bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Physiological Response in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction to the Administration of Psychological Instruments
Authors: Cherrington Candace C. , Moser Debra K. , Lennie Terry A.
Published: April 2003

The administration of psychologically provocative research instruments could serve as a transient source of stress and spuriously affect results. To determine whether the administration of selected psychosocial instruments activates the stress response, we examined the physiological stress response of stable patients post–myocardial infarction (MI) to completing the Beck Depression Inventory, the Illness Perception Questionnaire, and the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory 24 to 48 hours post–acute event. Salivary cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured prior to instrument administration and 30 minutes after as indicators of the stress response. Twenty-four subjects (16 men) completed the study. Mean baseline measures of salivary cortisol (0.558 mcg/dL), heart rate (86 bpm), and MAP (86 mm Hg) were within normal ranges. A repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated no significant difference in salivary cortisol,F (1, 23) = 2.59, NS; HRV,F (1, 18) = 0.27, NS; heart rate,F (1, 23)= 4.29, NS; orMAP,F(1, 22)= 0.859, NS, from preinterview to postinterview. These results suggest that completing these selected psychological instruments in the first 24 to 48 hours following MI was not a stressful event, at least for those who were stable post–percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.
The Effect of Therapeutic Touch on Agitated Behavior and Cortisol in Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Woods Diana Lynn , Dimond Margaret
Published: April 2003

Agitated behavior in persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents a challenge to current interventions. Recent developments in neuroendocrinology suggest that changes in the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis alter the responses of persons with AD to stress. Given the deleterious effects of pharmacological interventions in this vulnerable population, it is essential to explore noninvasive treatments for their potential to decrease a hyperresponsiveness to stress and indirectly decrease detrimental cortisol levels. This within-subject, interrupted time-series study was conducted to test the efficacy of therapeutic touch on decreasing the frequency of agitated behavior and salivary and urine cortisol levels in persons with AD. Ten subjects who were 71 to 84 years old and resided in a special care unit were observed every 20 minutes for 10 hours a day, were monitored 24 hours a day for physical activity, and had samples for salivary and urine cortisol taken daily. The study occurred in 4 phases: 1) baseline (4 days), 2) treatment (therapeutic touch for 5 to 7 minutes 2 times a day for 3 days), 3) posttreatment (11 days), and 4) post-“wash-out” (3 days). An analysis of variance for repeated measures indicated a significant decrease in overall agitated behavior and in 2 specific behaviors, vocalization and pacing or walking, during treatment and posttreatment. A decreasing trend over time was noted for salivary and urine cortisol. Although this study does not provide direct clinical evidence to support dysregulation in the HPA axis, it does suggest that environmental and behavioral interventions such as therapeutic touch have the potential to decrease vocalization and pacing, 2 prevalent behaviors, and may mitigate cortisol levels in persons with AD.
Stress Hormones: How Do They Measure Up?
Authors: King Shirley L. , Hegadoren Kathy M.
Published: April 2003

Stress as a stimulus is integral to dynamic homeostatic functioning. However, evidence of its potentially deleterious effects on health is mounting. The impetus to understand the mechanisms that underlie stress-related negative health outcomes and prevent the development of stress-related disorders has never been greater. Symptom severity and subjective levels of stress, although frequently assessed in studies of stress in nursing research, may not provide adequate data to fully understand the pervasive effects of chronic or overwhelming stress associated with stress disorders. The measurement of stress hormones such as cortisol can help identify bodily changes that are stressor specific, people at risk for development of stress-related disorders, and the efficacy of interventions aimed at stress reduction. Cortisol, as the peripheral output of one of the major stress response systems, possesses several properties that make its measurement highly useful for investigations of stress. This article discusses some of the biological mechanisms involved in the stress response, why cortisol is commonly measured, and issues and approaches in cortisol measurement.
Effects of an Off-Site Walking Program on Energy Expenditure, Serum Lipids, and Glucose Metabolism in Middle-Aged Women
Authors: Furukawa Fumiko , Kazuma Keiko , Kawa Masako , Miyashita Mitsunori , Niiro Kyohko , Kusukawa Reizo , Kojima Michiyo
Published: April 2003

