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This interdisciplinary study explores the evolution of hair management practices of Black women from age-related biological, personal and social perspectives. It seeks to clarify if and how any changes impact the subjective wellbeing of women. The study focuses on Black women living in the UK who are 59 years old and over as biological changes to hair become more prominent after menopause. The study contributes to raising the visibility of this group of women who appear underrepresented in the research fields of hair science, well-being and ageing as well as in the media.

Beauty matters to many of us. Our aspiration to look beautiful is natural and often impacts our well-being. The World Health Organisation reports that, globally, at least 2.2 billion people live with some form of visual impairment. However, the needs of blind and low vision (BLV) people for making themselves look beautiful and/or express themselves via makeup have often been ignored by society. This study explores how BLV people apply makeup and their motivations using a qualitative content analysis of ten selected makeup YouTube video tutorials produced by BLV vloggers. For a BLV person using makeup is an iterative process of exploring, learning and practising. “Mirrorless” makeup involves not only memorising and technique mastering, but also aesthetic and social approval from sighted people. Key motivations for BLV people are the desire to express their personality, to feel confident and to simply enjoy it as a form of self-care. By demonstrating their skills and talking about their motivation, the BLV vloggers also hoped to inspire and empower others with a vision to change the way the world views disability. This study contributes to raising awareness and tackling social disability barriers faced by some blind people in their quest for mastering makeup application as a form of self-care and self-expression.

Beauty matters to many of us. Our aspiration to look beautiful is natural and often impacts our well-being. The World Health Organisation reports that, globally, at least 2.2 billion people live with some form of visual impairment. However, the needs of blind and low vision (BLV) people for making themselves look beautiful and/or express themselves via makeup have often been ignored by society. This study explores how BLV people apply makeup and their motivations using a qualitative content analysis of ten selected makeup YouTube video tutorials produced by BLV vloggers. For a BLV person using makeup is an iterative process of exploring, learning and practising. “Mirrorless” makeup involves not only memorising and technique mastering, but also aesthetic and social approval from sighted people. Key motivations for BLV people are the desire to express their personality, to feel confident and to simply enjoy it as a form of self-care. By demonstrating their skills and talking about their motivation, the BLV vloggers also hoped to inspire and empower others with a vision to change the way the world views disability. This study contributes to raising awareness and tackling social disability barriers faced by some blind people in their quest for mastering makeup application as a form of self-care and self-expression.

This study explored the age-related changes to hair management and styling techniques and related measures of satisfaction and quality of life (QoL) of women of African and Afro-Caribbean descent of age over 60 living in the UK. An online survey, including a QoL questionnaire was conducted (n=46).86.9% of the survey participants were between 60 and 69 years old, whilst the remaining group were between 70 and 80 years old. All identified their natural hair as curl type 6,7,8, with curl type 6 being most common n=16. 78% reported completely natural hair (shorter than 10cm=21; longer than 10cm=15). A preference towards natural styles past menopause was demonstrated with hair length, texture and colour being associated with positive attitudes. However, the perception of decreased hair manageability could be related to the requirement to complete more haircare and hairstyling tasks at home and more frequently than if the hair was subjected to long-lasting styling techniques such as relaxing or weaving. Overall, these changes to appearance, styling and personal effort increased satisfaction with hair but had no impact on the quality of life of the participants.

Beauty matters to many of us. Our aspiration to look beautiful is natural and often impacts our well-being. The World Health Organisation reports that, globally, at least 2.2 billion people live with some form of visual impairment. However, the needs of blind and low vision (BLV) people for making themselves look beautiful and/or express themselves via makeup have often been ignored by society. This study explores how BLV people apply makeup and their motivations using a qualitative content analysis of ten selected makeup YouTube video tutorials produced by BLV vloggers. For a BLV person using makeup is an iterative process of exploring, learning and practising. “Mirrorless” makeup involves not only memorising and technique mastering, but also aesthetic and social approval from sighted people. Key motivations for BLV people are the desire to express their personality, to feel confident and to simply enjoy it as a form of self-care. By demonstrating their skills and talking about their motivation, the BLV vloggers also hoped to inspire and empower others with a vision to change the way the world views disability. This study contributes to raising awareness and tackling social disability barriers faced by some blind people in their quest for mastering makeup application as a form of self-care and self-expression.

