The importance of how research participants think they are perceived: results from an electronic monitoring study of antiretroviral therapy in Uganda

Novel monitoring technologies in HIV research, such as electronic adherence monitors (EAMs), have changed the nature of researcher-participant interactions. Yet little is known about how EAMs and the resulting interaction between researchers and participants affect research participation and the data gathered. We interviewed participants and research assistants (RAs) in an observational cohort study involving EAMs for HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Uganda. We qualitatively explored interviewees’ views about ethical issues surrounding EAMs and assessed data with conventional and directed content analysis. Participants valued their relationships with RAs and were preoccupied with RAs’ perceptions of them. Participants were pleased when the EAM revealed regular adherence, and annoyed when it revealed non-adherence that contradicted self-reported pill-taking behavior. For many, the desire to maintain a good impression incentivized adherence. But some sought to creatively conceal non-adherence, or refused to use the EAM to avoid revealing non-adherence to RAs. These findings show that participants’ perceptions of the study staff's perceptions of them affected the experience of being monitored, study participation, and ultimately the data gathered in the study. Investigators in monitoring-based research should be aware that social interactions between participants and study staff could affect both the practical and ethical conduct of that research.     

Realizing Present and Future Promise of DIY Biology and Medicine through a Trust Architecture

The speed and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the limits of current health systems and the potential promise of non-establishment research such as “DIY” research. We consider one example of how DIY research is responding to the pandemic, discuss the challenges faced by DIY research more generally, and suggest that a “trust architecture” should be developed now to contribute to successful future DIY efforts.     

Attachment Insecurity and Sexual and Relational Experiences in Saudi Arabian Women: The Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness and Sexual Assertiveness

BackgroundAttachment and intimacy play an important role in shaping sexual and relational experiences. Yet, their interrelation has rarely been investigated in the context of sexual problems and never been tested in Saudi Arabian women.AimThe present study examined the interrelations of attachment orientation and sexual function, distress, satisfaction, and relational satisfaction in a sample of Saudi Arabian women and explored whether this link can be explained by 2 important aspects of (sexual) intimacy, namely perceived partner responsiveness (PPR) and sexual assertiveness.MethodThis is a cross-sectional, observational study in a sample of 50 heterosexual women with sexual problems and 50 control women without problems, who completed an Arabic version of questionnaires on attachment orientation, sexual assertiveness, PPR, relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress, and sexual function.ResultsWe found that both attachment anxiety and sexual refusal showed a significant association with the level of sexual function, sexual distress, and sexual satisfaction (P < .01) in the clinical group. No mediating effects of sexual refusal were found. In the control group, sexual function, sexual distress, and sexual satisfaction were predicted by attachment avoidance (P < .01). Level of sexual function was also predicted by sexual initiation (P < .05). PPR fully mediated the association between attachment anxiety and relational satisfaction in the clinical group (P < .01), while in the control group the link between attachment avoidance and relational satisfaction was only partially mediated by PPR (P < .01).Strengths & LimitationsThis study offers unique information on relational and sexual functioning in a culture in which sexual expression and intimate behavior are restricted, particularly in women.Clinical ImplicationsPerceiving the partner as being more responsive is an important target of intervention to increase satisfaction with the relationship.ConclusionsOur results suggest that attachment anxiety and low sexual assertiveness, as indicated by lower tendencies to refuse sex when not desired, play a significant role in predicting negative sexual experiences in women who cope with sexual difficulties.Attaky A, Kok G, Dewitte M. Attachment Insecurity and Sexual and Relational Experiences in Saudi Arabian Women: The Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness and Sexual Assertiveness. J Sex Med 2020;17:1383–1394.     

“I felt like I was really talking to you!”: intimacy and trust among teen vloggers and followers in Portugal and Brazil

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes how female teen YouTubers manage intimacy and trust in the narration of their personal lives and the ways in which this is perceived by followers. The analysis of two case studies of popular teen YouTubers from Portugal and Brazil – SofiaBBeauty and Manoela Antelo, respectively – revealed that their presentation is anchored in discourses about whom they are with and where they are, what they are doing, and their personal tastes and styles. Through their comments on the videos, followers express trust connections with the vloggers, based on a sense of proximity, a desire for exclusivity in their relationship, relatability with banal aspects, and recognition as cultural intermediaries. These case studies have demonstrated strong similarities in the vloggers’ practices of constructing intimacy and consequent trust with peer audiences, bearing great resemblance with older YouTubers from central cultures. Although Sofia and Manoela put forward different class performances, the trust they inspire in their followers is a fundamental form of capital for both.     

Trust,choice and obligation: a qualitative study of enablers of colorectal cancer screening in South Australia

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the second highest cancer prevalence and mortality rates in Australia. The Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) aims to increase early detection of CRC by offering free faecal occult blood testing. The NBCSP aims to offer choice to consumers about whether or not to participate in screening. This article presents data on trust, choice and perceived obligation to participate in the NBCSP by population groups with low uptake. A qualitative study was undertaken in South Australia. We interviewed 94 people from four culturally distinct groups: Greek, Iranian, Anglo‐Australian and Indigenous peoples. This article demonstrates the complexity of factors shaping the choice, or lack thereof, to participate in the NBCSP. Informed choice is based on adequate knowledge, although this varied among our participants, highlighting the need for more health education in appropriate languages. An obligation to participate was found in the Iranian and Anglo‐Australian groups and resulted from an established personal relationship with the doctor, a sense of duty, the acknowledgement of government investment and appreciation. Overall, this article makes a link between trust, choice and obligation, adding to literature on the sociology of trust and medical screening and highlighting important issues in the need of a policy and practice to improve CRC screening rates.