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Remembering Patsy Healey: Inspirations, encounters and enduring impacts- Introduction: Making visible the unseen actions of academic community building
No full textUnderstanding criminogenic features: Case studies of cryptocurrencies based financial crimes
Get PDFThe primary objective of this paper is to comprehensively examine the intricate relationship between cryptocurrency and criminal enterprises, shedding light on the methods, mechanisms, and implications of cryptocurrency use in various financial crimes. Based on the theory of planned behaviour, this paper conducts a thematic analysis and criminal investigation on 51 cryptocurrency-related financial crime cases to identify criminogenic features of cryptocurrencies, key tools, and features of cryptocurrency-related financial crimes. Based on the case study, policy-changing recommendations and big-data analytics tools are proposed for law enforcement agencies to prevent and combat cryptocurrency crimes. The criminal investigation indicates that the decentralisation, pseudo-anonymity, and borderless nature of cryptocurrencies enable cross-border financial flows and make transaction tracking a complex challenge. Popularity and market capitalisation used to play a dominant role in criminals’ choice of cryptocurrency as Bitcoin was associated with most cryptocurrency-related crimes before 2019. Recently, an increasing number of other cryptocurrencies, such as privacy coins and stablecoins, have been utilised for financial crimes, while cryptocurrencies have also become an essential source of terrorist financing. Therefore, it is important and urgent for cryptocurrency exchange companies, mixing services, and wallet providers to implement strict anti-money laundering and know-your-customer measures to help combat cryptocurrency-related crimes and create a sustainable future for cryptocurrencies. Due to the open access to cryptocurrency transaction data on the blockchain, powerful big-data analytics tools can help law enforcement departments proactively detect cryptocurrency-related crimes and reduce terrorism’ threats to domestic and international security
What influences the use of research by the adult social care workforce?
Get PDFDespite a recognition that research evidence plays a critical role in informing decisions in adult social care, there has been little investment in developing the sector’s own capacity to engage with it. This article reports on a qualitative study of the adult social care workforce (social workers, occupational therapists, managers and commissioners) in three local authorities in England. Data were collected through twenty-five semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and analysed iteratively using thematic analysis. The interviews explored participants’ understanding and use of research in adult social care. Four key influences on research use were identified: time; accessibility; skills and confidence; and organisational support. Finding time was the most frequently cited barrier. This was exacerbated by the difficulties participants described in finding research that was trusted and relevant. Protected time was regarded as essential, and both organisations and individuals had a role in ensuring that time was available to engage with research. Participants identified skills gaps, including how to read, critically appraise and apply evidence from research. The findings confirm an appetite within the workforce for developing the skills and confidence to make more use of research but suggest that achieving this requires organisational support and access to resources
"The nurse told her to get checked more regularly because she is having sex with Black men": An exploration of the sexual health experiences of Black heterosexual men in London
Get PDFDrivers of poor sexual health outcomes amongst Black heterosexual man are poorly understood. Previous research has identified a need to understand Black men’s behavioral experiences and motivators in the UK. This study aimed to address this gap through a phenomenological exploration of the sexual health experiences and motivators of Blackheterosexual men with experience of higher-risk sexual behaviors living in London. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 participants (18-58 years) recruited through barbershops. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Five themes were generated. For relevance, three themes are discussed in this paper: 1) The Black Man’s Battle; 2) Sexual Socialization; and 3) Sexual Behaviors, Relationships and Health. Race and gender combined to shape experience of sexual socialization. Exposure to explicit media content from a young age promoted multiple sexual partners. Racist sexual stereotypes exposed participants to fetishization and created pressure to meet sexual expectations. Condom use motivators were complex and multifaceted. Experience of institutional racism created a lack of trust in services. However, actual experiences with sexual health services were positive and counteracted the mistrust created by racism. Sexual health services should better tailor their work to Black heterosexual men and diversify their offer. Services should collaborate with Black community organizations to deliver services outside clinical settings