Research shows that clothing style can influence self-perception, cognition and behaviour. However, the concept of personal clothing style and how it is linked to self-concept from an individual and subjective perspective of the wearer has received limited empirical attention. This qualitative study aimed to explore women’s lived experiences and perceptions of personal clothing style. Using a homogeneous sample of seven female participants, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed that personal clothing style constitutes an embodiment of the true self, representation of the ideal self and expression of the creative self. More specifically, personal clothing style is predicated on self-knowledge, consistency and enduring sense of comfort. It is also perceived to actualize desired self-conceptions and one’s creative potential. Findings not only provide an empirically founded conceptualization of personal clothing style, but also identify its important psychological properties with implications for both psychology and fashion research.

Research shows that clothing style can influence self-perception, cognition and behaviour. However, the concept of personal clothing style and how it is linked to self-concept from an individual and subjective perspective of the wearer has received limited empirical attention. This qualitative study aimed to explore women’s lived experiences and perceptions of personal clothing style. Using a homogeneous sample of seven female participants, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed that personal clothing style constitutes an embodiment of the true self, representation of the ideal self and expression of the creative self. More specifically, personal clothing style is predicated on self-knowledge, consistency and enduring sense of comfort. It is also perceived to actualize desired self-conceptions and one’s creative potential. Findings not only provide an empirically founded conceptualization of personal clothing style, but also identify its important psychological properties with implications for both psychology and fashion research.

Research shows that clothing style can influence self-perception, cognition and behaviour. However, the concept of personal clothing style and how it is linked to self-concept from an individual and subjective perspective of the wearer has received limited empirical attention. This qualitative study aimed to explore women’s lived experiences and perceptions of personal clothing style. Using a homogeneous sample of seven female participants, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed that personal clothing style constitutes an embodiment of the true self, representation of the ideal self and expression of the creative self. More specifically, personal clothing style is predicated on self-knowledge, consistency and enduring sense of comfort. It is also perceived to actualize desired self-conceptions and one’s creative potential. Findings not only provide an empirically founded conceptualization of personal clothing style, but also identify its important psychological properties with implications for both psychology and fashion research.

Research shows that clothing style can influence self-perception, cognition and behaviour. However, the concept of personal clothing style and how it is linked to self-concept from an individual and subjective perspective of the wearer has received limited empirical attention. This qualitative study aimed to explore women’s lived experiences and perceptions of personal clothing style. Using a homogeneous sample of seven female participants, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed that personal clothing style constitutes an embodiment of the true self, representation of the ideal self and expression of the creative self. More specifically, personal clothing style is predicated on self-knowledge, consistency and enduring sense of comfort. It is also perceived to actualize desired self-conceptions and one’s creative potential. Findings not only provide an empirically founded conceptualization of personal clothing style, but also identify its important psychological properties with implications for both psychology and fashion research.

Fashion models are often assumed to have a glamorous job with limited consideration for their well-being. This study aims to assess the wellbeing of models through semi structured interviews with six professional fashion models and six industry professionals. Thematic analysis revealed that although models experienced improved self-confidence, they also reported heightened anxiety levels, body image issues and negative influence of modelling on their self-esteem. By contrast, industry professionals reported no or minimum concerns about anxious behaviours or the general well-being of fashion models. Being resilient as a model was perceived as an essential attribute to have by both models and industry professionals as they face recurrent rejection in this industry. These results demonstrate a significant gap in the current understanding of the well-being of fashion models between industry professionals and the models themselves. Findings imply that there is an inherent need for change in the modelling industry to promote and enhance their well-being.

Ella is a young woman who likes hanging around with her friends, dress up to the occasion and spends quite a lot of time on her phone. As time goes by and without her necessarily making an active choice, she gradually finds herself engaging in restricted eating and quite strict dieting. Why do women like Ella feel that they need to change their eating patterns? Fashion and beauty advertisements are all around us. You see fashion advertisements on your daily commute to work, on billboards, in shop windows during your leisurely walks, in multiple magazines scattered around coffee tables, on TV around every 20 minutes and of course, on your social media feed. These advertisements repeatedly present how you should look, and for women the message is quite clear; one needs to be relatively tall, slim, young and Caucasian. Men are also increasingly becoming fashion conscious, although beauty standards for males are more diverse. In general, they experience less pressure to fit stereotypical images and standards pertaining to physical appearance. In this chapter, we will look at how fashion impacts on our relationship with food, primarily focusing on how the acceptance of socially constructed beauty standards affects eating behaviour.