The present study aims to identify the effects of systematic walking on exercise energy expenditure (EEE) and blood profiles in middle-aged women. Fifty-two female nurse managers, aged 32 to 57 years (42.0 ± 6.2), were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) and a control group (CG) for a 12-week study of the walking program. EEE was measured using a microelectronic device. Blood profiles were assessed before and after the walking program. The mean EEE (kcal/kg/d) in the IG and CG was 4.73 ± 1.02 and 3.88 ± 0.81 ( P = 0.01), indicating an increase of 1.17 ± 0.98 and 0.46 ± 0.68 from baseline ( P = 0.01), respectively. The mean change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the IG and CG was 1.8 ± 8.3 mg/dL and −2.9 ± 7.0 mg/dL ( P = 0.051); that in insulin was −4.5 ± 7.5 μU/dL and −0.6 ± 4.3 μU/dL ( P = 0.046), respectively. These results show that systematic walking increases EEE and improves blood profiles.
A Theoretical Model of the Role of Brain Stem Nuclei in Alcohol-Mediated Arrhythmogenesis in Older Adults
Authors: Masters Joan A. , Stevenson Joanne S.
Published: April 2003

Uncertainty about the mechanism of alcohol-mediated arrhythmogenesis and the effect of alcohol use on arrhythmic risk among older adults is an increasing concern in light of population aging and recent reports that moderate alcohol consumption may protect older adults against coronary artery disease. In this review, a theoretical model of the role of brain stem nuclei in alcohol-mediated arrhythmogenesis in older adults is developed. The model is based on the hypothesis that the effects of alcohol on central autonomic pathways of cardiac control may alter the threshold for alcohol-mediated arrhythmogenesis among older adults. Findings from multiple lines of research including cellular, electrophysiological, epidemiological, experimental, and clinical studies in human, animal, and in vitro models were synthesized in developing the model. Suggestions for future research on the topic of alcohol-mediated arrhythmogenesis in older adults are offered.
Effects of Exercise on Bone Density, Balance, and Self-Efficacy in Older Women
Authors: Jessup James V. , Horne Claydell , Vishen R. K. , Wheeler Donna
Published: April 2003

The effects of weighted vest walking and strength-training exercises on bone mineral density (BMD), balance, strength, and self-efficacy were tested in older women. Eighteen women, age 69.2 ± 3.5 years, were randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG) ( n = 9), or a sedentary control group (CG) ( n = 9). The EG participated in 32 weeks (three 1-h sessions/week) of supervised strength training and walking, stair climbing, and balance exercises while wearing weighted vests. The CG did not exercise. All women took Ca²+ and vitamin D during the study period. Measures included 1) BMD of the hip and lumbar spine measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, 2) strength, 3) balance, and 4) scores on a self-efficacy instrument. The EG had significant improvements in bone density of the femoral neck and balance and a significant weight loss ( P < 0.05). There were no changes in self-efficacy in either group.
State of Nursing Science: On the Edge
Authors: Heitkemper Margaret M. , Bond Eleanor F.
Published: April 2003

Nurse scientists have had great and important successes contributing to science and to patient care. To review the state of nursing science is an enormous and complex challenge, and yet the pace of discovery constantly quickens. The purpose of this article, which was read at the 2002 State of the Science Congress, was to use the human response model to describe the domains of nursing science and note exemplary, innovative developments in the context of the model’s “person” and “environmental” domains. Advances are noted in genetics, aging, development, and gender studies; also noted is work in infection care, disaster care, and identification of health disparities. Asked to predict the future, we chose instead to describe societal challenges and speculate how nursing leaders can contribute importantly by applying nursing’s unique perspective. Benchmarks of our success will include reversal of the nursing shortage, patients living to their highest potential, and penetration of evidence-based care into clinical practice and health policy. Furthermore, the media and the public will view nurse scientists as key informants related to clinical care. Nurse scientists will be elected to lead major interdisciplinary organizations, our training programs will prepare new scientists with the knowledge and skills to enter a competitive and ever-evolving field, our schools will have adequate infrastructure to support the advancement using cutting-edge technology, centers of excellence will provide research consultation and collaboration beyond university boundaries, and nurse scientists will assume a more visible role in translational research.
Increasing Nursing Research Opportunities in Biodefense: National Institute of Nursing Research Science Workgroup
Authors: Sigmon Hilary D. , Larson Elaine L.
Published: April 2003

The threat of bioterrorism and the need for biodefense are new challenges for the scientific community. Bioterrorism already has had significant effects on the nation’s health. Researchers involved in nursing research are addressing these effects and the many issues relevant to biodefense. To explore the role and potential contributions of nursing research in these arenas, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) recently convened a science workgroup. The workgroup highlighted current knowledge in biodefense, suggested opportunities for nursing research, and proposed specific research topics and research training needs. The topics are integral to the strategic plan on biodefense developed by the National Institutes of Health and include biologic, behavioral, applied/translational, and health systems research. Nurse researchers can contribute particularly to biologic studies directed toward effective diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the effects of bioterrorism and biodefense.
Ebola Virus: Immune Mechanisms of Protection and Vaccine Development
Authors: Nyamathi Adeline M. , Fahey John L. , Sands Heather , Casillas Adrian M.
Published: April 2003

