[One or more functional somatic syndromes? Comparison of the health status of fibromyalgia and electro-hypersensitive people].

Introduction: Functional somatic syndromes, grouping somatic symptoms without an organic explanation, are defined either by their predominant symptoms or by an attribution to an, often hypothetical, cause. Due to many similarities, some authors consider that there is only one FSS due to a general phenomenon of "somatization". The objective of this work was to compare two functional somatic syndromes, one defined by its symptoms, fibromyalgia, and the other by a specific contested attribution, electro-hypersensitivity.

The work activity as an interface among different logics: The case of distributing food in a university restaurant.

Background: Work activity integrates the tasks to be performed, the means of work available, the instructions, the rules to be observed, the particular factors related to the individuals (skills, inner state), and the effects both on the task and on the operator. By analyzing the activity, the different logics and conflicts in the design of production systems are revealed.

Objective: To show how the work activity can support the transformation of the working conditions, when revealed by an ergonomic intervention, by integrating the different design standpoints, which are always present in the project's work situations.

To be or not to be sick and tired: Managing the visibility of HIV and HIV-related fatigue.

This article takes a new direction in exploring HIV-related fatigue by adopting a qualitative interactionist approach. We analyse the social meanings attributed to fatigue among people living with HIV in France, the social gains and losses of its visibility and the social frames that condition its discursive and physical expression. The two-part methodology combines grounded theory analysis of 50 transcribed unstructured interviews conducted across France and participant observations within four HIV-related associations.

Challenges of regulatory rights of half-capacitated persons: A sociological perspective on the French Civil Code reform.

Democratic societies are based on the principle of equal legal capacity of all citizens to decide and act for themselves in all areas of social life. This "socio-civil capacity", which may involve both material property of an individual, as well as private life in matters ranging from health to personal relationships, is recognized by the law (both codified law and common law). These rights guarantee the autonomy and freedom of individuals in the name of respect for human dignity.

Does electromagnetic hypersensitivity originate from nocebo responses? Indications from a qualitative study.

Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to Electromagnetic Fields (IEI-EMF) is a condition in which symptoms are attributed to electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure. As electro-hypersensitive (EHS) people have repeatedly been observed, during provocation trials, to report symptoms following perceived rather than actual exposure, the hypothesis has been put forward that IEI-EMF originates from psychological mechanisms, especially nocebo responses. This paper examines this hypothesis, using data from a qualitative study aimed at understanding how EHS people come to regard themselves as such.

[Home care: tact and tactics].

This article deals with home care for people suffering from mental disorders or cognitive impairments. When caregivers look after these patients, they have to reconcile different requirements, which can sometimes be in tension with each other: winning and retaining the confidence of patients who do not always easily accept help; facilitating their autonomy or limiting their loss of autonomy; protecting them, ensuring their safety while acting in their best interests. Combining these different goals, entails encouraging them in what they want to achieve whilst intervening when they endanger themselves.