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Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Structured Psychological Support for people with probable personality disorder in mental health services in England: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Get PDFIntroduction
Evidence-based psychological treatments for people with personality disorder usually involve attending group-based sessions over many months. Low-intensity psychological interventions of less than 6 months duration have been developed, but their clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are unclear.
Methods and analysis
This is a multicentre, randomised, parallel-group, researcher-masked, superiority trial. Study participants will be aged 18 and over, have probable personality disorder and be treated by mental health staff in seven centres in England. We will exclude people who are: unwilling or unable to provide written informed consent, have a coexisting organic or psychotic mental disorder, or are already receiving psychological treatment for personality disorder or on a waiting list for such treatment. In the intervention group, participants will be offered up to 10 individual sessions of Structured Psychological Support. In the control group, participants will be offered treatment as usual plus a single session of personalised crisis planning. The primary outcome is social functioning measured over 12 months using total score on the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). Secondary outcomes include mental health, suicidal behaviour, health-related quality of life, patient-rated global improvement and satisfaction, and resource use and costs. The primary analysis will compare WSAS scores across the 12-month period using a general linear mixed model adjusting for baseline scores, allocation group and study centre on an intention-to-treat basis. In a parallel process evaluation, we will analyse qualitative data from interviews with study participants, clinical staff and researchers to examine mechanisms of impact and contextual factors.
Ethics and dissemination
The study complies with the Helsinki Declaration II and is approved by the London—Bromley Research Ethics Committee (IRAS ID 315951). Study findings will be published in an open access peer-reviewed journal; and disseminated at national and international conferences.
Trial registration number
ISRCTN13918289
Impact of sustainable human resource management on employee work wellbeing: examining the mediating role of employee empowerment and moderating influence of organizational identification
Get PDFThe study investigates the link between sustainable human resource management (SUHRM) and employee work well-being (EWW). It probes the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and employee empowerment between SUHRM and EWW and the moderating impact of employee organizational identification. The survey method was employed through a self-administered questionnaire. Constructs were measured using adapted scales, with responses recorded on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were collected from a sample of 312 employees across diverse organizations in the UAE, including banking, telecommunications, and information technology sectors. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression analysis to estimate the relationships between the variables in the proposed model. The results demonstrate that SUHRM has a significant direct relationship with EWW, with intrinsic motivation and employee empowerment acting as partial mediators. Additionally, organizational identification significantly moderates the indirect association between SUHRM and EWW through intrinsic motivation and empowerment, with a more pronounced effect among employees with solid organizational identification. The findings highlight the importance of organizations promoting EWW by adopting sustainable HR practices that inspire and empower the cultivation of a skilled and capable workforce. The research explores the underlying principles for modelling SUHRM practices, and different theoretical viewpoints outside the strategic HRM tradition are evaluated for their potential contributions to a framework for SUHRM that will bridge theory and practice, thereby offering practical implications for HR professionals and organizational leaders
Supporting early career teacher mentors in primary and secondary education: developing a context specific coaching training programme
Get PDFStatutory induction for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) was introduced in England in 1999 (DfEE, 1999) as a bridge from initial teacher training to a professional career in teaching. In 2021, the statutory Early Career Framework (ECF) superseded the NQT induction programme which represents a two-year government-funded professional development programme for Early Career Teachers (ECTs). In this practitioner research project, I identify and explore major issues of concern to key stakeholders, in relation to the inconsistency and variability in ECT mentor support for Early Career Teachers (ECTs). This resulted in the development of a context specific professional development programme to support coaching practice for ECT mentors. The programme can be accessed and adapted to a variety of other contexts. This training programme has the potential to be used and embedded in the current statutory two-year ECT induction programme across the UK. In developing the coaching programme for ECT mentors, I engaged in several action research cycles and adopted a multi-methods approach using surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observations to gather data and inform the programme. The ECT mentor participants comprised teachers and senior leaders, including headteachers, deputy and assistant headteachers, and special educational needs teachers. My findings indicate that a record number of ECT mentors left the ECT induction programme in 2022. On a wider scale, these findings are echoed in a rise in ECTs leaving the profession within two years of qualifying, owing to increased workloads, stress-related issues, the greater demands of the revised early career induction programme, and variability and inconsistency in ECT mentor support across the UK.
My results have important implications for identifying some of the key indicators impacting the retention of ECTs and reducing the variable nature of ECT mentor support across the UK. The results have the potential to influence policymakers and ensure that ECT mentors have the coaching skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to guide and support ECTs on their journeys to becoming experienced teachers.