Vaccination is one of our most powerful antiviral strategies. Despite the emergence of deadly viruses such as Ebola virus, vaccination efforts have focused mainly on childhood communicable diseases. Although Ebola virus was once believed to be limited to isolated outbreaks in distant lands, forces of globalization potentiate outbreaks anywhere in the world through incidental transmission. Moreover, since this virus has already been transformed into weapongrade material, the potential exists for it to be used as a biological weapon with catastrophic consequences for any population vulnerable to attack. Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is a syndrome that can rapidly lead to death within days of symptom onset. The disease directly affects the immune system and vascular bed, with correspondingly high mortality rates. Patients with severe disease produce dangerously high levels of inflammatory cytokines, which destroy normal tissue and microcirculation, leading to profound capillary leakage, renal failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Vaccine development has been fraught with obstacles, primarily of a biosafety nature. Case reports of acutely ill patients with EHF showing improvement with the transfusion of convalescent plasma are at odds with animal studies demonstrating further viral replication with the same treatment. Using mRNA extracted from bone marrow of Ebola survivors, human monoclonal antibodies against Ebola virus surface protein have been experimentally produced and now raise the hope for the development of a safe vaccine.
A Current Review of Ebola Virus: Pathogenesis, Clinical Presentation, and Diagnostic Assessment
Authors: Casillas Adrian M. , Nyamathi Adeline M. , Sosa Anthony , Wilder Cam L. , Sands Heather
Published: April 2003

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is an acute viral syndrome that presents with fever and an ensuing bleeding diathesis that is marked by high mortality in human and nonhuman primates. Fatality rates are between 50% and 100%. Due to its lethal nature, this filovirus is classified as a biological class 4 pathogen. The natural reservoir of the virus is unknown. As a result, little is understood about how Ebola virus is transmitted or how it replicates in its host. Although the primary source of infection is unknown, the epidemiologic mode of transmission is well defined. A variety of tests have proven to be specific and useful for Ebola virus identification. There is no FDA-approved antiviral treatment for EHF. Incubation ranges from 2 to 21 days. Patients who are able to mount an immune response to the virus will begin to recover in 7 to 10 days and start a period of prolonged convalescence. Supportive management of infected patients is the primary method of treatment, with particular attention to maintenance of hydration, circulatory volume, blood pressure, and the provision of supplemental oxygen. Since there is no specific treatment outside of supportive management and palliative care, containment of this potentially lethal virus is paramount. In almost all outbreaks of EHF, the fatality rate among health care workers with documented infections was higher than that of non–health care workers.
Electracy as empowerment
Authors: Erstad Ola
Published: April 2003

For the first time in the history of schooling, the developments of information and communication technologies (ICT) have created learning environments that have the potential to emancipate students from a one-way knowledge provision from the teacher and the textbook. Electracy is a key term in analysing these developments and is something young people develop by growing up in a digital culture. The focus in this article is on how our school system relates to these developments, and how the use of new technologies might give young people cultural tools for empowerment in school-related learning activities. The data presented are based on three case studies as part of the Norwegian sample in the international project SITES Module 2.
Field Manoeuvres
Authors: Grenfell Michael , Hardy Cheryl
Published: April 2003

This article offers an empirical study of the field of contemporary British art in the 1990s. It considers the nature of this field as an artistic avant-garde and discusses Bourdieu’s theory of art production. The Young British Artists are studied through three distinct levels of analyse derived from Bourdieu’s methodology and theory of practice. Issues of habitus and field structure are highlighted in order to examine the processes and operations of the artistic avant-garde. The article also briefly addresses the products of this field through issues of style and technique and offers some reflections on this sociological approach to art.
Cultural Capital Accumulation on a World Scale
Authors: Rourke Brian
Published: April 2003

Pierre Bourdieu’s work can help to clarify precisely how culture in general and literature in particular operate among and within societies as a form of symbolic violence and as a mechanism of distinction. All agents within any cultural field possess a specific set of cultural interests that are determined by their location within that cultural field as well as in the social field and the field of intersocial relations. The power to represent the world becomes a stake within the literary field, a form of cultural authority that writers and critics have an interest in preserving. Asserting the superiority of national culture and its products yields symbolic profits. These interests fulfill rather than contradict the norms of autonomy within the field. Theoretical attempts to attribute a critical potential to this autonomy may therefore reach their limit at the point where culture and imperialism meet.
Andy Warhol, Capitalism, Culture, and Camp
Authors: Cook Roger
Published: April 2003

