Research has shown that individual members of traditional support groups gain a sense of identity and community and feelings of respect and support. Online support groups provide individuals avenues to find medical information and thus learn more about a given condition or illness. Little has been studied about the learning and instruction that occurs in online social support groups, especially in groups about chronic pain. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of members who participated in one open social support group. Siemen's constructivism theory served as the basis for comprehending the learning and instruction that took place in this group, and the research questions focused on the support group members' perceptions of this learning and instruction. Data were collected from 10 individuals who participated in a Facebook Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy support group. Yin's case study framework provided additional support data analysis. Data were collected through individual, semistructured telephone interviews and observations of online discussions. A combination of open and axial coding was used to support content analysis. Themes identified were learning, knowledge, persuasion, and acceptance of underlying negativity. Online social support group participation involved shared experiences that facilitated learning and instruction; these findings could influence the structures of other support groups. Positive social change occurs when individuals are knowledgeable and well educated about social support groups because it is in these groups that trends, issues, and new information are learned. Informal learning occurs with the increased digital skills, especially within a person's virtual support networks

[pt] Esta dissertação tem como objetivo apresentar e analisar as experiências, sentimentos e expectativas de casais em processo de adoção legal na região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro. Foram acompanhados diversos casais e entrevistados em profundidade três deles, os quais se encontravam em momentos distintos dos processos legais de adoção de cada um. Através de observação participante foram identificadas e acompanhadas algumas fases recorrentes no processo de adoção, em que se destacam dois momentos ou etapas significativas que se superpõem: o processo de habilitação de pretendentes à adoção, onde é mandatório seguir um curso destinado aos candidatos à adoção, e que é conduzido e certificado pelos Grupos de Apoio à Adoção, autorizados pelas Varas de Infância, Juventude e do Idoso de cada comarca / município; o outro momento e observado corresponde às visitas a abrigos de crianças e jovens sob a tutela do Estado. Ao analisar esse material, foram encontradas semelhanças e diferenças entre as experiências dos casais, cada qual marcada por um sentimento e questão particulares. A partir de suas narrativas foram observadas diferenças na atuação dos operadores técnicos – Grupos de Apoio, Juizados e abrigos institucionais – que contradizem uma impressão inicial dos participantes, de que o processo legal seria um caminho reto e menos complicado para o tão sonhado filho. / [en] This dissertation aims to present and analyze the experiences, feelings, and expectations of some couples in the process of legal adoption in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Several couples were monitored and three of them were interviewed in depth; they were, each one, at different times in the legal processes of adopting. Through participant observation, some recurring stages in the adoption process were identified, especially two significant moments or stages that overlap: the process of qualifying applicants for adoption, where it is mandatory to follow a course for candidates for adoption, which is conducted and certified by the Adoption Support Groups, authorized by the Child, Youth and Elderly Courts of each district / municipality; the other moment corresponds to visits to shelters for children and young people under the tutelage of the State. When analyzing this material, similarities and differences were found between the couples experiences, each marked by a particular feeling and issue. From their narratives, differences were observed in the performance of the technical operators – Support Groups, Courts, and institutional shelters - which contradict the initial impression of the participants, that the legal process would be a straight and less complicated path for the long-dreamed son.

No description available.

Samtalsgrupper anordnas av PatientForum tillsammans med olika vårdavdelningar på UMAS och vänder sig till personer som blivit nydiagnostiserade med en kronisk sjukdom. Reumatoid Artrit, RA är en autoimmunsjukdom och det finns idag inget botemedel mot den. Data inhämtades genom sju intervjuer med samtalsdeltagare. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vad det betyder för en individ med RA, att delta i en samtalsgrupp samt hur deltagaren upplever det att få diagnosen RA.Resultatet visade att deltagarna tyckte att samtalsgruppen kan vara en positiv aspekt i behandlingen av RA. I samtalsgruppen fann deltagarna en trygghet och gemenskap. Tillsammans kunde man bearbeta och förstå sin sjukdom. Gemenskapen var en stor del som bidrog till att deltagarna tyckte att samtalsgruppen var bra. I gemenskapen kände den enskilda individen sig starkare och tillsammans med andra fick han/hon en bättre förståelse över sin egen situation. / Support groups are arranged by Patient’s Forum in cooperation with different units at UMAS (Malmö University Hospital). The opportunity of participating in this support group was given to patients recently diagnosed with a chronic disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate how patients who have been given the diagnosis Rheumatoid Artritis, RA, experience the participation in a support group and how the participator felt when he received the diagnosis RA. Data was collected by the use of interviews with seven patients. The results illuminated how patients experience the participation of support group as a positive aspect in the treatment of RA. The patients felt safe and developed a fellowship within the group. Participating in the support group also seemed to develop a better understanding of the situation. Using Antonovsky´s conception sense of coherence, this seems to be strengthened by participating in the support group.