This research project consists of two parts: first, the practitioner research project, which outlines the significance of the research within the field of coaching, my research methodology, activity, and findings; and second, the Introduction to Coaching training programme (artefact) which offers professional practice and knowledge for ECT mentors in the primary and secondary education sector
Votes at 16 and decent citizenship education could create a politically aware generation
No full textKeir Starmer has pledged that a Labour government would introduce voting for 16- and 17-year-olds in Westminster elections. Rishi Sunak has claimed that votes at 16 is simply a tactic to shore up future support for Labour, given that younger people are less likely to vote Conservative. But research conducted in countries where young people already vote at this age suggests that the move would actually be beneficial for overall democratic engagement in the UK. It would be even more powerful if it was paired with lessons at school on citizenship and political involvement
The shattering of motherhood: an interpretative phenomenological exploration of child-to-parent violence
Get PDFThe phenomenon of child to parent violence (CPV) remains an underexplored area and presents many challenges to families and professionals. Specifically, the idea of children being aggressive toward their mothers remains hard to comprehend yet, has become a growing social phenomenon. Research has mainly focused on adolescent to parent violence (APVA); however, it has become evident that this phenomenon starts to show its presence earlier than adolescence. This study addresses that gap in research and adopts a uniquely existential phenomenological lens.
Using qualitative methods, this study explores the lived experience of mothers exposed to CPV by their neurotypical biological children, aged four to 12 years. Five mothers exposed to this phenomenon provided narratives through semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three group experiential themes and nine sub-themes were found. The group experiential themes identified were: The unresolvable quest; Motherhood under siege; The burden in my heart.
The findings indicate that mothers were deeply affected by the presence of CPV in their lives and faced significant barriers to finding any solutions. In their quest to gain help they struggled with the non-intervention of both services and bystanders in their lives. The findings also highlight how these mothers experience severe physical, verbal, emotional and psychological violence by the hands of their children compounded by assault in the form of people’s judgement and being let down by the services. These findings demonstrate not only an ambivalence and inner turmoil but also a clear, significant impact that CPV has on the whole family. These mothers were found to be exposed to an overtly existential crisis with the potential to shatter their and societal understanding of motherhood.
The study provides recommendations for trauma informed care and improved training along with suggestions for future research to enhance understanding
Paving the path: empowering women in STEM from university to industry
Get PDFThe recent digital transformation of higher education underscores the crucial role of STEM disciplines in addressing real-world challenges, emphasizing the urgent need for problem-solving skills, creativity, and diversity within the STEM student community. Despite growing awareness of the gender disparity in STEM professions, women remain underrepresented in these fields. This paper conducts a comprehensive study delving into the determinants influencing the decision to pursue a STEM degree and the challenges faced during STEM education. Through survey data analysis, the research explores actionable mechanisms to enhance the presence of women in STEM subjects and support their career progression. The study not only identifies obstacles but also formulates a set of recommendations to establish a robust support system for women in STEM. These recommendations aim to foster their academic retention, facilitate continuous professional development, and contribute to narrowing the gender gap in STEM occupations. By addressing the root causes and proposing concrete solutions, this research seeks to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable STEM landscape, fostering an environment where women can thrive and make significant contributions to the ever-evolving field of science and technology. Furthermore, this research serves as a call to action for institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders to collectively champion initiatives that empower and propel women to excel in STEM fields
Brides and Madonnas against the Bomb: feminist activist art practices towards nuclear disarmament and more
No full textThis paper examines the performance and socially engaged practice of Sister Seven, a group of artists and poets in elastic configurations involving Gillian Allnutt, Shirley Cameron, Mary Michaels Monica Ross, and Evelyn Silver. Between 1981 and 1984, Sister Seven produced over 20 posters for nuclear disarmament from feminist perspectives, which were exhibited at a range of established and non-traditional venues, from church halls and libraries to the Glastonbury Festival and the Greenham Common women’s peace camp, as well as art galleries and colleges. Delving into the intersections of the individual and collaborative practices of members of Sister Seven and the performative dimension of the posters, I will consider some posters alongside the performances by Cameron and Silver, such as The Virgin Mary Society (VMS) and Brides Against the Bomb (BAB). Albeit made by some of the same artists for the same cause, the posters, which include documentation of performances and instructions for DIY performance, and Cameron and Silver’s performance practice adopt styles of antithetical affective charges, with the former often opting for pacifist solemnity and the latter for satirical irreverence. Focusing on BAB (developed out of the earlier performance You Too Can Marry Charles, on occasion of the televised wedding of the then heir to the English throne to Diana Spencer), and VMS (which targeted the pious maternalism of women’s pacifism before Greenham), I explore the role of feminist countercultural iconoclasm in transforming the apparently single cause of nuclear disarmament to a call for a different life on earth, beyond extractivist heteropatriarchy
Curatorial dissonance and conflictual aesthetics: Holocaust memory and public humanities in Greek historiography
