Damien Ridge

“YOU BECOME REALLY CLOSE…YOU TALK ABOUT THE SILLY THINGS YOU DID, AND WE LAUGH”: THE ROLE OF BINGE DRINKING IN FEMALE SECONDARY STUDENTS’ LIVES

In Australia, negative attitudes regarding young womens drinking have eased, drinking is on the increase, and there are heightened concerns about ‘heavy’ or ‘binge’ drinking. In a climate where underage drinking is frequently considered undesirable, campaigns aimed at reducing ‘heavy’ alcohol use have failed. This article takes as its departure point the notion that alcohol plays a meaningful role in social lives and relationships. It is through the use of narrative that these young women make sense of their drinking, which is still stigmatized. Any harm encountered along the way tends to be filtered through the ‘good story,’ brimming with tales of fun, adventure, bonding, sex, gender transgressions, and relationships. Nevertheless, these women implemented their own practical harm minimization strategies, and it is here that professionals can gain a foothold and assist young people and help them to drink more safely.

“The Old Me Could Never Have Done That”: How People Give Meaning to Recovery Following Depression:

Depression is usually a “self-limiting” condition, and recovery is likely, even if people do have subsequent episodes. However, despite considerable research into depression, little is known about how people actually go about understanding and organizing their recovery from depression. In this article, the authors draw on one-to-one interviews with people who have experienced mainly severe depression to explore the approaches and meanings attributed to overcoming depression. They used unstructured and semistructured interview phases to collect data and a modified grounded theory approach to analysis. They interviewed 38 men and women who had previously experienced depression (selected using the principles of maximum variation sampling through general practitioners, support groups, and newsletters) in late 2003 and early 2004. The authors explore the specific components involved in recovery (e.g., authenticity, responsibility, rewriting depression into the self), the stories people tell about their recovery, and the strategies deployed to revitalize life following depression.

‘It was an Incredible Thrill’: The Social Meanings and Dynamics of Younger Gay Men’s Experiences of Barebacking in Melbourne

This study used a qualitative research design to examine the meanings and circumstances underpinning practices of ‘barebacking’ - unprotected anal intercourse in episodic sexual encounters among younger (mainly in their 20s) same-sex attracted men - in Melbourne, Australia. Using a modified grounded theory approach, a series of in-depth interviews with 24 men were conducted. The results reveal that understanding practices of barebacking requires an appreciation of how sex takes on multiple meanings in practice. Meanings in sex for the men in this study tend to be organized around masculinity. In sexual negotiations, meanings, initiation, emotions, dynamics (e.g. ‘shared’ communication, ‘directing’) and wider contextual influences (e.g. public health discourses) all play a role in sexual choreography and risk taking. Implications for health promotion and policy are discussed.

Understanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress: where next?

In line with the shift towards prioritising lay accounts and narratives of chronic illness in sociology, there is an emerging literature on men, their subjectivities and experiences of mental distress. We argue in this paper that subjectivities and distress among men are an important area for critical sociological research. Very little is known about mens subjectivities or the meanings they give to - and how they cope with or seek help for - distress. At the same time, current theories of gender relations, performativity and wellbeing as they pertain to men are likely to shed further light on subjectivity and distress. However, current theories (and qualitative research involving men and women) are pointing to considerable complexity. In this paper, we outline what is known about distress and men, and consider the utility of gender relations, performativity, subjectivities and wellbeing for a better understanding of distress. We also ask: What other factors influence distress, and how should these be considered in relation to men and masculinities? What are the implications for research and policy?

Mind and Body Management Strategies for Chronic Pain and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chronic pain (CP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pose particular challenges for the individual. Although biomedicine inevitably plays a role in the reduction or control of some symptoms for people living with chronic pain, directed self-management is also increasingly recognized as an important tool. Self-management can address pain-associated symptoms of CP and RA, and often has broader aims, such as promoting positive well-being. Forty-six interviews with people experiencing CP and 46 interviews with those living with RA-associated pain were analyzed. Our analysis uncovered three broad strategies adopted by participants: body management, mind-management and mindbody management. The analysis demonstrated that for those living with pain, a sense of well-being is achieved not through pain control alone, but also through various mind/body techniques for managing pain, accepting new limits, and adjusting the way people relate to themselves. These self-management strategies are an important adjunct to biomedical care for those experiencing chronic pain.

What criteria do police officers' use to measure the success of an interview with a child witness?

Abstract This study used a mixed-methods approach to explore the perceptions of a heterogeneous sample of 75 police interviewers regarding their performance in a mock interview with a 5–7-year-old child. Each officer recruited for this study was authorised to conduct investigative interviews with children. Specifically, we explored how the officers’ perception of what makes a good interview differs depending on their background experience and their (perceived and actual) ability to adhere to best-practice interview guidelines. Overall, the officers’ perceptions of what constitutes an effective interview were not entirely consistent with those held by experts in forensic interviewing. The majority of the interviewers perceived that the locus of control in the interview rested primarily with the child and/or the environmental setting. In contrast, experts tend to place the central onus of responsibility for the outcome of an interview on the skill of the interviewer in using open-ended questions. Several possible explanations for, and the implications of, these findings are discussed.

