Unpacking the black box: The problem of agency in the sociology of youth
- Authors: Coffey, Julia , Farrugia, David
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Youth Studies Vol. 17, no. 4 (2014), p. 461-474
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- Description: Agency is a conceptual problem for youth studies. While the term is used in many analyses of young people's lives, this paper argues that the nature and conceptual meaning of agency remain ambiguous: agency is a 'black box' which while fundamental to youth sociology remains unpacked. Ontological and epistemological confusion about the concept means that appeals to agency in contemporary youth sociology beg the very questions they claim to answer. Nevertheless, the concept has become central to the conceptual and political basis of youth research, coming to stand for practices that are 'bounded' by structures and resist existing states of affairs. This limits the explanatory power of theoretical frameworks in youth studies, and does not serve the ethical commitments of a politically engaged discipline. Identifying conceptual and normative problems raised by the way agency is deployed, this paper argues that a conceptually powerful and politically engaged youth sociology must move beyond the problem of agency as it stands, and incorporates theoretical perspectives on youth subjectivities and social action that indicate possibilities for how this might take place. © 2013 Taylor & Francis
Young people and structural inequality : beyond the middle ground
- Authors: Farrugia, David
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Youth Studies Vol. 16, no. 5 (2013), p. 679-693
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- Description: This paper draws on recent debates about the work of Ulrich Beck to explore the conceptual promise of concepts such as individualisation and reflexivity for understanding contemporary youth inequalities. The aim of the paper was to suggest a theory of reflexivity that views reflexive practices as one of the ways that inequalities operate in modernity. The argument is made in three stages. In the first, debates about the meaning of reflexivity for understanding young people's identities are reviewed, foregrounding suggestions for dialogue and synthesis between the individualisation thesis and the work of Bourdieu. Taking this as a starting point, the paper then reviews changing themes in the literature on young people's identities and the structuring of their biographies amidst conditions of social change, arguing that reflexivity is an important feature of young people's identities, and that reflexive practices articulate classed inequalities under conditions of 'structured fragmentation'. The paper then argues that reflexivity is a means by which the dispositions of the habitus are realised and reworked in practice. The paper concludes by emphasising that reflexive practices are oriented towards local structural conditions, and are one of the ways in which economies of cultural capital operate in late modernity. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
- Description: 2003011218
The role of loneliness and self control in predicting problem gambling behaviour
- Authors: McQuade, Anne , Gill, Peter
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Gambling Research Vol. 21, no. 1 (2012), p. 18-20
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Predicting recklessness in emerging adults: A test of a psychosocial model
- Authors: Teese, Robert , Bradley, Graham
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Social Psychology Vol. 148, no. 1 (2008), p. 105-126
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- Description: Emerging adults—people aged 18–25 years—frequently behave recklessly. This study sheds light on the role of 4 psychosocial predictors of recklessness: (a) impulsivity, (b) peer pressure, (c) perceived risk, and (d) perceived benefits. The authors obtained self-report data from 208 emerging adults. All predictors were significantly correlated, in the expected directions, with 3 forms of reckless behavior: (a) reckless substance use, (b) reckless driving, and (c) reckless sexual behavior. Regression analyses revealed that, controlling for gender, relationship status, and social desirability, impulsivity predicted reckless substance use and sexual practices, peer pressure predicted reckless substance use, perceived risk predicted reckless driving, and perceived benefits predicted all three recklessness types. The authors’ psychosocial model of emerging adult recklessness gained additional support from the finding that all 4 predictors explained unique variance in overall recklessness.
- Description: C1
Towards a spatialised youth sociology: The rural and the urban in times of change
- Authors: Farrugia, David
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Youth Studies Vol. 17, no. 3 (2014), p. 293-307
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Emplacing young people in an Australian rural community : An extraverted sense of place in times of change
- Authors: Farrugia, David , Smyth, John , Harrison, Tim
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Youth Studies Vol. 17, no. 9 (2014), p. 1152-1167
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- Description: This paper explores the identities of young people in an Australian rural town in relation to contemporary discussions of place and social change. The paper responds to dominant narratives in youth studies which position individualised, reflexive subjectivities at the centre of a homogeneous, placeless modernity with an emplaced analysis of contemporary youth identities. Young people's narratives reveal an attachment to place created in community activities and day to day farm life, articulated in the language of the ‘rural idyll’. Narratives about imagined future lives articulate classed and gendered competencies and dispositions acquired in and through place, reflexively mobilised in life planning practices. Therefore, whilst substantial social changes are reshaping youth identities across rural places, young people's responses to these changes are forged in the way that identities are emplaced, as well as articulated in reflexive orientations towards their future lives. © 2014, © 2014 Taylor & Francis.