Utilizing Pierre Bourdieu’s “logic of practice,” the article explores the relation of Andy Warhol’s artistic production to the growth of consumer capitalism in the 1960s. It argues that through their “camp” performativity and the subversive staging of their sociosexual identities, Warhol and his queer compatriots in the New York gay underground carried the embodied reflexivity of patriarchal capitalism a stage further, especially with regard to the relation of avant-garde (elite) culture to (common) commercial culture. Warhol’s open avowal of the relation of cultural production to capitalism and his social trajectory from abject provincial to major cultural producer provides a unique opportunity to gain a concrete grasp of the complexity of Bourdieu’s understanding of transformations in the “field of cultural production” and the “economy of symbolic goods” in late capitalism. The class fractional parallels between Warhol and Bourdieu make the latter’s work particularly apposite in this context.
I'd Rather be a Sinner than a Cyborg
Authors: Tatman Lucy
Published: April 2003

Upon which Christian theological metaphors and models is Donna Haraway's understanding of `cyborg' ontologically dependent, and how and why might it matter? This article explores the possibility that Haraway's cyborg is a saviour-figure, made partially in the image of a transcendent God. It suggests that cyborgs do have an origin story, and that their story is inseparably linked to the theological development of Heilsgeschichte, or salvation history, which is itself linked, arguably, to the technological developments of the Industrial Revolution. Taking Haraway at her word, or at least her Christian theological words, reveals a disturbingly indifferent cyborg-God, one perfectly at ease with apocalyptic imagery and feats, but one who does not comprehend that apocalyptic rhetoric was never meant to be taken literally.
Durability and Change in State Gender Systems
Authors: Connolly Eileen
Published: April 2003

This study of Ireland's gender contract at the end of the 1950s is a country-specific analysis of gender regime change at the level of the state. It is based primarily on Irish parliamentary debates for the years 1957 and 1958, the point at which Ireland embarked on a process of economic modernization. In describing the detail of this gender system, it provides a benchmark against which the reforms of the late 1960s and 1970s can be measured. It also points to two salient features of a state's gender regime that may be applicable in other situations: first, the comparative `stickiness' of the gender contract once it has been established and second the episodic or crisis-based nature of gender regime negotiation.
Sustainable Development and Environmental Management: The Performance of UK Business Schools
Authors: Coopey John
Published: April 2003

In this article the role and performance of LU business schools are examined to determine the extent to which they provide support for business organizations and other stakeholders in the efforts they are making to lay the foundation for a state of sustainable development both nationally and globally. A wide variety of data are analysed relating to research into, and published material about, environmental management and sustainability, the incorporation of these topics into MBA and other postgraduate programmes, and the research context within business schools. This reveals how little attention business schools appear to be paying to such fundamental issues. Finally, there is a discussion of the values that motivate current practice in an attempt to account for the situation. Suggestions are also made concerning some possible ways of relating recent debates about management research strategies to the goal of sustainable development.
Reflecting on a Critical Pedagogy in MBA Education
Authors: Currie Graeme , Knights David
Published: April 2003

This article aims to make a limited contribution to critical pedagogy by focusing on an empirically based evaluation of the difficulties surrounding its potential realization. It discusses the student response to different pedagogical approaches and the institutional context in which pedagogies are implemented. We examine whether it is possible for management teachers to implement a critical pedagogy to a greater extent and potential barriers (and facilitators) to this. We focus on the process, rather than content, of a critical approach. More particularly, the concern is with the possibility of attaining a critical dialogue in MBA teaching towards which both management teachers and students can contribute.
Learning Outcomes of Microworlds for Management Education
Authors: Romme A. Georges L.
Published: April 2003

Computer-based simulations are important tools to support learning. In this respect, so-called microworlds may build substantial synergy between learning to think in systems frameworks and learning to deal with the complexity of actual settings. The implications of adopting microworlds are explored in terms of student learning, educational approach and course design. These implications are illustrated with data from a course in a pre-experience undergraduate programme and in a post-experience MBA programme. These data suggest that learning processes can be deepened and accelerated by creating effective combinations of readings, discussions, presentations and microworlds.
A Contingency Perspective on Organizational Learning: Integrating Environmental Context, Organizational Learning Processes, and Types of Learning
Authors: Gnyawali Devi R. , Stewart Alice C.
Published: April 2003

Current research suggests that organizational learning (OL) occurs through different processes and describes various types of learning that are used in organizations. What is unclear, though, is what circumstances prompt an organization to engage in one learning process or the other. Equally confusing is the underlying relationship between learning processes and the types of learning. To address these issues, we develop a contingency model of organizational learning and suggest that perception of the environment influences the use of learning processes. We also show that differential emphasis on learning processes results in different types of learning. Our conceptual model connects perceptions of the environment, learning processes, and types of learning. The contingency framework offered in this article provides a more holistic perspective of OL and has implications for future research and management practice.
Together We Stand? An Investigation into the Concept of Solidarity in Management Education
Authors: Reedy Patrick
Published: April 2003

