GCM Publication Database

Researchers complete hundreds of Group Concept Mapping studies each year using the groupwisdom™ and Global MAX™ platforms.  Many articles about those studies are published in peer-reviewed journals and other reputable publications.  Concept Systems releases a monthly Publication Spotlight newsletter to highlight representative Group Concept Mapping (GCM) publications. This GCM Publication Database includes publications from the Spotlight that were published since 2012 as well as previous publications that are foundational to the Group Concept Mapping methodology.  The publications include studies that utilized either The Concept System® Global MAX™ or groupwisdom™ web-based data collection and analysis platforms.

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Topic Authors Year Title Journal DOI Link PDF Link Lead Author Org Abstract
Addictions B. Pauly, J. McCal, F. Cameron, H. Stuart, H. Hobbs, G. Sullivan, C. Ranger, K. Urbanoski 2022 A concept mapping study of service user design of safer supply as an alternative to the illicit drug market International Journal of Drug Policy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103849 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395922002651/pdfft?md5=6cfe3ea5e0ba54183841b69c05983a8b&pid=1-s2.0-S0955395922002651-main.pdf University of Victoria Background Within North America and worldwide, drug-related overdoses have increased dramatically over the past decade. COVID-19 escalated the need for a safer supply of illicit substances to reduce overdoses with hopes of replacing substances obtained from the illicit drug market. Drug users 1 should be at the centre of program and policy decisions related to the development and implementation of safer supply. Yet, there is little empirical research that conceptualizes effective safer supply from their perspectives. Method Within a community based participatory approach to research, we conducted a concept mapping study to foreground the perspectives of drug users and develop a conceptual model of effective safer supply. Our team was composed of researchers from a local drug user organization, a local harm reduction organization, and academic researchers. The focused prompt developed by the team was: “Safe supply would work well if…” Sixty-three drug users participated in three rounds of focus groups as part of the concept mapping process, involving brainstorming, sorting, rating and naming of themes. Results The concept mapping process resulted in six clusters of statements: 1) Right dose and right drugs for me; 2) Safe, positive and welcoming spaces; 4) I am treated with respect; 5) I can easily get my safer supply; and 6) Helps me function and improves my quality of life (as defined by me). The statements within each cluster describe key components central to an effective model of safer supply as defined by drug users. Conclusion The results of this study provide insights into key components of effective safer supply to inform planning and evaluation of future safer supply programs informed by drug user perspectives.
Addictions Urbanoski, K., Pauly, B., Inglis, D., Cameron, F., Haddad, T., Phillips, J., Phillips, P., Rosen, C., Schlotter, G., Hartney, E., & Wallace, B. 2020 Defining culturally safe primary care for people who use substances: a participatory concept mapping study. BMC Health Services Research https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05915-x https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12913-020-05915-x.pdf#:~:text=Using%20a%20participatory%20research%20approach%2C%20we%20applied%20the,phases%20of%20the%20research%20and%20led%20data%20collection. University of Victoria People who use substances experience high levels of substance-related stigma, both within and outside of health care settings, which can prevent people from help-seeking and contribute further to health inequities. Recognizing and respecting how political, social, economic, and historical conditions influence health and health care, cultural safety, with origins in addressing Indigenous racism, is a potential strategy for mitigating stigma and marginalization in health care. Using a participatory research approach, we applied the concept of cultural safety to develop a model of safe primary care from the perspective of people who use substances. Methods: People who use or used substances were involved in all phases of the research and led data collection. Study participants (n = 75) were 42.5 years old on average; half identified as female and one quarter as Indigenous. All were currently using or had previous experience with substances (alcohol and/or other drugs) and were recruited through two local peer-run support agencies. Concept mapping with hierarchical cluster analysis was used to develop the model of safe primary care, with data collected over three rounds of focus groups. Results: Participants identified 73 unique statements to complete the focus prompt: "I would feel safe going to the doctor if …" The final model consisted of 8 clusters that cover a wide range of topics, from being treated with respect and not being red-flagged for substance use, to preserving confidentiality, advocacy for good care and systems change, and appropriate accommodations for anxiety and the effects of poverty and criminalization. Conclusions: Developing a definition of safe care (from the patient perspective) is the necessary first step in creating space for positive interactions and, in turn, improve care processes. This model provides numerous concrete suggestions for providers, as well as serving as starting point for the development of interventions designed to foster system change. Keywords: Canada; Community based participatory research; Concept mapping; Cultural safety; Primary care; Stigma; Substance use.
Addictions Guilcher, S. J. T., Cadel, L., Everall, A. C., Wiese, J. L., Hamilton-Wright, S., Salmon, C. C., & Matheson, F. I. 2019 Factors related to screening for problem gambling among healthcare and social service providers in Ontario, Canada: A concept mapping study. Health and Social Care in the community https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12909 University of Toronto Problem gambling is a major public health concern, especially among persons who are precariously housed, living in poverty or have complex health and social needs. Problem gambling has been connected to negative health and social outcomes; however, current healthcare services rarely screen for problem gambling. With support from community partners, the purpose of this study was to understand factors related to screening for problem gambling. Concept mapping, a mixed-method approach driven by participatory involvement, was conducted with healthcare and social service providers from Ontario, Canada in 2019. Three phases were conducted with participants either in-person or online: Brainstorming, Sorting/Rating and Mapping. Brainstorming sessions were conducted to generate statements, guided by the focal prompt: “If you were directed to routinely screen for problem gambling, what would help you do this in your daily practice?” Participants sorted statements into categories and rated them based on their importance and feasibility. A mapping session was conducted with participants to co-create visual representations of the data. Thirty participants took part in the in-person or online concept mapping sessions. During the brainstorming sessions, participants generated 213 statements, which the research team condensed into a final list of 45 statements. Participants decided that the five-cluster map best represented these 45 statements and labelled the five clusters: (a) top level (macro), (b) screening tool, (c) staff skills and training, (d) screening, and (e) team resources and support. Staff skills and training was rated as the most important and the most realistic cluster to implement, while screening was rated relatively as the least important when compared to the other clusters. Team resources and support was rated relatively as the least realistic cluster. By identifying the needs of healthcare and social service providers, this study co-developed actionable suggestions that will assist providers in routinely screening for problem gambling.
Addictions Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium. 2018 Behavioral Health Consortium: Three-year action plan. Office of the Delaware Lieutenant Governor, New Castle, DE. https://ltgov.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2018/05/delaware_bhc_threeyearactionplan_2018.pdf Office of the Delaware Lieutenant Governor The formation of the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium was first proposed by Governor John Carney in his Action Plan for Delaware, and signed into law on July 16, 2017. The Consortium, created by the passage of Senate Bill 111 under the leadership of Lt. Governor Hall-Long, Senator Townsend, and Representative David Bentz, was formed to tackle Delaware’s challenging and complex issues around addiction and mental health. In Delaware, like in many states across the nation, the statistics paint a troubling reality. Over 30,000 adults, 9,000 adolescents, and more than 82 percent of our prison population struggle with mental illness or substance use disorder. Nationally, 11 is the average age of onset of a behavioral health disorder, and 22.5 percent of the general population are struggling with mental illness. Unfortunately, far too many Delawareans do not seek treatment, do not know where to turn for help, or do not have the resources available to get the help they need. PURPOSE: Since the first meeting in October 2017, the Consortium has focused on creating a streamlined approach to improving Delaware’s behavioral health system by tying together the numerous public and nonprofit bodies, efforts, initiatives, and commissions that are currently in place and creating both short-term and long-term strategies to save lives and expand access to services. The 25-member Consortium and multiple stakeholders have met a total of five times and conducted a series of statewide community listening forums, which will be referenced in greater detail throughout this report. The Consortium, through a number of public meetings and focus-group settings, has worked with the local community to identify the most pressing issues currently facing the state in the behavioral health arena. NEXT STEPS: Within this first report, a multiyear strategy will be outlined, which highlights the need to combat addiction, increase integration of services, develop a strong workforce pipeline, eliminate the stigma of behavioral health, and prevent future Delawareans from struggling with addiction and a lack of needed services. The Consortium members are dedicated to this work and are eager to recommend a plan of action that will focus on systemic change, improved quality integration, and the continued evaluation of outcomes and improvement to Delaware’s behavioral health system.
Addictions Lloyd, M. H., Johnson, T., & Brook, J. 2014 Illuminating the black box from within: Stakeholder perspectives on family drug court best practices. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2014.958492 University of Kansas This article describes a mixed-methods, concept mapping study in an urban family drug court (FDC) designed to identify keys to FDC success from stakeholders’ perspectives. Participating FDC team members and clients developed a set of items they deemed integral to an FDC, thematically clustered the items, and then rated their relative importance. Using these data, cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling generated 6 themes perceived as contributing to positive outcomes. Resultant concept maps revealed that, compared to team members, clients view relational aspects of the FDC as more important. The findings point to implications for future research and social work practice.
Addictions Wallace, L. S., Wexler, R. K., Miser, W. F., McDougle, L., & Haddox, J. D. 2013 Development and validation of the Patient Opioid Education Measure. Journal of Pain Research https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S50715 https://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=17386 Ohio State University Background: Although there are screening tools to aid clinicians in assessing the risk of opioid misuse, an instrument to assess opioid-related knowledge is not currently available. The purpose of this study was to develop a content-valid, understandable, readable, and reliable Patient Opioid Education Measure (POEM). Methods: Using concept mapping, clinicians caring for patients with chronic pain participated in brainstorming, sorting, and rating need-to-know information for patients prescribed opioids. Concept mapping analyses identified seven clusters addressing knowledge and expectations associated with opioid use, including medicolegal issues, prescribing policies, safe use and handling, expected outcomes, side effects, pharmacology, and warnings. Results: The 49-item POEM was verbally administered to 83 patients (average age 51.3 ± 9.8 years, 77.1% female, 47.1% African American) taking opioids for chronic nonmalignant pain. Patients averaged in total 63.9% ± 14.3% (range 23%–91%) correct responses on the POEM. The POEM demonstrated substantial test-retest reliability (interclass correlation coefficient 0.87). The POEM had a mean readability Lexile (L) score of 805.9 ± 257.3 L (equivalent to approximately a US fifth grade reading level), with individual items ranging from 280 L to 1370 L. Conclusion: The POEM shows promise for rapidly identifying patients' opioid-related knowledge gaps and expectations. Correcting misunderstandings and gaps could result in safer use of opioids in a clinical care setting.
Addictions K LeMasters, SK Nall, C Jurecka, B Craft, PJ Christine…  2025 Criminal legal penalties, substance use, and overdose: a concept mapping study examining Colorado's criminal legal penalties BMC Global and Public Health https://doi.org/10.1186/s44263-024-00117-7 https://bmcglobalpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s44263-024-00117-7.pdf University of Colorado Using concept mapping, we worked with community members to identify and prioritize factors associated with substance use and overdose amidst increasing drug-related criminal legal penalties. These insights (e.g., law enforcement’s role should be acting as a bridge to mental health and recovery services) are critical for policymakers and service providers, as they speak to the need for investing in re-entry services, harm reduction services, and co-responder models for behavioral health crises.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Cui, Y., Dai, Z., Cohen, J. E., Rosas, S., Smith, K. C., Welding, K., & Czaplicki, L. 2022 Culturally specific health-related features on cigarette packs sold in China Tobacco Control https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2022-057527 https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/early/2022/08/25/tc-2022-057527.full.pdf Johns Hopkins University Background: China is the country with the highest burden of tobacco-caused disease. We characterised the extent to which cigarette pack marketing features (eg, imagery, text, pack color) could potentially mislead consumers by suggesting products are healthy. Methods: We used two methods: group concept mapping and content analysis. First, we used a group concept mapping approach to generate and sort Chinese consumer responses to an open-ended prompt asking what marketing features suggest a product is ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’. Second, based on the concept mapping results, we developed a codebook of health-related features on cigarette packs that were relevant to the unique cultural context of product marketing in China. Two trained coders who were native Chinese speakers double-coded a sample of 1023 cigarette packs purchased in 2013 (wave 1) and 2017 (wave 2). We examined differences in the presence of features overall and over time. Results: Overall, 83.5% (n=854) of Chinese cigarette packs in our sample contained at least one ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’ feature, and the presence of health-related features on packs remained constant between wave 1 (83.5%, n=354) and wave 2 (83.5%, n=500; p=1.00). Across both waves, the most common categories of culturally specific health features present related to recycling symbols, rare animal imagery, bright colours (eg, bright yellow) and botanical imagery (eg, bamboo, mint). Conclusion: Health-related features on cigarette packs sold in China are common. Enhanced policies to address tobacco packaging, labelling and branding could support and facilitate a reduction in the high tobacco burden in China.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E.K.; Mayne, S.; Snipes, W.; Thomas, L.; Guy, M.C.; Breland, A.; Fagan, P. 2022 Electronic cigarette users’ reactions and responses to a hypothetical ban of flavoured electronic cigarette liquids BMJ Open Access https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2022-057454 https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/31/Suppl_3/s197.full.pdf East Carolina University Background: Regulations have been proposed to limit e-cigarette flavours, but limited research has examined potential impacts of such policies. This study examined adult e-cigarette users’ reactions to a hypothetical e-cigarette flavour ban. Methods: In 2019, a convenience sample of current e-cigarette users in the USA (n=81, 53.1% women, mean age=37.6, 59.3% dual users of cigarettes) completed an online concept mapping study. Participants provided statements describing anticipated reactions to a hypothetical policy in which only tobacco, menthol or unflavoured e-cigarettes were available for purchase. Seventy-one unique statements were generated. Participants sorted statements into thematic groups and rated statements on how likely they would be to have each reaction. Multidimensional scaling was used to identify thematic clusters of statements. Results: Twelve clusters were identified: negative reaction, take action against flavour limitation, youth prevention effectiveness perception, tolerance, acceptance, willingness to try new flavours, maintain vaping, reduce vaping, new flavours as vaping cessation transition, alternative sources for banned flavours, do-it- yourself mixing behaviours and alternative tobacco products. The highest rated cluster (negative reaction) described being angry or upset that flavours were banned, while the lowest rated clusters related to quitting/reducing e-cigarette use or switching to other tobacco products. Non-tobacco or non-menthol/mint flavoured e-cigarette users had higher ratings for clusters describing negative sentiment for the hypothetical policy. Conclusions: Some e-cigarette users may dislike an e-cigarette flavour ban; however, some e-cigarette users would likely be willing to use tobacco, menthol or unflavoured e-cigarette liquids with lower likelihood of quitting vaping or switching to other tobacco products.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Dubray, J., Cohen J. E., Schwartz, R., Chaiton, M. 2021 Smoking cessation strategies used by former menthol cigarette smokers after a menthol ban Addictive Behaviors https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107046 East Carolina University Menthol cigarettes were banned in Ontario, Canada on January 1st, 2017. We used concept mapping, a mixed-method approach, to describe how menthol cigarette smokers quit smoking after the Ontario menthol ban. Methods Pre-ban daily and non-daily menthol cigarette smokers who reported smoking abstinence 24 months after the ban (n = 62; 53.2% women; mean age = 43.6, SD = 12.5) generated statements describing reasons and strategies for smoking cessation/reduction after the menthol ban. Participants sorted a final list of 57 statements into groups of similar content and rated statements on how true each statement was for them and multidimensional scaling analysis identified thematic clusters. Results Six clusters were identified: Mental and Environment Changes, Direct Ban Impacts, Health Reasons, Cues to Action, Family and Friends, and Cessation Strategies. The highest rated statements (i.e., most true) suggested many participants were motivated to quit smoking before or after the ban and 30.7% of participants believed the menthol ban helped with smoking cessation. Some of the lowest rated statements included using nicotine replacement therapy products, medication (i.e., Champix), or other tobacco products suggesting these strategies were less common. Statement ratings suggested many smokers quit without using replacement products or medication, but modifying cognitions and avoiding smoking cues were common. Conclusions The menthol ban aided some menthol smokers to quit, while others reported the ban did not play a role in smoking cessation. These data suggest the menthol ban had direct and indirect effects on smoking reduction behavior. Campaigns supporting similar bans that target both types of effects will likely be most effective for smoking reduction.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Lee, J. G. L., Egan, K. L., Bode, K. M., Desrosiers, A. C., Guy, M C., Breland, A., & Fagan, P. 2020 “I cannot live without my vape”: Electronic cigarette user-identified indicators of vaping dependence. Drug and Alcohol Dependence https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107886 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7330178/pdf/nihms-1556877.pdf East Carolina University Limited research has examined indicators of electronic cigarette (ECIG) dependence. Researchers have adapted ECIG dependence measures from cigarette smoking dependence measures, but few have examined unique aspects of ECIG dependence. This study used concept mapping, a mixed-methods approach to examine ECIG user-identified indicators of ECIG dependence. In 2019, we recruited current ECIG users (n = 75; 52.9% women; mean age = 33.2, SD = 9.9) from 25 states to complete an online study. Participants completed a brief survey and brainstormed statements (n=216) completing the prompt: “Something specific that makes me think I am addicted to using my electronic cigarette/vaping device is…” After duplicate content was removed, participants sorted the final list of 93 statements by content similarity and rated statements on how true statements were for them (1 – Definitely NOT true to 7 – Definitely true). Multidimensional scaling analysis identified ECIG dependence thematic clusters. Results: We identified ten themes: Craving, Negative Affect, Vaping as a Necessity, Therapeutic Effects, Preparedness, Attachment to Device, Impact on Daily Activity, Physical Withdrawal Symptoms, Monetary Cost, and Shame or Embarrassment. Those who had higher ECIG dependence scores and those who reported more frequent ECIG use had higher mean cluster ratings than those with lower ECIG dependence scores and who reported less frequent ECIG use. (ps<05). Conclusions: ECIG dependence has similarities to cigarette smoking dependence, but dependence indicators appear to be unique to ECIG use. Health professionals and the public should be aware of ECIG dependence risk and indicators. Keywords: electronic cigarettes, dependence
