Journal Club

Qualitative Methods Journal Club (QMJC)

Between November 2020 – April 2021, SARN is supporting Professor Carol Emslie (SARN Co-Chair) and colleagues at the Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Substance Use Research Group to host the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) funded Qualitative Methods Journal Club (QMJC).

The QMJC highlights best practice through its selection of good quality qualitative research papers. After each meeting, a copy of the paper and a summary of the discussion from the Journal Club are made available on the SSA website: https://www.addiction-ssa.org/hot-topic/qualitative-methods-journal-club/


Meeting #1 (November 2020) – Lyons et al. (2016)

In our first meeting on Wednesday 11 November, we discussed Lyons et al. Facebook and the Fun of Drinking Photos: Reproducing Gendered Regimes of Power. Journal of Marketing Education. 2016: 45-53. doi: 10.1177/2056305116672888

This beautifully written qualitative paper examines the meanings which young adults attach to sharing drinking photos on Facebook, and explores how these practices are gendered.  The memorable title clearly conveys the topic, indicates the paper will focus on respondents’ perceptions (aligned with pleasure, rather than risk) and introduces the claim that ‘fun’ drinking photos ultimately reproduce gendered and heteronormative regimes of power.  The authors argue that while both men and women manage their online identities to some extent, the tensions inherent in performing an empowered and sexy femininity in the ‘culture of intoxication’ (Griffin et al 2013) lead to more intensive engagement by young women.  This curation of online displays (taking, uploading, tagging and untagging photos) is then disparaged as trivial and self-indulgent ‘women’s work’ by young men… [Read on]

Professor Carol Emslie

Read the full report on the SSA website


Meeting #2 (December 2020) – Drabble & Trocki (2014)

In our second meeting on Tuesday 15 December, we discussed Drabble, L. & Trocki, K. (2014). Alcohol in the life narratives of women: Commonalities and differences by sexual orientation. Addiction Research & Theory, 22(3): 186–194. doi: 10.3109/16066359.2013.806651

This qualitative paper explores the role of alcohol in the life narratives of women with different sexual orientations. The introduction explains that alcohol-related problems are higher among sexual minority women, compared to heterosexual women, and provides explanations for why this may be the case. Then the paper highlights a clear gap in previous research – very few studies have explored how sexual minority women perceive the role of alcohol in their lives and how these views and experiences compare to those of heterosexual women. The study is informed by the theory of social representations, which is explained very well. The authors make it easy for a reader, unfamiliar with this theory, to understand it and why it was suitable for this study.… [Read on]

Dr Elena Dimova

Read the full report on the SSA website


Meeting #3 (January 2021) – Pauly et al. (2020)

In our third meeting on Thursday 14 January, we discussed Pauly BB, Mamdani Z, Mesley L, et al.It’s an emotional roller coaster… But sometimes it’s fucking awesome“: Meaning and motivation of work for peers in overdose response environments in British Columbia. Int J Drug Policy. 2020; 88: 103015. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103015.

We were delighted to be joined by Professor Bernie Pauly at the event.

This paper explored the roles, positive experiences, and challenges for a group of “experiential workers” commonly known as “peers” (workers with past or present experience of drug use) carrying out harm reduction work in two organisations in British Columbia, Canada. The research team consisted of academic researchers as well as Experiential Research Assistants (ERAs), who had past or present experience of drug use. This paper was chosen for discussion because of the innovative approach to integration of ERAs in project design, management, data collection, data analysis and write up… [Read on]

Dr Matt Smith

Read the full report on the SSA website