http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3658 2013-05-24T02:57:30Z 2013-05-24T02:57:30Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4212 2013-03-28T15:37:03Z 1997-02-01T00:00:00Z

Gender differences in the responses of parents to their daughter's non-marital pregnancy Hyde, Abbey

1997-02-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4211 2013-03-28T15:34:23Z 1997-05-01T00:00:00Z

The medicalisation of childbearing norms: encounters between unmarried pregnant women and medical personnel in an Irish context Hyde, Abbey

1997-05-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, A. Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4210 2013-03-28T15:17:33Z 1997-05-01T00:00:00Z

Marriage and motherhood: the contradictory position of single mothers Hyde, A.; Hyde, Abbey

1997-05-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4205 2013-03-28T14:50:26Z 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Single pregnant women's encounters in public: changing norms or performing roles? Hyde, Abbey This paper presents data on single pregnant women's encounters in public in an Irish context. Data were collected using in-depth interviews, which were analysed using a grounded theory strategy. The study was conducted in Dublin City and 51 unmarried women whose ages ranged from 16-36 participated. Findings suggested that while dominant public discourses on non-marital childbearing within the culture were negative (albeit challenged) at the time data were being collected, responses from others whom participants interacted with in verbal face-toface encounters in public were generally (though certainly not exclusively) experienced as positive in tone. An attempt is made to explain the discrepancy between the mainly negative macro messages and mainly positive micro messages by drawing on Erving Goffman's theory of dramaturgy; it would seem that at the micro-level of interaction, a 'performance' was being acted out that may be at variance with definitions of non-marital pregnancy expressed by those beyond the encounter.

2000-01-01T00:00:00Z Surlis, Siobhan Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4203 2013-03-28T14:44:15Z 2001-11-01T00:00:00Z

HIV-positive patients' experiences of stigma during hospitalisation Surlis, Siobhan; Hyde, Abbey The aim of the research to be presented in this article was to explore, within an Irish context, HIV positive patients' experiences of hospitalisation, and particularly their experiences of nursing care. This paper reports on one of the dominant themes to emerge in the study - the experience of stigma among persons living with HIV during their hospitalisation. A volunteer sample of 10 former in-patients of hospitals in the Republic of Ireland’s capital, Dublin, were interviewed in depth, and data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Findings indicate that while some participants experienced stigma from nurses, such stigma was stratified according to the means by which the disease had been contracted, with drug users expressing the greatest feelings of stigma from nurses. Data also suggest that the location of nursing care favoured by many participants was segregated care in specialist units, because it enabled them to avoid being discredited by other patients who did not have the virus, as well as potentially offering social support from like-situated others. Finally, patients experienced breaches in confidentiality because of institutional policies that made their disease conspicuous, and from some nurses' nonchalance in handling information about their disease. The analysis draws on Goffman's conceptualisations of stigma to explain the social process underlying participants' accounts.

2001-11-01T00:00:00Z Drennan, Jonathan Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4195 2013-03-14T17:48:49Z 2008-09-01T00:00:00Z

Social selection and professional regulation for Master's degrees for nurses Drennan, Jonathan; Hyde, Abbey Aim. This paper is a report of a study to understand the perspectives of two sets of stakeholders, namely clinical nursing providers and nursing academics, on how registered nurses should be selected for Master's degree programmes. Background. The proliferation of taught Master's programmes has led to concerns about a lowering of standards. Even with the expansion of professional Master's programmes, they remain one of the least researched areas of higher education. Method. The sampling strategy was a combination of convenience and snowball sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted in 2006-07 with 15 stakeholders and data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Findings. There were differences in service providers' and academics' perceptions of access to Master's level education for nurses. Service providers engaged in regulatory practices, as evidenced in the way in which potential candidates were judged to be suitable or not to undertake a Master's-level education. Academic participants, in contrast, tended to have far fewer concerns about the career plans of applicants and were more likely to invoke discourses of academic educational admission practices. Conclusion. The health services need highly skilled, educated workers whose abilities and knowledge make an impact on the provision of effective patient and client care. This level of education can be achieved through continuing education of the professions by taught Master's degrees. It is imperative that an effective partnerships between clinical service providers and academics are developed to promote understanding of their respective perceptions of admission to the degree.

2008-09-01T00:00:00Z Drennan, Jonathan Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4193 2013-03-14T17:40:41Z 2009-05-01T00:00:00Z

The fragmented discourse of the 'knowledgeable doer': nursing academics' and nurse managers' perspectives on a master's education for nurses Drennan, Jonathan; Hyde, Abbey There has been a proliferation of taught masters degrees for nurses in recent years, and like masters programmes in other disciplines, the aspirations of such educational endeavours are far from unanimous. This article reports on part of a wider study, and focuses on a qualitative analysis of the perspectives of two key sets of stakeholders, namely academic education providers, and senior clinical nursing personnel, on masters education for nurses. Fifteen participants were interviewed in depth, and data were subjected to a qualitative content analysis. Findings indicated that while both sets of participants invoked the discourse of the knowledgeable doer, that is, the notion of amalgamating a high level of theoretical knowledge with practical know how, there were also differences in how each group deployed this discourse. Academics tended to emphasise the knowing that or theoretical aspect of the discourse, whereas those in senior clinical roles adduced the practical component more strongly. We argue that the discourse of the knowledgeable doer is far from stable, unified and universally agreed, but rather comprises competing elements with some emphasised over others according to the subject position of the particular individual. We locate the diverse perspectives of the two sets of stakeholders within debates about the status of masters programmes in relation to vocational and liberal education.

