124 research outputs found
Introduction: the need for Evidence for Equality.
No full textFinney, N., Nazroo, J., Bécares, L., Kapadia, D. & Shlomo, N. (2023)
Social networks, the ‘Work’ and work force of chronic illness self-management: a survey analysis of personal communities
Full text linkSelf-management support forms a central aspect of chronic Illness management nationally and globally. Evidence for the success of self-management support has mainly focussed on individually-centred outcomes of behavioural change. While it is recognised that social network members play an important role there is currently a gap in knowledge regarding who provides what type of support and under what circumstances. This is relevant for understanding the division of labour and the meeting of needs for those living with a long-term condition. We therefore took a network approach to explore self-management support conceptualising it as types of illness ‘work’ undertaken within peoples’ social networks. 300 people from deprived areas and with chronic illnesses took part in a survey conducted in 2010 in the North West of England. A concentric circles diagram was used as a research tool with which participants identified 2,544 network members who contributed to illness management. The results provide an articulation of how social network members are substantially involved in illness management. Whilst partners and close family make the highest contributions there is evidence of inputs from a wide range of relationships. Network member characteristics (type of relationship, proximity, frequency of contact) impact on the amount of illness work undertaken in peoples’ networks. In networks with ‘no partner’ other people tend to contribute more in the way of illness related work than in networks with a partner. This indicates a degree of substitutability between differently constituted networks, and that the level and type of input by different members of a network might change according to circumstances. A network perspective offers an opportunity to redress the balance of an exclusively individual focus on self-management because it addresses the broader set of contributions and resources available to people in need of chronic illness management and suppor
The making of EVENS
No full textNazroo, J., Finney, N., Bécares, L., Kapadia, D., Aparicio-Castro, A., Ellingworth, D., Moretti, A., & Taylor, H
Social status and living with a chronic illness: an exploration of assessment and meaning attributed to work and employment
No full textBackgroundTraditional measures of social status are predicated on position in the labour market. There has been less attention directed to the meanings of social position for people with a long-term condition whose relationship to employment is precarious. Previous research has demonstrated that the MacArthur scale is capable of capturing contextualised aspects of social status, which makes it a useful tool for exploring changes in meaning.AimsThe paper explores the meanings and experiences of social status of people living with a long-term condition with particular reference to employment status.MethodsA sample of 300 participants was drawn from diabetes and chronic heart disease registers of General Practices in North West England. A cross-sectional survey with nested qualitative interviews was used in collecting and analysing the data.FindingsHaving financial independence and participating in valued activities are more important for people with chronic illness than power and status mediated through the labour market. Income and the lack and loss of employment were given a central role in respondents’ narratives reflecting the absence of acceptable alternative routes through which social status for those with a long-term condition can realistically be rebuilt outside of participation in the labour market.ConclusionSocial participation, where people with chronic illness feel valued and of tangible utility to other people, might offer some opportunities for rebuilding social status outside the labour market. Chronic illness management interventions need to focus on improving people’s engagement with such activities.<br/
Stigma, mental illness & ethnicity: Time to centre racism and structural stigma
Full text linkThis article critically reviews previous research in the field of stigma, mental illness and ‘race’ and ethnicity, and argues for a shift of focus from individual and community blame, as inferred by mental illness stigma, to a more comprehensive view of how stigma operates against a backdrop of structural and institutional racism. Ethnic minority people have poorer mental health outcomes compared with White majority populations. Dominant narratives of greater mental illness stigma in ethnic minority populations, due to religious, spiritual or traditional beliefs and leading to a lower use of services, have taken centre stage in the explanations for these consequent poorer outcomes. This article argues that this ‘fact’ has become taken for granted as knowledge without corresponding comparative research evidence. Research in the field has also failed to robustly consider how racism might operate in conjunction with different forms of mental illness stigma (particularly structural stigma) to exacerbate mental illness and influence pathways to mental health treatment. Future research should centre the role of racism and structural stigma in explaining the poorer mental health outcomes for ethnic minority people.</p
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