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Did you realise homosexual male (gay) relationships were only legalised 50 years ago?
Get PDFLesbian and gay men’s relationships are increasingly becoming part of the ‘wallpaper’ of our everyday lives and visible within popular culture. Turn on the telly or tune into the radio, chances are that the programmes are being presented by people who happen to be gay or lesbian. Popular soaps have story-lines that feature people in same-sex relationships facing ordinary issues, rather than narrow, sensationalist issues centring on their sexuality. Pop songs and music videos are equally inclusive. Take, for example, the track Symphony by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson (2017) depicting one man’s grief following the loss of his male lover who was killed in a bike accident. Gay male relationships are also visible in TV adverts such as McCain’s (2017) We Are Family, which portrays two gay dads. In addition, the Lloyds TSB (2017) Taking that Next Step advert features a gay man proposing to his male partner, representing how Lloyds TSB are there to support the key phases of their customers’ everyday lives, such as the birth of a child, first day at school, first teen kiss, and relatives grieving at a funeral. These are remarkable transformations that have taken place in a relatively short space of time. With the ubiquity of gay male relationships in popular culture it may seem hard to believe that homosexual male relationships were once a criminal offence and were only legalised 50 years ago in 1967
Parental and professional beliefs about the function of self-harm in young people
Get PDFThis thesis was completed as part of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. The research was based on the author’s prior clinical experience of supporting people who self-harmed. Self-harm is seemingly on the rise among young people, and support is often provided by parents or professionals. Chapter 1 of this thesis is a review of the literature exploring parental beliefs about the functions of self-harm. Using a systematic search, 8 papers were found and evaluated using a structured appraisal tool, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Most papers were of good quality. Synthesis of the findings indicated that parents hold a range of views about self-harm, with some misconceptions identified. Parents should be provided with accurate information on self-harm to ensure they are in the best position to support their children. Parents would also benefit from being provided with support for the feelings evoked by discovery of their child’s self-harm. Chapter 2 is an empirical study using Q-methodology to explore Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) staff beliefs about why young people self-harm. Twenty-five staff members from a range of professions completed Q-sorts, where they ranked 65 statements about self-harm in terms of relative agreement and disagreement. A large overlap in beliefs was found between all staff. Beyond this, two distinct accounts were identified; ‘self-harm is a private experience used for coping’ and ‘self-harm seeks connection with others’. Overall, CAMHS staff appear knowledgeable about self-harm. Future studies could aim to use Q-methodology with other populations such as alternative staff groups or young people who self-harm to explore their beliefs. Chapter 3 is an executive summary of the empirical paper, written in a more accessible style. This paper is aimed to be disseminated amongst CAMHS staff in the NHS Trusts where the research was undertaken
It's all about relationships: the role of adult attachment style and locus of control in predicting aggression and the likelihood of a person accommodating and reacting constructively to perceived negative events in intimate relationships.
Get PDFThe aim of this review was to examine research investigating links between adult attachment style and conflict resolution in intimate relationships. A relationship has been demonstrated between these variables in the research literature, but a critique of the methodology employed to gather such data, consideration of clinical implications from a clinical psychology and mental health perspective, and recommendations for future research has not been presented in a structured, systematically generated review, which is what this review report sets out to do. In May 2018 seven databases were searched and a hand search undertaken, which resulted in nine papers for review once inclusion and exclusion criteria had been applied. All papers were quantitative in design, with exploration of the relationship between adult attachment style and conflict resolution in intimate relationships, as main areas of focus. The evidence consistently suggests that those individuals who have a more secure attachment style demonstrate more displays of positive behaviour, less displays of negatively construed behaviour, use more mutually focussed conflict resolution strategies, and report having increased confidence in resolving conflict. For example, those participants with a more insecure attachment orientation demonstrated less of these behaviours, however there was some variation in the results with regards to the type of insecure attachment these results applied to. For example, those with a more secure attachment orientation demonstrated more positively perceived behaviour, compared to those categorised as having a dismissing or preoccupied attachment. Clinical implications and future research recommendations are discussed
An exploration of Self-Efficacy in Dementia Care Home Staff.
Get PDFSelf-efficacy refers to our belief in our ability to complete tasks successfully or overcome the obstacles we face. It is a topic of considerable research with regard to familial dementia caregivers and the challenges they encounter. The subsequent three papers aim to provide more clarity of the topic of self-efficacy in paid dementia caregivers.
