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This paper examines the July 2005 shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Tube Station. It argues that the action of the police officers who shot and killed Menezes was conditioned by the same logic that informs the prosecution of the war on terror. This logic bares comparison to the humanist conviction that states possess a right of response where they perceive themselves to have a 'fear' of impending injury or assault. This paper explores the historical lineage of this trope in the writings of Alberico Gentili, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and, humanist thought more generally. The aim is to explore the politics of fear at work in Britain in the political climate defined by the war on terror, with a view to ascertaining how deep it runs and whether a politics of trust might offer a possible remedy to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the shifting nature of Further Education (FE) professionalism through the lenses of the Transforming Learning Cultures in FE (TLC) project. Despite over a decade of market and managerial reform professionalism in FE remains an elusive and paradoxical concept. With some notable exceptions there exists little official data or research evidence of who its practitioners are, their dispositions or how they define professionalism in the contested contexts of their work. In addressing this neglected issue, albeit in a brief fashion here, the paper engages with wider debate concerning the culturally oriented nature of FE practice, as it mediates contradictory policy agendas, at college level. The paper highlights some of the paradoxes involved in a public management discourse that seeks to modernize FE professionals whilst, at the same time, displaying little understanding of their current practice or contexts in which they work. Drawing on the narratives of experienced practitioners participating in the TLC project (2001-2005) the paper explores their perceptions and experiences of professionalism through cultures of learning that simultaneously enhance and restrict their professional room for manoeuvre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sport spectator experience is one that is widely held to involve "live" presence at a sporting event, and that the raison detre of sports spectating is to witness events live and in person. This paper builds on a previous ethnography of football spectating in the pub to develop a theoretical basis for the suggestion that sports spectating is as much about shared experience as it is about live presence. In doing so, it utilises perspectives from tourism literature relating to the nature of proximity and to the importance of being able to re-live and re-tell experiences. The paper concludes that whilst the pub as a spectator venue can provide a proximity to the sport spectating experience, the longevity of the experience in terms of its value as an experience to be re-told is significantly shorter than being able to say that one has "been there" at a live event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m2), most men in nations such as the UK and USA are reportedly overweight or obese. This is authoritatively defined as a massive and growing problem. Drawing from embodied sociology, critical obesity literature and qualitative data generated during an Economic and Social Research Council funded project on masculinities and weight-related issues, this paper offers a critical realist contribution to the obesity debate. Rather than endorsing the institutionalised war on fat, and correcting so-called ‘laymen’ who dismiss medicalised weight-for-height recommendations, the following presents and honours men's justificatory accounts for levels of body mass that medicine labels too heavy (implicitly or explicitly too fat). Men's critical understandings, which are connected to their displays of moral worth, are considered under three headings: the compatibility of heaviness, healthiness and physical fitness; looking and feeling ill at a supposedly ‘healthy’ BMI; and resisting irrational standardisation. By empirically ‘bringing in’ men's meanings, sensibilities and culturally informed aesthetics, this paper casts a different light on medicalised measures that support potentially corrosive obesity epidemic psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the influence of ethnicity on attitudes towards sexual behavior of British-born Chinese teenagers. Using an ethnographic approach and snowball sampling, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 20 British-born Chinese teenagers and 20 Chinese-born parents. The parents highlighted the influence of Chinese culture and religion on their sexual values and wanted to convey these values to their children. Although direct communication about sex-related topics was rare within these families because of a number of barriers, the parents used other strategies to pass on their values. The paper concludes that sexual values within families and the influence of culture need to be considered in order to provide culturally competent health services. Chinese parents need extra support and help to discuss sex-related topics and pass on their values, which encourage teenage sexual abstinence. Considering the fundamental influence of the parents, this support will be crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the recent history of LGBT psychology and psychotherapy in the United Kingdom, focusing on key publications, and the current terrain, highlighting similarities and differences between the UK and the US contexts. The paper is divided into four sections: the first focuses on the early development of the field in the late 1960s. The second section explores the 1980s--a decade that witnessed the publication of two key texts that had a strong influence on the development of the field and, in particular, on the development of critical and discursive approaches. The third section details the rapid changes that occurred in the 1990s including the establishment of a Lesbian and Gay Psychology Section within the British Psychological Society. The final section considers the current terrain and the similarities and differences in the theoretical commitments of researchers and practitioners working in the UK and in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we will examine the importance of culture and ethnicity in the general practice consultation process. Good communication is associated with positive health outcomes. We will, by presenting qualitative material from an empirical study, examine the way in which communication within the context of a general practitioner (GP) consultation may be affected by ethnicity and cultural factors. The aim of the study was to provide a detailed understanding of the ways in which white and South Asian patients communicate with white GPs and to explore any similarities and differences in communication. This paper reports on South Asian and white patients' explanations of recent videotaped consultations with their GP. We specifically focus on the ways in which issues of ethnic identity impacted upon the GP consultation process, by exploring how our sample of predominantly white GPs interacted with their South Asian patients and the extent to which the GP listened to the patients' needs, gave patients information, engaged in social conversation and showed friendliness. We then go on to examine patients' suggestions on improvements (if any) to the consultation. We conclude, by showing how a non-essentialist understanding of culture helps to comprehend the consultation process when the patients are from Great Britain's ethnicised communities. Our findings, however, raise generic issues of relevance to all multi-racial and multi-ethnic societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a systematic review of qualitative studies of children living in material disadvantage, which compares and confirms experiences across a pool of studies that meet predetermined quality criteria. The review found that, according to children's narratives, the costs of poverty are not only material but also profoundly social. The evidence suggests that, despite their efforts to maximize their resources, many poor children experience a gradual narrowing of their horizons, both socially and economically. In conclusion the paper suggests the need for further research from children's viewpoints, given the UK government's commitment to reducing child poverty and associated problems of social exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses epistemological and methodological issues that surfaced for the authors in a visual research project. Engaging with visual discourse necessitated the authors' interrogation of their own take on issues associated with text and context and the role of reflexivity in the research process. This reflection led us to ruminate still further about the insights that visual discourse could have for qualitative data in general. Thus, the paper first considers the validity of visual data before moving on to address issues of text/context and reflexivity through reference to our work with racist graffiti, in