Finding a Place for Health in the Schooling Process: A Challenge for Education

It is common in schools for health and education goals to be seen as agendas that are in competition. However schools do attempt to find time in crowded curriculums to cover health issues as part of their responsibility towards advancing the health of their students. A qualitative approach was used in this study to explore perceived outcomes of a Health Promoting School intervention project. The project schools targeted for in-depth study were purposefully sampled to include diversity based on location, level, system and specific health activities. The results showed that the schools involved were moving beyond oppositional constructions of health and education towards approaching health as an element of effective schooling. It is concluded that in any effective health promotion activity in schools, the agenda needs to be driven primarily by an education sector that has demonstrated it can embrace holistic approaches to health, with the health sector acting as partner and facilitator.

'I was so done in that I just recognized it very plainly, "You need to do something"': Men's narratives of struggle, distress and turning to meditation

Traditional masculinities can mean men are unable or unwilling to deal constructively with distress. However, researchers increasingly acknowledge that men and masculinities (including hegemonic styles) are diverse. Moreover, men can positively manage their well-being, although little research explores how they do so. Uniquely, our study sought to find men who report finding ways to care for themselves to examine narratives about how such self-care originated. We aimed to do this by exploring issues underpinning men’s journeys towards meditation, focusing on implications for well-being. In-depth interviews were conducted in 2009 with 30 meditators, selected using principles of maximum variation sampling, and analysed with a modified ‘constant comparison’ approach. Men’s journeys towards meditation were fraught with difficulties. Men described crossing a threshold from boyhood into ‘manhood’ where they encountered traditional forms of masculinity (e.g. stoicism), and most described subsequent strategies to disconnect from emotions. While men eventually found ways to engage more constructively with their emotions and well-being, this article explores the struggle and distress of their journeys.

'My dirty little habit': patient constructions of antidepressant use and the ‘crisis’ of legitimacy

Discontents surrounding depression are many, and include concerns about a creeping appropriation of everyday kinds of misery; divergent opinions on the diagnostic category(ies); and debates about causes and appropriate treatments. The somewhat mixed fortunes of antidepressants - including concerns about their efficacy, overuse and impacts on personhood - have contributed to a moral ambivalence around antidepressant use for people with mental health issues. Given this, we set out to critically examine how antidepressant users engage in the moral underpinnings of their use, especially how they ascribe legitimacy (or otherwise) to this usage. Using a modified constant comparative approach, we analyzed 107 narrative interviews (32 in UKa, 36 in UKb, 39 in Australia) collected in three research studies of experiences of depression in the UK (2003-4 UKa, and 2012 UKb) and in Australia (2010-11). We contend that with the precariousness of the legitimacy of the pharmaceutical treatment of depression, participants embark on their own legitimization work, often alone and while distressed. We posit that here, individuals with depression may be particularly susceptible to moral uncertainty about their illness and pharmaceutical interventions, including concerns about shameful antidepressant use and deviance (e.g. conceiving medication as pseudo-illicit). We conclude that while peoples experiences of antidepressants (including successful treatments) involve challenges to illegitimacy narratives, it is difficult for participants to escape the influence of underlying moral concerns, and the legitimacy quandary powerfully shapes antidepressant use.

The value of asthma camps for young people in Victoria, Australia.

Abstract Purpose This paper investigates the impact of the Asthma Foundation of Victoria’s educational camp program on children’s knowledge of asthma and its management, their feelings about asthma, and their attitudes toward physical and social activities. Parents’ observations of changes in their child’s behaviour and attitudes are also reported. Design and methods This research was descriptive and applied. It used questionnaires at four stages (directly pre- and post-camp, three—four months and ten—15 months post-camp) of an asthma education camp program to assess child asthma knowledge levels. At three months post-camp, parental observations of children’s attitudes and behaviours were assessed using a questionnaire. Children’s feelings toward asthma were also assessed using a questionnaire pre- and post-camp. Results The children surveyed displayed a better knowledge of asthma and how to manage their condition immediately after the camp. This knowledge tended to return to pre-camp levels after ten months. The children also reported less anxiety and fear about their illness, a greater sense of wellbeing, and more confidence in participating in a whole range of physical and social activities. Many parents also noted positive changes in their children in terms of activities and asthma management at three months post-camp. Clinical implications Although there were limitations to sustaining knowledge gained in the asthma camping program, the camping experience provided a benefit for children in terms of promoting their mental and social wellbeing. When readers consider modernising asthma education (e.g. shorter camps, education in everyday social settings such as schools), they need to consider retaining the key ingredients of the more traditional camping program that supports good asthma management, wellbeing and social participation.