Special Issues by Maria del Rio Carral
Safe medication management is particularly challenging among polymedicated home-dwelling older ad... more Safe medication management is particularly challenging among polymedicated home-dwelling older adults after hospital discharge. This study aimed to identify and categorise the stressors experienced and reconstitution strategies adopted by older adults, their informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals as they manage older adults’ medications after hospital discharge. A primary study collected the perspectives of 28 older adults, 17 informal caregivers, and 13 healthcare professionals using a qualitative descriptive design. The Neuman Systems Model was used as the basis for a secondary deductive content analysis. Findings revealed that post-discharge medication management at home involved numerous stressors, often including dysfunctions in communication, collaboration, and coordination between the multiple stakeholders involved. Reconstitution strategies for safe medication management were not always successful or satisfactory and were sometimes identified as stressors themselves. Older adults, informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals’ perspectives highlighted several potential opportunities for improving safe medication management through nurse-led, interprofessional, patient-centred practices.
Professional YouTubers are developing a new culture through which they stage health content in pe... more Professional YouTubers are developing a new culture through which they stage health content in pervasive ways. The present article aims to provide a methodological approach to analyse this type of content by adopting a critical perspective in health psychology. To achieve this, we first define our theoretical framework. Second, we formulate a multi-method design combining narrative and visual analyses, as well as automatised linguistic procedures. We then illustrate the potential of our methodology through concrete examples. Implications of this methodology in health psychology are discussed with regard to healthism, a dominant contemporary trend that strongly values the individualised pursuit of health.
Qualitative Research in Psychology , 2019
In this special issue, we aim to introduce a mapping of qualitative research in psychology across... more In this special issue, we aim to introduce a mapping of qualitative research in psychology across European settings. Qualitative research in psychology constitutes a complex terrain with a multiplicity of epistemological and methodological perspectives anchored to a diversity of historical, political and socio-cultural settings. Despite recent progress towards the institutionalisation of qualitative research in certain countries, the landscape of qualitative research in psychology in Europe remains largely unexplored. Following a brief overview of qualitative research in psychology, we proceed with narrating the story of the ‘birth’ of this special issue. We then briefly introduce the constellation of articles included in this special issue. We conclude with wider implications concerning the venture of establishing qualitative research in psychology in Europe.
Papers by Maria del Rio Carral
Frontiers in Public Health, Nov 8, 2022
The European health psychologist, Dec 31, 2015
Intimacy and sexuality amongst the elderly people remain important and contribute to quality of l... more Intimacy and sexuality amongst the elderly people remain important and contribute to quality of life and well-being, including those living in nursing homes. However, these issues are often considered as a taboo in institutions and are therefore not addressed adequately, preventing the fulfilment of such needs for the residents. One of the obstacles seems associated to representations among the aged care staff on these topics. This presentation covers an extensive literature review on the subject. A critical analysis on existing research on aged care staff perspective allows us to identify three main themes: their perceptions; their actual practices and implemented strategies; and finally, mainstream approaches aiming at behavioural change among health professionals regarding their attitudes on intimacy and sexuality. Our analysis highlight that staff shows mostly positive attitudes on the importance of both issues, yet practices do not necessarily reflect this position. As a result of this gap, elderly are not considered in their needs and may even be repressed for having them. Finally, few means are implemented to raise awareness to provide the staff with necessary training.
Psychology, 2015
Alfred Schütz original contribution to the social sciences refers to his analysis of the structur... more Alfred Schütz original contribution to the social sciences refers to his analysis of the structure of the "life-world". This article aims to invigorate interest in the work of this author, little known in the field of health psychology. Key concepts of Schütz' approach will be presented in relation to their potential interest to the understanding of the experience of illness. In particular, we develop the main characteristics of the everyday life and its cognitive style, that is, its finite province of meaning. We propose to adopt this notion to define the experience of chronic or serious illness when the individual is confronted to the medical world. By articulating this analysis with literature in health psychology, we argue that Schütz's perspective brings useful insight to the field, namely because of its ability to study meaning constructions by overcoming the trap of solipsism by embracing intersubjectivity. The article concludes by outlining both, the limitations and research perspectives brought by this phenomenological analysis of the experiences of health and illness.
