Kerry Chamberlain

Cancer survival is increasingly prevalent, and the longevity of survivors enable them to provide insights into the experiences of living with cancer. The objective of this article is to consider the roles that health practitioners play that can facilitate or provide hindrances to investigations and cancer treatment following a diagnosis of cancer. From 2020 to 2022, 81 interviews were conducted with Māori and non-Māori throughout Aotearoa New Zealand identified as having survived cancer for a long time, from 4 to 37 years. Three primary roles were identified from the participants’ stories: practitioners as gatekeepers, brokers, and boundary enforcers. We suggest that each of these roles is based on different forms of integrity: professional, personal, and scientific. Findings raise concerns about the potential for the healthcare system to foster iniquitous outcomes and to marginalise those who explore alternative understandings of cancer and its treatment. To better support survivorship the healthcare system could be more expansive in its approach, improve its performance in the capacity to detect cancer signals, particularly in patients with a prior history of disease, and take a more tailored approach to cancer survivorship.

Although a diagnosis of a life‐limiting cancer is likely to evoke emotions, such as fear, panic and anxiety, for some people it can also provide an opportunity to live life differently. This article is based on research undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand on the topic of exceptional cancer trajectories. Eighty‐one participants who had been identified as living with a cancer diagnosis longer than clinically expected were interviewed, along with 25 people identified by some of the participants as supporters in their journey. For some participants the diagnosis provided the opportunity to rethink their lives, to undertake lifestyle and consumption changes, to be culturally adventurous, to take up new skills, to quit work and to change relationships with others. The concepts of biographical disruption and posttraumatic growth are considered in relation to these accounts, and it is argued that the event of a cancer diagnosis can give license for people to breach social norms.

The aim of this study was to explore health perceptions and self-defined facilitators to health in general population. An additional aim of the study was to assess if these perceptions were connected with the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. We applied photo-elicitation method by gathering original photographs and narratives (captions) via social media and e-mails. Participants (N = 50) were asked to answer the question: 'What does it mean to be healthy?'. Data were collected online in Poland. We generated and interpreted the main themes associated with common perceptions of health and self-defined facilitators to health using polytextual thematic analysis. The health perception themes were, health as: a 'long journey'; keeping balance; and self-acceptance. The main facilitators to health were: enjoyment of activities that are part of a healthy lifestyle; planning time for rest; contact with nature, and supportive relationships. Participants' perceptions of how Covid-19 impacted on their health differed. The findings provide evidence for individual health perceptions and self-defined facilitators to health and can support the development of future health interventions.

Concerns have been raised about how viewing Sexually Explicit Internet Material (SEIM) shapes adolescents’ understanding of sexual relationships and has potentially negative impacts. However, research frequently takes a narrow view of adolescent SEIM use and excludes their understandings. The present study explored how 13 participants, aged 14 to 15 years, made sense of their experiences with SEIM. In-depth individual interviews were conducted, and five dominant dilemmas faced by participants were abstracted using interpretive analysis. We discuss how these dilemmas were negotiated by adolescents using various strategies. The analysis provides new understandings of how adolescents interpret their SEIM experiences and highlights the limitations of understanding SEIM use solely through risk models. On a practical level, these findings can inform youth, parents and caregivers, and professionals as to how they might understand and help young people navigate the complex area of SEIM.

This critical conceptual article focuses on how adolescent pornography use is commonly researched, examining the key assumptions made in researching pornography and its potential harm. The article first considers the contextual foundations involved in researching adolescents and pornography, which has a long history steeped in notions of indecency and protection. We examine empirical research in the field and how findings translated into media and policy outlets. This leads to the identification and critical discussion of three dominant assumptions in the field: that exposure leads to continued viewing; that increased viewing leads to harm; and that pornography provides the template for sexual practice. This analysis suggests that research has functioned under highly homogenized presumptions about adolescent pornography use and its effects. We argue that there is a fundamental need to broaden pornography research by directly engaging adolescents to include their perspectives in research and in the translation of research into policy and education.