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Betwixt and between: a reflexive thematic analysis of experiences of change in midlife
No full textSince the end of the 20th century the UK population has been steadily getting older (ONS 2023). The research shows that how people navigate the challenges of midlife can profoundly shape the course of later life. Yet despite burgeoning research in the area, it is acknowledged that “strikingly little is known about development in midlife” (Infurna et al., 2020) and much of what we do know comes from studies undertaken more than 50 years ago in the U.S.
This study examined the process of midlife transition within a contemporary UK sample of men and women and sought to weave the complexities of psychological processes back into a field that has been dominated by quantitative studies.
Eight men and women were interviewed, and the resulting data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis identified five themes of ‘Dissatisfied and Frustrated under the Ticking Clock of Mortality’; The ‘Horrible Dark Tunnel’ on the Path to Authenticity; ‘Developing the Capacity to ‘just stop and be with myself’; ‘Renegotiating the self in Relationship’ and ‘Rebalancing and Reorienting through Experiences of Loss’.
Midlife transition presented as a highly liminal and relational process in which experiences of crises were interwoven into the process of development. Implications for counselling psychology are discussed and recommendations made for further research
Securing image super-resolution transmission with relay selection in regenerative relay networks
Get PDFIn the realm of wireless media, transmitting images is not without its risks, as eavesdroppers could potentially intercept and strive to retrieve images that are being sent. The study introduces a secure image cooperative transmission over a Rayleigh fading channel. In this setup, a user named Alice (A) ) sends an image with great resolution to another user, Bob (B), with the assistance of a relay, (R), while an eavesdropper, Eve (E), might be trying to listen in. To save transmission bandwidth, A reduces the size of the original high-resolution images. B then applies image super-resolution techniques to recreate the quality of high-resolution images from these downscaled versions. The security of the image is protected over wireless communication by using Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) at both A and R to conceal the image into a reference image from the shared image datastore. The simulation shows that SCR (Secure Image Cooperative Relaying) yields a markedly improved output at B compared to E due to E′s lack of knowledge regarding the coefficient matrices and reference images employed at A and R. Additionally, relay selection strategies can be applied to enhance SCR's functionality
Good practice in human rights implementation: multi-country study on domestic capacity for rapid execution of the judgments and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights
No full textA manual written for the Council of Europe on good practices which states can employ in order to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Resistance to equal pay auditing in the UK
No full textThis chapter scrutinises the political resistance to widespread mandatory equal pay auditing in the UK. The examination centres on the Equal Pay Audits Regulations 2014, which empower employment tribunals to mandate audits for employers violating equal pay laws. However, the limited issuance of such orders, influenced by wide-ranging exceptions and the infrequency of equal pay claims reaching a hearing, suggests that the impact of the 2014 Regulations is limited. The chapter outlines the potential of pay audits as enforcement tools, which could transform individual claims into steps towards addressing systemic pay inequity. It critiques the restricted circumstances in which UK tribunals can order equal pay audits – a trend that aligns with a broader pattern in the UK of delaying and diluting pay transparency measures to alleviate burdens on employers. While mandatory pay transparency measures emerge on the EU horizon, UK lawmakers’ desire to deregulate the labour market will likely continue to inhibit the introduction of mandatory equal pay auditing post-Brexit
Exploring the impact of flexible work arrangements on turnover intention: the mediating role of job satisfaction and the moderating effect of perceived supervisory support
Get PDFIn today’s employment landscape, the value of flexibility cannot be overstated, with an increasing number of employees seeking to balance their professional duties with their personal lives. This quest for the right balance has been strengthened by workplace flexibility, allowing individuals to tailor their workloads and have more autonomy over their working conditions. This research focuses on the impact of flexible work arrangements (FWAs)—namely, working from home and flextime—on turnover intention (TI) within the power and utilities sector of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We further investigate how job satisfaction (JS) mediates this relationship, and the extent to which perceived supervisory support (PSS) moderates it. The study utilized a convenience sampling method to survey employees from a leading global energy company with a significant presence in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, boasting over 500 staff members. Of the 550 employees approached, 250 responded, yielding a 45% response rate. The research employed SPSS V.28 for demographic analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and measurement of the reliability and validity of the study constructs. Also, mediation and moderation analysis were performed using Hayes Process Macro to validate our conceptual framework, providing robust statistical analysis. This research focuses on how PSS moderates the relationship between FWAs and job satisfaction, a relatively underexplored area. The findings include, FWA has positive impact on job satisfaction and negative impact on turnover intention. The indirect effect of job satisfaction and Perceived Supervisor Support is found out to be insignificant. The implications of this study guides organizations in tailoring their policies, and practices to mitigate turnover intentions
Dyslexia in midwifery students and supporting them in clinical practice
No full textThe study aims to explore the experiences of dyslexic students in the clinical area and make recommendations for a learning support strategy in order to support students in their transition to a professional career as a midwife .