Assessing gender essentialist beliefs towards youth athletes: Development and preliminary validation of the gender essentialist beliefs towards girls in sport scale (GEGS)
Get PDFDespite evidence refuting the legitimacy of inherent and unchanging qualities and the existence of a gender sport continuum, a prevailing gender essentialist ideology persists among coaches. This ideology perpetuates the belief in a binary, hierarchical, and static structure of gender, which imparts higher cultural and social values to men's sport compared to women's and impacts girls’ development, participation, and enjoyment in sport. Some interventions have been proposed to address this issue; however, at present, no validated scale exists to assess intervention outcomes related to coaches’ gender essentialist beliefs. The aim of the current study was therefore to develop and validate the Gender Essentialist Beliefs Towards Girls in Sport Scale (GEGS), to assess gender essentialism among sport coaches. Content validity was judged by a panel of experts (N = 4) and through interviews with coaches (N = 5) across various sports and experience levels. Following initial item iteration, the GEGS was assessed with 633 coaches for reliability and validity. The final scale comprised 20 items and showed good reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-item and item-total correlations), validity (convergent validity, differentiation between known groups), and factor structure. We also found partial support for the discriminant validity of the GEGS. Overall, the GEGS provides a valuable tool for addressing gender essentialism in sport coaching and informing coach education programs. Future research should further validate the scale and explore its sensitivity to change in gender essentialist beliefs over time
Exploring Black women’s experiences in psychotherapeutic training and practice in the UK
Get PDFBackground: Discussions around racial disparities and injustice have gained increasing prominence in psychotherapy and counselling research. However, research in this area has been criticised for its omission of Black women's experiences, including as counsellors and psychotherapeutic practitioners. Aims: This study explored and centred the experiences of Black women within therapeutic training and practice and particularly their navigation of gendered racism within training and clinical roles. Materials & Methods: Informed by the frameworks of critical race theory and Black feminist thought, this qualitative study used interviews, focus groups, and qualitative surveys to capture the experiences of 15 Black women (11 trainee and 4 qualified therapeutic practitioners). Results: We found that there is subtle racism in psychotherapeutic training and practice that hinders Black women's sense of belonging and professional development. The women's accounts highlighted how marginalised perspectives can be used to critique psychotherapeutic training and services, but participants faced silencing through victimisation after self‐advocating. The participants felt a sense of hypervisibility for their differences while also being excluded and overlooked for the same differences. Discussion: The study provides insights for educational institutions and professional bodies to foster inclusive practice for Black women in the counselling and psychotherapy profession. Conclusion: The data suggest that further research is needed that centres the experiences of Black women as therapeutic trainees and practitioners. Further research on white privilege in psychotherapeutic training and leadership, and examining resistance to changing current oppressive structures, is also needed
Physical activity support for people with heart failure: mixed-methods study protocol
No full textHeart failure (HF) is a common condition affecting 1-2 in every hundred adults in the UK and one in six people aged over 85 years. Physical activity is important for people with HF (PWHF) as it can increase exercise capacity and is shown to improve quality of life. We know that people with heart failure often seek advice from healthcare professionals about participating in physical activity safely, but healthcare professionals are not always sure what physical activity advice is best for their patients. It is also important to understand what physical activity services are available for healthcare professionals to refer patients to, and to explore how patients are referred into these physical activity services AIM: To explore the barriers and enablers to primary and community healthcare professionals (GPs and nurses) referring people with heart failure to community physical activity services. Mixed-methods study conducted across GP practices in England. The following approaches will be used: (i) in-depth qualitative interviews with GPs ( =12) and nurses ( =12) to understand their experiences of talking to people with heart failure about referral to physical activity services; (ii) find out what commissioned physical activity services are available to people with heart failure and how primary and community healthcare professionals can refer patients to the services; (iii) two workshops will be conducted to examine the findings with our stakeholders. The findings will be used to inform the development of an intervention for healthcare professionals referring to physical activity services and support the community service configuration. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025, The Authors.