particular, that aimed at people seeking asylum in the UK. In conclusion, the paper argues that there is much to learn from engaging with visual discourse, in terms of understanding social phenomena as well as the process of doing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the findings of a longitudinal ethnographic study of men's transition to fatherhood, conducted in the United Kingdom (UK). It is concerned with their encounters with the pregnant and labouring body. Until relatively recently there has been surprisingly little work, either theoretical or empirical, on the experience of pregnant embodiment. Work in the last decade has indicated that women's experience of 'being-with-child', their experience of living in and being a pregnant body, can be an ambivalent affair, as some find disconcerting the experience of simultaneously being self and yet Other. If women, who possess the embodied and therefore privileged knowledge of pregnancy, can feel ambivalence, perhaps the case for expectant men is more so. This paper draws on interviews with men making the transition to fatherhood and analyses their experiences of and relation to the pregnant and labouring body. The theoretical analysis of their empirical accounts explores in particular the blurring, moving and broken boundaries of the pregnant and labouring body and how these changing body boundaries can challenge the taken- for-granted assumption that bodies should always be contained, strong and firm. The implications of men's encounters with this 'differently bounded' body are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important for educators to understand the tactics used in subordination between young people if they are going to take effective measures to counter them in their pedagogical practice. The paper explores strategies used by schoolboys aged 10-11 years to subordinate and position boys at the bottom of the pupil hierarchy. The findings are based on data gathered from a year-long empirical study (between 1998 and 1999) set in three UK junior schools which were differentiated by the social characteristics of their intake. The research emphasizes the role of the body in the construction of masculinity. The hegemonic, or most idealized, form of masculinity at each school was constructed around activity and, in particular, various forms of embodied physicality/athleticism (exemplified through skill, strength, fitness and speed), and boys who did not wish to, or who were unable to, use these resources generally found themselves marginalized and/or subordinated. Many of the subordinated forms were symbolically assimilated to femininity, and the paper proposes that the main strategies of subordination can be summarized under the generic heading of 'difference'. The final section discusses the pervasive use of homophobia and concludes that it should be conceptualized in terms of gender as well as sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: This paper critically examines the research literature relating to the psychological aspects of breast reconstruction. Particular attention is given to the role of specialist breast care nurses in supporting women faced with the decision of whether or not to opt for reconstructive surgery. BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction is intended to offer psychological benefits (e.g. improvements to quality of life, body image, anxiety and depression) to women treated by mastectomy following diagnosis of breast cancer. METHODS: A literature search was carried out on the PSYCHINFO, MEDLINE and CINAHL databases using the terms 'breast reconstruction', 'mastectomy', 'reconstructive surgery', 'breast surgery', 'breast implants', 'transverse rectus adominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap' and 'Lat-dorsi'. Further relevant articles were identified from the reference lists of papers detected by this literature search. Finally, proceedings of recent psychological and surgical meetings were scrutinized to identify any conference papers on this topic. FINDINGS: A thorough search of the existing literature revealed a lack of theoretically based studies examining breast reconstruction in terms of relevant psychological constructs, especially in relation to coping and decision-making. This review highlights the methodological flaws with much of the existing research in this area, in particular the reliance upon retrospective designs and the inappropriate use of randomised controlled trials. Suggestions are given for further research in this topical area. CONCLUSIONS: Existing research into the psychological aspects of breast reconstruction is limited and not sufficiently conclusive to inform changes to policy and the provision of care. More methodologically rigorous research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper presents the findings of an exploratory ethnography, the purpose of which was to identify and describe heart health associated beliefs and behaviours of year seven (Y7) and year 10 (Y10) secondary school young people of African and African Caribbean descent in two UK cities. Data were collected by the data collection technique of focus groups. However, eight focus groups were conducted involving 47 Y7 young people and 29 Y10 pupils, 76 pupils in total. The data were analysed utilizing ATLAS/ti qualitative data analysis software. This software is informed by grounded theory. Data from the study formed six themes. The findings informed the development of an interactive health promotion website which can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/web/uni/projects/mshhp. The paper argues that in order to provide meaningful programmes of health promotion to be developed by health care providers including school nurses and health visitors, it is essential that interventions are informed by an understanding of the health beliefs and behaviours of African and African Caribbean young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Evidence in the UK tells us that risky drinking is high amongst those in contact with the criminal justice system. The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons why carrying out research around risky drinking in this setting is so difficult. Design/methodology/approach A commentary on the issues of carrying out research in the criminal justice setting. Findings There are issues of carrying out research in the criminal justice setting. The authors argue, that as academics we can be more proactive in working with practitioners in the design and carrying out of studies. By examining what the primary outcome of interest is to those that work in the field rather than what funding agencies tell us academics must use, academics may engage in a more co-productive way that enables everyone to achieve what they need. Moreover more work is needed to show how this approach can be achieved both in the UK and internationally. Originality/value This editorial explores some of the difficulties of carrying out alcohol research in the criminal justice system and postulates ways that this could be made easier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern about the increasing use of payday lending led the UK's Financial Conduct Authority to introduce landmark reforms in 2014/15. While these reforms have generally been welcomed as a way of curbing 'extortionate' and 'predatory' lending, this paper presents a more nuanced picture based on a theoretically-informed analysis of the growth and nature of payday lending combined with original and rigorous qualitative interviews with customers. We argue that payday lending has grown as a result of three major and inter-related trends: growing income insecurity for people both in and out of work; cuts in state welfare provision; and increasing financialisation. Recent reforms of payday lending do nothing to tackle these root causes. Our research also makes a major contribution to debates about the 'everyday life' of financialisation by focusing on the 'lived experience' of borrowers. We show that, contrary to the rather simplistic picture presented by the media and many campaigners, various aspects of payday lending are actually welcomed by customers, given the situations they are in. Tighter regulation may therefore have negative consequences for some. More generally, we argue that the regul(aris)ation of payday lending reinforces the shift in the role of the state from provider/redistributor to regulator/enabler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on workshops conducted with students at Bristol University with some of the materials from the Feminist Archive South. We explore how the sensory wonder of the archives enriched and reshaped the practice of feminist pedagogy especially with regard to the interface between ontology and epistemology. We argue that the feminist archive is an important resource which incites us to shift our focus on the process of knowledge production as stories encountered in the archive can challenge the authority and coherence of dominant feminist stories. This can produce feelings of disorientation which act as important moments through which different kinds of feminist knowledge can emerge. Our approach places