Death doulas operate within an intimate and sensitive domain of individual life, providing support to enhance the daily quality of life for those confronting their own mortality or the death of others. This social field is characterized as "emerging," reflecting its ambiguous boundaries and the lack of state legitimization within the Russian context.

The aim of this study is to examine the structure of the social space of death doulas and the mechanisms shaping this field. To achieve this, a cross-sectional, mono-method research design is employed, incorporating qualitative in-depth interviews, qualitative network analysis, and semantic network analysis. The empirical data consist of interviews with 19 death doulas in Russia.

Within this field, specific conceptualizations of death are constructed, emphasizing the heightened value of life, the ritualization of death through "rites of passage," and the rationalization of death via the normalization of its representations and discursive practices. The homogeneity of these representations is shaped by Foucauldian discursive formations that circulate through networks of power within the community, producing specific understandings of death and the role of death doulas. The influence of these power structures is further demonstrated through a semiotic network analysis of recurring linguistic and metaphorical constructs.

This study introduces the examination of Russian death doulas into the international academic discourse, laying the groundwork for cross-border collaboration among doulas and contributing to a clearer delineation of their professional boundaries.

The mental healthcare system should provide a comprehensive set of collaborating services to improve care continuity and support the individuals’ quality of life and social integration. In Belgium as in other countries, mental health service networks (MHSN) were established fifteen years ago to ensure collaboration across service types, meet individuals’ needs, and promote community care. As part of a study evaluating these MHSN, we examined the structure of collaboration and care provision for individuals with mental disorders (MD) in five Belgian MHSN. We conducted an online whole-network survey with 194 services. We collected data on user referrals between services as well as on the organisational characteristics of the services. We analysed the probability of ties between services using Exponential Random Graph Models. The final model includes covariates that account for network density, transitivity, service attributes (type, care function, and exclusion criteria), and homophily effects. The model revealed low density and high transitivity. Specialised addiction services and hospital units were more likely to have ties. While MHSN tended to be homophilous based on service type and care function, they were heterophilous based on service exclusion criteria. These findings suggest that care provision, despite the establishment of MHSNs, remains organised in silos and is predominantly hospital-centred, appearing to prioritise care providers’ interests rather than the needs of individuals with MD. Enhancing collaboration between different services and expanding community-based services are essential steps towards a more integrated and person-centred care system.

The rapid ageing of the population has increased the demand for both healthcare and long-term care, creating an urgent need for caregivers. However, the capacity of the social services to address this issue is limited, making the role of informal caregivers essential. Furthermore, it is evident that informal caregivers require social support to ensure their own wellbeing, fundamental for them to persevere in the caregiving role.

The objectives of the present research, the analysis for which is currently underway, are twofold: first, to explore, using the novel technique qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), how the social networks of informal caregivers affect their wellbeing; second, to highlight how different methodological approaches, namely social network analysis, qualitative methods and QCA, can be combined to obtain in-depth knowledge about the wellbeing of informal caregivers.

The data originate from a nationwide mixed-methods study conducted in Italy and funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which commenced in 2024 and is scheduled to conclude in 2025. The study comprised 30 caregivers, and their social network data were collected through online interviews utilizing a name generator, name interpreter and name interrelator. Information regarding their wellbeing was collected via an online dyadic interview method. The dyads were composed of caregivers and their supporters (e.g. spouses, other relatives or friends). QCA is applied to identify which social network conditions (e.g. size of the social network support, density and reciprocity) affect the wellbeing of informal caregivers.

The paper concerns the role of participatory and social initiatives in generating relational capital and their impact on supporting family foster care in Poland. The aim of the study is to understand how the cooperation of various entities - foster families, non-governmental organizations, public institutions and local communities - contributes to building a support network that aims to improve the quality of life of children deprived of parental care.

The analysis is based on the assumption that relational capital, understood as a set of positive social bonds, provides an opportunity to support families in crisis and is of key importance for the effective functioning of the foster care system. The study indicates the positive effects of cooperation, which translate into the stability and effectiveness of foster care, while identifying challenges related to the implementation of participatory initiatives, such as the lack of coherent policy, limited financial resources and difficulties in integrating various actors in the system.

Networking in the context of the topic discussed refers both to the network approach (social networking) as a variety of the systemic approach, but also to networking in the colloquial, business sense. The aim of such action is to propose forms of participation in local communities, indicating the role of social capital and informal self-help bonds.

The paper constitutes a contribution to the development of social policy and practice supporting family foster care in Poland.

BACKGROUND

Research-practice transfer involves bidirectional communication between researchers and practitioners, while the research-practice gap refers to breakdowns in this communication. Network interventions are often viewed as a promising way to bridge this gap. However, the focus has primarily been on interventions designed to facilitate researchers' ability to push out (i.e., disseminate) their research.

PURPOSE

In this study, we propose three simple network interventions designed to facilitate practitioners' ability to pull in (i.e., search for) useful research: (1) relying on multiple sources of information to avoid dead ends, (2) relying on well-connected sources of information to avoid echo chambers and (3) relying on sources of information outside their own community to reach brokers.

METHOD & RESULTS

We use a simulation to evaluate the potential utility of the proposed interventions for improving the success and efficiency of research-practice transfer. The simulation suggests that all three interventions improve both the success and efficiency of practitioners' search for researchers in their social networks. Specifically, when a practitioner searching for research relies on multiple sources of information, relies on a well-connected source of information, or relies on a source of information outside their own setting, they are more likely to find a researcher in their network and they do so more quickly.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Taken together, these results suggest that simple practitioner-focused network interventions can improve research-practice transfer by increasing the success and efficiency of practitioners' searches for research.

NOTE: A preprint of the full paper can be downloaded at: https://osf.io/7u5ne_v1