance: Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) frequently report experiencing diabetes burnout, a feeling of exhaustion, and frustration that may lead to ignoring self-care behaviors. Though the construct was identified in the early 1980s as a primary barrier to optimal diabetes care, scientific understanding of the concept is lacking. Prior literature has conflated diabetes burnout with the other psychosocial concepts of diabetes distress and depression. In an attempt to address the gap, our qualitative findings highlighted that diabetes burnout includes: (1) feelings of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, (2) detachment from illness identity, support systems, and self-care, and (3) a sense of powerlessness to re-take the ownership of self-care. Aim: To examine the relationship between the three hypothesized dimensions of diabetes burnout and to determine if the data would be able to identify a relationship between diabetes burnout, distress, depression, and short-term outcomes. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a sample of 111 adults with T1D who completed an online survey developed by existing valid and reliable measures. Results: All dimensions of diabetes burnout were significantly correlated between .60 and .85 (p<.001). We found that diabetes burnout was significantly associated with both depression (es=0.67; p<.001) and diabetes distress (es=0.83; p<.001). Although overall burnout score explained more of the variation in key diabetes outcomes such as last reported HbA1C or missed appointments than diabetes distress or depression, and those relationships persist and strengthen even after controlling for these other related constructs. Conclusion: A single cross-sectional study is insufficient for any strong claims; however, this study challenges current knowledge on diabetes care by suggesting diabetes burnout as a distinct but interrelated concept with distress or depressions. These findings need to be replicated, ideally with larger and more diverse samples and with longitudinal studies. Disclosure S. Abdoli: None. D.M. Hessler: Consultant; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. K. Miller-Bains: None. A.C. Vora: Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dexcom, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. B. Smither: None. E.M. Burr: None. H.L. Stuckey: None. Funding Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Physician burnout: An innovative way to find “sanity out of madness” in the infusion center of a cancer institute.

e19246 Background: Physician burnout is affecting over 50% of physicians in the US alone and is related to the high workload, loss of anonymity and a sense of powerlessness in the face of multiple bureaucratic hurdles. The result is physical exhaustion, moral distress, high turnover and increased rates of suicide. Methods: The faculty and staff at Washington Cancer Institute (WCI) were surveyed using AMA/ASCO burnout questionnaire to identify burnout rates. A brainstorming session with staff captured the perceived causes of burnout in a fishbone diagram, and the most prominent cause was noted to be pertaining to delays in the infusion center (IC) related to chemotherapy orders. We tracked causes of delay in starting chemotherapy from 7/23/19 to 8/7/19, and utilizing a Pareto Chart identified that over 80% of the delays were due to missing chemotherapy orders on the day of IC appointment. Process flow charts were developed for all provider teams at WCI noting variations that may be leading to delays. The aim was to decrease the number of missing chemotherapy orders for patients coming to the IC by 50%, decreasing the resultant stress on providers and IC nurses. Results: By retrospective chart review, 6/21/2019 to 8/30/ 2019, an average of 13.18% of patients scheduled to receive chemotherapy at WCI IC had missing orders on the day of the infusion, which resulted in up to a 111-minute delay in starting chemotherapy. This, in turn, resulted in stress/burnout among 42.1% of providers and 55.6% of supportive staff. To remedy the problem, we implemented 4 interventions over two plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. In the first PDSA cycle the process was standardized to obtain necessary labs 48 hours prior to IC appointment and review and sign orders by 2 pm the day prior to IC appointment. Email notifications were also sent to all providers and nurse navigators regarding missing orders 48 hours prior to IC appointment. In the second PDSA cycle we continued with the previous interventions in addition to addressing pharmacy related delays in releasing premedication if dose adjustments of chemotherapy are needed. In the time period of 10/2/2019 to 11/11/2019, two PDSA cycles were implemented and resulted in a decrease in the average number of missing orders on the day of IC appointment to 7% achieving our aim. Conclusions: Using a systems approach to standardize the process promotes a more effective environment in the work place and decreases burnout on physicians and staff.

COVID-19: The Worst Days of Our Careers.

Adapting to this new paradigm during this pandemic has been ever-changing and extraordinarily challenging, both personally and professionally.

