Husam Dweik , Ahmad Abu Hadwan , Beesan Maraqa , Ameed Taher , Therese Zink
{"title":"Perspectives of Palestinian physicians on the impact of the Gaza War in the West Bank","authors":"Husam Dweik , Ahmad Abu Hadwan , Beesan Maraqa , Ameed Taher , Therese Zink","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The West Bank has been under military occupation since 1967. When the Israeli army attacked Gaza after October 7th, 2023, the situation in the occupied West Bank became much worse. We interviewed Palestinian physicians about practicing under occupation and how the Gaza War has impacted their professional and personal lives.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This qualitative study was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024 and involved 15 individual interviews by reaching out to networks of practicing physicians across the West Bank, purposefully sampling physicians in different geographic locations in hospital and clinic-based practices. The data were analyzed with inductive coding and organized into themes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Violence and the threat of violence affected many elements of life and health. Restricted mobility, financial hardship, educational challenges, and fear about safety and the future affected physical and psychological health, making patients sicker and physicians' jobs harder. Lack of medications and treatments worsened chronic medical conditions. Mental health care was in demand due to acute stress and persistent trauma. Physicians struggle fulfilling their professional commitment to care for patients. They worried about the future and struggled to care for their families.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Life under occupation on the West Bank has become harsher and more violent with the Gaza War. The chronic exposure to trauma and ongoing uncertainty about the future impact physicians and the next generation of healthcare professionals who will care for their traumatized population. Despite the violations of international codes physicians continued to “honor their duties” to their patients and students.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100504"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142659181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prenatal care in urban China: Qualitative study on challenges and coping mechanisms","authors":"Haruka Nagao","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100502","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100502","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to identify challenges that women face in accessing prenatal care services in urban China and their coping mechanisms to deal with the challenges. We conducted semi-structured interviews in June and July in 2019 with 38 women who had experience of childbirth within the last five years. Through interviews, this study pays particular attention to a quality of prenatal care services by focusing on women's experiences in seeking for such services. The findings suggest that most participants had access to standardized prenatal care services but faced two challenges: long wait time and short doctor-patient interaction time. These challenges stem from overcrowded hospitals. The findings also illuminate power and information asymmetry between doctors and patients. Women leverage social networks with friends, colleagues, and former classmates to fill in the gap of short doctor-patient interaction by obtaining relevant information about pregnancy and prenatal care services. The analyses of interviews and a social networking site also suggest that online social networks play a similar role to fill in the informational gap. Still, social networks remain a coping mechanism rather than a fundamental solution to the systemic issues within the public health system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100502"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142659180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katie Wang , Joan M. Ostrove , Robert B. Manning III , Sarah Fodero , Samuel L. Ash , Jessica Whang , Kathleen R. Bogart , Rebecca Cipollina , Michelle R. Nario-Redmond , Jonathan M. Adler , Sarah R. Lowe
{"title":"Ableism in mental healthcare settings: A qualitative study among U.S. adults with disabilities","authors":"Katie Wang , Joan M. Ostrove , Robert B. Manning III , Sarah Fodero , Samuel L. Ash , Jessica Whang , Kathleen R. Bogart , Rebecca Cipollina , Michelle R. Nario-Redmond , Jonathan M. Adler , Sarah R. Lowe","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100498","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100498","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>People with disabilities (PWD) face elevated mental health concerns and are more likely to utilize mental health services compared to their nondisabled counterparts, yet they also report higher unmet mental health service needs due to myriad attitudinal and environmental barriers to accessing care. Despite these well-documented disparities, little research has examined the nuanced lived experiences of PWD who receive mental health services. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews with 20 U.S. adults with disabilities who were diverse in race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, the present research examined the various structural and interpersonal processes through which ableism undermines the perceived effectiveness and relevance of mental health services. Reflexive thematic analysis identified six themes that characterized participants' ableism experiences in mental healthcare settings, including misplaced assumptions about the impact of disability on mental health, medical trauma and gaslighting, interpersonal ableism, lack of disability knowledge, accessibility challenges, and systematic ableism. These findings highlight the importance of centering PWD's voices in disability-affirmative mental health research and underscore important clinical considerations for fostering accessible and inclusive mental health services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100498"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142659179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Temidayo Akinreni , Mark Donald C. Reñosa , Agrin Zauyani Putri , Kerry Scott , Shannon A. McMahon