This article critically evaluates the concept of the `learning community' and its implications for the engagement of critical management studies with management practitioners through teaching. The article critiques what is argued to be a widespread enthusiasm for the learning community in critical management pedagogy by considering some problematic aspects of solidarity, suggested by the work of Durkheim and Rorty, and the debates between communitarians and individualists in political theory. This theoretical framework is used in an attempt to make sense of the experiences of management students, and myself as teacher, in the critical classroom. The article concludes by suggesting ways in which the learning community might still be a useful utopian ideal for critical management educators but only if its micro-political aspirations can be linked to a wider macro-political project, requiring more extended forms of solidarity and an awareness of the complexities and pitfalls that lie concealed behind the rhetorical allure of community discourse.
The Labour of Aesthetics and the Aesthetics of Organization
Authors: Witz Anne , Warhurst Chris , Nickson Dennis
Published: April 2003

This article develops the conceptualization and analysis of aesthetic labour in two parts. The first part focuses on conceptualizing aesthetic labour. We critically revisit the emotional labour literature, arguing that the analysis of interactive service work is impeded by the way in which its corporeal aspects are retired and that, by shifting the focus from emotional to aesthetic labour, we are able to recuperate the embodied character of service work. We then explore the insights provided by the sociological perspectives on the body contained in the works of Goffman and Bourdieu in order to conceptualize aesthetic labour as embodied labour. In the second part, we develop our analysis of aesthetic labour within the context of a discussion of the aesthetics of organization. We discern three ways in which aesthetics is recognized to imbue organization: aesthetics of organization, aesthetics in organization and aesthetics as organization. We contend that employees are increasingly seen not simply as `software' but as `hardware', in the sense that they too can be corporately moulded to portray the organizational aesthetic. We ground this analysis in a case study from research conducted by the authors.
Working at a Cynical Distance: Implications for Power, Subjectivity and Resistance
Authors: Fleming Peter , Spicer Andre
Published: April 2003

Subjectivity and power are important concepts for understanding corporate culture engineering in critical organization studies. Although recent research indicates that many workers do identify with the organization as a result of these management strategies, they have also shown that some workers resist through dis-identification, in particular cynicism. Managerialist literature views cynicism as a psychological defect that needs to be `corrected', while a radical humanist approach constructs cynicism as a defence mechanism, a way of blocking the colonization of a pre-given self. We highlight a third and increasingly dominant perspective that suggests cynicism is a process through which employees dis-identify with cultural prescriptions, yet often still perform them. Cynical employees have the impression that they are autonomous, but they still practice the corporate rituals nonetheless. We label this the `ideology' interpretation because in dis-identifying with power, it is inadvertently reproduced at the same time. We argue that this approach to cynicism raises significant implications for key concepts in organization studies: those of power, subjectivity and resistance. The implications we pursue are that cultural power may work through dis-identification (rather than just identification), subjectivity may be radically `external' (rather than something `within') and thus what counts as disruptive resistance must be re-evaluated.
Endogenizing Corporate Identities: the Next Step in Constructivist IR Theory
Authors: CEDERMAN LARS-ERIK , DAASE CHRISTOPHER
Published: April 2003

In recent years, constructivists in International Relations have been attempting to `seize the middle ground' between positivist objectivism and postmodernist relativism. Yet, while useful in rendering the approach more palatable to mainstream researchers, these efforts risk leading to premature ontological closure. We therefore propose that constructivist research be extended to a `sociational' research agenda. Based on Georg Simmel's process theory of Vergesellschaftung, it joins contemporary constructivists on the epistemological middle ground while liberating itself from some of their ontological restrictions. The sociational perspective endogenizes the actors' corporate identities as a way to trace `entity processes' such as the creation and dissolution of actors as well as boundary change. Such an analytical shift makes it possible to imagine, and thus also to analyze, past, present and even future worlds constituted by co-evolving social formations, such as nations, ethnic groups, supranational organizations and states. We show how sociational analysis complements and surpasses conventional explanations of cooperation and conflict as applied to the democratic peace and ethnic conflict.
Introduction: Searching for Cultural Memory
Authors: Brockmeier Jens
Published: April 2003

This Introduction situates the papers and commentaries of this Special Issue on ‘Narrative and Cultural Memory’ within the context of a new multidisciplinary research literature that suggests localizing memory in culture and, in doing so, focuses on the role of narrative. This literature is viewed against the backdrop of a fundamental critique of the traditional notion of memory as reflecting one strand in the emergence of a new postpositivist cultural research paradigm in the study of memory.
Autobiographical Remembering as Cultural Practice: Understanding the Interplay between Memory, Self and Culture
Authors: Wang Qi , Brockmeier Jens
Published: April 2003

