"My midwife said that having a glass of red wine was actually better for the baby": a focus group study of women and their partner's knowledge and experiences relating to alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: While it is well established that alcohol can cross the placenta to the foetus and can affect an infant's development, many women continue to drink during pregnancy. For this reason it is important to determine what information is being provided, what information may be missing, and the preferred sources of information on this issue. In order to improve prevention strategies, we sought to understand the knowledge and experiences of pregnant women and their partners regarding the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. METHODS: The current study utilised a qualitative study design in order to gain insight into the views and experiences of pregnant women, newly delivered mothers and their partners. Focus groups examined the participant's knowledge about the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, the sources of information on this issue, and the psycho-social influences on their drinking behaviour. Five focus groups were conducted involving a total of 21 participants (17 female). A six-stage thematic analysis framework was used to analyse all focus group discussions in a systematic way. RESULTS: Seven major themes were identified from the focus group data: 1) knowledge of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; 2) message content and sources; 3) healthcare system; 4) society and culture; 5) partner role; 6) evaluation of risk; and 7) motivation. The findings indicated that although the majority of participants knew not to drink alcohol in pregnancy they had limited information on the specific harmful effects. In addition, routine enquiry and the provision of information by health care professionals were seen as lacking. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this research provide important insights in to the relationship between pregnant women, their partners, and their healthcare providers. Several recommendations can be made on the basis of these findings. Firstly, public health messages and educational materials need to provide clear and consistent information about the effects of alcohol consumption on the developing baby. Additionally, more thorough and consistent routine enquiry for alcohol consumption in pregnant women needs to occur. Finally, it is important to ensure ongoing education for health professionals on the issue of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Reflective positioning : the impact of conversations in the social and cultural environment of midwifery practice settings on professional learning for students

Literature reviews on the topic of reflection and reflective practice encompassed midwifery, nursing, medicine, allied health, education and professional education. This investigation also included socio-psychological theories by leading authors such as Benner (nursing), Schön (professional education) and positioning theory by Harré and others. Positioning is a psycho-sociological ontology in which individuals metaphorically position themselves within three entities: people, institutions, and societies, where conversations are constructed and make an impact upon the social world. The social and cultural structures and interactions developed in Archer’s morphogenesis were examined in terms of the impact of possible encounters and the transformational effects of learning experiences in practice settings. These bodies of work provided the theoretical framework for the author’s research of students’ experiences in midwifery education for postgraduate students from which selected excerpts with three participating students and their supervising midwives are presented. These excerpts are related to reflective practices and the professional conversations conducted between students and midwives. It was found that reflective positioning applied in midwifery education by students can serve as an analytical tool in explaining social and cultural elements of clinical placements to influence and transform their learning. The potency of conversations that occur in everyday moment-to-moment interactions do contribute to students’ induction in professional midwifery practice and their identity formation as a midwife.

The impact of social phobia on quality of life: the advantages of anxiety support groups

Social phobia is the least well known of the anxiety disorders and it is perhaps also the least well understood. The lifetime prevalence rates for social phobia, which range from 3% to 13%, clearly indicate that social phobia is a widespread mental health problem. Those affected by social phobia often live their lives around the limitations of the disorder including avoidance of social situations, depression and loneliness. Thus for these individuals, social phobia becomes an impairing disorder which can have long-term negative impacts on work performance and social relationships. Anxiety support groups offer an important resource to sufferers of social phobia. Support groups provide a potentially safe and confidential environment in which to interact with others. Support groups also have the potential to help to de-stigmatize the disorders for sufferers as all members share similar concerns that are often not well understood by others. The practical benefits to be derived from anxiety support groups are presented through the discussion of two case studies.

GLBT workplace experience : the impact of social practices, oranisational context and personal factors on turnover decisions

‘Gay Rights’ have recently become a major issue in many Australian employers with the enactment of new legislation. Thus, research on employment issues for GLBT (gay/ lesbian/ bisexual/ transgendered) members of the work has attracted considerable attention from academic and researchers in recent years. However, there is still little research relating to sexual orientation in the management literature. This paper develops a model exploring the impact of potential personal and contextual factors (legal system, industry and organisational) on turnover decisions of GLBT members of the workforce. This paper also suggests a number of potential topics and methodological issues for future research.

Social engineering and its impact via the internet

Historically social engineering attacks were limited upon a single organisation or single individual at a time. The impact of the Internet and growth of E-Business has allowed social engineering techniques to be applied at a global level. The paper will discuss how new social engineering techniques are being applied and puts forward a conceptual model to allow an understanding of how social engineering attacks are planned and implemented against E-Business activities.

Impact of social expectations on ethical governance of sport organisations

Sport business is different; one of these differences is the significant and important cultural role that sport plays in society. This paper investigates the social expectations of sport, and how these expectations impact on the management and governance of sport organisations. Interviews were undertaken with the directors and CEOs of the Australian Football League and its clubs, to examine the concept of social expectations and ethical governance. Five key themes of the social expectations of sport were found: scrutiny, sport business, sport context, social investment, and the historical development of the club. Each of these themes was identified through the data analysis as having a potential impact on the management and ethical governance of sport organisations. A clearer understanding of the social and cultural context within which sport organisations operate, enables sport organisations to implement sound policy and practices for ethical governance.

The impact of living environment on satisfaction with social relationships upon commencing university

Making the transition to university is a significant life event for many young people. It is believed that strong social relationships can help make this transition more successful. In this study, 201 full-time, first year university students completed a survey in order to examine whether those students who remained living with their parents differed on a range of social relationship variables compared to those who lived on-campus or off-campus independently from their parents. Results revealed that students living independently off-campus reported significantly lower satisfaction with their living environment and opportunities to make new friends at university, as well as significantly higher levels of depression, and higher levels of loneliness which approached significance. These findings indicate that universities may need to focus more attention on this particular sub-group, in an attempt to increase the successful transition of students from high school to university. Future research could endeavour to develop strategies for increasing university students' social relationships and support networks.

Assurance of corporate social responsibility reports : impact on report users' perceptions of reliability

This study examined whether (1) assurance, (2) the level of assurance (reasonable vs. limited), and (3) the type of assurance provider (accountant vs. specialist consultant) affect users’ perceptions of reliability of sustainability reports. Based on an experimental questionnaire, we find that the provision of assurance improves report users’ perceived reliability of the environmental and social information. There were no significant main effects between the two experimental factors; level of assurance and type of assurance provider, and report users’ perceptions of the reliability of sustainability reports. However, a significant interaction was found between the two experimental factors and report users’ perceptions of reliability of such reports. More specifically, report users placed more confidence in the sustainability reports where the level of assurance provided is reasonable (high), and when such assurance is provided by a top tier accountancy firm, rather than when the assurance is provided by a specialist consultant. No such difference was found when the level of assurance provided was limited (low) for either type of assurance provider group. The results of this study thus highlight the relevance of assurance for sustainability reporting.