2009-05-01T00:00:00Z O'Connor, Aideen Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4192 2013-03-14T17:37:21Z 2007-02-17T00:00:00Z

Teaching reflection to nursing students: a qualitative study in an Irish context O'Connor, Aideen; Hyde, Abbey Teaching nursing students to reflect on their practice is now officially considered an essential component of nursing education in a number of countries. The aim of this study was to explore nurse teachers’ perceptions and experiences of using reflection with diploma nursing students in an Irish context. One of the central themes to emerge, upon which this article is based, is the manner in which reflection is actually taught and/or facilitated by nurse educators in diploma nursing programmes, and the factors that influence this. Intensive interviews were conducted with 11 nurse teachers and data were analysed using a strategy resembling grounded theory. Findings indicated that the teaching of reflection was influenced by structural and human resource requirements and a lack of organisational commitment within the schools of nursing. Reflective practice did not permeate throughout the curriculum, but was instead an isolated, episodic classroom activity. The prospect of integrating reflective practice, as taught in the schools, with nursing practice in the clinical realms was problematic because of a range of cultural impediments. The repressive culture within the schools of nursing seemed to subvert discussion and debate about the status of reflective practice in the nursing curriculum.

2007-02-17T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Treacy, Margaret P. Scott, Anne P. MacNeela, Padraig Butler, Michelle Drennan, Jonathan Irving, Kate Byrne, Anne http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4190 2013-03-14T17:29:01Z 2006-08-01T00:00:00Z

Social regulation, medicalisation and the nurse's role: insights from an analysis of nursing documentation Hyde, Abbey; Treacy, Margaret P.; Scott, Anne P.; MacNeela, Padraig; Butler, Michelle; Drennan, Jonathan; Irving, Kate; Byrne, Anne Background: Medicine is recognised as a dominant source of governmentality and social regulation, and although nursing has been implicated in the same process, analytical work in this area has been sparse. Objectives: The article aims to present an analysis of nursing records in order to understand the structural and social processes that mediate the texts. Methods: 45 sets of nursing records drawn from four clinical sites in Ireland were subjected to a discourse analysis. Results: This article focuses on two main themes that were derived from data: (i) the manner in which nurses controlled, regulated and invigilated patients' activities of daily living and (ii) the way in which activities of daily living were mediated by a biomedical worldview in the clinical settings. Through the organising framework of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), normative social practices relating to hygiene, eating and drinking, sleeping and so forth were surveyed and monitored within clinical settings. We construct qualitative categories around a range of ways that nurses assessed and judged patients' capacities at ADLs. Furthermore, it is argued that the framework of ADLs epitomises the medicalisation of normative social practices, whereupon the most mundane of normal functions become redefined as an actual or potential clinical pathology, legitimating nursing interventions. According to the nursing documentation, biochemical interventions in the form of various medications were the most dominant means through which nurses attempted to restore or improve the functional capacity of an ADL. Conclusion: We conclude by proposing that nurses' invigilation of patients' ADLs is not necessarily a repressive feature of nursing practice, but rather has the potential to be used to advocate on patients' behalf in certain circumstances.

2006-08-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4189 2013-03-14T17:23:12Z 2007-02-01T00:00:00Z

The politics of heterosexuality - a missing discourse in cancer nursing literature on sexuality: a discussion paper Hyde, Abbey In this article, a critique of cancer nursing literature on the issue of sexuality is presented, with particular reference to literature on cancers common to women. The paper begins with an account of two competing perspectives on sexuality. The first is a version of sexuality rooted in sexology, underpinned by biomedical science that makes a claim to having identified 'normal' sexuality. The second is a version of sexuality developed within feminist scholarship that tends to reject biological determinism as a basis for understanding sexuality, instead favouring constructionist perspectives, with the socio-political context of sexual relations problematised. The focus of the article then shifts to cancer nursing literature on sexuality that deals primarily with cancers common to women, to appraise the extent to which either of the above perspectives on sexuality is invoked. Within this body of nursing knowledge, I argue that there has largely been an uncritical endorsement of biomedical constructions of sexuality, rooted in orthodox sexology, with a dominant focus on sexual functioning and on sexual rehabilitation for women with cancer. Moreover, in this knowledge base, phallocentric heterosexuality over and above other forms of sexual expression is privileged, and the socio-political context of unequal gender power relations is largely excluded. References to the social sphere as a dimension of nursing care are focused almost exclusively on maintaining normality, and reflect the emphasis on functional restoration. The largely individualistic, uncritical and biocentric emphasis in this literature may serve inadvertently to reinforce and maintain existing gender inequalities in heterosexual relationships. Finally, I consider the difficulties for oncology nurses in dealing with contradictory truth claims or conventional wisdoms about sexuality from the disparate disciplines of which holism is comprised.

2007-02-01T00:00:00Z Drennan, Jonathan Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4188 2013-03-14T17:20:46Z 2008-11-15T00:00:00Z

Controlling response shift bias: The use of the retrospective pre-test design in the evaluation of a master's programme Drennan, Jonathan; Hyde, Abbey Student self-report measures of change are widely used in evaluation research to measure the impact and outcomes of an educational programme or intervention. Traditionally the measures used to evaluate the impact of an educational programme on student outcomes and the extent to which students change is a comparison of the student’s pre-test scores with their post-test scores. However, this method of evaluating change may be problematic due to the confounding factor of response shift bias. Response shift bias occurs when the student’s internal frame of reference of the construct being measured, for example research ability or critical thinking, changes between the pre-test and the post-test due to the influence of the educational programme. To control for response shift bias the retrospective pre-test method was used to evaluate the outcomes achieved from students completing a research module at master’s level. The retrospective pre-test method differs from the traditional pre-test-post-test design in that both post-test and pre-test perceptions of respondents are collected at the same time. The findings indicated that response shift bias was evident in student self-reports of change, especially in subjects the student had been previously exposed to at undergraduate level. The retrospective pre-test design found that the programme had significantly greater impact on outcomes that that identified using the traditional pre‐test–post‐test design leading to the conclusion that students may overestimate their ability at the commencement of an educational programme. The retrospective pre-test design is not a replacement for the traditional pre‐test–post‐test measures but may be a useful adjunct in the evaluation of the impact of educational programmes on student outcomes.