Qualitative Research in Psychology, May 22, 2019
The European health psychologist, Dec 1, 2014
Several authors in critical health psychology have underlined the need to develop models of psych... more Several authors in critical health psychology have underlined the need to develop models of psychological life within qualitative research that are not limited to mere descriptions of health or illness. This communication presents methodological basis in order to overcome such descriptive level by proposing a socio-cultural approach. First, we analyse the dominant tendency in psychology consisting on defining the constructivist paradigm and qualitative research as impressionist, vague and subjective, that is, “non scientific”. We claim that qualitative research may be objective, clear and precise while succeeding to consider psychological processes within their socio-cultural context. We make “indirect methods” a major focus, as able to capture psychological processes at stake in health and illness by interpretating their “traces”. Moreover, we illustrate a variety of methods used in psychology to study the structuring role of culture in this process. We conclude by discussing the possibility to build complex psychological concepts regardless immediate experience.
Psychology & Health, Apr 2, 2020
Objective: This article extends current theorising around health behaviours using insights from a... more Objective: This article extends current theorising around health behaviours using insights from a study with women working in senior management positions in Switzerland. The study aimed to explore the meanings they attached to their everyday activities and examine implications for health and wellbeing by drawing on 1) social practices theory, 2) a socioconstructionist approach to gender, and 3) conceptualisations of embodiment. Design: Twenty female senior managers were interviewed at two time points 6 months apart: the first interview elicited highly-detailed, descriptive accounts of activities during the previous day, while in the second interview participants reflected on their previous accounts and discussed the meanings they ascribed to their activities. A thematic and narrative analysis of both sets of transcripts was conducted. Results: Three main themes captured the ways female senior managers talked about their everyday behaviours, all focused around their bodies: 'Functional bodies: Being on-the-go and meeting responsibilities'; 'Limiting bodies: Threats to everyday activities'; and 'Intentional bodies: Activities for wellbeing'. 3 Conclusions: Results are considered in terms of contemporary postfeminist/neoliberal discourses in Western societies, how these are shaping and affecting everyday practices and subjectivities, and their consequences for women's health and wellbeing at work.
Pratiques Psychologiques, Mar 1, 2017
Avec l'avènement d'Internet et la démocratisation des téléphones portables dits intelligents, l'u... more Avec l'avènement d'Internet et la démocratisation des téléphones portables dits intelligents, l'usage des objets connectés reliés à des applications spécifiques devient de plus en plus courant. Cet usage permet la captation d'états physiologiques et corporels, ainsi que leur transformation en données biométriques, lesquelles sont ensuite interprétées et partagées par les usagers de ces technologies afin de suivre et/ou de contrôler leurs propres pratiques de santé au quotidien. L'objectif de cet article est de dresser une revue de la littérature anglophone et francophone au sein de ce champ en pleine expansion. Notre analyse permet de dégager deux grandes tendances de la recherche actuelle en santé digitale, indépendamment du domaine disciplinaire et de l'origine. L'une est définie par son enthousiasme plus ou moins affirmé, et surtout, par son espoir à l'égard des nouvelles technologies de santé et de leurs promesses. L'autre est caractérisée par son attitude critique face au développement de ces technologies, pouvant se traduire dans certains cas par une attitude de mise en garde concernant des phénomènes de surveillance et de risque. La discussion porte sur une réflexion approfondie des caractéristiques définissant chacune de ces tendances, en identifiant les questionnements que soulève cette revue de la littérature au sein de la psychologie. Enfin, notre conclusion met en évidence des perspectives de recherche future.
