Stine Hellum Braathen
Biographic Data
| ID | 1446729 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stine Hellum Braathen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stine Hellum |
| FAMILY NAME | Braathen |
| SIGNATURE | BRAATHEN S H |
| AFFILIATIONS | SINTEF |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3968-1873 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 31 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Exploring challenges experienced by older persons in accessing health services in Malawi
Background: Malawi, like other developing countries, is not prepared to adequately address the health needs of older persons. Objectives: This article explores challenges older persons experience in accessing health care. Method: This article is based on data from two large. Conducted in Blantyre, Phalombe, Dowa and Rumphi Districts, the EquitAble study examined self-reported barriers. The GeoHealthAccess study examined geographical barriers, con…
Using locational data in a novel mixed-methods sequence design
The primary aim of this study was to determine which health care barriers were most important for people with disabilities in Malawi. To accomplish this, we devised a sequential mixed-methods research design that integrated locational survey data and qualitative data from field studies. Our secondary aim was to evaluate this research design not only as a design-solution to our particular research objective, but as a tool with more general applica…
Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Gender Roles and HIV/Aids Among Tonga Carers of Disabled Children of Binga in Zimbabwe
Many people are reluctant to access voluntary counselling and testing services for fear of stigma and the implications of death often associated with a positive HIV diagnosis. This study however noted how Tonga females residing in Binga, one of Zimbabwe’s poorest and most food insecure districts, were eager for an HIV positive result in order to secure food handouts from Non-Governmental Organisations. Using a conceptual framework developed by We…
(Re)presenting the self
Photovoice is presented here as an emancipatory, participatory research method with the potential to put minority subjects in charge of their own representation. Drawing on research with disabled people conducted in South Africa, we argue that the meaning of images is often hostage to interpretations which reify untruths about the subject. We consider how photovoice projects may give rise to images that perpetuate the subjugation of their subject…
Impairment, socialization and embodiment
Combining survey data, GIS and qualitative interviews in the analysis of health service access for persons with disabilities
BACKGROUND: Equitable access to health services is a key ingredient in reaching health for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. So far, research on access to health services in low- and middle-income countries has largely relied on self-reported survey data. Realizing that there may be substantial discrepancies between perceived and actual access, other methods are needed for more precise knowledge to guide health policy and pla…
Dating persons with physical disabilities
There is good reason to believe that the attitudes of persons without disability towards dating a person with a physical disability might be unfavourable. However, in general, and in the Global South in particular, there is a dearth of research in this area. This study sought to take the first step in addressing this lack of enquiry, by surveying the attitudes of a general population sample in South Africa towards dating people with physical disa…
Sexuality erased, questioned, and explored
The sexuality of people with disabilities has historically been a site of oppression and discrimination. The sexuality of people with disabilities remains relatively under-researched and poorly understood. As a result, many myths and misconceptions about the sexuality of people with disabilities may prevail. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of 13 people with physical disabilities in South Africa. A…
Creative collaboration on a disability and sexuality participatory action research project
This article presents a team’s engagement with a creative collaborative project challenging the myths about the sexuality of people with physical disabilities in South Africa. The article is presented as a reflective diary account, which has been constructed from minutes of meetings, email correspondence, and personal reflections of the activities undertaken. We reflect on the work we have done and what we have learned as well as the decisions an…
Withdrawn, strong, kind, but de-gendered
The present paper examines stereotyping in relation to physical disability and gender in the South Africa. Cross-sectional data for the present study were gathered using free response items in a large survey (n = 1990) examining the attitudes of people without disability towards different facetsof sexuality and disability. The most prominent stereotypes found in thepresent study were those which characterised PWPD as withdrawn and shy, SuperCrips…
Intimacy, intercourse and adjustments
There is a growing recognition of the sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities, and since the World Health Organisation's World Report on Disability, increased international attention has been given to these issues. Past research, however, suggests that this group encounter barriers to sexual and reproductive rights, which are both physical and attitudinal. Against this backdrop, this article employs a sequential mixed qualitati…
The sexual lives of people with disabilities within low- and middle-income countries
BACKGROUND: Although approximately 80% of the global population of people with disabilities reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), very little is known about their sexual lives due to a lack of empirical data. We aimed to provide a scoping review of English-language research conducted on disability and sexuality in LMICs. OBJECTIVE: Our research questions concerned what topics in disability and sexuality have (and have not) been inve…
Exploring structural violence in the context of disability and poverty in Zimbabwe
Political and economic forces have structured risks and created a situation of extreme human suffering. The capabilities approach brings out the challenges associated with cerebral palsy in the context of development challenges
