Dr Susan Venn
Research Fellow
Qualifications: MSc (Surrey) PhD (Surrey)
Email: s.venn@surrey.ac.uk
Phone: Work: 01483 68 6669
Room no: 42 AZ 04
Further information
Biography
Research Fellow
Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group (SLRG)
Co-Director of CRAG (Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender)
Department of Sociology, University of Surrey,
Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK
Telephone: 01483 689292 (Sociology) 01483 686669
Susan is a member of the Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group (SLRG), within the Centre for Environmental Strategy, and is also a Co-Director of CRAG (Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender) in the Department of Sociology. Susan is currently working as a researcher on a new three year mixed method longitudinal study (funded by DEFRA, ESRC and the Scottish Government) which will explore the opportunities and constraints for sustainable lifestyle changes during two life course transitions - having a first child and retiring. Susan originally joined CRAG in September 2000 as a research administrator working on two projects, PETRAS (Policies for Ecological Tax Reform: Assessment of Social Responses) funded by the EU, and a US/UK comparison of clinical decision-making for older patients, funded by the US National Institute of Ageing. Susan completed her MSc (Distinction) in Social Research in 2004 and her PhD in March 2011. Susan's previous role was as a researcher on a four year ESRC funded project looking at sleep in later life (SomnIA) (2006-2010).
Susan is Honorary Secretary to the British Society of Gerontology (BSG), and is Secretary of the Averil Osborn Awards Panel for the BSG.
Research Interests
Susan's research interests include sustainable lifestyles and environments, lifecourse transitions, gerontology, gender and ageing.
Publications
Journal articles
- .
(2013) 'Gender differences in approaches to self-management of poor sleep in later life'. Social Science and Medicine, 79 (1), pp. 117-123.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/761431/
Abstract
In this paper we seek to understand the influence of gender on the different approaches to managing poor sleep by older men and women through the conceptual framework of existing theoretical debates on medicalization, healthicization and 'personalization'. In-depth interviews undertaken between January and July 2008 with 62 people aged 65-95 who were experiencing poor sleep, revealed that the majority of older men and women resisted the medicalization of poor sleep, as they perceived sleep problems in later life were an inevitable consequence of ageing. However, older men and women engaged differently with the healthicization of poor sleep, with women far more likely than men to explore a range of alternative sleep remedies, such as herbal supplements, and were also much more likely than men to engage in behavioural practices to promote good sleep, and to avoid practices which prevented sleep. Women situated 'sleep' alongside more abstract discussions of 'diet' and health behaviours and drew on the discourses of the media, friends, family and their own experiences to create 'personalized' strategies, drawn from a paradigm of healthicization. Men, however, solely relied on the 'body' to indicate when sleep was needed and gauged their sleep needs largely by how they felt, and were able to function the following day. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
- . (2012) 'Understanding older peoples' decisions about the use of sleeping medication: Issues of control and autonomy'. Sociology of Health and Illness, 34 (8), pp. 1215-1229.
- .
(2011) 'Caregiving at night: Understanding the impact on carers'. Elsevier Journal of Aging Studies, 25 (2), pp. 155-165.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/15376/
Abstract
Caregiving research has rarely examined the nature and impact of care provision at night. This paper analyses indepth interviews with 24 older people in England whose sleep had been adversely affected by providing care at night. A framework is proposed that illustrates how six aspects of caregiving can disrupt carers' sleep quality: first, attending to the night-time physical needs of the care recipient; second, anticipation of their night-time care needs; third, ‘monitoring’ their relative at night; fourth, disruption from relatives who are awake for long periods at night, wandering or shouting; fifth, undertaking emotional support, and worries or anxieties related to their relative; and finally, the legacy of caregiving may continue to disrupt sleep after caring ceases, because of painful images of their relative's suffering or feelings of guilt. Adverse effects on carers' sleep are greatest for co-resident carers, especially when caring for a spouse or relative with a life-limiting illness or dementia.
