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- Convenor:
-
Nina Bagdasarova
(American University of Central Asia)
Send message to Convenor
- Theme:
- SOC
- Location:
- Room 111
- Sessions:
- Saturday 12 October, -
Time zone: America/New_York
Long Abstract:
The panel is a presentation of research results conducted by a team of American University of Central Asia faculty in 2018-2019. This project investigated theoretical and politico-economic motivations of difference in understandings and approaches to psychological wellbeing by a number of vulnerable groups on one hand, and policy and professional actors on the other. Three vulnerable groups and approaches to their psychological wellbeing were investigated: LGBT community, elderly people and people with mental disorders. The research was conducted in the context of critical tradition in psychology that shifts the focus in understanding psychological distress from individuals to their social environments. According to the reports of the UN Health Agency (WHO), depression is currently the leading cause of disability worldwide. It affects more than 300 million people globally, most of whom are women, young people and the elderly. This statistics indicates clear correlation between social vulnerability and psychological well-being including mental health issues. In the recently published groundbreaking study British epidemiologists Wilkinson and Picket make even more radical claim suggesting that social inequality plays a causal, not correlational, role in problems with social gradient including the global epidemic of psychological distress (Wilkinson, Picket 2018). According to data collected by research team during the previous project cycle (2018), certain vulnerable groups (in our case LGBT) see social environment as the key factor affecting their psychological wellbeing. However, professional psychologists tend to consider psychological wellbeing as the matter of individual responsibility and effort. That difference in understandings of psychological wellbeing that we identified in the case of LGBT people and professional psychologists was confirmed for cases of mental health patients and elderly. It was shown that this difference in approaches affects social services provided to the vulnerable populations and add layers to oppression influencing well-being of the studied vulnerable groups. Methodology included desk research and qualitative data collection. Four panelists will present their parts of the research. Elena Kosterina: "Understanding of psychological well-being of older women by care providers and relatives". Mohira Suyarkulova: "Access to sex education and psychological wellbeing among vulnerable social groups in Kyrgyzstan". Georgy Mamedov: "Social space and psychological wellbeing of LGBT in Kyrgyzstan". Nina Bagdasarova: "Understanding of psychological wellbeing of people with mental disorders among service providers in Kyrgyzstan"
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Saturday 12 October, 2019, -Paper long abstract:
The reform of psychiatric services in Kyrgyzstan that started in early 2000s brought a lot of changes in treatment and care of people with mental disorders. The struggle with previous soviet model of "repressive" psychiatry is now mixed up with new approaches of "de-institualization" and reducing number of people in mental hospitals who stay there involuntarily. New approaches are represented by NGOs and human rights activists that try to change agenda within health care and social service institutions. Still doctors and big number of relatives and friends do not agree with some of the points of these new agenda because of problematic character of free choice and personal responsibility that are demanded from people with mental problems. Co-existing approaches include an arrow of various and often contradictory and logically inconsistent understandings of psychological well-being of people with mental disorders from neoliberal interpretation of "free choice" and "community concerns about vulnerable members" to "necessity of providing help without respect of patients' inadequate subjective opinions". This mixture of positions influencing practices as well as strategies and policies in the scope. The analysis of positions of service providers will be presented at the panel.
Paper long abstract:
Sex, love and relationships are considered essential for a fulfilled life and a necessary condition for psychological wellbeing in modern societies. Contrary to common belief, far from being an intimate and private matter, sexuality is an issue of great social and political concern. Various social and political actors, including state structures, nationalist and religious groups, 'expert communities' and human rights defenders take part in a struggle for the right to define the norms of the sexual lives of Kyrgyz citizens. Public discourse on sexuality in the Kyrgyz Republic has evolved from its discussions exclusively in the context of marriage ('the marital duty') in early 1990s to the view of sexual activity as risky behavior in late 1990s and early 2000s (Moldosheva 2012). Both of these discourses, despite their seeming difference, normalize heterosexuality, idealize the institution of marriage and romantic love, while justifying unequal gender roles.
This study seeks to determine to what extent the actors engaged in sex education work in Kyrgyzstan today take into consideration the needs and specificities of non-normative bodies, genders and sexualities. Through critical discourse analysis of various texts, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions of both the sex educators and vulnerable groups' representatives (LGBTQ people and people with disabilities), we will identify what an inclusive sex education in Kyrgyzstan could look like.
Paper long abstract:
One of the objectives of this research is to study the discourses around well-being and help for aging women with the goal of understanding the views of psychosocial services providers and studying the rhetoric behind protective paternalistic orientation of the psychosocial support services provided to elderly women currently. Previous studies in Kyrgyzstan have shown that elderly women demonstrate some internalized negative views on aging and elderly. The present study hypothesizes that these views can stem from ageism among care providers and the gap in understanding of well-being between care providers, relatives of elderly women who take care of them, and organizations which define the politics of elderly services in the country.
The present study explores whether the approach of social justice is utilized among any psychosocial care providers working with elderly in Kyrgyzstan. The approach of social justice in psychology is especially relevant to the advancement of diversity counseling and work with disadvantaged and underserved populations. This approach is currently underdeveloped in Kyrgyzstan, although multiple predispositions exist for its advancement. Mental health professionals in Kyrgyzstan have been discussing within the community the importance of advancement of social justice approach, including development of multicultural competence in psychologists at all levels. Thorough research and policy making work is needed to advance this initiative.