980 research outputs found
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Applying Pleck's model of paternal involvement to the study of preschool attachment quality: a proof of concept study
No full textRecent re-conceptualisation of paternal involvement (Pleck, J. H. (2010). Paternal involvement: Revised conceptualization and theoretical linkages with child outcomes. In M. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (5th ed., pp. 67-107). London: Wiley), while proving fruitful, has yet to be applied to investigations into what extent a father's level of involvement may affect child?peer interactions in the preschool age range, over and above the effects of mother?child attachment quality and socio-economic status (SES). Patterns of associations between attachment quality, sensitivity and general caregiving behaviours have also yet to be compared in equally involved mothers and fathers. Thirty preschool children (17 males:13 females) with similar SES profiles and their immediate caregivers participated in hour-long observations, conducted in the home. Even when attachment quality was controlled for, children with low paternal involvement were found to have higher levels of child?peer aggression. Further, patterns of effects between caregiver sensitivity, child?caregiver attachment quality and general caregiver interactions were similar for equally involved mothers and fathers. These preliminary data support the concept of applying Pleck's (2010) re-conceptualisation of paternal involvement to preschool attachment, and have implications towards the wider study of child?father attachment. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed
Understanding service users’ and therapists’ experiences of pharmacological treatment for sexual preoccupation and/or hypersexuality in incarcerated sex offenders
No full textThis research comprises two qualitative studies understanding the experiences of (1) convicted sex offenders voluntarily receiving pharmacological treatment to reduce sexual preoccupation and (2) therapists working with these offenders. The studies form part of a research programme evaluating the use of pharmacological treatment with sexual offenders. In study one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 sexual offenders receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. In study two, interviews were conducted with eight intervention staff with varying levels of experience of working with offenders taking anti-libidinals. Thematic analysis was used and in study one, two main themes emerged: (i) the impact of the pharmacological treatment on prisoners’ daily functioning; (ii) barriers to compliance/engagement. In study two, three main themes emerged: (i) offenders’ reluctance to engage with pharmacological treatment; (ii) challenges for therapists; (iii) pharmacology: ‘just another piece of the puzzle’. Findings are discussed in relation to practice and future research
Life disruptions following breast cancer
No full textThirty six breast cancer survivors (17 Romanian and 19 English) with a mean age of 58 years took part in in-depth interviews relating to life disruptions following the diagnosis. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The resultant themes reflected illness continuum challenges such as the breast loss, clothing and use of cosmetic purchases, sexuality, fear of recurrence, devaluation, lack of medical information and stigmatisation. The trajectory of breast cancer survivorship is a mobile process and there is a variety of needs and challenges defined by the nature of psychological adaptation to the new social status as survivor which should be encompassed in intervention development
Is belief in god a matter of public concern in contemporary Wales? An empirical enquiry concerning religious diversity among 13- to 15-year-old males
No full textThis study traces the changing face of religious diversity in Wales from the conceptualization of diversity in denominational attendance, in the exercise undertaken alongside the 1851 census, to the conceptualization of diversity in self-assigned religious affiliation included in the 2001 census. An alternative conceptualization of religious diversity is proposed in terms of belief rather than in terms of attendance or affiliation. Using quantitative data gathered between 2011 and 2012 this alternative conceptualization is tested among a survey of 1,124 male students (13 to 15 years of age) attending state-maintained schools in Wales. The data demonstrate significant differences between the worldviews of young theists and the worldviews of young atheists. The young theists espouse a more positive view of pluralism in contemporary Wales, including both cultural diversity and religious diversity. The conclusion is drawn that religious belief promotes, rather than detracts from, social cohesion. In this sense, religious belief may be construed as a matter of public concern in contemporary Wales
Correlates of dream recall: Implications for confabulation
No full textThis investigation aimed to characterize the personality profile of dream-recallers using a psychometrically-validated measure of dream remembering (the MED-Q) (Horton & Conway, 2009), and considered these relationships in terms of confabulation: the tendency to confuse reality with imaginings and thus create false memories. In Experiment 1, 221 participants completed the MED-Q and a battery of personality measures online. The MED-Q significantly correlated with personality dimensions such as openness, thin boundaries, and fantasy-proneness, reinforcing previous findings. Experiment 2 involved participants (N = 45) recalling a previously-read story, providing measures of true recall and confabulation. A significant relationship was found between the MED-Q (“Awareness of dreaming” factor) and confabulation, but not with other memory scores. Thus, the personality profile described in Experiment 1 gives rise to a tendency to confabulate, reflect upon or rehearse personal memories, as opposed to improving the recall of autobiographical memories, which in turn may lead to an increased awareness of dreaming (Experiment 2). This not only reinforces the overlap between dreaming and constructive autobiographical memory processes, but also acts as a warning to interpret freely recalled dreams with substantial caution
“Hope crept in”: a phenomenological study of mentally ill artists’ biographic narrative
No full textBackground: The ways in which involvement in art practice may support a recovery trajectory in the lives of the mentally ill are well documented although evidence is charged with lacking clarity and of being inconclusive. Numerous studies, however, indicate benefits such as cognitive distraction; “derailing” of negative thinking patterns; increased social capital; and enhanced sense of belonging.
