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Perceptions of good parent–adolescent relationships were explored among 19 Mexican American high school students aged 14–17 who participated in focus group interviews on what it means for Mexican American teenagers to have good relationships with parents. Using a grounded theory approach, five general themes emerged in the responses, corresponding to open communication, instrumental and emotional support, indirect expressions of caring, parental control, and valued relationship qualities. Both genders described distinct relationships with mothers and fathers. Relationships with mothers were closer and more open than relationships with fathers, and mothers were seen as being more affectionate, lenient, and emotionally supportive, whereas fathers tended to express caring indirectly by providing instrumental and financial support and by just being there. Parental upbringing, culture, gender, and parental role expectations emerged as explanations for parents' behavior. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.

The waiting period for liver transplantation is a difficult time fraught with uncertainty and associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. To understand better what it means for a transplant patient to wait, the authors explore in this phenomenological study the meaning that people with liver failure ascribe to the experience of waiting for a transplant. They conducted 9 interviews using phenomenological methods of inquiry as a guide for analysis. Eight core themes emerged from 146 significant statements and corresponding meaning units. The experience of waiting includes transformations, doctors, teams and trust, elation to despair, loss, questioning the process, searching, coping, and the paradox of time. The essence of the experience is discussed in light of the theory of chronic illness as a disruption of biographical narrative. The authors highlight implications for the transplant teams and other health care providers.

The effects of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) on sexual functioning are complex and often overlooked in the context of chronic illness and the transplantation evaluation. The aim of the present study is to report on the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with ESLD presenting for liver transplantation evaluation, as well as to examine a cohort after transplantation. Participants included 173 consecutive adult outpatients with ESLD who presented for orthotopic liver transplantation evaluation. All transplant candidates underwent a psychiatric evaluation, and a sexual history was taken by the transplant psychiatrist. Patients who received a liver transplant were contacted by telephone for follow-up (n ϭ 39). The following domains were explored: sexual frequency, satisfaction, ability to orgasm, sexual interest, and, for men, erectile dysfunction. Before transplantation, high levels of sexual dysfunction were found, with women showing higher levels of dysfunction than men. Increased age and more severe liver disease were related to lower sexual frequency and satisfaction. Contrary to previous work, the cause of disease (alcoholic liver disease) was not related to sexual functioning before transplantation. Those with erectile dysfunction before transplantation showed continued dysfunction after transplantation. An additional finding was an age and gender bias against taking a sexual history from older women. Overall, for both men and women, the findings point to continued and persistent sexual dysfunction after transplantation. Few areas of human behavior are as complex as sexuality. Experiencing oneself as a sexual being and engaging in sexual activity involves a wide range of psychological processes such as emotions, attitudes, and values integrated with optimal physiological functioning. Sexual function, consequently, is uniquely sensitive to illness, psychological distress, and disequilibrium in interpersonal relationships. Chronic illness is associated with sexual dysfunction and results in diminished sexual activity due to malaise, fatigue, and changes in body image. The effects of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) in this arena can be profound and have been attributed to the constitutional effects of illness. For men, hypogonadism and feminization are associated with cirrhosis.1 The impact on women is unclear. In fact, the literature on sexual dysfunction in ESLD essentially ignores women.In addition to the specific effects of liver disease, patients with ESLD have a host of other factors that are likely to adversely influence sexual functioning. With respect to men, vascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and neuropathy are associated with erectile dysfunction. 2 A host of medications can contribute to erectile dysfunction, although it is difficult to separate the effects of the underlying condition from the drug used to treat it.3,4 Several of these medication classes are commonly prescribed to treat patients with ESLD. They include diuretics, beta-blockers, and antidepressants. Like...

