Examining the impact of employment on social relationships in urban communities. Intra-community relationships are associated with positive health outcomes for communities and residents by increasing social support, promoting engagement and encouraging community belonging. Community health outcomes are also linked to community socio-economic disadvantage suggesting that strengthened community relationships can potentially reduce socio-economic disparities in health. However, first an understan ....Examining the impact of employment on social relationships in urban communities. Intra-community relationships are associated with positive health outcomes for communities and residents by increasing social support, promoting engagement and encouraging community belonging. Community health outcomes are also linked to community socio-economic disadvantage suggesting that strengthened community relationships can potentially reduce socio-economic disparities in health. However, first an understanding of the complex effects of employment on forming and sustaining community relationships is needed. This research will provide policy makers with evidence to better balance and address objectives of increasing employment, strengthening community and improving health by taking into account their interdependencies.Read moreRead less
The rise of complementary self-care: A national sociological study of women's strategies for coping and living with chronic illness. Conventional approaches to chronic illness in Australia have failed to meet the complex needs of sufferers, leading to an exponential rise in interest in and use of complementary self-care, particularly amongst women. In this study, drawing on a unique national sample of women suffering from chronic illnesses will provide critical insight into women’s complementary ....The rise of complementary self-care: A national sociological study of women's strategies for coping and living with chronic illness. Conventional approaches to chronic illness in Australia have failed to meet the complex needs of sufferers, leading to an exponential rise in interest in and use of complementary self-care, particularly amongst women. In this study, drawing on a unique national sample of women suffering from chronic illnesses will provide critical insight into women’s complementary self-care practices and structures of disadvantage. This study will be the first worldwide to document previously ‘hidden’ complementary self-care practices, providing a new framework for understanding and promoting women's health and wellbeing in the context of chronic illness. Read moreRead less
Institutional abuse and organisational reform in the Australian defence force. This project aims to investigate institutional abuse within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) since 1969. It will collect survivor accounts of Defence abuse and the formal ADF institutional responses to abuse. The focus is to uncover the experiences of survivors of Defence abuse within the historical context of the military at the time. The research intends to analyse the processes of change to policies and practic ....Institutional abuse and organisational reform in the Australian defence force. This project aims to investigate institutional abuse within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) since 1969. It will collect survivor accounts of Defence abuse and the formal ADF institutional responses to abuse. The focus is to uncover the experiences of survivors of Defence abuse within the historical context of the military at the time. The research intends to analyse the processes of change to policies and practices, matched to wider cultural shifts influencing the ADF to diversify its workforce. It is intended the project outcomes will inform wider questions about how institutions respond to social change.Read moreRead less
Therapeutic pluralism in pregnancy, labour and birthing: Decision-making, communication and inter-professional dynamics. Women are frequent users of practices outside 'mainstream' medicine. Pregnancy, labour and birthing (PLB) is a key area of integration, but no research has examined how women perceive obstetrics, midwifery and complementary medicine, or the impact on their health and wellbeing. This study systematically document Australian women's experiences of PLB with a nationally-represe ....Therapeutic pluralism in pregnancy, labour and birthing: Decision-making, communication and inter-professional dynamics. Women are frequent users of practices outside 'mainstream' medicine. Pregnancy, labour and birthing (PLB) is a key area of integration, but no research has examined how women perceive obstetrics, midwifery and complementary medicine, or the impact on their health and wellbeing. This study systematically document Australian women's experiences of PLB with a nationally-representative sample of women of child-bearing age to document decision making, lay-professional communication, and inter-professional dynamics.Read moreRead less
Testing the limits of post-secularism and multiculturalism in Australia, France and the USA: Shari'a in the everyday life of Muslim communities. Focusing on Shari'a, this study examines the legal policies and experiences of Australia, France and the USA with different traditions of citizenship, secularism and common law. The project is designed to test the limits of multiculturalism by exploring whether a recognition of cultural differences implies a recognition of legal differences.