feelings at the centre of encounters with knowledge because of the mutual entanglement of thinking and feeling rendered salient in the feminist archive. Finally, these processes facilitate different kinds of student–teacher collaboration, with students positioned as co-researchers working to document and interpret the feelings, knowledge and transformations that emerge from the encounter-with the feminist archive. The objects we encountered worked as knowledge companions to stimulate collaborative (un)learning and to produce unique forms of affective knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The importance of treating the psychological well-being of patients is increasingly recognised as an integral part of physiotherapy provision and specified in the World Health Organisation (WHO) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. However, the term psychology encompasses a huge variety of aspects including; communication skills, goal setting, imagery, personality theories and effective inter-disciplinary practices which need be trained. The purpose of this review is to explore the historical development of physiotherapy as a profession in the context of present standards requiring physiotherapists to manage psychological issues that impact rehabilitation. The review will focus specifically on how the role of psychology in practice has evolved and whether this is reflected in current physiotherapy training programmes. Electronic papers were identified through a rigorous search of CINAL, AMED, MEDLINE, PsychINFO and EMBASE. Due to the historical exploration of this review, no time limits were applied to the searches and articles were retrieved as far back as 1894. The history of the profession demonstrates a very ‘hands on’ approach to treatment with minimal psychology related practices. Whilst numerous studies exploring psychology training in physiotherapy have reported significant inconsistencies across UK undergraduate physiotherapy programmes. Due to shifts in the dynamics of healthcare, it is apparent that physiotherapy programmes would benefit from including psychology skills training, as a core module, to meet these ever changing demands. Future research should explore what psychological interventions physiotherapists currently utilise in daily practice, as well as practitioner feelings on the standard and relevance of the psychology content provided in their formal training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Deliberate firesetting research predominantly focuses on apprehended populations. In contrast, this paper focuses on the prevalence and characteristics of un-apprehended firesetters living in the UK. Social media was utilized to recruit 232 participants for an online questionnaire. Two hundred and twenty-five people answered a question relating to deliberate firesetting. Forty participants (17.78%) indicated that they had ignited a deliberate fire and were classified as un-apprehended firesetters. Firesetting was most common in childhood and adolescence. Relative to non-firesetters, un-apprehended deliberate firesetters were more likely to report; a diagnoses of a psychiatric illness, a diagnosis of a behavioural problem, having been suspended from school, a history of suicide attempts, experimenting with fire before the age of 10 years old, and having a family member who also ignited a deliberate fire. Un-apprehended firesetters also scored significantly higher compared to non-firesetters on theFire Setting Scaleand theFire Proclivity Scale[Gannon, T. A., & Barrowcliffe, E. R. (2012). Firesetting in the general population: The development and validation of the Fire Setting and Fire Proclivity Scales.Legal and Criminological Psychology,17(1), 105–122], theFire Interest Rating Scale[Murphy, G. H., & Clare, I. C. H. (1996). Analysis of motivation in people with mild learning disabilities (mental handicap) who set fires.Psychology, Crime & Law,2(3), 153–164], theNovaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory[Novaco, R. W. (2003). The Novaco AngerScaleandProvocation Inventory: NAS-PI. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services], theBoredom Proneness Scale – Short Form[Vodanovich, S. J., Wallace, J. C., & Kass, S. J. (2005). A confirmatory approach to the factor structure of the Boredom Proneness Scale: Evidence for a two-factor short form.Journal of Personality Assessment,85(3), 295–303], and theMeasure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates Scale[Mills, J. F., & Kroner, D. G. (1999). Measures of criminal attitudes and associates: User guide. Unpublished instrument and user guide]. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Safeguarding, balancing the concept of risk with the need for public protection and its implication for the lives of individuals, is an important facet of contemporary mental health care. Integral to safeguarding is the protection of human rights; the right to live free from torture, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and having the right to liberty, security, respect, and privacy. Professionals are required to recognise all of these rights when delivering care to vulnerable people. In the United Kingdom (UK) there has been growing public concern regarding abusive practices in institutions, with a number of unacceptable methods of restraint being identified as a feature of care, particularly in mental health care. In keeping with the service user movement, and following a review of the literature, this paper discusses the evidence regarding restraint from the perspectives of service users and professionals within mental health services and considers the implications for future practice and research. In reviewing the literature, findings revealed that restraint can be a form of abuse, it's inappropriate use often being a consequence of fear, neglect, and lack of using de-escalation techniques. Using restraint in this way can have negative implications for the well-being of service users and mental health professionals alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimThis paper reports on the findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of teenage mothers using a nurse-led, home-based contraceptive service designed to prevent repeat unplanned pregnancies. The aim was to understand if, and how the service was effective in equipping teenage mothers to make informed choices about contraception, thus preventing a second pregnancy.BackgroundUnplanned teenage pregnancy remains a significant focus of health and social policy in the United Kingdom (UK). Despite the long-term pattern of declining conception rates, the UK continues to report higher rates than comparable countries elsewhere in Europe. Current estimates suggest that approximately one fifth of births amongst under 18’s are repeat pregnancies (Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, 2009). Services that are designed to reduce second unplanned pregnancies are an important element in promoting teenage sexual health. However, there has been no UK research that explores this kind of service and the experiences of service users.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative interview study. From 2013–2014 we interviewed 40 teenage mothers who had engaged with the nurse-led, home-based contraceptive service.FindingsThe data demonstrates that the service was effective in preventing repeat pregnancies in a number of cases. Among the aspects of the service which were found to contribute to its effectiveness were privacy, convenience, flexibility, appropriately timed access, the non-judgemental attitude of staff and ongoing support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is widely recognised that developmentally appropriate services for adolescents and young people improve both healthcare experience and health outcomes. However, there is limited evidence of using young people's expertise to evaluate services, or of young people participating in service developments or design to meet their healthcare needs. This report covers both the process and outcomes of a collaborative project with a group of young people (aged 17-25 years) who are 'experts by experience'. We used qualitative mixed methodology to derive themes from narrative accounts of these young people's healthcare experiences to develop an assessment framework that they identified as being relevant to evaluating services. Informing young people about other assessment measures currently in use (including the Department of Health's You're Welcome quality criteria) enabled the group to further develop their views and refine their proposed assessment framework. This paper is co-authored with young people, enabling them to directly voice their views about healthcare services. Reflections on this process and recommendations for working more collaboratively with young people to evaluate healthcare services are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine why risk-based policy instruments have failed to improve the proportionality, effectiveness, and legitimacy of healthcare quality regulation in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Rather than trying to prevent all possible harms, risk-based