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Walking through the North York Moors National Park – a place of adventure, conservation and healing
No full textWorkload negotiations for early and mid-career researchers in an Athena Swan gold-awarded department
Full text linkn the UK academia, the Athena Swan (AS) Charter, established in 2005 is considered a significant innovation to improve women’s representation in senior positions. While several studies claim a measurable improvement in structural and cultural issues faced by women in AS-accredited universities, studies question the legitimacy of these claims considering persistent gender issues in academia. Using a grounded theory approach, the current study addressed this gap by investigating the impact of AS accreditation on the lived experience of early- and mid-career academics in UK Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subject areas. The findings show the performativity dimension for women who work in these spaces where women are required to undertake additional workload, which disrupts their more rewarding research activities. The added workload for women includes blood work associated with managing emotions, pain, and menstrual bodies in the science lab, as well as mothering responsibilities associated with cleaning and maintaining the lab spaces, and caring and nurturing work associated with pastoral care duties. This study argues that this added workload can have negative implications for women’s careers, which is not reflected in AS workload models
‘Pedagogical Perspectives to Ponder’: Engaging With Social Justice—An Integrative Pedagogy of Discomfort and Love in Psychotherapy
Full text linkBackground: The purpose of this perspective piece is to illuminate the urgency of focussing on pedagogical approaches that facilitate social justice and anti‐discriminatory practice. We propose novel experiential activities for the classroom, which can then be applied to the diverse contexts and communities where trainees live. Aim: The aim of this paper is to propose a pedagogical prime to be utilised by psychotherapeutic training educators, to help trainees to engage with the use of anti‐discriminatory and socially just practices early in a their academic training. Materials and Method: A pedagogical prime of experiential learning activities for social justice and anti‐discriminatory practice is proposed. Examples of engaging with an integrative pedagogy of discomfort and love in psychotherapy training are presented as a method for facilitating a depth of reflective practice. Results: The process of engaging with this pedagogical prime has a powerful impact on self‐awareness, reflective and reflexive practice. These facilitate the trainees' personal and professional development, and integration of theory and practice. The pedagogical prime activities also serve to develop culturally informed, anti‐oppressive and relational attributes as part of a firm commitment to social justice. Discussion: Attainment of these attributes in social justice and anti‐discriminatory practice enable trainees not only to develop into professional psychotherapeutic practitioners, but also into global citizens with an awareness of social justice. As educators, we have a responsibility to continue to work to decolonise the curriculum, starting at the grass‐roots level with how we engage pedagogically with anti‐discriminatory, socially just language in the classroom. As psychotherapeutic practitioners, we are also ethically required by law to engage in anti‐discriminatory practices whilst serving diverse populations, yet we often lag behind in training approaches which aspire towards social justice. Conclusion: This paper advocates for further research into the proposed pedagogic prime, utilising an integrated pedagogy of discomfort with a pedagogy of love. It also advocates for early lessons on language in psychotherapeutic and psychological training programmes, shifting the focus of social justice and anti‐discriminatory practice to the forefront of trainees’ consciousness from the start of training
Recent occurrence of pharmaceuticals in freshwater, emerging treatment technologies, and future considerations: A review
Full text linkPharmaceuticals represent an emerging class of pollutants raising significant environmental health concerns, with their presence in freshwater systems linked to adverse aquatic ecosystem impacts and acceleration of antibiotic resistance development. This narrative review examines recent (2019–2024) pharmaceutical occurrences in freshwater globally, analyzes contamination pathways, evaluates compound-specific degradability, and assesses treatment technologies.
Analysis revealed significant pharmaceutical contamination in freshwater sources across the six major continents, primarily entering through wastewater treatment plant effluents, groundwater recharge processes, and inadequate sanitation infrastructure/septic systems. Stark geographical disparities were observed, with regions lacking centralized treatment infrastructure showing multiple-fold higher concentrations, particularly in Africa and Latin America (exemplified by amoxicillin levels reaching 272,156 ng/L in Lagos, Nigeria). Pharmaceutical profiles reflected local healthcare patterns, with antimalarials and antiretrovirals prevalent in endemic regions. Globally prevalent compounds included caffeine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin, and diclofenac. While some compounds like caffeine showed relatively good removal in conventional treatment systems, their high usage rates overwhelmed treatment capacity. Others, particularly carbamazepine, demonstrated high recalcitrance to conventional treatment methods. Advanced oxidation processes and membrane technologies showed high removal efficiencies, while biochar-based systems emerged as promising, cost-effective alternatives using locally available resources.
The findings underscore the need for both centralized and decentralized treatment approaches. Point-of-use technologies emerge as crucial immediate interventions for regions with inadequate infrastructure, while advanced technologies show promise for large-scale applications. The review emphasizes that municipalities should conduct systematic screening to identify locally prevalent pharmaceuticals, as treatment requirements vary significantly with local usage patterns, making a one-size-fits-all approach ineffective
Relational Research as Disruptive Practice: the Need for Democratic Methodologies in an Era of Democratic Fragility
No full textIn this editorial, we argue for the urgent need for democratic methodologies in education research in a time of global upheaval, increasing populism, and authoritarianism. We outline how neoliberalism has narrowed pluralism, education, and in turn democracy, proposing that research that is relational and disruptive in nature can counter this trend, and develop democracy, whether in the micro, meso, or macro. Moreover, we believe that democratic methodologies are about ‘more than research’. They are necessarily political, offering research methods that can support the growing global call for new approaches to socioeconomic policymaking and practices that reject the promotion of narrow, individualistic capitalist concerns and are instead based on unifying collaborative, relational values that are, we argue, vital in an increasingly divided world. After establishing our case for democratic methodologies, we explore the articles that are contained in this Special Issue. Presenting innovative international research perspectives, the collection explores how research methodologies can actively further democratic principles. The articles represent an intersectional approach, addressing critical social issues including disability research, decolonization, LGBTQIA+ resistance, youth climate engagement, and educational participation. By highlighting diverse research experiences, this editorial demonstrates how research methodologies can serve as a powerful mechanism for furthering democracy, even amid a progressively divisive political landscape
Investigating the effect of mental imagery-based future episodic simulation on subsequent behavioral engagement in depressed, dysphoric, and nondepressed individuals.
