Shared Life Experiences Research Articles

Co-Design with Older Adults: Examining and Reflecting on Collaboration with Aging Communities

Co-design methods have involved older adults in the design process to fill the knowledge gap that younger adult designers might encounter when designing for an aging population. A focus of co-design means establishing equal and equitable relationships between users and designers. To understand the factors that contribute to equal collaborations between older adults and student designers, we conducted 12 co-design sessions with 16 older adults and 11 student designers. We examined their interactions by adapting a framework initially aimed to understand the child-adult design partnership. We also analyzed student designers' reflections to understand their experiences and learnings from designing with older adults. Our findings demonstrate that developing a design partnership is complex. The framework helped surface factors like sharing life experiences and role ownership that influenced balanced or unbalanced interactions. Through the student designers' reflections, we found that student designers identified challenges they encountered and the assumptions they had about the older adult population. We believe that immersing students in a co-design experience with older adults and leveraging reflection activities provides an educational and meaningful experience to the design students.

Racial and Sexual Minority Scholar Positionality: Advancing Health Status and Life Opportunity Among Sexual Minority Men of Color.

Black and Latino sexual minority men (BLSMM) scholars are well positioned to draw on their unique perspectives and expertise to address the health status and life opportunities (HSLO) of BLSMM. Increasingly, research related to the positionality of scholars of color suggests that the scholar's stance in relation to the community being researched has important implications for the research. Despite growing recognition of the importance of scholar positionality, limited attention has been paid to the relationship between scholar-of-color positionality and improving HSLO trajectories of BLSMM. Furthermore, extant literature fails to specify the mechanisms by which scholar-of-color positionality can improve HSLO among BLSMM. This article seeks to fill this gap in research by arguing that an inadequate consideration of scholar positionality in health and life opportunity research has important implications for the HSLO of BLSMM. A multilevel, mediational model addressing factors at the micro-level (i.e., intrapersonal resources)-BLSMM scholars' personal commitments to BLSMM communities, cultural knowledge and expertise, and shared life experiences; meso-level (i.e., scholar and affected community interactions)-historical membership, mutual interdependency and trust, and community and organizational gatekeeping; and macro-level (i.e., national policies and priorities regarding BLSMM)-national priorities regarding the health and social welfare of BLSMM, allocation of BLSMM research and program funding, societal sentiment, and national investment in the workforce development of BLSMM scholars and clinicians are detailed. In conclusion, we identify recommendations and strategies for advancing scientific, programmatic, and policy efforts, aimed at improving HSLO among communities of BLSMM.

Frank Discussions in Verse: What Women Tell Each Other in Opal Palmer Adisa’s 4-Headed Woman

Opal Palmer Adisa presents frank exploration in poetic form on subjects like mental and emotional breakdown, menstruation, pre-marital sex, abortion, oral sex, masturbation, adultery, and pressures of family life, to name a few. She gives symbolic and metaphorical signification to what is still considered taboo, immoral, or unspeakable in certain enclaves and communities, relegated to the private spheres and spaces of our lives but needing to be uncovered, addressed, and resolved through open dialogue and debate. An overall message is conveyed in 4-Headed Woman: Poems that women’s issues are best dealt with when women support and encourage, provide solace and advice, share life experiences, and listen to each other. This supportive and communicative process need not always be immediate or face to face and can transcend barriers, as well as occur among intersections—of space, time, age, ideology, sexual preference and orientation, class, and race—as illustrated in the writings on the wall in the ladies’ room. The paper analyses selected depictions from the collection of women’s hidden and outer realities in the privacy of this public place/space—of how women publicly address the private concerns, problems, and situations they face in a society of paradoxical expectations. The ideas of a community of women and the complexity of women’s lives are portrayed in the symbolism of the 4-headed woman, further echoed in the 4-part structure of the collection that culminates in the experimental poetic performance piece which draws together each thematic focus of the entire text.