- .
(2010) 'Day-time sleep and active ageing in later life'. Cambridge University Press Ageing and Society, 31 (2), pp. 197-216.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/2993/
Abstract
The concept of ‘active ageing’ has received much attention through strategic policy frameworks such as that initiated by the World Health Organisation, and through government and non-governmental organisation initiatives. The primary goal of these initiatives is to encourage older people to be active and productive, and to enhance quality of life, health and wellbeing. It is well known that with increasing age, night-time sleep deteriorates, which has implications for how older people maintain activity levels, and leads to an increased propensity for day-time sleep. Using data from 62 interviews with people aged 65–95 years living in their own homes who reported poor sleep, this paper explores the meanings of day-time sleep, and how the attitudes and practices of ‘active ageing’ are intricately linked to the management of day-time sleep and bodily changes that arise from the ageing process. The desire to be active in later life led to primarily dichotomous attitudes to day-time sleep; older people either chose to accept sleeping in the day, or resisted it. Those who accepted day-time sleep did so because of recognition of decreasing energy in later life, and an acknowledgement that napping is beneficial in helping to maintain active lives. Those who resisted day-time sleep did so because time spent napping was regarded as being both unproductive and as a negative marker of the ageing process.
- . (2010) 'Unequal Ageing: The Untold Story of Exclusion in Old Age'. CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS AGEING & SOCIETY, 30, pp. 1090-1092.
- .
(2010) 'AN ACTIGRAPHIC STUDY COMPARING COMMUNITY DWELLING POOR SLEEPERS WITH NON-DEMENTED CARE HOME RESIDENTS'. INFORMA HEALTHCARE CHRONOBIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 27 (4), pp. 842-854.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/217905/
- . (2009) 'Erratum: 'Unruly Bodies and Couples' Sleep' (Body and Society vol. 14 (4) 10.1177/1357034X08096896))'. Body and Society, 15 (1), pp. 115-115.
- .
(2009) 'Exploring the Interdependence of Couples' Rest-Wake Cycles: An Actigraphic Study'. INFORMA HEALTHCARE CHRONOBIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 26 (1) Article number PII 907774277 , pp. 80-92.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/217906/
- . (2008) 'Engaging with sleep: male definitions, understandings and attitudes'. BLACKWELL PUBLISHING SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS, 30 (5), pp. 696-710.
- . (2008) 'The fourth shift: exploring the gendered nature of sleep disruption among couples with children'. BLACKWELL PUBLISHING BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, 59 (1), pp. 79-98.
- . (2008) 'Women, politics, and power: A global perspective'. HAWORTH PRESS INC J WOMEN AGING, 20 (3-4), pp. 377-379.
- .
(2008) 'Unruly Bodies and Couples' Sleep'. SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD BODY & SOCIETY, 14 (4), pp. 75-91.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/217908/
- .
(2007) 'The sleeping lives of children and teenagers: Night-worlds and arenas of action'. SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ONLINE, 12 (5)Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/227179/
- .
(2007) ''It's okay for a man to snore': The influence of gender on sleep disruption in couples'. SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ONLINE, 12 (5)doi: 10.5153/sro.1607
- . (2005) 'Narratives of the night: The use of audio diaries in researching sleep'. SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ONLINE, 10 (4)
Conference papers
- . (2011) 'USE OF SLEEPING MEDICATION AND SLEEP QUALITY IN LATER LIFE'. GERONTOLOGIST, 51, pp. 331-331.
- . (2010) 'NIGHTIME URINATION, AGEING AND SLEEP DISTURBANCE: STRATEGIES AND ADJUSTMENTS'. GERONTOLOGIST (Vol 50, Suppl 1): Meeting Abstracts of 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Louisiana, USA: Transitions of care across the aging continuum: 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, pp. 506-506.
