NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Accessing community dementia care services in Ireland: Emotional barriers for caregivers
No full textDespite the benefits of utilising community-based care services (CBS) for people with dementia and their caregiver being well established, people with dementia and caregivers use fewer services in comparison to other people in need of care. While societal, cultural and logistical factors effecting caregiver use of CBS are frequently studied,
research of internal emotional barriers, mental limitations created by one's own self that prevents open communication of thoughts and feelings, and their effect on CBS use is
limited. This paper explores internal emotional barriers on caregivers' use of CBS within the Irish Healthcare System. Professional Healthcare Providers were also interviewed
as a preliminary indicator of their awareness of these internal emotional barriers and their impact on caregivers' use of CBS. Using interpretive description methodology,
interviews with 20 caregivers and fourteen dementia professional healthcare providers were transcribed and a thematic analysis methodology applied to illuminate themes/
patterns within participants’ subjective perceptions of caregivers emotional barriers to using CBS. Four themes emerge: reluctance to question general practitioner (GP)
authority; embarrassment during level of care requirement reviews; sense of obligation to provide all care; and fear of stigma. Caregivers interviewed were reluctant to
communicate concerns with professional healthcare providers (PHPs), thereby reducing the PHP’s awareness of these barriers and delaying/preventing use of CBS. As key
gatekeepers within the care pathway, GPs should address the uneven power dynamic with the caregiver through user-centred models of care, which actively encourage open
dialogue, and receive training to identify the indicative behaviours of internal emotional barriers and empower the caregiver to communicate their feelings/concerns directly
A Sixteenth-century Irish Collection of Remedies for Ailments of the Male Reproductive Organs
No full textThis article presents an edition, translation and discussion of an Irish collection of cures for ailments of the male reproductive organs. The collection, now preserved in RIA MS 23 N 29 (467), originally formed part of a much larger medical treatise found in RIA MS 24 B 3 (445), a composite codex written primarily by the North Connacht physician Conla Mac an Leagha in the early sixteenth century. While most of the therapeutic remedies examined here simply call for different herbal and animal ingredients, the text also includes verbal incantations and other instructions that
might be described as ritualistic in nature, some of which are of interest for their wider literary resonances. This material is significant not only for the insight that it provides into the transmission of late antique medical learning in premodern Ireland, but also for our understanding of the relationship between medical remedy
collections compiled in various medieval vernaculars
Context, design and conduct of the longitudinal COVID‐19 psychological research consortium study–wave 3
No full textObjectives: The COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study aims to assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the adult population in multiple countries. This paper describes the third wave of the UK survey (the
‘parent’ strand of the Consortium) during July‐August 2020.
Methods: Adults (N = 2025) who participated in the baseline and/or first follow‐up surveys were reinvited to participate in this survey, which assessed: (1) COVID‐19 related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours; (2) the occurrence of common mental disorders; as well as the role of (3) psychological factors and (4) social and political
attitudes, in influencing the public’s response to the pandemic. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure that the cross‐sectional sample
is nationally representative in terms of gender, age, and household income, and representative of the baseline sample characteristics for household composition,
ethnicity, urbanicity and born/raised in UK.
Results: 1166 adults (57.6% of baseline participants) provided full interviews at Wave 3. The raking procedure successfully re‐balanced the cross‐sectional sample
to within 1% of population estimates across selected socio‐demographic characteristics.
Conclusion: This paper demonstrates the strength of the C19PRC Study data to facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research addressing important public
health questions relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic
Optimal Deployment of Tethered Drones for Maximum Cellular Coverage in User Clusters
No full textUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have recently received a significant interest to assist terrestrial wireless networks thanks to their strong line-of-sight links and flexible/instant deployment. However, UAVs' assistance is limited by their battery lifetime and wireless backhaul link capacity. At the expense of limited mobility, tethered UAVs (T-UAVs) can be a viable alternative to provide seamless service over a cable that simultaneously supplies power and data from a ground station (GS). Accordingly, this paper presents a comparative performance analysis of T-UAV and regular/untethered UAV (U-UAV)-assisted cellular traffic offloading from a geographical area that undergoes heavy traffic conditions. By using stochastic geometry tools, we first derive joint distance distributions between the hot-spot users, the terrestrial base station (TBS), and the UAV. To maximize the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio, a user association policy is developed, and corresponding association regions are analytically identified. Then, the overall coverage probability of the U-UAV/T-UAV-assisted system is derived for given locations of the TBS and the U-UAV/T-UAV. Moreover, we analytically prove that optimal UAV location falls within a partial surface of the spherical cone centered at the GS. Numerical results show that T-UAV outperforms U-UAV given that sufficient GS locations accessibility and tether length are provided
The international trauma questionnaire (ITQ) measures reliable and clinically significant treatment-related change in PTSD and complex PTSD
No full textBackground: The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is a validated measure that assesses ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD). An important task is to determine whether the ITQ is an appropriate evaluative measure for clinical trials.
Objective: To assess the psychometric properties of the ITQ in the context of treatment and determine if the ITQ measures reliable and clinically significant change over the course of a psychosocial intervention.
Method: Analyses were based on data from an online skills training programme delivered to 254 U.S. Veterans. Reliability and validity of the ITQ scores were assessed at baseline. Changes in symptom scores and probable diagnostic rates were compared at pre-, mid- and post-treatment. A reliable change index (RCI) score was computed to classify participants as improved, unchanged, or worsened. The PCL-5 was used as a comparison measure.
