Sarah Earle
The Open University, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Faculty Member
ABSTRACT There is a growing literature that seeks to explore what is ‘sensitive’ about ‘sensitive’ research. In order to problematise and interrogate the concept of what may or may not be considered ‘sensitive’ research, this paper draws... more
ABSTRACT There is a growing literature that seeks to explore what is ‘sensitive’ about ‘sensitive’ research. In order to problematise and interrogate the concept of what may or may not be considered ‘sensitive’ research, this paper draws on four related projects exploring sex, intimacy and relationships for young people, over 16 years, who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions (LLTCs). The authors focus on how, when and why these projects are regarded as ‘sensitive’ and consider who defines them as such. Drawing on the notion of methodological performativity, a mixture of complex phenomena that explores the relational aspects in interprofessional team practices, the authors examine aspects of the process of doing ‘sensitive’ research, exploring how research methods and techniques are employed because the research has already been defined (by others and the authors) as ‘sensitive,’ while simultaneously serving to (re)construct and (re)enforce the ‘sensitive’ nature of it.
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and other research outputs Sex on the net: online relations between men who pay for sex
Background and Discussion Previously children and young people with life-limiting illnesses were not expected to live until adulthood. As a result of advances in medicine and technology, there are a growing number of children surviving... more
Background and Discussion Previously children and young people with life-limiting illnesses were not expected to live until adulthood. As a result of advances in medicine and technology, there are a growing number of children surviving into adulthood who cannot always access appropriate, specialist palliative care services as adults (Fraser et al, 2011; Fraser at al, 2012). Some children’s and young people's hospices in the UK and Australasia have made significant progress in developing transitional services for young adults whilst others are assessing what support maybe required and how best and where to deliver this care (Blackburn, 2010). What is less clear, is how intimacy and the sexuality of young people at the end-of- life should be addressed, given that sexuality may represent different things to people and that young people’s sexual needs at the end-of-life are often ignored (Triangle, 2011). Palliative care aims to be holistic, yet evidence suggests that sexuality is o...
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Teaching sociology to nurses has become a significant issue within health sociology, reflected in the workshop, Teaching sociology to healthcare professionals in training, at the British Sociological Association’s Medical Sociology... more
Teaching sociology to nurses has become a significant issue within health sociology, reflected in the workshop, Teaching sociology to healthcare professionals in training, at the British Sociological Association’s Medical Sociology Conference in York, 2001. The new nursing curriculum acknowledges the need for the twenty-first century nurse to utilise knowledge from a range of disciplines when assessing patients/clients and deciding on an approach to care. Nursing is no longer (if it ever was) the sum of its tasks - or what nurses ‘do’ - but has become a complex set of relationships. Society has changed since the inception of the NHS, deference towards health professionals has lessened and individuals are more willing to challenge ‘experts’. Professional boundaries are also becoming less rigid, and many client groups are demanding a more active part in decision-making. The NHS itself has seen many reorganisations and nurses, along with other health care workers, have had to adapt to ...
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Research examining the effects of spinal cord injury on sexuality has largely focused on physiological functioning and quantification of dysfunction following injury. This paper reports a systematic review of qualitative research that... more
Research examining the effects of spinal cord injury on sexuality has largely focused on physiological functioning and quantification of dysfunction following injury. This paper reports a systematic review of qualitative research that focused on the views and experiences of people with spinal cord injury on sex and relationships. The review addressed the following research question: What are the views and experiences of people with spinal cord injury of sex, sexuality and relationships following injury? Five databases were relevant and employed in the review: CINAHL (1989–2016 only), PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, for research published between 1 January 1980 and 30 November 2019. After removing duplicates, 257 records remained and were screened using a two-stage approach to inclusion and quality appraisal. Following screening, 27 met the criteria for inclusion and are reported in the paper. The review includes studies from fifteen countries across five continents. Tw...
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Research Interests: Psychology and BMJ
BACKGROUND Research suggests there is insufficient good quality information regarding the effectiveness of health education aimed at adults with intellectual disabilities. By analysing the literature, this review aimed to identify what... more
BACKGROUND Research suggests there is insufficient good quality information regarding the effectiveness of health education aimed at adults with intellectual disabilities. By analysing the literature, this review aimed to identify what constituted effectiveness in this context. METHOD Relevant evaluations were extracted from bibliographic databases according to pre-specified criteria. Papers were analysed using QSR NVivo 11 by developing a narrative synthesis and analytic framework that identified and explored text addressing the research question. RESULTS Twenty-two studies were included. The review identified two broad components of effective health education: mechanisms and context. Mechanisms included embedded programme flexibility, appropriate and accessible resources, and motivational delivery. An effective context included an accessible and supportive environment and longer term opportunities for reinforcement of learning. CONCLUSIONS Important gaps in the literature highlighted a need for further research addressing community learning experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities as well as the effectiveness of infection prevention programmes.