2008-11-15T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Roche-Reid, Bernadette http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4187 2013-03-14T17:17:12Z 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z

Midwifery practice and the crisis of modernity: implications for the role of the midwife Hyde, Abbey; Roche-Reid, Bernadette Almost since its inception, the concept of modernity was found to display tensions between its emancipatory potential to liberate the human subject from the manacles of tradition, and the application of reason to co-ordinate and control the natural world through scientific knowledge. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 12 midwives about their role in the Irish maternity services and argues that, in a period of late modernity, these tensions continue to manifest themselves in the context of the midwife's role. Although the contemporary period is marked by a loss of faith in scientific truths, widely contested obstetric knowledge and practices continue to exercise mastery over nature while undermining a central feature of the midwife's role-the liberation of the autonomous subject. Drawing on the theory of communicative action developed by the critical theorist Jurgen Habermas, it is argued that the midwife's role in facilitating the autonomous choices of women through communicative action is impeded by the colonization of the lifeworld of labour and childbirth by the technocratic system of obstetrics. Although participants reported that their role involved empowering women and facilitating choices through dialogue congruent with communicative action, data also suggested that participants used strategic communication with clients aimed at achieving particular ends. The use of strategic communication was linked to the way in which the midwife's role is determined to a large extent by the practices and protocols of obstetrics, and also to the notion of client passivity. The instrumental rationality of obstetrics is linked to an outcome orientation to power and money, and a political economy perspective of medicine. It appears that communicative action between midwives and obstetricians is important in bringing about structural changes to facilitate the conditions for communicative action between midwives and their clients.

2004-06-01T00:00:00Z Lavin, Marie Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4186 2013-03-14T17:13:12Z 2006-02-01T00:00:00Z

Sexuality as an aspect of nursing care for women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer in an Irish context Lavin, Marie; Hyde, Abbey In this article, findings are presented from a study that aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of a sample of nurses in addressing sexuality as an aspect of care for women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. A sample of 10 oncology nurses was selected from oncology units at three hospitals in Ireland, and each participant was interviewed in depth. A qualitative strategy was employed to analyse data. Findings indicated that participants tended to construct sexuality in broad terms, and were well aware of the effects of chemotherapy on a person's sexuality. In addition, they considered sexuality education to be a legitimate and important aspect of their role. However, they also revealed that they avoided addressing sexuality with patients, or encountered structural obstacles in doing so. Some participants expressed anger and frustration when discussing barriers to incorporating sexuality into their practice. A strong theme in data was participants' perceptions that they were not adequately prepared in either pre-registration or post-registration programmes to incorporate sexuality as a dimension of patient care, although post-registration programmes were more likely to furnish them with knowledge about sexuality. Finally, participants' views on sexuality care are considered in the context of Irish culture which until recently was dominated by Catholic Church teachings.

2006-02-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Treacy, Margaret P. Scott, Anne P. Butler, Michelle Drennan, Jonathan Irving, Kate Byrne, Anne MacNeela, Padraig Hanrahan, Marian http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4185 2013-03-14T17:26:15Z 2005-06-01T00:00:00Z

Modes of rationality in nursing documentation: biology, biography and the 'voice of nursing' Hyde, Abbey; Treacy, Margaret P.; Scott, Anne P.; Butler, Michelle; Drennan, Jonathan; Irving, Kate; Byrne, Anne; MacNeela, Padraig; Hanrahan, Marian This article is based on a discourse analysis of the complete nursing records of 45 patients, and concerns the modes of rationality that mediated text-based accounts relating to patient care that nurses recorded. The analysis draws on the work of the critical theorist, Jurgen Habermas, who conceptualised rationality in the context of modernity according to two types: purposive rationality based on an instrumental logic, and value rationality based on ethical considerations and moral reasoning. Our analysis revealed that purposive rationality dominated the content of nursing documentation, as evidenced by a particularly bio-centric and modernist construction of the workings of the body within the texts. There was little reference in the documentation to central themes of contemporary nursing discourses, such as notions of partnership, autonomy, and self-determination, which are associated with value rationality. Drawing on Habermas, we argue that this nursing documentation depicted the colonisation of the sociocultural lifeworld by the bio-technocratic system. Where nurses recorded disagreements that patients had with medical regimes, the central struggle inherent in the project of modernity became transparent--the tension between the rational and instrumental control of people through scientific regulation and the autonomy of the subject. The article concludes by problematising communicative action within the context of nursing practice

2005-06-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Nee, Jean Butler, Michelle Drennan, Jonathan Howlett, Etaoine http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4183 2013-03-14T17:02:45Z 2011-09-08T00:00:00Z

Women's accounts of heterosexual experiences in the context of menopause Hyde, Abbey; Nee, Jean; Butler, Michelle; Drennan, Jonathan; Howlett, Etaoine A number of biomedical models of female sexuality have emerged during the past few decades, and these have been challenged by feminist theorists who have tended to focus on the influence of contextual issues that mediate women's sexual experiences. In this article, a qualitative analysis of accounts relating to heterosexual experiences obtained from 25 menopausal women in Ireland through in-depth interviews is presented and considered in light of existing theoretical perspectives on sexuality. The average age of women in the sample was 54.2 years, and a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds was represented. We found that in describing their contemporary sexual experiences, contextual issues were brought heavily to bear as participants drew on discourses of personal history and biography, including previous relationships, to explain their current sexual experiences. However, a few women foregrounded physiological and biological reasons associated with hormonal changes to explain alterations in their sexual relationship, although overall, these were featured to a far lesser extent compared with their prominent position in biomedical menopause literature. A dominant feature of data was the influence of the discourse of the male sex drive, and many women explained their lesser interest in sexual activity compared with that of their partner in terms of men's nature. The findings suggested that for participants, anxiety around sexuality was socially produced either through the expectation to satisfy a partner, or by dominant discourses that defined sexual engagement as “healthy” and sexual apathy as “unhealthy.”