The sexual and reproductive rights and benefit derived from sexual and reproductive health services of people with physical disabilities in South Africa
There is a body of theoretical work, and some empirical research, which suggests that non-disabled people assume people with physical disabilities are not suitable romantic partners, do not have sexual drives or desires, or are not sexually active. It has also been proposed that people with physical disabilities face barriers to sexual healthcare access which are structural as well as social. The present paper explores non-disabled South Africans…
Beyond the checklist
BACKGROUND: Vulnerability in the past has sometimes been measured and understood in terms of checklists or common understanding. It is argued here that vulnerability is a more complex issue than this. Although checklists of vulnerable groups are important, they do not capture the essence and dynamics of vulnerability. OBJECTIVE: The case of rural health vulnerability in South Africa is discussed to show that classifying people into vulnerable gro…
A household perspective on access to health care in the context of HIV and disability
BACKGROUND: Equitable access to health care is a challenge in many low-income countries. The most vulnerable segments of any population face increased challenges, as their vulnerability amplifies problems of the general population. This implies a heavy burden on informal care-givers in their immediate and extended households. However, research falls short of explaining the particular challenges experienced by these individuals and households. To …
Explanatory models for disability
Health providers’ understanding of disability determines how disabled people are treated, and hence it is imperative to address conceptualisations of disability, as this will contribute to better opportunities and realisation of human rights for disabled people. This article will use data from a qualitative study exploring conceptualisations of disability by 22 health service providers from the total health care system in Malawi, including the pr…
Seeking care for epilepsy and its impacts on households in a rural district in southern Malawi
The existing barriers to accessing treatment for epilepsy can be addressed by using a combination of public education, simple treatments and regular reviews. Ensuring constant availability of drugs for the treatment of epilepsy is key to effective treatment of the condition. This would contribute to closing the treatment gap for epilepsy as advocated by the Global Campaign against Epilepsy
Accessing community health services
Poor people with disabilities who live in poor rural societies experience unique problems in accessing health services. Their situation is influenced by multiple factors which unfold and interplay throughout the person's life course. The difficulties do not only affect the person with a disability and his or her family, but also impact on the relevant care unit. The barriers are rooted in a life in poverty, upheld and maintained by poverty-reinfo…
Can anything good come out of this mouth?’ Female experiences of disability in Malawi
The aim of this article is to give an overview of the daily life stories of 23 women with disabilities in Malawi. The stories were gained through qualitative interviews that covered aspects of being a woman and living with a disability in Malawi. Recent studies from countries in southern Africa have documented how people with disabilities experience poorer living conditions than people without disabilities. It is generally assumed that the living…
Albinism in Malawi
This article is based on a qualitative project which has set out to examine knowledge, beliefs and behaviour related to people living with albinism in Malawi. Individual, in‐depth interviews were carried out with 25 people with albinism and their family members. The findings show that most people with albinism, as well as their families, have very little knowledge about albinism, but many know and experience that the skin of people with albinism …
Albinism in Malawi
This article is based on a qualitative project which has set out to examine knowledge, beliefs and behaviour related to people living with albinism in Malawi. Individual, in‐depth interviews were carried out with 25 people with albinism and their family members. The findings show that most people with albinism, as well as their families, have very little knowledge about albinism, but many know and experience that the skin of people with albinism …
(Re)presenting the self
Photovoice is presented here as an emancipatory, participatory research method with the potential to put minority subjects in charge of their own representation. Drawing on research with disabled people conducted in South Africa, we argue that the meaning of images is often hostage to interpretations which reify untruths about the subject. We consider how photovoice projects may give rise to images that perpetuate the subjugation of their subject…
Impairment, socialization and embodiment
Sexuality erased, questioned, and explored
The sexuality of people with disabilities has historically been a site of oppression and discrimination. The sexuality of people with disabilities remains relatively under-researched and poorly understood. As a result, many myths and misconceptions about the sexuality of people with disabilities may prevail. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of 13 people with physical disabilities in South Africa. A…
Intimacy, intercourse and adjustments
There is a growing recognition of the sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities, and since the World Health Organisation's World Report on Disability, increased international attention has been given to these issues. Past research, however, suggests that this group encounter barriers to sexual and reproductive rights, which are both physical and attitudinal. Against this backdrop, this article employs a sequential mixed qualitati…
Withdrawn, strong, kind, but de-gendered
The present paper examines stereotyping in relation to physical disability and gender in the South Africa. Cross-sectional data for the present study were gathered using free response items in a large survey (n = 1990) examining the attitudes of people without disability towards different facetsof sexuality and disability. The most prominent stereotypes found in thepresent study were those which characterised PWPD as withdrawn and shy, SuperCrips…