Reproductive Justice: The Role of Community‐Based Organizational Participation in Reproductive Decision‐Making and Educational Aspirations among Women in Nicaragua

AbstractAcross the world, women experience violations to their reproductive health and threats to their educational aspirations that limit their achievement. Reproductive health and education are examples of women's human rights that are connected by systemic gender inequalities that lead millions of women to experience discrimination and stereotyping that threaten these basic rights. The current study uses a reproductive justice framework to examine how a community‐based organization led by a group of women in rural Nicaragua challenges gendered psychosocial processes related to women's rights violations. In partnership with a grassroots local organization, we used structural equation modeling to demonstrate, in a sample of almost 300 women, that organizational participation was positively related to women's reproductive decision‐making and educational aspiration, in part due to relationships with women's self‐esteem and sense of powerlessness in sociopolitical matters. Given the persistent role of gendered inequities in the reproductive decision‐making and educational aspirations of girls and women, considering the social‐structural contexts that enable or limit rights is imperative to creating viable routes to gender justice.

Processus dépressif chez l’adolescent déficient moteur avec troubles cognitifs associés, accueilli en Institut d’Éducation Motrice : étude qualitative et prospective

ObjectiveThe aim of the present study is to investigate the experience of adolescent life in young people affected by physical disability and cognitive disorders, in order to focus on the maturative or pathological depressive processes. This qualitative and exploratory study explores the subjective experience of these adolescents and aims to compensate for the lack of research into the understanding of depressive affects present in some young people with a disability at this particular period of their life. MethodsSix adolescents with physical disability and cognitive disorders (with cerebral palsy or progressive neuromuscular disease) in the care of a special school (Institut d’Éducation Motrice - IEM), a boarding school, participated in this study. Based on an inductive approach, tools used are identical to those used in clinical practice. A semi-directive interview, the DPI (Perron, 1969), a projective test on the development of self-image, and the MDI-C (Castro, 1999), providing data on elements from the depressive register and their signification, were used. ResultsThe results indicate the emergence of depressive feelings, a psychological distress, a sense of powerlessness and an insecure attachment. The results indicate also that these adolescents present an inhibition and search for scaffolding because they have difficulty to mobilize their resources. Projection in the future is also complex for them. They often have great loneliness, and exchanges with their peers, other adolescents, are infrequent. They only find support from professionals, not from other young people, whereas in adolescence the peer group is normally a resource. ConclusionThis study offers clinical perspectives in caring for young people and their family. It shows the need to take more into account the intrapsychic life of these adolescents, to detect their resources to help themselves and better take into account their psychics suffering. It is also necessary to help them to elaborate on their depressive position. Accompanied, the depressive affects can take a structuring dimension and can develop these adolescents’ abilities to talk about themselves, to think of themselves as a unique and autonomous person. It is also a question of favoring the deployment of their social relations. The methodology used confirms the need to conduct clinical research with this population, to understand better what is at stake at this period, and the importance of depressive affects.

Distinctions between experiences of anger and sadness in children's and adolescents' narrative accounts of peer injury

AbstractChildren's varied emotions following peer injury may reflect distinct ways of understanding and coping with such events. This study examined how children's references to anger and sadness in their accounts of peer injury were differentially related to narrative descriptions of their motivations, interpretations, evaluations, and behavioral responses, as well as the relationships in which harm occurred. We also explored how these associations between emotions and other narrative elements varied with age. The study was based on a corpus of 275 transcripts of oral narratives recounted by equal numbers of boys and girls across three age groups: 7, 11, and 16 years. In line with functionalist theories, anger was uniquely linked to maximizing attributions, indignation, and aggression, after accounting for age and gender. Sadness was related to harm in close relationships and relational goals, underlining the value placed on relationships with the offender, as well as a sense of powerlessness and confusion. Some associations between emotions and other narrative elements varied with age, suggesting that children's experiences of anger and sadness became increasingly agentic and relationally oriented. Findings suggest how narrative constructions of meaning about peer injury may serve as contexts for reflecting on how anger and sadness emerge from and are resolved through interpersonal relationships.