{"title":"A methodological review of solicited diaries as a qualitative tool in health research in low- and middle-income countries","authors":"Temidayo Akinreni , Mark Donald C. Reñosa , Agrin Zauyani Putri , Kerry Scott , Shannon A. McMahon","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100492","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100492","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diaries have served as a vehicle to document personal narratives and as a research tool. However, diaries remain relatively underutilized in most research disciplines, particularly in the field of global health. This review aimed to explore the application, utility, and methodological potential of diaries as a qualitative data collection tool in the health sector within low- and middle-income countries. We applied a search string across several databases, which yielded 1796 articles that were screened for eligibility. Eleven articles, covering topics including menstrual health, HIV, and mental illness, met our criteria and were included in this review. Across studies, authors highlighted a need to provide instructions in a diary's early pages and make diaries appealing to the participants by incorporating color. Researchers and participants described diaries as an appropriate tool for conducting research especially among vulnerable populations (e.g. children) or on sensitive or stigmatized topics (e.g. HIV and menstrual health). Some participants said that diary entry clashed with existing obligations, leading to time conflicts and increased workload. Challenges related to diary comprehension suggests a need for researchers to engage more pointedly with participants to co-design diaries in a manner that facilitates understandability (e.g. language, use of audio/video recording among low literacy population) and age-appropriateness. An undercurrent across studies entailed a tension between what researchers desire from diaries (insights regarding a phenomenon of interest captured in a relatively timely manner) versus the original purpose of diaries (a space for individuals to note a variety of topics at a self-appointed pace). Studies generally under-report process insights from participants. Most studies stem from 2020 onward suggesting that this qualitative approach may continue to expand in the future. Our review organizes pertinent diary characteristics into a framework that may facilitate reporting of diary usage in global health research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100492"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chris Degeling , Sittichoke Chawraingern , Gwendolyn L. Gilbert , Claire Hooker , Su-yin Hor , Jane Williams
{"title":"Reconciling market and moral logics on a minimum wage: Supermarket work in Australia during the first two years of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic","authors":"Chris Degeling , Sittichoke Chawraingern , Gwendolyn L. Gilbert , Claire Hooker , Su-yin Hor , Jane Williams","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100495","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100495","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Essential workers generate and maintain basic services that populations must receive, without interruption, to sustain a healthy, functional society. When SARS-COV-2 spread around the world, mundane low-paid work in essential non-healthcare industries such as supermarkets, became high risk, makeshift and unpredictable. Drawing on recent scholarship in the sociology of work, we conducted 32 interviews to capture how supermarket workers in Australia navigated the trade-offs and moral choices entailed in performing essential roles in non-health settings during a pandemic. We found that, as key assumptions about the resilience of globalised modernity and its supporting systems were tested, supermarket workers found themselves at the centre of experiments and public debates about the effectiveness and appropriateness of different infection control measures. Compensating for a lack of preparedness by governments and corporations, they were forced to accept, and then tasked with resolving inconsistencies between the political economy of low paid work and the moral economy of social provision. Given the experiences of those who found themselves in essential roles outside healthcare, there is an urgent need to reconceptualize what ‘successful’ pandemic preparedness and response entails. Reflecting on their experiences, these workers told us that expressions of solidarity and concern, from those not sharing their position of biological and financial precarity, were of little value. Drawing on the market logics that define their employment as essential and replaceable, the workers we spoke to observed that fair renumeration for risks and better protections were the most important considerations in recasting how societies prepare for future pandemics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100495"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social