Cancer has become the second largest cause of death and a central concern in modern societies. Despite increasing survival rates, there is hardly a family that is not directly engaged with the fight against cancer. The brand new book Survivorship: A Sociology of Cancer in Everyday Life (appeared as recently as March 2021) approaches the phenomenonfrom the the perspective of everyday lives of survivors, their micro-social networks, and health care professionals. Authored by Alex Broom and Katherine Kenny, sociologists from the University of Sydney, and elaborated with a range of qualitative methods, the chapters of the book address issues of social norms, individual tensions of survivors, and emotional approaches to survivorship.
Abstract One of the most dynamically evolving sectors of our days is eHealth. More and more applications, software, devices, etc. are launched that make healthcare segments accessible not only for professionals but for laics, too. This study examines to what extent the adult Hungarian population of Mureş County is ready to become eHealth participative, i.e. an active agent of its own healthcare attendance, in order to make use of the advantages offered by modern technologies that provide information and help understand our diseases, their prevention, and health maintenance. The probability of eHealth usage is approximated by the frequency of Internet usage. Social determinants of info-communication tool usage are assessed, controlling for covariates. Age has the strongest impact upon the frequency of Internet usage. The younger is the respondent, the more likely he/she is to be a frequent user, and, apart from this, only the educational level determines Internet use, higher education implying more frequent usage.
Abstract Similarly to other countries in the Eastern European Region, the situation of medical assistants in Romania is fairly difficult. Due to the lack of personnel, health professionals are typically overwhelmed with work. The Quality of Life Research Centre at Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania conducted a non-representative survey among medical assistants in Romanian state-owned healthcare institutions. The sample size is 312 Romanian and Hungarian speaking nurses from six counties. The present study problematizes the mental health of medical assistants, more precisely burnout and depression, along demographic, social, and labour market features. The determinants of burnout and depression are being searched for among these structural and situational variables, and their controlled impact is being assessed with linear regression. Results indicate an excessive risk of burnout and depression for nurses with lower-qualification working in outpatient care. Differences in the mental health of medical assistants echo to a large extent social inequalities, so that controlled for covariates, household income has a significant impact upon burnout and depression. From demographic agents, the protective effect of partnership is outstanding, and the number of supportive relationships is a protective factor of its own right against both burnout and depression. Female assistants are more at risk for depression but not for burnout, whereas workload increases the risk of burnout but not of depression. The analysis takes sides of the distinctness of burnout and depression. Although both syndromes are largely influenced by social features, burnout seems to be more situationally influenced whereas depression more structurally affected.
Abstract The paper addresses the issue of contamination fear within the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The everyday lives and feelings of the ethnic Hungarian population in Transylvania, Romania, were investigated with an online survey in the middle of the lockdown, in April 2020. In the search for the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of perceived infection risk, we rely on descriptive and two-variable analysis as well as explanatory regression models controlling for covariates. The results show that respondents perceive public places to hold the highest risk of contamination from the virus. In the article, we also draw the sociodemographic profile of the "fearful" and "brave" attitudes towards the threat represented by the virus. Perceived infection risk is higher for the elderly, the more educated, and the non-religious people. The paper reveals that respondents' concerns, beyond that of infection, are predominantly economic in character.
Abstract The analysis presents some of the results of an online survey regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, which was undertaken among ethnic Hungarians from Transylvania. The survey was based on a convenience sample and was realized between 16 and 26 April 2020, so during a specific period of the lockdown. Among others, the questionnaire asked the respondents about the degree in which the post-pandemic world would change. The answers to the question show that nearly three quarters of the respondents think that the world will not change at all or it will suffer only minor changes. Those who are more prone towards seeing a totally or a majorly changed world are in a minority. We assume that this situation could reflect a wishful thinking in front of an uncertain context. The regression analysis showed that respondents' opinion regarding the change can be only marginally predicted by the selected independent variables. Men, those holding materialistic values, are significantly less convinced that the world will suffer major/total changes. On the other hand, trust in several institutions raises the odds of formulating the opinion that the post-pandemic world will be considerably changed.