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., S. Mayne, Snipes, W., & Guy, M. C. 2020 Impacts of COVID-19 on electronic cigarette purchasing, use and related behaviors International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186762 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/18/6762/pdf?version=1600416379 Virginia Commonwealth University COVID-19 has caused health impacts and disruptions globally. Electronic cigarette (ECIG) users may face additional impacts. This study examined impacts of COVID-19 on ECIG users. Methods: Concept mapping, a mixed-methods approach, was used to identify COVID-19 impacts on adult ECIG users. ECIG users (n = 93) provided statements completing a prompt: “A specific way Coronavirus/COVID-19 has affected my vaping/e-cigarette use, my vaping/e-cigarette related purchasing, or other vaping/e-cigarette related behaviors or issues is…”. Participants generated 85 unique statements, sorted statements into groups of similar content and rated each statement on how true they were. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis identified thematic clusters. Mean cluster ratings were compared between sample subgroups. Results: Ten clusters were identified: Stocking up and Bulk Purchasing, Challenges in Obtaining ECIG Supplies, Alternative Purchasing Procedures, Increased ECIG use, Disruption of Routine and ECIG Use, Efforts to Decrease ECIG Use, Improving ECIG Skills, COVID-19 Health Concerns, Perceptions of ECIG Use and COVID-19, and COVID-19 Protection. More dependent ECIG users and dual users of ECIGs and cigarettes rated clusters higher than less dependent ECIG users and non-dual users. Conclusions: ECIG users may experience or perceive they face additional COVID-19 impacts, such as increased exposure, financial burdens, stress, and health risks. View Full-Text Keywords: electronic cigarettes; COVID-19; tobacco
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Bode, K. M., Desrosiers, A. C., Guy, M., Breland, A., & Fagan, P. 2020 User-Perceived Negative Respiratory Symptoms Associated with Electronic Cigarette Use. Nicotine & tobacco research https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa179 https://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-pdf/22/Supplement_1/S45/34910707/ntaa179.pdf East Carolina University and Medical Center Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) expose users to an aerosol containing chemicals, which could affect the respiratory system negatively. This study examined negative respiratory symptoms associated with ECIG use. Methods In 2019, adult current ECIG users from 24 US states who reported experiencing negative respiratory symptoms from ECIG use (n = 49; 44.9% women; mean age = 35.2, SD = 11.5) completed an online survey and brainstormed statements that completed the prompt: “A specific negative effect or symptom related to my breathing, nose, mouth, throat, or lungs that I have experienced from vaping/using my e-cigarette is...” Participants sorted the final list of 56 statements into groups of similar content and rated statements on how true they were for them. Multidimensional scaling analysis identified thematic clusters. Results Eight ECIG use respiratory symptom clusters identified in analysis included Mucus and Congestion, Fatigue, Throat Symptoms, Breathing Problems, Mouth Symptoms, Chest Symptoms, Illness Symptoms, and Nose and Sinus Symptoms. Highly rated (ie, most common) symptoms included dry throat or mouth, fatigue during physical activity, coughing, shortness of breath, excessive phlegm, and bad taste in mouth. Mean cluster ratings did not differ based on lifetime cigarette smoking status (100 lifetime cigarettes smoked), but current cigarette smokers (ie, dual users) rated the Fatigue, Breathing Problems, Mucus and Congestion, and Nose and Sinus Symptoms clusters higher than noncurrent cigarette smokers. Conclusions Participant-identified respiratory symptoms perceived to be ECIG related, many similar to cigarette smoking symptoms. Future research should assess if these symptoms are associated with other negative health outcomes. Implications ECIG use exposes users to chemicals that may have negative health impacts on the respiratory system. Limited research has examined the broad range of negative respiratory symptoms associated with e-cigarette use. This study identified that ECIG–cigarette users perceive their ECIG use to be associated with negative respiratory symptoms. Many e-cigarette user-reported negative respiratory symptoms are similar to those associated with cigarette smoking, though some appear unique to e-cigarette use. Future research should continue to monitor respiratory symptoms reported by ECIG users and whether these are associated with health outcomes over time.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Breland, A., Balster, R. L., Cobb, C., Fagan, P., Foulds, J., Koch, J. R., Lipato, T., Saliba, N., Shihadeh, A., Shumei, S., & Eissenberg, T. 2019 Answering questions about electronic cigarettes using a multidisciplinary model. American Psychologist https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000426 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6450402/ Virginia Commonwealth University Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are a relatively new class of tobacco products and a subject of much debate for scientists and policymakers worldwide. Objective data that address the ECIG risk/benefit ratio for individual and public health are needed, and addressing this need requires a multidisciplinary approach that spans several areas of psychology as well as chemistry, toxicant inhalation, and physiology. This multidisciplinary approach would benefit from methods that are reliable, valid, and swift. For this reason, we formed a multidisciplinary team to develop methods that could answer questions about ECIGs and other potential modified risk tobacco products. Our team includes scientists with expertise in psychology (clinical, community, and experimental) and other disciplines including aerosol research, analytical chemistry, biostatistics, engineering, internal medicine, and public health. The psychologists on our team keep other members focused on factors that influence individual behavior, and other team members keep the psychologists aware of other issues, such as product design. Critically, all team members are willing to extend their interests beyond the boundaries of their discipline to collaborate effectively with the shared goal of producing the rigorous science needed to inform empirically-based tobacco policy. In addition, our trainees gain valuable knowledge from these collaborations and learn that other disciplines are accessible, exciting, and enhance their own research. Multidisciplinary work presents challenges: learning other scientists’ languages and staying focused on our core mission. Overall, our multidisciplinary team has led to several major findings that inform the scientific, regulatory, and public health communities about ECIGs and their effects. Keywords: electronic cigarettes, multidisciplinary, team
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Hiler, M., Spindle, T. R., Dick, D., Eissenberg, T., Breland, A., & Soule, E. 2019 Reasons for transition from electronic cigarette use to cigarette smoking among young adult college students. Journal of Adolescent Health https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jadohealth.2019.09.003 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6935466/pdf/nihms-1543328.pdf Virginia Commonwealth University Longitudinal studies indicate that e-cigarette use among youth and young adults is associated with cigarette smoking initiation. The purpose of this study was to identify reasons why non-smoking young adults transition from e-cigarette use to cigarette smoking. Methods: The study used concept mapping (CM), a mixed-method participatory approach. Fifty-five college students who endorsed initiation of e-cigarettes prior to cigarettes (lifetime e-cigarette uses ≥ 100 and ≥ 100 cigarettes in lifetime) completed at least one part of the study. In an online program, participants brainstormed (n = 54) statements describing reasons for transition from e-cigarette use to cigarette smoking, sorted statements (n = 46) into conceptually similar categories, and rated (n = 47) how true each statement was for them. Results: Participants generated 60 unique statements and multidimensional scaling analysis generated 8 thematic clusters characterizing reasons for transition which included: “Sharing with Others,” “Psychological Coping,” “Cigarette Appeal,” “Reinforcing Effects of Cigarettes,” “Accessibility,” “Social Influence,” “Vaping Stigma,” and “Vaping Deficiencies.” Participants rated “Sharing with Others” and “Psychological Coping” highest (most true) and “Vaping Deficiencies” lowest (least true). For college students, the ability to share cigarettes with peers, access cigarettes from peers, and smoking for stress/anxiety management were among the top reasons for transition. Conclusions: Results suggest that tailored prevention efforts aimed at reducing cigarette smoking uptake among college students who use tobacco as a means for psychological coping or social facilitation may be warranted. Further, regulatory decisions aimed at limiting cigarette appeal, reinforcing effects, and accessibility may be relevant to reducing transition. Keywords: electronic cigarette, tobacco use, cigarette smoking, young adults, college students, tobacco transition
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Chaiton, M., Zhang, B., Hiler, M. M., Schwartz, R., Cohen, J. E., & Eissenberg, T. 2019 Menthol cigarette smoker reactions to an implemented menthol cigarette ban. Tobacco Regulatory Science https://doi.org/10.18001/TRS.5.1.5 East Carolina University Objective: We examined menthol cigarette smokers' reactions to Ontario's menthol cigarette ban. Methods: In April 2017, past-year adult menthol cigarette smokers from Ontario, Canada (N = 67; 64.2% women) participated in an online study. Participants generated statements describing their reactions to the ban. Researchers reviewed statements continuously until reaching content saturation, and then removed duplicate statements. Participants sorted the final 79 statements by content similarity and rated each statement from 1 (Definitely NOT true) to 7 (Definitely true). Multidimensional scaling of sorting data generated a cluster map and mean cluster ratings were compared. Results: Seven statement clusters describing reactions to the menthol ban were generated: thoughts about the ban, perceiving the ban as ineffective, emotional reactions to the ban, smoking non-menthol cigarettes, smoking cessation or reduction, alternative menthol cigarette purchasing behaviors, and alternative tobacco use behaviors. Participants rated the thoughts about the ban cluster highest (most true) and alternative tobacco use behaviors cluster lowest (least true). Participants who smoked menthol cigarettes before the ban every day or most days rated clusters higher than pre-ban occasional or rare menthol smokers. Conclusions: Banning menthol cigarettes resulted in reactions including negative feelings about the ban, smoking cessation attempts, and behaviors to find menthol cigarette alternatives.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Maloney, S. F., Guy, M. C., Eissenberg, T., & Fagan, P. 2018 User-identified electronic cigarette behavioral strategies and device characteristics for cigarette smoking reduction. Addictive Behaviors https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.12.010 Virginia Commonwealth University Background: There is limited evidence on how cigarette smokers use electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) for smoking cessation and reduction. This study used concept mapping, a participatory mixed-methods research approach, to identify ECIG use behaviors and device characteristics perceived to be associated with cigarette smoking cessation or reduction. Methods: Current ECIG users aged 18-64 were recruited from seven cities selected randomly from U.S. census tract regions. Participants were invited to complete concept mapping tasks: brainstorming, sorting and rating (n=72). During brainstorming, participants generated statements in response to a focus prompt ("A SPECIFIC WAY I HAVE USED electronic cigarettes to reduce my cigarette smoking or a SPECIFIC WAY electronic cigarettes help me reduce my cigarette smoking is…") and then sorted and rated the statements. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses were used to generate a cluster map that was interpreted by the research team. Results: Eight thematic clusters were identified: Convenience, Perceived Health Effects, Ease of Use, Versatility and Variety, Advantages of ECIGs over Cigarettes, Cigarette Substitutability, Reducing Harms to Self and Others, and Social Benefits. Participants generated several statements that related to specific behavioral strategies used when using ECIGs for smoking reduction/complete switching behaviors such as making rapid transitions from smoking to ECIG use or using certain ECIG liquids or devices. Former smokers rated the Perceived Health Effects cluster and several behavioral strategy statements higher than current smokers. Conclusions: These results help to identify ECIG use behaviors and characteristics perceived by ECIG users to aid in cigarette smoking cessation or reduction. Keywords: Concept mapping; Electronic cigarettes; Perceptions; Smoking cessation; Smoking reduction.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Daoud, N., Jung, Y. E., Muhammad, A. S., Weinstein, R., Qaadny, A., Ghattas, F., Khatib, M., & Grotto, I. 2018 Facilitators and barriers to smoking cessation among minority men using the behavioral-ecological model and Behavior Change Wheel: A concept mapping study. PLOS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204657 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0204657&type=printable Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Universal smoking cessation strategies are not always successful for minorities, among whom smoking is highly prevalent despite high intention to quit. This study identifies facilitators for smoking cessation, as perceived by minority male smokers, that can inform a culturally appropriate national plan for smoking prevention and cessation. Methods: We conducted in 2013 a three-stage study among Arab minority male current and former smokers (ages 18–64) in Israel, among whom smoking is very high: first, a Concept Mapping (CM) study with 102 and 202 participants in the brainstorming, and sorting and rating phases respectively. Second, we assigned clusters identified in the CM study to contingency levels using the Behavioral Ecological Model (BEM). Third, we classified clusters into intervention functions and policies using the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW). Findings: The CM study revealed 58 barriers and facilitators for smoking prevention and cessation that were sorted into 11 clusters by the participants. These clusters were analogous to four BEM level contingency of smoking (social, institutional, community and individual). We classified it into two main policy categories, based on the BCW: 1- restructuring the socio-political environment of smoking through affirmative government's policies towards Arab minority in Israel, and 2-developing a culturally appropriate plan for smoking cessation in Arab local authorities including: raising awareness about tobacco hazards; enforcing anti-smoking laws; strengthening community institutional action; providing smoking cessation services; considering raising prices for tobacco products, addressing psychological sources of smoking in Arab men. Conclusions: Our study revealed barriers, facilitators and contingencies of smoking prevention and cessation with two main policy action items among the Arab minority in Israel: changing the socio-political environment of smoking, and developing a culturally appropriate smoking prevention and cessation national plan. Our study framework can inform policies and culturally appropriate interventions for smoking prevention and cessation in other minorities.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Maloney, S. F., Guy, M. C., Eissenberg, T., & Fagan, P. 2017 User identified positive outcome expectancies of electronic cigarette use: A concept mapping study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000263 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5422116/pdf/nihms-849873.pdf Virginia Commonwealth University Electronic cigarette (ECIG) use is growing in popularity, however, little is known about the perceived positive outcomes of ECIG use. This study used concept mapping (CM) to examine positive ECIG outcome expectancies. Sixty-three past 30-day ECIG users (38.1% female) between the ages of 18 and 64 (M = 37.8, SD = 13.3) completed a CM module. In an online program, participants provided statements that completed a prompt: “A specific positive, enjoyable, or exciting effect (i.e., physical or psychological) that I have experienced WHILE USING or IMMEDIATELY AFTER USING an electronic cigarette/electronic vaping device is…”. Participants (n = 35) sorted 123 statements into “piles” of similar content and rated (n = 43) each statement on a 7-point scale (1-Definitely NOT a positive effect to 7-Definitely a positive effect). A cluster map was created using data from the sorting task and analysis indicated a seven cluster model of positive ECIG use outcome expectancies: Therapeutic/Affect Regulation, High/Euphoria, Sensation Enjoyment, Perceived Health Effects, Benefits of Decreased Cigarette Use, Convenience, and Social Impacts. The Perceived Health Effects cluster was rated highest, though all mean ratings were greater than 4.69. Mean cluster ratings were compared and females, younger adults, past 30-day cigarette smokers, users of more “advanced” ECIG devices, and non-lifetime (less than 100 lifetime cigarettes) participants rated certain clusters higher than comparison groups (ps < 0.05). ECIG users associate positive outcomes with ECIG use. ECIG outcome expectancies may affect product appeal and tobacco use behaviors and should be examined further to inform regulatory policies.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Nasim, A., & Rosas, S. 2016 Adverse effects of electronic cigarette use: A concept mapping approach. Nicotine & Tobacco Research https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntv246 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5896831/pdf/ntv246.pdf Virginia Commonwealth University Electronic cigarette (ECIG) use has grown rapidly in popularity within a short period of time. As ECIG products continue to evolve and more individuals begin using ECIGs, it is important to understand the potential adverse effects that are associated with ECIG use. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the acute adverse effects associated with ECIG use. Methods: This study used an integrated, mixed-method participatory approach called concept mapping (CM). Experienced ECIG users (n = 85) provided statements that answered the focus prompt "A specific negative or unpleasant effect (ie, physical or psychological) that I have experienced either during or immediately after using an electronic cigarette device is…" in an online program. Participants sorted these statements into piles of common themes and rated each statement. Using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, a concept map of the adverse effects statements was created. Results: Participants generated 79 statements that completed the focus prompt and were retained by researchers. Analysis generated a map containing five clusters that characterized perceived adverse effects of ECIG use: Stigma, Worry/Guilt, Addiction Signs, Physical Effects, and Device/Vapor Problems. Conclusions: ECIG use is associated with adverse effects that should be monitored as ECIGs continue to grow in popularity. If ECIGs are to be regulated, policies should be created that minimize the likelihood of user identified adverse effects. Implications: This article provides a list of adverse effects reported by experienced ECIG users. This article organizes these effects into a conceptual model that may be useful for better understanding the adverse outcomes associated with ECIG use. These identified adverse effects may be useful for health professionals and policy makers. Health professionals should be aware of potential negative health effects that may be associated with ECIG use and policy makers could design ECIG regulations that minimize the risk of the adverse effects reported by ECIG users in this study.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Rosas, S. R., & Nasim, A. 2016 Reasons for electronic cigarette use beyond cigarette smoking cessation: A concept mapping approach. Addictive Behaviors https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.01.008 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030646031630017X Virginia Commonwealth University Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) continue to grow in popularity, however, limited research has examined reasons for ECIG use. Methods: This study used an integrated, mixed-method participatory research approach called concept mapping (CM) to characterize and describe adults' reasons for using ECIGs. A total of 108 adults completed a multi-module online CM study that consisted of brainstorming statements about their reasons for ECIG use, sorting each statement into conceptually similar categories, and then rating each statement based on whether it represented a reason why they have used an ECIG in the past month. Results: Participants brainstormed a total of 125 unique statements related to their reasons for ECIG use. Multivariate analyses generated a map revealing 11, interrelated components or domains that characterized their reasons for use. Importantly, reasons related to Cessation Methods, Perceived Health Benefits, Private Regard, Convenience and Conscientiousness were rated significantly higher than other categories/types of reasons related to ECIG use (p < .05). There also were significant model differences in participants' endorsement of reasons based on their demography and ECIG behaviors. Conclusions: This study shows that ECIG users are motivated to use ECIGs for many reasons. ECIG regulations should address these reasons for ECIG use in addition to smoking cessation.