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Spinal cord injuries can result in significant physiological and psychological challenges for patients. Nurses have an important role in the rehabilitation of people with a spinal cord injury, as does the provision of peer support by... more
Spinal cord injuries can result in significant physiological and psychological challenges for patients. Nurses have an important role in the rehabilitation of people with a spinal cord injury, as does the provision of peer support by people who are 'living well' after experiencing a spinal cord injury. To explore peer support and whether it can have an effective role in a multidisciplinary team approach to supporting a patient with a spinal cord injury. This was an independent evaluation that used an online survey, a focus group and telephone interviews to elicit the views of respondents about the Spinal Injury Association (SIA) peer support service in England and Wales. There were four groups of respondents: people with a spinal cord injury; their family and friends; peer support officers; and nurse specialists and other healthcare practitioners. It was identified that peer support officers were valued for their ability to provide a positive role model for people with a spinal cord injury. Healthcare practitioners involved in the care of people with a spinal cord injury also appreciated the training and support they received from peer support officers. This evaluation demonstrated that peer support officers were regarded as an important element of a multidisciplinary team approach to managing the care of those who had experienced a spinal cord injury. Peer support officers were also considered a valuable source of information and education, particularly for healthcare practitioners working in settings where spinal cord injury was not a common presentation.
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Although the advantages of breastfeeding are well documented, rates for breastfeeding often fall short of international and national targets. Increasing attention has been paid to the role of men in infant feeding, but a lot of the... more
Although the advantages of breastfeeding are well documented, rates for breastfeeding often fall short of international and national targets. Increasing attention has been paid to the role of men in infant feeding, but a lot of the research about men has been elicited from women, rather than from men themselves. To explore these issues further, a systematic review of the qualitative research on infant feeding was carried out, focusing specifically on men's own views and experiences. Evidence was identified by searching electronic databases (CINAL, Cochrane, PubMed, and Scopus), manually searching citations, and by searching the grey literature. Studies were included in the review if they discussed men's views and experiences of infant feeding and if they reported primary qualitative data. Twenty research papers were included in the review, and each study was summarised and then analysed thematically to produce a synthesis. Five major analytical themes were identified: men...
Research Interests: Nutrition and Dietetics, Primary Care, Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology, Primary Health Care, Qualitative Research, and 8 moreMedicine, Fatherhood, Maternal and Child Nutrition, Breastfeeding, Social Science Research Network, Motherhood, Infant feeding, and Midwifery Womens health breastfeeding primary health care
A team from the Open University interviewed women with learning disabilities on their experiences of making decisions about contraception. The research revealed that many women used contraception to manage menstruation, some did not know... more
A team from the Open University interviewed women with learning disabilities on their experiences of making decisions about contraception. The research revealed that many women used contraception to manage menstruation, some did not know the medication they were using to manage menstruation was a contraceptive and most lacked sufficient information to make informed choices about contraception. Women were often persuaded by others to start using a particular contraceptive. Health professionals need to be proactive in providing education, information and advice, and in ensuring that contraceptive use is reviewed regularly.
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IntroductionThere has been a phenomenal worldwide increase in the development and use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) that monitor menstruation and fertility. Critics argue that many of the apps are inaccurate and lack... more
IntroductionThere has been a phenomenal worldwide increase in the development and use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) that monitor menstruation and fertility. Critics argue that many of the apps are inaccurate and lack evidence from either clinical trials or user experience. The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the research literature on mHealth apps that track menstruation and fertility.MethodsThis project followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. The ACM, CINAHL, Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for material published between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2019. Data summary and synthesis were used to chart and analyse the data.ResultsIn total 654 records were reviewed. Subsequently, 135 duplicate records and 501 records that did not meet the inclusion criteria were removed. Eighteen records from 13 countries form the basis of this review. The papers reviewed cover a variety of disciplinary and methodological frame...
