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1 – 4 of 4Paul A. Watters, Maya F. Watters and Stuart C. Carr
States that there has been a trend for publications in the Asia‐Pacific region to move to a combined print and electronic medium, in an effort to achieve the goals of social…
Abstract
States that there has been a trend for publications in the Asia‐Pacific region to move to a combined print and electronic medium, in an effort to achieve the goals of social equity and increased exposure to the worldwide community through the World Wide Web (WWW). Reviews some of the mechanisms by which this transition can be evaluated with respect to these two goals, both economically, but more importantly, in terms of user‐behaviour recorded WWW server access logs. The auditing of these logs facilitates new forms of market research which are impossible to conduct on traditional paper publications, as objective, quantitative information about usage patterns can be measured directly from key variables such as country of origin, most popular content pages, and typical access errors. It is argued that these audits can be used effectively for future planning, developing popular content areas, and creating publicity policy for electronic publications. The transition to a joint paper and electronic format for the South Pacific Journal of Psychology is presented in a three‐month case study, with important issues, such as the importance of indigenous contributions, being resolved using statistics computed from the server access logs.
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Sevasti-Melissa Nolas, Charles Watters, Keira Pratt-Boyden and Reima Ana Maglajlic
This review and theoretical analysis paper aims to bring together literatures of place, mobility, refugees and mental health to problematise the ways in which social support is…
Abstract
Purpose
This review and theoretical analysis paper aims to bring together literatures of place, mobility, refugees and mental health to problematise the ways in which social support is practised on the ground and to rethink its possibilities.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on an interdisciplinary understanding of social support that focusses on the social networks and significant and intimate relationships that mitigate negative mental health and well-being outcomes. The authors explore the dialectic relationship between place and mobility in refugee experiences of social support.
Findings
The authors argue that, in an Euro-American context, practices of social support have historically been predicated on the idea of people-in-place. The figure of the refugee challenges the notion of a settled person in need of support and suggests that people are both in place and in motion at the same time. Conversely, attending to refugees’ biographies, lived experiences and everyday lives suggests that places and encounters of social support are varied and go beyond institutional spaces.
Research limitations/implications
The authors explore this dialectic of personhood as both in place and in motion and its implications for the theorisation, research and design of systems of social support for refugees.
Originality/value
This paper surfaces the dialectics of place and mobility for supporting refugee mental health from an interdisciplinary perspective.
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New technologies have made the increased globalization of information resources and services possible. In this situation, it is ethically and intellectually beneficial to protect…
Abstract
New technologies have made the increased globalization of information resources and services possible. In this situation, it is ethically and intellectually beneficial to protect cultural and information diversity. This paper analyzes the problems of creating ethically based globally accessible and culturally acceptable knowledge representation and organization systems, and foundation principles for the ethical treatment of different cultures are established on the basis of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The concept of “cultural hospitality”, which can act as a theoretical framework for the ethical warrant of knowledge representation and organization systems, is described. This broad discussion is grounded with an extended example of one cultural universal, the concept of time and its expression in calendars. Methods of achieving cultural and user hospitality in information systems are discussed for their potential for creating ethically based systems. It is concluded that cultural hospitality is a promising concept for assessing the ethical foundations of new knowledge representation and organization systems and for planning revisions to existing systems.
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Lorna Phillips and Panoraia Andriopoulou
Despite government and national health service demands for equality within mental health (MH) services, racial inequalities remain. South Asian (SA) women underutilise MH…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite government and national health service demands for equality within mental health (MH) services, racial inequalities remain. South Asian (SA) women underutilise MH services, yet research regarding their experiences and the cultural sensitivity (CS) of services is sparse. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of SA women who have used MH services and the cultural sensitivity of the latter.
Design/methodology/approach
Thematic analysis was used for data analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out with 16 SA women.
Findings
Analysis yielded an overarching theme of “degree of understanding” and three main themes: “shared background and understanding” “humanity” and “cultural factors” and their subsequent subthemes. Results demonstrated mixed experiences, illustrating varied levels of CS and the impacts of this upon experiences. Cultural understanding underpins CS: participants’ experiences demonstrated the benefit of significant understanding and the detriment of limited understanding.
Research limitations/implications
All participants were well educated, English-speaking and from psychology, health or research backgrounds. SA culture is nuanced; thus, the demographic of “South Asian” could be too broad. However, because current understanding is limited, this research provides fundamental empirical knowledge.
Practical implications
Clear recommendations were co-produced with participants, highlighting strong impacts for service development and best practice.
Social implications
The research provides valuable insight into SA women’s experiences of MH services and wider understanding of CS. This raises cultural awareness in a field lacking understanding. Findings and recommendations can, therefore, provide foundational knowledge for broader societal issues experienced by people from this demographic and challenge preconceptions.
Originality/value
This research offers unique recommendations for more culturally sensitive practice, co-produced with participants.
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