Gabrina Pounds

Attitude and subjectivity in Italian and British hard-news reporting: The construction of a culture-specific ‘reporter’ voice

The critical linguistic analysis of authorial stance in English news reporting has long been concerned with uncovering the ideological bias embedded in the seemingly objective and neutral representation of people and events. Interest has recently shifted towards the nature of the authorial voice itself and the extent to which this semblance of objectivity is also typical in non-English reporting (e.g. Thomson et al., 2008). This article explores to what extent the most impersonal ‘reporter voice’, as identified by Martin and White (2005) in English hard-news reported in the press, is present in Italian reporting. The ‘appraisal’ categories developed by Martin and White are used, discussed and adapted for this purpose. Attention is thereby also given to significant expressive resources that may not be retrievable from English material alone. Similarities and differences in reporting styles are discussed and reference is made to the social and cultural variables that may underlie them.

This property offers much character and charm : evaluation in the discourse of online property advertising

Abstract “Evaluation” may be expressed through varying context-dependent and, therefore, often unpredictable lexico-grammatical operators. Its analysis relies, at least partly, on “local” grammars or categories (Hunston and Sinclair, A local grammar of evaluation, Oxford University Press, 1999). The aim of this paper is to outline a systematic approach to the identification of evaluative meaning in the discourse of online property advertising, which can be applied to the analysis of evaluation in other types of promotional discourse. The online descriptions of three established estate agencies in the East of England are explored in terms of appraisal choices, specifically appreciation (Martin and White, The language of evaluation, Plagrave, 2005). The appraisal framework is reviewed with particular reference to the study of property advertising carried out by Pryce and Oates (Housing Studies 23: 319–348, 2008) and general advertising theories (e.g., Darley and Smith, Journal of Marketing 57: 100–113, 1993). Revised categories of positive evaluation are identified in correspondence with different values of subjectivity, affect, and explicitness. The analysis reveals similarities and differences in the nature and distribution of the evaluative options across the three sets of descriptions. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings and approach are discussed in the final section.

Easy Read: simplification or reduction? Critical differences in the discourse of UK Department of Health adapted 'easy read' literature for people with intellectual disabilities and their ‘non-easy read’ equivalents

Aim: The health-related behaviours of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are strongly influenced by cultural and social factors such as organisational context yet this has rarely been investigated. This study explores the organisational barriers and solutions to the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviours for this population. Method:Qualitative methodology was used. Focus groups and interviews were undertaken with staff and managers of residential services. Staff job descriptions were also collected from these services. Thematic content analysis was employed. Results: Three overarching themes were identified. The first two themes relate to organisational barriers to promoting health for individuals with ID. These themes focussed on highlighting how administration and routine tasks were prioritised over the promotion of regular physical activity and a healthy diet. The third theme relates to enablers or strategies for implementing health promotion activities. Conclusions: These findings have international implications on how organisations support people with ID to be more aligned with promoting health.They also highlight the need for organisational culture to facilitate knowledge translation and embrace evidence-based health promotion interventions.Aim: Life expectancy of people with intellectual disability (ID) has increased along with that in the general population. The aims were to estimate prevalence of older people with intellectual disabilities (ID) during 2004-2012, and identify differences in prevalence across counties in Sweden. Method: Individuals aged 55+ years were identified through two national registers; the LSS register and the death register from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Results: The prevalence of ID was 444 per 100,000 population among the youngest age group 55-59 years old, and it decreased steadily to 65 per 100,000 population among those aged 80+ years old. Higher prevalence was found among men in the youngest age group. Northern counties in Sweden had higher prevalence, whereas prevalence in the middle and the southern regions demonstrated a more widespread distribution. Conclusions: This national study fills the knowledge gap about spatial distributions of older people with ID in Sweden. There is a need to investigate allocated resources and the quality of social service and care provided to individuals with ID in different counties in Sweden. (Less)Full access scientific oral presentations first published: 22 july 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12305 citations: 1 maastricht university find full textaboutsectionspdfpdf toolsrequest permissionexport citationadd to favoritestrack citation share give accessshare full text accessshare full text accessplease review our terms and conditions of use and check box below to share full-text version of article.i have read and accept the wiley online library terms and conditions of use.shareable linkuse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.copy urlshare a linkshare onemailfacebooktwitterlinkedinreddit psychological coping styles in mothers of children with rare genetic syndromes: associations with mental health d. Adams (conference@dawnadams.co.uk)*, n. Jackson, e. Karakatsani and c. Oliver cerebra centre for neurodevelopmental disorders & university of birmingham, united kingdom aim: to document coping styles used by mothers of children with rare genetic syndromes and explore how these relate to positive and negative maternal mental health. Method: 89 mothers of children with rare genetic syndromes completed questionnaires assessing maternal mental health (hospital anxiety and depression scale, positive and negative affect scale) and maternal coping styles (brief cope). Results: the most frequently reported coping style was problem-focussed coping, and the least frequent was religious/denial. Coping styles were not associated with child age or ability, but were significantly associated with maternal mental health. Higher levels of active avoidance were associated with higher levels of negative affect and increased levels of anxiety and depression. Conversely, higher levels of problem-focussed and positive coping styles were associated with higher levels of positive affect. Conclusions: although this study cannot comment on causation between coping styles and mental health, the identification of a relationship between coping styles and mental health (both positive and negative) highlights a key area for intervention.