Research Interests: Psychology, Information Technology, Health Sciences, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Sexuality, and 9 moreComputer Games Technology, Fertility, Menstruation, Public Health, Medicine, Health Information Technology, Social Science Research Network, Information Technolgy, and Bioethics Reproductive Technology
Although the advantages of breastfeeding are well documented, rates for breastfeeding often fall short of international and national targets. Increasing attention has been paid to the role of men in infant feeding, but a lot of the... more
Although the advantages of breastfeeding are well documented, rates for breastfeeding often fall short of international and national targets. Increasing attention has been paid to the role of men in infant feeding, but a lot of the research about men has been elicited from women, rather than from men themselves. To explore these issues further, a systematic review of the qualitative research on infant feeding was carried out, focusing specifically on men's own views and experiences. Evidence was identified by searching electronic databases (CINAL, Cochrane, PubMed, and Scopus), manually searching citations, and by searching the grey literature. Studies were included in the review if they discussed men's views and experiences of infant feeding and if they reported primary qualitative data. Twenty research papers were included in the review, and each study was summarised and then analysed thematically to produce a synthesis. Five major analytical themes were identified: men's knowledge of infant feeding; men's perceptions of their role in infant feeding; positive views on breastfeeding; negative views on breastfeeding; and men's experiences of health promotion and support. The review concludes by highlighting that although men can play an important role in supporting women, they do not have a significant role in infant feeding decisions.
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It is understood that men can perform an important role with respect to infant feeding, although questions remain as to how significant this role might be. In addition, much of the research on men and infant feeding is information... more
It is understood that men can perform an important role with respect to infant feeding, although
questions remain as to how significant this role might be. In addition, much of the research on men
and infant feeding is information gathered from women, rather than from the men themselves.
In order to explore these issues further, a systematic review of the qualitative research in infant
feeding has been carried out, focusing only on studies that have sought to elicit men’s own views
and experiences. Evidence was identified through a variety of search strategies including database
searching and manual citation searches, as well as searching the grey literature for unpublished
data. A total of 20 research papers were included in the review and each study was summarised and
analysed thematically to produce a synthesis. Five major analytical themes were identified: men’s
knowledge of infant feeding; men’s views of health promotion; men’s role in infant feeding; men’s
positive views on breastfeeding; and men’s negative views on breastfeeding. This paper explores these
themes in the context of what the research implications might be for midwives and their practice.
questions remain as to how significant this role might be. In addition, much of the research on men
and infant feeding is information gathered from women, rather than from the men themselves.
In order to explore these issues further, a systematic review of the qualitative research in infant
feeding has been carried out, focusing only on studies that have sought to elicit men’s own views
and experiences. Evidence was identified through a variety of search strategies including database
searching and manual citation searches, as well as searching the grey literature for unpublished
data. A total of 20 research papers were included in the review and each study was summarised and
analysed thematically to produce a synthesis. Five major analytical themes were identified: men’s
knowledge of infant feeding; men’s views of health promotion; men’s role in infant feeding; men’s
positive views on breastfeeding; and men’s negative views on breastfeeding. This paper explores these
themes in the context of what the research implications might be for midwives and their practice.
Research Interests:
Diabetes mellitus is a global health problem and one of the most common medical conditions in pregnancy. A wide range of modifiable risk factors are associated with diabetes mellitus in pregnancy, and it is widely acknowledged that... more
Diabetes mellitus is a global health problem and one of the most common medical conditions in pregnancy. A wide range of modifiable risk factors are associated with diabetes mellitus in pregnancy, and it is widely acknowledged that preconception care (PCC) is beneficial for women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus. However, uptake of PCC services is low. To systematically review qualitative research on PCC for women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus of childbearing age, identify facilitators of and barriers to uptake of PCC and establish themes and gaps in knowledge. Through qualitative interviews explore views on the provision of, and facilitators of and barriers to the uptake of, PCC. Mixed methods encompassing a systematic review and qualitative interviews. Two secondary care sites and 11 primary care sites. Women of childbearing age with pre-existing type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) of white British or Pakistani origin. None. A narrative syn...
[About the book] Some people have always had to find ways of living with long term conditions such as diabetes or coeliac disease, but as people live longer, increasing numbers of us now experience long-term poor health. While some... more
[About the book] Some people have always had to find ways of living with long term conditions such as diabetes or coeliac disease, but as people live longer, increasing numbers of us now experience long-term poor health. While some conditions that ...
... The emphasis is always on breastfeeding ... yes, breast is best! [Kelly, age 23, laboratory assistant, formula feeding] ... accepted biomedical view on the advantages of breastfeeding: The only thing that is really making me think is... more
... The emphasis is always on breastfeeding ... yes, breast is best! [Kelly, age 23, laboratory assistant, formula feeding] ... accepted biomedical view on the advantages of breastfeeding: The only thing that is really making me think is should I be breastfeeding is this immune system. ...