Approximately 10% of students are dyslexic and although there is significant support available in the university for academic work, It is acknowledged that 50% of student midwives time will be based in clinical placement. It is noted that there is little provision made in the clinical area for midwifery students with dyslexia.
A qualitative case study was carried out in two phases. Phase one of the study consisted of an online anonymous survey, which consisted of five participant and phase two conducted semi-structured interviews that were guided by the results of the questionnaires. Four student participants and two lecturers were interviewed and thematic analysis was performed.
The participants had mixed experiences in the clinical area and it was also acknowledged that not all students felt able to disclose their dyslexic status. The access to support in the clinical area was a predominant theme. Other emerging themes were disclosure, challenges and coping strategies.
There is a need for further research into supporting dyslexic student midwives in the clinical area. Further guidance on how best to support dyslexic students in placement is necessary. Training for clinical staff is essential in order to raise awareness of dyslexia and provide appropriate support strategies
Navigating the online-offline continuum: exploring victims, spaces, and dangers
No full textThis chapter examines the multifaceted dangers present across urban landscapes, digital spaces, and interactions with non-human entities, highlighting the complexities of the Online-Offline Continuum Approach. It delves into issues such as privacy violations, boundary transgressions, and exploitation, encompassing diverse contexts from public streets to online platforms by exploring how blurred boundaries between physical and digital realms contribute to the proliferation of non-consensual imagery, harassment, and wildlife exploitation. Drawing on examples ranging from urban development projects to online animal cruelty, the chapter explores the interconnectedness of human and non-human experiences in the digital age
A mixed methods investigation into physical activity in carers for those with dementia
Get PDFWith the higher prevalence of an ageing population worldwide, dementia has been recognised as a public health priority. Considering that people with dementia require a high level of support, informal care provision is crucial to delay institutionalisation and prevent low quality of life for individuals living with the condition. Though caregiving can be rewarding, it can be extremely intense and could negatively impact caregivers’ well-being and quality of life. Therefore, the drive to support informal carers of people with dementia has become a national and international priority. Regular physical activity has been linked with improvements in various aspects of physical and psychological functioning, however current figures show that physical activity adherence of informal carers of people with dementia remains low. The aim of this thesis was to explore the complexity of informal caregivers lives in relation to physical activity and well-being in two different countries (the UK and Slovenia) through a mixed methods approach. Adopting a qualitative dominant, sequential exploratory design, this research was conducted in two phases starting with the qualitative and followed by the quantitative data collection phase and analysis. The qualitative resulted in a theoretical underpinning of the physical activity and well-being perceptions of informal carers of people with dementia, which was then further tested through quantitative methods, enabling the generalisation of the qualitative findings.
Study 1 adopted a ‘Life-course’ theoretical perspective and used narrative inquiry. Six participants, 50+ years of age, providing non-paid care to a person with dementia at least 5 hours per day, and living in the UK were interviewed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed according to Fraser’s phases 3 to 6 and incorporated Alwin’s 5 life-course principles. The analysis resulted in four major themes which implied that there are 3 age groups of carers (50-60, 60-70 and 70+). The findings suggested that the era carers were born in and consequentially the relationship they had with the care receiver, significantly influenced their perceptions of physical activity and well-being, as well as actions they made while providing care. Study 2 explored if these findings could be generalised to a wider population in both UK and Slovenia. 166 informal caregivers 50+ years of age, providing non-paid care to a person with dementia at least 5 hours per day, and living in the UK and Slovenia took part in a standardised questionnaire aiming to obtain carers’ quality of life, relationship style with the care recipient and physical activity perceptions. Study 2 confirmed the findings found in Study 1 and revealed further significant differences between the age groups of caregivers and their role as carers, information and advice availability, relationship style, current physical activity participation, beliefs and knowledge of exercise, and actions taken to stay healthy. Study 3 explored whether there are differences between the age groups cross-nationally in Slovenia and the UK. No interaction effects were found between the age groups and nationality, however the analysis revealed significant main effects between the age groups/nationality and role as a carer, information/advice availability, and current physical activity participation. Variables such as relationship style, beliefs and knowledge about exercise showed significant main effects for age groups and none for nationality. This suggests that nationality and culture might be a significant factor in how informal carers perceive their role, seek advice and information and how frequently are they physically active, as well as what kind of activities they prefer. In addition, the study also confirmed that the three distinct groups of informal carers 50-60, 60-70 and 70+ years of age are present cross-nationally.
