Rebecca J. Haines-Saah

The privileged normalization of marijuana use – an analysis of Canadian newspaper reporting, 1997–2007

The objective of this study was to systematically examine predominant themes within mainstream media reporting about marijuana use in Canada. To ascertain the themes present in major Canadian newspaper reports, a sample (N = 1999) of articles published between 1997 and 2007 was analyzed. Drawing from Manning’s theory of the symbolic framing of drug use within media, it is argued that a discourse of ‘privileged normalization’ informs portrayals of marijuana use and descriptions of the drug’s users. Privileged normalization implies that marijuana use can be acceptable for some people at particular times and places, while its use by those without power and status is routinely vilified and linked to deviant behavior. The privileged normalization of marijuana by the media has important health policy implications in light of continued debate regarding the merits of decriminalization or legalization and the need for public health and harm reduction approaches to illicit drug use.

Gender Influences in Tobacco Use and Cessation Interventions

Smoking rates among and between men and women are in large part a reflection of the influence of gender and its intersections with other social factors including ethnicity, age, and social class that influence tobacco use and, ultimately, tobacco reduction and cessation. In this article, opportunities for developing and delivering gender-sensitive (programs addressing gender) and gender-specific (programs designed for men or women) interventions in the context of tobacco dependence treatment are discussed.

User-driven conversations about dialysis through Facebook: A qualitative thematic analysis.

As one of the most popular social networking sites in the world, Facebook has strong potential to enable peer support and the user‐driven sharing of health information. We carried out a qualitative thematic analysis of the wall posts of a public Facebook group focused on dialysis to identify some of the major themes discussed.

From didactic to dialogue: Assessing the use of an innovative classroom resource to support decision-making about cannabis use

Abstract Aims: In most countries, cannabis use rates are highest among young people. Efforts invested in cannabis prevention programmes have had limited success. In part, this may be attributed to a dearth of meaningful discussion in classroom settings on the topic and scarcity of credible resources. Although young people want opportunities to engage in dialogue focussed on cannabis, educators often feel unprepared to facilitate such discussions. Methods: In this knowledge translation study based on recent ethnographic findings, a film was created to explore decision-making and cannabis use among young people. Accompanying curricular materials were developed to support adult facilitators in leading group discussions. Findings: The film-based resource was used in 55 sites across Canada by 48 facilitators (school staff, public health professionals and youth workers); the film was viewed by more than 2500 students. Qualitative content analysis of facilitator evaluations along with telephone interviews revealed the impact of using the innovation. Facilitators adapted the resource in a variety of classes where in-depth discussions occurred, generating critical self-reflection. Conclusions: The diffusion of this drug education innovation underscores the importance of youth engagement in prevention programmes. Prevention approaches that accommodate inclusive and balanced discussion about cannabis use can support young people in their decision-making.

A computer-assisted approach to filtering large numbers of documents for media analyses

Media analysts are challenged to acquire selections of documents that are representative of their topics of interest. Conventional search and selection processes are often constrained because of an inability to efficiently filter large amounts of potentially relevant documents and thus pose the risk of introducing bias. We describe a computer-assisted approach to increase the probability of identifying all articles relevant to a topic (in this case, marijuana), and provide an evaluation of its effectiveness in reducing bias while minimizing time expenditure. Using our system, we filtered 23,755 articles in 24.4 h. Relative to conventional processes, a substantial reduction in bias was achieved. Our system significantly reduced the risk of bias while retaining efficiency and accuracy in document selection.

A Guide to Multisite Qualitative Analysis

The aims of multisite qualitative research, originally developed within the case study tradition, are to produce findings that are reflective of context, while also holding broader applicability across settings. Such knowledge is ideal for informing health and social interventions by overcoming the limitations of research developed through methodological approaches that either “strip” context, or that hold relevance for a site-specific group or population. Yet, despite the potential benefits of multisite qualitative research, there is a paucity of analytical guidance to support researchers in achieving these yields. In this article, we present an analytical approach for conducting multisite qualitative analysis (MSQA) across various methodologies to maximize the potential of qualitative research, enhance rigor, and support the development of interventions that are tailored to the populations that they are intended to serve.

Setting the Legal Age for Access to Cannabis in Canada: Bridging Neuroscience, Policy, and Prevention

Setting the Legal Age for Access to Cannabis in Canada: Bridging Neuroscience, Policy, and Prevention

Understanding Adolescent Narratives About “Bullying” Through an Intersectional Lens: Implications for Youth Mental Health Interventions:

This article is based on findings from a qualitative study with 27 adolescents in northern British Columbia, Canada. Our aim was to explore youths’ perspectives on the sources of emotional distress in their lives and how these are connected to peer-based aggression and victimization within their community. Our analysis of narrative findings suggests that youths’ narratives about bullying reflect intersecting and socially embedded configurations of “race,” neocolonialism, and place. We argue that mainstream approaches to addressing bullying as a relationship-based problem must be re-oriented to account for the role of the social or structural contexts of youths’ lives. By applying an intersectional lens, we make the case for a widening of the focus of interventions away from individual victims and perpetrators, toward a contextual approach that addresses how adolescents experience bullying as a site of health and social inequities in their community.

The Influences of Health Beliefs and Identity on Adolescent Marijuana and Tobacco Co-Use:

Among youth, the co-use of marijuana and tobacco is highly prevalent, yet a considerable gap remains in the drug-prevention literature pertaining to such co-use. In particular, the prevention field lacks research exploring how adolescents understand the health implications of smoking these two substances in combination. In this article, we draw on qualitative interviews with adolescents from three communities in British Columbia, Canada, and describe the health beliefs and social identities that they associated with smoking marijuana and tobacco. We argue that smoking prevention and cessation initiatives targeting adolescents must address both marijuana and tobacco. Such initiatives must also be designed to identify and address how adolescents frame the potential health harms associated with smoking these substances.

“It’s not my business”: Exploring heteronormativity in young people’s discourses about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and their implications for youth health and wellbeing

In Canada, the issue of creating safe and inclusive school environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students has been in the spotlight. Several researchers and advocates have pointed out the positive effects of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-positive policy frameworks on the health and wellbeing of all young people. In this article, we take a critical approach to analyzing narrative findings from qualitative interviews conducted with youth in three communities in British Columbia, Canada: “the North,” Vancouver, and Abbotsford. Using a Foucauldian Discourse Analytic Approach and Butler’s concept of Citationality, our analysis suggested that although explicit homophobia was largely absent from youth discussions, young people discursively constructed lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities and “communities” in ways that reified heteronormativity. Youth made references to sociopolitical discourses of libertarianism and liberalism and to homonormative stereotypes regarding gay masculinity. A few young people also alluded to egalitarian, queer-positive discourses, which appeared to interrogate structures of heteronormativity. Since studies suggest a connection between the existence of institutional supports for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students in schools and their mental and physical wellbeing, we conclude by considering the limitations and possibilities of these sociopolitical discourses in the struggle for sexual and gender equity, and how they might help frame future health-related, anti-homophobia policy frameworks in educational settings.