2011-09-08T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Howlett, Etaoine Brady, Dympna Drennan, Jonathan http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4181 2013-03-14T16:56:01Z 2005-12-01T00:00:00Z

The focus group method: insights from focus group interviews on sexual health with adolescents Hyde, Abbey; Howlett, Etaoine; Brady, Dympna; Drennan, Jonathan This article concerns the manner in which group interaction during focus groups impacted upon the data generated in a study of adolescent sexual health. Twenty-nine group interviews were conducted with secondary school pupils in Ireland, and data were subjected to a qualitative analysis. In exploring the relationship between method and theory generation, we begin by focusing on the ethnographic potential within group interviews. We propose that at times during the interviews, episodes of acting-out, or presenting a particular image in the presence of others, can be highly revealing in attempting to understand the normative rules embedded in the culture from which participants are drawn. However, we highlight a specific problem with distinguishing which parts of the group interview are a valid representation of group processes and which parts accurately reflect individuals' retrospective experiences of reality. We also note that at various points in the interview, focus groups have the potential to reveal participants' vulnerabilities. In addition, group members themselves can challenge one another on how aspects of their sub-culture are represented within the focus group, in a way that is normally beyond reach within individual interviews. The formation and composition of focus groups, particularly through the clustering of like-minded individuals, can affect the dominant views being expressed within specific groups. While focus groups have been noted to have an educational and transformative potential, we caution that they may also be a source of inaccurate information, placing participants at risk. Finally, the opportunities that focus groups offer in enabling researchers to cross-check the trustworthiness of data using a post-interview questionnaire are considered. We conclude by arguing that although far from flawless, focus groups are a valuable method for gathering data about health issues.

2005-12-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Drennan, Jonathan Howlett, Etaoine Brady, Dympna http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4180 2013-03-14T16:53:58Z 2008-06-17T00:00:00Z

Heterosexual experiences of secondary school pupils in Ireland: sexual coercion in context Hyde, Abbey; Drennan, Jonathan; Howlett, Etaoine; Brady, Dympna This paper reports on data from a wider study of young people's heterosexual experiences in Ireland, but focuses in particular on issues of sexual coercion. Data were gathered from 29 focus group interviews with 102 young women and 124 young men and were analysed using a qualitative research strategy. Drawing on concepts of social coercion and interpersonal coercion, we argue that both female and male participants reported a general sense of social coercion to lose their virginity by a certain age. However, narratives of interpersonal coercion were far stronger in the case of the young women compared with their male counterparts, while the young men reported a particular type of social coercion that propelled them to subscribe to conventional heterosexual male behaviour. We argue that while the distinction between social coercion and interpersonal coercion is far from watertight, it is a useful conceptual tool in identifying broad variations in women's and men's sexually coercive experiences.

2008-06-17T00:00:00Z Drennan, Jonathan Hyde, Abbey Howlett, Etaoine http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4179 2013-03-14T16:36:01Z 2009-08-03T00:00:00Z

Sexual behaviour and knowledge among adolescents in Ireland Drennan, Jonathan; Hyde, Abbey; Howlett, Etaoine Background: In the present study the reported sexual activity and aspects of sexual knowledge of adolescents in both rural and urban areas in Ireland was documented. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to secondary school pupils aged 14–19 years during 2003–04. Data were analysed using the software package SPSS version 15.0. Associations between boys and girls, younger (≤15 years) and older respondents (≥16 years), and students from urban and rural schools were measured using the χ2 statistic. Results: The findings indicated that over a third of respondents had experienced sexual intercourse. However, the consistent trend in all previous studies of a greater proportion of boys reporting that they had full sex was reversed in the present study, with a higher proportion of girls stating that they had experienced their sexual debut. With regard to sexual coercion, while only a tenth of boys reported that they felt pressured to have full sex, approximately a third of girls reported that they had at some time felt pressured. Boys manifested a poorer understanding of fertility than girls, with more than half believing that a pregnancy would not occur while a woman was menstruating. Conclusions: Endeavours designed to improve young people’s knowledge of reproductive physiology and the risks they pose to themselves by having sex without a condom need to be improved.

2009-08-03T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4178 2013-03-14T16:32:16Z 2009-02-13T00:00:00Z

Reflective endeavours and evidence-based practice: directions in health sciences theory and practice Hyde, Abbey A range of disciplines, including those in health sciences, have witnessed an increasing emphasis on the discourse of 'evidence-based' practice in professional learning settings, which has a tendency to be viewed as interchangeable with the notion of 'best practice'. In this commentary, I consider the implications of the growth in the dominance of evidence-based discourses for reflective learning as a component of professional learning. In particular, I consider the implications of recent developments for the status of knowledge types such as interpretative knowledge, self-knowledge and experiential knowledge.