Aims: This study used narrative interviews to explore what meanings were made by people with mental health difficulties of engaging in an ongoing visual art practice.
Methods: Phenomenological Interpretative Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse 50 interviews. Two superordinate themes of regression and progression were identified through which to explore the shifts in narrative between exploring one’s past and looking ahead to the future. In this context, the theme of hope emerged, and the research explored the ways in which the individual’s art practice was implicated in engendering and sustaining it.
Results: Results suggest that artistic activity facilitated a contained autobiographical analysis and a reimagining of oneself in the future, in which hope played a fundamental part.
Conclusion: This research suggests that a dialectic between despair and hope is facilitated by the autobiographic elements of an art practice. Through this movement from a perceived static past to a more fluid future is experienced
Spirituality and aging in place: the impact of extreme climatic conditions on domestic gardening practice
No full textThere is limited research exploring how domestic water restrictions imposed as a result of drought conditions impact upon the lives of independently living older people. Within this age group (60 years plus), the domestic garden frequently forms an intrinsic component of ongoing health and well-being. Gardening practice offers components of both mental and physical activity and, for many older people, leads to emotional and spiritual connection on a number of levels. The capacity of older people to maintain a garden during a period of water restrictions is greatly reduced, and the resulting impact on health and well-being is considerable. A recent study, conducted in south-eastern Australia, aimed to determine the benefits to health and well-being of maintaining a domestic garden for older people and the impact of water restrictions on garden practice. This occurred at a time following a prolonged period of drought and, in central Victoria, a complete ban on outside watering. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 gardeners aged between 60 and 83 who had tended their garden over an extended period. The lived experience of gardening was explored through hermeneutic phenomenological analysis. Clear benefits to health and well-being were established, and yet, the essence of this experience lay in the capacity of gardeners to remain connected to their garden despite change. The crisis imposed by ongoing drought and restricted use of water generated a strong impetus for adaptation, resilience and acceptance of change. The spiritual nature of gardening practice clearly emerged and appeared to intensify the experience of gardening and consolidate adaption to change on a number of levels
educationUndergraduate: Journal of undergraduate research in education (Volume 6)
No full textEdited by John Sharp and Ellie Foster.
Contents: ‘Let’s Discuss It’: Group Discussions as a Tool for Learning by Bethanie Eve; Exploring Parent Experiences and Perceptions of Childhood Brain Injury by Stephanie Stow; ‘Do-Re-Mi’: Can You Hear the Sound of Music in the Classroom? by Jacqueline Cotton; Perceptions of Homophobic Language Use within a Secondary School Implementing the Stonewall ‘Tackling Homophobic Language’ Resources by Lisa Edwards; Voice and Choice: An Investigation into Ways of Overcoming Boys’ Resistance to Engaging with Choirs by Richard Gombault
Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for Work-related Wellbeing and Job Performance: A Randomised Controlled Trial
No full textDue to its potential to concurrently improve work-related wellbeing (WRW) and job performance, occupational stakeholders are becoming increasingly interested in the applications of meditation. The present study conducted the first randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of meditation on outcomes relating to both WRW and job performance. Office-based middle-hierarchy managers (n = 152) received an eight-week meditation intervention (Meditation Awareness Training; MAT) or an active control intervention. MAT participants demonstrated significant and sustainable improvements (with strong effect sizes) over control-group participants in levels of work-related stress, job satisfaction, psychological distress, and employer-rated job performance. There are a number of novel implications: (i) meditation can effectuate a perceptual shift in how employees experience their work and psychological environment and may thus constitute a cost-effective WRW intervention, (ii) meditation-based (i.e., present-moment-focussed) working styles may be more effective than goal-based (i.e., future-orientated) working styles, and (iii) meditation may reduce the separation made by employees between their own interests and those of the organizations they work for
Space-times of teachers’ journeys for knowledge
No full textBuilding on a pilot study (Puttick, 2012), this article reports findings from ethnographic research of three secondary school geography departments in England. The focus here is on the space-times of teachers’ journeys for knowledge