Get PDFDespite the increasingly diverse societal landscape in Greece for more than three decades within a context of migration, understandings of its fragile histories are still limited in shaping a sense of belonging that is open to ‘otherness’. While Greek communities have utilised history as a pathway to maintain identity, other parallel histories and understandings do not resonate with ‘Greekness’ for most, such as the case of Greek Jewry. Critical historical perspectives can benefit from tracing ‘re-membering’ as a feminist practice in the reassessment of societal values of inclusivity. Histories of violence and injustice can also include elements of ‘difficult histories’ and must be embraced to seek acknowledgement of these in promoting social change and cultural analysis for public humanities informing curation and curricula. Between eduscapes, art heritage spaces, an entry into contested and conflictual histories can expand a sense of belonging and the way we imagine our own connected histories with communities, place and nation. Greek Jews do not constitute a strong part of historical memory for Greeks in their past and present; in contrast to what is perceived as ‘official’ history, theirs is quite marginal. As a result, contemporary Greeks, from everyday life to academia, do not have a holistic understanding in relation to the identities of Jews in Greece, their culture or the Holocaust. Given the emergence of a new wave of artistic activism in recent years in response to the ever-increasing dominance of authoritarian neoliberalism, along with activist practices in the art field as undercurrents of resistance, in this intervention I bring together bodies of works to create a dialogic reflection with historical, artistic and feminist sources. In turn, the discussion then explores the spatiotemporal contestations of the historical geographies of Holocaust monuments in Greece. While interrogating historical amnesia, I endeavour to provide a space to engage with ‘difficult histories’ in their aesthetic context as a heritage of healing and social justice
The invocation of the precautionary principle within the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism: not seizing the occasion
Get PDFThe principal purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the precautionary principle can be in-cluded in the investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) deliberative process by providing a legal solution that would permit the invocation and implementation of this concept within the ISDS op-erational framework. The precautionary principle has been widely applied in the environmental management field, yet its role within the ISDS framework has remained relatively underuti-lised. To analyse this issue, this paper first explores the operational justification of the precaution-ary principle and how decision-makers should endorse it in order to fully recognise and address environmental concerns on a legal level. Next, the article proceeds to examine recent ISDS cases in which the precautionary principle was invoked and compares various risk assessment techniques to illustrate how it may be incorporated into the deliberative process and harmonised with other standards. The paper suggests that the forward-looking nature of the precautionary principle has paramount importance in disputes involving oil and gas, particularly in cases where oil and gas ac-tivities are believed to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions that could worsen global warming. This paper advances the argument that a wider application of the principle could better equip ISDS tribunals to address the limitations of scientific knowledge, especially under circumstances where significant or irreversible environmental damage may occur
Gendered dynamics of international labour migration in the Kurdistan region - Iraq
Get PDFThis study is part of a larger multi-country research project ‘Gendered Dynamics of International Labour Migration’ involving four countries Lebanon, Pakistan Turkey and KRI with the aim of highlighting the diversity of migrants in relation to sectors of employment, educational and skill levels and countries of origin. There is currently little research on gendered migration in KRI except for displaced and refugee women.
Key Findings
The key drivers of migration: Economic failure in the home country; lack of opportunities; low income; support for family through remittances, especially children left behind; discriminatory practices and family-harassment, prevented from working; getting overseas experience and pursuing career opportunities; marriage; political conflict and instability (for refugees from Iran and Syria).
Recruitment agencies are central to the process. Recruitment agencies facilitate the global migration of service workers (domestic and care, hospitality, construction) both in countries of origin and destination. In these sectors, migrants paid agencies in their home countries. In KRI they are licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs with responsibilities for recruitment training, residence, health and safety, and departure.
A number of the women interviewed would recommend the KRI as a safe place and better treatment than in GCC countries. Most were satisfied with their salaries and were able to send back remittances to support families. However, many had no health insurance.
Some of the lower-skilled women were faced with poor working conditions, and racist attitudes. Some employers forced the women to work long hours without days off, had racist attitudes towards them and in some instances prevented them from practising their religion.
There is a lack of any policy to protect foreign workers in KRI, even though some regulations exist for foreign workers. The workers often did not know their rights under their contracts as they were issued in Arabic and Kurdish.
The skilled women were generally happy with their working conditions and were aware of their rights if problems arose.
Sexual harassment in workplaces and public urban spaces. Sexual harassment was experienced at work, on transport and in public spaces particularly in the evening, although some felt safe in the city at night.
Cultural challenges and perceptions by locals. Language, religion, nationality, race and gender might be different from the employers or the people they are interacting with. Therefore, their different world views and perspectives affect the social interactions and relationships and contibrute to an identity crisis for the women who consider themselves as members of the wider Kurdish community.
Recommendations
Explore fully the diversity of gendered labour migration in KRI by migrants and refugees from neighbouring countries.
Have more regular government supervision of agencies and employers, making the legislation for recruitment agencies a reality.
Update and improve the instructions and regulations of 2015 by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
Extend work rights and social protection (work insurance, medical services) to household workers.
Include migrant workers in the Kurdistan Region’s Social Protection Policy such as work insurance and medical services.
Further include and activate Labour Unions in issues related to women domestic workers