Athletic Trainers' Use of Support Systems for Balancing Roles as an Athletic Trainer and Parent.

Work-life balance is a topic of interest in the athletic training profession. Particularly for parents, managing work and home roles can be challenging. Social support has been identified as a resource for improving athletic trainers' balance and quality of life and warrants further investigation. To explore the sources and perceptions of social support among athletic trainers with children. Qualitative study. Collegiate and secondary school settings. Thirty-two athletic trainers who worked in the collegiate (12) or secondary school (20) setting participated. All individuals (19 females, 13 males) were parents, and they ranged in age from 25 to 72 years, with 2 to 52 years of experience as athletic trainers. Participants were recruited from a larger cross-sectional survey. A semistructured interview was developed by the research team and reviewed by a peer expert in the field. Respondents completed the interview protocol, which contained questions in numerous areas related to work-life balance. Data analyses were guided by the research questions related to social support and used a phenomenologic approach. We researchers immersed ourselves in the data and engaged in a coding process. Researcher triangulation and peer review were used to establish credibility. Our participants found social support in their work and home lives. Support was described by source (eg, supervisors, coworkers, spouses, family, friends) and type (eg, emotional, tangible, network). Respondents perceived that support stemmed from understanding, flexibility, sharing responsibilities, and shared life experiences, which aided them in balancing their roles. Athletic trainers valued social support and used different types of support to help create work-life balance. Support in the workplace, at home, and from the profession is necessary for athletic trainers who are parents, as it provides a means to help balance roles and responsibilities.

Variability in Brain Structure and Function Reflects Lack of Peer Support.

Humans are a highly social species. Complex interactions for mutual support range from helping neighbors to building social welfare institutions. During times of distress or crisis, sharing life experiences within one’s social circle is critical for well-being. By translating pattern-learning algorithms to the UK Biobank imaging-genetics cohort (n = ~40 000 participants), we have delineated manifestations of regular social support in multimodal whole-brain measurements. In structural brain variation, we identified characteristic volumetric signatures in the salience and limbic networks for high- versus low-social support individuals. In patterns derived from functional coupling, we also located interindividual differences in social support in action–perception circuits related to binding sensory cues and initiating behavioral responses. In line with our demographic profiling analysis, the uncovered neural substrates have potential implications for loneliness, substance misuse, and resilience to stress.

Using discourse markers to negotiate epistemic stance: A view from situated language use

In this paper, I analyse the usage of a discourse marker =mari, belonging to the epistemic paradigm attested in Upper Napo Kichwa (Quechuan, Ecuador). I show that the use of =mari indicates that the information is known well to the speaker, but also to some extent familiar to the addressee. In situated language use, the marker contributes to creating a knowing epistemic stance of the speaker. The analysis presented here is based on a 13-h documentary corpus of interactive Upper Napo Kichwa discourse, recorded on audio and video. For the purpose of the paper, the relevant utterances are analysed in their broad interactional context, including not only the surrounding text, but also relationships between the interlocutors, their shared life experience and possible shared knowledge derived from other sources. First, I analyse the semantic and pragmatic contribution of =mari to the conversational turn it occurs in, drawing on conversations extracted from the corpus. Following on from that, I show how tokens of =mari are situated in interactional sequences, and examine how the semantics/pragmatics of the clitic contributes to the discursive actions achieved by the turns which contain it.

Should Pediatric Behavioral Health Issues be Treated by Primary Care Providers?

Should Pediatric Behavioral Health Issues be Treated by Primary Care Providers?

The Phenomenon of Conscience in Social Work

The Phenomenon of Conscience in Social Work

The Iranian Protocol of Group Reminiscence and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Institutionalized Older People.