According to the 1 991 Annual Report of the Department of Health and Social Services of former Bophuthatswana, there were 364 reported malignant conditions found in women with cancer of the breast and cervix being the most prevalent. What causes great concern is t.he fact that patients present for the first time at health facilities during advanced stages of these diseases thus making the prognosis poor. Black patients in this study were found to present with cancer of the breast at an earlier age than their white counterparts. In addition to the above named problems, no facility exists for the treatment of cancer in the area of study and patients have to be referred to other areas. It was on the strength of the above observations that the researcher embarked upon this study to establish the effects of the diagnosis cancer and mastectomy on the victims. The aims of the study therefore were: to explore and describe the psycho-social effects of the diagnosis and treatment on Black women; develop guidelines for oncology nurses and doctors to assist with the adaptation of these patients to the diagnosis and treatment; and provide information that could lead to better training of oncology personnel as well as develop a proper support system to facilitate adjustment of the mastectomised patient to the disease and its treatment. Data were collected using the qualitative and quantitative approaches with individual in-depth interviews forming the main strategy. The findings revealed that the diagnosis cancer of the breast was equated with death among all respondents. The mastectomy added more stress for the patient, which was further compounded by chemo- and radiotherapy. The latter was described as causing more pain than the tumour itself. Problems experienced by the patients were reported to include: financial difficulties; general weakness; fear of recurrence and metastasis; concern for dependent children and fear of unemployment. All respondents in this study expressed the need for the formation of a voluntary care group, which could assist them with adaptation to the disease and its treatment. / Advanced Nursing Sciences / D. Lit. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

The effectiveness of psychoeducation and peer support programs for children of mentally ill parents is frequently measured by demonstrating children’s ability to meet program goals according to pre-defined categories determined by adults. Little is known about how children respond to these goals, whether they share them, and how, or if, their needs are met. I conducted an ethnographic study of one such group for school-aged children. I examined how specific discourses framed the content of the program manual designed to educate and support children and I observed how children responded to the program. My study is rooted in Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical analyses of the reciprocal influence individuals have on one another in face-to-face encounters. From a critical dramaturgical perspective the participants were expected to conform to behavioural expectations of the setting, itself framed by broader arenas of interaction in which shared institutionalized meanings govern (often idealized) presentations of self. Data collection included: 1. a critical discourse analysis of the program manual; 2. participant observation of interactions during the eight-week program; and 3. children’s evaluations of the program in a separate group interview. Being identified as “as all in the same boat” was meaningful and consequential for children who were expected to learn mental health/illness information because, “knowledge is power”, and to express difficult feelings about being a child of a mentally ill parent. Children could be said to have achieved the goals of the program because they developed a mutual understanding about how to interpret and give meaning to their circumstances; “recognizing” unpredictable behaviours as signs of illness and becoming responsible for managing only how “their own story would go”. Children were not expected to care for ill parents, even when they wanted some responsibility, and were strongly discouraged from turning to friends for support. Children strategized to negotiate and resist group expectations and challenge assumptions about being “all in the same boat”. Suggestions are made for determining what constitutes “good” mental health literacy based on children’s preferences for explaining their circumstances in ways they find relevant and for supporting children’s competencies to manage relationships that are important to them.