Full text linkPrevious work has suggested that mental imagery may represent a useful strategy for motivating goal-directed behaviors. Given that individuals experiencing depression symptoms have low motivation to engage in pleasurable activities, this study aimed to explore the effect of mental imagery on activity engagement for pleasurable activities in nondepressed, dysphoric, and depressed individuals (N = 163). Participants selected four activities they wished to engage in and rated expected outcomes and anticipated emotions relating to activity completion before and after mental elaboration of each activity using either mental imagery or verbal reasoning. Over the following week, utilizing ecological momentary assessment, participants recorded the frequency with which they engaged in their chosen activities. Results showed both conditions led to similar levels of behavioral engagement, across all participants, suggesting that both tasks may influence behavioral engagement. Research is now needed to investigate the underlying mechanism/s by which behavioral engagement is occurring. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved
Global Approaches to Supporting Mental Health and Resettlement for Veterans With Embodied Trauma: A Comprehensive Scoping Review
Full text linkObjectives: Military veterans face significant holistic challenges when leaving military services and resettling back into the community. Recent research has shown that veterans experience higher rates of mental health difficulties than the general population and experience poorer treatment outcomes. The aim of this comprehensive scoping review was to map out the current therapeutic interventions used to support mental health care and resettlement for veterans across the globe, proposing key themes, noting any gaps and limitations. Method: We followed a five‐staged scoping review protocol to map the existing landscape of the veteran mental health research literature regarding therapeutic and resettlement interventions, identifying key themes by: (1) identifying the research question, (2) identifying the relevant literature, (3) selecting the studies, (4) charting the data and (5) collating, summarising, and reporting the results. Results: Results show a decline in publications regarding veteran mental health and resettlement interventions since 2018, the Americentric, ‘WEIRD’ nature of the research base, and preference for individualised, technology‐based psychological interventions, with a lack of culturally‐informed, community‐focused, relational research. Conclusion: This work highlights an urgent need for further non‐Westernised research into holistic psychological interventions which relationally support the culturally diverse needs of veterans resettling back into their communities across the globe. It also advocates for a holistic bio‐psycho‐social‐sexual‐spiritual‐existential approach to the needs of each veteran, using a culturally‐informed, relational and community‐based assessment, formulation, and treatment plan for embodied trauma, moving beyond the pathologisation of dis‐ease, and mobilising the traumatised self back into the body, relationship and community
Exercise as a transdiagnostic intervention for improving mental health: An umbrella review.
Full text linkExercise is beneficial for mental health in general, but no review has systematically assessed its potential transdiagnostic nature, i.e. whether it is beneficial across specific disorders. We performed a systematic umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of exercise in participants with mental disorders defined according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), assessing exercise's transdiagnostic nature with TRANSD criteria, including eight meta-analyses (six included in the TRANSD meta-analysis), encompassing 99 RCTs (n = 5,656) across 11 disorders. Moderate/vigorous aerobic exercise was an effective transdiagnostic intervention for disease-specific primary symptoms across 11 disorders (recurrent depressive disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, brief psychotic disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, schizophreniform disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and four spectra (depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders) with a medium effect size (SMD = -0.67, 95%CI = -0.84, -0.50). Moderate/vigorous aerobic exercise also improved cognition across two disorders (schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and two spectra (schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders), with a large effect size (SMD = 0.92, 95%CI = 0.52, 1.33). According to TRANSD criteria, moderate/vigorous aerobic exercise is a transdiagnostic intervention to improve disease-specific primary symptoms of 11 mental disorders, and cognition in two mental disorders. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Meanings of autistic rituals and routines: using personal explanations written by autistic bloggers to improve inclusion
Full text linkRituals and routines are used to define autism. However, descriptions that come from diagnostic manuals exclude many people from being recognised as autistic initially, and exclude others from owning a positive autistic identity. Different examples and descriptions of these behaviours are missing from clinical guidelines. Autistic people provide valuable updates to how repetitive behaviours can be understood. This study supplements outdated and stereotyped examples of rituals and routines with personal explanations given by individuals who identify as autistic. A systematic search and mixed methods analysis of blog data was carried out using corpus-based and meta-ethnographic methods. These methods may interest researchers wishing to represent perspectives that are often omitted from research. A systematic search was used to locate qualitative descriptions of rituals and routines in personal narratives in blog data. Blogs were written by 40 adults who reported being autistic. Corpus-based analysis showed illustrative examples of rituals and routines, and meta-ethnography provided a line-of-argument synthesis for how and why these behaviours were used. Importantly, all repetitive behaviours were chosen personally by the autistic authors; they achieved a sense of control over their world. Benefits included in-moment recharging of energy and reliable ways to anticipate and reduce overwhelm. Rituals and routines used were likened to being an island, escape, or traffic light. These qualities underpinned different appearances of behaviours, including using lists, routines, rules, step-by-step guides, and schedules, stimming movements, exercising, dancing, and engagement in interests. Many different repetitive behaviours showed the specific demands placed on these authors in different environments. Underpinning functions of the repetitive behaviours were consistent over changeable times and places. The findings destigmatise autistic identity by recognising meaningful behaviours used as part of everyday life, rather than seeing autistic differences as problematic by default. This understanding can be used to inform assessment decisions and therapeutic supports that affect autistic people