PurposeReminiscence has a positive role in improving memory performance. It may increase the attention of the older adults to themselves, helping them to cope with the crises and the process of aging. We aimed to investigate the impacts of memory recalling, sharing life experiences and stories confidently from the past on promoting numerous domains of quality of life (QoL), among institutionalized older people in the Ilam province of Iran.MethodsThe study was carried out, using a quasi-experimental approach (a pre- and post-one group design). The statistical population consisted of all older people who were institutionalized in nursing homes. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 43 potential participants were recruited, and the status of QoL was assessed, using the Iranian short-form health survey (SF-36) and face to face interviews. Then, eight sessions were designed and implemented. The participants expressed their memories such as bitter and sweet memories at various periods of life, and finally, the QoL of the participants was re-evaluated according to the same questionnaire, three months after the intervention.ResultsThere was a significant difference between the scores of pre- and post-intervention in most of the sub-scales of QoL, including physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health and emotional problems, emotional well-being, social functioning, and general health.ConclusionReminiscence may, in certain circumstances, be an effective care option for people living in long-term care with the potential to impact positively on the QoL of residents.

Coproduction in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder and Its Relationship to Clinics' Service Output Patterns.

Health, social, and human service providers seek diverse ways to engage service users in the service production process. This approach to engagement with users is known as "coproduction." In addition to conventional user-provider coproduction (i.e., patient-centered care), providers attending to stigmatized and marginalized groups may hire staff who share life experiences with user groups. These providers are known as "user representatives," and their service provision is known as "peer coproduction." Using nationally representative data from substance use disorder treatment clinics in the United States, I investigate how clinics' use of patient-centered care and peer coproduction mechanisms is associated with organizational service availability and utilization patterns. Results demonstrate the potential and limitations of the two coproduction mechanisms in substance use disorder treatment. This study is a critical examination of working conditions and the impact of user-engagement mechanisms and calls for a more empowered work environment in human service organizations.

Constructing a hero–victim identity through reminiscing: a phenomenological study on rural Chinese elders

AbstractReminiscing contributes to the formulation of identity in later adulthood through integrating individuals’ recomposed past, perceived present and envisioned future. Aiming to understand rural Chinese elders’ identity construction through reminiscing, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 elders living in ShiGo, a village located in the south-west of China. Data analysis suggests the rural elders in this study constructed a hero–victim identity through telling stories about the hardships they went through and the sacrifices they made. The participants narrated suffering from lack of basic living needs in the past, in particular before the 1980s while they were involved in turmoil brought on by wars and national movements, from destructive relationships, from making sacrifices for the country and their families, and from adapting to challenges brought on by the hardships. The rural elders shared life experiences with other villagers in daily life through bitter-sweet telling and wanted their suffering and sacrifices to be witnessed. Witnessing connects suffering, sacrifice, hero and victim into a self-enforcing system that helps the elders maintain interdependence and defence against existential concerns like death anxiety. A hero–victim dialectic model was presented to capture the self-enforcing attribute of the hero–victim identity. Findings of this study could be used to make sense of rural ageing in China and benefit clinical professionals working with rural Chinese elders.

A narrative inquiry into the cultivation of self and identity of three novice teachers in Chinese colleges---through the evolution of an online knowledge community

ABSTRACT This narrative inquiry involved a vibrant online knowledge community of Chinese novice teachers in colleges and universities. The teachers engaged in conversations with their me/ntor and peers, sharing life experiences and exchanging teaching puzzles. Through capturing the evolution (formation, development, sustainability) of the online knowledge community and focusing on three novice teachers’ postings and interactions, this study explored how novice teachers’ personal practical knowledge was refined and how their selves and identities were cultivated in the online teacher knowledge community during the preservice and in-service gap years, which were lacking in professional growth opportunities. Three factors especially influencing the teacher online community’s development: 1) online chats supplemented by offline meetings; 2) story sharing while tasks were concurrently completed; 3) simultaneous mentor and peer learning. The significance of this research is that online teacher knowledge communities form an innovative approach to assist novice teachers struggling with induction issues and yearning for self-development. This research study adds to the literature about the development of teacher knowledge, communities of knowing and teacher identity in virtual contexts and suggests important implications for teacher education.