Autobiographical remembering is examined as a cultural practice unfolding in the developmental dynamics of the interplay between memory, self and culture. In discussing the results of recent comparative studies in the United States and East Asia, we argue that autobiographical memory and self are interconnected meaning systems constructed in macro- and micro-cultural contexts—contexts of collectively performed and shared symbols, tools and artifacts. This process involves manylayered interactions between an individual and the belief structures of the society; it also involves various forms of active negotiation among the agents of socialization. As a result, a culture’s genres of autobiographical remembering and its prevailing conceptions of selfhood have a decisive impact on the very nature of mnemonic transmission from one generation to the next. Against this backdrop, autobiographical remembering is described as an important dimension of cultural memory.
Linking Little Narratives to Big Ones: Narrative and Public Memory in History Museums
Authors: Rowe Shawn M. , Wertsch James V. , Kosyaeva Tatyana Y.
Published: April 2003

Developing an account of the encounter between vernacular and official (Bodnar, 1992) mediational means, this paper explores some of the ways narratives about history come into dialogic contact in history museums. We argue that the history museum acts as a public forum where personal lives may be linked more or less closely to collectives through encounters among narratives produced by the museum and its visitors. Through analysis of exhibits at two museums and visitor talk in one museum, we offer a preliminary discussion of possible relationships among narratives in the negotiation of public memory.
The Uses of Memory
Authors: Rasmussen Susan
Published: April 2003

In the essays by Middleton (2002) and Rowe, Wertsch and Kosyaeva (2002), the subject is the indeterminacy of memory and the intertextuality of narratives of history, conceived as nonlinear and contested. These authors offer new perspectives on our understanding of memory, in its official and unofficial narrative forms, as its move between the personal and social in historical consciousness and representation. Both these essays explore the implications of memory as it is traced through experience. They examine the discontinuities, as well as continuities, of memory that emerge in politically and historically situated cultural lives. First, I briefly summarize the major points in each article, discussing their contributions and questions raised, and how they articulate with other relevant works. Then I delineate some common themes they share, and suggest their wider significance.
‘Hiding on a Glass Roof’, or a Commentator’s Exercise on ‘Rewriting Memories’
Authors: Fasulo Alessandra
Published: April 2003

Tschuggnall and Welzer’s (2002) paper provides examples of narratives collected in interviews about the Third Reich period in Germany. They discuss the transformations observed in recounted episodes as they are passed from one generation to the other in the theoretical framework of collective and constructive memory. While agreeing with the paper’s main tenets, the commentary offers further readings of the stories presented as evidence, suggesting also a deeper analytic treatment of the conversational unfolding of the sequences. Recurring themes in the stories recalled by witnesses and their relatives are read as reflexively indexing the interview setting and, more widely, as negotiation over the past across generations with different cultural backgrounds and moral orientations.
The Evolution of Psychical Distance As an Aesthetic Concept
Authors: Cupchik Gerald C.
Published: April 2003

The problem of psychical distance refers to the relationship that a person has with an aesthetic object or work. Two basic traditions can be distinguished that have played a meaningful role in describing the underlying processes. The British Empiricist and Enlightenment traditions established the idea that the ‘real’ objective properties of aesthetic works engage viewers and evoke feelings of pleasure. The Romantic tradition placed a greater emphasis on interpretive activity in recipients who ‘willingly suspend disbelief’ and temporarily enter the ‘fictive’ worlds of poetry and drama. Writing in the early 20th century, Edward Bullough produced the idea of ‘psychical distance’, which combines both personal involvement and an awareness that the object or event is a cultural artifact. As the 20th century unfolds, we witness the death of the ‘aesthetic object’ as such and the emergence of a view that accommodates artists, aesthetic artifacts and receivers as open-ended and interacting systems. The complementary role of the realist and constructivist viewpoints is emphasized.
The Psychological Distancing Model: A Study of the Socialization of Cognition
Authors: Sigel Irving E.
Published: April 2003

The role of socialization of cognition is presented in the context of the Psychological Distancing Model, which is the central point of departure for the development of representational competence. Psychological distancing and representational competence are inexorably linked in human development. This exposition details the relationship of mutual interdependence. The focus of this paper is on verbal communication within dyads in the service of activating and energizing representational thought. Instances of distancing acts are presented and their psychological consequences are detailed. The Psychological Distancing Model (PDM) is conceptualized as a metaphor—a bridge between exogenous cognitive demands and internalization and understanding of the representational rule.
Pedometer-Assessed Physical (Ambulatory) Activity in Cypriot Children
Authors: Loucaides Constantinos A. , Chedzoy Sue M. , Bennett Neville
Published: April 2003