2009-02-13T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Carney, Marie Drennan, Jonathan Butler, Michelle Lohan, Maria Howlett, Etaoine http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4177 2013-03-14T16:30:40Z 2010-02-15T00:00:00Z

The silent treatment: parents' narratives of sexuality education with young people Hyde, Abbey; Carney, Marie; Drennan, Jonathan; Butler, Michelle; Lohan, Maria; Howlett, Etaoine This paper is based on research undertaken in Ireland that sought to understand how parents communicate with their children about sexuality. Forty-three parents were interviewed and data were analysed using analytical induction. Data indicated that while parents tended to pride themselves on the culture of openness to sexuality that prevailed in their home, they often described situations where very little dialogue on the subject actually transpired. However, unlike previous research on the topic that identified parent-related factors (such as ignorance or embarrassment) as the main impediments to parent-young person communication about sex, participants in our study identified the central obstacle to be a reticence on the part of the young person to engage in such dialogue. Participants described various blocking techniques apparently used by the young people, including claims to have full prior knowledge on the issue, physically absenting themselves from the situation, becoming irritated or annoyed, or ridiculing parents' educational efforts. In our analysis, we consider our findings in light of the shifting power of children historically and the new cultural aspiration of maintaining harmonious and democratic relations with one's offspring.

2010-02-15T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Nee, Jean Howlett, Etaoine Butler, Michelle Drennan, Jonathan http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4176 2013-03-14T16:22:53Z 2011-04-29T00:00:00Z

The ending of menstruation: perspectives and experiences of lesbian and heterosexual women at menopause Hyde, Abbey; Nee, Jean; Howlett, Etaoine; Butler, Michelle; Drennan, Jonathan This article aims to theorize how a sample of menopausal women, lesbian and heterosexual, construct the ending of their periods, and what the experience means for them. Findings indicate that for most of the lesbian participants (who were in a sizeable minority), emotions of loss at the ending of periods were simultaneously expressed alongside positive feelings, and they engaged in greater introspection around the issue than did heterosexual women. However, lesbians did not all take up a singular subject position in relation to menstruation, indicating that there is fragmentation and plurality in how the body is experienced across a group.

2011-04-29T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Howlett, Etaoine Drennan, Jonathan Brady, Dympna http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4175 2013-03-14T16:20:28Z 2005-12-01T00:00:00Z

Masculinities and young men's sex education needs: problematising client centred health promotion approaches Hyde, Abbey; Howlett, Etaoine; Drennan, Jonathan; Brady, Dympna In recent decades, dominant discourses in health promotion have emphasized empowerment, client participation and the notion of people identifying and being facilitated to meet their own health needs. However, there has been little analysis of the concept of ‘need’ and the possibility, at least, that the fulfilment of some such self-defined needs are not in the interest of social justice and equality. In this article, we present an account of the sex education needs of secondary school pupils from their own perspectives, and problematize the concept of self-identified needs in health education. Twenty-nine focus group interviews were conducted with 226 secondary school pupils in Ireland, and data were subjected to a qualitative analysis. Findings suggested that young men tended to prioritize practical guidance that would provide them with the skills and confidence to take the lead in sexual encounters, and display competence in the act of penetrative sex. We argue that these self-defined sex education needs emanate from a culture of traditional masculinity where, for a male, one's place in the pecking order is derived from one's capacity to conquer, lead and display mastery with regard to sex. In the discussion, we attempt to unpack the notion of clients identifying their own needs and the concept of empowerment as it relates to our data, in the context of gender-based structural inequalities

2005-12-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Drennan, Jonathan Howlett, Etaoine Brady, Dympna http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4174 2013-03-14T15:26:16Z 2008-02-22T00:00:00Z

Safer heterosex: perspectives from young men in Ireland Hyde, Abbey; Drennan, Jonathan; Howlett, Etaoine; Brady, Dympna Background: Existing research indicates that large numbers of people do not consistently use condoms when embarking on sexual relationships and instead use unreliable social cues to determine whether a potential partner is likely to have a sexually transmissible infection. This article reports on an aspect of the first major piece of qualitative research that explored young people's perspectives on sexuality in Ireland, and focuses Oil how young men made sense of risk when it came to sexual behaviour. Methods: Seventeen focus group interviews (collectively comprising 124 young men) were conducted with male secondary school pupils in Ireland, whose ages ranged from 14 to 19 years. Results: The data are structured around three themes that capture how study participants made sense of sexual safety. These themes are: (i) rumour, local hearsay and 'knowing' a potential partner; (ii) the social construction of the 'slut' category; and (iii) women as 'bearers of disease'. Young women in the young men's social group tended to acquire a specific sexual identity, not necessarily through any definitive evidence of their sexual history, but rather through their normative behaviours - dress, presentation, appearance and so forth. It was on this basis that the sexual status of a young woman was judged. Conclusions: Based on participants' accounts, we conclude that notions of safer sex are not merely established in individual discussions between a couple embarking on a sexual relationship, but rather are produced discursively in the wider social setting beyond the sexual encounter

2008-02-22T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Drennan, Jonathan Howlett, Etaoine Brady, Dympna http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4173 2013-03-14T15:23:22Z 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

Young men's vulnerability in constituting hegemonic masculinity in sexual relations Hyde, Abbey; Drennan, Jonathan; Howlett, Etaoine; Brady, Dympna This article reports on a qualitative analysis of theThis article reports on a qualitative analysis of the accounts of young men on their experiences of heterosexual encounters. Based on data collected in Ireland using 17 focus groups with 124 young men aged between 14 and 19 years (a subsection of a wider study), the manner in which intricate peer groupmechanisms acted as surveillance strategies in regulating the young men toward presenting themselves in ways consistent with hegemonic manifestations of masculinity is explored. However, there were also elements of resistance to such a culture in the way in which sexual pleasure for some young men was derived relationally through giving pleasure rather than merely through mechanical, emotionally detached sexual acts that characterize hegemonic masculinity. In emphasizing male vulnerabilities such as uncertainty, fear, and rejection in the realm of sexuality, it is proposed that one must not lose sight of the broader context of male sexual dominance for which, as data indicate, men themselves pay a price.