Addictions - Tobacco/Nicotine Soule, E. K., Lopez, A. A., Guy, M. C., & Cobb, C. O. 2016 Reasons for using flavored liquids among electronic cigarette users: A concept mapping study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.07.007 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/27460860/ Virginia Commonwealth University Background: Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) aerosolize liquids often containing flavorants for inhalation. Few studies have examined the role of flavors in ECIG use. This study's purpose was to examine reasons for flavored ECIG use using a mixed-method approach, concept mapping (CM). Methods: Forty-six past 30-day adult ECIG users recruited from vape forums/conferences completed three online CM tasks. Participants brainstormed responses to a prompt: "A specific reason I use flavored e-liquid in my electronic cigarette product is…". The final 107 brainstormed statements were sorted by participants into groups of similar content. Participants rated each statement on a 7-point scale (1-Definitely NOT a reason to 7-Definitely a reason) based on a prompt: "This is a specific reason why I used flavored e-liquid in my electronic cigarette product in the past month." A cluster map was generated from participants' sorting and ratings using CM statistical software. Cluster mean ratings were compared. Results: Analysis revealed five clusters of reasons for flavored ECIG use including Increased Satisfaction/Enjoyment, Better Feel/Taste than Cigarettes, Variety/Customization, Food Craving Suppression, and Social Impacts. Statements in the Increased Satisfaction/Enjoyment and Better Feel/Taste than Cigarettes clusters were rated significantly higher than statements from other clusters (ps<0.05). Some statements indicated flavors were perceived as masking agents for nicotine or other bad tastes associated with cigarette smoking making ECIG use more palatable. Conclusions: Flavored ECIGs are used for many reasons. Some statements suggested flavors may increase the rewarding and possible addictive effects of ECIGs. These results support continued examination of the role of flavors and ECIG use behaviors. Keywords: Concept mapping; Electronic cigarettes; Flavors; Mixed methods.
Business and Marketing Maartje Henderikx, Jol Stoffers 2023 Digital transformation and middle managers’ leadership skills and behavior: a group concept mapping approach Frontiers in Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1147002 Research Centre for Employability, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Sittard, Netherlands, This study, with the aim to test theory in practice, used group concept mapping to develop a comprehensive conceptualization of middle managers’ leadership behaviors concerning digital transformation as a form of radical change. Participants were professionals in the largest public organization in the Netherlands (a police organization) who were dealing with digital transformation in their own practice and who enrolled in an education program on leadership and intelligence. Based on 94 unique statements, the participant-driven results revealed six thematically coherent clusters representing leadership skills and behaviors regarding improvement and results, digital technologies, cooperation, the self, change and ambivalence, and others. The stress value of 0.2234 indicated a good fit. Further analysis showed that clusters containing soft skills and people-oriented behaviors were considered the most important. These results can serve as input to support leadership development programs for middle managers to develop themselves into people-oriented, empowering leaders who can adapt their leadership approaches to fit and support change in general and technology-driven change in particular. Ultimately this will benefit their and their employees’ overall well-being at work. This study is the first to investigate middle managers’ leadership skills and behaviors in a large public organization that is entirely participant-driven.
Business and Marketing Homer, S., T. 2022 A case‐study approach to mapping Corporate Citizenship Business and Society Review https://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12280 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Homer-2/publication/362909324_A_case-study_approach_to_mapping_Corporate_Citizenship/links/6307099a5eed5e4bd119abd4/A-case-study-approach-to-mapping-Corporate-Citizenship.pdf Sunway University This explores what responsible business practice within the context of Malaysia, an Eastern collective society, diverging from the Western individualistic society where most Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research originates. A bottom-up approach was adopted, incorporating different stakeholder perspectives of a case-study firm, widely acknowledged for its CSR programs. Concept mapping method was selected because it is a structural conceptualization method designed to organize and represent ideas from an identified group adding structure to disorganized and subjective ideas. By using concept mapping all the various perspectives and ideas were brought together to create a single conceptualization. The findings from the concept mapping present 101 statements which produced seven clusters; Products & Services, Community Oriented, Stakeholder & Business Value, Employee Oriented, Legal & Ethical Responsibilities, Environmental & Social Oriented, and Philanthropic Oriented. These clusters covered the whole conceptual domain of Corporate Citizenship and demonstrated multiple CSR theories, including corporate sustainability, stakeholder concept, and shared value, were apparent, while also uncovering some unique aspects from the normative stakeholder perspective. The implications of this study suggest that while some aspects of globally institutionalized CSR are generically accepted, there are contextually specific aspects which need to be considered as these may contradict or conflict with the “global” standards.
Business and Marketing Cui, Y., Dai, Z., Cohen, J. E., Rosas, S., Smith, K. C., Welding, K., & Czaplicki, L. 2022 Culturally specific health-related features on cigarette packs sold in China Tobacco Control https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2022-057527 https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/early/2022/08/25/tc-2022-057527.full.pdf Johns Hopkins University Background: China is the country with the highest burden of tobacco-caused disease. We characterised the extent to which cigarette pack marketing features (eg, imagery, text, pack color) could potentially mislead consumers by suggesting products are healthy. Methods: We used two methods: group concept mapping and content analysis. First, we used a group concept mapping approach to generate and sort Chinese consumer responses to an open-ended prompt asking what marketing features suggest a product is ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’. Second, based on the concept mapping results, we developed a codebook of health-related features on cigarette packs that were relevant to the unique cultural context of product marketing in China. Two trained coders who were native Chinese speakers double-coded a sample of 1023 cigarette packs purchased in 2013 (wave 1) and 2017 (wave 2). We examined differences in the presence of features overall and over time. Results: Overall, 83.5% (n=854) of Chinese cigarette packs in our sample contained at least one ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’ feature, and the presence of health-related features on packs remained constant between wave 1 (83.5%, n=354) and wave 2 (83.5%, n=500; p=1.00). Across both waves, the most common categories of culturally specific health features present related to recycling symbols, rare animal imagery, bright colours (eg, bright yellow) and botanical imagery (eg, bamboo, mint). Conclusion: Health-related features on cigarette packs sold in China are common. Enhanced policies to address tobacco packaging, labelling and branding could support and facilitate a reduction in the high tobacco burden in China.
Business and Marketing Dulin, A., Mealy, R., Whittaker, S., Cardel, M., Wang, J., Risica, P. M., & Gans, K. 2022 Identifying Barriers to and Facilitators of Using a Mobile Fruit and Vegetable Market Intervention Delivered to Low-Income Housing Sites: A Concept Mapping Study. Health Education & Behavior https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1090198121998287 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8446086/pdf/nihms-1689822.pdf Brown University Mobile fruit and vegetable (F&V) markets may be a promising strategy to improve F&V intake among low-income and racial/ethnic minority groups. However, challenges remain in terms of maximizing the reach and utilization of such markets. Therefore, this study identifies perceived barriers to and facilitators of utilizing a mobile F&V market among residents who lived in low-income housing that received the markets. Specifically, this article reports the results of the follow-up acceptability study of the "Live Well, Viva Bien" (LWVB) intervention. Method: We conducted concept mapping with residents in housing communities that received the Fresh to You (FTY) markets. Participants generated, sorted, and rated statements concerning barriers to and facilitators of market use. We compared the rating data by residents' level of market utilization and created a map representing how statements clustered into conceptual themes. Results: We retained 66 unique participant-generated statements. Eight thematic clusters emerged; four pertained to barriers: financial/promotion, produce-related, scheduling/knowledge, and logistic/awareness barriers, and four related to facilitators: produce/staffing, promotion, accessibility, and multilevel market facilitators. There was a strong correlation in ratings between participants who more frequently versus less frequently shopped at the markets (r = 0.94). Conclusions: Participants identified financial barriers, market promotion, ease of market accessibility, produce variety and quality, and staffing as key factors influencing FTY market use. This study highlights the importance of identifying the perceived barriers to and facilitators of mobile F&V market use among target populations to inform future efforts to scale up such approaches. Keywords: diet; food access; intervention; low income; neighborhood; qualitative.
Business and Marketing Pelletier, C. & Cloutier, L. M. 2019 Challenges of digital transformation in SMEs: Exploration of IT-related perceptions in a service ecosystem. Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2019.597 https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/87893b19-f85d-4ab3-bc4e-9ad606fe6d9c/content University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières Supported by a service ecosystem that is increasingly immersed into the digital transformation, SMEs have access to turnkey IT applications, which may come free of charge but not free of concerns. Using the group concept mapping (GCM) as the methodological framework, a concept map was estimated for a group of entrepreneurs in SMEs. Six main themes were identified as conceptual representations. The perceptions of the three main actor groups which interact in the ecosystem (i.e. entrepreneurs, IT specialists, socioeconomic support professionals) were estimated and compared. The analysis of IT-related perceptions shows entrepreneurs tend to rank as relatively more important the IT evaluation support identified on the concept map rather than the nature of the digital strategy to be implemented when compared with IT specialists and socioeconomic professionals. The discussion highlights issues of perceptions which vary among these interacting actors, and stresses the need to develop a shared understanding of IT challenges in a service ecosystem.
Business and Marketing Pelletier, C. & Cloutier, L. M. 2019 Conceptualising digital transformation in SMEs: An ecosystemic perspective. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-05-2019-0144 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudia-Pelletier/publication/337332963_Conceptualising_digital_transformation_in_SMEs_an_ecosystemic_perspective/links/5df7959fa6fdcc283724a039/Conceptualising-digital-transformation-in-SMEs-an-ecosystemic-perspective.pdf University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières Purpose: Supported by a service ecosystem that is increasingly immersed into digital transformation, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to turnkey information technology (IT) applications, which may come free of charge but not free of concerns. The purpose of this paper is to explore a group conceptualisation and associated perceptions of IT issues within an ecosystem that includes three subgroup profiles: entrepreneurs, IT professionals and socioeconomic support professionals. Design/methodology/approach: Using group concept mapping, a bottom-up and participatory mixed methods-based approach, a concept map was estimated, based on a list of items, to define seven clusters pertaining to issues and challenges of adoption and use of turnkey IT applications in SMEs of less than 20 employees. Perceptions measures of relative importance and feasibility were obtained by subgroup profiles. Findings The relative importance and relative feasibility measures for the seven clusters indicate significant statistical differences in ratings among the subgroup profiles. A discussion on the importance of relational capital in addressing challenges of digital transformation in SMEs is developed. Originality/value: Results highlight signifiant differences concerning key dimensions in the adoption and use of IT from the perspective of three subgroup profiles of actors within the ecosystem. First, the results stress the need to develop a shared understanding of IT challenges. Second, they suggest policymakers could use these conceptual representations to further develop and strengthen the IT-related support agenda for SMEs, especially the smaller ones (e.g. training programs, business support and coaching initiatives, etc.).
Business and Marketing Cloutier, L. M., Cueille, S., Recasens, G., & Rosas, S. R. 2019 Représentations conceptuelles par les acteurs entrepreneuriaux : apport des correspondances spatiales ascendantes. Revue De L'Entrepreneuriat https://doi.org/10.3917/entre.181.0073 University of Quebec in Montreal La littérature en cognition entrepreneuriale de la croissance insiste sur le manque de connaissances permettant de comprendre ce phénomène. De plus, peu de travaux ont porté sur l’efficacité des dispositifs d’accompagnement dédiés à la croissance de la jeune TPE (Très Petite Entreprise). Pourtant, dans la pratique, des divergences de représentations collectives entre acteurs entrepreneuriaux au sujet des actions de croissance à mettre en œuvre menacent l’efficacité de ces dispositifs d’accompagnement. Une compréhension plus affinée des convergences et des divergences de représentations entre les entrepreneurs et les accompagnateurs, en ce qui concerne les actions à mettre en œuvre pour soutenir la croissance comme résultat d’un processus d’orchestration des ressources, serait pertinente pour guider les acteurs entrepreneuriaux faisant face à ce défi. Afin d’éclairer cette problématique, la cartographie des concepts en groupe (CCG) doublée d’une analyse de Procuste aléatoire ont été employées. Ce cadre méthodologique mixte et ascendant permet de déterminer empiriquement les représentations des entrepreneurs et des accompagnateurs en isolant leurs correspondances spatiales respectives. L’empirie permet ainsi de déterminer et de mesurer les convergences et les divergences de représentations des actions de croissance qu’entretiennent ces acteurs entrepreneuriaux. Un positionnement épistémologique en réalisme critique (RC) rend possible une contribution théorique en articulant les mécanismes générateurs (MG) de la croissance extraits des représentations des acteurs entrepreneuriaux. Concernant la contribution managériale de la recherche, des divergences de représentations ont été établies quant aux actions de croissance associées au soutien, au financement et à la gestion des risques.
Business and Marketing Cloutier, L. M., Renard, L., & Arcand, S. 2019 Collective economic conceptualization of cider and wine routes by stakeholders. Journal of Wine Economics https://doi.org/10.1017/jwe.2019.27 University of Quebec at Montreal The coherence and systemic strength of the collaborative process among thematic route stakeholders are key factors to economic success for individual businesses and regional economic development. The objective of this article is to identify the economic action set to rejuvenate the Cider Route and the Wine Route of the Montérégie region (Quebec, Canada). Group concept mapping is used to estimate the conceptualization and perceptions of stakeholders (cideries, wineries, tourism professionals, visitors) regarding the articulation of the action set. The contribution is threefold. Methodologically, the approach taken supports both the estimation of the concept map and associated perception measures. Empirically, eight action clusters are identified to articulate stakeholders’ “organizational” and “selling” dimensions of the routes. Practically, action priorities identified and feasibility constraints are helpful to target the capability development support needed by route stakeholders to collaborate. (JEL Classifications: D02, L23, L26, L66, Q18)
Business and Marketing Cloutier, L. M., Arcand, S., Laviolette, E. M., & Renard, L. 2018 Collective economic conceptualization of strategic actions by Quebec cidermakers: A mixed methods-based approach. Journal of Wine Economics https://doi.org/10.1017/jwe.2017.39 University of Quebec at Montreal The objective of this article is to estimate the spatial structure of the collective economic conceptualization of strategic actions by cidermakers in Québec. It employs group concept mapping, a mixed methods–based approach. Given the limited research on the economic conceptualization of horizontal coordination for guiding collective strategic action orientations, this contribution is threefold: methodological, empirical, and practical. Methodologically, the results show the perspective of horizontally coordinated cidermakers and use statistical estimates and retroduction as an inference mode to produce and structure the concept map. Empirically, the spatial economic conceptualization consists of a concept map with seven strategic action clusters organized around the notions of product supply and demand and highlights tensions between individual and collective strategic actions. Practically, measures of relative importance and relative feasibility are obtained for each cluster on the map, and implications are discussed. (JEL Classifications: D02, L23, L26, L66, Q18)
Business and Marketing Velonis, A. & Forst, L. 2018 Outreach to low-wage and precarious workers: Concept mapping for public health officers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001462 University of Illinois at Chicago Objective: To explore concept mapping (CM) as a participatory methodology that can be used by public health officials to strategize approaches to reducing health inequities among low wage workers and workers with unstable employment. Methods: In a workshop of 68 occupational health officers, mainly from government agencies, CM was demonstrated through gathering and prioritizing ideas for reaching underserved, at-risk working populations. Results: Prior to the workshop, occupational health officers generated 99 brainstormed ideas on how to reach underserved workers. These were reduced to 39 unique items, which workshop participants then sorted into themes and prioritized based on perceived effectiveness and feasibility. Twelve specific approaches covering enhanced surveillance methods, occupational safety and health (OSH) training, and partnering with employers, other agencies, and community groups were considered most actionable by occupational/public health officers to address the health of low-wage, and precarious workers. In a follow-up session 1 year later, a subset of participants discussed the findings. Conclusion: Concept mapping can be used to elucidate actionable approaches by government agencies to better address occupational health inequities experienced by low wage and precarious workers.