The sexual and reproductive rights and benefit derived from sexual and reproductive health services of people with physical disabilities in South Africa
There is a body of theoretical work, and some empirical research, which suggests that non-disabled people assume people with physical disabilities are not suitable romantic partners, do not have sexual drives or desires, or are not sexually active. It has also been proposed that people with physical disabilities face barriers to sexual healthcare access which are structural as well as social. The present paper explores non-disabled South Africans…
Explanatory models for disability
Health providers’ understanding of disability determines how disabled people are treated, and hence it is imperative to address conceptualisations of disability, as this will contribute to better opportunities and realisation of human rights for disabled people. This article will use data from a qualitative study exploring conceptualisations of disability by 22 health service providers from the total health care system in Malawi, including the pr…
Can anything good come out of this mouth?’ Female experiences of disability in Malawi
The aim of this article is to give an overview of the daily life stories of 23 women with disabilities in Malawi. The stories were gained through qualitative interviews that covered aspects of being a woman and living with a disability in Malawi. Recent studies from countries in southern Africa have documented how people with disabilities experience poorer living conditions than people without disabilities. It is generally assumed that the living…
Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Gender Roles and HIV/Aids Among Tonga Carers of Disabled Children of Binga in Zimbabwe
Many people are reluctant to access voluntary counselling and testing services for fear of stigma and the implications of death often associated with a positive HIV diagnosis. This study however noted how Tonga females residing in Binga, one of Zimbabwe’s poorest and most food insecure districts, were eager for an HIV positive result in order to secure food handouts from Non-Governmental Organisations. Using a conceptual framework developed by We…
Albinism in Malawi
This article is based on a qualitative project which has set out to examine knowledge, beliefs and behaviour related to people living with albinism in Malawi. Individual, in‐depth interviews were carried out with 25 people with albinism and their family members. The findings show that most people with albinism, as well as their families, have very little knowledge about albinism, but many know and experience that the skin of people with albinism …
Can anything good come out of this mouth?’ Female experiences of disability in Malawi
The aim of this article is to give an overview of the daily life stories of 23 women with disabilities in Malawi. The stories were gained through qualitative interviews that covered aspects of being a woman and living with a disability in Malawi. Recent studies from countries in southern Africa have documented how people with disabilities experience poorer living conditions than people without disabilities. It is generally assumed that the living…
Accessing community health services
Poor people with disabilities who live in poor rural societies experience unique problems in accessing health services. Their situation is influenced by multiple factors which unfold and interplay throughout the person's life course. The difficulties do not only affect the person with a disability and his or her family, but also impact on the relevant care unit. The barriers are rooted in a life in poverty, upheld and maintained by poverty-reinfo…
Seeking care for epilepsy and its impacts on households in a rural district in southern Malawi
The existing barriers to accessing treatment for epilepsy can be addressed by using a combination of public education, simple treatments and regular reviews. Ensuring constant availability of drugs for the treatment of epilepsy is key to effective treatment of the condition. This would contribute to closing the treatment gap for epilepsy as advocated by the Global Campaign against Epilepsy
Explanatory models for disability
Health providers’ understanding of disability determines how disabled people are treated, and hence it is imperative to address conceptualisations of disability, as this will contribute to better opportunities and realisation of human rights for disabled people. This article will use data from a qualitative study exploring conceptualisations of disability by 22 health service providers from the total health care system in Malawi, including the pr…
Beyond the checklist
BACKGROUND: Vulnerability in the past has sometimes been measured and understood in terms of checklists or common understanding. It is argued here that vulnerability is a more complex issue than this. Although checklists of vulnerable groups are important, they do not capture the essence and dynamics of vulnerability. OBJECTIVE: The case of rural health vulnerability in South Africa is discussed to show that classifying people into vulnerable gro…
A household perspective on access to health care in the context of HIV and disability
BACKGROUND: Equitable access to health care is a challenge in many low-income countries. The most vulnerable segments of any population face increased challenges, as their vulnerability amplifies problems of the general population. This implies a heavy burden on informal care-givers in their immediate and extended households. However, research falls short of explaining the particular challenges experienced by these individuals and households. To …
The sexual lives of people with disabilities within low- and middle-income countries
BACKGROUND: Although approximately 80% of the global population of people with disabilities reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), very little is known about their sexual lives due to a lack of empirical data. We aimed to provide a scoping review of English-language research conducted on disability and sexuality in LMICs. OBJECTIVE: Our research questions concerned what topics in disability and sexuality have (and have not) been inve…