Psychology & Health, Feb 21, 2023
Context: The ballet institution is known for its aesthetic and performative standards. In profess... more Context: The ballet institution is known for its aesthetic and performative standards. In professional dancers' everyday lives, self-improvement and body awareness entwine with striving for artistic excellence. In this context, 'health' has primarily been explored in relation to eating disorders, pain, and injuries. Aim: This paper explores dancers' health practices, namely how they are shaped by the ballet institution and how they relate to broader health discourses. Methodology: A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted upon interviews with nine dancers (each interviewed twice) using a theoretical framework based on the concepts of greedy institutions and biopedagogies. Analyses: Two themes were developed: What it takes to be an 'insider' of the ballet institution and Learning to develop an acute embodied self-awareness. Dancers described ballet as a 'lifestyle' rather than a 'job'; practices of self-care defined by continuous self and body work were framed as necessary to meet the demands of this lifestyle. Participants 'played with' institutional and societal norms, often resisting docile bodies promoted within the ballet institution. Conclusion: Dancers' constructions of health and the art of ballet as not fitting neatly into 'good' nor 'bad' make room to consider the tensions between adopting and resisting dominant health discourses in this institution.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2016
Paper 1 Title: Contemporary trends in qualitative research in psychology: Analyzing the contribut... more Paper 1 Title: Contemporary trends in qualitative research in psychology: Analyzing the contributions of the French and Swiss contexts Abstract: Methodological issues in psychological research need to be embraced by considering broader ideological debates within the discipline as a whole. This perspective enables an in-depth understanding of the interests that drive research communities epistemologically, ontologically, and methodologically. Moreover, these ideological debates are grounded in changing cultural, social and historical conditions which allow for the implementation of specific sets of scientific priorities to the detriment of others. Given this background, our proposal will focus on qualitative research in psychology in the French and Swiss contexts. Its aim is to analyze key tensions that have historically influenced the development of qualitative approaches in specific ways. Interested in concrete research practices, we will discuss the challenges linked to the expansion of qualitative research in France, under the influence of psychoanalysis, existential psychiatry, and applied clinical psychology. In Switzerland, qualitative research in psychology has started to develop only two decades ago, while clinical methods underpinned by comprehensive logics have been rather implemented for intervention. Today, both contexts seem to face similar challenges regarding a recent renewal of qualitative trends in psychology. Among others, these challenges are: the tendency to evolve towards increased flexibility in the use of methods, a growing interest in mixed methods, and the risk for ‘methodolatry’, by privileging technical usage of methods rather than epistemological coherence. We will conclude by highlighting future directions to strengthen the visibility of qualitative research in psychology. One direction consists of the mapping of research practices and modes of organization across Europe to better benefit from specificities, experiences, and expertise. Another one is the need to move towards a consensus across qualitative research communities in psychology to better define quality research criteria able to respect the diversity, heterogeneity, and creativeness at the core of our scientific work
Journal of Health Psychology, Jun 15, 2017
This article traces the historical evolution of ongoing theoretical debates in psychology in Fran... more This article traces the historical evolution of ongoing theoretical debates in psychology in France from the 1940s until today. Its aim is to show how the conjunction of certain conditions was determinant for a rapid expansion of American-derived mainstream health psychology during the 1980s. The authors describe the French context in the post-World War II period that made possible the introduction of psychology courses at the university, which included the tensions between two epistemological orientations: experimental psychology and clinical psychology, the latter partly inspired by Politzer's concrete psychology. We also outline the process that led to the implementation of 'clinical psychology in health settings' in the 1950s, under the influence of Daniel Lagache. Furthermore, the strong critiques that were made to the new psychology profession in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s are examined against oppositions among psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers and psychoanalysts. Moreover, we discuss how under turbulent conditions, a pragmatic-oriented psychology arriving from the United States was smoothly and rapidly introduced in France during the 1980s, promoting a socio-cognitive framework and offering new career perspectives. But the French dissension to this new sub-discipline will also be considered. Finally, our conclusion reflects upon future implications of ongoing rivalries between different approaches to psychology. It underlines a growing interest in critical perspectives developed in Anglo-Saxon cultures which are being applied, by French academics and practitioners who work in psychology in health settings.
Presses de l'Université du Québec eBooks, Nov 4, 2009
Qqn sur ce forum peut confirmer qu'il ya un lien confirm?? entre libido et pilule? P... more Qqn sur ce forum peut confirmer qu'il ya un lien confirm?? entre libido et pilule? Peut-?? un t??moignage qui avait une libido au fond des basques avec telle marque et qui, en changeant a vu remonter en fl??che ses d??sirs? Ou vice versa? Merci pour vos ...
Qualitative Research in Psychology, Jun 9, 2014
This article addresses the increasing need in psychology to develop creative research methods tha... more This article addresses the increasing need in psychology to develop creative research methods that adjust both to the research objectives and to a given theoretical framework. By focusing on a study in health psychology, we propose a new tool that may be appropriate to analyse subjective well-being, in particular, but more generally other issues of human experience. Based on a socio-cultural approach, we present how our method embraces psychological phenomena as changing processes embedded within everyday life. Moreover, we describe its longitudinal design characterised by the possibility to access meaning through two stages separated by time yet closely interlinked: the first made up of a descriptive interview on "a day in the life" and the second one of a reflective interview, mobilising a "turning back" to daily activity in order to further develop related intentions and values. Through empirical results, we show how this method may be particularly fruitful in reaching in-depth qualitative data through indirect means. Implications for research in the psychological field are discussed.
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Special Issues by Maria del Rio Carral
Papers by Maria del Rio Carral