Alphia Possamai-Inesedy

Methodologies à la carte: an examination of emerging qualitative methodologies in social research

The growth and employment of non‐traditional research methods have increased dramatically over the last few decades, especially within the USA and the UK. With the increase of globalisation of research these new methodologies are gaining use and credibility within the human disciplines in Australia. The following paper examines the new methodologies movement from an historical context, funding perspective and as part of the wider, morally oriented ‘culture wars’ that have been playing out on the main arena of Australian socio‐political life over the past decade. In an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of some of the issues, challenges and benefits of these new methodologies the paper proceeds to examine some of the methods involved in arts‐based social inquiry. It argues that regardless of the increased call to employ engaged and innovative research, the constraints of the Australian funding and political environment has resulted in the maintenance and dominance of traditional methodological approaches.

Confining risk: Choice and responsibility in childbirth in a risk society

Abstract The language of risk in relation to pregnancy practices is available to and invoked by not only women who are contemplating pregnancy, the currently pregnant, and mothers, but also the never to be pregnant. Beyond the dozens of leaflets and posters which warn about all kinds of hazards that women face during their pregnancy and impending birth, there is a multitude of messages within the media where women are told about the inherent faultiness of their bodies. These women are told about invisible killers lurking in their ignorance. Yet, blame is allocated to those who fail to inform themselves about the risks that they face. Risk, according to the works of Beck and Giddens, has become a force of social change. It can be seen to actively shape our concept of health, desire for perfection, and our relationship to technology and responsibility. It is these themes which are noticeably absent from previous research in the area of sociology of childbirth and can capture more adequately the ideological shift which this article examines. It is argued, through the scrutinizing gaze of the public, that the pregnant woman is the least able to escape the consequences of risk society where changed notions of health and responsibility have created a cultural acceptance of medical intervention of childbirth.

Exploring the role of community engagement in improving the health of disadvantaged populations: a systematic review.

Background Although community engagement (CE) is widely used in health promotion, components of CE models associated with improved health are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the magnitude of the impact of CE on health and health inequalities among disadvantaged populations, which methodological approaches maximise the effectiveness of CE, and components of CE that are acceptable, feasible, and effective when used among disadvantaged populations. Design The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We carried out methodological assessments of the included studies using rating scales. The analysis focussed on model synthesis to identify the key CE components linked to positive study outcomes and comparative analysis between positive study outcomes, processes, and quality indicators of CE. Results Out of 24 studies that met our inclusion criteria, 21 (87.5%) had positively impacted health behaviours, public health planning, health service access, health literacy, and a range of health outcomes. More than half of the studies (58%) were of good quality, whereas 71% and 42% of studies showed good community involvement in research and achieved high levels of CE, respectively. Key CE components that affected health outcomes included real power-sharing, collaborative partnerships, bidirectional learning, incorporating the voice and agency of beneficiary communities in research protocol, and using bicultural health workers for intervention delivery. Conclusions The findings suggest that CE models can lead to improved health and health behaviours among disadvantaged populations if designed properly and implemented through effective community consultation and participation. We also found several gaps in the current measurement of CE in health intervention studies, which suggests the importance of developing innovative approaches to measure CE impact on health outcomes in a more rigorous way.

Development of a fertility acupuncture protocol: defining an acupuncture treatment protocol to support and treat women experiencing conception delays.

BACKGROUND The influence of acupuncture on female fertility is of interest to people in clinical practice and acupuncture researchers. Despite developing research in the field, there is a marked absence of research defining an adequate treatment to support and treat women experiencing delays in conceiving. OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to develop a consensus among acupuncture fertility specialists on what is adequate acupuncture treatment to promote female fertility in the periconception period; to examine what acupuncturists do in a consultation; to examine their actions and their exchanges with their patients; and to finalize an acupuncture intervention for a clinical trial of fertility problems. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS An online consensus-building technique was used among acupuncturists who are recognized experts in the field of womens reproductive health. The 10 subjects were selected on the basis of their published work with respect to treating female fertility problems or on the recommendation of researchers who had published articles in this discipline. All 10 subjects currently, or until recently, treated (some exclusively) women facing fertility problems using acupuncture as one of the modalities to address these problems. RESULTS Although the participants were relatively diverse, a consensus emerged regarding the best way to provide acupuncture to women with fertility problems. Along the way, a rich vein of qualitative data emerged about the way in which acupuncture is applied. These data included, for example, the high value placed on differential diagnosis and the importance of the practitioner-patient relationship for the therapeutic outcome. CONCLUSIONS Consensus building among experts provides a transparent method of protocol development suited to acupuncture research that will then hold relevance to clinical practice.