Overall, this PhD thesis showed that informal caregivers of people with dementia are not a homogenous group as frequently portrayed by researchers, policy makers and health care providers but differ based on the era they were born in, their relationship with the care recipient, their perceptions and knowledge of exercise and the values and beliefs they grew up with. Increasing physical activity uptake among this population does not depend merely on the number of the physical activity programmes available to this population but might be differentiated and tailored more specifically to each group ensuring that other barriers experienced by specific groups are addressed as well
The relationship of therapist meditation practice to their existential therapeutic work
No full textThis grounded theory investigation examines the correlation between meditation practice and the therapeutic work performed by existential therapists. Through in-depth interviews with therapist-meditators (n=8), the study fills a crucial gap in empirical research concerning the phenomenological experiences of existential therapists who incorporate meditation practices into their work amid the growing interest in utilising mindfulness and meditation in psychotherapy. Employing a two-part literature review strategy, the study delves into the sensitising concepts of meditation, existential therapy, and phenomenology while maintaining an equilibrium between theoretical sensitivity and receptiveness to emerging themes. The research inquiry, "What is the relationship of therapist meditation practice to their Existential Therapeutic Work?" guides the examination of the multifaceted effects of meditation on therapeutic practices.
By engaging in iterative data collection and analysis using MAXQDA software, the study unveils a comprehensive and complex understanding of the association between meditation practice and therapeutic work. The findings, classified into four primary categories – pre-meditation experiences, meditation practice itself, effects of meditation, and functioning as a therapist who meditates – contribute to a robust theory of therapeutic presence, identifying it as a central concept arising from the themes of mindfulness, existence, openness, and the present moment.
The study puts forth a process model of therapeutic presence, illustrating the transformative influence of meditation, existential phenomenology, and existential therapy on the therapist-client relationship. The interpretations and implications provide a nuanced comprehension of the connection between meditation practice and existential therapeutic work, underscoring the potential of the study to advance knowledge in the field and offer practical insights for therapist-meditators.
The study evaluates strengths and limitations in accordance with Charmaz's criteria for grounded theory studies. It offers recommendations for future research, advocating for mixed methods designs, neurophenomenological approaches, and investigations into therapist motivation, varying meditation traditions, and structured training for novice therapists
Navigating Netherne: correlating feelings with place
Get PDFThis thesis explores personal interactions with an extensive, village-like Edwardian psychiatric hospital complex, its environs, its history, and its stories. Designed by the age’s preeminent asylum architect, George Thomas Hine (1842-1916), Netherne Hospital (formerly ‘The Surrey County Asylum at Netherne’), was opened in 1909. But as social attitudes and budgets allocated for treating mental illness altered, the hospital was closed, and the site redeveloped for modern housing. This thesis focuses on Netherne to examine how our reactions to, and dialogue with, place may be productively undermined through ‘narrativizing’ aspects of it (reinventing, allegorising, mythologising, its figurative / historical and non-figurative, architectural aspects). In connection with this, I both consider and critique psychogeography (which draws attention to the potential elasticity of a place’s meaning), resistant reading, and debates concerning affect, emotion, and atmosphere.
The feelings we constantly involuntarily attribute to place may be subtle, hard to name, describe, or remember, and when noticed are often only too readily dismissed as unworthy of our attention; ‘background noise’, insignificant creases in the texture of consciousness. Yet such feelings, however evanescent, offer us invaluable clues to the complex relationship we have with place. I argue that this relationship is determined by the dynamic existing between feeling, place, and narrative (I here understand ‘narrative’ to include stories, description, and what usually passes for ‘explanation’).
While every building has its own particular story (i.e. its history, whether prosaic or dramatic) a building may itself also be construed as a story– its architectural features ‘protagonists’, acting with or against each other. Such unhabitual narratives can sway perceptions, galvanise our apprehension of place and even reveal ‘new’ aspects.
Much of the literature discussing the emotional valency of place sets out to show how design is instrumentalised to orchestrate the subject’s responses to place (e.g. by encouraging acquisitiveness in shopping centres, ‘well-being’ in hospitals, etc.) This thesis explores the value of using narrative open-endedly to resist, augment, and transform habitual awareness of place