Business and Marketing Berg, S., Cloutier, L. M., & Broring, S. 2018 Collective stakeholder representations and perceptions of drivers of biomass-based value chains. Journal of Cleaner Production https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.304 University of Bonn European Union (EU) policies aim to enable novel biomass-based value chains which require collaboration among their stakeholders. However little is known about how stakeholders collectively represent the scope and boundary of drivers that enhance or limit these novel biomass-based value chains. Thus, the objective of this article is to present the first comprehensive set of results about the collective representations and perceptions of novel biomass-based value chain drivers held by German stakeholders. These results were produced using Group Concept Mapping (GCM), a bottom-up and participatory mixed methods-based approach. The results include a multivariate estimated concept map comprising 54 drivers spatially distributed across eight interrelated clusters. The spatial organization of clusters on the concept map provides insights on their interrelatedness and conceptual configuration which reveal stakeholders’ concept breadth and depth of novel biomass value chains. Moreover, the relative importance and relative feasibility measures for each cluster of drivers were obtained. These measures indicate significant statistical differences between perceived relative importance and feasibility ratings. A discussion compares the results with available empirical evidence to further interpret the interrelatedness of the clusters, and provide additional insights regarding effective policy formulation for enabling novel biomass-based value chains.
Business and Marketing Borge, L. & Broring, S. 2018 What affects technology transfer in emerging knowledge areas? A multi-stakeholder concept mapping study in the bioeconomy. The Journal of Technology Transfer https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-018-9702-4 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Laura-Borge-2/publication/328106820_What_affects_technology_transfer_in_emerging_knowledge_areas_A_multi-stakeholder_concept_mapping_study_in_the_bioeconomy/links/5bbc71d84585159e8d8f23d8/What-affects-technology-transfer-in-emerging-knowledge-areas-A-multi-stakeholder-concept-mapping-study-in-the-bioeconomy.pdf University of Bonn Technology transfer in emerging knowledge areas such as the bioeconomy is strongly challenged. The related challenges are attained to the differences in perceptions, objectives, values and motivations between academic scientists and firms stemming from different disciplines and industries. Group concept mapping, an exploratory and bottom-up participatory method that brings together stakeholders to represent their collective perceptions, was therefore applied to investigate challenges in technology transfer. Using this approach, this study is able to offer the first overview of factors affecting technology transfer in the bioeconomy through the aggregate representation of the perceptions of different stakeholder groups (i.e. academic scientists, technology transfer facilitators, and firms/entrepreneurs). These factors are visualized in form of maps by means of multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. Furthermore, a quantitative ranking of the factors is used to demonstrate the degree to which the importance of the perceived factors differs across stakeholder groups. Factors related to interdisciplinary collaborations and collaborations between academics and firms as well as those tied to financial issues or consumer acceptance are assigned the highest level of relative importance. However, these factors are also characterized by the lowest level of relative coherence across key stakeholders. Finally, managerial and policy recommendations for cultivating successful technology transfer in the context of other interdisciplinary and emerging knowledge areas are suggested.
Business and Marketing Legget, J. 2018 Shared heritage, shared authority, shared accountability? Co-generating museum performance criteria as a means of embedding ‘shared authority.’ International Journal of Heritage Studies https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2017.1413679 Auckland University This New Zealand case study presents insights from the perspectives of Māori and non-Māori museum stakeholders. It aimed to understand which activities and responsibilities mattered to stakeholders, in order to develop more meaningful accountability for their shared heritage. Using a participatory mixed method, the research explored how museum stakeholders assess their museum’s performance. Māori and non-Māori generated, sorted and rated 'possible performance statements’. A cultural analysis, using proprietary software, produced concept maps which illustrate differently nuanced museum constructs with different relative importance for constituent elements. Pattern-matching revealed divergent priority accorded certain museum activities, but also commonalities. Both cultural groups prioritised factors not generally featured in compliance-driven approaches to accountability reporting. For Māori, greatest importance was placed on care of taonga (‘treasures’), Māori-specific practice and engagement with Māori, while collections and staff were the key assessment factors for non-Māori. Incorporating stakeholder perspectives in a museum performance framework provides opportunities to report performance on dimensions which matter to wider communities. Where shared authority is taken seriously and stakeholders are involved, accountability becomes meaningful. This collaborative approach to performance framework development offers a tool for embedding the realities of shared authority into planning and delivering the museum’s activities and responsibilities.
Business and Marketing Cloutier, L. M., Cueille, S., & Recasens, G. 2017 Entrepreneurs’ perspectives on the structuring phase of the entrepreneurial team. In C. Ben-Hafaïedh & T. M. Cooney (eds.), Research Handbook on Entrepreneurial Teams: Theory and Practice University of Québec in Montréal This chapter examines the problem of structuring entrepreneurial team development in small enterprises taken from the perspectives offered by a group of young entrepreneurs who have each faced such a challenge. In particular, the chapter will report on a shared representation (or collective) conceptual framework. For the purposes of this study, action-oriented clusters were identified using group concept mapping (GCM), a bottom-up mixed-method-based approach using primary data. The methodological approach taken and results obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of the scope and interrelationship of actions related to entrepreneurial team development. The results indicate that actions rated as the most important and feasible are related to the entrepreneur’s role. The results also report differences between relatively higher than average importance and relatively lower than average feasibility for clusters of actions related to the organizational and resource pool environments: team cohesion and spirit, organizational structuring, HR management, team leadership and evolution, and team competences development. Interestingly, team-oriented financial capital development included a set of actions rated as the lowest for both importance and feasibility. The findings startlingly highlight the balancing act entrepreneurs face at the structuring phase of the team development, which consists of taking actions to develop it from the resource pool environment versus the organizational environment.
Business and Marketing Cloutier, L. M., Cueille, S., & Recasens, G. 2016 Resource orchestration mechanisms and the growth of the very small enterprise (VSE) with entrepreneurial support. (Les mécanismes d’orchestration des ressources et la croissance de la jeune TPE accompagnée.) Revue Internationale P.M.E. https://doi.org/10.7202/1038340ar https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/ipme/2016-v29-n3-4-ipme02873/1038340ar.pdf University of Quebec in Montreal The literature on resource orchestration provides a process-based and complexity perspective for understanding the growth of the VSE with support. However, few studies have focused on the representations of entrepreneurial actors about the managerial and entrepreneurial actions which explain growth. Yet, finer knowledge about the mechanisms underlying the orchestration of resources would be useful to actors and entrepreneurial support professionals facing this challenge. To that end, this article proposes the use of critical realism which purpose is to develop a research design based on the Group Concept Mapping (GCM) as a bottom-up mixed methodological framework. The GCM method is used to produce intercase research representations to examine the conceptual representations shared by entrepreneurial actors owners of VSEs at the growth phase and evolving in distinct support systems ; one in Quebec (NQC = 25) and the other in France (NFR = 15). The intercase results presented in this article contribute in two ways to the theoretical concepts underpinning resource orchestration. First, four self-reinforcing growth-generating mechanisms are identified in line with the antecedents of growth. Second, conjectures formulated by retroduction to the theoretical notions contribute to an articulation of the resource orchestration framework for the VSE with support. Keywords: Enterprise growth, Entrepreneurial development, Resource orchestration, Critical realism, Group concept mapping
Business and Marketing Glenn, M. & Thorne, K. 2015 Does the purpose for using a service dog make a difference in the perceptions of what it takes to create successful outcomes in the workplace? Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrjarc/46/2/13 West Virginia University The objective of this article is to determine if there are perceptual differences regarding the importance of elements deemed imperative for successful service dog partnerships in the workplace (Glenn, 2013) between those who have experience with dogs for mobility/stability and those for medical alert/response. Thirty individuals completed this online survey (mobility/stability: n = 18; medical alert/response: n = 12). Participants rated the importance of elements in response to the question, “How important to do you think this item is in the OVERALL process?” The mobility/stability group rated the Co-Worker Preparation and Legal Knowledge clusters as significantly more important than the medical alert/response group. This opens up a need for research on the unique needs of subgroups of the population of people using service dogs. Differences may exist because of the size of dogs and the issues around privacy for the person with the disability seeking accommodations on the job.
Business and Marketing Glenn, M. K. 2015 Stakeholder perceptions of the need for research on elements of service dog partnerships in the workplace. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education https://doi.org/10.1891/2168-6653.29.4.320 West Virginia University Purpose: To examine the perceived need for research on elements of successful service dog partnerships in the workplace outlined by stakeholders in an exploratory study. Method: A structured mixed methods approach was used to gather ideas from people with service dogs, trainers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and other health care professionals. Sixty-eight people participated in the process, from brainstorming elements (n = 24), sorting them into clusters (n = 10), rating the items for importance (n = 40), and need for research (n = 34). Among those rating research, most were service dog handlers (55%). Primarily, the group had experience with mobility/stability dogs (45%) or medical alert/response service dogs (35%). Results: Sixty-eight elements were brainstormed and rated according to need for research. The clusters Monitoring and Dog Preparation received the highest mean ratings in response to the question, What is your perception of the relative priority of conducting research on this item? All 68 elements were perceived to be in need of further research. Conclusion: The conclusion was that the elements established in this study should generate scholarly activity in the rehabilitation and disability research and service community with the intent of identifying promising practices related to the use of service dogs in the workplace by people with disabilities.
Business and Marketing Henry, A. D., Laszlo, A., & Nicholson, J. 2015 What does it take to build an employment collaborative for people with disabilities? Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-150750 University of Massachusetts Background: Collaboration among employment service providers has been suggested as one strategy for enhancing outcomes for people with disabilities. Yet, little research exists on the process of collaboration building or factors that contribute to effective collaboration among employment providers. Objective: We engaged partners of five Regional Employment Collaboratives (RECs) in Massachusetts to identify the critical elements needed to build and sustain an employment collaborative. Methods: We used concept mapping, a mixed-method approach that included brainstorming sessions during which REC partners generated statements in response to the research question – what does it take to build and sustain an employment collaborative? Partners sorted statements thematically and rated statements in terms of importance and challenge. Sorting and rating data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: The analysis yielded six “clusters” reflecting critical elements in building and sustaining a collaborative. Three elements, build trust and respect, do business differently and have effective structures and processes, are consistent with the literature on general collaborative building. The other three elements, address employer needs, engage job developers, and innovate strategically, reflect activities specific to an employment-focused collaborative. Conclusions: Collaboration is a complex and time-consuming undertaking, but holds promise as a way to enhance employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Keywords: Employment services, vocational rehabilitation, collaboration, concept mapping, people with disabilities
Child & Adolescent Health C de Beer, RJ Bennett, RH Eikelboom, T le Roux  2024 Impact of paediatric cochlear implantation on family life: a conceptual framework informed by parents Disability and Rehabilitation https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2024.2337094 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/09638288.2024.2337094?needAccess=true University of Pretoria Purpose: While the impact of paediatric cochlear implantation on parents and siblings are recognised, limited evidence exists regarding the effect of paediatric cochlear implantation on the entire family life (e.g., routine interactions, family activities). This study aimed to describe the impact of paediatric cochlear implantation on family life as perceived by parents, using concept mapping. Materials and methods: Parents of paediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients (n?=?29) participated in this concept mapping study to generate, group, and rate statements regarding the impact of paediatric cochlear implantation on family life. Results: In total, 99 unique statements described the impact of paediatric cochlear implantation on family life. The concept map revealed six concepts, namely (i) Financial Outlay and Supports; (ii) Education and Therapy; (iii) Responsibilities and Sacrifices; (iv) Extended Family and Community; (v) Spouses and Siblings and (vi) Achievements and Enrichments. Conclusions: This study highlights the multiple areas of family life affected by paediatric cochlear implantation. To improve patient-and-family-centered care, these factors must be considered during pre-operative and successive counselling of paediatric CI recipients and their families.
Child & Adolescent Health Hodgkinson, E.L.; McKenzie, A.; & Johnson, L. 2023 Evaluating the Impact of a Paediatric Burn Club for Children and Families Using Group Concept Mapping European Burn Journal. https://doi.org/10.3390/ebj4020019 https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1991/4/2/19/pdf?version=1683712779 NHS Foundation Trust Access to burn camps and clubs is cited as an essential element for children following a burn injury. In the Northern Regional Burns Service, this takes the form of a club run by a multidisciplinary team, offering residential camps and family day trips. In this service evaluation, Group Concept Mapping was used to evaluate the perception of the club by staff, children and families. Opportunistic sampling was used to seek responses to the following prompts: “The challenges for children and families after a burn injury are…” and “The role of The Grafters Club is…”. The results indicate that participants perceived the club to be effective at addressing body image and confidence issues for the children but highlighted an unmet parental expectation that the club would also facilitate the sharing of experiences, normalisation of emotional reactions, and processing of guilt and other psychological distress for parents. When taken concurrently with pre-existing evidence in the literature base, it is proposed that a club model of psychosocial support for children and families could provide an accessible and informal opportunity for parental support that may be less subject to barriers perceived with traditional formal psychological support. burn care; burn camps; group concept mapping; burn rehabilitation
Child & Adolescent Health Webber, S, Kloster, H, Shadman, KA, Kelly, M, Sklansky, D, Coller, RJ. 2023 Domains of professional fulfillment for pediatric hospital medicine: A concept mapping study. J Hosp Med. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.13119 https://shmpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jhm.13119 University of Wisconsin Background: We know little about how pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) physicians conceptualize their professional fulfillment (PF). The objective of this study was to determine how PHM physicians conceptualize PF. Objective The objective of this study was to determine how PHM physicians conceptualize PF. Methods We performed a single-site group concept mapping (GCM) study to create a stakeholder-informed model of PHM PF. We followed established GCM steps. For brainstorming, PHM physicians responded to a prompt to generate ideas describing the concept of PHM PF. Next, PHM physicians sorted the ideas based on conceptual relatedness and ranked them on importance. Responses were analyzed to create point cluster maps where each idea represented one point, and point proximity illustrated how often ideas were sorted together. Using an iterative and consensus-driven approach, we selected a cluster map best representing the ideas. Mean rating scores for all the items in each cluster were calculated. Results Sixteen PHM physicians identified 90 unique ideas related to PHM PF. The final cluster map described nine domains for PHM PF: (1) work personal-fit, (2) people-centered climate, (3) divisional cohesion and collaboration, (4) supportive and growth-oriented environment, (5) feeling valued and respected, (6) confidence, contribution, and credibility, (7) meaningful teaching and mentoring, (8) meaningful clinical work, and (9) structures to facilitate effective patient care. The domains with the highest and lowest importance ratings were divisional cohesion and collaboration and meaningful teaching and mentoring. Conclusion Domains of PF for PHM physicians extend beyond existing PF models, particularly the importance of teaching and mentoring.
Child & Adolescent Health S Napier-Raman, SZ Hossain, E Mpofu, MJ Lee… 2023 Sexual and reproductive health and rights decision-making among Australian migrant and refugee youth: a group concept mapping study Culture, Health & Sexuality https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2023.2275303 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/13691058.2023.2275303?needAccess=true The University of Sydney Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a human right. Young people, particularly from marginalised groups such as migrant and refugees, are vulnerable to compromised sexual and reproductive health and rights. In this study, we aimed to identify socioecological factors influencing migrant and refugee youth SRH decision-making and compare perspectives of youth with key stakeholders. Data were collected using Group Concept Mapping (GCM), a mixed-methods participatory approach. Participants included migrant and refugee young people, aged 16–26 from Western Sydney (n = 55), and key stakeholders comprising clinicians, service providers and researchers (n = 13). GCM involved participants brainstorming statements about how migrant and refugee youth make SRH decisions. Participants then sorted statements into groups based on similarity, and rated statements on importance and impact. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to cluster statements into concept maps that represented participants’ perspectives. The resulting maps comprised six clusters representing main concepts informing decision-making. The most important clusters were ‘healthy relationships’ and ‘safe-sex practices’. Youth rated healthy relationships more important than stakeholders did. This study reveals factors informing migrant and refugee youth’s decision-making. Future policy should go beyond biomedical constructions of SRH to incorporate emotional and relational factors, which young people consider to be equally important and beneficial to their agency.
Child & Adolescent Health Daniela, F. B., Shoshana, C., Lucia, B., Richard, K., Marlou, K. L. A., Zuzana, D. V. 2022 Desirable but not feasible: Measures and interventions to promote early childhood health and development in marginalized Roma communities in Slovakia https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.942550 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.942550/pdf PJ Safarik University Roma are the largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority in Europe often facing generational poverty, and limited access to education, employment, housing, and various types of services. Despite many international and national initiatives, children from marginalized Roma communities face multiple risks and are being disadvantaged as early as from conception onward. We, therefore, aimed to identify measures and/or interventions targeting equity in early childhood health and development in marginalized Roma communities which implementation is considered to be urgent but not feasible. We used a group concept mapping approach—a participatory mixed research method—and involved 40 experts and professionals from research, policy and practice. From 90 measures and interventions proposed to achieve early childhood equity for children from marginalized Roma communities, 23 measures were identified as urgent but not feasible. These concerned particularly measures and interventions targeting living conditions (including access to income, access to housing, and basic infrastructure for families) and public resources for instrumental support (covering mainly topics related to financial and institutional frameworks). Our results reflect the most pressing issues in the area of equality, inclusion and participation of Roma and expose barriers to implementation which are likely to arise from public and political discourses perpetrating a negative image of Roma, constructing them as less deserving. Measures to overcome persistent prejudices against Roma need to be implemented along with the measures targeting equity in early childhood health and development.
