NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Sexual Offending: Barriers to Successful Reintegration and the Need for Reform in the Irish Context
No full textThe focus of this research dissertation was to analyse the potentials barriers to the successful reintegration of sexual offenders with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). By assessing these barriers this dissertation aimed to examine if the association between ACEs and sexual offending should be recognised by legislators and penal policy makers when implementing new legislative changes and if reform is necessary in the Republic of Ireland.
By using a desk-based research approach to answer these research questions, the existing literature suggested that treatment programmes without a trauma informed approach, biased public perceptions and punitive post-release legislation were three significant barriers to the successful reintegration of sex offenders with a history of ACEs. The literature points to a series of measures that should counteract the impacts of these barriers and so recommendations were made for the implementation of trauma-informed care treatment programmes, restorative justice, and involving the public in legislative changes as necessary reforms to improve the reintegration of sex offenders with a history of adverse childhood experiences.
The Republic of Ireland was analysed to assess whether these barriers were in need of reform through the available research. This analysis found that these barriers were uniquely imbedded within the legislation and penal policies of this jurisdiction. The sex offender treatment programme used in Ireland, the BBL, fails to acknowledge a history of trauma in these offenders, the public perceptions are only recently beginning to emerge after the Catholic Church sex abuse scandals although they appear to be punitive and the recent changes in post release legislation suggest Ireland is following a penal populist approach whereby evidence based legislation is not apparent and rather it is going in the direction of punishing these offenders further while research points to this been counterproductive. The recommendations made throughout this dissertation were assessed for their applicability to Ireland and appear to be viable options if there is an acknowledgement of the necessity to implement them although like other jurisdictions it appears that this may take some time as the evidence between ACEs and sex offending is only beginning to emerge since the first ACEs study 25 years ago
Self-control, goal interference, and the binge-watching experience: An event reconstruction study
No full textHigh-speed internet connections and online streaming services gave rise to the possibility to binge-watch multiple television shows in one sitting. Binge-watching can be characterized as a problematic behavior but also as
an enjoyable way to engage with television shows. This study investigates whether self-control explains the
valence of binge-watching experiences as measured using the event reconstruction method. The study tests
whether lower levels of trait self-control predict higher levels of negative affect and lower levels of positive affect
during binge-watching. Additionally, the study tests whether these relationships are mediated by situational
aspects of self-control (plans, goal interference, or automaticity). Regression analyses show that participants with
higher trait self-control report lower levels of tiredness, boredom, guilt, and sadness when binge-watching
compared to less self-controlled participants. These associations are partly explained by binge-watching interfering less with higher order goals for highly self-controlled participants. Lower levels of trait self-control are also
associated with a stronger increase in happiness on initiating binge-watching and increased feelings of guilt after
binge-watching. Overall, the study suggests that binge-watching is particularly pleasant when it does not
interfere with other goals, which is more likely the case for individuals with high trait self-control
Prevalence of Psychological Distress Among Working-Age Adults in the United States, 1999–2018
No full textObjectives. To test whether the prevalence of reported psychological distress increased among
working-age adults in the United States between 1999 and 2018.
Methods. I examined psychological distress in the past 30 days using the Kessler-6 Distress Scale,
completed by 403 223 participants aged 25 to 64 years across 20 annual waves of the National Health
Interview Study conducted from 1999 to 2018. I examined overall and demographic-specific trends.
Results. The prevalence of psychological distress in the past 30 days increased from 16.1% in
1999–2000 to 22.6% in 2017–2018, an increase of 6.5 percentage points (95% confidence interval
[CI]55.6, 7.3) or 40% from 1999–2000 levels. Statistically significant increases in the prevalence of
distress were observed across all age, gender, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment subgroups
examined. Rates of serious psychological distress increased from 2.7% in 1999–2000 to 4% in
2017–2018, an increase of 1.3 percentage points (95% CI50.9, 1.6).