The effectiveness of psychoeducation and peer support programs for children of mentally ill parents is frequently measured by demonstrating children’s ability to meet program goals according to pre-defined categories determined by adults. Little is known about how children respond to these goals, whether they share them, and how, or if, their needs are met. I conducted an ethnographic study of one such group for school-aged children. I examined how specific discourses framed the content of the program manual designed to educate and support children and I observed how children responded to the program. My study is rooted in Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical analyses of the reciprocal influence individuals have on one another in face-to-face encounters. From a critical dramaturgical perspective the participants were expected to conform to behavioural expectations of the setting, itself framed by broader arenas of interaction in which shared institutionalized meanings govern (often idealized) presentations of self. Data collection included: 1. a critical discourse analysis of the program manual; 2. participant observation of interactions during the eight-week program; and 3. children’s evaluations of the program in a separate group interview. Being identified as “as all in the same boat” was meaningful and consequential for children who were expected to learn mental health/illness information because, “knowledge is power”, and to express difficult feelings about being a child of a mentally ill parent. Children could be said to have achieved the goals of the program because they developed a mutual understanding about how to interpret and give meaning to their circumstances; “recognizing” unpredictable behaviours as signs of illness and becoming responsible for managing only how “their own story would go”. Children were not expected to care for ill parents, even when they wanted some responsibility, and were strongly discouraged from turning to friends for support. Children strategized to negotiate and resist group expectations and challenge assumptions about being “all in the same boat”. Suggestions are made for determining what constitutes “good” mental health literacy based on children’s preferences for explaining their circumstances in ways they find relevant and for supporting children’s competencies to manage relationships that are important to them.

No description available.

According to the 1 991 Annual Report of the Department of Health and Social Services of former Bophuthatswana, there were 364 reported malignant conditions found in women with cancer of the breast and cervix being the most prevalent. What causes great concern is t.he fact that patients present for the first time at health facilities during advanced stages of these diseases thus making the prognosis poor. Black patients in this study were found to present with cancer of the breast at an earlier age than their white counterparts. In addition to the above named problems, no facility exists for the treatment of cancer in the area of study and patients have to be referred to other areas. It was on the strength of the above observations that the researcher embarked upon this study to establish the effects of the diagnosis cancer and mastectomy on the victims. The aims of the study therefore were: to explore and describe the psycho-social effects of the diagnosis and treatment on Black women; develop guidelines for oncology nurses and doctors to assist with the adaptation of these patients to the diagnosis and treatment; and provide information that could lead to better training of oncology personnel as well as develop a proper support system to facilitate adjustment of the mastectomised patient to the disease and its treatment. Data were collected using the qualitative and quantitative approaches with individual in-depth interviews forming the main strategy. The findings revealed that the diagnosis cancer of the breast was equated with death among all respondents. The mastectomy added more stress for the patient, which was further compounded by chemo- and radiotherapy. The latter was described as causing more pain than the tumour itself. Problems experienced by the patients were reported to include: financial difficulties; general weakness; fear of recurrence and metastasis; concern for dependent children and fear of unemployment. All respondents in this study expressed the need for the formation of a voluntary care group, which could assist them with adaptation to the disease and its treatment. / Advanced Nursing Sciences / D. Lit. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

This research studies the social support in a group of adult persons with HIV: 14 women and 41 men between 18 and 58 years of age, from medium- low social economic status that appeal to state health centers, non government entities and mutual support groups of Lima. The resultsof perceived social support, effective social support, social support satisfaction and social support need ha ve been correlated with variables age, sex, diagnostic time, presence of symptoms associated lo H!V, participation in a mutual support group, sex and sexual orientation(heterosexual males, men that have sex with other men and heterosexual women).The results showed that the social support indexes behaved differently according to weather they participated in a mutual support group or not, according to sex, according to sex and sexual orientation. Also, the need for social support rate varies according to diagnostic time. / Se investiga el soporte social en un grupo de adultos con V!H: catorce mujeres y cuarenta y un hombres. de entre 18 y 58 años. de estrato socioeconómico bajo y medio bajo que acuden a centros de salud estatales, organismos no gubernamentales y grupos de ayuda mutua (GAM) de Lima. Se correlacionaron los resultados descriptivos de los índices soporte social percibido, soporte social efectivo, satisfacción con el soporte y necesidad de soporte con las variables edad, sexo, tiempo de diagnóstico, presencia o no de síntomas asociados al VIH, participación o no en un GAM y orientación sexual (hombres heterosexuales, hombres que tienen sexo ton otros hombres (HSH) y mujeres heterosexuales). Se encontró que los índices del soporte social se comportan diferente según se pertenezca a un GAM o no, según el sexo, según la orientación sexualy el sexo. Asimismo, el índice necesidad de soporte varía según el tiempo de diagnóstico.