Karen Willis is a health sociologist and qualitative health researcher. Her research interests are in identifying how individual behaviours are linked with broader social forces. She is also interested in the boundary work that occurs within and across health occupations and markets. Particular areas of interest include: Chronic illness Health technologies Understanding debates about public/private care and funding Complementary and alternative medicines Phone: 61 3 9953 3566 Address: Australian Catholic University
115 Victoria Parade
Fitzroy
VIC 3065
This paper reports on a qualitative interview study of residents' percep... more This paper reports on a qualitative interview study of residents' perceptions of the probability and impact of flooding in a socially disadvantaged urban area identified and publicised as at risk of inundation. The people in this study engage with expert definitions of flood risk, but ...
Despite being typically represented and managed under the same policy umbrella, fishers face diff... more Despite being typically represented and managed under the same policy umbrella, fishers face different challenges than do their farming counterparts. This paper unpacks the findings of research depicting poor levels of mental health and well-being among Australian commercial wild-catch fishers. The research is considered in the context of widespread acceptance that farmers tend to exhibit worse than average mental health outcomes due, at least in part, to the environmental uncertainties of climate change. In particular it is stressed that the insecurity of fishing concessions (quota and licenses), is a key driver of chronic livelihood insecurity, resulting in reports of stress, depression and suicide. A call is made for the separation of health research in the fishing and farming industries. Importantly, the role that tenure insecurity plays in the perpetuation of poor mental health among fishers should be acknowledged and addressed so that the fishing industry can maximize the strength of its human capital.
Significant transformations of the health care services sector over the past three decades have s... more Significant transformations of the health care services sector over the past three decades have seen an increasing reliance on the private provision of health care services mediated through private health insurance. In countries such as Australia and the UK, private health insurance is promoted as providing a greater choice for individuals and easing the burden on the public system. While these claims, the policy contexts and the decision-making processes of individual consumers have attracted some sociological attention, little has been said about the role of private insurers. In this article we present a comparative analysis of the websites of private health insurers in Australia and the UK. Our analysis highlights adoption by private health insurers of neoliberal discourses of choice and individual responsibility, partnership and healthy lifestyles. In these respects, similarities between the discourses over-ride national differences which might otherwise be expected given their contrasting health care traditions and contexts.
A healthy workforce is critical for workforce participation and productivity. This study points t... more A healthy workforce is critical for workforce participation and productivity. This study points the way to a healthier fishing community that facilitates greater productivity, more reliable and resilient human capital, fewer illnesses and a more efficient industry. This research involved identifying existing and potential roles for industry organisations in enhancing health and well-being. The results are of interest to the fishing industry, their community and organisations, local health-care providers, fisheries managers and policy makers at all levels. This project, Staying Healthy: Industry organisations’ influence on behaviours and services used by fishers grew out of a need identified in earlier research that indicated fishers were less likely than farmers to prioritise their health and well-being, and that fisher industry organisations were, relative to those of farmers, less likely to influence behaviours and services used by fishers.
The results of the project confirm that fishers, as a collective, acknowledge physical health and injury are concerns. However mental health issues were identified as a more pervasive threat to fishers and their families. This is recognised by industry organisations, but there is a limited capacity to address the causes of mental health issues, due to the institutionalised nature of stressors (e.g. concession insecurity). Further, it was identified that fishing industry organisations are limited in their influence on the general health and well-being behaviours of fishers, and the services they seek. While some were pro-active, the majority of efforts were ‘ad hoc’ and initiated by individual, influential women in the community.
The study recommends that:
fishing industry bodies encourage fishers to seek treatment for mental as well as physical health symptoms;
health practitioners and service providers better tailor health services to the specific health needs, and irregular working patterns, of fishers;
research, policy and mental health strategies should be differentiated from those developed for farmers, due to the very different nature of their capital investment security;
inherent uncertainty in current licencing and quota provision arrangements, and the Workplace Health and Safety threats these pose to fishers and their communities, be acknowledged and addressed by policy makers.