Conclusions. Since 1999, there has been an upward trend in reported psychological distress among
working-aged adults in the United States. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(7):1045–1049. https://doi.org/
10.2105/AJPH.2022.306828
Worker Stress, Burnout, and Wellbeing Before and During the COVID-19 Restrictions in the United Kingdom
No full textCOVID-19 created a transformational shift in the working environment for much of the labour force, yet its impact on workers is unclear. This study uses longitudinal data to examine the wellbeing of 621 full-time workers assessed before (November 2019–February 2020) and during (May–June 2020) the first lockdown in the United Kingdom. We employ fixed effects analyses to investigate the impact of the restrictions and mandatory homeworking on cognitive, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. Within the sample, the rate of full-time homeworking increased from 2 to 74% between waves. We identify significant changes in 9 of the 15 measures assessed, with a general pattern of improvements in wellbeing during lockdown. Overall levels of stress, self-rated mental health, positive emotions and life and job satisfaction are not adversely affected by the restrictions. There is a reduction in the burnout symptoms of disengagement (−0.13 sd) and exhaustion (−0.20 sd) and in the frequency with which negative emotions are experienced at work (−0.15 sd). Workers feel more autonomous (+0.09 sd), closer to their co-workers (+0.10 sd), and more attached to their organisations (+0.19 sd). However, homelife satisfaction declines (−0.11 sd). These findings highlight the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale transition to homeworking was associated with unchanged or improved worker wellbeing. This study has important implications for governments and employers regarding a global shift to homeworking
Sharing data to better understand one of the world's most significant shared experiences: data resource profile of the longitudinal COVID-19 psychological research consortium (C19PRC) study
No full textThis paper serves to alert IJPDS readers to the availability of a major new longitudinal
survey data resource, the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study, which
is being released for secondary use via the Open Science Framework. The C19PRC Study is a rich
and detailed dataset that provides a convenient and valuable foundation from which to study the
social, political, and health status of European adults during an unprecedented time of change as a
direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit. Here, we provide an overview of the C19PRC
Study design, with the purpose of stimulating interest about the study among social scientists and
maximising use of this resource
A Review of the Supports Available to Third-Level Programming Students in Ireland
No full textComputer Science and programming courses are generally considered to be difficult, particularly for students in the first year of a third-level course. As such, it is an important role to support these students as they begin their education in order to better cement their learning, and to reduce drop-out rates and other early issues. In Ireland, many third-level institutions offer additional dedicated supports to their Computer Science and programming students to augment the traditional lectures, tutorials, and laboratory sessions. This paper provides a review of the current state of Computer Science Support in Ireland. It features case studies from a sample of six third-level institutions, with authors from each institution detailing the support services they offer to their students. A survey was also sent to all third-level institutions in Ireland, asking for feedback about their support services (or lack thereof). Fifteen responses were received from institutions who provide additional supports (no responses were received from institutions without). From the results of this survey, and the authors' personal perspectives and experience, recommendations will be made for those looking to develop their own support services, or to improve upon existing ones. Some of the key findings from this survey are that
most supports in Ireland come in the form of dedicated tutors or support centres, more
support is offered on average earlier in undergraduate degrees and that most
respondents agree that we need to support novice programmers. Some of the
recommendations include all institutions offering some form of support service, offering
it as a free service and ensuring all ability levels are catered for. Advertising the service
appropriately is also important.