networks and stigma: The experiences of African immigrants living with HIV in the United States","authors":"Emmanuel F. Koku","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100493","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100493","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the past two decades, research on the conceptualization, measurement, and refinement of stigma has grown extensively due to increasing recognition of stigma as a driver of adverse health outcomes. While these lines of research have generally recognized that stigma is enacted in social relationships, few analysts have characterized how the structure and composition of these relationships influence stigma, particularly among immigrant populations. In response, this paper integrates data from social network analysis and in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of and responses to stigma by African immigrants living with HIV in the United States.</div><div>All participants reported that they anticipated, experienced, and internalized stigma within their personal networks. Many concealed their status and disclosed to only trusted associates, family members, and medical providers. Building on findings from previous studies, we found that the meanings and belief systems (particularly African cultural discourses that link HIV with mortality, immorality, retribution, and silence) matter for how stigma is assigned, enacted, experienced, and resisted. Our analyses also revealed that the structure of participants personal networks (i.e, the extent to which their associates were connected to each other, and how integrated/involved they were in these network relationships) intensified or diluted their exposure to stigmatizing discourses, depending on the composition (resourcefulness/quality) of their personal networks. Such network connections (i.e., social capital) translate into rewards if they are supportive and accepting, and costs if they stigmatize.</div><div>By showing how individuals can use their social networks to stigmatize or support their peers, this study advances theoretical expositions on <strong>(1)</strong> how the <em>meanings and belief systems</em> held by individuals matter for understanding <em>social network/structural processes</em><strong><em>,</em></strong> <strong>(2)</strong> how <em>social networks</em> shape how <em>stigma</em> is assigned, enacted, experienced and resisted,<strong>(3)</strong> the <em>costs and downsides</em> of <em>social capital</em>, which are often neglected through emphasis on its salutary impacts. Our findings underscore the need for interventions that leverage the salient properties of personal networks to understand, conceptualize, measure, and reduce stigma.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100493"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cheryl Rathert , Derick R. Simmons , Jessica N. Mittler , Kimberly Enard , Joanna Veazey Brooks
{"title":"Racial and ethnic differences in patient psychological safety: A qualitative patient narrative study","authors":"Cheryl Rathert , Derick R. Simmons , Jessica N. Mittler , Kimberly Enard , Joanna Veazey Brooks","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100491","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100491","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The existence of racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes is well-established. In addition to discrimination and social determinants, disparities can result from lower-quality relationships that historically marginalized groups may experience with health care providers and systems. The extent to which patients can connect with and be known by care providers is thought to play a key role in their subsequent diagnoses, treatments, care plans, and health behaviors. Recent research has found that many patients express the need for patient psychological safety (PPS) in order to feel connected. Thus, we were interested in exploring whether there exist racial/ethnic differences in experiences of PPS, as a lack of safety could reduce patients’ opportunities to connect with providers. This study used a patient narrative approach, in which patients respond to open-ended questions in their own words, to examine what patients say related to PPS and the extent to which their characterizations may vary by race and/or ethnicity. Patient responses (n = 1766) were coded to fit into one of three conceptual PPS dimensions: <em>belonging, learning, and participating.</em> Analysis found that nearly all patients described some level of PPS as indicating to them they had a good connection with providers, with greater proportions of Black and Hispanic/Latino patients expressing <em>belonging safety</em>, that is, the need to feel welcomed and respected as a human being. In contrast, White patients were more likely to express <em>participation safety</em>, or the need to have influence on their care. This study contributes a new, nuanced understanding of patient experiences of connecting with care providers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100491"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142433516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kaitlyn Atkins , Caitlin E. Kennedy , Anne L. Stangl , Stefan D. Baral , Sarah M. Murray , Denis Mali , Leonard Bikinesi , Laimi Ashipala , Jason B. Reed , Haneefa T. Saleem