Ella is a young woman who likes hanging around with her friends, dress up to the occasion and spends quite a lot of time on her phone. As time goes by and without her necessarily making an active choice, she gradually finds herself engaging in restricted eating and quite strict dieting. Why do women like Ella feel that they need to change their eating patterns? Fashion and beauty advertisements are all around us. You see fashion advertisements on your daily commute to work, on billboards, in shop windows during your leisurely walks, in multiple magazines scattered around coffee tables, on TV around every 20 minutes and of course, on your social media feed. These advertisements repeatedly present how you should look, and for women the message is quite clear; one needs to be relatively tall, slim, young and Caucasian. Men are also increasingly becoming fashion conscious, although beauty standards for males are more diverse. In general, they experience less pressure to fit stereotypical images and standards pertaining to physical appearance. In this chapter, we will look at how fashion impacts on our relationship with food, primarily focusing on how the acceptance of socially constructed beauty standards affects eating behaviour.

Fashion models are often assumed to have a glamorous job with limited consideration for their well-being. This study aims to assess the wellbeing of models through semi structured interviews with six professional fashion models and six industry professionals. Thematic analysis revealed that although models experienced improved self-confidence, they also reported heightened anxiety levels, body image issues and negative influence of modelling on their self-esteem. By contrast, industry professionals reported no or minimum concerns about anxious behaviours or the general well-being of fashion models. Being resilient as a model was perceived as an essential attribute to have by both models and industry professionals as they face recurrent rejection in this industry. These results demonstrate a significant gap in the current understanding of the well-being of fashion models between industry professionals and the models themselves. Findings imply that there is an inherent need for change in the modelling industry to promote and enhance their well-being.

Fashion models are often assumed to have a glamorous job with limited consideration for their well-being. This study aims to assess the wellbeing of models through semi structured interviews with six professional fashion models and six industry professionals. Thematic analysis revealed that although models experienced improved self-confidence, they also reported heightened anxiety levels, body image issues and negative influence of modelling on their self-esteem. By contrast, industry professionals reported no or minimum concerns about anxious behaviours or the general well-being of fashion models. Being resilient as a model was perceived as an essential attribute to have by both models and industry professionals as they face recurrent rejection in this industry. These results demonstrate a significant gap in the current understanding of the well-being of fashion models between industry professionals and the models themselves. Findings imply that there is an inherent need for change in the modelling industry to promote and enhance their well-being.

Culturally inspired fashion is defined as contemporary clothing inspired by a cultural aesthetic, for example, a bodycon dress with a mandarin collar. This type of fashion generally has no actual connection to the original culture and is mostly designed for profit-making. Concerns and challenges around culturally inspired fashion have received very limited empirical attention despite being widely discussed in the media. There is speculation whether culturally inspired fashion is designed to meet consumers’ demands or if designers subconsciously dictate consumers’ demands. This study explores the line between what is cultural appreciation and what is cultural appropriation and how creativity and ethical transparency are approached. A qualitative approach was used to explore the perceptions of American fashion designers and consumers regarding culturally inspired fashion. For example, how designers differentiated between cultural appropriation and creative liberty, what were consumers’ experience with cultural appropriation and appreciation in wearing culturally inspired fashion, and how call-out culture affected designers and consumers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants (seven designers and seven consumers) and data was analysed using thematic analysis. It was found that designers struggled to find a balance between cultural authenticity and creativity. Fashion was mostly viewed by them as a business where the focus was on profit maximisation more than ethical authenticity. Although aware of the salability of cultural fashion, consumers demanded transparency from designers to credit the source of their cultural inspiration or clarify if their design teams collaborated with the culture or gave profits to culture. Fear of public outcry regarding designers’ creations and consumers’ choices of cultural clothing was also identified as a theme. Findings imply that designers must pivot how they design to promote culturally inspired clothing more

