• Parents’ experiences of abuse by their adult children with drug probl...
  Svensson, Bengt; Richert, Torkel; Johnson, Björn Malmö University. People, Places and Prevention: Addressing Criminality from an Integrated Perspective   Journal article in Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs; : Sage (2019)	Journal article

  

  

  English abstract:

  Aims: To examine parents’ experiences of abuse directed at them by their adult children with drug problems. Material and Method: The material consists of 32 qualitative interviews on child-to-parent abuse with 24 mothers and eight fathers. The interviewees had experienced verbal abuse (insults), emotional abuse (threats), financial abuse (damage to property and possessions) and physical abuse (physical violence). Findings: In the parents’ narratives, the parent-child interaction is dominated by the child’s destructive drug use, which the parents are trying to stop. This gives rise to conflicts and ambivalence. The parents’ accounts seem to function as explaining and justifying their children’s disruptive behavior in view of the drug use. The fact that an external factor - drugs - is blamed seems to make it easier to repair the parent-child bonds. The parents differentiate between the child who is sober and the child who is under the influence of drugs, that is, between the genuine child and the fake, unreal child. The sober child is a person that the parent likes and makes an effort for. The child who is on drugs is erratic, at times aggressive and self-destructive. Conclusions: The interviewed parents’ well-being is perceived as directly related to how their children’s lives turn out. The single most important factor in improving the parents’ situation is to find a way for their adult child to live their lives without drug problems.

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  https://doi.org/10.1177/1455072519883464

• Otydlighetens betydelse : de regionala utvecklingsledarna och evidens...
  Gegner, Harald; Righard, Erica; Denvall, Verner Malmö University. Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare (MIM)   Journal article in Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift;2 : Förbundet för forskning i socialt arbete, FORSA (2019)	Journal article

  

  

  English abstract:

  The significance of ambiguity – Evidence-based practice in social service with children and youth. Evidence-based practice (EBP) has gained a central position as a model of knowledge for social work in the public sector. In the Swedish Government Report about knowledge-based social work from 2008, EBP is described as a useful way of structuring the social services on a scientific basis (SOU 2008:18). Following on this, and in order to establish EBP in social work practice, between 2009 and 2016, there were annual agreements between the government and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). As defined by the annual agreements, a national network of Regional Development Leaders (regionala utvecklingsledare) was given the task of producing regional plans of action for the establishment of EBP in the municipalities. The article examines how the Regional Development Leaders in the so-called Children and Youth Investment (Barn- och ungasatsningen) interpret and implement EBP as a model in public social work. The study is based on interviews with 22 out of the 37 Regional Development Leaders that were part of the Children and Youth Investment in 2016. Ernesto Laclau’s theory of empty signifier serves as an analytical tool. The analysis shows that the ambiguity surrounding EBP creates discretion for the Regional Development Leaders. This discretion allows them to use EBP as a ”signifier without a signified”; a model that they can fill with different meanings depending on purpose and context. In that perspective, EBP appears as a floating term and can be characterized as an empty signifier. One of the main results stresses the fact that the Regional Development Leaders describe EBP as a model of governance rather than a model of knowledge. Despite its ambiguity, EBP fills a significant function for the development of knowledge-based social work practices in the public sector.

• "You go home and tell that to my dad!" : Conflicting Claims and Under...
  Cinthio, Hanna   Journal article in Sexuality & Culture;1 : Springer (2015)	Journal article

  

  

  English abstract:

  In this article I examine different understandings of and claims concerning virginity. Several young women in Sweden suffer from strong patriarchal chastity ideals, even to the extent that some undergo surgery to restore a lost virginity. Swedish sexual politics, believing strongly in the power of evidence based information, have a clearly stated agenda to prevent this by "eradicating the hymen myth" through informative campaigns in schools and by educating professionals who encounter the problem. At the same time, the targeted teenagers themselves seem to hold a multifaceted and contextual view on the matter. They may be fed scientific information in school, and gain anatomically correct knowledge of the hymen, but they also need to maneuver within a different normative field where the hymen plays a symbolic role rather than a factual one. In the article I explore the charged discourse around the hymen, analyze the narratives of teenage informants who tell me of their thoughts and experiences in the matter, and discuss the possible different purposes served by the upholding of the concept. I argue that intellectual, factual knowledge is not necessarily relevant when dealing with emotionally and culturally charged beliefs, and that the ideologically driven agenda of "the truth shall set you free" is not fully in touch with the complex social reality of those who are subjected to the chastity ideals. Attacking misconceptions around the hymen does not necessarily recognize the principal dilemma of the collective asserting power over the individual in matters concerning relationships and sexuality.

• From Pioneers to Professionals : A qualitative study of sexologists i...
  Löfgren-Mårtenson, Lotta Malmö University. Centre for Sexology and Sexuality Studies   Journal article in Sexologies : Revue Europeenne De Sante Sexuelle - European Journal of Sexual Health;2 : Elsevier (2015)	Journal article

  

  

  English abstract:

  This article aims to describe sexologist as a profession. Data was collected through qualitative research interviews with 34 members of the Swedish Association for Sexology. By using a sociological perspective on the professionalization process, different groups have emerged in the sexological landscape: pioneers, competence sexologists, entrepreneurs, research sexologists and the non-professionals. The informants emphasize collaboration and respect between the different domains, with the exception of those who are not considered sufficiently competent. The criteria for who gets to use the title are ongoing, just as the process of sexologist as a profession. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

• Say No and Close the Door? Codependency Troubles among Parents of Adu...
  Nordgren, Johan; Richert, Torkel; Svensson, Bengt; Johnson, Björn Malmö University. People, Places and Prevention: Addressing Criminality from an Integrated Perspective   Journal article in Journal of Family Issues; : Sage (2019)	Journal article

  

  

  English abstract:

  Codependency is a term used to describe a range of behaviors among persons who are affected by the problematic drug use of family members. This article analyzes how 32 Swedish parents of adult children with drug problems talked about and understood codependency. The sociology of trouble was used as a theoretical framework and three significant themes were identified in the interviews. The parents spoke about how they defined codependency troubles, how they discovered codependency, and how they set boundaries for their children. The parents talked about their situations as highly distressing, and third-party troubleshooters defined their troubles and problems as codependency. The parents generally rejected the advice to “close the door” on their children and engaged in a range of remedial actions. The analytical focus of this study on the identification, definition, and remedial actions of parents gives valuable insights into family disruptions related to drug problems.

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