65 research outputs found

    Beyond the therapeutic: a Habermasian view of self-help groups’ place in the public sphere

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    Self-help groups in the United Kingdom continue to grow in number and address virtually every conceivable health condition, but they remain the subject of very little theoretical analysis. The literature to date has predominantly focused on their therapeutic effects on individual members. And yet they are widely presumed to fulfil a broader civic role and to encourage democratic citizenship. The article uses Habermas’ model of the public sphere as an analytical tool with which to reconsider the literature on self-help groups in order to increase our knowledge of their civic functions. In doing this it also aims to illustrate the continuing relevance of Habermas’ work to our understanding of issues in health and social care. We consider, within the context of current health policies and practices, the extent to which self-help groups with a range of different forms and functions operate according to the principles of communicative rationality that Habermas deemed key to democratic legitimacy. We conclude that self-help groups’ civic role is more complex than is usually presumed and that various factors including groups’ leadership, organisational structure and links with public agencies can affect their efficacy within the public sphere

    A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being

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    The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β=0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β=0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates

    A Many-analysts Approach to the Relation Between Religiosity and Well-being

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    The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N = 10, 535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β = 0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β = 0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates

    Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science

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    It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the “Seattle Implementation Research Conference”; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRC’s membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRC’s primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term “EBP champions” for these groups) – and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleagues’ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations

    [Form letter from Sarah Landes to Glenn R. Klopfenstein - January 18, 1956]

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    A form letter addressed to Mr. Glenn R. Klopfenstein, Chief, Ohio Bureau of Probation and Parole, from Jack Ross, Administrator, Interstate Parole Compact (by Sarah Landes, Supervisor, Parole Division), Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, dated January 18, 1956. Official reply by Landes to correspondence received by Klopfenstein regarding the termination of the supervision of Subject OP 95040. Typewritten at the bottom of the page is correspondence from Sarah Landes to Mr. Carswell instructing Carswell to close out his file on Subject OP 95040 but notes that Ohio wishes to be advised of the knowledge of the "whereabouts" of Subject, if secured

    [Form letter from Sarah Landes to T. N. Carswell - May 28, 1956]

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    A form letter addressed to Mr. T. N. Carswell, Chairman, Taylor County Parole Board, from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (by Sarah Landes, Supervisor, Parole Division), Austin, Texas, dated May 28, 1956. Landes refers to Discharge Certificates for Subject No. 130,969 and advises of the date of discharge of May 7, 1956

    [Letter from Sarah Landes to Glenn R. Klopfenstein - December 12, 1955]

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    A letter written to Mr. Glenn R. Klopfenstein, Chief, Bureau of Probation and Parole, Columbus 15, Ohio, from Jack Ross, Administrator, Interstate Parole Compact (by Sarah Landes, Supervisor, Parole Division), Texasa Board of Pardons and Paroles, dated December 12, 1955. Landes responds to a request from Klopfenstein for a recommendation for the final release of Subject 95040. She advises that T. N. Carswell reported on the subject's conduct as very unsatisfactory, that a Texas Ranger is looking for and has not been able to locate the subject, and that Carswell is to keep them posted on any further developments

    [Letter from Sarah Landes to parolee - September 22, 1955]

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    A letter written to a parolee in Abilene, Texas from Jack Ross, Administrator, Interstate Parole Compact (by Sarah Landes, Supervisor, Parole Division), Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, dated September 22, 1955. Landes advises Subject 130,969 that the progress report, sent in by Mr. Carswell, was not satisfactory in regards to reporting late and leaving the County without permission. Landes acknowledges having received from Mr. Carswell the petition for a transfer from Taylor to Palo Pinto County noting an investigation will be made followed by an advisement of the Board's decision
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