The voices of Brazilian women breaking free from intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem with a direct effect on the health of the victims and their communities. With the intention to inform nursing care delivered to women experiencing IPV, this qualitative study was conducted, specifically to understand the meaning that IPV has for assaulted women and to identify the factors that contribute to breaking the cycle of violence. Data collection included interviews and discussion of photographs. Participants were recruited from within a shelter for women experiencing violence. Findings from five women were inductively coded into three categories: "experiencing violent acts," which describes the period in which the women lived with the aggressor; "marks of the violent acts," which portrays the consequences of IPV; and "women's support," which indicates the current supports or lack thereof for these women. Nurses and other healthcare providers will benefit from hearing the women's voices through their words and photographs and will recognize the need for holistic care that includes the physical, sexual, and emotional needs of abused women.

Urban and rural immigrant Latino youths' and adults' knowledge and beliefs about mental health resources.

Immigrant Latino youth experience mental health problems in the U.S. Cultural beliefs and knowledge may influence help-seeking behaviors. Two hundred thirty-four immigrant Latino respondents between 12 and 44 years of age completed a questionnaire assessing knowledge of and cultural beliefs regarding mental health resources for adolescents, symptoms, and help-seeking. Multivariate analyses showed that rural respondents were significantly less likely to know of mental health resources than urban-based immigrant Latinos. Knowledge and belief outcomes were also affected by age, gender, and length of time living in the community. Immigrant Latinos appear willing to seek professional help for mental health problems but may not know how to access this type of care, or may lack available services. Future research to inform interventions that increase awareness of accessible mental health services is suggested. Findings support systems-level changes including increased availability of culturally-specific mental health services, especially in rural areas.

Considerações teóricas e técnicas da utilização do grupo na investigação científica / Theoretical and technical considerations of using groups in scientific inquiry

A utilização do grupo como estratégia para coleta de dados em pesquisa constitui importante instrumento por uma série de vantagens. No entanto, é fundamental o domínio de conceitos básicos da dinâmica de grupo, já que a situação grupal na coleta de dados pode gerar movimentos pouco conhecidos para pesquisadores que não possuem experiência no manejo de grupos humanos. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar considerações sobre uso do grupo como técnica de pesquisa, baseado na literatura especializada e experiência dos autores. Para essa discussão, focamos alguns fundamentos da dinâmica de grupo que alicerçam esse processo e ainda o planejamento, organização, desenvolvimento, transcrição do material, vantagens e desvantagens do uso dessa estratégia. Concluímos que o manejo dessa técnica exige conhecimento e habilidade para garantir a qualidade, confiabilidade dos dados, sendo que o contrário pode levar à banalidade da técnica e graves prejuízos para a investigação.

The use of groups as a research data collection strategy is an important resource offering a series of advantages. However, it is fundamental to master the basic concepts of group dynamics, because the group situation in data collection can generate movements unknown to researchers with no experience of coordinating and conducting human groups. This paper draws on the specialized literature and the authors’ experience to examine the use of groups as a research method. For that purpose, it focuses on some principles of group dynamics that underpin the process, and also the related planning, organization, application, data transcription, and the advantages and disadvantages of using this strategy. It concludes that handling this technique demands knowledge and skill to ensure quality, reliable data, otherwise it can trivialize the technique and seriously impair the research.

El uso del grupo como estrategia para recolección de datos en investigación científica es recurso importante debido a varias ventajas. Sin embargo, es fundamental el dominio de conceptos básicos de la dinámica de grupo, una vez que la situación grupal en la recogida de datos puede generar movimientos desconocidos para pesquisadores que no tienen experiencia para la coordinación y manejo de grupos humanos. Este artículo tiene como objetivo presentar consideraciones sobre el uso del grupo como método de investigación, basado en la literatura especializada y en la experiencia de los autores. Para esa discusión, enfocamos algunos principios de la dinámica de grupo que fundamentan eso proceso y también el planeamiento, la organización, desenvolvimiento, transcripción de los datos, las ventajas y las desventajas usando esa estrategia. Concluimos que el manejo de esa técnica exige conocimiento y capacidad para garantizar la calidad, confiablidad de los datos, siendo que el contrario puede llevar a la banalidad de la técnica y provocar serios daños a la investigación.