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Strong J. "Even when you write with a pencil there is an eraser to clean it": Examining men's conceptualisations of and involvement in emergency contraceptive use in Accra, Ghana. Soc Sci Med 2024; 344:116635. [PMID: 38324975 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Emergency contraceptive pills are an essential and unique post-coital method to avoid a pregnancy, with evidence showing the significant role men can have in procurement and decisions to use. Global Health recommendations specify that emergency contraceptive pills be used sparingly and under specific conditions. This increasingly misaligns with the myriad conceptualisations and rationales among the public for why they choose to use emergency contraceptive pills. There has been a paucity of research aiming to understanding men's involvement and how they shape women's access, choice, and autonomy. This study interrogates how emergency contraceptive pills are conceptualised by men in James Town, Ghana, and how this intersects with their motivations to be involved in its use. Mixed method data from a survey (n = 270) and in-depth interviews (n = 37) were collected between July 2020 and January 2021. The analysis examines men's framings of emergency contraceptive pills and how these shape their involvement in its use. Men's knowledge of post-coital contraceptives was high, while knowledge of the specific term 'emergency contraception' was lower. While some men understood the pills in ways that aligned to Global Health framings, many more men saw emergency contraceptive pills as another means of pregnancy prevention in line with other contraceptives. This included its conceptualisation as a contraceptive that facilitates pleasurable (condomless) and spontaneous sex. Gendered perceptions of women who use emergency contraceptive pills were bound in sexual stigma, and men indicated that emergency contraceptive pills were a directly observable form of contraception that they could pressure their partner into using. Understanding plural conceptualisations away from 'emergency' are necessary to create policies and programmes that account for men's involvement. This includes understanding how emergency contraceptive pills are located within people's sexual and reproductive lives and gendered power dynamics, to reflect the public's own rationales for and experiences using post-coital contraceptives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Strong
- Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK.
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2
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Power SA, Zittoun T, Akkerman S, Wagoner B, Cabra M, Cornish F, Hawlina H, Heasman B, Mahendran K, Psaltis C, Rajala A, Veale A, Gillespie A. Social Psychology of and for World-Making. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2023; 27:378-392. [PMID: 36628932 PMCID: PMC10559643 DOI: 10.1177/10888683221145756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
ACADEMIC ABSTRACT Social psychology's disconnect from the vital and urgent questions of people's lived experiences reveals limitations in the current paradigm. We draw on a related perspective in social psychology1-the sociocultural approach-and argue how this perspective can be elaborated to consider not only social psychology as a historical science but also social psychology of and for world-making. This conceptualization can make sense of key theoretical and methodological challenges faced by contemporary social psychology. As such, we describe the ontology, epistemology, ethics, and methods of social psychology of and for world-making. We illustrate our framework with concrete examples from social psychology. We argue that reconceptualizing social psychology in terms of world-making can make it more humble yet also more relevant, reconnecting it with the pressing issues of our time. PUBLIC ABSTRACT We propose that social psychology should focus on "world-making" in two senses. First, people are future-oriented and often are guided more by what could be than what is. Second, social psychology can contribute to this future orientation by supporting people's world-making and also critically reflecting on the role of social psychological research in world-making. We unpack the philosophical assumptions, methodological procedures, and ethical considerations that underpin a social psychology of and for world-making. Social psychological research, whether it is intended or not, contributes to the societies and cultures in which we live, and thus it cannot be a passive bystander of world-making. By embracing social psychology of and for world-making and facing up to the contemporary societal challenges upon which our collective future depends will make social psychology more humble but also more relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Brady Wagoner
- Aalborg University, Denmark
- Oslo New University College, Norway
| | | | - Flora Cornish
- London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Antti Rajala
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- University of Oulu, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, Finland
| | | | - Alex Gillespie
- Oslo New University College, Norway
- London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
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3
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Kirton-Darling E. Death, social reform and the scrutiny of social welfare provision: the role of the contemporary inquest. THE JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE & FAMILY LAW 2023; 45:363-386. [PMID: 39070725 PMCID: PMC7616307 DOI: 10.1080/09649069.2023.2281847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Suggesting there is an emerging and important focus on social welfare in inquests into death, this article argues that there is value for both social welfare and inquest scholarship in examination of links between the two. Emphasising the process of investigation, it aims to introduce the inquest to social welfare scholars, and proposes an agenda for research. The discussion examines a range of inquests in which questions of social welfare (understood broadly) were examined, including inquests into the death of Jackie Maguire in a care home (see R (Maguire) v. HM Senior Coroner for Blackpool & Fylde [2023] UKSC 20), the death of Jodey Whiting after her welfare benefits were stopped (in a case brought by her mother, Joy Dove, see Dove v. HM Assistant Coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool [2023] EWCA Civ 289), the death of Awaab Ishak due to mould in his housing association home, and the death of Ella Kissi-Debra which suggested a link between traffic, air pollution and asthma, as well as other cases, including the inquest into the death of Molly Russell which focused on the role of social media.