The study of sexuality is vast and its significance is really only just being recognised within health care. The purpose of this article is to consider some of the ways in which sexuality affects women's experiences of reproduction... more
The study of sexuality is vast and its significance is really only just being recognised within health care. The purpose of this article is to consider some of the ways in which sexuality affects women's experiences of reproduction and to explore how these might impinge ...
Research Interests: Sexuality, Life Style, Midwifery, Pregnancy, Humans, and 5 moreFemale, Male, Self Concept, Sexual Partners, and Coitus
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In 2013, The Open University Sexuality Alliance was established. This is a collaborative partnership which brings together young people and adults with Life-threatening and life-limiting conditions (LLTCs), representatives from the public... more
In 2013, The Open University Sexuality Alliance was established. This is a collaborative partnership which brings together young people and adults with Life-threatening and life-limiting conditions (LLTCs), representatives from the public and third sector, policy makers, doctors, lawyers, academics and nurses with particular expertise in addressing the sexuality of young people with an uncertain life-course. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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[About the book] Some people have always had to find ways of living with long term conditions such as diabetes or coeliac disease, but as people live longer, increasing numbers of us now experience long-term poor health. While some... more
[About the book] Some people have always had to find ways of living with long term conditions such as diabetes or coeliac disease, but as people live longer, increasing numbers of us now experience long-term poor health. While some conditions that ...
... They suggest we live in a society which propagates'a culturally sanctioned misogyny where male ... so cyber-ethnographers will document a virtual social world'(see also Chapter 10, this volume ...... more
... They suggest we live in a society which propagates'a culturally sanctioned misogyny where male ... so cyber-ethnographers will document a virtual social world'(see also Chapter 10, this volume ... netiquette'is usually applied to and developed by members of each cyber-community. ...
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... Making room for reproductive loss in medical sociology. Earle, Sarah; Foley, Pam; Handsley,Stephen and Komaromy, Carol (2006). Making room for reproductive loss in medical sociology. In: BSA Medical Sociology Group Conference,... more
... Making room for reproductive loss in medical sociology. Earle, Sarah; Foley, Pam; Handsley,Stephen and Komaromy, Carol (2006). Making room for reproductive loss in medical sociology. In: BSA Medical Sociology Group Conference, September 2006, Edinburgh. ...
... Compensation KEITH SHARP & SARAH EARLE, School of Health & Social Sciences, Coventry University, UK ... SARAH EARLE is a researcher in the Centre for Research & Policy in Disability at Coventry University. She is currently... more
... Compensation KEITH SHARP & SARAH EARLE, School of Health & Social Sciences, Coventry University, UK ... SARAH EARLE is a researcher in the Centre for Research & Policy in Disability at Coventry University. She is currently working on a HEFCE-funded research initiative ...
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The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs ... Earle, Sarah; Komaromy, Carol; Foley, Pam and Lloyd, Cathy (2007). The social dimensions of reproductive loss. Practising Midwife, 10(6), pp.... more
The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs ... Earle, Sarah; Komaromy, Carol; Foley, Pam and Lloyd, Cathy (2007). The social dimensions of reproductive loss. Practising Midwife, 10(6), pp. 2834.
Research Interests: Communication, Health Promotion, Nutrition, Research Methodology, Personality, and 17 moreBehavior, Sexuality, Qualitative Research, Health, Adolescent, Fathers, Prospective studies, Humans, Female, Mothers, Bottle Feeding, Great Britain, Developed Countries, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Breast feeding, and Curriculum and Pedagogy
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ABSTRACT A Reader in Promoting Public Health brings together a selection of readings that reflect and challenge current thinking in the field of multidisciplinary public health. The chapters address issues that are high on the agenda of... more
ABSTRACT A Reader in Promoting Public Health brings together a selection of readings that reflect and challenge current thinking in the field of multidisciplinary public health. The chapters address issues that are high on the agenda of public health and the book will develop readers' understanding of this dynamic field.
Abstract: Research on making higher education more accessible for learners with dyslexia was used to create an information pack for adult learners and teachers. The pack includes information on dyslexia, study skills, university support,... more
Abstract: Research on making higher education more accessible for learners with dyslexia was used to create an information pack for adult learners and teachers. The pack includes information on dyslexia, study skills, university support, assessment, transition, color ...