- . (2010) 'SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN LATER LIFE: THE IMPACT OF WORRIES AND ANXIETY'. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC Gerontologist (Vol 50, Suppl 1): Meeting Abstracts of 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Louisiana, USA: Transitions of care across the aging continuum: 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, pp. 407-407.
- . (2010) 'SOCIAL AND HEALTH INFLUENCES ON THE SLEEP QUALITY OF OLDER ADULTS LIVING IN THE UK'. Gerontologist (Vol 50, Suppl 1): Meeting Abstracts of the 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Louisiana, USA: Transitions of care across the aging continuum: 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America 50 (Supplement: 1), pp. 407-407.
- . (2009) 'MANAGING POOR SLEEP IN LATER LIFE: INTERPRETING OLDER PEOPLES' ATTITUDES TO SLEEP MEDICATION AND SLEEP REMEDIES'. GERONTOLOGIST (Vol 49, Suppl 2): Meeting Abstracts of GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, Portland, USA: 2009 GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, pp. 157-158.
- . (2009) 'ROUTINISING THE DAY AND NIGHT BEYOND RETIREMENT: CONSEQUENCES FOR POOR SLEEP IN LATER LIFE'. GERONTOLOGIST (Vol 49, Suppl 2): Meeting Abstracts of GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, Portland, USA: 2009 GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, pp. 239-239.
- . (2008) 'Understanding quality of sleep in later life: the PSQI and subjective sleep quality'. WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Glasgow, SCOTLAND: 19th Congress of the European-Sleep-Research-Society 17, pp. 181-181.
- . (2008) 'SLEEP ROUTINES, SLEEP QUALITY AND OLDER PEOPLE'. Gerontologist (Vol 48, Special Issue III): Meeting Abstracts of The Gerontological Society of America 61st Annual Scientific Meeting, National Harbour, USA: 61st Annual Scientific Meeting of The The Gerontological Society of America, pp. 584-584.
- . (2006) 'Methods for analysing intra-individual and couple stability and inter-individual and couple variation in dyadic actigraphic data'. BLACKWELL PUBLISHING JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA: 18th Congress of the European-Sleep-Research-Society 15, pp. 118-118.
- . (2006) 'Exploring the night time world of teenagers'. BLACKWELL PUBLISHING JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA: 18th Congress of the European-Sleep-Research-Society 15, pp. 120-120.
Book chapters
- .
(2012) 'Sleep and Society'. in Morin CM, Espie CA (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Sleep and Sleep Disorders
New York : Oxford University Press Article number 11 , pp. 223-247.Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/721936/
Abstract
This chapter demonstrates how sleep is inextricably linked to ‘society’. Part 1 illustrates how sleep and its disorders are historically and culturally divergent and that ‘where’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ we sleep differ depending on the society in which we live. Part 2 focuses in more detail on the ‘private’ nature of Western sleep. Sleep is affected by the social context where it occurs, and is thus influenced by household composition, power, gender, social roles and life course position. Finally, we examine sleep in care-giving and institutional contexts, where sleep is not only ‘observed’, but may be disturbed by those undertaking care or surveillance at night. Sleep is also socially patterned with the socially disadvantaged most likely to report sleep problems.
- . (2011) 'Gender and Ageing'. in Settersten R, Angel J (eds.) Handbook of sociology of aging Springer , pp. 71-82.
- . (2008) 'Conflicting sleep demands: Parents and young people in UK households'. in Brunt L, Steger B (eds.) Worlds of Sleep: Investigations into the Dormant Third of our Lives Berlin : Frank & Timme , pp. 131-151.
Teaching
Susan's teaching includes social theory, quantitative methods and qualitative data analysis. She has also lectured on level one Current Issues and Debates and Contemporary Societies and on Level 3 Social Research Methods.
Departmental Duties
Susan updates the Department of Sociology's website.
Affiliations
Susan is a member of the following organisations:
Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies (SLLS)