Child & Adolescent Health Halberg, S. E., Visek, A. J., Blake, E. F., Essel, K. D., Sacheck, J., & Sylvetsky, A. C. 2021 SODA MAPS: A Framework for Understanding Caffeinated Sugary Drink Consumption Among Children. Frontiers in Nutrition https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.640531 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7988216/pdf/fnut-08-640531.pdf George Washington University Excess sugary drink (SD) consumption is associated with childhood obesity and development of cardiometabolic disease. In addition to having high added sugar content, many SDs also contain caffeine, which may further encourage excess SD consumption among children. The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual framework of children's caffeinated SD consumption using group concept mapping, an applied social research multimethodology that collectively harnesses qualitative and quantitative data from participants to generate a visual representation of their ideas and input. Children, 8–14 years old, who reported consuming ≥12 ounces of caffeinated SDs (e.g., sodas, sweet teas) per day were recruited throughout Washington, D.C. and invited to participate. Concept mapping included three participant-driven activities: (1) brainstorming (n = 51), during which children reported reasons for their SD consumption, from which 58 unique reasons were identified; (2) sorting (n = 70), during which children sorted each of the reported reasons into categories and named each category; and (3) rating (n = 74), during which children rated the influence of each reason on their own caffeinated SD consumption. Similarity matrices, multidimensional scaling, and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to generate concept maps (hereafter “SODA MAPS”), which display the 58 reasons organized within eight overarching clusters. Among these eight clusters, Taste and Feel, Something to Do, and Energy were rated as particularly influential. Children's caffeinated SD consumption is encouraged not only by the palatable taste and reported preferences for these beverages (e.g., Taste and Feel), but also by psychological (e.g., Mood and Focus), biological (e.g., Energy), social (e.g., Something to Do) and environmental reasons (e.g., Nothing Better Available). Thus, the SODA MAPS can inform the development of tailored, multi-level SD reduction interventions that incorporate strategies to address important and currently overlooked reasons for caffeinated SD consumption among children.
Child & Adolescent Health Jonsson, F., Christianson, M., Wiklund, M., Hurtig, A. K., & Goicolea, I. 2021 Collective imaginaries of caring landscapes for rural youth: a concept mapping study in northern Sweden BMC Public Health https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12223-4 https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12889-021-12223-4.pdf Umeå University In the current study, the approach of ‘utopia as method’ was combined with the concept ‘landscapes of care’ to explore collective imaginaries of caring landscapes in relation to young people living in rural northern Sweden, while focusing specifically on what such landscapes should ideally look like, and how various strategies could help to realise the visions. Methods: The research was conducted using a modified concept mapping methodology comprising three phases of data collection and analysis. This facilitated the integration of tacit knowledge and utopian visions of young people, professionals and policymakers living and working in various parts of northern Sweden. Results: The results indicated that caring landscapes should: ‘provide services responsive to young people’s wishes and needs’, ‘be organised around values of safety, equity and youth participation’, and ‘rework metro-centredness’ in order to care for, with and about rural youth. Conclusions: The findings can be viewed as an imaginary reconstitution of communities in rural northern Sweden, but also as hypothetical building blocks to be used for developing caring landscapes and a ‘good countryside’ where young people have the possibility to live a good life in decent health. Northern Sweden, Rural, Youth, Landscapes of care, Utopia as method, Concept mapping
Child & Adolescent Health Crooks, C. V., Smith, A. C. G., Robinson-Link, N., Orenstein, S., & Hoover, S. 2020 Psychosocial interventions in schools with newcomers: A structured conceptualization of system, design, and individual needs. Children and Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104894 https://www.csmh.uwo.ca/docs/Crooks-Smith-RobinsonLink-Orenstein-Hoover-2020.pdf Western University Canada has recently welcomed an influx of refugees, many of whom experienced significant trauma and adversity before coming to Canada or during migration. Thousands of newcomer children and youth are now in Canadian schools, and many continue to struggle with symptoms of distress and trauma. During the spring of 2018, a pilot was conducted in two large Ontario school districts to evaluate the feasibility of a new 10-week manualized intervention (Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups [STRONG]) developed to promote resilience and reduce distress among young newcomers. In the current study, stakeholders involved in the pilot (i.e., mental health clinicians, mental health leaders, developers of the STRONG program, and the evaluation team) participated in an online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) activity to document the groups' collective wisdom about developing and implementing appropriate programming for newcomer children and youth. Twenty-three stakeholders generated a list of considerations related to designing, implementing, and facilitating programs to promote resilience among newcomer children and youth, producing a total of 71 statements. Eighteen stakeholders then sorted the list of statements into meaningful categories. Through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis we identified five clusters of important considerations: (1) engage family and community; (2) take a whole school approach; (3) attend to group composition and setting; (4) make material accessible and age-appropriate; and, (5) address unique clinical issues. Theoretically, these clusters highlight the importance of considering individual needs, system considerations, and design considerations. Attention to these concepts will specifically help inform future iterations of the STRONG intervention. More broadly, these results identify important factors to consider for addressing the needs of newcomer children and youth in school settings.
Child & Adolescent Health Lee, S. & Chun, J. S. 2020 Conceptualizing the Impacts of Cyberbullying Victimization among Korean Male Adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105275 Ewha Womans University This study aimed to explore and conceptualize the impacts of cyberbullying victimization as perceived by 47 Korean male adolescents using a mixed-methods, concept mapping approach. Concept mapping revealed six major impacts of cyberbullying victimization among Korean male adolescents: internalized problems (M = 3.97), externalized problems (M = 3.51), school and peer problems (M = 3.92), online problems (M = 3.84), seeking social support (M = 4.17), and avoidance (M = 3.49). Based on the results, the conceptual framework presented herein can be utilized to plan and develop assessment and intervention approaches with male adolescents experiencing cyberbullying victimization.
Child & Adolescent Health Hiler, M., Spindle, T. R., Dick, D., eissenberg, T., Breland, A., & Soule, E. 2019 Reasons for transition from electronic cigarette use to cigarette smoking among young adult college students. Journal of Adolescent Health https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.09.003 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6935466/pdf/nihms-1543328.pdf Virginia Commonwealth University Purpose: Longitudinal studies indicate that e-cigarette use among youth and young adults is associated with cigarette smoking initiation. The purpose of this study was to identify reasons why non-smoking young adults transition from e-cigarette use to cigarette smoking. Methods: The study used concept mapping (CM), a mixed-method participatory approach. Fifty-five college students who endorsed initiation of e-cigarettes prior to cigarettes (lifetime e-cigarette uses ≥ 100 and ≥ 100 cigarettes in lifetime) completed at least one part of the study. In an online program, participants brainstormed (n = 54) statements describing reasons for transition from e-cigarette use to cigarette smoking, sorted statements (n = 46) into conceptually similar categories, and rated (n = 47) how true each statement was for them. Results: Participants generated 60 unique statements and multidimensional scaling analysis generated 8 thematic clusters characterizing reasons for transition which included: “Sharing with Others,” “Psychological Coping,” “Cigarette Appeal,” “Reinforcing Effects of Cigarettes,” “Accessibility,” “Social Influence,” “Vaping Stigma,” and “Vaping Deficiencies.” Participants rated “Sharing with Others” and “Psychological Coping” highest (most true) and “Vaping Deficiencies” lowest (least true). For college students, the ability to share cigarettes with peers, access cigarettes from peers, and smoking for stress/anxiety management were among the top reasons for transition. Conclusions: Results suggest that tailored prevention efforts aimed at reducing cigarette smoking uptake among college students who use tobacco as a means for psychological coping or social facilitation may be warranted. Further, regulatory decisions aimed at limiting cigarette appeal, reinforcing effects, and accessibility may be relevant to reducing transition. Keywords: electronic cigarette, tobacco use, cigarette smoking, young adults, college students, tobacco transition
Child & Adolescent Health Dunlop, S., Lewis, N., Richardson, R., Thomas, S., Devonald-Morris, M., Pontin, D., & Wallace, C. 2019 Using group concept mapping to explore the complexities of managing children's care. Nurse Researcher https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2020.e1696 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sue-Dunlop/publication/338629604_Using_group_concept_mapping_to_explore_the_complexities_of_managing_children%27s_care/links/5eb8f7034585152169c5821a/Using-group-concept-mapping-to-explore-the-complexities-of-managing-childrens-care.pdf?origin=publication_detail University South Wales Background: Children whose assessed health needs cannot be met by statutory and universal services may require bespoke packages of continuing care. A project management group was set up to design a study that would explore the complexities for a children's community nurse (CCN) of managing such packages. Methodology: Group concept mapping (GCM), a mixed quantitative/qualitative participant-centred methodology, was used to obtain consensus from 20 CCNs about the complexities inherent in managing such packages and to develop a concept map that illustrated the emerging conceptual framework. Discussion: The participants' ideas were written as statements and analysed. Core analysis of a square symmetrical matrix through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was undertaken to produce a set of maps and reports. The final concept map was interpreted. It contained 99 statements organised into five conceptual clusters: 'education and training' (17 statements), 'risk and safety' (15 statements), 'continuing care process' (17 statements), 'relationships and boundaries' (22 statements) and 'working with families' (28 statements). Conclusion: CCNs used GCM to explore their roles and responsibilities when managing children's continuing care. Their resulting ideas were developed into a five-cluster conceptual framework that illustrated their views about the complexities of managing such care. Implications for practice: The emergent conceptual framework enables CCNs to explore their practice in relation to managing packages of care. Additionally, the framework will be used to design a CCN workforce planning instrument that will be useful to measure complexity in CCN caseloads. The GCM methodology could be used by other nursing teams who wish to develop their practice. Keywords: children; continuing care; management; mixed-methods; research; research methods; service evaluation; study design.
Child & Adolescent Health Brown, J., Kapasi, A., Nowicki, E., & Cleversey, K. 2019 Expectations of youth with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in adulthood: Caregiver perspectives. Journal on Developmental Disabilities https://canfasd.ca/wp-content/uploads/publications/41028-JoDD-24-2-v11f-30-42-Brown-et-al.pdf University of Western Ontario There are limited data about adults who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Caregivers of youth with FASD (N = 16) participated in telephone interviews that included the open-ended question, “What kind of adult life do you think they will have?” A total of 57 unique responses were made to the question. These responses were grouped together independ-ently by participants. Grouping data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. It is noteworthy that as well as highlighting concerns, participants also high- lighted youths’ assets and hope for them as adults. Caregivers’ concerns about the future needs of their youth mirrors the literature on needs and expectations of adults with FASD. This consistency reinforces the lack of research attention to adults’ needs from caregiver perspectives. Participants also revealeddeep concerns about their youth’s futures. Despite being committed to caregiving, caregivers indicated that they will not be able to do it well enough or long enough to keep their adult children from having serious problems.
Child & Adolescent Health Hydeman, J. A., Uwazurike, O. C., Adeyemi, E. I., & Beaupin, L. K. 2019 Survivorship needs of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: A concept mapping analysis. Journal of Cancer Survivorship https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0725-5 Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Purpose: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are known to have complex medical and psychosocial needs throughout treatment; however, information is lacking about the challenges AYA survivors face after treatment has ended. Focus groups were conducted using a concept mapping framework to better understand the most important issues these patients face in transitioning to survivorship and how prepared they felt to face them. Methods: AYAs diagnosed between 18 and 39 years old and at least 2 years post-treatment participated in one of six focus groups based on age group and follow-up status. Using a concept mapping design, participants provided important issues during the transition to survivorship and appraised them on three core areas of interest. Results: Analyses revealed salient themes shared across age and follow-up group status, particularly related to the psychosocial, emotional, and cognitive effects of treatment. Differential concerns included those related to patients' developmental concerns-namely, finding a new identity, financial burden of treatment, and fertility concerns after treatment. Conclusions: AYA cancer survivors continue to have a myriad of issues beyond the immediate treatment phase. Despite a complex list of challenges, these issues largely remained unaddressed by their oncology provider and left patients feeling overwhelmingly ill-prepared to manage their transition to survivorship. Implications for cancer survivors: AYA cancer survivors have many unaddressed concerns as they transition out of active cancer treatment, largely related to developmental issues they are facing. Survivorship care for these patients would benefit from care planning that takes these unique concerns into account.
Child & Adolescent Health Green, C., Walkup, J. T., Bostwick, S., & Trochim, W. 2019 Advancing the agenda in pediatric mental health education. Pediatrics https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2596 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6856785/pdf/PEDS_20182596.pdf Cornell University There is an urgent need to advance mental health (MH) education and/or training in pediatric residency programs, yet no consensus on how to achieve this. We created an operational framework from ideas provided by a diverse group of stakeholders on how to advance MH education. METHODS: Concept-mapping methodology was used, which involves brainstorming ideas by completing a focus prompt, sorting ideas into groups, and rating them for importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis grouped ideas into clusters. Average importance and feasibility were calculated for each statement and cluster and compared statistically in each cluster and between subgroups. RESULTS: Ninety-nine ideas were generated. Sorted ideas yielded a 7-cluster concept map: (1) modalities for MH training, (2) prioritization of MH, (3) systems-based practice, (4) self-awareness and/or relationship building, (5) training in clinical assessment of patients, (6) training in treatment, and (7) diagnosis-specific skills. Two hundred and sixteen participants rated ideas for importance and 209 for feasibility. Four clusters had a statistically significant difference between their importance and feasibility ratings (P < .001). Suburban and rural area respondents (versus urban) rated clusters higher in importance and feasibility (P < .004), trainees rated all clusters higher in feasibility than practicing clinicians, and MH professionals rated prioritization of MH higher in feasibility (3.42 vs 2.98; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive set of ideas, especially those rated highly in both importance and feasibility, should inform curricular and policy initiatives. Differences between importance and feasibility may explain why there has been little progress in this field.
Child & Adolescent Health Cook, K. & Bergeron, K. 2019 Using group concept mapping to engage a hard-to-reach population in research: Young adults with life-limiting conditions. International Journal of Qualitative Methods https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1609406919891315 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1609406919891315 Athabasca University Patient engagement strategies are used in community-based participatory research. A successful strategy requires that patients, researchers, and health-care providers collaborate to create meaningful outcomes. Hard-to-reach patient populations such as those living with complex physical or psychosocial conditions, who are geographically dispersed, or who are disadvantaged financially or socially, experience judgment, stigmatization, and marginalization within society and in the research process. Therefore, strategies are needed to better engage hard-to-reach populations in research. One strategy to engage this population is group concept mapping (GCM). This article illustrates how GCM was utilized to engage a hard-to-reach population of young adults (YAs) with life-limiting conditions (LLC), parents of YAs with LLC, and health and health and community experts. Study participants were involved in generating, analyzing, and interpreting data. Five attributes of GCM are outlined, and suggestions are made for how other researchers could use GCM to engage their hard-to-reach patient populations.
Child & Adolescent Health Wallace, C., Dale, F., Jones, G., O'Kane, J., Thomas, M., Wilson, L., & Pontin, D. 2018 Developing the health visitor concept of family resilience in Wales using group concept mapping. Rural and Remote Health https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH4604 https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/download/pdf/4604/ University of South Wales Introduction: A health visitor's ability to assess and analyse aspects of family resilience in daily practice is essential to enable practitioners to support families and facilitate positive lifestyle choices, and improve child health and developmental outcomes. The purpose of this research was to undertake an in-depth exploration of the concept of family resilience as understood by health visitors in Wales and to develop a concept map. This knowledge has been used to develop the Family Resilience Assessment Instrument Tool (FRAIT). This is a standardised form of assessment, measuring instrument, guidance, training package and community of practice for use in health visitor daily practice. This article presents the first stage of the FRAIT research study, that of identifying the clusters within the concept map of what health visitors perceive as 'family resilience'. Methods: A structured Group Concept Mapping (GCM) methodology using Concept Systems' Global Max online software was used to gain a consensus of the understanding of the concept of family resilience from 62 invited health visitors practising across Wales. This is an integrated qualitative and quantitative approach to brainstorming, idea synthesis, idea sorting, idea rating and group analysis. GCM has six clear steps, with four steps described in the method: 'preparing for concept mapping', 'generating ideas', 'structuring the statements' and 'concept mapping analysis'. Steps 5 and 6, 'interpreting the maps' and 'utilisation', are considered in the results section. Results: Use of multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis enabled point, cluster, rating and pattern matching maps to be presented to the study group. These were then interpreted, understood and consensus gained on how the concept of family resilience was constructed from both the study group and the health visitor participants. Family resilience understood by health visitors in Wales comprises five clusters: 'family health', 'responsive parenting', 'engagement', 'family support' and 'socioeconomic factors'. Each of the clusters has an identified number of underpinning statements from a total number of 117 statements. Conclusion: Family resilience as understood by health visitors is a multidimensional concept. Using online software such as The Concept System® Global MAX™ enabled health visitors working across Wales to achieve a consensus and generate the data in preparation for building FRAIT for use in their daily practice as required by Welsh Government policy. Keywords: Group Concept Mapping; Wales; health visiting; family resilience.
