Gout flares are an important concern for people with gout and an understanding of patients’ experiences with gout flares is central in developing meaningful outcome measures for clinical trials. This ...study aimed to systematically review and thematically synthesize the qualitative literature reporting the patient experience of gout flares, to inform the development of flare-specific outcome measures.
MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus and PsycINFO electronic databases were searched in October 2019 to identify original qualitative research articles reporting on the patient experience of gout flares. Methodological quality of all included papers was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tool. Following data extraction, coding and synthesis was undertaken using reflexive thematic analysis.
Sixteen papers reporting the patient experience of gout flares were included. The majority of CASP criteria were met by most studies, indicating good methodological quality. Four predominant and overlapping themes were identified from the thematic analysis: gout flare characteristics (pain, swelling, location, duration and frequency); impact on function and activities of daily living (walking, housework and yard work, self-care, exercise and sports, driving, sleep); effects on social and family life (social participation, inability to plan, employment, dependency, relationships, intimacy); and psychological impact (boredom, irritability, fear, shame and embarrassment, isolation, financial worry, depression and anxiety).
Gout flares impact many aspects of patients’ lives, including physical and psychological and social and family life. The patient experience of gout flares goes beyond what is routinely measured in research settings. Measurement and reporting methods that capture these aspects of patients’ experiences with gout flares would provide more meaningful outcome measures in clinical trials of flare prevention.
A key lifestyle change people could make to reduce their environmental impact is to reduce their meat consumption. However, meat is still a staple in many people's diet, and some consumers are ...reluctant to cut down. Meat substitutes, if accepted as adequate replacements for meat, may offer a suitable alternative without leaving consumers feeling dissatisfied. The aim of the present study was to identify psychological barriers to reducing meat consumption and increasing use of meat substitutes among Swedish consumers. Participants engaged in focus group discussions around purchasing, preparing, and consuming meat and meat substitutes. Four main themes were identified through thematic analysis: uncertainty, scepticism, health, and identity. These are discussed in relation to previous work on the barriers to reducing meat consumption. Strategies to communicate the environmental impact of meat to consumers and effect change through behavioural interventions are considered.
Sense of place is a fundamental concept in human geography, yet challenging to measure given its intangibility and idiosyncrasy. Meanwhile, there are increasing opportunities for social scientists to ...utilize big data and automated approaches to data analysis, albeit with some wariness, but few researchers directly compare automated to manual analysis in the context of sense of place. This study applies two analytical approaches to a survey question on sense of place: semi-automatic search term analysis around semantic fields, and inductive thematic analysis. Results show high agreement between the approaches, with more tangible aspects of place (recreation) better correlated than more abstract concepts (appreciation). Variation mainly relates to the ability of inductive coding to address false negatives, implied meaning, or obscure search terms. This demonstrates the potential value of hybridizing to improve the accuracy of a search term-based approach, and overcome the limitations, such as subjectivities, of one analytical approach.
•The research compares search term-based and thematic analysis to understand sense of place.•Tangible aspects of place (such as recreation) agree more than more abstract elements (such as cultural heritage).•We advocate a hybrid coding approach to combine the advantages and overcome the limitations of each approach.•A hybrid approach facilitates use of Big Data as well as deployment in applied fields such as social impact assessment.
This study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted emerging adults. Previous COVID-19 research with this age demographic has focused on specific facets of life transitions (e.g., academic or ...economic stress) but does not consider the interrelatedness of these life domains. This project fills this gap by allowing participants to report on any aspects of their life to better understand frequent challenges with and experiences that may have helped with managing “the new normal” of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst typical transitions of emerging adulthood.
Qualitative and quantitative data gathered in July 2020 (n = 145) and January 2021 (n = 143) as part of a longitudinal study of emerging adults (18–24 years) who were enrolled at a Midwestern United States University at baseline were analyzed to explore impacts of COVID-19, particularly in relation to stress.
Qualitative results demonstrate a range of negative COVID-19 effects, including health challenges and relationship strain. Interestingly, positive effects were also reported, including allocating more time for hobbies and spending quality time with loved ones. Quantitative findings indicate that COVID-19 distress did not increase over time, but perceived exposure to pandemic effects significantly increased. A general perceived distress measure demonstrated a slight decrease in distress over time, suggesting a potential adjustment to ‘the new normal.’
COVID-19 impacted multiple domains of typical developmental transitions for many emerging adults in our sample. Individual qualitative reports demonstrate uniquely personal impacts of COVID-19, while thematic trends appear across responses (e.g., relationship strain). Health care providers must consider how these impacts influence the wellbeing of emerging adults with whom they work as the pandemic continues to evolve.