approaches promise to rationalise and manage the inevitable limits of what regulation can hope to achieve by focusing regulatory standard-setting and enforcement activity on the highest priority risks, as determined through formal assessments of their probability and consequences. As such, risk-based approaches have been enthusiastically adopted by healthcare quality regulators over the last decade. However, by drawing on historical policy analysis and in-depth interviews with 15 high-level UK informants in 2013–2015, we identify a series of practical problems in using risk-based policy instruments for defining, assessing, and ensuring compliance with healthcare quality standards. Based on our analysis, we go on to consider why, despite a succession of failures, healthcare regulators remain committed to developing and using risk-based approaches. We conclude by identifying several preconditions for successful risk-based regulation: goals must be clear and trade-offs between them amenable to agreement; regulators must be able to reliably assess the probability and consequences of adverse outcomes; regulators must have a range of enforcement tools that can be deployed in proportion to risk; and there must be political tolerance for adverse outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Electronic administrative data exist in several domains which, if linked, are potentially useful for research. However, benefits from data linkage should be considered alongside risks such as the threat to privacy. Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a birth cohort study. The Project to Enhance ALSPAC through Record Linkage (PEARL) was established to enrich the ALSPAC resource through linkage between ALSPAC participants and routine sources of health and social data. Qualitative research was incorporated in the PEARL study to examine participants' views about data linkage and inform approaches to information sharing. This paper focusses on issues of consent.Methods: Digitally recorded interviews were conducted with 55 participants aged 17-19 years. Terms and processes relating to consent, anonymization and data linkage were explained to interviewees. Scenarios were used to prompt consideration of linking different sources of data, and whether consent should be requested. Interview recordings were fully transcribed. Thematic analysis was undertaken using the Framework approach.Results: Participant views on data linkage appeared to be most influenced by: considerations around the social sensitivity of the research question, and; the possibility of tangible health benefits in the public interest. Some participants appeared unsure about the effectiveness of anonymization, or did not always view effective anonymization as making consent unnecessary. This was related to notions of ownership of personal information and etiquette around asking permission for secondary use. Despite different consent procedures being explained, participants tended to equate consent with 'opt-in' consent through which participants are 'asked' if their data can be used for a specific study. Participants raising similar concerns came to differing conclusions about whether consent was needed. Views changed when presented with different scenarios, and were sometimes inconsistent.Conclusions: Findings from this study question the validity of 'informed consent' as a cornerstone of good governance, and the extent to which potential research participants understand different types of consent and what they are consenting, or not consenting, to. Pragmatic, imaginative and flexible approaches are needed if research using data linkage is to successfully realise its potential for public good without undermining public trust in the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade there has been significant pressure to minimise emissions and safety risks related to commercial driving. This pressure to meet the triple bottom line of cost, environment, and society has often resulted in the rapid application of vehicle technologies designed to mitigate undesired effects. Often the cognitive and behavioural effects of technologies on the commercial driver have not received in-depth analysis to determine comprehensive viability. As such, this paper aims to identify a timescale for implementation for future technologies for UK road freight, and likely associated human factors issues, improving upon the currently employed 'trial-and-error' approach to implementation which may carry high economic, environmental, safety-related risk. Thought experiments are carried out to broadly explore these future systems. Furthermore, this work aims to examine whether technology alone will be enough to meet future CO2 reduction targets, and assess the role of behavioural and systems interventions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of a day treatment programme (DTP) in reducing psychosocial impairment, changing attitudes, restoring body-weight and decreasing binge/vomit symptoms among 52 individuals (aged 16+) with eating disorders. It was hypothesized that day treatment would result in improvements across all variables measured. Design/methodology/approach – In a within-participants design, demographic, physiological and psychological measures were taken on admission to and at discharge from a DTP in the UK. Quantitative outcomes were analysed. Findings – In total, 40 participants were considered to have received an adequate dose of the DTP, having completed at least four weeks on the programme. Analyses supported all hypotheses, with all improvements being statistically significant. Large effect sizes were evident for all outcomes across the whole sample other than shape concern attitudes and weight concern attitudes, which reduced with moderate and moderate-to-large effect sizes, respectively. Originality/value – This study provides new evidence of the effectiveness of day treatment in reducing psychosocial impairment resulting from eating disorder psychopathology. It remains for future research to determine whether these outcomes can be sustained over the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The perspectives of frontline clinical staff working with individuals in later life within an inpatient mental health setting, of their role in recovery, have not yet been explored. The purpose of this paper is to understand what recovery means within an inpatient mental health setting for older adults. The authors address clear implications for clinical practice. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 multidisciplinary participants across two specialist older adult recovery units at an independent hospital in the UK. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcripts. Findings – Three main themes were identified: participants identified their normative task as the promotion of “moving on” (clinical recovery) and their existential task as personal recovery. The context in which recovery happens was highlighted as the third theme. These represented competing workplace goals of clinical and personal recovery. This highlights the need to give permission to personal recovery as the process that enables mental health recovery in older adults. Originality/value – Staff working in a inpatient mental health service for older adults discussed the meaning of recovery and their role in enabling recovery. This has implications for sustainable clinical practice in this setting. Recovery-orientated practice in this setting is required but the detail is not yet understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The Renal PatientView (RPV) website is an information and education tool aimed at increasing patient involvement in their care. We have conducted this study to elucidate why some users remain inactive on RPV despite initially signing up for the service.Methods: Patients at a teaching hospital in United Kingdom, who originally signed up for RPV but are no longer active (no logins during previous 6 months), were sent paper questionnaires. Responses were collected for up to 6 months.Results: Of the 190 questionnaires, 69 (39%) were returned partially or fully completed. Majority of respondents could access computer (94%) and internet (91%) from home. Reasons for inactivity among survey respondents included: loss of login credentials (45%), perception that it did not add anything to existing care (37%), being too busy (13%) and anxiety of viewing results from home (10%). Thirty-seven respondents provided free-text comments. Thematic analysis of these reinforced above findings and also indicated that despite infrequent use, some patients valued RPV availability. Patients made very little reference to using sections of the website other than test results.Conclusions: Patients find RPV a valuable resource. It is, however, mainly seen as a portal to check blood test results; other sections of the website aimed at promoting self-management remain underutilized. Several local and central level changes, such as a robust system of user accounts handling, improved promotion, and emphasis on further development of self-management sections of RPV may help improve participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The