Child & Adolescent Health Barnert, E. S., Coller, R. J., Nelson, B. B., Thompson, L. R., Klitzner, T. S., Szilagyi, M., Breck, A. M., & Chung, P. J. 2018 A healthy life for a child with medical complexity: 10 domains for conceptualizing health. Pediatrics https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-0779 https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20180779/38681/A-Healthy-Life-for-a-Child-With-Medical-Complexity University of California, Los Angeles Defining and measuring health for children with medical complexity (CMC) is poorly understood. We engaged a diverse national sample of stakeholder experts to generate and then synthesize a comprehensive list of health outcomes for CMC. Methods: With national snowball sampling of CMC caregiver, advocate, provider, researcher, and policy or health systems experts, we identified 182 invitees for group concept mapping (GCM), a rigorous mixed-methods approach. Respondents (n = 125) first completed Internet-based idea generation by providing unlimited short, free-text responses to the focus prompt, “A healthy life for a child or youth with medical complexity includes: ___.” The resulting 707 statements were reduced to 77 unique ideas. Participants sorted the ideas into clusters based on conceptual similarity and rated items on perceived importance and measurement feasibility. Responses were analyzed and mapped via GCM software. Results: The cluster map best fitting the data had 10 outcome domains: (1) basic needs, (2) inclusive education, (3) child social integration, (4) current child health-related quality of life, (5) long-term child and family self-sufficiency, (6) family social integration, (7) community system supports, (8) health care system supports, (9) a high-quality patient-centered medical home, and (10) family-centered care. Seventeen outcomes representing 8 of the 10 domains were rated as both important and feasible to measure (“go zone”). Conclusions: GCM identified a rich set of CMC outcome domains. Go-zone items provide an opportunity to test and implement measures that align with a broad view of health for CMC and potentially all children.
Child & Adolescent Health Ageberg, E., Bunke, S., Lucander, K., Nilsen, P., & Donaldson, A. 2018 Facilitators to support the implementation of injury prevention training in youth handball: A concept mapping approach. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13323 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/sms.13323 Lund University There is a need for research to identify effective implementation strategies for injury prevention training within real-world community sports. The aim of this ecological participatory study was to identify facilitators, among stakeholders at multiple levels, that could help injury prevention training become part of regular training routines in youth team handball. Concept mapping, a mixed-method approach for qualitative data collection and quantitative data analysis, was used. Stakeholders (n = 196) of two community team handball clubs (29% players, 13% coaches, 38% caregivers, 11% club, district and national handball administrators, 9% unknown) participated in a brainstorming process. After the research team synthesized the 235 generated statements, 50 stakeholders (34% players, 22% coaches, 24% caregivers, 20% administrators) sorted 89 unique facilitator statements into clusters and rated them for importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis yielded five clusters (stress value 0.231): "Understanding and applying knowledge," "Education, knowledge, and consistency," "Set-up and exercises," "Inspiration, motivation, and routines," and "Club policy and expert collaboration." The cluster "Understanding and applying knowledge" had the highest mean importance (3.17 out of 4) and feasibility (2.93) ratings. The 32 statements rated as both highly important and feasible (Go-zone) indicate action is required at the individual (end-users) and organizational (policymakers) levels to implement injury prevention training. Results suggest that developing evidence-based context-specific injury prevention training, incorporating physiological, biomechanical and psychological components, and an associated context-specific implementation plan in partnership with all stakeholders should be a high priority to facilitate the implementation of injury prevention training in youth team handball. Keywords: adolescent; concept mapping; health plan implementation; preventive therapy; sports injuries; team ball sports.
Child & Adolescent Health Donaldson, A., Callaghan, A., Bizzini, M., Jowett, A., Keyzer, P., & Nicholson, M. 2018 A concept mapping approach to identifying the barriers to implementing an evidence-based sports injury prevention program. Injury Prevention https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042639 https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/25/4/244 La Trobe University Understanding the barriers to programme use is important to facilitate implementation of injury prevention programmes in real-word settings. This study investigated the barriers to coaches of adolescent female soccer teams, in Victoria, Australia, implementing the evidence-based FIFA 11+ injury prevention programme. Methods: Concept mapping with data collected from 19 soccer coaches and administrators. Results: Brainstorming generated 65 statements as barriers to 11+ implementation. After the statements were synthesised and edited, participants sorted 59 statements into groups (mean, 6.2 groups; range, 3–10 groups). Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis identified a six-cluster solution: Lack of 11+ knowledge among coaches (15 statements), Lack of player enjoyment and engagement (14), Lack of link to football-related goals (11), Lack of facilities and resources (8), Lack of leadership (6) and Lack of time at training (5). Statements in the ‘Lack of 11+ knowledge among coaches’ cluster received the highest mean importance (3.67 out of 5) and feasibility for the Football Federation to address (3.20) rating. Statements in the ‘Lack of facilities and resources’ cluster received the lowest mean importance rating (2.23), while statements in the ‘Lack of time at training’ cluster received the lowest mean feasibility rating (2.19). Conclusions: A multistrategy, ecological approach to implementing the 11+—with specific attention paid to improving coach knowledge about the 11+ and how to implement it, linking the 11+ to the primary goal of soccer training, and organisational leadership—is required to improve the uptake of the 11+ among the targeted coaches.
Child & Adolescent Health Beaupin, L. K., Uwazurike, O. C., & Hydeman, J. A. 2018 A roadmap to survivorship: Optimizing survivorship care plans for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2018.0061 Johns Hopkins Medicine Young adult cancer patients have complex medical and psychosocial needs throughout treatment. Once treatment ends, few young adult cancer survivors (YACS) receive adequate survivorship care. Many YACS do not continue with oncology care after treatment ends. The purpose of this study was to discover the views YACS held about survivorship care and to design age-appropriate survivorship care plans (SCPs). Methods: Twenty-seven YACS (n = 27) participated in a group discussion focusing on their post-treatment experience. The concept of SCPs was introduced and participants provided information on how their care was managed after the completion of their treatment, what factors played a role in their oncological follow-up care, and the potential utility of a SCP in the management of their follow-up survivorship care. SCPs were developed for each participant and feedback requested. Results: SCPs required 45–180 minutes to complete. Barriers to continued follow-up included: loss of health insurance, poor communication with their oncologist once treatment ended, and ongoing adjustment challenges to work, school, and home life. YACS requested more support for psychosocial issues post-treatment, and more information about long- and late-term side effects from treatment. Conclusions: Further research in the utility of SCPs among YACS is warranted as they may have a significant role for YACS. Information on long- and late-term side effects, follow-up care schedule, psychosocial support, and adolescent and young adult-specific resources must be clearly delineated in SCPs.
Child & Adolescent Health Brown, J., Kapasi, A., Nowicki, E., Cleversey, K., & Salahadin, A. 2017 Caregivers of youth with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Hopes for them as adults. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-017-0030-8 University of Western Ontario Caregivers of youth with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder participated in telephone interviews about their hopes for their youths as adults. Interviews with 16 birth, adoptive, and foster parents, as well as with aunts and grandparents of children over the age of 10 years, were conducted. A total of 54 unique responses were made to the question “What do you want for your child as an adult?”. Participants independently grouped all responses into themes. The groupings were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis using The Concept System® Global MAX™ and resulted in four concepts. The concepts included the following: (a) education and employment, (b) positive relationships, (c) community integration, and (d) support services. The main differences between the participants’ experiences and the literature centered on different emphases on feelings relative to skills and on strengths relative to deficits.
Child & Adolescent Health Yonas, M., Zuberi, A., Kasunic, A., Bamwine, P., Boddie, S., Tarp-Gilliam, S., & Wallace, J. 2017 Using concept mapping to explore and engage parent and youth residents of an economically underserved minority community around children's asthma. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education and Action https://doi.org/10.1353/cpr.2017.0041 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anna-Kasunic-2/publication/322492987_Using_Concept_Mapping_to_Explore_and_Engage_Parent_and_Youth_Residents_of_an_Economically_Underserved_Minority_Community_around_Children%27s_Asthma/links/5b8fded9299bf114b7f66b6b/Using-Concept-Mapping-to-Explore-and-Engage-Parent-and-Youth-Residents-of-an-Economically-Underserved-Minority-Community-around-Childrens-Asthma.pdf?origin=publication_detail The Pittsburgh Foundation Background: Asthma continues to disproportionately impact children living in economically underserved urban neighborhoods, and contributes to persistent racial and economic disparities in health. Furthermore, asthma is often exacerbated by the presence of social and environmental factors that are prevalent in, and sometimes particular to, these communities. Objectives: The present study uses a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to explore and define the experience and issues around children's asthma in an economically underserved community. These findings will be used to inform the design of a community intervention. Methods: Through a community and academic partnership called Healthy Living, Healthy Learning, Healthy Lives (HL3), we engaged neighborhood youth and adult residents (N = 21) in a concept mapping activity to identify triggers and health care-related factors that influence children with asthma. Results: Findings highlight that the most important triggers of asthma included indoor and outdoor irritants and allergens, as well as violence and fear-related emotions. The most important factors perceived to influence the care of asthma included medical relievers such as asthma medication, appliances such as a humidifier, and supports for asthma like the school nurse. Differences between adults and youth perceptions of factors triggering and influencing asthma are highlighted. Conclusions: Engaging community residents as experts provided a deeper understanding of the issues around children's asthma in the community, which can contribute to the design of a more effective intervention.
Child & Adolescent Health Dulin-Keita, A., Whittaker, S., Wynter, J., Kidanu, T. W., Chhay, C., Cardel, M. & Gans, K. 2016 Applying concept mapping methodology to identify the perceived risk and protective factors for childhood obesity among Southeast Asians. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2016.0171 https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:MlVfV9YBTe4J:https://chip.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1245/2019/05/Dulin-Keita-et-al-2016-Concept-Mapping.pdf Johns Hopkins University This study identifies Southeast Asian refugee parents' and grandparents' perceptions of the risk and protective factors for childhood obesity. Methods: We used a mixed methods approach (concept mapping) for data collection and analyses. Fifty-nine participants engaged in modified nominal group meetings where they generated statements about children's weight status and structuring meetings where they sorted statements into piles based on similarity and rated statements on relative importance. The Concept System® Global MAX™ software generated clusters of ideas, cluster ratings, and pattern matches. Results: Eleven clusters emerged. Participants rated "Healthy Food Changes Made within the School" and "Parent-related Physical Activity Factors" as most important, whereas "Neighborhood Built Features" was rated as the least important. Cambodian and Hmong participants agreed the most on cluster ratings of relative importance (r = 0.62). Conclusion: The study findings may be used to inform the development of culturally appropriate obesity prevention interventions for Southeast Asian refugee communities.
Child & Adolescent Health Minh, A., Patel, S., Bruce-Barrett, C., & O'Campo, P. 2015 Letting youths choose for themselves: Concept mapping as a participatory approach for program and service planning. Family & Community Health https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000060 University of British Columbia Ensuring that the voices of youths are heard is key in creating services that align with the needs and goals of youths. Concept mapping, a participatory mixed-methods approach, was used to engage youths, families, and service providers in an assessment of service gaps facing youth in an underserviced neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. We describe 6 phases of concept mapping: preparation, brainstorming, sorting and rating, analysis, interpretation, and utilization. Results demonstrate that youths and service providers vary in their conceptualizations of youth service needs and priorities. Implications for service planning and for youth engagement in research are discussed.
Child & Adolescent Health Baskin, M.L., Dulin-Keita, A., Thind, H., & Godsey, E. 2015 Social and cultural environment factors influencing physical activity among African-American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.01.012 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25907652/ University of Alabama at Birmingham African-American youth are at high risk for physical inactivity. This study explored social and cultural environment facilitators of physical activity among 12- to 14-year-old African-American adolescents living in a metropolitan area in the Southeast. Methods: Youth (n = 51; 45% male) participated in brainstorming focus groups responding to the prompt, “What about your family, friends, and community, encourages you to be physically active?” In a second meeting, participants (n = 56; 37.5% male) sorted statements (n = 84) based on similarity in meaning and rated statements on relative importance. Statement groups and ratings were entered into The Concept System® Global MAX™ software where multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to create graphical representation of ideas. Finally, researchers named clusters according to the gestalt of grouped statements. Results: The total sample included 28.9% of youth with household incomes ≤$30,000 (area median income = $30,701), 29% who perceived themselves as overweight, and 14.5% who reported being active for 60+ minutes everyday. Nine clusters, in rank order, emerged as follows: access/availability of physical activity resources; family and friend support; physical activity with friends; physical activity with family members; inspiration to/from others; parental reinforcement; opportunities in daily routine; pressure from social networks; and seeing consequences of activity/inactivity. Themes analyzed by gender were very similar (r = .90); however, “pressure from social networks” was more important for girls than boys (r = .10). Conclusions: Clear patterns of social and cultural facilitators of physical activity are perceived by African-American adolescents. Interventions targeting this group may benefit by incorporating these themes.
Child & Adolescent Health KA Stamatakis, A Shrestha, J Biggs, PN Jimenez…  2024 Identifying and Prioritizing Factors to Improve Implementation of an Evidence-Based Program for Child Maltreatment Prevention in Rural Missouri Communities Global Implementation Research and Applications https://doi.org/10.1007/s43477-024-00129-3 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s43477-024-00129-3.pdf Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice, Prevention of child abuse and maltreatment is critical in the Ozark region of Missouri where rates are higher than in other areas of the state. Community-based organizations seeking to address these issues in rural areas face significant challenges both internal and external to the organization. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), Whole Kids Outreach (WKO) utilized a modified concept mapping approach to identify strategies needed to address these challenges and more effectively implement the Healthy Families America (HFA) program in seven counties in the rural Missouri Ozark region. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify barriers and supports to the implementation of HFA. Statements were generated via in-person and telephone interviews with key stakeholders (WKO internal staff and external partners). These stakeholders then sorted statements into like piles and rated them according to importance. Concept mapping systems software, using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, was used to determine the most salient cluster solution. The resulting cluster map depicted six thematic clusters and provided a visual representation of relationships between clusters. Stakeholders were then guided through a nominal group process to prioritize key issues and begin to develop strategies to address them.
Child & Adolescent Health J Ritter, J de Bragança, C Auste, A Mendez, PD Cohen…  2024 Novel Framework of Financial Hardship in Childhood Cancer: Incorporating Stakeholder Perspectives JCO Global Oncology https://doi.org/10.1200/GO.24.0009 https://ascopubs.org/doi/pdf/10.1200/GO.24.00093 St Jude Children's Research Hospital Group concept mapping, a participatory mixed-methods approach, was used. Participants were parents or caregivers of a child with cancer, childhood cancer survivors, and clinical or nonclinical support personnel, fluent in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. A representative panel established a comprehensive list of relevant items. Participants individually sorted these items into concepts and then rated each item for impact using a four-point Likert scale. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis identified concepts. Descriptive statistics were calculated for impact ratings.
Child & Adolescent Health LS Luteberget, A Donaldson, LN Andersen, EM Roos…  2024 The HAPPY concept mapping study:“to prevent injuries in young handball players it's important to…”–perceptions among stakeholders Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2024.09.004 Norwegian School of Sport Sciences This study aimed to identify facilitators for implementing injury prevention initiatives in youth handball, and to assess stakeholders' perceptions of their importance and feasibility.
Child & Adolescent Health;Counseling and Mental Well Being L Bosakova, Z Dankulincova Veselska… 2024 How to improve the system of care for adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems from the perspective of care providers: a concept mapping approach Health Research Policy and Systems https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01096-1 https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12961-023-01096-1.pdf Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice Emotional and behavioural problems (EBP) are the most common mental health issues during adolescence, and their incidence has increased in recent years. The system of care for adolescents with EBP is known to have several problems, making the provision of care less than optimal, and attention needs to be given to potential improvements. We, therefore, aimed to examine what needs to be done to improve the system of care for adolescents with EBP and to assess the urgency and feasibility of the proposed measures from the perspective of care providers.
Child & Adolescent Health;Counseling and Mental Well Being SJ An, YS Seo  2024 Exploring Loneliness among Korean Adults: A Concept Mapping Approach Behavioral Sciences https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14060492 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/6/492/pdf?version=1718107717 University of Houston In South Korea, the proportion of adults experiencing severe loneliness has been increasing rapidly. Accordingly, this study examines the elements of loneliness experienced by Korean adults and investigates their structural relevance using concept mapping. Korean adults (47) were recruited for individual in-depth interviews based on their scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The interviews yielded 80 unique statements, which were then evaluated using multidimensional scaling and a hierarchical cluster analysis. A cluster map of loneliness was derived, with three clusters: (1) emotional distress due to the actual or anticipated absence of connection in relationships, (2) emotional distance from oneself or from others in a relationship, and (3) powerlessness and emptiness due to being directionless. Two dimensions distinguished these clusters: the lack of a sense of connection or self-assurance, and an inward or outward focus. These findings reveal that loneliness encompasses more than unmet relational needs; it also involves self-attentional focus, indicating a need to reconceptualize the notion of loneliness. The study’s implications extend to counseling theory and practices by highlighting the importance of addressing both relational connections and self-perceptions in interventions for loneliness. By expanding the understanding of loneliness through empirical data, this research provides a more comprehensive framework for addressing loneliness.
Children & Youth Development S Kuschke, S Moodie, K Kirubalingam, R O'Hagan…  2023 Parents' Perceptions of the Factors Influencing the Uptake of Remote Pediatric Hearing Aid Support: Development of a Conceptual Framework JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting https://doi.org/10.2196/47358 https://pediatrics.jmir.org/2023/1/e47358/PDF hearX Background: To achieve effective integration of virtual care into family-centered audiology practices, participatory research methods, including parents as vital participants in the delivery of pediatric audiology care, should be considered. A better understanding of the barriers and facilitators influencing the adoption of virtual care for families is warranted. Objective: This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework of the factors perceived to influence the adoption of remote pediatric hearing aid support among the parents of children with hearing loss. Methods: A total of 12 parents of children who wear hearing aids, between the ages of 0-17 years, were recruited to participate in group or individual interviews as part of the 6-step participatory-based concept mapping (CM) process. Data collection was specific to parents in a Canadian context. Analyses included multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: The CM process resulted in 6 main themes, displayed in a cluster map according to their order of importance. These themes include access to timely, consistent care; technology considerations; convenience; child engagement; cost; and partnership considerations. Key underlying statements and subthemes are highlighted per theme. Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate the use of CM in participatory research with parents and as part of a family-centered care model. Future research should aim to investigate the factors that influence the uptake of remote hearing aid support in different contexts, for example, in low- to middle-income countries versus those in high-income countries.
