Lying at the intersection of research on male sexuality and drug use harm reduction, French research on chemsex has grown exponentially over the past twenty years. This momentum reflects both the scientific community’s growing interest in these two issues, and the strong commitment by funding bodies to finance and support this area of research.However, chemsex research is not immune to power struggles and conflicts arising from different epistemological positions on science: some social actors see research as a tool for public health, while others adopt a more critical stance concerning the dominant biomedical approaches adopted internationally.Our investigation comprised a sociological analysis of 16 interviews conducted with academic, association-based, and institutional researchers based in France who have participated in studies on chemsex during their careers. Using a comprehensive and critical approach, we examine the tensions between constructivist and objectivist approaches to chemsex research, depending on participants’ different epistemological positions, and their community-based or institutional status.Our results show that controversy surrounding the definition of chemsex is largely based on different ways of historicizing sexual practices associated with drug use. These differences are closely linked to how knowledge about HIV, male sexuality, and substance use is produced, revealing competing visions of what research in this field should entail and mean.
Purpose Critical illness survivors commonly face lasting physical, cognitive, and psychological consequences known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Despite growing evidence of PICS sequelae, self-identity disruption remains an underexplored consequence of critical illness. This study aimed to describe the nature and dimensions of self-identity disruption and adaptation among critical illness survivors following hospital discharge. Materials and methods Guided by a qualitative Interpretive Description approach, we conducted a data analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 ICU survivors and 25 caregivers following hospital discharge, using inductive constant-comparative thematic analysis methods. Results Survivors experienced simultaneous disruptions across four interconnected dimensions of self-identity, including: 1) embodied uncertainty: confronting an unreliable bodily self, 2) fractured selfhood: loss of independence and generativity, 3) relational ruptures: experiences of changed family roles and relationships, including social isolation, and 4) life narrative disruption: life trajectories derailed. Survivors and caregivers also described adaptive processes of identity reconstruction and narrative adaptation that promoted recovery. Conclusions Self-identity disruption is a multidimensional consequence of critical illness that is deeply intertwined with physical, psychological, and social recovery. Findings point to the need for post-ICU care models that address identity reconstruction alongside functional rehabilitation.
Background Media coverage may influence the adoption of new drugs before marketing authorization and reimbursement decisions, but this effect is largely understudied. Given the high public healthcare costs of new, often expensive medications, understanding these potential influences is important. Thus, this study analyzed how new migraine drugs were presented in Finnish medical journals before marketing authorization and reimbursement. Methods A dataset on publications in two leading medical journals that discussed CGRP antibodies and antagonists in the treatment of migraine in 2015–2024 was analyzed using deductive content analysis. Results The results show that media coverage of new migraine drugs in two leading medical journals was the highest when the first new migraine drugs entered the market, before reimbursement was granted and immediately after. Strong agenda setting and framing, as well as opinion leadership, were the means of potential influence identified. New migraine drugs were treated with positive expectations, emphasizing high efficacy, and previously used migraine medications were presented with reference to poor efficacy and adverse effects. The least communicated topics were cost-effectiveness, price, and reimbursement. Conclusions This study enhances understanding of media coverage throughout the marketing authorization and reimbursement period of new drugs and demonstrates that coverage in medical journals tends to emphasize the benefits as a potential means of influence. The findings highlight the importance of critical literacy in decision-making and the need for balanced reporting that addresses both the benefits and limitations of new drugs.
Background Existing research on siblings of children with disabilities has predominantly concentrated on settled families residing within tier-one metropolitan areas, while pandemic-focused migration literature has primarily centred on parent cohorts. Consequently, little is known about how newcomer youth with disabled siblings experienced pandemic disruptions, particularly in mid-sized Canadian cities where specialized care infrastructure is often constrained. Objective This study examines the psychological and mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its corresponding public health restrictions on Muslim immigrant youth who are siblings of children with disabilities in a mid-sized Ontario city. The analysis focuses on family relationship dynamics and informal coping strategies. Methods In partnership with a local settlement organization, this community-engaged study used a modified photovoice design. Seventeen participants generated photographs and completed individual photo-elicitation interviews (predominantly in Arabic). Data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. Findings The sample consisted of seventeen youth aged 16–24 (9 males, 8 females) from Syria (n = 10), Iraq (n = 6), and Egypt (n = 1). Textual and photo analysis revealed five central themes: 1) mental health under COVID-19 confinement: distress, withdrawal, and reflexive growth; 2) family as care infrastructure: heightened responsibility and evolving relationships; 3) exacerbating factors: pandemic governance, migration, and educational disruption; 4) protective conditions: faith, community, and daily coping practices; and 5) structural barriers, service landscapes, and culturally imagined alternatives. Study implications Findings highlight a downward redistribution of care. There is an urgent need for culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and faith-integrated mental health services, community mentorship networks, and targeted educational, linguistic, and credentialing supports for newcomer families to address systemic inequities.
