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The role of PTSD, guilt and shame in predicting moral injury in veterans that have experienced active deployment.
Get PDFPaper one is a literature review of ten empirical studies. It reviews what is known about the relationship between killing in combat and PTSD, exploring the question within a military and veteran population. The findings highlighted that those who kill in combat are more likely to report greater severity of PTSD symptoms, although there is some disparity. Other factors, such as victim characteristics and gender, may influence this relationship. Some of the studies were limited by lack of a representative sample and generalisability. There were also issues with transparency, which limits the reliability of some of the conclusions made.
Paper two is an empirical study. This was internet-mediated research which explored the relationship between PTSD, guilt, shame and moral injury in a British veteran population. 104 participants took part in the study. A standard multiple regression analysis was conducted on the data. Findings indicated a significant relationship between PTSD and moral injury. The results did not support the hypothesis that guilt and shame would predict moral injury. The findings are discussed, along with their clinical implications, limitations and direction for future research.
Paper three is an executive summary. This has been written as an accessible document intended for dissemination of the findings of the empirical study to a veteran and general population. The research method, findings and clinical implications have been summarised within this report
Appearance-based interventions to reduce UV exposure: A systematic review
Get PDFPurpose
As a majority of skin cancer cases are behaviourally preventable, it is crucial to develop effective strategies to reduce UV exposure. Health‐focused interventions have not proved to be sufficiently effective, and it has been suggested that people might be more susceptible to information about the negative effects of the sun on their appearance.
Method
This systematic review of 30 separate papers, reporting 33 individual studies published between 2005 and 2017, assesses the overall effectiveness of appearance interventions on participants' UV exposure and sun protection behaviour.
Results
Appearance‐based interventions have positive effects on sun exposure and sun protection, immediately after the intervention as well as up to 12 months afterwards. The meta‐analysis found a medium effect size on sun protection intentions for interventions which combined UV photography and photoageing information: r+ = .424; k = 3, N = 319, CI = 0.279–0.568, p = .023.
Conclusions
This review provides a current perspective on the effectiveness of appearance‐based interventions to reduce UV exposure, and also highlights methodological issues. It recommends that practitioners administer a UV photo intervention in combination with photoageing information to reduce UV exposure. Furthermore, the review specifically recommends that future research focuses on the use of theoretical constructs to enhance photoageing information and is conducted with older participants and in countries where people have less opportunity for sun exposure
Empowerment in people with an intellectual disability
Get PDFBackground
In 1971 the UK government changed the way services for people with an intellectual disability were delivered, moving from institutional environments to integrated care within the community (DoH, 1971). Since then, a number of government papers have built upon this movement across health and social care generally, as well as specifically in intellectual disabilities. This review will look at support staff involvement with people with an intellectual disability diagnosis and the promotion of empowerment to service users.
Method
A literature review was done to investigate the question: “What is known about empowerment from health care professional’s perspective in intellectual disabilities”. Two databases were reviewed: EBSCO and Web of Science, eight papers were identified.
Findings
Two main themes emerged from the papers; choice and control, and communication.
Conclusions
The papers reviewed highlighted that there were times when service user’s choice and control were being respected by staff, but also times when staff ignored or stopped service users attempts to exert choice or control. The way staff communicated with service users was also important in the empowerment of service users. Different communication styles either allowed or restricted choice and control. Of importance is the decisions staff have to make about when to pursue interactions, when not to and the effect of this on the service user. Limitations, strengths and areas for further research are discusse
Evidence-based Therapy for Anxiety: Exploring the Most Valued Aspects for Adults with Autism
No full textThis thesis aimed to identify which aspects of currently recommended therapy for anxiety are considered most valuable to adults on the autism spectrum without a learning disability. An initial review of the literature identified very few studies had been conducted with this population in relation to psychological therapy, particularly within the UK. This is despite personal experiences of adapting traditional methods and techniques to increase the chances of success and improve outcomes. Of the studies reviewed, there was emerging evidence that adapted CBT and mindfulness can be effective in reducing anxiety. Further research exploring the views of adults with autism was considered highly important to help inform service provision.
Q methodology was considered a useful approach to identify views on the most valuable aspects of therapy for anxiety. The views of healthcare professionals were also incorporated to identify similarities and differences across groups. Q methodology was also useful for focusing on components of currently recommended therapy and how these aspects can be better incorporated into current service provision, given current service pressures and resources. 16 participants took part in the study; 12 adults with autism and four healthcare professionals. Participants were required to rank a set of 48 statements related to therapy and/or autism on a scale from least valued to most valued, from their own perspective. Factor analysis revealed two factors; the value of increasing coping skills using a personalised approach and therapeutic alliance, and the value of the mode, structure and predictability of therapy. The implications of these findings are discussed. An executive summary was written to summarise the research, and to provide to participants
Exploring the experiences of women with postnatal depression who access community services
Get PDFThe aim of this thesis is to explore the experiences of women who access community services for postnatal depression.