‘If I whistled in her ear she’d wake up’: children’s narration about their experiences of growing up in alcoholic families

ABSTRACT This article aims to investigate what it means to grow up in an alcoholic family environment. Nineteen children aged 6–11 who participated in a psycho-educational programme in the 1990s for children living with parents who misuse alcohol were interviewed about their experiences in a longitudinal study. A narrative analysis of their life stories demonstrates how, on the one hand, they positioned themselves as ‘vulnerable victims’ exposed to their parent’s alcoholism and to situations of severe neglect, domestic violence and sexual abuse. This position was characterized by a sense of powerlessness and lack of resources for coping with emotional distress and risk, as well as an urgent need for protection and care. On the other hand, the children positioned themselves as ‘competent agents’ who had developed purposeful strategies for managing their life situation, such as trying to reduce their parent’s drinking and undertaking the role of a ‘young carer’. The children primarily tried to normalize themselves in their social circle in a position of ‘silenced and invisible victims’. However, the alcoholism was usually exposed and the children occasionally also found themselves in the position of ‘help-seeking victims’ obliged to disclose the ‘family secret’. Remarkably, this rarely changed their situation very much. Instead, the children were commonly left in the position of ‘visible but unprotected victims’.

Victim impact statements and sentencing

Legislation allowing for victim impact statements ('VIS') to be presented during sentencing hearings has been introduced into the criminal justice systems of most common law nations, notwithstanding many reservations from defence lawyers and civil libertarians. Despite such legislation being widespread throughout the common law world, the use of VIS remains controversial.The main purpose of this article is to utilise basic sentencing principles in order to critically analyse the question of whether, and if so, to what extent, VIS are relevant to an offender's sentence and thus should injuence sentencing decisions. It will be shown by the use of a hypothetical that there are a minority of circumstances where a VIS may appropriately be relevant to sentence. In such cases adequate procedural safeguards need to be instituted to ensure that offender's rights are not compromised. It will also be shown that despite the VIS being irrelevant to sentencing in the majority of cases, it is still justifiied to allow victims to submit a VIS in all cases as they serve an important therapeutic role for victims in that they provide an opportunity for victims to participate in the criminal justice system, thereby reducing their sense of powerlessness and enhancing their cooperation with the system. It will be acknowledged, however, that there are problems with allowing victims to submit VIS, knowing they should not be taken into account for sentencing purposes in the majority of cases. The article will suggest some solutions to these problems.The writer thus generally takes a supportive view of VIS, believing that the ability of victims to prepare and present VIS can enhance their satisfaction with the criminal justice system, while a careful examination of the limits that victim impact material should have on the court sentencing discretion will mean that they ought not impinge upon the civil liberties of offenders.

Promoting a positive work experience for South African domestic workers

Orientation: Domestic work remains a main source of employment for many South African women. Despite legislation directed at protecting the rights of South African domestic workers, research indicates that many still experience marginalisation and a sense of powerlessness. This prompts a need to understand the factors that could enhance a positive work experience for domestic workers.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that contribute to a positive work experience for domestic workers in South Africa.Motivation: Because of limited work opportunities and a lack of access to finance and education in South Africa, domestic work will continue to provide a source of employment in the future. It is thus important to implement strategies to enhance the positive nature of the domestic work experience.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative design, utilising a semi-structured interview format for data collection purposes, was utilised. The sample comprised seven domestic workers and seven employers of domestic workers.Main findings: Thematic analyses extracted job security, wages, working conditions and the relationship with employer as the most important considerations for domestic workers. Employers of domestic workers highlighted compliance with legislation, perceiving the employee as part of the family, retirement planning and respect as important factors.Practical/managerial implications: It is proposed that employers purposefully comply with the relevant legislation to promote feelings of job security, and that domestic workers are educated in the legal requirements surrounding domestic work. Employers are further encouraged to establish open and trust-based relationships characterised by respect and consider the need for post-retirement provision. The importance of education and training in professionalising the domestic work sector is raised.Contribution/value-add: The results of this study contribute to promoting the value and status of domestic work by providing a voice for marginalised employees and promoting a humanistic and positive work experience.