The effects of linguistic simplification and mediation on the comprehension of adapted (‘easy read’) text by people with intellectual disabilities: A randomised experiment

Aim: The health-related behaviours of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are strongly influenced by cultural and social factors such as organisational context yet this has rarely been investigated. This study explores the organisational barriers and solutions to the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviours for this population. Method:Qualitative methodology was used. Focus groups and interviews were undertaken with staff and managers of residential services. Staff job descriptions were also collected from these services. Thematic content analysis was employed. Results: Three overarching themes were identified. The first two themes relate to organisational barriers to promoting health for individuals with ID. These themes focussed on highlighting how administration and routine tasks were prioritised over the promotion of regular physical activity and a healthy diet. The third theme relates to enablers or strategies for implementing health promotion activities. Conclusions: These findings have international implications on how organisations support people with ID to be more aligned with promoting health.They also highlight the need for organisational culture to facilitate knowledge translation and embrace evidence-based health promotion interventions.Aim: Life expectancy of people with intellectual disability (ID) has increased along with that in the general population. The aims were to estimate prevalence of older people with intellectual disabilities (ID) during 2004-2012, and identify differences in prevalence across counties in Sweden. Method: Individuals aged 55+ years were identified through two national registers; the LSS register and the death register from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Results: The prevalence of ID was 444 per 100,000 population among the youngest age group 55-59 years old, and it decreased steadily to 65 per 100,000 population among those aged 80+ years old. Higher prevalence was found among men in the youngest age group. Northern counties in Sweden had higher prevalence, whereas prevalence in the middle and the southern regions demonstrated a more widespread distribution. Conclusions: This national study fills the knowledge gap about spatial distributions of older people with ID in Sweden. There is a need to investigate allocated resources and the quality of social service and care provided to individuals with ID in different counties in Sweden. (Less)Full access scientific oral presentations first published: 22 july 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12305 citations: 1 maastricht university find full textaboutsectionspdfpdf toolsrequest permissionexport citationadd to favoritestrack citation share give accessshare full text accessshare full text accessplease review our terms and conditions of use and check box below to share full-text version of article.i have read and accept the wiley online library terms and conditions of use.shareable linkuse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.copy urlshare a linkshare onemailfacebooktwitterlinkedinreddit psychological coping styles in mothers of children with rare genetic syndromes: associations with mental health d. Adams (conference@dawnadams.co.uk)*, n. Jackson, e. Karakatsani and c. Oliver cerebra centre for neurodevelopmental disorders & university of birmingham, united kingdom aim: to document coping styles used by mothers of children with rare genetic syndromes and explore how these relate to positive and negative maternal mental health. Method: 89 mothers of children with rare genetic syndromes completed questionnaires assessing maternal mental health (hospital anxiety and depression scale, positive and negative affect scale) and maternal coping styles (brief cope). Results: the most frequently reported coping style was problem-focussed coping, and the least frequent was religious/denial. Coping styles were not associated with child age or ability, but were significantly associated with maternal mental health. Higher levels of active avoidance were associated with higher levels of negative affect and increased levels of anxiety and depression. Conversely, higher levels of problem-focussed and positive coping styles were associated with higher levels of positive affect. Conclusions: although this study cannot comment on causation between coping styles and mental health, the identification of a relationship between coping styles and mental health (both positive and negative) highlights a key area for intervention.

The Easy Read Project: How does “easy read” contribute to the construction of meaning?

Aim: Research on co-morbid health conditions experienced by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is underdeveloped. This study aimed to systematically review existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses in order to identify evidence on the physical and mental health needs of people with ASD. Method: A literature search was conducted through PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL, Medline, and Cochrane databases an was limited to systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2005 and 2015. The following search terms were used: ‘autis*’ OR ‘pervasive developmental disorder’ OR ‘Asperger*’ OR ‘ASD’. Results: Out of 3,035 results, 243 articles were identified as potentially relevant and chosen for further review; 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. These focussed on mental health conditions (n=8), physical and genetic conditions (n=7),epilepsy (n=3), gender differences in health needs (n=1)and health problems in aging populations (n=1).Conclusions: Individuals with ASD experience a variety of co-morbid health problems, and frequently more than one condition co-occurs with autism. Whilst evidence exists regarding prevalence of co-morbidities, significant heterogeneity of studies and inconsistent reporting impact on the quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in this field.

The Easy Read Project: an investigation into the accessibility value of health-based ‘easy read’ literature

Special Issue: Abstracts of the Fourth International IASSIDD Europe Regional Congress 14-17 July, 2014, Vienna Symposium 2.1. Sexuality and People with IDD - 1

‘Mind you stay on the path!’ The representation of the parent–child relationship in stories for children

It is widely accepted that stories for children may function as educational vehicles to the extent that they model and reflect expectations about childrens and adults’ roles and responsibilities. The educational message may be communicated directly through explicit evaluation of characters and events by the narrative voice or indirectly through the writers representation of the main characters (their actions, experiences and words). This paper presents the findings from a comparative systemic functional linguistics-based discourse analysis of 10 modern British and Italian versions of the popular fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. The analysis shows that – even when telling the same story – very different messages may be conveyed to children in relation to their own and their parents’ responsibility for problems and solutions. It is argued that the insight provided by this study may add to the understanding of cross-cultural differences in pedagogical goals and inform the practice of storytelling in educational contexts.