Introducing shared life experience metric in urban planning

Historically cities are formed to provide interaction and communication opportunities for communities. As cities become smarter, new forms of interactions are formed and the necessity to participate in activities such as traveling to a grocery store is replaced by submission of online order in Amazon fresh. If we move in this direction, it bears answering the question of what kinds of societal loss, or changes in social interactions should we expect in our future cities? In this paper, we develop the Shared Life Experience (SLE) metric, focusing on the interaction opportunities between people. We define this metric to be measured based on the pairwise reachability and interaction probabilities of city dwellers in the context of time and space. Furthermore, we present a framework discussing how this metric can be embedded into the design of a more dynamic urban form and how we can measure it using publicly available data. Two sets of analyses are presented. First: a bi-level model is proposed, composed of a heuristic search algorithm in the upper level to estimate the regional SLE value for a given set of parameters and finding the optimum solution. The lower level models in the bi-level structure are activity-based models producing mobility behavior of individuals in response to changes in the input parameters. Second: we present a simple methodology and discuss how to quantify the SLE index using household travel survey data collected within five boroughs of New York City. This analysis can highlight many equity-related objectives and be used as an informative tool for better decision making.

Home Visit Intervention Promotes Lifestyle Changes: Results of an RCT in Mexican Americans

Hispanic populations are less likely that other ethnicities to meet physical activity guidelines. Community health worker (CHW) outreach is an effective delivery method for behavior change messages owing to shared culture, language, and life experience. This study examined the efficacy of a CHW-delivered intervention, Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! (Your Health Matters!) at Home Intervention, to promote physical activity among Mexican Americans. RCT. Mexican Americans living along the Texas-Mexico border from June 2010 to April 2013. Eligible adults were randomized into intervention (n=250) or standard care (n=250). Intervention participants received 6 monthly CHW visits that included education, motivation, and support for lifestyle changes. Standard care was potentially exposed to a community-wide health promotion campaign. Data were collected at baseline and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Meeting physical activity guidelines was defined as ≥600 MET-adjusted minutes of moderate and vigorous exercise. Intervention participants were more likely to meet physical activity guidelines at 6 months (AOR=2.02, 95% CI=1.25, 3.26) than standard care, but the significance was not maintained at 12 months (AOR=1.53, 95% CI=0.92, 2.53). The results were similar in the as-treated and obesity-stratified analyses. The secondary analysis corroborated the primary results. This study shows increases in physical activity among those exposed to a CHW intervention, including participants with obesity. It also indicates that the removal of CHW contact tapers the effect at 12 months. NCT01168765.