Social Research Methods brings social research 'alive' for students, using both theory and practi... more Social Research Methods brings social research 'alive' for students, using both theory and practical examples to illustrate the relevance of research methods in their future careers. It gives students the tools they need to develop a clear understanding of the nature of research, to gain an appreciation of the wide range of methods available, and to develop a set of practical research skills in line with contemporary Australian social research practices
This paper reports on a qualitative interview study of residents' percep... more This paper reports on a qualitative interview study of residents' perceptions of the probability and impact of flooding in a socially disadvantaged urban area identified and publicised as at risk of inundation. The people in this study engage with expert definitions of flood risk, but ...
Despite being typically represented and managed under the same policy umbrella, fishers face diff... more Despite being typically represented and managed under the same policy umbrella, fishers face different challenges than do their farming counterparts. This paper unpacks the findings of research depicting poor levels of mental health and well-being among Australian commercial wild-catch fishers. The research is considered in the context of widespread acceptance that farmers tend to exhibit worse than average mental health outcomes due, at least in part, to the environmental uncertainties of climate change. In particular it is stressed that the insecurity of fishing concessions (quota and licenses), is a key driver of chronic livelihood insecurity, resulting in reports of stress, depression and suicide. A call is made for the separation of health research in the fishing and farming industries. Importantly, the role that tenure insecurity plays in the perpetuation of poor mental health among fishers should be acknowledged and addressed so that the fishing industry can maximize the strength of its human capital.
Significant transformations of the health care services sector over the past three decades have s... more Significant transformations of the health care services sector over the past three decades have seen an increasing reliance on the private provision of health care services mediated through private health insurance. In countries such as Australia and the UK, private health insurance is promoted as providing a greater choice for individuals and easing the burden on the public system. While these claims, the policy contexts and the decision-making processes of individual consumers have attracted some sociological attention, little has been said about the role of private insurers. In this article we present a comparative analysis of the websites of private health insurers in Australia and the UK. Our analysis highlights adoption by private health insurers of neoliberal discourses of choice and individual responsibility, partnership and healthy lifestyles. In these respects, similarities between the discourses over-ride national differences which might otherwise be expected given their contrasting health care traditions and contexts.
A healthy workforce is critical for workforce participation and productivity. This study points t... more A healthy workforce is critical for workforce participation and productivity. This study points the way to a healthier fishing community that facilitates greater productivity, more reliable and resilient human capital, fewer illnesses and a more efficient industry. This research involved identifying existing and potential roles for industry organisations in enhancing health and well-being. The results are of interest to the fishing industry, their community and organisations, local health-care providers, fisheries managers and policy makers at all levels. This project, Staying Healthy: Industry organisations’ influence on behaviours and services used by fishers grew out of a need identified in earlier research that indicated fishers were less likely than farmers to prioritise their health and well-being, and that fisher industry organisations were, relative to those of farmers, less likely to influence behaviours and services used by fishers.
The results of the project confirm that fishers, as a collective, acknowledge physical health and injury are concerns. However mental health issues were identified as a more pervasive threat to fishers and their families. This is recognised by industry organisations, but there is a limited capacity to address the causes of mental health issues, due to the institutionalised nature of stressors (e.g. concession insecurity). Further, it was identified that fishing industry organisations are limited in their influence on the general health and well-being behaviours of fishers, and the services they seek. While some were pro-active, the majority of efforts were ‘ad hoc’ and initiated by individual, influential women in the community.
The study recommends that:
fishing industry bodies encourage fishers to seek treatment for mental as well as physical health symptoms;
health practitioners and service providers better tailor health services to the specific health needs, and irregular working patterns, of fishers;
research, policy and mental health strategies should be differentiated from those developed for farmers, due to the very different nature of their capital investment security;
inherent uncertainty in current licencing and quota provision arrangements, and the Workplace Health and Safety threats these pose to fishers and their communities, be acknowledged and addressed by policy makers.