A qualitative analysis of psychological distress in hidradenitis suppurativa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can negatively impact on patients' quality of life and is associated with a higher risk of depression, as well as difficulties in employment and relationships. This study sought to evaluate the lived experience of psychological distress in HS. Structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants. These were later transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The transcripts and analysis were reviewed by an independent researcher. The results indicated that there were three main themes: shame, pain and coping mechanisms. Participants indicated that their feelings of shame were due to disgust at their symptoms. They feared that others would be disgusted if their symptoms were obvious. Participants reported feeling invalidated when others did not understand the severity of their pain. Additionally, they reported that pain left them with a sense of powerlessness over their own bodies. Regarding coping mechanisms, adaptive strategies included social support while maladaptive strategies included social withdrawal. These findings are discussed in the context of the existing research on shame, chronic pain and psoriasis. The implications for psychological support for individuals with HS are evaluated. Additionally, the limitations of this study are considered and recommendations for future research are given. This study has highlighted that feelings of shame and physical pain are associated with psychological distress in HS. What's already known about this topic? Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has been shown to be associated with physical pain, a higher risk of depression, difficulties in sustaining employment and difficulties in relationships. Additionally, studies using quality-of-life measures have found more impairment in HS than in other dermatological conditions. What does this study add? Although the research to date has determined that there are negative social and emotional consequences associated with HS, the psychological processes underlying these impairments have not yet been looked at. This study aims to get a deeper understanding of the lived experience of psychological distress in HS and how individuals with HS attempt to manage this distress. What are the clinical implications of the work? This study has identified shame as a key feature that underlies the psychological difficulties experienced as a consequence of HS. When deciding upon appropriate psychological interventions for HS, approaches that specifically focus on reducing feelings of shame should be considered.

\u2018If nurses were in our shoes would they breastfeed their own babies?\u2019 A qualitative inquiry on challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers on the PMTCT programme in a rural community in Zimbabwe

BackgroundThe Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programme in Zimbabwe has had remarkable success despite the country’s economic challenges. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers on the PMTCT programme.MethodNarratives from 15 women (age range 19–35 years) were collected at two rural health facilities in Zimbabwe through in-depth interviews over a period of 6 months. Thematic analysis was used to describe breastfeeding mothers’ experiences and challenges of being on the PMTCT programme.ResultsThe findings suggest that breastfeeding women on the PMTCT programme face challenges that include internal, external and institutional stigma and discrimination. Women reported a sense of powerlessness in decision making on following through with the PMTCT programme and were ambivalent regarding disclosure of their HIV status to their partners and significant others.ConclusionHIV and AIDS programmes should pay attention to women’s readiness for interventions. There is need to understand women’s life experiences to ensure informed and targeted programming for PMTCT.

Homophobic and transphobic bullying within the school community in Cyprus: a thematic analysis of school professionals’, parents’ and children’s experiences

ABSTRACTThis study presents findings from qualitative research conducted as part of the European Commission supported HOMBAT (Combating HOMophoBic And Transphobic bullying in schools) project in Cyprus. Thematic analysis was used to analyse extracts of interviews from three focus groups: two groups with professionals who work in primary and secondary education as teachers, school psychologists and school counsellors; and one group with parents and children attending primary and secondary education in Cyprus. Findings from the study reveal how homophobic and transphobic bullying is becoming more visible in schools and both school staff and children frequently witness incidents of bullying on the basis of differing sexual and gender identity/self-expression. Professionals report having a sense of powerlessness to combat homophobic and transphobic bullying within the school community. Implications for practice that link to school professionals’ needs are explored and discussed.

The transitional experience of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer

The aim of the study was to provide insights into the transitional experience of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer progressing to their primary treatment. The psychosocial impact of patients in the recovery phase after breast cancer treatment has been investigated in recent years, however, little is known about the transition experience and psychosocial needs of Danish breast cancer patients during the phase of transition from diagnosis to treatment. This study employed a qualitative descriptive design with data collection including 12 semi-structured interviews with women undergoing radiation-or chemotherapy treatment. The transcribed interviews were analysed which identified five main themes; 1) Uncertainty, 2) Sense of powerlessness, 3) Sustaining normality, 4) Worrying about the future, 5) Fortunate only having radiotherapy. Understanding care needs of women in transition, from diagnosis to treatment, and how it impacts on their lives, is essential to enable health professionals to tailor individualized care. Early support is critical to ensure that women understand step-by-step what is involved in the treatment and care and thereby to assist them towards a positive psychosocial trajectory.