Social Futures and Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland: Waves 2 and 3 of Longitudinal Study. Much has been written about the unprecedented change in society and how it impacts on the identities of young people. It has been argued that young people's life trajectories are much more diverse, flexible and unpredictable than they were in the past. In 2006 the investigators surveyed over 6000 young Queenslanders aged 13 about what they think of their future and how they cope with change. This ....Social Futures and Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland: Waves 2 and 3 of Longitudinal Study. Much has been written about the unprecedented change in society and how it impacts on the identities of young people. It has been argued that young people's life trajectories are much more diverse, flexible and unpredictable than they were in the past. In 2006 the investigators surveyed over 6000 young Queenslanders aged 13 about what they think of their future and how they cope with change. This project follows-up participants when they are 15 and 17 to provide important information for researchers, policymakers and others about how young people think about their futures, engage with society, and move through school, work and family in a world of rapid change and uncertainty.Read moreRead less
Navigating back pain care: a sociological study of women's illness pathways within and between intersecting social worlds. Back pain affects most people at some point in their life. It is difficult to treat, choosing a provider can be confusing, and it is costly for the Government. This project will provide comprehensive data on women's journeys through back pain care, their experiences of different providers, and how they negotiate competing ideological perspectives.
Social Futures, Orientations and Identities of Young People in Queensland. Much has been written about the unprecedented change in society and how it impacts on the identities of young people. It has been argued that life pathways of young people are much more diverse, flexible and unpredictable than they were in the past and that they are developing new strategies of coping with these new conditions. This research will follow a large cohort of young Australians through adolescence to empiricall ....Social Futures, Orientations and Identities of Young People in Queensland. Much has been written about the unprecedented change in society and how it impacts on the identities of young people. It has been argued that life pathways of young people are much more diverse, flexible and unpredictable than they were in the past and that they are developing new strategies of coping with these new conditions. This research will follow a large cohort of young Australians through adolescence to empirically investigate how young people think of their future and how they master their life trajectories in a world of rapid change and uncertainty. Read moreRead less
Describing transition for people living with chronic illness. Our primary aim is to explore transition for people living with chronic illness. Understanding the nature of transition places health care professionals in an excellent position to assist the person living with chronic illness. This is important given that chronic illness has been acknowledged as the prime health concern of this era. We explore, how individuals living with chronic illness make sense of "becoming ordinary" rather than ....Describing transition for people living with chronic illness. Our primary aim is to explore transition for people living with chronic illness. Understanding the nature of transition places health care professionals in an excellent position to assist the person living with chronic illness. This is important given that chronic illness has been acknowledged as the prime health concern of this era. We explore, how individuals living with chronic illness make sense of "becoming ordinary" rather than "being ordinary", exploring how they give meaning to their sense of self and their sense of self capacity. As an interactive participatory action research program with 200 participants, we will validate the emerging transition thesis collaboratively. Resultant action has the potential to enhance participant's lives, foster collective community development, inform health care practice and advance theoretical debates.Read moreRead less
Parents, Time Pressure and Earnings. Parents of young children are time poor. They struggle to find the time to provide both income security and care for young children and themselves. This has become a pressing public policy issue, because an ageing society faces a critical labour shortage unless it mobilizes the underutilized capacity of mothers. The project has the potential to improve the well-being of all family members. Promoting the conditions for good parenting ensures that children have ....Parents, Time Pressure and Earnings. Parents of young children are time poor. They struggle to find the time to provide both income security and care for young children and themselves. This has become a pressing public policy issue, because an ageing society faces a critical labour shortage unless it mobilizes the underutilized capacity of mothers. The project has the potential to improve the well-being of all family members. Promoting the conditions for good parenting ensures that children have a healthy start to life in their early years. Facilitating parents' continuing employment promotes self esteem, self-reliance and the ability to save for a comfortable retirement.Read moreRead less