It is the correct time to undertake such a review due to the continued growth of
Computer Science as a subject, not only at third level, but now also at second level
with the introduction of Computer Science to the Leaving Certificate options. Further
work is ongoing in this area, with both a national group setup and an annual workshop
planned to enter its second iteration in 2022
All about that trait: Examining extraversion and state anxiety during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using a machine learning approach
No full textWe examine the longitudinal relation between extraversion and state anxiety in a large cohort of New York City (NYC) residents using a linguistic analytical machine learning approach. Anxiety, both state and trait, and Big Five personality traits were predicted using micro-blog data on the Twitter platform. In total, we examined 1336 individuals and a total of 200,289 observations across 246 days. We find that before the onset of SARS-CoV-2 in NYC (before 1st March 2020), extraverts experienced lower state anxiety compared to introverted individuals, while this difference shrinks after the onset of the pandemic, which provides evidence that SARS-COV-2 is affecting all individuals regardless of their extraversion trait disposition. Secondly, a longitudinal examination of the presented data shows that extraversion seems to matter more greatly in the early days of the crisis and towards the end of our examined time range. We interpret results within the unique SARS-CoV-2 context and discuss the relationship between SARS-COV-2 and individual differences, namely personality traits. Finally, we discuss results and outline the limitations of our approach
Herodotus, Hegel, and knowledge
No full textThis article locates Hegel’s understanding of the nature ofknowledge in various contexts (Hegel’s logical system, Kantianidealism, the Enlightenment ideal ofencyclopaedia) and applies itspecifically to his systematic classification of histories. Here Hegellabels Herodotus an“original”historian, and hence incapable ofthe broader vision and self-reflexive method of a“philosophical”historian like Hegel himself. This theoretical classification is notquite in accord with Hegel’s actual appropriation of material fromHerodotus’s narrative for his own purposes. These appropriationspoint in complex ways to dimensions of the“Father of History”which are proto-Hegelian, as well as to other dimensions whichare not
What’s the (digital) story? Engaging with practitioners through alternative and participatory forms of adult education
No full textThis research is a study into educational potential of digital storytelling (DST), a participatory narrative approach, to promote learning practices that are consistent with critical and liberatory ethos of community adult education. Qualitative participatory research in the format of digital storytelling workshops was conducted with six practitioners who work or volunteer in adult and community education context. My research argues that digital storytelling, as multimodal visual method, has an enormous potential to instil and promote participatory co-learning and the ethos of critical pedagogy, in this inclusive and diverse context.
My findings support the argument of appropriateness and potential of narrative pedagogy for adult learning. They contend that narrative and visual methods feature prominently in the teaching arsenal of the community education practitioners. This research also demonstrates the untapped potential of digital resources and urgency to approach the use of learning technologies in this context in a critical and creative manner.
This study outlines the findings that indicate that the multimodal and dialogical character of digital storytelling has the potential to enhance learning processes and instil deep personal growth that facilitates reflective practice and an increase in self-esteem. Digital storytelling also facilitates participatory research methodology, grounded in critical theory and humanistic learning, that fosters mutual learning and partnership.
Finally, this research reinstates the contested nature of adult community education, admirable resourcefulness and creativity of community education practitioners confronted with continuous lack of recognition and support for the sector
Institutional logics analysis in higher education research
No full textWhile institutional logics theory has increasingly been applied in higher
education research, especially in the past five years, agreement is
lacking on how to approach institutional logics analysis. This results in
proliferating institutional logics in higher education studies and often
confuses newcomers to the field as to how to use institutional logics in
their empirical research. As a response to this situation, our study
outlines the state-of-the-art application of institutional logics in higher
education studies through scrutinising 59 articles that apply
institutional logics in organisation studies in the field of higher
education. Specifically, we ask the following research questions: What
approaches to institutional logics analysis are used in higher education
studies? What institutional logics are identified/applied in higher
education studies? What challenges are evident in applying institutional
logics in higher education studies? How does the use of institutional
logics in higher education research contribute to institutional logics
theory? The most profound outcomes of our literature analysis are: First,
we construct a novel typology of approaches to institutional logics
analysis that is positioned on two-dimensions: the reasoning applied
(deductive vs. inductive), and the level at which the logic is examined
(societal vs. field/local); Second, we create an exhaustive list of
institutional logics (over 50) applied and identified in these studies;
Third, we discover major challenges in using institutional logics in
higher education research. Finally, we clearly define societal-level and
field-level logics and suggest a rationalisation of institutional logics
approaches in order to fully utilise the explanatory power of
institutional logics