This study examined gender, seasonal and school versus after-school timedifferences in physical activity levels assessed by pedometer. Year 6 primary school children ( n= 256) wore pedometers for five days in winterand for the same period of time in the summer. Two-way analysis of varianceshowed that boys acquired significantly higher mean daily step counts than girls in winter (15,480 ± 4153 vs 11,160 ± 2694), and summer (17,624 ± 5035 vs 13,607 ± 4396). Children’s mean dailystep counts were significantly higher in summer than in winter. Children attained significantly higher mean step counts during after-school time than during school time. No significant differences could be found between activity levels on school days or on Sundays. Expected daily step counts are utilized to describe the physical activity levels of the children.
Listening to Young Peopleís Voices: Youth Sports Leadersí Advice on Facilitating Participation in Sport
Authors: MacPhail Ann , Kirk David , Eley Diann
Published: April 2003

This article reports on a study that accepts the proposal that we listento the voices of young people in relation to sport and physical recreation.The study sought the advice of young sports leaders on what can be done to facilitate young people’s involvement in sport. The study used group interviews (Nominal Group Technique) with over 600 14–18-year-olds toelicit responses to a single question, ‘What can be done to help young people participate in sport?’ This article focuses on young people’s views on issues to do with climate and conditions. We argue that, while their advice offers support for some current initiatives in youth sport, it also provides new insights and challenges and suggests a reordering of existing priorities for youth sport and leisure provision.
Physical Education and Health: a Polemic or ëLet Them Eat Cake!í
Authors: Evans John
Published: April 2003

In recent years, teachers in the UK and elsewhere have been encouraged to include ‘health aims’ as part of the physicaleducation curriculum. The widely reported worldwide ‘rising tide of obesity’ has been a major motivating concern. This article looks critically at ‘obesity research’, offers a wayof reading it and suggests that many of its claims are at best over-exaggerated, at worst unfounded and, ironically, if translated uncritically in schools could damage the educational interests and health of children and young people. The article calls on those engaged in health and physical education to take a more cautious and critical attitude towards the obesity literature in the interests of preserving not only the educational aspirations of PE but also the health of young people.
Patients’ Perceptions of What Makes Genetic Counselling Effective: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Authors: Macleod Rhona , Craufurd David , Booth Katie
Published: April 2003

Little is known about what makes for effective genetic counselling. Helping counselees adjust to their genetic situation is highlighted as a goal in most definitions of genetic counselling, but the processes involved in this are less clear. The current investigation focused on counselees’ perceptions of their genetic consultation as a possible influence on adjustment. Participants were all attending a Regional Genetics Clinic in the UK for the first time and were being seen for a variety of reasons. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Being seen by an ‘expert’ was seen as a positive aspect of attending the genetics clinic and one that was associated with receiving full information. The perception that either they, or the doctor, were able actively to do something about their situation, helped to relieve feelings of vulnerability. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the way genetic counselling is conducted.
Feelings Associated with Being a Carrier and Characteristics of Reproductive Decision Making in Women Known to Be Carriers of X-linked Conditions
Authors: Kay Elizabeth , Kingston Helen
Published: April 2003

Qualitative data were collected from 14 women known to be carriers of an X-linked condition associated with ‘serious’ disability on feelings about being a carrier and impact on reproductive decisions. Guilt and responsibility were commonly expressed by carriers about issues surrounding pregnancy. Personal experience of the condition influenced their approach to reproductive decisions. Those who had lived with an affected brother were more concrete in their decisions to avoid having an affected child compared to those with less personal experience of the condition. It is concluded that feelings of guilt associated with difficult reproductive decisions are reflected in the strong sense of responsibility attached to being a carrier. Personal experience of the condition has a clear influence on reproductive decisions of X-linked carriers.
‘Yes!—A Chance to Tell My Side of the Story’: A Case Study of a Male Partner of a Woman Undergoing Termination of Pregnancy for Foetal Abnormality
Authors: Robson Fiona M.
Published: April 2003

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyse data from one man whose partner underwent a third-trimester termination of pregnancy for foetal abnormality. This case study examines the data from the participant and aspects of grief are examined qualitatively from a male perspective. The importance of the male role, management of his own particular needs and coping mechanisms are discussed in the context of society’s expectations and current thinking on grief counselling. The impact of a new technique in obstetric management is highlighted in this case.
The Social and Ethical Implications of Changing Medical Technologies: The Views of People Living with Genetic Conditions
Authors: Chapman Elizabeth
Published: April 2003