Social Research Methods brings social research 'alive' for students, using both theory and practi... more Social Research Methods brings social research 'alive' for students, using both theory and practical examples to illustrate the relevance of research methods in their future careers. It gives students the tools they need to develop a clear understanding of the nature of research, to gain an appreciation of the wide range of methods available, and to develop a set of practical research skills in line with contemporary Australian social research practices
In this article, we examine the choice to use a complementary and alternative medicine product (S... more In this article, we examine the choice to use a complementary and alternative medicine product (St John’s wort) for the management of mental health risk. We draw on data from a study in which we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 41 adults who self-reported depression, stress or anxiety, in Melbourne, Australia, in 2011. We identified three groups of users – regular St John’s wort users, whose use was continuous; irregular users, whose use was occasional; and non-users, who had stopped or were contemplating use. In each group, St John’s wort use centred around managing risk, taking control and self-management. Participants described a process of weighing up risks and benefits of different treatment options. They viewed St John’s wort as a less risky and/or safer option than antidepressants because they perceived it to be more natural, with fewer side effects. They saw their use of St John’s wort as a means of exercising personal control over mental health risks, for example, to alleviate or self-manage symptoms of depression. Their use of St John’s wort was also linked to perceptions of broader social risks including the stigma and shame of needing to use antidepressants. The findings deepen our understanding of notions of mental health risk by pointing to the importance of localised knowledge of risk in decision-making, and the ways in which perceptions of, and hence responses to, risk differ between groups.
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Papers by Karen Willis
This project, Staying Healthy: Industry organisations’ influence on behaviours and services used by fishers grew out of a need identified in earlier research that indicated fishers were less likely than farmers to prioritise their health and well-being, and that fisher industry organisations were, relative to those of farmers, less likely to influence behaviours and services used by fishers.
The results of the project confirm that fishers, as a collective, acknowledge physical health and injury are concerns. However mental health issues were identified as a more pervasive threat to fishers and their families. This is recognised by industry organisations, but there is a limited capacity to address the causes of mental health issues, due to the institutionalised nature of stressors (e.g. concession insecurity). Further, it was identified that fishing industry organisations are limited in their influence on the general health and well-being behaviours of fishers, and the services they seek. While some were pro-active, the majority of efforts were ‘ad hoc’ and initiated by individual, influential women in the community.
The study recommends that:
fishing industry bodies encourage fishers to seek treatment for mental as well as physical health symptoms;
health practitioners and service providers better tailor health services to the specific health needs, and irregular working patterns, of fishers;
research, policy and mental health strategies should be differentiated from those developed for farmers, due to the very different nature of their capital investment security;
inherent uncertainty in current licencing and quota provision arrangements, and the Workplace Health and Safety threats these pose to fishers and their communities, be acknowledged and addressed by policy makers.
This project, Staying Healthy: Industry organisations’ influence on behaviours and services used by fishers grew out of a need identified in earlier research that indicated fishers were less likely than farmers to prioritise their health and well-being, and that fisher industry organisations were, relative to those of farmers, less likely to influence behaviours and services used by fishers.
The results of the project confirm that fishers, as a collective, acknowledge physical health and injury are concerns. However mental health issues were identified as a more pervasive threat to fishers and their families. This is recognised by industry organisations, but there is a limited capacity to address the causes of mental health issues, due to the institutionalised nature of stressors (e.g. concession insecurity). Further, it was identified that fishing industry organisations are limited in their influence on the general health and well-being behaviours of fishers, and the services they seek. While some were pro-active, the majority of efforts were ‘ad hoc’ and initiated by individual, influential women in the community.
The study recommends that:
fishing industry bodies encourage fishers to seek treatment for mental as well as physical health symptoms;
health practitioners and service providers better tailor health services to the specific health needs, and irregular working patterns, of fishers;
research, policy and mental health strategies should be differentiated from those developed for farmers, due to the very different nature of their capital investment security;
inherent uncertainty in current licencing and quota provision arrangements, and the Workplace Health and Safety threats these pose to fishers and their communities, be acknowledged and addressed by policy makers.