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Strong J, Coast E, Fetters T, Chiweshe M, Getachew A, Griffin R, Tembo L. "I was waiting for my period": Understanding pregnancy recognition among adolescents seeking abortions in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia. Contraception 2023; 123:110006. [PMID: 36931547 PMCID: PMC7616401 DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES For a person seeking an abortion, the ability to recognize a pregnancy is a critical first step. Pregnancy recognition is complex and shaped by numerous factors. This paper explores the experiences of pregnancy recognition among adolescents in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia. STUDY DESIGN The final sample included 313 adolescents aged 10 to 19 who had sought abortion-related care at urban public facilities in Ethiopia (N = 99), Malawi (N = 104), and Zambia (N = 110). Researchers collected mixed-method data on how adolescents came to recognize that they were pregnant and thematically analyzed qualitative data alongside descriptive statistics from quantitative data. RESULTS Most adolescents reported that their main mode of recognizing a pregnancy was medical pregnancy tests or late menstruation. Reasons for not recognizing a pregnancy included irregular menses or recent menarche and attribution of signs and symptoms to other medical conditions. Psychological barriers to pregnancy recognition were important, including the refusal to accept a pregnancy and denial of a pregnancy. Timing of recognition shaped the abortion care available for adolescents and the affordability of care. For some adolescents, their capacity to recognize their pregnancy led to involuntary or voluntary disclosure, which decreased their reproductive autonomy. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent experiences of pregnancy recognition complement existing evidence, illustrating critical barriers across age and context. Interrogating pregnancy recognition among adolescents exposed the critical implications for the availability, accessibility, affordability, and autonomy of their abortion trajectory. IMPLICATIONS Pregnancy recognition is complex and can influence adolescents' ability to exercise their reproductive rights and access abortion care of their choosing. Programmes to improve awareness of the signs of a pregnancy, increasing the provision of affordable and accessible pregnancy testing and further research on pregnancy recognition are necessary to support adolescents' reproductive autonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Strong
- London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Social Policy, London, UK.
| | - Ernestina Coast
- London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of International Development, London, UK
| | | | - Malvern Chiweshe
- Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa
| | - Abrham Getachew
- St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Moore T, Burgess RA, Katona C. Finding agency in limbo: A qualitative investigation into the impact of occupational engagement on the mental health and wellbeing of asylum seekers in the UK. Transcult Psychiatry 2022; 59:863-877. [PMID: 35929338 DOI: 10.1177/13634615221107202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The process of seeking asylum is complex and often leads to extended periods of uncertainty and liminality for people awaiting decisions on their status. Occupational engagement-defined as meaningful activities and roles that bring purpose and agency to one's life-may be a key driver for mental health recovery for marginalized populations, including asylum seekers with traumatic experiences pre- and post-migration. This study aimed to clarify how occupational engagement impacts on mental health and wellbeing and how asylum seekers maintain engagement in occupation in the context of socio-political constraints of the asylum process. We explored the occupational experiences of 12 clients of one human-rights charity, utilizing community-based participatory research methods. Participants completed group mapping sessions where they depicted routine journeys taken to perform occupations in London, which included discussion around the significance of their journeys. Four participants also completed additional "walking maps"-semi-structured interviews which occurred along a selected "occupational journey" they identified as meaningful to their wellbeing. All data were analyzed using thematic network analysis. Findings revealed that engagement in routine occupations within safe, social spaces positively affects the mental wellbeing of asylum seekers by promoting competence, agency, and feelings of belonging. The liminal space of the asylum process meant that participants' occupational engagement was limited to 'leisure' activities but was still critical to establishing forms of agency associated with their wellbeing. Implications for programs and interventions responding to the needs of asylum seekers are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temple Moore
- 4919Institute for Global Health, University College London
| | | | - Cornelius Katona
- 4919Division of Psychiatry, University College London.,4919Helen Bamber Foundation
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Cresswell J, Melnyk J, Diaz R. On the problem of generalization in cultural psychology: Aesthetics, generalizability, and dialogical research. CULTURE & PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/1354067x221135048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A recent special issue of Culture & Psychology focused on dialogic research and the problem of generalizing research from one context to another. A challenge is that the special issue bypassed a crucial discussion of aesthetics, which is a core feature of dialogical research that is important in the discussion about generalization. Using a dialogical approach influenced by Bakhtin, we discuss aesthetics and how it inspires dialogic research. Two features of dialogical research are discussed herein to show where we align with the authors of the special issue: expressed realities (socio-communally constituted realties lived as if given) and ethics. Expressed realities and ethics are foundational for aesthetics and so we seek to add the discussion of aesthetics to the conversation initiated in the special issue. In our efforts to discuss these ideas, we draw upon illustrative examples from interviews about the role of the church in poverty reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jocelyn Melnyk
