Men and Women of the Corporation

Many people in "literate" societies, when asked to define literacy, almost always do so in terms of reading
and writing abilities This narrow interpretation of literacy, an
offspring of reductionist psychology, has reigned supreme in many academic and educational contexts for decades, greatly shaping literacy theories and classroom practices Within the past ten years, however, a large body of multidisciplinary
research has begun to undermine the authority of this
perspective by situating literacy in larger social practices

Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourses.

The Seasons of a Man’s Life

The landscape of qualitative research: theories and issuesSage The landscape of qualitative research: theories and issues 480 £24.95 0761926941 0761926941

The Routledge handbook of health communication

Mentoring theory and practice has evolved significantly during the past 40 years. Early mentoring models were characterized by the top-down flow of information and benefits to the protege. This framework was reconceptualized as a reciprocal model when scholars realized mentoring was a mutually beneficial process. Recently, in response to rapidly changing organizational and social environments, scholars have explored other models of mentoring such as developmental networks. However, as we, the authors, reflect on our own experience of an informal mentoring process in an academic context we find existing models inadequately describe our experience. The model that best fits our story is a complex adaptive systems (CAS) perspective of the mentoring relationship, and we offer this lens to reconfigure current models.

The Mentoring Relationship as a Complex Adaptive System: Finding a Model for Our Experience

Aims and objectives
This study seeks to identify the factors that shape the communication networks of men who face a potential diagnosis of prostate cancer, and how these factors relate to their disclosure about their changing health status.

Background
Men facing a potential diagnosis of prostate cancer are in a challenging situation; the support benefits of disclosing their changing health status to others in their communication networks is set against a backdrop of the potential stigma and uncertainty of the diagnosis.

Design
All men on a prostate biopsy waiting list were eligible for inclusion in an exploratory and interpretive study.

Methods
Semi-structured interviews with 40 men explored their network structures and disclosure of health information. Thematic analysis highlighted the factors which contributed to their network structures and their disclosure about their health status.

Results
Four network factors shaped men's perspectives about disclosing their health status: (1) tie strength, comprising both strong and weak ties; (2) knowledgeable others, with a focus on medical professionals in the family; (3) homophily, which included other individuals with a similar medical condition; and (4) geographical proximity, with a preference for face-to-face communication.

Conclusion
Communication networks influence men's disclosure of their health status and in particular weak ties with medical knowledge have an important role. Men who use the potential for support in their networks may experience improved psychosocial outcomes.

Relevance to clinical practice
Using these four network factors-tie strength, knowledgeable others, homophily or geographical proximity-to forecast men's willingness to disclose helps identify men who lack potential support and so are at risk of poor psychosocial health. Those with few strong ties or knowledgeable others in their networks may be in the at-risk cohort. The support provided in communication networks complements formal medical care from nurses and other health professionals, and encouraging patients to use their communication networks improves the psychosocial health of the men themselves, their partners and their families.

Communication networks of men facing a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Men's use of networks to manage communication tensions related to a potential diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Communication networks contribute to health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for men living with prostate cancer. However, the mechanisms for understanding how communication networks shape HRQOL are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to test three models explaining the communication networks and related communication variables for HRQOL. A total of 214 men with prostate cancer in New Zealand completed a survey questionnaire describing aspects of their networks including opportunities for connection, social support/undermining, status disclosure, communication efficacy, and HRQOL. The findings support a mediating model of communication networks where social undermining has a direct and negative impact on HRQOL, and an indirect effect mediated through communication efficacy, which has a direct and positive impact on HRQOL. Contrary to previous studies, social support and disclosure did not significantly impact HRQOL in this sample. The benefits of developing communication efficacy and...

Communication Network Structures and Content of Men with Prostate Cancer: Models for Explaining Health-Related Quality of Life.

Background: Communication tensions are experienced by men not only while waiting for a prostate biopsy, but also subsequently, whether they are diagnosed with cancer or cleared of prostate issues. ...

Dot Brown

Papers

The Mentoring Relationship as a Complex Adaptive System: Finding a Model for Our Experience

Communication networks of men facing a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Men's use of networks to manage communication tensions related to a potential diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Communication Network Structures and Content of Men with Prostate Cancer: Models for Explaining Health-Related Quality of Life.

Changes in communication tensions for men facing prostate cancer: a longitudinal study