Abstract:The goal of the current study was to explore notions of masculinity and their linkages to HIV/AIDS among Owambo men and women in Namibia, where an estimated one-fi fth of 15-49 year-olds have acquired HIV. Thirteen open-ended interviews and three focus groups were conducted with 50 male and female participants aged 19-50 in rural and urban Namibia. Qualitative analysis revealed six central themes: the evolving meanings of masculinity, power dynamics between men and women, women as active agents, the tension between formal and informal education and HIV transmission, alcohol and masculinity, and the blending of masculinity and explanations of HIV and AIDS. The fi ndings suggest both direct and indirect linkages between notions of masculinity and AIDS, and highlight the need for prevention efforts that focus on providing alternative avenues for attaining culturally recognized markers of masculinity.Résumé: L'objectif de cette étude était d'explorer les notions de masculinité et leurs liens avec le VIH/sida chez les hommes et les femmes Owambo de Namibie, où l'on estime que un cinquie`me des personnes de 15 à 49 ans sont infectées par le VIH. Treize entretiens ouverts et trois groupes focus ont été menés avec 50 participants de sexe masculin et féminin, aˆgés de 19 à 50 ans et vivant dans des zones rurales et urbaines de la Namibie. Une analyse qualitative fait ressortir six thèmes centraux: l'évolution des signifi cations de la masculinité, la dynamique de pouvoir entre hommes et femmes, le rôle actif des femmes en tant qu'intermédiaires, la tension entre l'éducation formelle, informelle, et la transmission du VIH, l'alcool et la masculinité, la combinaison entre la masculinité et les explications sur le VIH/ sida. Les résultats suggèrent à la fois des liens directs et indirects entre les notions de masculinitéet le sida, et soulignent les besoins en efforts de préven-tion concentrés sur des alternatives permettant d'acquérir des marqueurs de la masculinité culturellement reconnus.Resumen: El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las nociones de masculinidad y sus vínculos con VIH/sida entre los hombres y las mujeres Owambo de Namibia, donde aproximadamente una quinta parte de la población entre 15 y 49 años es seropositiva. Se llevaron a cabo trece entrevistas abiertas y tres grupos de discusión con 50 participantes masculinos y femeninos, con edades comprendidas entre 19 y 50 años de zonas rurales y urbanas de Namibia. Los análisis cualitativos sacaron a la luz seis temas centrales: los cambios de signifi cado de masculinidad, dinámicas de poder entre hombres y mujeres, mujeres en el rol de representantes activas, la tensión entre educación formal e informal, la transmisión de VIH, el alcohol, la masculinidad, la fusión entre la masculinidad y las explicaciones acerca de VIH y sida . Los resultados indican que existen vínculos directos e indirectos entre las nociones de masculinidad y el sida y señalan que es necesaria la prevención enfocada en ofrecer vías alternativas para alcanzar marcadores cultural...

This study was designed to explore Cuban American adolescents' conceptions of good parent-adolescent relationships and the extent to which they reflect cultural values and gender roles. Focus group interviews were conducted with 23 U.S. Cuban American adolescents (mean age=17.1 years; SD=.90) with at least one immigrant parent. A qualitative analysis of interview transcripts using the tools of grounded theory revealed gendered family roles and relationships across parent-child dyads. Mothers were extensively involved in their children's daily lives, and mother-adolescent relationships were often close; in contrast, fathers were background figures who stepped in to make important decisions and dispense discipline. Boys and girls reported distinct relationships with each parent and linked family roles and relationships to Cuban culture.

This methodological review was undertaken to explore how researchers use mixed methods in culture-specific psychological research. Mixed methods represents a budding approach with the potential to explore the nexus of context and psychology, capturing the uniqueness of psychological phenomena within cultures. Twelve empirical studies that used mixed methods in culturally specific psychology were examined to determine designs commonly used as well as patterns of mixed methods use in culturally driven psychological research. In line with the study by Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) , concurrent, sequential, and embedded designs were identified with some variation. Analyses indicate that mixed methods is an integral means to ask complex psychological questions without imposing Western norms and ignoring contextual factors. Culturally specific psychological research is discussed as an overarching discipline in which culture is at the forefront of psychological discovery and analysis. Mixed methods is situated within this broad discipline as a method that provides distinct contributions to studying the intersections of cultures and psychology.

Much of the literature on study abroad outcomes focuses on language proficiency gains or on the influence of identity factors on opportunities for language learning. A smaller number of studies have looked at the influence of study abroad on participants' identities and have highlighted outcomes that might be placed under the heading of second language identity. Based on a review of this literature and a qualitative, narrative-based study of nine Hong Kong students participating in thirteen- and six-week study abroad programmes, this paper examines the construct of second language identity and its susceptibility to development in study abroad. Three main dimensions of second language identity are identified, related to (1) identity-related aspects of second language proficiency, or the ability to function as a person and express desired identities in a second language setting, (2) linguistic self-concept, or sense of self as a learner and user of the second language, and (3) second language-mediated aspects of personal competence. The study found that most of the students reported developments along all three of these dimensions, although there were variations among individuals that were related both to the duration of the programmes and individual goals and purposes.