This article presents empirical data on subjective levels of health and quality of life for individuals with early- or late-onset genetic conditions. Twelve adults with an early-onset condition (cystic fibrosis) and 12 adults with a late-onset condition in the family (Huntington’s disease) participated in semi-structured interviews. Questions investigated perceptions of the body, quality of life and views on medical technology and testing. Transcripts were thematically analysed using a qualitative methodology (interpretative phenomenological analysis). The article focuses on the superordinate theme of ‘What is a life worth living?’. Different emphases in judgements and definitions of quality of life were uncovered. At the same time the article emphasizes the convergence between the two groups in terms of overall views of quality of life and confirms that the voices of people living with genetic conditions should form part of wider bioethical debates arising from such advances.
Predictive Genetic Testing and Beyond: A Theory of Engagement
Authors: Mcallister Marion
Published: April 2003

This article presents a tentative grounded theory, which can provide some explanation of variation in behaviour around predictive genetic testing (PGT) for Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC), based on interviews with individuals ( n = 55) from families with a clinical diagnosis of HNPCC, 12 of whom were followed through the PGT protocol. The theory is built around a core category of engagement, a newly constructed concept reflecting the degree of cognitive and emotional involvement with cancer risk in individuals from these families, and models the psychosocial process of engaging with cancer risk. The degree of engagement at the time of testing can explain variations in approaches and reactions to PGT. A series of social factors, many related to the experiences of family life, emerged as either facilitating or blocking the process of engaging with cancer risk; a series of psychological factors emerged as interacting in a recursive, dynamic manner with each other and with engagement status. The degree of engagement can change with the unfolding of time and events in family life. The theory of engagement (TE) provides an explanatory framework for understanding behaviour related to PGT for HNPCC, and can potentially be applied to research on risk perception in the social sciences more generally. In addition, the theory may have potential uses in the genetics clinic, in identifying individuals at risk of adverse reactions to PGT for cancer, thus enabling better targeting of genetic counselling resources.
Biopsychosocial Determinants of Self-Management in Culturally Diverse South African Patients with Essential Hypertension
Authors: Botha Karel F. H. , Du Plessis Wynand F. , Van Rooyen Johannes M. , Wissing Marié P.
Published: April 2003

Associations between self-management and biopsychosocial variables in a group of Afrikaans- ( n= 102) and Sotho-speaking ( n= 94) patients with essential hypertension (EH) were investigated. Self-management in terms of predetermined criteria for medical and lifestyle prescriptions was achieved by only 30.6 per cent of the participants. Significant differences were found between self-managing and non self-managing participants regarding language and culture, doctor-patient fit, complexity of prescriptions, medication side-effects, aspects of health beliefs, illness behaviour and health locus of control. In addition, a first empirical indication was found that self-management is also linked with psychological wellbeing, as manifested in a sense of coherence. The significantly accurate prediction of self-management by various biopsychosocial variables endorses the relevance of a biopsychosocial perspective in the treatment of patients with EH.
Women’s Adaptation to Chronic Back Pain: Daily Appraisals and Coping Strategies, Personal Characteristics and Perceived Spousal Responses
Authors: Grant Lynda D. , Long Bonita C. , Willms J. Douglas
Published: April 2003

Daily diary methodology was used to examine within- and between-person associations among pain appraisals, coping strategies, personal characteristics, perceived spousal responses and daily (30 days) changes in negative mood and pain for 88 women with chronic back pain. Multilevel models revealed that control appraisals and distraction and ignoring pain coping strategies were associated with same-day reductions in negative mood and pain; whereas catastrophizing appraisals and praying and hoping coping strategies were associated with an increase in negative mood or pain. With appraisals and coping controlled for, average within-day decreases in depression were associated with perceived control in one’s life; increases in anxiety were associated with spousal distracting responses; and increases in pain intensity were associated with spousal punishing responses and pain interference.
Pattern and Process in Disclosure of Health Status by Women with Iatrogenically Acquired Hepatitis C
Authors: Dunne Elizabeth A. , Quayle Ethel
Published: April 2003

Thirty-two women who acquired hepatitis C through prophylactic treatment for RH Haemolytic Disease participated in discussions about their decision to disclose their health status. Spouses, the woman’s birth family and close friends were the most likely confidants. Children were either very likely or very unlikely to be informed. The women told spouses, own family members, friends, children and employers and ‘near’ co-workers if these latter groups were informed. Divulging to ‘in laws’ was more likely to be done by the partner. Disclosure to people in general was more likely to happen through third parties. Organizational aspects of the health system could result in exposure. Women seeking redress because of the iatrogenic nature of the infection disclosed through the media. The consequences of disclosure were varied. The results are discussed in the light of research on disclosure by comparable populations. Disclosure emerges as a stressful process demanding constant vigilance and active management.