- Social Sciences, Ambrose University, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Rita Diaz
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Zamora-Moncayo E, Burgess RA, Fonseca L, González-Gort M, Kakuma R. Gender, mental health and resilience in armed conflict: listening to life stories of internally displaced women in Colombia. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2021-005770. [PMID: 34620613 PMCID: PMC8499256 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
For over 60 years, Colombia has endured violent civil conflict forcibly displacing more than 8 million people. Recent efforts have begun to explore mental health consequences of these contexts, with an emphasis on national surveys. To date few Colombian studies explore mental health and well-being from a lived experience perspective. Those that do, overlook processes that enable survival. In response to this gap, we conducted a life history study of seven internally displaced Colombian women in the Cundinamarca department, analysing 18 interview sessions and 36 hours of transcripts. A thematic network analysis, informed by Latin-American perspectives on gender and critical resilience frameworks, explored women’s coping strategies in response to conflict-driven hardships related to mental well-being. Analysis illuminated that: (1) the gendered impacts of the armed conflict on women’s emotional well-being work through exacerbating historical gendered violence and inequality, intensifying existing emotional health challenges, and (2) coping strategies reflect women’s ability to mobilise cognitive, bodied, social, material and symbolic power and resources. Our findings highlight that the sociopolitical contexts of women’s lives are inseparable from their efforts to achieve mental well-being, and the value of deep narrative and historical work to capturing the complexity of women’s experiences within conflict settings. We suggest the importance of social interventions to support the mental health of women in conflict settings, in order to centre the social and political contexts faced by such marginalised groups within efforts to improve mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Zamora-Moncayo
- Escuela de Psicología, Universidad de Las Americas Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Rochelle A Burgess
- Institute for Global Health, UCL, London, UK .,Department of Social Work, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Laura Fonseca
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Sabana, Chia, Colombia.,Department of Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
| | | | - Ritsuko Kakuma
- Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Sochas L. Challenging categorical thinking: A mixed methods approach to explaining health inequalities. Soc Sci Med 2021; 283:114192. [PMID: 34274782 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
"Categorical thinking" in social science research has been widely criticised by feminist scholars for conceptualising social categories as natural, de-contextualised, and internally homogeneous. This paper develops and applies a mixed-methods approach to the study of health inequalities, using social categories meaningfully in order to challenge categorical thinking. The approach is demonstrated through a case study of socio-economic (SES) inequalities in maternal healthcare access in Zambia. This paper's approach responds to the research agenda set by intersectional social epidemiologists by considering potential heterogeneity within categories, but also by exploring the context-specific meaning of categories, examining explanations at multiple levels, and interpreting results according to mutually constitutive social processes. The study finds that meso-level institutions, "health service environments", explain a large share of SES inequalities in maternal healthcare access. Women's work, marital status, and levels of "autonomy" have heterogeneous implications for healthcare access across SES categories. Disadvantaged categories and their reproductive behaviours are stigmatised as 'backwards', in contrast to advantaged categories and their behaviours, which are associated with 'modernity' and 'development'. Challenging categorical thinking has important implications for social justice and health, by rejecting framings of a specific category as problematic or non-compliant, highlighting the possibility of change, and emphasising the political and structural nature of progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sochas
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, UK; International Inequalities Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
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Power SA, Madsen T, Morton TA. Relative deprivation and revolt: current and future directions. Curr Opin Psychol 2020; 35:119-124. [PMID: 32674060 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
We review research applying relative deprivation theory to comprehend social, economic, and political phenomena relating to social change. We highlight areas illuminated by relative deprivation and limitations of this contemporary research. Next, we outline four theoretical elaborations of relative deprivation theory to advance understanding of complex socio-economic and political processes of underlying rallies, riots, and revolutions. We end by suggesting methodological approaches and research agendas to understand psychological processes of social change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Séamus A Power
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 København K, Denmark.
| | - Thomas Madsen
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 København K, Denmark
| | - Thomas A Morton
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 København K, Denmark
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