The U.S. Southwest Border is associated with highly politicized topics, yet the lived experience of Border Patrol agents is not one of them. Border Patrol agents face risks to their personal safety and security as they attempt to safeguard the national security of the United States while implementing the policies of their organization, which are sometimes at odds with the beliefs and expectations of agents in the field. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore perceptions and lived experiences related to the threats and dangers that Border Patrol agents face as they protect the U.S. Southwest Border. The theoretical framework for this study involved McGregor's organizational behavior theory, Janis's groupthink theory, and the bureaucratic dissonance phenomenon. Data collected through semistructured interviews of 11 former Border Patrol agents with direct experience working along the U.S. Southwest Border were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. On-duty risks, emotional toll, lack of community support, and separation from family are among the stressors for members of this profession. The key findings regarding threats and dangers included: perceived manpower shortage, fear of assaults, the very nature of the job, political and presidential administration conflicts, and lack of mobility (location and career advancements). The recommendations call for greater policy-and decision-maker understanding of the stresses and conflicts facing Border Patrol agents, which could effect positive social change by encouraging policies and regulations to improve job safety and security, and to inform training programs. The promulgation of the findings may contribute to improvements of the morale and safety of Border Patrol agents and enhance security of the United States.

Bakgrund: Tre miljoner människor dör årligen som en konsekvens av deras alkoholkonsumtion. Alkoholberoende är en av de främsta globala orsakerna till förtida död. Alkoholkonsumtion kan härledas till ungefär 200 olika skador och sjukdomar och innebär sociala konsekvenser. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med ett alkoholberoende. Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie utfördes för att besvara studiens syfte. Databaserna CINAHL och PsycInfo användes för att hitta de åtta kvalitativa artiklarna som inkluderades i litteraturstudien. Materialet granskades enligt Fribergs femstegsmodell. Resultat: Resultatet ledde fram till det övergripande temat Olika former av lidande med fem underliggande huvudkategorier: Bakomliggande orsaker till alkoholberoende, Fast i alkoholkonsumtionens makt, Konsekvenser av alkoholkonsumtionen, Vändpunkter i alkoholberoendet och Utmaningar med att leva ett nyktert liv. Konklusion: Alkoholberoende personer upplever ett socialt, fysiskt och psykiskt lidande. Utmaningar i livet kvarstår även om personen blivit nykter. Alkoholberoende personer står inför en omfattande stigmatisering av samhället och hälso- och sjukvården. Sjuksköterskan behöver visa medmänsklighet i omvårdnaden och erhålla förbättrad kunskap och insikt i alkoholberoende personers erfarenheter för att kunna understödja deras hälsa och välmående. / Background: Every year, three million people die as a consequence of alcohol consumption and it ́s one of the main causes of global premature death. Consumption of alcohol is known to cause 200 different kinds of injuries and diseases and contributes to negative social consequences. Aim: The purpose of this literature study was to describe adults lived experiences of alcohol dependency. Methods: To answer the purpose a qualitative literature study was conducted. The study constituted of eight qualitative articles found in databases CINAHL and PsycInfo. The research data was analyzed using Fribergs five-step model. Results: The analyze revealed one theme, Various forms of suffering and that it consisted of five main categories: Underlying causes, The grip of alcohol, Consequences, Turning points and Challenges of living sober. Conclusion: Adults with an alcohol dependency experience suffering of social, physical and psychic nature. They experience challenges even if they are living in sobriety and a widespread stigma from society and the health care system. Nurses need to display compassion and improve their knowledge and understanding of lived experiences to better support health and well-being.