Critically reflecting on the Australian association of social workers code of ethics : Learning from a social work field placement
- Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Ennis, Gretchen
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Social Work Vol. 48, no. 5 (2018), p. 1370-1387
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- Description: When a student experienced a personally challenging situation during field placement, she and her field supervisor worked through the scenario together, using a process of critical reflection. Many ideas and assumptions were unsettled for both, and aspects of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics were questioned. Using critical reflection as a pedagogical tool, we reflect on how discourses affect our practice. We demonstrate this by undertaking a political reading of the AASW Code of Ethics. Our analysis exposes tensions between the core social work value of ‘respect for persons’ and the practice responsibility of social workers to undertake culturally competent, safe and sensitive practice. We suggest that the Code of Ethics is predominantly embedded in Kantian philosophy and limits our ability to practise in culturally sensitive ways, as it denies the impact that knowledge and power have on our work with Indigenous communities specifically, and all non-Western peoples more broadly.
Marital status and problem gambling among Australian older adults : The mediating role of loneliness
- Authors: Botterill, Emma , Gill, Peter , McLaren, Suzanne , Gomez, Rapson
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gambling Studies Vol. 32, no. 3 (2016), p. 1027-1038
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- Description: Problem gambling rates in older adults have risen dramatically in recent years and require further investigation. Limited available research has suggested that social needs may motivate gambling and hence problem gambling in older adults. Un-partnered older adults may be at greater risk of problem gambling than those with a partner. The current study explored whether loneliness mediated the marital status-problem gambling relationship, and whether gender moderated the mediation model. It was hypothesised that the relationship between being un-partnered and higher levels of loneliness would be stronger for older men than older women. A community sample of Australian men (n = 92) and women (n = 91) gamblers aged from 60 to 90 years (M = 69.75, SD = 7.28) completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The results supported the moderated mediation model, with loneliness mediating the relationship between marital status and problem gambling for older men but not for older women. It appears that felt loneliness is an important predictor of problem gambling in older adults, and that meeting the social and emotional needs of un-partnered men is important.
The fatigue and depressive symptom relationship in mothers of young children : The moderating role of mindfulness
- Authors: Riley, Kym , Gent, Angela , McLaren, Suzanne , Caunt, Jeremy , Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Mindfulness Vol. 9, no. 6 (2018), p. 1955-1965
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- Description: Previous studies have demonstrated that fatigue is a risk factor for depressive symptoms in mothers of young children. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the five facets of mindfulness moderated the relationship between fatigue and depressive symptoms in mothers of young children. A sample of 723 mothers of children aged 1–5 years completed the Fatigue Assessment Scale, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form. Results showed that four out of the five mindfulness facets (non-judging of inner experience, non-reactivity to inner experience, acting with awareness, and describing) weakened the relationship between fatigue and depressive symptoms. Interaction effects were found to be small. Further investigation of the unique roles of the five mindfulness facets as well as other possible protective factors and interventions that may weaken the fatigue-depressive symptom relationship in mothers of young children is warranted.
Testing the emotional vulnerability pathway to problem gambling in culturally diverse university students
- Authors: Hum, Sandra , Carr, Sherilene
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gambling Studies Vol. 34, no. 3 (2018), p. 915-927
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- Description: Loneliness and adapting to an unfamiliar environment can increase emotional vulnerability in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) university students. According to Blaszczynski and Nower’s pathways model of problem and pathological gambling, this emotional vulnerability could increase the risk of problem gambling. The current study examined whether loneliness was associated with problem gambling risk in CALD students relative to their Australian peers. Additionally, differences in coping strategies were examined to determine their buffering effect on the relationship. A total of 463 female and 165 male university students (aged 18–38) from Australian (38%), mixed Australian and CALD (23%) and CALD (28%) backgrounds responded to an online survey of problem gambling behaviour, loneliness, and coping strategies. The results supported the hypothesis that loneliness would be related to problem gambling in CALD students. There was no evidence of a moderating effect of coping strategies. Future research could test whether the introduction of programs designed to alleviate loneliness in culturally diverse university students reduces their risk of developing problem gambling. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018.