Children & Youth Development Washington-Nortey, M., Anum, A., Serpell, Z. et al. 2023 Expectations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual Disabilities in Ghana: A Comparison Between Service Providers and Parents J Autism Dev Disord https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06073-9 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-023-06073-9.pdf?pdf=button%20sticky Little is known about care providers’ expectations for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) in Ghana. This study used group concept mapping (n = 9) and a quantitative survey (n = 128) to explore and compare service providers’ and parents’ expectations for children with ASD or ID. Data were analyzed using hierarchical clustering procedures and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Concept mapping results revealed several expectation clusters, including independence, love and acceptance, equal social rights and opportunities, and professional and caregiver training. MANOVA results revealed significant differences between parents, teachers, and healthcare providers in their perceptions of the importance and likelihood of a child achieving these expectations. Results are discussed in reference to the cultural context, and implications are outlined.
Children & Youth Development Smith, A. C. G. & Crooks, C. V. 2022 Youth-identified Considerations for Programming to Support Newcomers’ Healthy Development: A Group Concept Mapping Study Child & Youth Care Forum https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-022-09695-9 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10566-022-09695-9.pdf Western University There is a well-documented need for more responsive promotion and prevention programming for young immigrants and refugees in the context of mental health and healthy development. Incorporating the voice of newcomers in the development of promotion and prevention efforts could assist in producing culturally-relevant materials and improve program outcomes. Objective: Our goal was to utilize youth voice to identify considerations for developing programming to support newcomer youths’ healthy development. Methods: We employed mixed methods and analyzed data using concept mapping. A total of 37 newcomers between the ages of 14 and 22 participated in focus groups to share their ideas for creating programming that would focus on relationships and well-being. Relevant responses were collated, cleaned, and generated into unique statements, and then sorted individually by 26 youth into thematically similar categories. We used multidimensional scaling and hierarchal cluster analysis to produce a concept map. Results: Six concepts, in rank order of importance, emerged as follows: create a space for sharing; discuss relational issues; teach strategies for adjusting to a new country; teach wellness skills; have feel-good activities; and plan for diversity. Conclusions: Participants’ lived experience and their own attendance in programming at newcomer organizations assisted them in brainstorming what types of activities, topics, and skills would be helpful for other newcomer youth, as well as considerations for facilitators implementing such programming. Promotion and prevention efforts intended for newcomer youth may benefit by incorporating ideas from the concept map.
Children & Youth Development Chovan, S., Filakovska Bobakova, D., Bosakova, L. et al. 2022 How to make healthy early childhood development more likely in marginalized Roma communities: a concept mapping approach. International journal for equity in health https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01637-0 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8962123/pdf/12939_2022_Article_1637.pdf PJ Safarik University This study aims to assess which measures could improve the healthy early childhood development of children from marginalized Roma communities and to identify priority measures. Methods: Concept mapping approach was used, using mixed methods. In total 54 professionals, including social workers, educators, health care providers, municipality representatives, and project managers participated in our study. Results: Four distinct clusters of measures targeting living conditions, public resources, healthcare and community interventions, and 27 individual priority measures of highest urgency and feasibility were identified. The cluster 'Targeting living conditions', was rated as the most urgent but least feasible, whereas the cluster 'Targeting health care', was considered least urgent but most feasible. Among the 27 priority measures, 'Planning parenthood' and 'Scaling up existing projects' had the highest priority. Conclusion: Our results reflect the public and political discourse and indicate significant barriers to implementation. Reducing inequalities in early childhood needs to be addressed through coordinated efforts. Keywords: Early childhood development; Inequalities; Marginalized Roma communities.
Children & Youth Development Smith, A. C. G. & Crooks, C. V. 2022 Youth-identified Considerations for Programming to Support Newcomers’ Healthy Development: A Group Concept Mapping Study Child & Youth Care Forum https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-022-09695-9 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10566-022-09695-9.pdf Western University There is a well-documented need for more responsive promotion and prevention programming for young immigrants and refugees in the context of mental health and healthy development. Incorporating the voice of newcomers in the development of promotion and prevention efforts could assist in producing culturally-relevant materials and improve program outcomes. Objective: Our goal was to utilize youth voice to identify considerations for developing programming to support newcomer youths’ healthy development. Methods: We employed mixed methods and analyzed data using concept mapping. A total of 37 newcomers between the ages of 14 and 22 participated in focus groups to share their ideas for creating programming that would focus on relationships and well-being. Relevant responses were collated, cleaned, and generated into unique statements, and then sorted individually by 26 youth into thematically similar categories. We used multidimensional scaling and hierarchal cluster analysis to produce a concept map. Results: Six concepts, in rank order of importance, emerged as follows: create a space for sharing; discuss relational issues; teach strategies for adjusting to a new country; teach wellness skills; have feel-good activities; and plan for diversity. Conclusions: Participants’ lived experience and their own attendance in programming at newcomer organizations assisted them in brainstorming what types of activities, topics, and skills would be helpful for other newcomer youth, as well as considerations for facilitators implementing such programming. Promotion and prevention efforts intended for newcomer youth may benefit by incorporating ideas from the concept map.
Children & Youth Development Cox, M., Urban, J. B., Lich, K. H., Wells, R., & Lawrence, C. N. 2022 A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Factors Affecting Successful Transition to Adulthood for Youth with Severe Emotional Disturbances https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-022-00898-6 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10560-022-00898-6.pdf?pdf=button Montclair State University This study elicited the perspectives of youth, caregivers, service providers and researchers to explore how communities can best support the transition to adulthood for youth ages 16–21 with mental health and functional impairments, who are at risk of disconnecting from health and human services. Framed by Relational Systems Evaluation (RSE) and Positive Youth Development (PYD), our study demonstrates the importance of engagement with youth experts. Group Concept Mapping (GCM), a collaborative multiphase mixed-methods approach, was used as a systematic process for participants to make meaning of qualitative data using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis (Kane and Trochim in Concept mapping for planning and evaluation, Sage Publications Inc., Thousand Oaks, 2007). Across all participant groups, Life Skills were perceived as highly important and highly feasible for a successful transition to adulthood. However, Positive Social Support & Connectedness were viewed as less important and less feasible by all groups. When examined closely, youth perspectives differed from caregiver and provider perspectives in the factors they prioritized and deemed feasible. Our findings have implications for community mental health services and positive youth development program practitioners.
Children & Youth Development Washington-Nortey, P. M., & Serpell, Z. 2021 Parental expectations for children with intellectual disability or autism in Ghana and Zambia: A concept mapping study. Research in Developmental Disabilities https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103989 Virginia Commonwealth University Parent expectations have an important impact on children's outcomes. Despite a wealth of research on the familial experience of children with disabilities in African countries, very few studies have examined expectations these children's parents hold for them. Aims: This study explores parental expectations for children with intellectual disability, or autism and assesses their perceived importance and likelihood of attainment. Methods and procedures: Concept mapping methodology with focus groups comprised of parents of children with intellectual disability or autism were employed. Outcomes and results: Results revealed several expectation themes: independence, acceptance and inclusion, public awareness, education, governmental assistance, resources, and healthcare. Whereas some expectations were congruent with themes in the broader literature, nuances within themes reflected cultural and societal conditions. Themes unique to each country also emerged, and importance and likelihood ratings revealed some cultural variation across the two countries. Expectations and the value placed on them differ across countries. Implications: This study represents an important first step in efforts to understand the developmental contexts of children with disabilities on the African continent. Findings inform future research and potential strategies for policy and practice.
Children & Youth Development Chun, J., Lee, S. & Kim, J. 2021 Conceptualizing the Protective Factors of Cyberbullying Victimization in Korean Adolescents. School Mental Health https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09422-0 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12310-021-09422-0.pdf Ewha Womans University This study conceptualized the protective factors for cyberbullying victimization as perceived by 43 Korean adolescents and explored gender differences in such conceptualizations using concept mapping method, a mixed-methods approach. Concept mapping revealed six major protective factors against cyberbullying victimization: ‘supportive relationships’ (M = 3.75, SD = 0.39), ‘school’s interest in cyberbullying’ (M = 3.58, SD = 0.11), ‘personal traits’ (M = 3.57, SD = 0.22), ‘reporting and monitoring system’ (M = 3.51, SD = 0.36), ‘education and help-seeking’ (M = 3.38, SD = 0.31), and ‘personal traits in online behavior’ (M = 3.30, SD = 0.60). Overall, the ‘supportive relationships’ cluster received the highest ratings from both male and female participants. Moreover, pattern matching by gender revealed lack of agreement (r = 0.54). In particular, male participants gave higher ratings to the ‘personal traits’ cluster, whereas female participants perceived ‘education and help-seeking’ to be a more important cluster than their counterparts. These results suggest that school-based intervention strategies can be used to improve supportive relationships, personal traits, netiquette, and awareness of online behaviors. At the institutional level, an automatic reporting and monitoring system and more school-linked cyberbullying laws could be implemented.
Children & Youth Development Crooks, C. V., Smith, A. C. G., Robinson-Link, N., Orenstein, S., & Hoover, S. 2020 Psychosocial interventions in schools with newcomers: A structured conceptualization of system, design, and individual needs. Children and Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104894 https://www.csmh.uwo.ca/docs/Crooks-Smith-RobinsonLink-Orenstein-Hoover-2020.pdf Western University Canada has recently welcomed an influx of refugees, many of whom experienced significant trauma and adversity before coming to Canada or during migration. Thousands of newcomer children and youth are now in Canadian schools, and many continue to struggle with symptoms of distress and trauma. During the spring of 2018, a pilot was conducted in two large Ontario school districts to evaluate the feasibility of a new 10-week manualized intervention (Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups [STRONG]) developed to promote resilience and reduce distress among young newcomers. In the current study, stakeholders involved in the pilot (i.e., mental health clinicians, mental health leaders, developers of the STRONG program, and the evaluation team) participated in an online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) activity to document the groups' collective wisdom about developing and implementing appropriate programming for newcomer children and youth. Twenty-three stakeholders generated a list of considerations related to designing, implementing, and facilitating programs to promote resilience among newcomer children and youth, producing a total of 71 statements. Eighteen stakeholders then sorted the list of statements into meaningful categories. Through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis we identified five clusters of important considerations: (1) engage family and community; (2) take a whole school approach; (3) attend to group composition and setting; (4) make material accessible and age-appropriate; and, (5) address unique clinical issues. Theoretically, these clusters highlight the importance of considering individual needs, system considerations, and design considerations. Attention to these concepts will specifically help inform future iterations of the STRONG intervention. More broadly, these results identify important factors to consider for addressing the needs of newcomer children and youth in school settings.
Children & Youth Development Valenti, M., & Celedonia, K., L. 2020 Trust is Essential: Identifying Trust Building Techniques from Youth Providers across the Service Array. Children and Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105295 Pressley Ridge Past research has identified that a sense of mutual trust between providers and youths may be the most significant component of a strong working relationship. Service providers who successfully develop trust with youths they serve may achieve more desirable outcomes than providers who are unable to create a trusting relationship. This study used Group Concept Mapping to solicit the techniques and skills real providers use to build trust with youth across a diverse service array. Providers then rated each technique on importance for building trust, as well as their direct experience with the technique in practice. Results identified five overarching categories of trust building mechanisms service providers use across the child welfare spectrum. These findings can help provider organizations to focus training and supervisory efforts to help staff to build and maintain trusting relationships with youth.
Children & Youth Development van Bon-Martens, van der Maas, A., Sekreve, A., Hautvast, S., Klaassen, E., Kennis, M., van Kempen, M., Wijsbroek, S., & Branje, S. 2020 Opgaven voor de Utrechtse jeugd: Resultaten van een concept mapping procedure. Utrecht University Repository https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/392124/Opgaven_voor_de_Utrechtse_jeugd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction Voor het opstellen van een gezamenlijke strategische agenda voor de Utrechtse jeugd is de methode van group concept mapping gebruikt. Dit is een beslissingsondersteunende methode voor planning en evaluatie bij samenwerkingsprojecten rondom een complex onderwerp. De methode van group concept mapping verloopt gestructureerd in zes vaste stappen: 1) bepalen brainstormfocus en deelnemers, 2) genereren opvattingen, 3) structureren opvattingen, 4) grafische representatie, 5) interpretatie, en 6) implementatie. De concept map geeft een overzicht van de thema’s, opgaven en kansen in hun onderlinge samenhang voor de zorg voor jeugd in Utrecht als het gaat om gezond, veilig en kansrijk opgroeien en opvoeden. Daarmee biedt de methode een basis om met elkaar tot een herijking van de huidige strategische agenda van de AWTJ Utrecht te komen.
Children & Youth Development Visek, A. J., Mannix, H., Chandran, A., Cleary, S. D., McDonnell, K. A., & DiPietro, L. 2020 Toward Understanding Youth Athletes' Fun Priorities: An Investigation of Sex, Age and Levels of Play. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/wspaj.2018-0004 George Washington University Colloquial conjecture asserts perceptions of difference in what is more or less important to youth athletes based on binary categorization, such as sex (girls vs. boys), age (younger vs. older), and level of competitive play (recreational vs. travel). The fun integration theory’s FUN MAPS, which identify 11 fun-factors comprised of 81 fun-determinants, offers a robust framework from which to test these conceptions related to fun. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to scientifically explore: (a) the extent to which soccer players’ prioritization of the 11 fun-factors and 81 fun-determinants were consistent with the gender differences hypothesis or the gender similarities hypothesis, and (b) how their fun priorities evolved as a function of their age and level of play. Players’ ( n = 141) data were selected from the larger database that originally informed the conceptualization of the fun integration theory’s FUN MAPS. Following selection, innovative pattern match displays and go-zone displays were produced to identify discrete points of consensus and discordance between groups. Regardless of sex, age, or level of play, results indicated extraordinarily high consensus among the players’ reported importance of the fun-factors ( r = .90–.97) and fun-determinants ( r = .92–.93), which were consistently grouped within strata of primary, secondary, and tertiary importance. Overall, results were consistent with the gender similarities hypothesis, thereby providing the first data to dispel common conceptions about what is most fun with respect to sex, in addition to age and level of play, in a sample of youth soccer players.
Children & Youth Development Brown, J., Kapasi, A., Nowicki, E., & Cleversey, K. 2019 Expectations of youth with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in adulthood: Caregiver perspectives. Journal on Developmental Disabilities https://canfasd.ca/wp-content/uploads/publications/41028-JoDD-24-2-v11f-30-42-Brown-et-al.pdf University of Western Ontario There are limited data about adults who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Caregivers of youth with FASD (N = 16) participated in telephone interviews that included the open-ended question, “What kind of adult life do you think they will have?” A total of 57 unique responses were made to the question. These responses were grouped together independ-ently by participants. Grouping data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. It is noteworthy that as well as highlighting concerns, participants also high- lighted youths’ assets and hope for them as adults. Caregivers’ concerns about the future needs of their youth mirrors the literature on needs and expectations of adults with FASD. This consistency reinforces the lack of research attention to adults’ needs from caregiver perspectives. Participants also revealeddeep concerns about their youth’s futures. Despite being committed to caregiving, caregivers indicated that they will not be able to do it well enough or long enough to keep their adult children from having serious problems.
Children & Youth Development Dipeolu, A., Cook-Cottone, C., Lee, G. K., Donnelly, J. P., Janikowski, T. P., Reynolds, A. L., Boling, T. 2019 A concept map of campers' perceptions of camp experience: Implications for the practice of family counseling. The Family Journal https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480716628566 University at Buffalo Camp programs are a popular medium for providing children and adolescents with opportunities for growth and development. Specialized camps may provide powerful contextual support for campers with disabilities and families with limited resources, but knowledge of what constitutes an effective camp experience is limited. Further, family counseling practice principles seem relevant to camp programming, but research is absent in this area. Present study applied concept mapping to capture the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of 173 campers’ experiences to examine its implications for the practice of family counseling. Seven thematic concepts emerged consistent with previous research confirming the positive and transformative nature of camp. The current study advances the knowledge base of camp programming for family counselors and helps improve future family counseling practice and research.