Background: Identity construction is the predominant developmental task in adolescence and young adulthood. Disabling hearing loss (HL) exacerbates the psychosocial challenges faced by adolescents and young adults (AYA) in their identity construction. The primary goal of this research study was to describe how AYA with disabling HL feel about and perceive their identity. Further, to understand the aspects underlying identity construction, with a focus on self-perception, navigating disability, social roles and relations, and community assimilation. Methodology: A qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach was adopted. Participants were a purposive sample of 5 Deaf and Hard-of-hearing AYA, aged 15 to 19 years. All participants were enrolled in schools for the deaf in the Western Cape and partook in semi-structured phenomenological conversations, where they narrated detailed accounts of their lived experiences with identity construction. Results: Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to formulate themes. The superordinate themes of creating a self-concept, belonging, stress and being deaf emerged from participants' narratives. Identity construction occurs concurrently at several levels. At the personal level, deaf AYA create self-conceived ideals of who they are (Creating a self-concept), at relational level identity is nurtured through person-to-person and person-to-group interactions (Belonging). At societal level deaf AYA ascertain their position as individuals within the larger society (Being deaf). Protective factors, enabling factors and barriers that threaten positive identity construction, audiological health, and the psychosocial wellbeing of deaf AYA were identified. Overall, findings from this study indicate that the experience of identity construction for AYA with HL is layered and laden with challenges. Identity formation, albeit portrayed as a process of differentiation, is a balancing act. Identity is self-defined and equally exists in a collective identity with others. Identity construction also subjected participants to stress arising from the emotional burdens of HL, stigmatisation, and resultant psychological effects. Amid unique challenges, deaf AYA consciously developed coping mechanisms, some constructive and others detrimental to their audiological health, all while negotiating their position in the larger society. Conclusion: Study findings appeal to individuals in the caring professions such as audiologists, teachers, educational psychologists, and social workers to understand the nuances of identity construction for the successful transitional care of deaf adolescents moving into adulthood. Counselling needs to be responsive to the needs of deaf AYA, identity domains should be upheld in the provision of person-centered care and possible trajectories for identity crisis should be evaluated when considering school placement. Benefits of group counselling and peer support groups should be explored. There is a need for interventions that curb negative audiological health behaviours through assertiveness training and self-advocacy. The micro implementation of employment equity policies and legislation is critical to ensure the realisation of AYA's prospective identities in the South African workforce. Findings call for the reorientation of audiological rehabilitation and strengthening of interdisciplinary collaboration to meet the psychosocial needs of AYA with disabling HL.

Hostile architecture is a medium through which social exclusion is enacted in the public and common areas of our cities. By limiting who is allowed to occupy space, and how they may do so, it functions to define the contours of inclusion in urban space-- all of which is predicated on one’s engagement with the zones of consumerism that have overtaken the cities’ commons. As a result, those without the means to partake are pushed aside, despite the inner-cities’ historical relationships with the poor, unhoused, and marginalized. The purpose of this study is to explore how lived experiences and knowledge of discriminatory architecture can inform a sociological analysis of hostile architecture. By exploring hostile architecture in Calgary, this thesis addresses a specific question: How do people with lived experience of homelessness understand hostile architecture? Through Community-Based Participatory Research and Photovoice, this question is addressed through collaboration with community members with lived experience of homelessness. Collectively, we conclude that those with lived experiences of homelessness understand hostile architecture in a multitude of ways. Amongst these understandings is the notion that hostile architecture not only excludes and displaces the unhoused and marginalized, but that it is also part and parcel of the wider range of hostilities against those experiencing homeless. One key theoretical concept grounds the research. Henri Lefebvre’s ‘Right to the City’ is used as a starting point in discussing what an equitable city might look like. I maintain that the lived experiences and knowledge held by those with experiences of homelessness can sensitize the public, and inform regional and national policymakers about this exclusionary mechanism. / Graduate

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Open educational resources (OER) have been heralded for their ability to provide educational equality amongst learners worldwide. While this possibility offers to transform the availability of educational materials with only very specific limitations (devices, bandwidth, and ability to engage), it is seriously noted that the production of OER is typically sourced from the same homogenous sources as traditionally published texts (e.g., white males at elite universities in the U.S.). Additionally, while there are emboldened strides towards equality (equal access to materials), there remains an educational gap providing educational equity (equal opportunity to succeed) in the design as well as the implementation of OER. This study meaningfully explored the lived experiences of diverse and multicultural practitioners who teach from OER to understand their perceptions relating to equity, the perpetuation of predominant values, and the insights that shed light on the weaknesses and opportunities OER provide as they continue to reach an ever-growing and more heterogeneous audience.

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Background:  A stoma operation can be a life-saving surgical procedure, but life after the operation is challenging for the individual. Previous research indicates that living with a stoma is fraught with challenges related to stoma complications. Aim:               The aim of this study is to describe the lived experience of ostomates. Method:         This study is a literature review with an overview of qualitative studies. The databases PubMed, ScienceDirect and Cinahl have been used to search for relevant literature. Ten original scientific articles were used in this review and synthesised with content analysis. Result:            Stoma patients experience challenges related to a changed body, have negative feelings and thoughts connected to the stoma, experience a changed daily life and experience social consequences associated with the stoma. Social support is crucial for adaptation to the ostomy and ultimately ostomy patients must reach a level of acceptance of the ostomy. Conclusion:   Individuals living with a stoma face unique challenges and it is an arduous learning process to not only learn to manage the stoma, but also accept it. Nurses have a key role to play in providing the stoma patient with adequate knowledge to competently manage the stoma, as well as supporting the individual in accepting the stoma. However, every ostomy patient is an individual with unique circumstances, thus a person-centred approach including individually tailored support and information is appropriate when providing care for ostomy patients.