Assessment of Black Patients’ Perception of Their Dermatology Care

The availability and quality of skin and hair care for black patients in the United States has been a subject of growing interest in dermatology. There is limited understanding of the perceptions of black patients about the care they receive from dermatologists and the factors affecting their care satisfaction. To elucidate black patients' perceptions of their dermatology experience in and outside of a skin of color clinic (SOCC). A cross-sectional study involving a survey and focus groups was conducted including adult black patients treated in an SOCC. Recruitment was conducted April through June 2015 through clinic-posted flyers. Participants engaged in 1 of 4 focus groups on July 14, 15, 29, or 30, 2015, and completed a survey. Data were analyzed March 2016 through June 2017. Planned outcomes of the focus groups were black patients' inductively generated themes on their perspectives and experiences in dermatology clinics. Planned outcomes of the survey were patients' ratings of SOCC and non-SOCC dermatologists in terms of interaction style, cultural awareness, and treatment satisfaction. Importance of patient-dermatologist racial concordance was a planned outcome in both measures. Given lack of existing prior research, no specific hypotheses were generated. Of the 19 adult black patients who participated in the study, 18 (95%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 50.0 (14.2) years. All patients reported positive experiences in the SOCC. Compared with non-SOCC dermatology treatment experiences, patients reported higher levels of overall satisfaction with SOCC dermatologists (t13 = 2.85; P = .01). Patients perceived that SOCC dermatologists were better trained to care for black patients (t13 = 4.42; P = .001); showed patients greater respect and dignity (t13 = 3.37; P = .005), as well as understanding (t13 = 2.56, P = .02); and were more trustworthy (t13 = 3.47; P = .004). The majority of the comments in the focus groups (n = 207) described 2 themes: dermatologists' interaction style (62/207; 30.0%) and knowledge about black skin and hair (42/207; 20.3%). Other themes were partnering with patients on outcomes (17/207; 8.2%), shared life experiences (14/207; 6.8%), and economic sensitivity (7/207; 3.4%). These themes accounted for a large part of the participants' discussion. Of all respondents, 71% (12/17) stated that they would prefer a black (or race concordant) dermatologist; this included 91% (10/11) of the race-concordant group and 33% (2/6) of the race-discordant group. Participants reported that the SOCC dermatologists provided unique and uniformly beneficial care to black patients. Care satisfaction appeared most related to dermatologists' interpersonal style and specialized knowledge in care of black skin and hair. Findings suggest that black patients' dermatologic care satisfaction would increase if dermatologists underwent enhanced residency training in skin of color, cultural competency, cost-conscious care, and empathic communication skills, and if there were greater dermatology workforce diversity.

Online Teaching For The Whole student: An Interactive Workshop

Location: JC Room F Online teaching presents unique challenges and opportunities for teaching the whole student, especially in asynchronous courses. The lack of face time between students and instructor and the learner-driven nature of online education make it difficult for online educators to build community and connection with – and between – students. However, the flexibility of online learning also creates opportunity for meeting the needs of students and building diverse learning experiences. This interactive mini-workshop will bring together four online educators for the School of Business who will share course design principles, assessments, and learning activities that are centered around the four subthemes of teaching the whole student: Civil Communication and Creating Community, School +, Reducing Barriers to Access, and Self-reflection: Exploration and Self-Discovery. We’ll discuss how we help to build a feeling of community among learners, allow students to incorporate life experiences into their learning, improve accessibility to learning content, and provide opportunities for reflection. After hearing from members of the panel, participants will form small groups, centered around each subtheme/topic. In small groups, participants will hare how they are addressing the subtheme in their own pedagogy, seek advice from group members on a challenge they are facing, or brainstorm ideas for how to better implement the subtheme in their own pedagogy. Participants can rotate among groups through the session. The session will conclude with a summary of key points discussed in each small group. Each panel member will address a separate subtheme of Teaching the Whole Student, as it applies to online teaching. We will form four subgroups, one for each subtheme, to have focused discussions with participants. The members of the proposed panel have completed the SOUPR course development program and are currently teaching online courses. Individual topics include: Breakout Group 1 - Civil Communication and Creating Community Creating community in an online course requires deliberate, consistent, and relentless attention. This subgroup will discuss community-building learning techniques such as discussion boards, weekly video announcements, crowd-sourced notes and study-guides, wikis and group projects. Community building, while challenging in the online environment, helps retention, reduces isolation, improves student success and is well worth the effort. Breakout Group 2 Schools + This subgroup will share strategies for acknowledging and incorporating the lives of students into our online course, such as course pacing, weekend due dates, and providing generous windows for assignment completion. We'll also address how faculty can leverage students' vast experiences into the online classroom. Blackboard group or class discussions can be used effectively for sharing life experiences and integrating those experiences into course content. Breakout Group 3 - Reducing Barriers to Access While online education reduces many barriers to accessing education, it also presents educators with unique challenges with respect to reaching our students and ensuring they are actively involved and mastering learning objectives. This subgroup will discuss techniques used for ensuring the logical organization of an online course, best practices related to addressing student questions and communicating support resources (both for course success and their overall Mason experience), and guidelines for ensuring that course materials are accessible to users (with a special emphasis on disability and financial considerations).