Globally, the average number of children per household is expected to drop to 1.0 by 2020. Single-child families are increasingly the norm, with nearly half of British families classified as single-child. Despite this, research on only-children and their families is scant. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, this study explores parenting of adolescents in British single-child families. Single-child (31 adolescents, 47 mothers, 25 fathers) and multiple-children families (46 adolescents, 76 mothers, 31 fathers) completed online surveys. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 15 only-child families and 15 multiple-child families. All adolescents were aged 11 years to 14 years. Surveys did not find any differences in parenting between one-child and multiple-children families. However, interview data found single-child families were more child-centered, reporting higher overprotective and pushy parenting, but less authoritative and authoritarian parenting. Findings challenge negative stereotyping of single-child families and provide an in-depth insight into the experiences of adolescent only-children and their parents.

Culturally inspired fashion is defined as contemporary clothing inspired by a cultural aesthetic, for example, a bodycon dress with a mandarin collar. This type of fashion generally has no actual connection to the original culture and is mostly designed for profit-making. Concerns and challenges around culturally inspired fashion have received very limited empirical attention despite being widely discussed in the media. There is speculation whether culturally inspired fashion is designed to meet consumers’ demands or if designers subconsciously dictate consumers’ demands. This study explores the line between what is cultural appreciation and what is cultural appropriation and how creativity and ethical transparency are approached. A qualitative approach was used to explore the perceptions of American fashion designers and consumers regarding culturally inspired fashion. For example, how designers differentiated between cultural appropriation and creative liberty, what were consumers’ experience with cultural appropriation and appreciation in wearing culturally inspired fashion, and how call-out culture affected designers and consumers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants (seven designers and seven consumers) and data was analysed using thematic analysis. It was found that designers struggled to find a balance between cultural authenticity and creativity. Fashion was mostly viewed by them as a business where the focus was on profit maximisation more than ethical authenticity. Although aware of the salability of cultural fashion, consumers demanded transparency from designers to credit the source of their cultural inspiration or clarify if their design teams collaborated with the culture or gave profits to culture. Fear of public outcry regarding designers’ creations and consumers’ choices of cultural clothing was also identified as a theme. Findings imply that designers must pivot how they design to promote culturally inspired clothing more

Globally, the average number of children per household is expected to drop to 1.0 by 2020. Single-child families are increasingly the norm, with nearly half of British families classified as single-child. Despite this, research on only-children and their families is scant. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, this study explores parenting of adolescents in British single-child families. Single-child (31 adolescents, 47 mothers, 25 fathers) and multiple-children families (46 adolescents, 76 mothers, 31 fathers) completed online surveys. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 15 only-child families and 15 multiple-child families. All adolescents were aged 11 years to 14 years. Surveys did not find any differences in parenting between one-child and multiple-children families. However, interview data found single-child families were more child-centered, reporting higher overprotective and pushy parenting, but less authoritative and authoritarian parenting. Findings challenge negative stereotyping of single-child families and provide an in-depth insight into the experiences of adolescent only-children and their parents.

Globally, the average number of children per household is expected to drop to 1.0 by 2020. Single-child families are increasingly the norm, with nearly half of British families classified as single-child. Despite this, research on only-children and their families is scant. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, this study explores parenting of adolescents in British single-child families. Single-child (31 adolescents, 47 mothers, 25 fathers) and multiple-children families (46 adolescents, 76 mothers, 31 fathers) completed online surveys. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 15 only-child families and 15 multiple-child families. All adolescents were aged 11 years to 14 years. Surveys did not find any differences in parenting between one-child and multiple-children families. However, interview data found single-child families were more child-centered, reporting higher overprotective and pushy parenting, but less authoritative and authoritarian parenting. Findings challenge negative stereotyping of single-child families and provide an in-depth insight into the experiences of adolescent only-children and their parents.

