Open Access

Participatory processes are key for designing technology solutions but challenging since target groups rarely have technological expertise. They are, however, experts in their lives. Vulnerable young people are even more challenged when asked to participate. A toolkit approach can introduce non-tech-savvy individuals to digital technology. This paper presents the process of (co-)designing a toolkit for vulnerable young people and social workers. The evaluation provides insights into what components are needed to prepare for participatory technology development. The toolkit can be seen as a mobile laboratory that supports technology development and builds on considerations from other research and design processes. The toolkit was (co-)designed in two phases. An initial version based on other prototypes and the state of the art was evaluated according to feedback from social work professionals. The revised version was evaluated by both professionals and vulnerable young people, leading to refinement and final redesign. The final toolkit, focusing on the smart home domain, was evaluated through participant observation and qualitative content analysis. The results show how feedback, inductively derived in four categories, led to the design of the toolkit with three modules relevant to engaging vulnerable young people in technology design: experience, understand and co-design.

Informal social networks and especially advice networks are a key subject of organizational sociological research. The formation of these networks has so far been explained on the basis of universal tie-formation mechanisms. However, recent conceptual contributions suggest that tie formation practices follow cultural rules that may vary across social contexts. In our paper, we substantiate this argument empirically. Based on rich qualitative data, we compare advice tie formation (a) between two entrepreneurial communities and (b) between three research and development departments of large enterprises. We show that both impact and configuration of tie formation mechanisms systematically differ between comparable contexts. Building on our findings, we finally formulate propositions describing which advice network structures can be expected in specific cultures.

The starting point for this 20-minute presentation is the experience that while storytelling can empower women, this is not always the case. For example, if the story being told is too far removed from the sense of self or embodied feelings, because belonging is threatened, the story may be adapted. As a result, the positive attention that the storyteller receives may not be empowering and relieving. Furthermore, the positive impact of storytelling lives and evolves through listening. True listening allows different parts of the self to be negotiated and to become aware of previously inaccessible or distorted feelings and experiences. When the listener's need for acceptance is met, processes are set in motion in which these feelings and experiences are acknowledged, reducing the need for "contact line management. Considerations from psychological self-regulation, person-centeredness, and shame research are presented for discussion.

Background: Alcohol dependence is associated with several neuropsychological abnormalities, such as increased impulsivity or attentional bias towards drug-related stimuli. However, it is debated whether these abnormalities are on the decline after long-term abstinence from alcohol. Inpatient rehabilitation treatment enables the longitudinal investigation of such variables during a long, largely secured, period of abstinence. Methods: This study involved alcohol-dependent patients consecutively admitted for a duration of 14–26 weeks to an inpatient rehabilitation treatment center located in a hospital specializing in substance use disorders. Craving and impulsivity were assessed with the means of two questionnaires (e.g., OCDS-G and BIS-11); conversely, attentional bias and problems with inhibition were measured with the help of two computer-based experiments (e.g., dot–probe task and stop–signal–reaction task). Investigations were conducted at entry, after 6 weeks, and during the last two weeks of the inpatient treatment. Results: A total of 130 patients with alcohol dependence (mean age 43.3 years; 78.5% male) completed the first, N = 102 the second, and N = 83 the final assessment. Over the whole period of inpatient treatment, there was a significant decrease in patients’ scores for both craving (t(83) = 7.8, p < 0.001) and impulsivity (t(82) = −3.75, p < 0.001, t(82) = 4.4, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant changes regarding attentional bias (t(82) = 0.16, p = 0.494) and inhibitory control (t(76) = 0.04, p = 0.482) scores. Conclusions: Neuropsychological abnormalities associated with alcohol dependence might persist even after a long abstinence period. The decrease in both craving and impulsivity levels may be explained by the protected, alcohol-free, hospital environment; however, patients’ risk of post-discharge relapse may remain high, as the basic neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol dependence may persist for long periods, and possibly for more than 3–6 months.

Konsens verbreitet sich in den letzten Jahren nicht nur in feministischen, sondern auch in gesamtge-sellschaftlichen Diskursen. Prävalent sind dabei Konsenskonzepte mit den Slogans „Ja heißt Ja“ und „Nein heißt Nein“. Gerade im Zusammenhang mit sexualisierter Gewalt wird Konsens immer wieder zugeschrieben, sowohl sexuelle Gewalt verhindern als auch die Qualität sexueller Interaktionen ver-bessern zu können. Doch kann Konsens diese Erwartungen erfüllen? Diese Arbeit analysiert die Potenziale und Limitierungen für die Prävention von sexualisierter Gewalt. Dabei wird eine machttheoretische und intersektionale Perspektive angewandt. Konsens wird im Kontext von verbreiteten Vergewaltigungsmythen, Täter*innennarrativen und verwobenen Macht-strukturen betrachtet und nach den Ebenen Motivation, Wille und Kommunikation differenziert ana-lysiert. Es wird herausgearbeitet, inwiefern aktuelle Konsenskonzepte zur Stabilisierung von Macht-strukturen beitragen können, anstelle sie zu dekonstruieren. Die Analyse gelangt zu dem Ergebnis, dass Konsens weder unmittelbar sexualisierte Gewalt zwischen zwei Menschen verhindern kann, noch ein Ideal für sexuelle Interaktionen darstellt. Langfristig kann Konsens dennoch zu einem Kulturwandel beitragen und dabei unterstützen, Rape Culture, welche sexualisierte Gewalt ermöglicht und fördert, abzubauen. Die Thesis mündet in der Vorstellung eines neu entwickelten Konsensmodells. Dieses ermöglicht es, sexuelle Handlungen differenziert theoretisch zu analysieren. Es kann zudem genutzt werden, um Präventionsprojekte zu reflektieren und (weiter) zu entwickeln.