Prophet of a new modernity: Ulrich Beck’s legacy for sociology

Ulrich Beck was one of the most influential sociologists of recent decades. Concepts he developed – including risk society, individualization, cosmopolitanization, subpolitics and the democratization of science – are among the most cited, used and contested in contemporary sociology. In the wake of Beck’s recent death, this review article revisits his key contributions and legacy. He proposed that a momentous shift to a new modernity has begun and challenged sociologists as to whether the concepts they use are up to the task of tracing this emerging dynamic. Provocatively, Beck asked whether concepts like the nation-state, family and class are functioning as ‘zombie categories’, continuing on in sociology but no longer relevant to social experience. We argue that Beck was not denying the significance of such social factors, but setting a challenge to the discipline to show how the key concepts of sociology can be reimagined in the face of social change.

Acupuncture and women's health : an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women's reproductive health

Background Acupuncture and other modalities of Chinese/East Asian medicine have been used to treat women’s health for many centuries. Gynecology specialties focus particularly on menstrual and reproductive disorders. Both the adoption of the use of acupuncture outside Asia, and the incorporation of scientific analysis in Asia have challenged biomedical conceptions of what can be achieved with this treatment method. The scale of research activity in relation to acupuncture and women’s health has increased over the last 20 years. Objective This review aims to explore the research evidence in relation to acupuncture use for women’s reproductive disorders, focusing on both clinical findings and experimental research on acupuncture’s mechanisms of action in relation to women’s health. Methods A narrative literature search was undertaken using searches of electronic databases and manual searches of journals and textbooks. The search included all literature published prior to June 2013. The literature was assessed as to the nature of the study it was reporting and findings synthesized into a commentary. Results For acupuncture’s mechanism of action the search resulted in 114 relevant documents; in relation to clinical reports on the use of acupuncture for women’s health 204 documents were found and assessed. Conclusion There is preliminary data indicating acupuncture may improve menstrual health and coping for women experiencing delays falling pregnant. There is experimental data showing that acupuncture can influence female reproductive functioning, although the actual mechanisms involved are not yet clarified. Further well-conducted clinical research would benefit our understanding of the usefulness of acupuncture to women’s health.

Looking outside the square: The use of qualitative methods within complementary and alternative medicine—-The movement towards rigour

This paper explores why qualitative research in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is underused and, when used, done so defensively. It argues that qualitative research methods can encompass the complexity of CAM and identify richer veins for research exploration. The rigorous application of holistic research methods, used non-defensively, can only benefit CAM and the knowledge base of science.

The consequences of integrating complementary and alternative medicine : an analysis of impacts on practice

Abstract The call for increased integration of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with biomedicine implies an acceptance and compatibility of the theories, practices and research of these medicines, as well as recognition of consumer demand. CAMs slow integration into hospital systems, medical practices and research institutes can be argued to provide greater choice and autonomy to the medical consumer. As this mainstreaming of CAM continues it not only produces these potential ‘goods’ but also negative unintended consequences for the various practices that CAM encompasses, which in turn impacts on the consumer. CAM is often reflected poorly using the standard tools of evidence-based medicine (EBM) assessment which is demanded by not only medical institutions but also funding bodies. This paper examines the complex interactions generated by this process giving attention to the consequences for CAM practitioners and the subsequent impact on practice and accordingly on the consumer.

A place to stand: Digital sociology and the Archimedean effect:

With the advent of the internet, particularly Web 2.0, sociologists have been called to take up the challenges and the promises of the web. In the face of this, sociologists are caught up in debates and practices concerned with how to ethically approach and develop appropriate methods/methodologies for the field. While these are important endeavours, more robust debate needs to take place on the unintended consequences of the promises of the internet, as well as the power relations that are at play in what we term the ‘digital social’. Employing the metaphor of the Archimedean screw and Archimedean point, this article argues that the space we now find ourselves in is unprecedented; it is one which simultaneously demands the empowerment of research and yet results in the stripping away of its foundation. The Archimedean effect demonstrates that the promises of the internet have not been fulfilled resulting in the evolution and de-evolution of the digital social framed by the reinforcement of existing power relations. Yet, rather than viewing this as a time of crisis, we should see it as a defining moment for our discipline, one where the demands of public sociology need to be adopted broadly.

Sociology in the 21st century: Challenges old and new:

Does your productivity reflect an attempt to keep the conversation going or, by contrast, is it an attempt to make the conversation happen? Put another way, is your productivity a sign of the presence or absence of dialogue? Or is it a more simple case that the sociological vocation makes us all Puritans, working hard in our calling, without ever knowing if we are destined for the secular salvation of being heard? (2014: 62)