•COVID-19 uniquely impacted emerging adult relationships, health, and work.•Emerging adults report many negative and positive impacts of COVID-19.•Pandemic related distress and general distress fluctuate differently.•Evidence-based COVID-19 responses are needed to support emerging adult transitions.
“Involution” refers intensive and irrational competitions in workplace, “lying flat” is the phenomenon in which individuals perform the bare minimum of work required for employment. This study ...investigates the life experience of Chinese Music Teachers (CMTs) participating in involutionary work activities, explores how they cope with involution by “lying flat.” In-depth interviews with 16 participants identified three stages of involutionary work activities engagement: involvement, conflict, and defense. CMTs employed three “lying flat” ways including evasive behaviors, emotional compensation, and swan strategy. Findings suggest that “lying flat” serves as a strategy for teachers to avoid burnout, providing insights into emerging buzzwords across various cultures.
•The title-oriented teachers’ evaluation mechanism drives involution among teachers.•CMTs are affected by conflicts arising from subject competition, pedagogical research, musical skills, and teacher recruitment.•CMTs perceive “lying flat” as a defensive measure against involution.•When faced with competitions, CMTs resort to evasive behaviors, self-acceptance, and the swan strategy as means of “lying flat.”•“Lying flat” serves as a strategy for teachers to avoid burnout.
Navigating the world of qualitative thematic analysis can be challenging. This is compounded by the fact that detailed descriptions of methods are often omitted from qualitative discussions. While ...qualitative research methodologies are now mature, there often remains a lack of fine detail in their description both at submitted peer reviewed article level and in textbooks. As one of research's aims is to determine the relationship between knowledge and practice through the demonstration of rigour, more detailed descriptions of methods could prove useful. Rigour in quantitative research is often determined through detailed explanation allowing replication, but the ability to replicate is often not considered appropriate in qualitative research. However, a well described qualitative methodology could demonstrate and ensure the same effect.
This article details the codebook development which contributed to thematic analysis of qualitative data. This analysis formed part of a mixed methods multiphase design research project, with both qualitative and quantitative inquiry and involving the convergence of data and analyses. This design consisted of three distinct phases: quantitative, qualitative and implementation phases.
This article is aimed at researchers and doctoral students new to thematic analysis by describing a framework to assist their processes. The detailed description of the methods used supports attempts to utilise the thematic analysis process and to determine rigour to support the establishment of credibility. This process will assist practitioners to be confident that the knowledge and claims contained within research are transferable to their practice. The approach described within this article builds on, and enhances, current accepted models.
This study explores public perspectives on art therapy, a vibrant and evolving field, revealing exciting opportunities to reshape misconceptions held by the public and healthcare professionals. It ...spotlights the use of social media as a communicative tool to collect authentic feedback on health services. The surge in social media usage opens new doors for capturing spontaneous, real-world opinions, with platforms like Quora and Reddit offering a treasure trove of data. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examines online conversations about art therapy, employing precise content and thematic analyses with In Vivo coding. It identified ten themes across five key areas including efficacy, outcomes, applications, purpose, and professionalism. Significantly, the findings illuminate a rising tide of positive perceptions around art therapy methods and goals, with a trend of increasingly favourable views emerging over the last five years, showcasing the growing impact and acceptance of the field.
•The study adds depth to understanding public perception of art therapy.•The study reveals a progressive shift in public attitudes toward art therapy.•Analysis of social media conversations shows growing acceptance of art therapy.
ChatGPT was first released in November 2022, which has led to varying reactions among educators. Educators are one of the major stakeholders in the education system. As a result of this, educators’ ...perceptions of ChatGPT are worth investigating to inform future policy decision-making. This study examined the perceptions of ChatGPT among educators using an online survey. Thematic coding was conducted to interpret perceptions about their concerns about ChatGPT and their thoughts on the potential benefits of ChatGPT in education. The results indicated that even though educators did not know much about ChatGPT yet, they were open to receiving training about its applicability within education. Educators mentioned plagiarism/cheating, loss of higher-order thinking skills, overreliance on technology, lack of authenticity, decreasing content comprehension, fears of the unknown, and concern for social-emotional well-being as their concerns. On the other hand, educators were hopeful about developing teaching materials to reduce workload, instant information access, and a higher level of teaching using ChatGPT. The findings of the study suggest some important implications and recommendations for educators and policymakers.
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