A discourse analysis was performed based on an online document under the headline: “What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)?” published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), USA. Three parts of the document were analysed: (1) The introductory part, as this sets the tone of the whole text. (2) Parts of the text that were specifically addressed to parents. (3) Etiology and pathology of “ADHD” with reference to a number of different symptoms and behaviors. Inattention and hyperactivity are presented in the document as a floating spectrum of symptoms caused by “ADHD.” Other factors of importance for children's development, that is, early attachment, close relationships, previous experiences, culture, and contexts are ignored. Children who are perceived as inattentive and hyperactive are portrayed as having inherent difficulties with no reference to their emotions or efforts to communicate. The child is viewed as suffering from a lifelong disorder that might not be cured but controlled by a diagnosis and subsequent medication. Parents are advised to control their child's behavior and to strive for early diagnosis in order to receive treatment provided by experts. Those who are presented as experts rely on a biomedical model, and in the document, detailed descriptions of medication to correct the undesired behaviors are provided. The value of judgment in the assessment of different symptoms and behaviors that signifies “ADHD” is absent, rather taken-for-granted beliefs were identified throughout the document. A heterogeneous set of behaviors is solely described as a disorder and hereafter it is stressed that the same behaviors are caused by the disorder. In this manner, cause and effects of “ADHD” are intertwined through circular argumentation.
Previous research indicates that parents have limited insight into their teenagers' activities and experiences on the internet. The purpose of the present study was therefore to investigate associations between mothers' and fathers' insight and teenagers' experiences of the internet. A total of 538 teenagers (242 girls, 296 boys), aged between 13 and 15, and their 798 parents (491 mothers, 307 fathers) participated in the present study. Findings revealed that parental trust in sensible teenage internet use and parental active participation in teenage internet use were related to parental insight into teenage experiences on the internet. It is possible that a relationship based on trust and active engagement facilitates parental insight into teenage activities. Keywords Family relationship, internet, parents and adolescentsIn years gone, teenagers' social arenas were spatially located in the immediate environment and included, for example, school, friends' homes and activities in youth and leisure centres. In contemporary societies the additional everyday arena of the internet has emerged (Livingstone, 2010). Studies from Western and Asian societies indicate that more than 90 per cent of teenagers aged between 12 and 16 report using the internet frequently, and that about half of these teenagers use the internet every day, in some cases for several hours a day (Ferguson
Background: The challenges facing people with chronic tinnitus include finding relief and rebuilding quality of life. However, previous traumatic episodes may influence adjustment and prolong suffering. Recovery implies reducing aggravating reactions and improving social roles, relationships and interests. Self-narratives about living with tinnitus have not yet received the attention they deserve in the research literature. Thus, the main goal of the present study was to illustrate how tinnitus suffering interacts with the participants' unique life histories. Method: Four women and one man (ages 52-58) took part in the study after consulting a special hearing clinic for annoying tinnitus. Criteria for inclusion were that tinnitus was regarded as a problem with negative consequences for quality of life. The participants should be willing to share how the experience of tinnitus suffering interacts with their previous life story. Narrative methodology was employed in order to achieve the goals of the study. We used unstructured interviews with free conversation, which allowed for rich narratives with full contextual meaning. Results: The findings, based on the narrative analysis, revealed that three out of five participants presented a regressive form of narrative indicating ongoing struggles beyond tinnitus itself, which they were unable to bring to closure. For them, valued goals were continuously thwarted by frustrating circumstances in their lives, either past events or current unresolved issues. Progressive and stable narratives, as identified in the other two participants, demonstrated values that rely on others' attitude and understanding toward their suffering, in sharp contrast to the regressive narratives. We suggest that a central issue in tinnitus rehabilitation should be to help suffering patients to overcome unresolved conflicts and thereby extend their ability for a fuller commitment in life. Conclusion: Considering enduring tinnitus as a chronic condition, whose course is likely to vary depending on the patient's general health status, an alteration of progressive and stable narratives is likely to occur during the lifespan. A progressive narrative shows Erlandsson et al. Tinnitus and Life Histories similarities to the core construct of the salutogenesis model of health promotion (1). In conclusion, a narrative approach in tinnitus rehabilitation can be health promoting by offering the patient the opportunity to engage in storytelling, which in turn can increase comprehensibility and a sense of coherence.
Contemporary parents turn to social media to discuss parental issues. The aim of the present study was to analyze 198 posts on online discussion forums posted by parents whose adolescents had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or who suspected that their adolescent would meet the diagnostic criteria for an ADHD diagnose. Narrative thematic method was used to explore whether parents used a medical discourse for making meaning of their adolescents' behaviors. The results showed that parental narratives were predominantly influenced by the medical discourse where adherence to the neurobiological framework provided a sense of coherence that guided parents' meaning-making of adolescent hardship. Parents used an ADHD diagnosis to reconstruct the personal narrative of the adolescent into a more socially accepted identity. Additionally, parents envisioned a dark future if ADHD went undetected, leading parents to engage in intense battles to obtain diagnoses. Narrators in the present study viewed a responsible parent as a parent who would fight for the right to an ADHD diagnosis and medication on behalf of the adolescent. Social workers should be aware of that parents may on online discussion forums encourage each other to interpret adolescent development within a medical framework.
Self-harm has become a prevalent problem among young people. Research reveals that people who self-harm tends to avoid seeking health care due to fear of being judged or dismissed and instead prefer support from peers on online forums. These online forums are ideal tools for gaining access to the often-hidden world of self-harmers and can be used as sources of research data. In the present study the research objective was thus to gain insights into how individuals narrate meaning of their experiences related to self-harm. As research tool the narrative psychological approach was adopted for the analysis of 648 online narratives. The main findings in the present study were that online narratives tended to reflect narrative fragmentation, incoherence and confusion. The narrators expressed difficulties understanding their own needs behind the acts of selfharm but tended to perceive these acts as coping strategies for regulating emotional distress and built up pressure. The development of self-destructive coping mechanisms was sometimes described as stemming from adverse childhood experiences. The online narratives were discussed and interpreted within an attachment based theoretical narrative framework conceptualizing how attachment needs in childhood can be associated with pain and suffering if these needs have consistently been dismissed or met with hostility. Although the narratives in the present study may not generalize to all individuals who self-harm, clinicians can benefit from understanding the phenomenon of self-harm from an inside perspective.
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