Paper One presents a literature review that demonstrates that previously little research has been dedicated to self-efficacy in paid dementia carers compared to familial caregivers. Whilst the quantitative evidence base investigating paid carer self-efficacy is growing, there has to date been only one qualitative study exploring this topic. The strengths and limitations of the evidence base are also discussed. This indicates that further clarity is needed to better understand the factors and experiences that might influence or impact on dementia care worker self-efficacy.
Paper Two details a piece of empirical research completed in response to gaps identified in the research literature. Fourteen people working in care homes registered for people living with dementia were interviewed to better understand the factors, approaches and experiences that influence self-efficacy. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were identified, (1) Maintaining wellbeing and self-care, (2) Support from others, (3) Values and attributes and (4) Demands of the role including subthemes of unpredictability, the emotive nature of the work, negotiating family issues and complex decision making. Implications for clinical practice were discussed including the opportunity for Clinical Psychology to support care staff in their role through the development of reflective practice and self-compassion interventions.
Paper Three presents an executive summary of the research. The paper is written in an accessible style for individuals working in the care sector such as Care Home Mangers and dementia Care Assistants
The Philip Astley Project – Celebrating the father of modern-day circus
Get PDFA Heritage Lottery funded programme, The Philip Astley Project aimed to raise the profile of Philip Astley locally, nationally and internationally and to reaffirm Newcastle-under-Lyme’s role in circus history.
The project ran in parallel to Circus Past Present Future an Arts Council England Ambition for Excellence funded programme led by the New Vic Theatre. Although the projects focused on different objectives overall, both worked with multiple stakeholders to deliver high profile activities with the shared aim of celebrating Philip Astley and the 250th anniversary of the modern-day circus during 2017 and 2018.
Philip Astley, who was born in 1742, is known world-wide as the father of the modern-day circus. However, initial research carried out by the University in 2016 revealed that in Newcastle-under-Lyme, the Staffordshire town where Astley grew-up, only 11% of 2800 people surveyed had heard his name and fewer still knew of his connection to the circus as we know it today.
Although Astley didn’t invent the many acts we now see performed under the umbrella of circus, he was the first to bring different acts such as clowns, acrobats and jugglers together in one show, and his 13m diameter circus ring is still in use today.
The 250th anniversary of circus, being celebrated nationally in 2018 under the banner of Circus250, provided a timely moment to raise awareness of Astley’s family connections to Newcastle-under-Lyme, which can be traced over 100s of years. The overarching aim of the Philip Astley Project was to raise awareness of Newcastle-under-Lyme’s heritage link to circus in a way that would bring the past to life in an engaging and accessible way, raising pride in the town’s history.
Staffordshire University co-ordinated the project, working with multiple stakeholders to deliver a wide range of activities including workshops, talks, school events, an exhibition and a family festival. Carmel Thomason was the academic and project lead.
Carmel used the project as an opportunity to connect students to the wider community and to the heritage of the area in which they are studying, boosting community coherence among groups that live side-by-side but are often disconnected. More than 200 staff and students were involved from three of the University’s 6 schools, involving students from 7 different degree courses at levels 5, 6 and 7.
In total more than 28,900 people have been directly involved in activities and the project has reached more than a million via mainstream media, social media, a dedicated website and an online educational resource pack, which includes activities for schools
Using film narratives to understand the topography of The Battle of The Somme July 1st 1916
No full texthttps://vimeo.com/352229084
Associate Professor Fiona Graham uses conversational interview methods to create a narrative to understand the physical locations of World War One, with access to French battlefields on the Battle of the Somme.
This film aims to educate by following a young |British tourist in conversation with Colin Winn, battlefield historian and tunnelling expert.
Directed by Graham with camera operator Paul Ottey, the film creates a new perspective of the battle from specific locations from the first day of the battle in 1916.
The aim is to bring history alive and to the classroom and museums to educate using film narratives and image to support traditional history texts and narrative forms
Mental health in general practice: GP perspectives and exploration of a clinical psychology pilot initiative
Get PDFAbstract
Background: GPs provide a high proportion of consultations for patients presenting with mental health difficulties; however, they have little formal training in this area.