2009-09-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Nee, Jean Howlett, Etaoine Drennan, Jonathan Butler, Michelle http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4166 2013-03-14T14:48:45Z 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z

Menopause narratives: the interplay of women's embodied experiences with biomedical discourses Hyde, Abbey; Nee, Jean; Howlett, Etaoine; Drennan, Jonathan; Butler, Michelle Conventional approaches to menopause tend to contrast the biomedical position on menopause with women’s actual experiences of it. Rather than focusing primarily on the tensions between these perspectives (biomedical vs. lay), our emphasis here is on the impact of biomedicine in shaping participants’ perceptions of their status as menopausal. Based on interview data gathered from 39 women in Ireland, we argue that the cultural authority of biomedicine shaped participants’ experiences of the body and how they constituted their health identity. We assert that, ironically, this was particularly the case among those who most strongly contested biomedical definitions of their situation. In addition, biomedical practitioners’ definitions had a strong normalizing power in how the body was experienced. We conclude by noting that our analysis problematizes the notion of privileging “women’s experiences” as advocated by some feminist perspectives. The heavy influence of biomedical discourses in shaping participants’ embodied experiences demonstrates the pervasive impact of prevailing discourses on women’s experiences.

2010-06-01T00:00:00Z O'Connor, Aideen Hyde, Abbey Treacy, Margaret P. http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4150 2013-02-28T09:43:38Z 2010-08-18T00:00:00Z

Nurse teachers' constructions of reflection and reflective practice O'Connor, Aideen; Hyde, Abbey; Treacy, Margaret P. This article concerns the meanings that a sample of nurse teachers ascribed to the concepts of reflection and reflective practice as aspects of an undergraduate nursing curriculum. It represents one of the major findings in a qualitative study that set out to explore nurse teachers’ perceptions and experiences of using reflection with diploma nursing students in the Republic of Ireland. Eleven nurse teachers were interviewed intensively, and data were analysed using a strategy resembling grounded theory. Two major themes were identified: reflection and reflective practice as a way of reviewing clinical experiences, and reflection and reflective practice as a way of valuing, developing and professionalising nursing practice knowledge. There was evidence that reflective practice was compartmentalised on nursing curricula, and some participants reported having limited knowledge of reflection. A number of participants alluded to the potential for reflective practice to uncover the hidden wealth of knowledge in everyday nursing practice. There appeared, however, to be a risk that this perceived wealth may be a conceptualisation of the teachers, rather than the students. Reflective learning through the affective domain was perceived as central to caring.

2010-08-18T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Brady, Dympna http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4149 2013-02-28T09:34:21Z 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

Staff nurses' perceptions of supernumerary status compared with rostered service for Diploma in Nursing students Hyde, Abbey; Brady, Dympna Background/rationale. In the Republic of Ireland, the amount of clinical teaching expected of staff nurses has increased substantially in the wake of the transfer of nursing education to universities, and the advent of supernumerary status for students. A modicum of previous research noted that staff nurses are unclear about their role in relation to facilitating the clinical learning of supernumerary students.. Aims of the paper. To explore staff nurses' perceptions of their role in the facilitation of learning for university-educated diploma students in the clinical area and their attitudes towards these students.. Design/methods. Sixteen staff nurses were interviewed in depth using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed qualitatively, using content analysis, with the help of the software package NUD*IST.. Findings. Among the central themes to emerge, upon which this article is focused, was participants' perceptions of supernumerary status compared with rostered service for diploma students. Data suggested that the rostered status of students was generally favoured by staff nurses over and above supernumerary status because, unlike supernumerary students, rostered students did not disrupt the existing social structure within the clinical setting. Both structuration theory and role theory are drawn upon to explain the reproduction of the prevailing social structure, where the concentration is on getting through nursing work with little emphasis on the supervised learning of supernumerary students.. Study limitations. This study is constrained by eliciting only the views of staff nurses. Further studies are required of student nurses' experiences of rostered service and supernumerary status.. Conclusions. Because staff nurses are part of the system within which they work, they need to modify their role to include active student teaching as a legitimate component of that role..

2002-06-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4132 2013-02-22T10:02:54Z 1999-11-01T00:00:00Z

Matrilocality and female power: single mothers in extended households Hyde, Abbey Based on a qualitative study of non-marital pregnancy and childbearing in the Republic of Ireland, this article reports on the gendered power position of unmarried women who return to their parental homes following their babies' births. It is argued that in matrilocal households, centralised male power associated with the traditional nuclear family is diffused to some extent. Empirical evidence to support this notion is to be found in analysing the position of the putative father as ‘guest’ in the home of his partner and child (the martrilocal household) and also in exploring the relationship between the participant and her own father within that household. In relation to her own father, it was found that reproducing an offspring provided the women with some bargaining leverage vis-à-vis her own father within the family home. These reshaped relationships represent, to some extent at least, the undercutting of centralised male authority within the household. Non-marital childbearing in Ireland has increased sharply in the past 20 years (Central Statistics Office, 1974–1994, 1995, 1996), and there is evidence that many unmarried women who have children return to their parental home after the birth Flanagan & Richardson 1992 and Richardson 1992.1 This article reports on the experiences of a subsample of non-marital mothers who returned to their parental home after the babies' births, and focuses specifically on their gendered power position within the parental home since becoming mothers. The matrilocal2 extended family involved a complex network of relations and, it is argued, was the location where traditional patriarchal structures were found to be undermined. Where relations with the putative father were sustained, the power status of the male partner vis-à-vis the participant and child within the matrilocal extended family was eroded to a considerable extent, compared with the power position traditionally held by the male as presumed head of household3 in the nuclear family. Even in those situations where participants were no longer in relationships with the putative fathers, their power position in the home vis-à-vis their own fathers was frequently altered in their favour with the birth of the baby. The article will begin by outlining the methodological stance adopted in the study. This will be followed by an analysis of data on both participants' and putative fathers' positions within the matrilocal home. Participants' relationships with their own fathers since the babies' births will also be theorised. Since the focus of this article is on gendered power experiences within the home, the actual mothering experiences of the women will not be analysed other than where they mediate power relationships and are relevant to the central issue of the article. In conducting the study, there was no a priori assumption that non-marital childbearing was problematic; however, the stigmatisation of this style of mothering in the past Arensberg & Kimball 1968, Darling 1984, Kilkenny Social Services 1972, O'Hare, Dromey, O'Connor, Clarke, & Kirwan 1987, Smyth 1992 and Viney 1964, women's continued disadvantaged position within marriage (see Delphy 1992, Smart 1984 and Walby 1990), and the sharp increase in non-marital motherhood in Ireland (Central Statistics Office, 1974–1994, 1995, 1996) prompted an exploration of the topic.