Perceived campus safety as a mediator of the link between gender and mental health in a national U.S. college sample

ABSTRACTMen and women tend to have different mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the reason for gender differences in college students’ mental health. We examined perceived campus safety as an explanation for the relationship between gender and mental health in college students. According to the social structure and psychological distress paradigm, women are objectively disadvantaged, which creates a sense of powerlessness and causes distress. We hypothesized that perceived campus safety would mediate the relationships between gender and psychological distress as well as gender and sleep disturbances. To test these hypotheses, we examined data from the Spring 2010 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) survey (N = 95,712) using multilevel structural equation modeling. Results confirmed that perceived campus safety partially mediated the relationship between gender and psychological distress as well as gender and sleep disturbances when controlling for victimization and general health. Women reported that they felt less safe than men on campus and experienced more psychological distress and sleep disturbances. The results of this study suggest that campus administrators could promote student well-being by addressing women’s safety concerns.

Sleeping together: Antiquarianism, anti-naturalism and Kate Colby’s narco-poetics

In Beauport , American poet Kate Colby poses the question of whether the fictions that orient our daily lives are necessarily less real, natural and true than the more visceral, complex and historically subtle world supposedly revealed by experimental poetry. Colby provocatively revisits and re-evaluates the spheres of bourgeois domesticity, tourism and memorabilia, often dismissed in vanguardist circles for suggesting inauthenticity, ignorance and conservatism. Bric-a-brac’s death-like stasis soothes her sense of impotence and brings her closer to the sleep-walking commonfolk she classes herself with. Colby taps into the democratic potential of these objects whose stagnant beauty problematizes progressivist notions of recuperative and regenerative politics.

The powerless or the empowered? Stakeholders' experiences of diagnosis and treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in Ireland.

The aim of this stakeholder voice study was to explore stress and coping among parents and Children and Young People (C/YP) affected by ADHD in an Irish context, in order to contribute to knowledge about what works and what needs to change in practice from a service user perspective. In total, 15 C/YP (7-18 years) with ADHD and their parents participated in semi-structured interviews, which were triangulated using other sources (e.g. visual methods), to contribute to a highly contextualised understanding of lived experiences. Transcribed interviews were analysed using a deductive approach to Thematic Analysis informed by a theoretical framework of stress and coping theory and Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological model. Some degree of difficulty in their pathway through care was identified by participants in all case studies. Findings identified barriers to diagnosis, including delays in diagnosis, such as scepticism, stigma, and label avoidance from gatekeepers; poor multiagency working; and misdiagnosis. Once received, diagnosis may serve as an access to empowerment, providing knowledge, understanding, and support. However, C/YP and their parents also reported distressing experiences and a sense of powerlessness within CAMHS and with treatment; such as tensions around medical management, stigma, and a lack of child- and family-centred practice. Despite the professionals and the systematic supports available, stakeholders did not feel that they were fully understood, listened to, or participants in accessing diagnosis and care planning.

Something’s Going on Here

Abstract. Research on individual-difference factors predicting belief in conspiracy theories has proceeded along several independent lines that converge on a profile of conspiracy believers as individuals who are relatively untrusting, ideologically eccentric, concerned about personal safety, and prone to perceiving agency in actions and profundity in bullshit. The present research represents the first attempt at an integrative approach to testing the independent contributions of these diverse factors to conspiratorial thinking. Two studies (N = 1,253) found that schizotypy, dangerous-world beliefs, and bullshit receptivity independently and additively predict endorsement of generic (i.e., nonpartisan) conspiracy beliefs. Results suggest that “hyperactive” agency detection and political orientation (and related variables) might also play a role. The studies found no effects of situational threats (mortality salience or a sense of powerlessness) – though it remains to be seen whether real-world instantiations of situational threats might move some people to seek refuge in conspiratorial ideation.

Patient Experiences in a Linguistically Diverse Safety Net Primary Care Setting: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundThe patient-centered medical home model intends to improve patient experience and primary care quality. Within an urban safety net setting in Northern California, United States, these desired outcomes are complicated by both the diversity of the patient community and the care continuity implications of a residency program.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to understand the patient experience beyond standardized satisfaction measures.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study, interviewing 19 patients from the clinic (English-, Spanish-, or Mien-speaking patients).ResultsSome themes, such as the desire to feel confident in their doctor, emerged across language groups, pointing to institutional challenges. Other themes, such as distrust in care being provided, were tied distinctly to speaking a language different from one’s provider. Still other themes, such as a sense of powerlessness, were related to cultural differences and to speaking a language (Mien) not spoken by staff.ConclusionsFindings illuminate the need to understand cultural behaviors and interactional styles in a diverse patient population to create a high-quality medical home.