The functional field of view of older adults is associated with contrast discrimination in the magnocellular not parvocellular pathway
- Authors: Power, Garry , Conlon, Elizabeth , Zele, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Vol. 76, no. 6 (2021), p. 1086-1094
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- Description: Objectives: As we age, the functional field of view (FFOV) declines and these declines predict falls and motor vehicle accidents in older adults (Owsley, C. (2013). Visual processing speed. Vision Research, 90, 52-56. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2012.11.014). To increase understanding of possible causes of this decline, the current study explored whether the FFOV in older adults is associated with the sensitivity of the magnocellular and parvocellular sub-cortical pathways. Method: Forty-four younger (M = 27.18, SD = 5.40 years) and 44 older (M = 72.18, SD = 5.82 years) adults completed an FFOV test and the steady- and pulsed-pedestal paradigms of Pokorny and Smith (Pokorny, J., & Smith, V. C. (1997). Psychophysical signatures associated with magnocellular and parvocellular pathway contrast gain. Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, Image Science, and Vision, 14, 2477-2486. doi:10.1364/josaa.14.002477) as measures of magnocellular and parvocellular pathways, respectively. Results: Older adults made more FFOV errors and had higher contrast discrimination thresholds in both the steady- and pulsed-pedestal paradigms, than younger adults. FFOV errors in the younger group were not related to contrast discrimination thresholds. In multiple regression, older group FFOV errors showed a strong unique association with contrast discrimination thresholds mediated via the magnocellular, but not the parvocellular pathway. Discussion: We infer that reduced magnocellular pathway contrast sensitivity may contribute to reduced functional vision in older adults. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
“It runs in your blood” : reflections from treatment seeking gamblers on their family history of gambling
- Authors: Dowling, Nicki , Francis, K. , Dixon, R. , Merkouris, Stephanie , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gambling Studies Vol. 37, no. 2 (2021), p. 689-710
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- Description: There are considerable gaps in our understanding of the familial transmission of gambling problems. This convergent mixed-methods study aimed to explore the: (1) sources of heterogeneity in the familial (paternal, maternal, and sibling) transmission of gambling problems; (2) degree to which family-of-origin characteristics are associated with family-of-origin problem gambling; and (3) beliefs of gamblers about the nature of the familial transmission of problem gambling. The sample consisted of 97 treatment-seeking gamblers in Australia. One-quarter (25.5%) of participants reported that at least one family member (16.5% father, 7.5% mother, 7.6% siblings) living with them when they were growing up had a gambling problem. Most participants reported that family members with a positive history of problem gambling were biological relatives, lived with them full-time, and experienced long-term difficulties with gambling. Participants with a family history of problem gambling were young (less than 12 years of age) at the onset of parental, but not sibling, problem gambling, were women, and reported difficulties with the same gambling activity as their family member. Participants raised in families with problem gambling were more likely to report parental separation (risk ratio [RR] = 2.32) and divorce (RR = 2.83), and extreme family financial hardship (RR = 1.80), as well as low levels of paternal authoritative parenting than participants raised in non-problem gambling families. Qualitatively, both social learning and genetics were perceived to play a central role in the familial transmission of gambling problems. These findings inform theories of the familial transmission of gambling problems and the design of targeted prevention and intervention strategies. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Shane Thomas” is provided in this record**
Patterns of family and intimate partner violence in problem gamblers
- Authors: Suomi, Aino , Dowling, Nicki , Thomas, Shane , Abbott, Max , Bellringer, Maria
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of gambling studies Vol. 35, no. 2 (2019), p. 465-484
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- Description: While the evidence about the statistical co-occurrence of family violence and problem gambling is growing, the mechanism by which the two behaviours are related is less clear. This study sought to clarify the dynamics of the problem behaviours, including the role of gender in victimisation and perpetration of violence in the family. Two-hundred-and-twelve treatment seeking problem gamblers (50.5% females) were recruited for interviews about past year FV and IPV experiences. The interviews included questions about the types of FV and IPV using the HITS tool (Sherin et al. in Fam Med Kans City 30:508-512, 1998). The questions addressed multiple family members, the temporal order of violence and gambling and the perceived associations between the two behaviours. The result show that well over half (60.8%; 95 CI = 54.1-67.2) of the participants reported some form of violence in the past 12 months, with no gender differences in relation to perpetration and victimisation. Bidirectional violence (43.9%; 95 CI = 37.4-50.6) was significantly more common than 'perpetration only' (11.3%; 95 CI = 7.7-16.3) or 'victimisation only' (5.7%; 95 CI = 3.3-9.6). Violence was mostly verbal, although considerable rates of physical violence also featured in the responses. 'Participants' own gambling preceded violence in a majority of the interviews but a small group of IPV victims reported that being a victim had led to their problematic gambling. These results can be used inform prevention, better treatment matching and capacity building in family violence and problem gambling services, where a significant focus should be on situational IPV.