Exploring structural violence in the context of disability and poverty in Zimbabwe
Political and economic forces have structured risks and created a situation of extreme human suffering. The capabilities approach brings out the challenges associated with cerebral palsy in the context of development challenges
The sexual and reproductive rights and benefit derived from sexual and reproductive health services of people with physical disabilities in South Africa
There is a body of theoretical work, and some empirical research, which suggests that non-disabled people assume people with physical disabilities are not suitable romantic partners, do not have sexual drives or desires, or are not sexually active. It has also been proposed that people with physical disabilities face barriers to sexual healthcare access which are structural as well as social. The present paper explores non-disabled South Africans…
Combining survey data, GIS and qualitative interviews in the analysis of health service access for persons with disabilities
BACKGROUND: Equitable access to health services is a key ingredient in reaching health for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. So far, research on access to health services in low- and middle-income countries has largely relied on self-reported survey data. Realizing that there may be substantial discrepancies between perceived and actual access, other methods are needed for more precise knowledge to guide health policy and pla…
Dating persons with physical disabilities
There is good reason to believe that the attitudes of persons without disability towards dating a person with a physical disability might be unfavourable. However, in general, and in the Global South in particular, there is a dearth of research in this area. This study sought to take the first step in addressing this lack of enquiry, by surveying the attitudes of a general population sample in South Africa towards dating people with physical disa…
Sexuality erased, questioned, and explored
The sexuality of people with disabilities has historically been a site of oppression and discrimination. The sexuality of people with disabilities remains relatively under-researched and poorly understood. As a result, many myths and misconceptions about the sexuality of people with disabilities may prevail. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of 13 people with physical disabilities in South Africa. A…
Creative collaboration on a disability and sexuality participatory action research project
This article presents a team’s engagement with a creative collaborative project challenging the myths about the sexuality of people with physical disabilities in South Africa. The article is presented as a reflective diary account, which has been constructed from minutes of meetings, email correspondence, and personal reflections of the activities undertaken. We reflect on the work we have done and what we have learned as well as the decisions an…
Withdrawn, strong, kind, but de-gendered
The present paper examines stereotyping in relation to physical disability and gender in the South Africa. Cross-sectional data for the present study were gathered using free response items in a large survey (n = 1990) examining the attitudes of people without disability towards different facetsof sexuality and disability. The most prominent stereotypes found in thepresent study were those which characterised PWPD as withdrawn and shy, SuperCrips…
Intimacy, intercourse and adjustments
There is a growing recognition of the sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities, and since the World Health Organisation's World Report on Disability, increased international attention has been given to these issues. Past research, however, suggests that this group encounter barriers to sexual and reproductive rights, which are both physical and attitudinal. Against this backdrop, this article employs a sequential mixed qualitati…
Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Gender Roles and HIV/Aids Among Tonga Carers of Disabled Children of Binga in Zimbabwe
Many people are reluctant to access voluntary counselling and testing services for fear of stigma and the implications of death often associated with a positive HIV diagnosis. This study however noted how Tonga females residing in Binga, one of Zimbabwe’s poorest and most food insecure districts, were eager for an HIV positive result in order to secure food handouts from Non-Governmental Organisations. Using a conceptual framework developed by We…
(Re)presenting the self
Photovoice is presented here as an emancipatory, participatory research method with the potential to put minority subjects in charge of their own representation. Drawing on research with disabled people conducted in South Africa, we argue that the meaning of images is often hostage to interpretations which reify untruths about the subject. We consider how photovoice projects may give rise to images that perpetuate the subjugation of their subject…
Impairment, socialization and embodiment
Using locational data in a novel mixed-methods sequence design
The primary aim of this study was to determine which health care barriers were most important for people with disabilities in Malawi. To accomplish this, we devised a sequential mixed-methods research design that integrated locational survey data and qualitative data from field studies. Our secondary aim was to evaluate this research design not only as a design-solution to our particular research objective, but as a tool with more general applica…
Exploring challenges experienced by older persons in accessing health services in Malawi
Background: Malawi, like other developing countries, is not prepared to adequately address the health needs of older persons. Objectives: This article explores challenges older persons experience in accessing health care. Method: This article is based on data from two large. Conducted in Blantyre, Phalombe, Dowa and Rumphi Districts, the EquitAble study examined self-reported barriers. The GeoHealthAccess study examined geographical barriers, con…
Psychology (21 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Disability Rights and Representation (13 works) · Medicine (11 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · Psychiatry (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · Human sexuality (7 works) · Nursing (7 works) · Political science (7 works)