Background. Refugee children might have experienced violent and traumatic events before settling into a new country. In the United Kingdom, the number of refugee children is increasing; however, little is known about their psycho-social and physical well-being. Aim. This study aims to investigate the psychological well-being and behaviour of refugee children compared to British-born children on a number of psychological, social, behavioural, and health-related issues and to investigate the role of friendship as a protective factor. Samples. This study utilized a sample of 149 refugee children recruited from two charities, 79 of which are children aged 6–10 years and 70 older refugee children aged 11– 16 years. The study also included 120 non-refugee children recruited from primary schools aged 6–10 years. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates the psycho-social well-being of refugee children compared to non-refugee British-born children. The study explored symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, emotional and behavioural problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), self-esteem, friendships and popularity, bullying and victimization, physical health, and psychosomatic problems. Results. Young refugee children reported more peer problems, functional impairment, physical health, and psychosomatic problems compared to the control children and older refugee children groups. On the other hand, older refugee children had lower self-esteem (academic and social self-peers) compared to the younger refugee children group. The differences between the groups were explained by friendship quality, number of friends, peer bullying/victimization, or sibling bullying/victimization except for physical health and psychosomatic problems. Conclusions. While refugee children were found to be at risk on various levels, the findings also point to the fact that social relationships including friendship quality and number of friends played an essential protecti

Background. Refugee children might have experienced violent and traumatic events before settling into a new country. In the United Kingdom, the number of refugee children is increasing; however, little is known about their psycho-social and physical well-being. Aim. This study aims to investigate the psychological well-being and behaviour of refugee children compared to British-born children on a number of psychological, social, behavioural, and health-related issues and to investigate the role of friendship as a protective factor. Samples. This study utilized a sample of 149 refugee children recruited from two charities, 79 of which are children aged 6–10 years and 70 older refugee children aged 11– 16 years. The study also included 120 non-refugee children recruited from primary schools aged 6–10 years. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates the psycho-social well-being of refugee children compared to non-refugee British-born children. The study explored symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, emotional and behavioural problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), self-esteem, friendships and popularity, bullying and victimization, physical health, and psychosomatic problems. Results. Young refugee children reported more peer problems, functional impairment, physical health, and psychosomatic problems compared to the control children and older refugee children groups. On the other hand, older refugee children had lower self-esteem (academic and social self-peers) compared to the younger refugee children group. The differences between the groups were explained by friendship quality, number of friends, peer bullying/victimization, or sibling bullying/victimization except for physical health and psychosomatic problems. Conclusions. While refugee children were found to be at risk on various levels, the findings also point to the fact that social relationships including friendship quality and number of friends played an essential protecti

Background. Refugee children might have experienced violent and traumatic events before settling into a new country. In the United Kingdom, the number of refugee children is increasing; however, little is known about their psycho-social and physical well-being. Aim. This study aims to investigate the psychological well-being and behaviour of refugee children compared to British-born children on a number of psychological, social, behavioural, and health-related issues and to investigate the role of friendship as a protective factor. Samples. This study utilized a sample of 149 refugee children recruited from two charities, 79 of which are children aged 6–10 years and 70 older refugee children aged 11– 16 years. The study also included 120 non-refugee children recruited from primary schools aged 6–10 years. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates the psycho-social well-being of refugee children compared to non-refugee British-born children. The study explored symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, emotional and behavioural problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), self-esteem, friendships and popularity, bullying and victimization, physical health, and psychosomatic problems. Results. Young refugee children reported more peer problems, functional impairment, physical health, and psychosomatic problems compared to the control children and older refugee children groups. On the other hand, older refugee children had lower self-esteem (academic and social self-peers) compared to the younger refugee children group. The differences between the groups were explained by friendship quality, number of friends, peer bullying/victimization, or sibling bullying/victimization except for physical health and psychosomatic problems. Conclusions. While refugee children were found to be at risk on various levels, the findings also point to the fact that social relationships including friendship quality and number of friends played an essential protecti

The wars on Gaza (2008, 2012 & 2014) have left thousands of children and adults exposed to traumatic events (UNICEF, 2017). This study seeks to study and compare the usefulness of three different intervention programs, namely Therapeutic, Psycho-social support and Focusing. These interventions have been developed based on a holistic and integrated approach aimed at empowering resilience among Palestinian patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD was assessed through a validated scale developed by Altawil (2016). The aforementioned interventions were found to be successful: a) In the Family Therapy Programme (FTP), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 82% before intervention to 20% after intervention; b) In the Community Wellness Focusing Programme (CWF), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 97% before intervention to 19% after intervention; c) In the Psycho-Social Support Programme (SANID), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 50% before intervention to only 14% after intervention. Establishing the impact of interventions can be difficult without good tools for evaluation or assessment. Therefore, PTSD scales must consider culture, specific needs and the context of trauma exposure using both quantitative and qualitative assessment tools. Future tools should examine On-going Traumatic Stress Disorder (OTSD) so that it reflects on-going conflict and trauma in war-torn environments worldwide.