Aims: To explore the existing literature concerning GPs’ experience of working with patients presenting with mental health difficulties, particularly focussing on GPs’ emotional responses.
Method: PsycINFO, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus and EThOS were searched. Key inclusion criteria included: conducted in a UK setting; no earlier than 2004. After screening by title, abstract and full paper, common themes across studies were generated through narrative analysis. Quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative research checklist.
Results: Fifteen articles were included in the analysis. Common themes included feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, perceived professional incompetence and disempowerment, scepticism and dread, hopelessness, frustration, and burden and responsibility. Methodological limitations in both the reviewed literature and current review are highlighted for context.
Conclusions: GPs appear to experience working with patients presenting with mental health difficulties as testing. In light of the current proportion of GP workload that relates to mental health, this is concerning. Support may be provided through improved communication and collaboration with specialist services, as well as enhanced training
Exploring Individuals’ Experiences of Body Modification and Self-Harm: Is There a Relationship?
Get PDFPaper one is a narrative literature review of nine studies. It reviews the current evidence base regarding what is known about the relationship between body modification and mental health. Four main categories were reported: associations between body modifications and mental health; associations between number of body modifications and mental health; associations between body modifications and past abuse; and associations of body modifications with risk behaviours. The findings of these studies were mixed. All included studies had some methodological flaws but were regarded as of fair to good quality. All reviewed studies were cross-sectional making it impossible to determine the direction of the relationship between body modifications and mental health.
Paper two is an empirical study which explored the experiences of body modification in eight UK women with experience of self-harm behaviours. There are similarities between these behaviours, but associations between them has received little attention in the literature to date. Interviews were conducted using instant messaging services and telephone. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to identify two superordinate themes linking body modifications and self-harm behaviours: Coping Strategies and Body Modifications as Protective. The findings are discussed, along with clinical implications, limitations and suggestions for further research in this area.
Paper three is an executive summary. This has been written as an accessible document intended for dissemination of the findings to the general population. The research method, findings, clinical implications and suggestions for further research have been summarised within this report
Exploring current Chinese higher education pedagogic tensions through an activity theory lens
No full textIn this paper we investigate the current tensions for pedagogic change in the Chinese higher education system, and explore how the intricate interplay between the stakeholder relationships drives and mediates the system, and impacts on potential pedagogy. To achieve these goals, this study takes an inductive theory-building approach to gather the unique perceptions of 66 Chinese academics, and critically analyses the findings based through an Activity Theory framework. The findings indicate that institutional pedagogy is driven generally by regulated knowledge sources, knowledge dissemination, student compliance, parental expectations, examination achievement and pastoral care. The academics were enthusiastic about introducing more interactive, self-paced, authentic and web-based pedagogy, but continually indicated how traditional practice, social expectations, local regulations and economic restraints would frustrate reforming practices. The findings also show how pedagogic reform confronts existing subjectivity, and emphasise the importance of building and disseminating a rationale for changing prior to any pedagogic innovation. The Activity Theory framework demonstrates how potential pedagogic change has to be preceded by changing the understanding of stakeholders about the new goals and practices of learning. This study and the results have important implications for restructuring and reforming Chinese higher education system to meet future global and societal demands
A response to Philip Hyland, Demetris Katsikis, and Chrysoula Kostogiannis on the debate point concerning the binary theory of emotional distress.
Get PDFWe were pleased that our paper “Applying the REBT cognitive disputation technique to the binary theory of emotional distress” (Turner, Jones, & Wood, 2018) sparked interest and debate within the REBT community. Our original paper was conceived to draw out the opinions of those who read it, and when we approached the three commentators, Philip Hyland, Demetris Katsikis, and Chrysoula Kostogiannis, we anticipated an insightful and engaging discussion. Our expectations were exceeded, as three different types of responses were developed by the three learned commentators. Hyland’s paper offers a rather categorical rebuttal of the binary theory of emotional distress (BTED), Katsikis’ offers a balanced and critical perspective, whilst Kostogiannis’s paper offers support for the BTED. All three approach the issue in different ways, and all three commentators draw on their own values and experiences to guide their points. It is impossible to do every element of each commentary sufficient justice, so we will focus on key points made by the commentators in our response here. In the spirit of scientific debate, we invite Hyland, Katsikis, and Kostogiannis to respond to the current paper with their further rebuttals and comments
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