Results: Baseline concurrent and factorial validity was similar to previous studies. Internal
consistency at each assessment was excellent and comparable to the PCL-5. Decline in symptoms from pre-to-post-treatment was significant for PTSD and CPTSD symptom profiles.
Rate of probable disorder (PTSD or CPTSD) declined significantly from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Pre-to-post treatment declines exceeded the critical RCI values for the ITQ. Clinically significant changes were observed where most participants improved, some stayed the same,
and few worsened. The performance of the ITQ was consistent with the PCL-5 regarding sensitivity to change.
Conclusion: This study provides the first demonstration that the ITQ measures reliable and clinically significant treatment-related change of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD symptoms
Investigating the employee–customer relationship in a utilitarian context.
No full textThis research, drawing on dyadic data, is one of the first to assess the significance of employee satisfaction in driving customer satis-faction and service quality within a utilitarian context. Multi-level structural equation modelling is employed to analyse 974 custo-mers directly matched to 95 employees across 15 retail grocery stores. Our key empirical finding is that within a utilitarian context, and using a multi-level approach, employee satisfaction does not have a significant direct effect on either customer satisfaction or customer service quality perceptions. Perceptions of price competi-tiveness assume a more significant role in both customer satisfac-tion and service quality perceptions than employee satisfaction. Utilitarian store managers should focus their efforts on appropriate service strategies where employee satisfaction still plays a key role
Commentary: Challenges and opportunities in autism assessment – a commentary on Kanne and Bishop (2020)
No full textKanne and Bishop’s (2020) Editorial Perspective ‘The Autism waitlist crisis and remembering what families need’ offers a strong argument to provide greater access to high-quality assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They note, correctly, that due to increasing numbers of referrals practitioners are under increasing pressure to provide quicker or abbreviated evaluations, that some cases are extremely complex and require considerable expertise to assess, and that a good assessment is a good investment in effective intervention. I agree with these points but also want to highlight some difficulties and dilemmas associated with the assessment of ASD; and to argue that improving access to assessments and interventions through the use of non-specialists and new technologies may be a promising direction
Electric vehicles lithium-ion batteries reverse logistics implementation barriers analysis: A TISM-MICMAC approach
No full textEnd of life (EoL) management of the electric vehicles lithium-ion batteries (EVs-LIBs) has become a vital part of circular economy practices, especially in the European Union (EU). Consequently, manufacturers must develop EoL management of EVs-LIBs through reverse logistics (RLs) activities, which are bounded with many implementation barriers. Although several studies have been accomplished for RLs barrier analysis in various industries, less attention has been devoted to identifying and systematically analysing barriers of EVs-LIBs RLs. The purpose of this study is to identify a comprehensive list of the main barriers to the successful implementation of EVs-LIBs RLs practices. Based on the inputs from European industrial experts, an integrated approach of Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) was applied to develop a hierarchical model based on the defined barrier categories. Finally, the most dominant barrier categories to the successful implementation of RLs activities for EVs-LIBs were prioritised to provide insights to industrial decision-makers and policymakers. Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey, which was distributed to various experts in EVs-LIBs manufacturing/recycling and EVs manufacturing companies. The findings revealed that ‘market and social’, and ‘policy and regulations’ categories are the two most influencing barriers to the implementation of EVs-LIBs RLs. This study lays the foundation for future research on the RLs activities for EVs-LIBs in a time that EU regulations on the circular economy are mandating all auto manufacturing companies to deal with their EoL wastes
Welfare: A Reply to Fred Powell and to Charles O'Sullivan and Ciara Fitzpatrick
No full textThank you for both your responses, your respectful engagement with the
paper and positive comments on its significance. Professor Fred Powell claims
I have made a courageous attempt to address welfare state convergence in
Northern Ireland and Ireland, but that my assessment of the core models as
‘broadly neoliberal in character’ is fundamentally erroneous. My assessment
of some convergence (albeit with obvious divergence) is limited to an assessment of social security arrangements—the focus of my paper and of Ciara
Fitzpatrick and Charles O Sullivan’s recent ARINS paper.
Traumatic life events as risk factors for psychosis and ICD-11 complex PTSD: a gender-specific examination
No full textBackground: Numerous studies found robust associations between psychosis and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but few have examined the relationships between psychosis and recently formulated ICD-11 Complex PTSD (CPTSD). Further, no known study has examined the
effects of different traumatic life events on CPTSD and psychotic-like symptoms in a manner that permits gender-specific effects to be identified.
Objective: Using a nationally representative sample of 1,020 Irish adults, we examined gender-differences in (a) psychotic-like symptoms, CPTSD, and exposure to 21 different traumatic life events, and (b) the unique associations between different traumas with CPTSD and Psychosis.
Method: Bivariate analyses and structural equation modelling were performed.
Results: Consistent with the literature, no gender differences were observed in psychotic-like
symptoms. Females reported slightly higher levels of CPTSD and were more likely to be exposed to sexual and emotional abuse, whereas men reported greater exposure to physical
violence, accidents, and disasters. Psychosis symptoms were explained by trauma exposure to a considerate degree and at a level similar to CPTSD; a moderate correlation was also found between CPTSD and Psychosis. Physical/emotional neglect was the only traumatic life event
that significantly and most strongly predicted both conditions. Two gender-specific associations between different traumatic life events and CPTSD and Psychosis were identified out of the 42 possible effects modelled.
Conclusions: The present investigation provides initial evidence that psychotic-like symptoms and CPTSD are moderately correlated constructs in the general population. Results also highlight the importance of conducting a detailed assessment of trauma history for all clients
presenting with symptoms of CPTSD, psychosis, or bot