Objective: Nearly half of British families are classified as single-child families, showing a gradual but steady increase in this family type from the 1990s onwards. Despite this, research on relationships of only-children in the UK is scant. The aim of this paper was to explore parent-adolescent relationships in single-child families. Design: This study used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore both parents’ and only-children’s perceptions of the parent-adolescent relationship. Methods: 15 families with an only child and 15 families with multiple children were interviewed when children were aged 11-14 years. Families were recruited using advertising, convenience and snowballing sampling. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Analysis of data from parents and adolescents of both groups revealed several common themes: the experience of a positive parent-child relationship, parental support and the impact of early adolescence on parent-child relationships. Closeness in parent-child relationship was also identified as a common theme amongst adolescents in both groups. However this theme differed in the views of parents: parents of an only-child reported a very close relationship with their child including a strong emotional connection in the form of parent-child bonding, while parents with multiple children reported less closeness. Parent gender seemed to influence the relationship. Adolescents in both groups felt closer to their mothers than fathers. However, this difference was much more prominent in single-child families. Some themes were specific to each family type. Adolescent only-children reported a strong emotional connection only with their mothers. They also reported positive differences in parent-child relationships from being an only-child. Adolescents with siblings mostly reported little differentiation in terms of how they perceived their relationship with each parent. Conclusion: This study revealed that adolescent only

Objective: Nearly half of British families are classified as single-child families showing a gradual but steady increase in this family type from the 1990s onwards. Despite this, research on only children/single-child families is scant. The aim of this paper is to explore parenting in single-child families in depth through qualitative interviews. Design: This study used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore both parents’ and only-children’s perceptions of the parent-adolescent relationship. Methods: Fifteen families with an only child and 15 families with multiple children were interviewed, where the children were aged 11–14 years. Families were recruited using advertising, convenience and snowballing sampling. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The two family types were similar on many of the themes reported such as practising authoritative parenting, levels of child-centeredness, parental behavioural control and the absence of parental overindulgence. However, whilst parents of an only-child reported high one-on-one parental involvement with their child, parents with multiple children reported less so. Overprotective parenting was also more prevalent in single-child families. Moreover, mothers and fathers of only-children reported using different parenting approaches from each other, while their counterparts reported using mostly a similar parenting approach to each other. Some family-type specific themes were also identified. It was found that single-child families engaged in permissive parenting and pampering of the child as well as pushy parenting. By contrast, a parental perception of parent-child conflict was a theme identified only in multiple-children families. Conclusion: This study concludes that parenting in single-child families is similar to parenting in multiple-children families on many dimensions but those differences do exist. On a positive side, only children seem to be more at an advantage than nononly children

The wars on Gaza (2008, 2012 & 2014) have left thousands of children and adults exposed to traumatic events (UNICEF, 2017). This study seeks to study and compare the usefulness of three different intervention programs, namely Therapeutic, Psycho-social support and Focusing. These interventions have been developed based on a holistic and integrated approach aimed at empowering resilience among Palestinian patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD was assessed through a validated scale developed by Altawil (2016). The aforementioned interventions were found to be successful: a) In the Family Therapy Programme (FTP), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 82% before intervention to 20% after intervention; b) In the Community Wellness Focusing Programme (CWF), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 97% before intervention to 19% after intervention; c) In the Psycho-Social Support Programme (SANID), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 50% before intervention to only 14% after intervention. Establishing the impact of interventions can be difficult without good tools for evaluation or assessment. Therefore, PTSD scales must consider culture, specific needs and the context of trauma exposure using both quantitative and qualitative assessment tools. Future tools should examine On-going Traumatic Stress Disorder (OTSD) so that it reflects on-going conflict and trauma in war-torn environments worldwide.