Children & Youth Development Dare, L. & Nowicki, E. 2018 Beliefs about educational acceleration: Students in inclusive classes conceptualize benefits, feelings, and barriers. The Journal of Educational Research https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2018.1440368 University of Western Ontario For high-ability students to develop their full potential, they require evidence-based interventions tailored to their exceptional needs. Educational acceleration has proven effective with many high-ability students, but educators sometimes express concerns about social issues, and such concerns may block access to accelerative interventions. Despite these concerns, little is known about students' thoughts on placing high-ability students with older classmates. In this study, we used group concept mapping methodology to investigate students' beliefs about grade-based acceleration. Sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in inclusive classes generated ideas about acceleration, and then sorted and rated a synthesized list of factors to consider when deciding about acceleration. Using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, the authors identified five key concepts in the structured data: (a) better for the fast learner, (b) concerns of moving up, (c) benefits for others (d) potential barriers to acceptance, and (e) uncomfortable feelings. Practical implications are discussed.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J. J., Duron, J. F., Donohue-Dioh, J., & Geiger, J. M. 2018 Conceptualizing effective legal representation for Foster youth: A group concept mapping study. Children & Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.06.031 University of Kentucky Whilst there is broad consensus that foster youth embroiled in dependency court proceedings related to child maltreatment are entitled to effective representation, few studies have examined this phenomenon. This study used Group Concept Mapping (GCM) with a sample of 31 foster youth and alumni to explicate a conceptual framework for effective legal representation. GCM is an integrated, mixed-method research approach that utilizes non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, pictorial illustration of the data are generated. Results indicate that youth conceptualized effective legal representation via six unique clusters: Legal Skills, Foster Care Knowledge, Youth/Attorney Relationship, Attitude About Foster Care, Contact, and Communication. Additionally, participants viewed the Communication cluster as most important and feasible, when compared to other clusters in the final solution. Conversely, statements in the Legal Skills cluster were rated the least important and the Foster Care Knowledge was rated least feasible. Data indicates the need for a more wholistic approach to viewing effective legal representation. Findings suggest explicit attention to training about legal approaches and youth/alumni engagement. As well, data provide foundational aspects on which to build future research in this area.
Children & Youth Development Burgos, M., Al-Adeimi, M., & Brown, J. 2018 Needs of newcomer youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-018-0571-3 University of Alberta The journey following migration for adolescent youth can consist of psychosocial and sociocultural difficulties with acculturating and integrating into the new host society. The family unit, however, has been identified to be a source of strength and wellbeing for youth during the integration process. This study explores factors that are suggested to make the home environment more supportive after migration. Newcomer youth between 15 and 18 years of age within a medium-sized Canadian city, living in Canada for no more than 2 years were interviewed in a group setting. Mixed methods were utilized and collected data was analyzed using concept mapping. Participants stated wanting more positive feedback from and increased communication with parents, in addition to having a home that is more open and welcoming to friends. The needs of youth can be sourced in the effects of the migrant journey and acculturation process. By improving the degrees of understanding, warmth, communication and cultural integration in the home, youth and their families can develop a greater sense of cohesion which can assist with supporting their migrant experience. Implications for practitioners working with newcomer youth and their families are provided, in addition to research and policy-related implications.
Children & Youth Development Visek, A. J., Mannix, H., Chandran, A., Cleary, S. D., McDonnell, K., & DiPietro, L. 2018 Perceived importance of the fun integration theory’s factors and determinants: A comparison among players, parents, and coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954118798057 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6779170/pdf/nihms-1024511.pdf George Washington University Conceptualized by youth soccer players, parents, and coaches, the fun integration theory’s FUN MAPS identify 11 fun-factors and 81 fun-determinants. The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis of those data to explore the extent to which the parents (responsible for supporting) and the coaches (tasked with delivering soccer programs) perceived importance of the factors and determinants were congruent with the players’ self-reported importance. We produced pattern-match displays and go-zone displays, which are innovative, visual representations of group comparisons that are unique to concept-mapping methods, to determine the overall consensus between the groups, in addition to identifying exact points of agreement and disagreement. Results indicated congruence between parents and players was extraordinarily high (r = 0.89–0.93) and significantly more congruent than coaches and players (r = 0.75–0.84). Results also indicated consensus was significantly lower among adolescent players and coaches (r = 0.66–0.71) compared to younger players and coaches (r = 0.77–0.90). Disparities in the perceived importance of specific fun-factors and fun-determinants between groups are discussed. In addition, transformative learning theory is introduced as an immersive approach to developing fun schemas consistent with the youth athletes’ fun ethos that will enable coaches to be athlete-centric when creating fun, positive sport experiences for youth.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J. J., Benner, K., Pope, N., Dumas, T., Damron, L. J., Segress, M., Slone, M., Thrasher, S., & Niu, C. 2017 Conceptualizing effective foster parent mentor programs: A participatory planning process. Children and Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.01.004 University of Kentucky Mentor programs have been recognized as an integral tool in the child welfare services array. However, there are few conceptual frameworks for planning and developing mentor programs for a key constituency group: foster parents. This study employed Concept Mapping (CM) with a convenience sample of 59 foster parents in one southeastern state. CM is a participatory, mixed-method research approach that utilizes non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, pictorial representations of the data are generated. Results yielded seven (7) distinct clusters: Ongoing Supports, Matching Practices, and Program Evaluation, among others. Participants viewed the Recruitment cluster as most pertinent and most important for mentor programs. Contrariwise, Program Evaluation and Matching clusters were viewed as least feasible and least important, respectively. After a review of pertinent literature, this paper explicates CM methodology as applied to the current study, reports results, and discusses lessons learned as they apply to child welfare research and practice.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J. J., Benner, K., Kheibari, A., & Washington, E. 2017 Conceptualizing on-campus support programs for collegiate foster youth and alumni: A plan for action. Children and Youth Services Review https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.10.028 University of Kentucky Increasingly, post-secondary education institutions are implementing supplemental support programs to assist foster youth and alumni (i.e., those formerly in foster care) matriculating into higher education. Despite the promise of these academic support programs in helping young people achieve their educational goals, the empirical educational research literature related to these support programs is nominal. This study employed Concept Mapping (CM) with a convenience sample of 51 foster youth/alumni in one southeastern state to explicate a conceptual framework for the development of campus supports for collegiate foster youth/alumni, and examine priority areas (e.g., importance and feasibility). CM is a mixed-method research approach that employs non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, visual representations of the data are computed. The final cluster map yielded an eight cluster solution: Campus Awareness, Advocacy, Data Tracking, Pre-College Supports, Fostering Family Connections, Academic Financing, Campus Life, and Peer/Mentor Supports. Foster youth/alumni in this study perceived the Pre-College Supports cluster as most feasible, while the Advocacy cluster was rated at the least feasible. The Academic Financing cluster was rated as the most important; the Campus Life cluster was rated as the least important. After a review of pertinent literature, this paper explicates CM methodology as applied to the current study, reports results, and discusses lessons learned as they apply to child welfare research and practice.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J. J. & Dioh-Donohue, J. 2017 Mapping the needs of kinship providers: A mixed-method examination. Grandfamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=grandfamilies University of Kentucky This study utilized Concept Mapping (CM) to examine the needs of 105 kinship caregivers in one southeastern state, and to examine priority differences in conceptualization by placement type (formal vs. informal). CM is a mixed-method research methodology that employs multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to examine relationships among sets of data. Results indicate that kinship providers conceptualize needs via an eight-cluster solution, or concept map. As well, data suggest key priority differences between informal and formal caregivers in areas of financial, legal, and public outreach needs. After a brief review of literature about kinship care, this paper will explain results from the study, discuss findings in relation to previous works about kinship, and explicate practice, policy, education, and research implications derived from study findings.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J. J., Benner, K., Thrasher, S., Pope, N., Dumas, T., Damron, L. J., Segress, M., & Niu, C. 2017 Planning a mentorship initiative for foster parents: Does gender matter? Evaluation and Program Planning https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.05.009 University of Kentucky Despite the use of mentoring programs in fields such as business, career training, and youth development, little is known about how mentoring can be used to train and support new foster parents. This paper describes how Concept Mapping was used with current foster parents to develop a conceptual framework suitable to plan a foster parent mentor program. A secondary aim of this study was to explore priority differences in the conceptualization by self-reported gender (foster mothers vs. foster fathers). Participant data was collected via three qualitative brainstorming sessions, and analyzed using non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Findings indicate that foster parents participating in this study conceptualized effective mentor programs via a seven cluster solution. Study results also showed no significant differences in cluster ratings by gender. Implications for practice and program planning are identified, as well as areas for future research.
Children & Youth Development O'Connor, T. M., Masse, L.C., Tu, A. W., Watts, A. W., Hughes, S. O., Beaucramp, M. R., Baranowski, T., Pham, T., Berge, J. M., Fiese, B., Golley, R. K., Hingle, M., Kremers, S. P. J., Rhee, K. E., Skouteris, J. H., & Vaughn, A. 2017 Food parenting practices for 5 to 12 year old children: A concept map analysis of parenting and nutrition experts input. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0572-1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5594481/pdf/12966_2017_Article_572.pdf Baylor College of Medicine Background: Parents are an important influence on children's dietary intake and eating behaviors. However, the lack of a conceptual framework and inconsistent assessment of food parenting practices limits our understanding of which food parenting practices are most influential on children. The aim of this study was to develop a food parenting practice conceptual framework using systematic approaches of literature reviews and expert input. Method: A previously completed systematic review of food parenting practice instruments and a qualitative study of parents informed the development of a food parenting practice item bank consisting of 3632 food parenting practice items. The original item bank was further reduced to 110 key food parenting concepts using binning and winnowing techniques. A panel of 32 experts in parenting and nutrition were invited to sort the food parenting practice concepts into categories that reflected their perceptions of a food parenting practice conceptual framework. Multi-dimensional scaling produced a point map of the sorted concepts and hierarchical cluster analysis identified potential solutions. Subjective modifications were used to identify two potential solutions, with additional feedback from the expert panel requested. Results: The experts came from 8 countries and 25 participated in the sorting and 23 provided additional feedback. A parsimonious and a comprehensive concept map were developed based on the clustering of the food parenting practice constructs. The parsimonious concept map contained 7 constructs, while the comprehensive concept map contained 17 constructs and was informed by a previously published content map for food parenting practices. Most of the experts (52%) preferred the comprehensive concept map, while 35% preferred to present both solutions. Conclusion: The comprehensive food parenting practice conceptual map will provide the basis for developing a calibrated Item Response Modeling (IRM) item bank that can be used with computerized adaptive testing. Such an item bank will allow for more consistency in measuring food parenting practices across studies to better assess the impact of food parenting practices on child outcomes and the effect of interventions that target parents as agents of change. Keywords: Child; Concept mapping; Family; Food; Measurement; Nutrition; Parenting; Parenting practices.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J. J., Chih, M. Y., & Washington, E. 2016 Conceptualizing a mobile app for foster youth transitioning to adulthood: A mixed-method approach. Journal of Technology in Human Services https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2015.1108260 University of Kentucky Despite the promise of mobile smartphone applications (apps) in addressing challenges faced by foster youth transitioning to adulthood, the literature is devoid of conceptual frameworks for the development of these apps. This article documents the process of using Concept Mapping to delineate a conceptual framework germane to developing an app to assist youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood, and explore differences in development priority areas among participants. Participant data was collected via qualitative brainstorming sessions, and analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. This article explicates findings from this study, discusses implications, and identifies apposite areas for future research.
Children & Youth Development Burgos, M., Al-Adeimi, M., & Brown, J. 2016 Protective factors of family life for immigrant youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0462-4 University of Alberta The purpose of the study was to identify the positive aspects and strengths experienced by newcomer youth within their home environments. Youth between the ages of 15 and 18 years old who immigrated within the previous 2 years and were living in a medium-sized Canadian city were interviewed. Group interviews were conducted with participants at a local community centre. Analysis of the data was completed using concept mapping (Trochim, 1989) which included multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Similar to the literature, results indicated that newcomer youth felt secure and experienced positive familial connections. Youth viewed their families as a source of support, while also acknowledging their need for autonomy. Differences between study results and the literature were found in relation to family rules and integration with Canadian culture. Implications of the findings are discussed within a counseling framework for mental health practitioners to better understand the protective resources of resilience available to newcomer youth. Keywords: Youth, Family, Immigration, Protective factors
Children & Youth Development Goldman, A. W., Mulford, C. & Blachman-Demner, D. 2016 Advancing our approach to teen dating violence: A youth and professional defined framework of teen dating relationships. Psychology of Violence https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039849 Cornell University Objective: Little research has considered how well assumptions about teen dating relationships that guide teen dating violence (TDV) work actually align with youth perspective and experience. This study aimed to better understand areas of convergence and divergence in how youth and adult professionals conceptualize and define teen dating relationships to more fully inform TDV research, programming, and policy. Method: Group Concept Mapping, an inductive, participatory approach-was used to capture, compare, and visually represent perspectives of teen dating relationships across samples of teens ages 14 to 18 (N = 147), young adults ages 19 to 22 (N = 81), and adult professionals (N = 76). Researchers conducted subsequent facilitated discussions with these 3 groups. Results: A single concept map coauthored by youth and professionals described teen dating relationships using 100 ideas, 9 higher-order constructs, and 2 conceptual dimensions. Across groups, substantial agreement emerged on the characteristics of teen dating and their interrelationships. Participants conceptualized dating relationships as multidimensional, consisting of a range of behaviors, emotions, and cognitions that vary in their frequency and desirability. Relationships were also characterized by temporally oriented phases that can shape teens' perceptions of their dating experiences. Conclusion: The findings suggest that professionals are studying TDV and developing related programming from a conceptual basis that comports with youth dating experience. Nevertheless, the complexity of teen dating presents a need for researchers and practitioners to expand their focus to more effectively address the social and behavioral processes through which TDV unfolds. Efforts should more holistically consider relevant aspects of dating relationships, including the confluence of healthy and unhealthy characteristics with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. (PsycINFO Database Record
Children & Youth Development Miller, J.J. & Collins-Camargo, C. 2015 Success on their own terms: Youths' perspectives on successful foster care. Journal of Public Child Welfare https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2015.1089813 University of Kentucky Foster care is an integral component of the child welfare system. However, little is known about factors germane to conceptualizing successful foster care. This study utilized Concept Mapping (CM) to delineate a conceptual domain for what success in foster care means from the perspective of those most impacted: foster youth. CM couples multi-dimensional scaling with hierarchical cluster analyses to form factors relevant to an area of study. Pictorial representations of the data were generated using The Concept System® Global MAX™ software. Results indicate that youth conceptualize success based on several distinct domains. The final analyses yielded a multi-cluster solution, or Concept Map.
Children & Youth Development Miller, J.J. & Jones, B. 2015 Using concept mapping as a planning tool: Child welfare citizen review panels. Evaluation and Program Planning https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2015.08.001 University of Kentucky Citizen Review Panels (CRPs) are groups of citizen volunteers authorized by U.S. federal law to examine state child welfare agencies. These groups inspect policies and practices related to child protection responsibilities and are tasked with making recommendations for systemic improvement. Despite the federal mandate for each state to develop a CRP and the potential of these groups to positively impact child welfare practices, there is a dearth in the literature related to CRPs. Consequently, planning and evaluation processes of these groups vary widely. This study reports on the use of concept mapping (CM) to outline a framework for planning and subsequently evaluating the CRP in one southeastern state. CM is a mixed-method research approach that uses multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to explore an area of study. Through these analyses, the method creates visual depictions of conceptual relationships between ideas. Data yielded a seven cluster concept map that CRP members (N = 36) utilized for planning processes, and subsequently for developing an internal evaluation tool. Results from this study offer a unifying framework by which CRPs, and similar groups in other areas can utilize for planning and evaluation purposes. After a review of pertinent literature on CRPs, this article explicates CM processes utilized in this study, describes results, discusses lessons learned, and outlines apposite areas for future CRP research.
Children & Youth Development Minh, A., Patel, S., Bruce-Barrett, C., & O'Campo, P. 2015 Letting youths choose for themselves: Concept mapping as a participatory approach for program and service planning. Family & Community Health https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000060 University of British Columbia Ensuring that the voices of youths are heard is key in creating services that align with the needs and goals of youths. Concept mapping, a participatory mixed-methods approach, was used to engage youths, families, and service providers in an assessment of service gaps facing youth in an underserviced neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. We describe 6 phases of concept mapping: preparation, brainstorming, sorting and rating, analysis, interpretation, and utilization. Results demonstrate that youths and service providers vary in their conceptualizations of youth service needs and priorities. Implications for service planning and for youth engagement in research are discussed.
Children & Youth Development Visek, A. J., Achrati, S. M., Mannix, H., McDonnell, K., Harris, B. S., & Dipietro, L. 2015 The fun integration theory: Towards sustaining children and adolescents sport participation. Journal of Physical Activity and Health https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2013-0180 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4201634/pdf/nihms621228.pdf George Washington University Background: Children cite ‘fun’ as the primary reason for participation in organized sport and its absence as the number one reason for youth sport attrition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical framework of fun using a novel mixed-method assessment of participants in sport (FUN MAPS) via concept mapping. Methods: Youth soccer players (n = 142), coaches (n = 37), and parents (n = 57) were stratified by age, sex, and competition level and contributed their “fun” ideas through: (a) qualitative brainstorming, identifying all of the things that make playing sports fun for players; (b) sorting of ideas; and (c) rating each idea on its importance, frequency, and feasibility. Results: The FUN MAPS identify the four fundamental tenets of fun in youth sport within 11 fun-dimensions composed of 81 specific fun-determinants, while also establishing the youth sport ethos. Conclusion: The FUN MAPS provide pictorial evidence-based blueprints for the fun integration theory (FIT), which is a multi-theoretical, multidimensional, and stakeholder derived framework that can be used to maximize fun for children and adolescents in order to promote and sustain an active and healthy lifestyle through sport.
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