The Geography of Knowledge Sourcing, Personal Networks, and Innovation Effects: Evidence from the Biomedical Firms in Guangzhou, China

Personal networks, in contrast to organizational relations, have recently increased their significance to firms by allowing them to acquire external knowledge and strengthen their innovation capacity. Hot debates on the geography and innovation effects of personal networks persist, but these discussions are mainly derived from research works on western economies. Since personal interactions are context-sensitive, this paper examines the geography and the innovation effects of personal networks on biomedical firms in Guangzhou, which has a unique political and socioeconomic context owing to the transitional nature of China. This case study indicates that the geographic nature of personal knowledge networks is largely locally-based, and the primary driver of such networks is experience-based practices, such as repeated face-to-face contacts, labor mobility, and shared life experience. Personal knowledge networks contribute to both problem-solving and radical innovation for firms as a result of the guanxi-based relations in China that transform personal networks into channels for mobilizing innovation-related resources. Moreover, by dividing personal networks into bonding, bridging, and linking networks, this paper also de-homogenizes personal networks and delineates specific and differentiated innovation effects of manifold social relationships. Based on the research findings, policy implications aiming at laying the social ground of innovation are addressed.

Building community through song: The therapeutic hospice choir

Music enables us not only to reflect upon the world in which we live but also to become active agents in creating and shaping it and ourselves. The Treehouse Choir is an innovative, therapeutic programme open to all adult service users and staff at one of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. The target group of the choir membership focuses primarily on the mothers of children receiving care at the hospice and bereaved mothers. The choir addresses the need for psychosocial support for families as they face the challenges of caring for a child with life-limiting and complex health conditions, as well as families mourning the loss of a child. This article analyzes data collected from questionnaires and interviews referring to the emotional, psychological and social benefits of participation in the choir. It examines how singing in the choir serves as a means through which individuals form a community built on shared life experiences, bridging boundaries between service provider and service user, creating a means of self-expression, and breaking down barriers to enable new lines of communication within a non-threatening environment. It also examines the role of public performances in promoting greater awareness of the services provided by the hospice.

Faith and Spirituality Informing Public Policy: Joseph Wresinski and our Understanding of Extreme Poverty

The understanding of the relationship between human rights and extreme poverty at the United Nations owes much to Joseph Wresinski, the founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World. While Wresinski was a Catholic priest, he deliberately created an inter-denominational organization and developed a unique spirituality rooted in a shared life experience with the extreme poor. He considered that spirituality, broadly understood, should be at the heart of the fight against extreme poverty and social exclusion. He hoped that his message could be heard by men and women from all faiths who are concerned about the plight of the extreme poor.

Youth Perspectives on Sexuality Communication With Parents and Extended Family.

To explore extended-family sexuality communication and compare it with parent sexuality communication. Family communication about sex can protect teens from sexual risk behavior. However, most studies on this topic focus exclusively on the parent-teen dyad; few capture the broader context of teens' family communication. Using a mixed-methods approach, a convenience sample of 22 teens from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds were interviewed. Participants were asked to identify family members with whom they talk about sex and relationships, topics discussed, messages shared, and the teens' comfort talking about sex and relationships. Thematic analysis was used to explore participants' shared meanings and experiences. Eighty-six percent of teens reported talking with both parents and extended family about sex. Teens were more likely to report that parents than extended family shared messages about delaying sex and avoiding teen pregnancy and gave advice or shared information about sex. Teens were more likely to view extended family than parents as easy to talk with and as having shared life experiences, and some reported avoiding talk with parents about issues related to sexuality due to feeling awkward or fearing a negative reaction. Extended family may play a somewhat different role than parents in teens' sexuality communication, but family members showed a largely common set of family values. Extended family may be a valuable teen resource for sexuality communication, particularly when teens feel uncomfortable talking with parents.