The wars on Gaza (2008, 2012 & 2014) have left thousands of children and adults exposed to traumatic events (UNICEF, 2017). This study seeks to study and compare the usefulness of three different intervention programs, namely Therapeutic, Psycho-social support and Focusing. These interventions have been developed based on a holistic and integrated approach aimed at empowering resilience among Palestinian patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD was assessed through a validated scale developed by Altawil (2016). The aforementioned interventions were found to be successful: a) In the Family Therapy Programme (FTP), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 82% before intervention to 20% after intervention; b) In the Community Wellness Focusing Programme (CWF), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 97% before intervention to 19% after intervention; c) In the Psycho-Social Support Programme (SANID), PTSD diagnosis reduced from 50% before intervention to only 14% after intervention. Establishing the impact of interventions can be difficult without good tools for evaluation or assessment. Therefore, PTSD scales must consider culture, specific needs and the context of trauma exposure using both quantitative and qualitative assessment tools. Future tools should examine On-going Traumatic Stress Disorder (OTSD) so that it reflects on-going conflict and trauma in war-torn environments worldwide.

Many emerging adults live with mild-to-moderate visible facial acne, but little is known about their experiences. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 11 adults aged 18–22 years, which aimed to explore the meaning of living with visible acne. A thematic analysis revealed three superordinate themes: coping strategies, self-perceptions and interpersonal relationships. Results revealed the utility of researching visible acne in emerging adulthood, including the use of multiple coping strategies. Health psychologists need to consider individual differences for young adults who are living with a visible difference. The importance of the peer group and family is also explicated.

Many emerging adults live with mild-to-moderate visible facial acne, but little is known about their experiences. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 11 adults aged 18–22 years, which aimed to explore the meaning of living with visible acne. A thematic analysis revealed three superordinate themes: coping strategies, self-perceptions and interpersonal relationships. Results revealed the utility of researching visible acne in emerging adulthood, including the use of multiple coping strategies. Health psychologists need to consider individual differences for young adults who are living with a visible difference. The importance of the peer group and family is also explicated.

Many emerging adults live with mild-to-moderate visible facial acne, but little is known about their experiences. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 11 adults aged 18–22 years, which aimed to explore the meaning of living with visible acne. A thematic analysis revealed three superordinate themes: coping strategies, self-perceptions and interpersonal relationships. Results revealed the utility of researching visible acne in emerging adulthood, including the use of multiple coping strategies. Health psychologists need to consider individual differences for young adults who are living with a visible difference. The importance of the peer group and family is also explicated.

Children who grow up in war zones are typically exposed to multiple stressors including physical harm, intimidation or other forms of psychological trauma. This can also lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. On the other hand, resilient children show no psychiatric distress even when they are exposed to severe traumatic stress. Additionally, the number of refugee children due to warfare reasons is increasing. Past empirical studies have recognized that the process of migration and living life as a refugee is detrimental to the psychological health of young refugees. In this symposium we will examine the prevalence and determinants of resiliency among refugee children and children living in conditions of war and violence. The first study investigated the psychological, social and somatic effects of chronic traumatic experience on Palestinian children over six years (2000-2006). The sample consisted of 1,137 children who completed: Checklist of Traumatic Experiences, Symptoms of PTSD Scale, Network of Psycho-Social Support and Personality Assessment Questionnaire. It was found that 41% of the participants suffered from PTSD. From these 25% suffered from cognitive symptoms; 22% suffered from emotional symptoms; 22% suffered from social behavioral problems; 17% suffered from academic and 14% suffered from somatic symptoms. The support of family, friends, relatives and teachers, and positive personality traits were found to be strong protective factors aiding recovery from trauma and PTSD. The second study evaluated the relation of exposure to war traumas, and violence in the family, community, and school, to PTSD symptoms, emotional and behavioral problems amongst 330 Palestinian children. Results highlight the additive effects of exposure to war traumas and violence in different settings. In addition, it was found that psychosocial support reduced the effects of environmental factors in developing PTSD and behavioral problems. The third study included data from two r