1999-11-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Treacy, Margaret P. Boland, Jennie Whitaker, Teresa Abaunza, Pilar Santos Knox, Barbara http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4131 2013-02-22T09:58:36Z 2001-12-01T00:00:00Z

Alcohol consumption among 11-16 year olds:"Getting around" structural barriers? Hyde, Abbey; Treacy, Margaret P.; Boland, Jennie; Whitaker, Teresa; Abaunza, Pilar Santos; Knox, Barbara This paper presents qualitative data from Irish children and adolescents on their experiences in relation to alcohol consumption. A sample of 78 participants (average age 11.5 years) was selected. A proportion of this initial sample were interviewed at intervals over a period of 3 years. The participants’ consumption patterns were analyzed and four categories were generated: covert unsanctioned, overt unsanctioned, overt sanctioned, and peer unsanctioned. As the children got older, peer drinking became a stronger feature of the data; however, it mediated other patterns of behavior. Although the children displayed agency in circumventing adult rules relating to alcohol consumption, the participants were subjected to structural constraints by virtue of their status as children. Moreover, the agentic powers of the participants were procured through their social network rather than arising from an essentialist agency possessed by each individual child. The impact of childhood as a structural dimension weakened to some extent as the participants got older and had more freedom to circumvent adult-defined barriers to alcohol consumption.

2001-12-01T00:00:00Z Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4130 2013-02-22T09:52:30Z 2005-12-01T00:00:00Z

What characterizes 'the usual' preoperative education in clinical contexts? Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth; Hyde, Abbey The literature on preoperative education is dominated by studies that employ experimental designs to measure the effects of structured programs on patient outcomes. These studies predominantly compare structured preoperative educational interventions with the usual care that patients receive. However, the notion of what the “usual” care comprises is largely elusive and unexplored. This study aimed to understand how the usual preoperative education is practiced in a number of surgical clinical units at one particular hospital in Ireland. Twelve experienced surgical nurses were interviewed in depth. A qualitative strategy resembling grounded theory was employed to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the content and quality of the preoperative education that patients received depended largely upon the individual nurse caring for the patient. Although there was a generic content of preoperative education that all participants identified as important, this related to physical and technical issues, and to the transmission of administrative or procedural information. Perspectives on the process of delivering preoperative education were diverse. The vast majority did not relate to the formal language of the discourses of teaching and learning; nonetheless, their descriptions of engaging in their work indicated the application of some elements of educational theory. The data suggested that the use of teaching tools was inconsistent, depending on their availability and the practices of individual nurses. On the whole, the usual care as described by participants in our study may be characterized as uneven, variable, and mutable. We conclude by raising some methodological issues relating to the use of the usual care in control groups in experimental studies on preoperative education.

2005-12-01T00:00:00Z Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4129 2013-02-22T09:50:44Z 2006-06-01T00:00:00Z

Nurse-related factors in the delivery of preoperative patient education Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth; Hyde, Abbey Aims and objectives.  This article aimed to explore the factors relating to nurses themselves that influence the delivery of preoperative patient education in everyday surgical clinical contexts at one large general adult teaching hospital in Ireland. Background.  As landmark studies of preoperative education undertaken in the UK in the 1970s identified the superiority of structured programmes of patient education over and above ‘regular’ preoperative care, there have been many intervention/outcome experimental studies carried out in this area. However, there has been little interpretative work conducted that explores the regular, or ‘usual’ preoperative education given to patients in everyday surgical units. Methods.  A sample of 12 experienced surgical nurses was selected and each participant was interviewed in depth. Data were analysed using a qualitative strategy resembling grounded theory. Results.  Findings indicate that preoperative education was variously interpreted by participants, and participants’ accounts suggested that different understandings and practices by nurses resulted in patients receiving different levels of care. In addition, diverse levels of knowledge and experience of individual nurses resulted in unevenness in the type of preoperative education that patients received. A number of participants advocated a more formal method of preparation for nurses in the area of preoperative education. Finally, in some surgical areas, specialist nurses worked side-by-side with regular ward nurses and their input in preoperative education was largely seen by participants in a positive way, particularly in view of the structural constraints that ward nurses faced. Conclusions.  We conclude that nurse-related factors in preoperative education do not arise in a vacuum, but rather are related to the wider organizational practices and culture. The difficulties with preoperative education identified in data may be addressed through organizational investment in preoperative education. Relevance to clinical practice.  This paper produces evidence for nurses and clinical nurse managers about how nurse-related factors impede preoperative education, and may provide a starting point for how to begin to address obstacles to better preoperative care.

2006-06-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4104 2013-02-13T17:07:25Z 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

Unmarried pregnant women's accounts of their contraceptive practices: a qualitative analysis Hyde, Abbey This article presents qualitative data on the contraceptive practices of fifty-one unmarried pregnant women selected at a Dublin maternity hospital. Seven categories have been constructed from data to capture the ways in which the women became pregnant, namely 'fertility denial', 'destiny dependence', 'progressive remissness', 'occasional or intermittent risk-taking', 'calculated risk-taking', 'pro-active fertility management', and 'contraceptive failure or misuse'. It is argued that the variations noted in women's experiences in approaching pregnancy occurred against a background of patriarchal discourses that sometimes intersected to produce contradictory effects.