recognition, assessment and management of pain in hospital settings is suboptimal, and is a particular challenge in patients with dementia. The existing process guiding pain assessment and management in clinical settings is based on the assumption that nurses follow a sequential linear approach to decision making. In this paper we re-evaluate this theoretical assumption drawing on findings from a study of pain recognition, assessment and management in patients with dementia. Aim To provide a revised conceptual model of pain recognition, assessment and management based on sense-making theories of decision making. Methods The research we refer to is an exploratory ethnographic study using nested case sites. Patients with dementia ( n = 31) were the unit of data collection, nested in 11 wards (vascular, continuing care, stroke rehabilitation, orthopaedic, acute medicine, care of the elderly, elective and emergency surgery), located in four NHS hospital organizations in the UK. Data consisted of observations of patients at bedside (170 h in total); observations of the context of care; audits of patient hospital records; documentary analysis of artefacts; semi-structured interviews ( n = 56) and informal open conversations with staff and carers (family members). Findings Existing conceptualizations of pain recognition, assessment and management do not fully explain how the decision process occurs in clinical practice. Our research indicates that pain recognition, assessment and management is not an individual cognitive activity; rather it is carried out by groups of individuals over time and within a specific organizational culture or climate, which influences both health care professional and patient behaviour. Conclusions We propose a revised theoretical model of decision making related to pain assessment and management for patients with dementia based on theories of sense-making, which is reflective of the reality of clinical decision making in acute hospital wards. The revised model recognizes the salience of individual cognition as well as acknowledging that decisions are constructed through social interaction and organizational context. The model will be used in further research to develop decision support interventions to assist with the assessment and management of patients with dementia in acute hospital settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aware of the contribution of the literate elite to British imperialism, this paper investigates, by examination of fictional texts and essays by Victorian writers and literary critics such as Alfred Tennyson and Matthew Arnold, the instrumentality of gender in the invention of racial difference that sought to justify the colonization of Ireland. Through the sources investigated, we found that the Celts were feminized as antitheses of the "manly" Anglo-Saxons because of their alleged emotional and intellectual weakness, being thus equated to metropolitan women in representations which amalgamated racism and sexism. Thanks to the concatenation between racial and gender stereotypes, the antinomy male/female allowed the elaboration of disjunctions aimed at naturalizing asymmetries between empire and colony under the alibis of "natural" gender complementarity and hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a global need to expand palliative care services to reach the increasing number requiring end of life care. In developing countries where the incidences of cancer are rising there is an urgent need to develop the palliative care workforce. This paper reports on a UK Department for international development (DFID) initiative funded through the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) where palliative care staff, both clinical and academic, volunteered to help to develop, support and deliver a degree in palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of the study was to explore the personal impact on the health care professionals of being part of this initiative.Methods: An evaluation approach using a confidential electronic survey containing quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to all 17 volunteers on the programme, three months after completion of the first cohort. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content thematic analysis. Ethical review deemed the study to be service evaluation.Results: 82 % (14) responded and several themes emerged from the data including the positive impact on teaching and educational skills; clinical practice and finally personal development. Using a score of 1-10 (1-no impact, 10 maximum impact) 'Lifestyle choices - life work balance' (rating 7.83) had the most impact.Conclusions: This approach to supporting the development of palliative care in Sub-Saharan Africa through skill sharing in supporting the delivery of a degree programme in palliative care was successful in terms of delivery of the degree programme, material development and mentorship of local staff. Additionally, this study shows it provided a range of positive impacts on the volunteer health care professionals from the UK. Professional impacts including increased management skills, and being better prepared to undertake a senior role. However it is the personal impact including lifestyle choices which the volunteers reported as the highest impact. Interestingly, several of the faculty have joined other volunteer programmes to continue to support the international development of palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools provide the setting in which interventions aimed at preventing intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) are delivered to young people in the general population and a range of programmes have been designed and evaluated. To date, most rigorous studies have been undertaken in North America and the extent to which programmes are transferable to other settings and cultures is uncertain. This paper reports on a mixed methods review, aimed at informing UK practise and policy, which included a systematic review of the international literature, a review of the UK grey literature and consultation with young people as well as experts to address the question of what works for whom in what circumstances. The context in which an intervention was delivered was found to be crucial. Context included: the wider policy setting; the national or regional level, where the local culture shaped understandings of IPVA, and the readiness of an individual school. The programmes included in the systematic review provided stronger evidence for changing knowledge and attitudes than for behavioural change and those young people who were at higher risk at baseline may have exerted a strong influence on study outcomes. Shifting social norms in the peer group emerged as a key mechanism of change and the young people consulted emphasised the importance of authenticity which could be achieved through the use of drama and which required those delivering programmes to have relevant expertise. While the consultation identified increasing interest in targeting interventions on boys, there was an identified lack of materials designed for minority groups of young people, especially Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people. Increased responsivity to the local context can be achieved by involving those who will deliver and receive these preventive programmes in their development. Schools need to be better prepared and supported in the task of delivering these interventions and this is particularly relevant for the management of disclosures of IPVA. Outcomes measured by evaluations should include those relevant to education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two genetic technologies capable of making heritable changes to the human genome have revived interest in, and in some quarters a very familiar panic concerning, so-called germline interventions. These technologies are: most recently the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to edit genes in non-viable IVF zygotes and Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT) the use of which was approved in principle in a landmark vote earlier this year by the United Kingdom Parliament. The possibility of using either of these techniques in humans has encountered the most violent hostility and suspicion. However it is important to be aware that much of this hostility dates back to the fears associated with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive technologies and by cloning; fears which were baseless at the time concerning both IVF and cloning the use of both of which have proved to be highly beneficial to humanity and which have been effectively regulated and controlled. This paper argues that CRISPR should by pursued through researh until it is safe enough for use in humans but there is no reason to suppose at this stage that such use will be unsafe or unethical (Collins 2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – There is growing interest in self-management support for people living with mental health problems. The purpose of this paper is to describe the evaluation of a co-designed and co-delivered self-management programme (SMP) for people living with depression delivered as part of large scale National Health Service quality improvement programme, which was grounded in the principles of co-production. The authors investigated whether participants became more activated, were less psychologically distressed enjoyed better health status, and quality of life, and improved their self-management skills after attending the seven-week SMP. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a longitudinal study of 114 people living with depression who attended the SMP. Participants completed self-reported measures before attending the SMP and at six months follow up. Findings – Patient activation significantly improved six months after the SMP (baseline M=49.6, SD=12.3, follow up M=57.2, SD=15.0, t(113)=4.83, p < 0.001; d=0.61). Participants’ experience of depression symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 significantly reduced (baseline M=15.5, SD=6.8, follow up M=10.6, SD=6.9, t(106)=7.22, p < 0.001, d=−0.72). Participants’ anxiety and depression as measured by the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale also decreased significantly (baseline anxiety: M=13.1, SD=4.2, follow up M=10.2, SD=4.4, t(79)=6.29, p < 0.001, d=−0.69); (baseline depression: M=10.3, SD=4.6, follow up M=7.7, SD=4.5, t(79)=5.32, p < 0.001, d=−0.56). The authors also observed significant improvement in participants’ health status (baseline M=0.5, SD=0.3, follow up M=0.6, SD=0.3, t(97)=−3.86, p < 0.001, d=0.33), and health-related quality of life (baseline M=45.4, SD=20.5, follow up M=60.8, SD=22.8, t(91)=−2.71, p=0.008, d=0.75). About 35 per cent of participant showed substantial improvements of self-management skills. Originality/value – The co-produced depression SMP is innovative in a UK mental health setting. Improvements in activation, depression, anxiety, quality of life and self-management skills suggest that the SMP could make a useful contribution to the recovery services in mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Members of the public are often sceptical about warnings of an impending public health crisis. Breaking through this scepticism is important if we are to convince people to take urgent protective action. In this paper we explored correlates of perceiving that 'too much fuss' was being made about the 2009/10 influenza A H1N1v ('swine flu') pandemic. Study design: A secondary analysis of data from 39 nationally representative telephone surveys conducted in the UK during the pandemic. Methods: Each cross-sectional survey (combined n = 42,420) collected data over a three day period and asked participants to state whether they agreed or disagreed that 'too much fuss is being made about the risk of swine flu.' Results: Overall, 55.1% of people agreed or strongly agreed with this sentiment. Perceiving that too much fuss was being made was associated with: being male, being white, being generally healthy, trusting most in a primary care physician to provide advice, not knowing someone who had contracted the illness, believing you know a lot about the outbreak, not wishing to receive additional information about the outbreak and possessing worse factual knowledge about the outbreak than other people. Conclusions: In future disease outbreaks merely providing factual information is unlikely to engage people who are sceptical about the need to take action. Instead, messages which challenge their perceived knowledge and which present case studies of people who have been affected may prove more effective, especially when delivered through trusted channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A common complication after stroke is development of cognitive impairment and dementia. However, effective strategies for reducing the risk of developing these problems remain undefined. Potential strategies include intensive lowering of blood pressure (BP) and/or lipids. This paper summarises the baseline characteristics, statistical analysis plan and feasibility of a randomised control trial of blood pressure and lipid lowering in patients post-stroke with the primary objective of reducing cognitive impairment and dementia.Methods: The Prevention Of Decline in Cognition After Stroke Trial (PODCAST) was a multi-centre prospective randomised open-label blinded-endpoint controlled partial-factorial internal pilot trial running in secondary and primary care. Participants without dementia were enrolled 3-7 months post ischaemic stroke or spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage, and randomised to intensive versus guideline BP lowering (target systolic BP <125 mmHg versus <140 mmHg); patients with ischaemic stroke were also randomised to intensive or guideline lipid lowering (target LDL cholesterol <1.4 mmol/L versus <3 mmol/L). The primary outcome was the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised; a key secondary outcome was to assess feasibility of performing a large trial of one or both interventions. Data are number (%) or mean (standard deviation). The trial was planned to last for 8 years with follow-up between 1 and 8 years. The plan for reporting the main results is included as Additional file 2.Results: 83 patients (of a planned 600) were recruited from 19 UK sites between 7 October 2010 and 31 January 2014. Delays, due to difficulties in the provision of excess treatment costs and to complexity of follow-up, led to few centres taking part and a much lower recruitment rate than planned. Patient characteristics at baseline were: age 74 (SD 7) years, male 64 (77 %), index stroke ischaemic 77 (93 %), stroke onset to randomisation 4.5 [SD 1.3] months, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised 86 (of 100, SD 8), Montreal Cognitive Assessment 24 (of 30, SD 3), BP 147/82 (SD 19/11) mmHg, total cholesterol 4.0 (SD 0.8) mmol/L and LDL cholesterol 2.0 (SD 0.7) mmol/L, modified Rankin Scale 1.1 (SD 0.8).Conclusion: Limited recruitment suggests that a large trial is not feasible using the current protocol. The effects of the interventions on BP, lipids, and cognition will be reported in the main publication.Trial Registration: ISRCTN85562386 registered on 23 September 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the specific criticism of directed altruistic living organ donation that it creates a 'beauty contest' between potential recipients of organs. The notion of the beauty contest in transplantation was recently used by Neidich et al who stated that '[a]ltruism should be the guiding motivation for all donations, and when it [is], there is no place for a beauty contest'. I examine this beauty contest objection from two perspectives. First, I argue that, when considered against the behaviour of donors, this objection cannot be consistently raised without also objecting to other common aspects of organ donation. I then explore the beauty contest objection from the perspective of recipients, and argue that if the beauty contest is objectionable, it is because of a tension between recipient behaviour and the altruism that supposedly underpins the donation system. I conclude by briefly questioning the importance of this tension in light of the organ shortage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is strong evidence indicating that inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD) is increasing among black and minority ethnic ( BME) communities. Despite this rise in prevalence, there is a paucity of research relating to ethnicity and IBD outside the USA. Furthermore, the symptoms of IBD are reported to start during childhood or adolescence in 20-25% of people with the condition. It is therefore important that young people's experiences of diagnosis, treatment and living with IBD are fully understood to ensure effective services and information provision. The study reported on in this paper was commissioned by a UK charity (Crohn's and Colitis UK) with the aim of increasing understanding of the specific issues and service needs of young people with IBD from BME communities. Empirical research entailed in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 young people from BME groups accessed through gastroenterology departments at three collaborating NHS hospitals in England serving ethnically diverse populations. Interviews were carried out from June to December 2010 and sought to capture young people's views with IBD. A thematic analysis of their experiences identified many commonalities with other young people with IBD, such as the problematic route to formal diagnosis and the impact of IBD on education. The young people also experienced tensions between effective self-management strategies and cultural norms and practices relating to food. Moreover, the ability of parents to provide support was hampered for some young people by the absence of culturally competent services that were responsive to the families' communication needs. The findings highlight the need for more culturally appropriate information concerning IBD, and improved responsiveness to young people with IBD within primary care and the education system, as well as culturally competent messaging relating to the specific nature of the condition among the wider South Asian and black communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of reconciling ethnic diversity with the welfare state is a subject of long-standing theoretical debate. In particular, it remains unclear to what extent a shared national identity is necessary for endorsing claims to welfare at the individual and societal levels. Surveys show that migrants are seen as the least deserving category of welfare recipients. Yet migrants’ own views are rarely considered. Based on a qualitative study, this paper explores how Polish migrants residing in London conceptualised their deservingness to British welfare benefits and social housing. It finds a strong preference for conditionality of welfare predicated on contributions through work, payment of taxes and law abidance. Such conditionality applied to both in-group and out-group members thus transcending identity-based claims. These contributions were seen as both necessary and sufficient for laying claims to the British welfare system. Solely needs-based claims were seen as problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim: In the UK the change from a one-year Master's to a three-year doctoral training programme has provided extended opportunities and challenges for trainee educational psychologists in developing their practitioner skills and professional role. Supervision is a key foundation for supporting trainees in this process. This paper provides an analysis of the supervision experiences of trainee educational psychologists informed by developmental theories of supervision. Method: In order to explore the developmental experiences of trainee educational psychologists across the three years of training, focus groups were undertaken with each year group of trainee educational psychologists at four initial educational psychology training programme sites. These 12 focus groups were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Five key themes relating to the development of practitioner skills were identified; developing professional learning and professional role; responsiveness to developmental learning needs; sensitive management of emotional aspects of learning; developing critical analysis of professional work and metaanalysis of professional activity and professional role. Limitations: There is a need for longitudinal research into developmental models of supervision and their application to EP training specifically. Conclusions: The five themes provide some support for the utility of developmental models of supervision in informing the future development of UK educational psychology training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate developments in supervision for qualified educational psychologists, trainee educational psychologists and other professionals. Rationale/Method: A semi-structured online questionnaire containing a mix of multiple-choice options and open questions was developed to explore views regarding both giving and receiving supervision. A total of 246 practising EPs (84 per cent female and 16 per cent male) returned completed surveys. Findings: Questionnaire returns were subject to content analysis. The data reported provides a detailed snapshot of current EP practices with regard to aspects of supervision such as: the setting in which supervision occurs; from whom or to whom supervision is delivered; the relationship between supervisor and supervisee; the purpose of supervision; models and psychological approaches underpinning supervisory arrangements; and practical details such the use of contracts and the frequency, format and arrangements for payment for supervision. Limitations: Data reported were derived from a self-selecting sample using self-report methods which contain all the attendant biases and limitations inherent in such approaches and limit the extent to which generalisations can be drawn. Conclusions: This paper highlights the high proportions of EPs that are both receiving and providing supervision within changing patterns of service delivery. It is argued that there is a continued need for professionals to access high quality supervision to maintain individual professional development and wellbeing and ensure delivery of safe and effective services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: It has been suggested that 'Supervision is central to the delivery of high quality psychological services' (Dunsmuir & Leadbetter, 2010, p.2). This paper identifies key principles and practice necessary to make this a reality in an Educational Psychology Service (EPS). Method/Rationale: One service's supervision approach for Educational Psychologists (EPs), Trainee Educational Psychologists (TEPs) and other professionals is explored. Findings: Factors identified as being necessary for effective supervision include: a high profile for supervision; protected supervision time; a service policy for supervision; ongoing supervision training for all EPs; supervision for supervisors; an EPS Supervision Strategy Group; and ongoing evaluation of supervision practice. Limitations: Challenges around maintaining and developing supervision are explored, along with some planned future developments. Conclusions: Issues that may be helpful for colleagues to consider and debate further are raised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the history of counselling psychology in Great Britain. Topics include the first annual conference of the British Psychological Society's Special Group in Counselling Psychology held in Birmingham, England in 1990, the relevance of positive psychology to counselling psychology, and the paper by Steffen, Vossler and Joseph.

Content & Focus: In the UK career counselling has tended to evolve separately from the counselling psychology profession. Elsewhere, notably in North America, counselling psychology does embrace career issues. This paper explores the contested boundaries between career and therapeutic work, and identifies positive psychology as a movement that transcends the divide. There is potential for positive psychology to reintegrate a career focus into counselling psychology. Conclusions: Although it does not provide a general theory of career choice and development, positive psychology has resonance with career counselling. It provides a rigorous conceptual and empirical foundation linking vocation to wellbeing. An evidence-based career counselling is beginning to emerge. Positive psychology presents a challenge to the current boundaries of the UK counselling psychology profession by demanding a holistic view of well-being that encompasses work and career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions to change health-related behaviours typically have modest effects and may be more effective if grounded in appropriate theory. Most theories applied to public health interventions tend to emphasise individual capabilities and motivation, with limited reference to context and social factors. Intervention effectiveness may be increased by drawing on a wider range of theories incorporating social, cultural and economic factors that influence behaviour. The primary aim of this paper is to identify theories of behaviour and behaviour change of potential relevance to public health interventions across four scientific disciplines: psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics. We report in detail the methodology of our scoping review used to identify these theories including which involved a systematic search of electronic databases, consultation with a multidisciplinary advisory group, web searching, searching of reference lists and hand searching of key behavioural science journals. Of secondary interest we developed a list of agreed criteria for judging the quality of the theories. We identified 82 theories and 9 criteria for assessing theory quality. The potential relevance of this wide-ranging number of theories to public health interventions and the ease and usefulness of evaluating the theories in terms of the quality criteria are however yet to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives The aim of this paper is to explore how people live life successfully with Parkinson's disease and what contributed to the level of success. Objectives To examine the level of success as defined by people with Parkinson's disease. To find what contributed to the level of success. Background Self-care support has gained importance for supporting people with their chronic diseases including Parkinson's disease. Although self-care and life adjustments can improve patients' general well-being, it is unclear which approaches best facilitate positive adjustments to illness. Design Semi-structured interviews with participants with Parkinson's disease. Methods Eight participants living with Parkinson's disease for 2-16 years were recruited from a Parkinson's disease voluntary group in the UK. Interviews covered their perceived level of success and the factors which they perceived led to that success. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Participants rated a high level of success in living with Parkinson's disease with an average personal rating 75/100 despite facing difficulties. Successful living was perceived to have taken place when people were either (1) able to return to their usual state of health or (2) considered themselves to be stable within a new/readjusted state of health. Aspects which were perceived to support positive psychosocial adjustment included a positive mindset, determination, acceptance of new challenges and family support. Conclusion Maintaining usual life and physical ability is the major concern among the people with Parkinson's disease. It would be helpful for health care professionals to identify what constitutes a 'usual' life for that person and to support them to develop a positive mindset and acceptance of new challenges, drawing on the determination of the person as well as any available family support. Relevance to clinical practice In supporting self-care, it is helpful to gain information about the subjective experience of living with Parkinson's disease including their perceived level of success at the time and what led to that perceived success for that person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To understand the experiences of young women with a disorder of sex development when sharing information about their body with healthcare professionals, friends and intimate partners. Background Disorders of sex development are lifelong conditions that create bodily difference such as absence of reproductive organs which can impact on young women's fertility and sexual experiences. Design Interpretive phenomenological analysis with thirteen young women (14-19 years old) with a disorder of sex development. Methods The young women chose to participate in either a face-to-face semi-structured interview or to complete a paper diary between 2011-2012. Results A superordinate theme focusing on the meaning bodily differences held for these young women is presented through three themes: self-awareness and communicating this to others; actualizing intimacy; and expressing meaning of altered fertility to self or professionals or partners. During early adolescence, the young women were guarded and reticent about sharing personal information about their disorder of sex development but as they moved towards adulthood, some of the young women learnt to engage in conversations with more confidence. Frustrations about their bodily differences and the limitations of their bodies were talked about as factors which limited physical spontaneity, impacted on their perceived sexual fulfilment and challenged the development or sustainability of close friendships or intimate partnerships. The young women wanted empathic, sensitive support from knowledgeable health professionals to help them understand their bodies. Conclusion Attachment and a 'sense of being' were the concepts that were closely linked to the young women's development of a secure identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary Little is known about how the prison environment may impact upon the mental health of adult prisoners., This paper highlights that prisoners perceive that the prison environment has a negative influence upon their mental health. However, a small number regarded prison as a place of respite, which afforded structure and an opportunity to access health services., There is a need for more research in this area specifically relating to the impact the prison climate may have upon those from black and minority ethic groups., Nurses must recognize the aspects of the prison environment that may impact upon the mental health of prisoners and demonstrate innovation and imagination in their application of interventions., Abstract Little is known regarding how the prison environment may affect the mental health of adult prisoners. Consequently, there is a need to investigate how this setting may exacerbate mental distress among this community. This literature review explores how the prison climate influences the mental health of adult prisoners. A thematic synthesis approach was used to elicit data relating to the aspects of the prison climate, which influence the mental health of prisoners. Four primary themes emerged from the synthesis: social, emotional, organizational and physical aspects. Prisoners perceive the prison climate to have a negative influence upon their mental health. However, perceived positively, prison was regarded as a place of respite, which afforded structure and an opportunity to access health services. There is limited research available specifically exploring the potential impact of the prison climate upon those from black and ethnic minorities groups. Nurses must recognize the aspects of the prison environment that may impact upon the mental health of prisoners and demonstrate innovation and imagination in their application of interventions. Additionally nurses need to take an active role in influencing and structuring the political agenda, which governs the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past forty years there have been significant changes in our ways of conceptualising and responding to people with alcohol problems. This paper provides a personal perspective upon what those changes have been and upon the role of psychologists in generating them. Further, it highlights the significant role played by a small multidisciplinary forum, The New Directions in the Study of Alcohol Group, in supporting workers move towards those changes particularly in the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how staff attend to their well-being when working in an inpatient mental health setting with older adults with dementia and complex mental health needs; how staff understand the link between their well-being and the well-being of patients. Design/methodology/approach – A semi-structured group interview was held with 11 members of two multidisciplinary teams. The discussion was audio-recorded and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings – Staff reported managing their well-being by both connecting with and avoiding the difficult emotions of the work. The team avoided the gravity of the work through humour, a task-focus, an absence of thinking and the displacement of workplace frustrations onto an outgroup. Connecting with emotions was done in tolerable ways: in contained reflective spaces, in the presence of supportive others, through genuine connections with patients as people and when the organisation demonstrated care for the staff. Practical implications – Avoidant strategies appeared to represent short-term ways of maintaining staff well-being, while connecting with the gravity of the work appeared to represent what we hope is a more sustainable approach to managing well-being. A crucial premise for staff well-being is teams embedded within organisations that care for their employees. Originality/value – Poor staff well-being can have serious consequences for an organisation, particularly in the existentially challenging environment of dementia care. This study offers a unique opportunity to explore staff well-being in a UK inpatient mental health setting with older adults with dementia and complex mental health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As complex environments within which individuals and populations operate, universities present important contexts for understanding and addressing health issues. The healthy university is an example of the settings approach, which adopts a whole system perspective, aiming to make places within which people, learn, live, work and play supportive to health and well-being. The UK Healthy Universities Network has formulated an online toolkit, which includes a Self-Review Tool, intended to enable universities to assess what actions they need to take to develop as a healthy university. This paper presents findings from consultative research undertaken with students from universities in England, Scotland and Wales, which explored what they believe, represents a healthy university. Methods: Student surveys and focus groups were used to collect data across eleven universities in England, Scotland and Wales. A priori themes were used to develop our own model for a healthy university, and for the thematic coding phase of analysis. Findings: A healthy university would promote student health and well-being in every aspect of its business from its facilities and environment through to its curriculum. Access to reasonably priced healthy food and exercise facilities were key features of a healthy university for students in this study. The Self-Review Tool has provided a crucial start for universities undertaking the journey towards becoming a healthy university. In looking to the future both universities and the UK Healthy Universities Network will now need to look at what students want from their whole university experience, and consider how the Self-Review Tool can help universities embrace a more explicit conceptual framework. Conclusion: The concept of a healthy university that can tailor its facilities and supportive environments to the needs of its students will go some way to developing students who are active global citizens and who are more likely to value and prioritise health and well-being, in the short and long term through to their adult lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]