Insights into the use of GRESB as an ESG benchmarking tool
Get PDFPurpose - Sustainability practices and reporting have consistently evolved over the years with trends towards more holistic approaches with respect to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). In the real estate sector over the last decade, GRESB (formerly known as Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) has become the leading global ESG benchmarking tool for real asset investments. However, it has attracted limited research, and this underpins this works’ motivation for the exploration of the perspectives of real estate stakeholders relating to the uptake and use of GRESB.Design/methodology/approach - The approach used in this study is qualitative in nature, adopting a phenomenological research design to capture the essence of the lived experiences of purposely sampled participants. This is done through an interpretative phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews. Findings - Legislation, regulation and risk management are the main motivations for engaging with ESG-related issues. The main benefit of GRESB is benchmarking, while the main weaknesses lie in the data collection and the undeveloped social component. Within data, the major challenges are observed for the transparency of performance data and overreliance on policies instead of performance. GRESB would benefit from the inclusion of (1) more detailed sustainability benchmarks relating to social and governance components, and (2) social value metrics in their overall assessment.Practical implications - Policymakers need to develop or support globally recognized reporting standards to increase the quality, accuracy, and comparability of ESG information. Originality - This is the first study on ESG reporting using a phenomenological research design
Treatment utilisation and satisfaction with management in individuals with osteoarthritis and metabolic multimorbidity: A cross‐sectional multi‐country study
Get PDFPurpose: To compare treatment utilisation for osteoarthritis (OA) and satisfaction with OA management between individuals with and without comorbid metabolic conditions (e.g., diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension). Methods: Secondary analysis of a cross‐sectional international survey study (Italy, Russia, Sweden) on people ≥ 40 years old with knee/hip OA. Metabolic comorbidity was self‐reported. We used direct standardisation with prevalence ratios and mixed‐effect models to estimate the associations between comorbidity with treatment utilisation and satisfaction (score 0–100). Results: We analysed 401 individuals (48% Sweden, 28% Italy, 24% Russia; 53% with ≥ 1 metabolic condition). Those with and without comorbid metabolic conditions showed similar prevalence for first‐line interventions (exercise, education, and weight management). Metabolically unhealthy individuals showed higher use of opioids (prevalence ratio [95% CI] 1.9 [1.3–2.4]), antidepressants (1.8 [1.1–2.5]), corticosteroid injections (1.4 [1.0−1.8]), and homoeopathic products (2.1 [1.2–3.0]). Satisfaction with care (adjusted difference: −3.9 [95% CI: −8.5 to 2.4]) and information received about treatments (−4.0 [−9.7 to 1.7]) were similar. Conclusions: While first‐line OA interventions were similarly used, those with metabolic conditions relied more on second‐line and non‐recommended treatments, showing comparable satisfaction. More effort is needed to increase the adoption of lifestyle‐focused treatments in OA and to minimise the use of less recommended options among individuals with metabolic comorbidities
Workplace violence is home now for healthcare workers: Spillover theory perspective
Get PDFIn recent years, workplace violence has become an escalating concern, particularly within the healthcare sector. Healthcare workers, who dedicate their lives to caring for others, are increasingly facing violence within their workplaces as evidenced by existing studies. However, literature overlooks complex associations between workplace violence, workplace stress, and domestic violence and stress. This article explores the phenomenon of workplace violence among healthcare workers through the lens of Spillover Theory and investigates impact of workplace violence on domestic stress with single and sequential mediation of workplace stress and domestic violence. Our findings of MEDTHREE analysis of time-lagged data indicate that individuals who experience workplace violence are more likely to exhibit stress, which ultimately becomes a cause of domestic violence. The study highlights how spillover theory can help to explain how workplace violence can trigger violence and stress in the home environment. The research highlights the need for a support system and targeted interventions to address the issue of workplace violence to mitigate its spillover effects into domestic violence. With the help of the findings, the organisational decision makers can develop comprehensive strategies to mitigate the harmful consequences of the workplace violence to provide safe and healthy environment at work and home settings