1996-01-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Murray, Maurice http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4102 2013-02-13T17:02:17Z 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

Nurses' Experiences of Distance Education Programmes Hyde, Abbey; Murray, Maurice Aim.  This paper reports on a study exploring the experiences of nurses undertaking distance education (DE) programmes. Background.  While DE has many advantages in terms of the flexibility, autonomy and freedom that it affords to learners, the literature reports that students undertaking these programmes can also experience feelings of being disconnected and isolated. Methods.  A convenience sample of 15 participants was selected, and data were collected using in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using a qualitative design that drew most heavily on the methodological procedures of grounded theory. Findings.  Habermas’ theory of communicative action was found to be relevant to the interpretation of data and four categories were constructed to explain participants’ experiences in relation to DE, namely: lifeworld lamented; lifeworld experienced; lifeworld ceded and learning within a bounded system. These categories reflect the manner in which participants experienced the lifeworld component (the interactive and subjective dimensions) and the system component (objective and outcome oriented dimensions) of the educational realm. While data indicated diversity in how the boundedness of the programmes was experienced, overall such standardized, instrumental courses were viewed favourably by participants within the limitations of their own personal circumstances. Conclusion.  Distance education as a means of disseminating nursing knowledge should be strengthened. The challenge for nurse educators is to develop DE programmes that minimize their limitations and maximize their potential.

2005-01-01T00:00:00Z Drennan, Jonathan Hyde, Abbey http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4097 2013-02-12T11:54:32Z 2008-11-15T00:00:00Z

Controlling response shift bias: The use of the retrospective pre-test design in the evaluation of a master's programme Drennan, Jonathan; Hyde, Abbey Traditionally the measures used to evaluate the impact of an educational programme on student outcomes and the extent to which students change is a comparison of the student's pre‐test scores with his/her post‐test scores. However, this method of evaluating change may be problematic due to the confounding factor of response shift bias when student self‐reports of change are used. Response shift bias occurs when the student's internal frame of reference of the construct being measured, for example research ability or critical thinking, changes between the pre‐test and the post‐test due to the influence of the educational programme. To control for response shift bias the retrospective pre‐test method was used to evaluate the outcomes achieved from students completing a research module at master's level. The retrospective pre‐test method differs from the traditional pre‐test–post‐test design in that both post‐test and pre‐test perceptions of respondents are collected at the same time. The findings indicated that response shift bias was evident in that the programme had significantly greater impact on outcomes than identified using the traditional pre‐test–post‐test design leading to the conclusion that students may overestimate their ability at the commencement of an educational programme. The retrospective pre‐test design is not a replacement for the traditional pre‐test–post‐test measures but may be a useful adjunct in the evaluation of the impact of educational programmes on student outcomes.

2008-11-15T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Nee, Jean Drennan, Jonathan Butler, Michelle Howlett, Etaoine http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4087 2013-02-11T17:14:51Z 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z

Hormone therapy and the medical encounter:  a qualitative analysis of women's experiences Hyde, Abbey; Nee, Jean; Drennan, Jonathan; Butler, Michelle; Howlett, Etaoine Objective: The aim of this article was to explore women's experiences in biomedical consultations for menopause symptoms, with a particular focus on how hormone therapy (HT) featured during the encounter. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 39 women, and data were analyzed using a qualitative strategy referred to as Thematic Networks. Results: Several participants whose menopause started before the period of the HT "scares" described being "put on" HT as a matter of course, even when their symptoms were mild. By contrast, some of those presenting in the more recent time period with what they deemed to be severe symptoms were more likely to describe scenarios whereby they pressured their physicians for an HT prescription. Once on HT, participants were found to be far from passive recipients of a biomedical "treatment" but rather embarked on an active dialogue with themselves about how to manage the distressing aspects of menopause. Conclusions: Using HT did not tend to spell a transition to biomedical advocacy, despite its reported effectiveness in moderating bodily distresses. Rather, HT tended to retain a tentative status as a temporary relief and not a long-term panacea.

2010-03-01T00:00:00Z Hyde, Abbey Drennan, Jonathan Howlett, Etaoine Carney, Marie Butler, Michelle Lohan, Maria http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4084 2013-01-29T17:09:24Z 2012-08-31T00:00:00Z

Parents' constructions of the sexual self-presentation and sexual conduct of adolescents: discourses of gendering and protecting Hyde, Abbey; Drennan, Jonathan; Howlett, Etaoine; Carney, Marie; Butler, Michelle; Lohan, Maria In this paper, we explore the discourses on sexuality that a sample of parents drew upon when they talked about teenage sexual self-presentation and conduct. The sample consisted of 43 parents (32 mothers and 11 fathers) of young people aged 10–19 years. Data were gathered using in-depth interviews and were analysed using a strategy known as modified analytical induction. Findings indicated that while an acceptance the traditional heterosexual script permeated participants' accounts, and protective discourses in relation to young women were brought to bear, so, too, were protective discourses invoked in relation to young men. On the whole, young women tended to be cast as sexual subjects who chose to self-sexualise and this was sometimes seen by participants as a threat to young men. We argue that the discourses that parents connoted were multiple and sometimes contradictory, and our analysis problematises the notion that conventional discourses singularly cast women as objects of male sexuality. However, the overall picture indicated that in parents' narratives, young women tended to be more heavily regulated and either viewed as needing protection from male sexual advances or castigated for encouraging them.

2012-08-31T00:00:00Z