Mental ill health in the elderly: medical students’ social representations in the United Kingdom

Objective This study aims to explore medical students’ social representations of mental ill health in older adults. Method It comprises an exploratory and qualitative investigation based on the theory of social representations. Two focus groups with pre-clinical medics (group 1, N=4; group 2, N=4) and 10 individual interviews with clinical medical students were conducted. Thematic analysis at a latent level explored meanings and differences between groups. Results Three overarching themes reflect participants’ representations of mental health problems in later life – mental ill health in old age, polarisation of care, and challenges to care. Primary health care appears as an important strategy to overcome barriers to mental health care in the community. Nevertheless, disqualifying representations, stigma and organization of services constitute the main challenges to quality mental health care in later life. Conclusion This paper highlights the need to address cultural and organizational barriers to promote quality care.

Reasons and meanings attributed by women who experienced induced abortion: an integrative review

OBJECTIVE Identifying the contribution of developed research on what motivates women to induce an abortion and the meaning attributed to these experiences in their lives. METHOD An integrative review conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, BDENF, CINAHL and SciELO databases, covering the periods from 2001 to 2011. RESULTS We selected and analyzed 11 studies with selection criteria being reasons given by women for inducing abortion and/or the meaning attributed to this experience in their lives, including social, religious, ethical and moral aspects related to this practice, as well as the suffering experienced from the experience. The illegality of abortion is identified as a risk factor for unsafe abortions, reaffirming this issue as a public health and social justice problem. CONCLUSION Results evidence aspects that can contribute to improving health quality and ratify the importance of research to support nursing practices.

Social representation of Alzheimer's disease for family caregivers: stressful and rewarding

Abstract OBJECTIVE To understand the content of Social Representation (SR) of family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. METHOD Interviews were conducted with 26 caregivers and analyzed by the ALCESTE software. RESULTS The SR content was structured in two thematic axes called Daily Life and Care and Medical and Emotional Concepts and Outcomes. The first axis creates images related to the routine of interaction with the sick person, and contains a description of care procedures, experiences, and practices applied every day. The second is composed of subjective and conceptual aspects that make up the social representation of Alzheimer's disease, with meanings related to the emotional, medical, and biological contexts. CONCLUSION Due to the importance of topics related to patients' dependence and the personal and emotional consequences of the disease, overload is the main content of the SR of Alzheimer's disease for caregivers, and the understanding of these SR by health professionals should support the planning of interventions addressing this group of individuals.

A Cúpula Mundial sobre o Desenvolvimento Social e os paradoxos de Copenhague

Este artigo analisa a Cúpula Mundial sobre Desenvolvimento Social, realizada em Copenhague, em 1995, onde foram debatidos os problemas e as possíveis soluções para o desenvolvimento social e do bem-estar humano de todos.

Multi-level governance and social cohesion in the European Union: the assessment of local agents, a study case inside Galicia

Implementing multi-level governance has been a key priority in EU cohesion policy. This study assesses the perceived achievements and shortcomings in implementing European Social Fund by analyzing the deficits and weaknesses as well as the poor participation of local agents who are in direct contact with the beneficiaries in order to design and implement this fund, which is the main financial instrument of EU social policy.