{"title":"Intersectional stigma and resilience among female sex workers in Namibia: Drivers, manifestations, and implications for PrEP use","authors":"Kaitlyn Atkins , Caitlin E. Kennedy , Anne L. Stangl , Stefan D. Baral , Sarah M. Murray , Denis Mali , Leonard Bikinesi , Laimi Ashipala , Jason B. Reed , Haneefa T. Saleem","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100496","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100496"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142572236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emilia F. Vignola , Emily Q. Ahonen , Luis Saavedra , Emma K. Tsui
{"title":"Conceptualizing precarious employment through the lens of social reproduction: Potential implications for health research and action","authors":"Emilia F. Vignola , Emily Q. Ahonen , Luis Saavedra , Emma K. Tsui","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100494","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100494","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on the health and well-being impact of precarious employment (PE) commonly conceptualizes employment as a relation of power between workers and employers, a perspective informed by power relations and relational social class theories. Social reproduction theory is a less common but complementary conceptual lens that can be used to investigate PE and health, in which the <em>nature of work</em> has relevance for the <em>quality of employment</em>. Social reproduction theory points to relations between groups of workers who are valued differently based on the capacity of their work to generate profit. Attending to relations between workers based on value, in addition to the well-established power relation between workers and employers, may point to consequences for health and well-being that are worth exploring empirically, and could serve as another tool to spur collective action around PE and its health effects. We provide an illustration and discuss the potential implications of this theoretical approach using data from in-depth interviews conducted in 2022 among precariously employed food workers in New York City.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100494"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142533345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emily E. Pearce , Alina Majid , Toniya Brown , Catherine Wilsnack , Camella Rising , Ashley S. Thompson , Rowan Forbes Shepherd , Arman Niknafs , Allison Werner-Lin , Melissa B. Gilkey , Kurt M. Ribisl , Sadie P. Hutson , Paul K.J. Han , Sharon A. Savage
{"title":"A “rotating menu” of medical uncertainty for families affected by telomere biology disorders: A qualitative interview study","authors":"Emily E. Pearce , Alina Majid , Toniya Brown , Catherine Wilsnack , Camella Rising , Ashley S. Thompson , Rowan Forbes Shepherd , Arman Niknafs , Allison Werner-Lin , Melissa B. Gilkey , Kurt M. Ribisl , Sadie P. Hutson , Paul K.J. Han , Sharon A. Savage","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100486","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100486","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Medical uncertainty may cause distress and challenge medical decision-making for patients with rare diseases and their caregivers. Few studies have examined the experience and management of medical uncertainty in rare disease and the dynamics of multiple medical uncertainty sources, issues, and management strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We explored the experience and management of uncertainty in individuals with telomere biology disorders (TBDs), a set of rare cancer-prone bone marrow failure syndromes, and their caregivers.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>Participants (N = 32) in this qualitative-descriptive study were individuals with a TBD (n = 17) and/or their caregivers (n = 15). We thematically analyzed transcripts to describe the presence and dynamics of medical uncertainty in TBDs using categories from a previously published taxonomy.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Individuals with TBDs and caregivers described medical uncertainty as a chronic burden embodied amidst a range of interrelated sources and issues. <em>Scientific uncertainty</em> included diagnostic and prognostic ambiguity. <em>Practical uncertainty</em> focused on logistical challenges of building and maintaining medical care teams. <em>Personal uncertainty</em> included difficulty realigning self-identity, goals, and relationship expectations post-diagnosis. Scientific, practical, and personal uncertainty issues were entangled. The rarity of TBDs resulted in limited scientific knowledge, which gave rise to practical and personal uncertainties affecting medical decision-making and relationship formation (e.g., creating trusted care teams where patient knowledge of TBDs may exceed that of clinicians). Participants used multiple strategies for uncertainty management, particularly information-seeking and community-building. However, these management strategies could intensify, rather than resolve, participants’ medical uncertainty.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>In TBDs, medical uncertainty manifests as a network of multiple, interrelated, sources and issues, which require evolving management strategies. Researchers must be mindful that complex, synergistic uncertainty networks contribute to psychosocial challenges in TBDs. Additional research is warranted to address scientific uncertainty in TBDs, including clinical manifestations and underlying biology, and to develop psychosocial interventions that recognize and anticipate evolving uncertainty.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74862,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Qualitative research in health","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100486"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142433518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}