Paper one is a qualitative literature review that synthesises the findings of seven empirical papers. Following a thematic analysis, a hierarchical model of five themes (External hopelessness, secrets and permission, desire for choice, loss of control and inadequate services) was developed to illustrate the experiences of women and the cultural and societal influences that impact upon these experiences.
Paper two is an empirical research paper that explores the experiences of six women who self-identify with the term postnatal depression and accessed NHS community services for support with this. Face to face interviews were completed and data analysed using a narrative approach. A single story was constructed to illustrate the shared meanings from the women’s experiences. This identified trauma, feeling unheard, the use of language and the impact of social constructs of motherhood as key narratives. The clinical application of the research is discussed as well as future research implications.
The final paper is an executive summary produced in order to provide a succinct summary of the empirical research paper. Main findings of the research are presented along with clinical implications and recommendations in the context of service development of perinatal mental health services
FPGA Hardware Implementation of DOA Estimation Algorithm Employing LU Decomposition
Get PDFIn this paper, authors present their work on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware implementation of proposed direction of arrival estimation algorithms employing LU factorization. Both L and U matrices were considered in computing the angle estimates. Hardware implementation was done on a Virtex-5 FPGA and its experimental verification was performed using National Instruments PXI platform which provides hardware modules for data acquisition, RF down-conversion, digitization, etc. A uniform linear array consisting of four antenna elements was deployed at the receiver. LabVIEW FPGA modules with high throughput math functions were used for implementing the proposed algorithms. MATLAB simulations of the proposed algorithms were also performed to validate the efficacy of the proposed algorithms prior to hardware implementation of the same. Both MATLAB simulation and experimental verification establish the superiority of the proposed methods over existing methods reported in the literature, such as QR decomposition-based implementations. FPGA compilation results report low resource usage and faster computation time compared with the QR-based hardware implementation. Performance comparison in terms of estimation accuracy, percentage resource utilization, and processing time is also presented for different data and matrix sizes
Listening to student feedback. [blog]
No full textA blog highlighting the importance of actually listening to student feedback and forming an action plan based upon this
The Virtue of Sensibility
Get PDFThis paper aims to identify in Michel Serres’ work a sense of virtue associated with sensibility. Using Canguilhem’s writing on the relation between the living being and its milieu as a counterpoint, I propose that in his writing on the senses Serres promotes the value of an engagement with nature that is creative, but which also exercises restraint. Only in this way can new sense and value emerge through our participation in the communication of one thing with another. Serres’ writing on the figure of Orpheus serves to illustrate the balance he advocates between the noise of the material world and the stability of different forms of language. The virtue of sensibility I propose one can find in Serres’ writing lies in being able to occupy this intermediary position between two deadly risks: the dispersion and formlessness of noise, and the sterility of a world of meaning cut off from its material source. His understanding of our relation to the natural world is based on a materialism that cuts across the distinction between mechanism and vitalism. It is a condition for the new contract that Serres proposes we forge with nature
The detection and policing of gun crime: challenges to the effective policing of gun crime in Europe
Get PDFDespite a shared understanding across the European Union (EU) that access to firearms by the general public should be restricted, detailed legislation regarding the ownership, use and trade of firearms varies between EU member states. It is unclear, however, how such variations impact on the policing of gun-enabled crime. By using qualitative data generated from interviews with police, policy and decision makers from 13 European countries, we aim to determine how stakeholders perceive that national variations in firearms legislation affect the policing of gun-enabled crime within and across EU countries. Four main themes were identified from the qualitative data: disparities in legislation, disparities in the priority given and the resources allocated to investigations into gun-enabled crime, as well as interventions. Owing to the aforementioned disparities, cross-national investigations into incidents of gun crime are at risk of remaining impaired in their effectiveness. Therefore, more legislative coherency as well as sustainable long-term interventions will be needed to successfully reduce ownership and use of firearms in the criminal world. In this context, a departure from an exclusive use of an economic model of gun crime is recommended to allow for a better understanding of the dynamics of the black gun market
Anxious Times
No full textA book of 24 undated reflections drawing on a range of relevant Bible passages to offer genuine hope and encouragement in anxious times. Encompassing the very human emotions of fear and anxiety, the reflections encourage us to draw comfort and strength from God's word even in those times when he seems silent to us. This book acknowledges that trust and hope in God's goodness doesn't always come easily, but when embraced we gain the strength to face our fear with courage and confidence.
Foreword by Archbishop John Sentam
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