22282 research outputs found
Sort by
Adult attachment and health-related quality of life after acquired brain injury
Full text linkThe current research explores how adult attachment patterns present after an acquired brain injury (ABI) and possible associations with psychological distress, social isolation and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). It was hypothesised that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance would explain additional variance in HRQOL and that this possible association would be mediated through psychological distress and social isolation. For this quantitative research a non-experimental, cross sectional cohort design was implemented. Forty individuals with ABI completed the Experiences in Close Relationships—Relationship Structures questionnaire, the Quality of Life in Brain Injury questionnaire, the EuroQol-5 Dimension Scale, the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale and the Friendship Scale. The results suggest that levels of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance after an ABI are similar to those reported in healthy samples. Moreover, higher rates of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were associated with lower HRQOL, as well as increased levels of anxiety and social isolation. No association was found with depression. However, depression was shown to be the largest significant predictor of HRQOL after ABI (β = -.41, p < .005). Social isolation was also shown to predict HRQOL after ABI (β = .32, p < .05). Mediation analysis suggests that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance have an indirect relationship with HRQOL through social isolation, or through social isolation and psychological distress. It is concluded that adult attachment is an important theory to consider after ABI, due to its possible indirect relationship with HRQOL. These findings suggest that professionals should consider individuals’ attachment patterns for treatment purposes and try to foster secure attachment patterns during rehabilitation
Exploring the experience of mothers bonding with their infants following a maternal diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) during pregnancy
Full text linkWomen face a number of physical, emotional and psychological challenges following an HIV positive diagnosis during pregnancy. Psychological challenges, such as maternal anxiety and low mood, have been associated with disruptions to mother-infant bonding in the general population. Despite significant numbers of women receiving an antenatal HIV diagnosis in the UK each year, there remains a limited understanding about the experiences of this group in bonding with their babies.
This Grounded Theory study aimed to explore the experience of mothers in bonding with their baby following an HIV diagnosis during pregnancy. The study explored the perceived challenges to mother-infant bonding, and the factors mothers felt helped them to manage this process following diagnosis. Ten mothers diagnosed antenatally at a London sexual health service were interviewed about their experiences.
Data analysis led to a theoretical model of mother-infant bonding following a maternal HIV positive maternal diagnosis. The model comprised four theoretical codes: facing barriers to bonding; feeling disconnected from the baby; developing a special bond; and strengthening and moving on. These codes were comprised of challenges to mother-infant bonding, as well as factors relating to maternal strength and resilience. The model used a chronological structure, with processes plotted from the point of antenatal diagnosis through to following the infant HIV testing process after birth. Challenges with bonding were experienced primarily during the early stages after birth, with maternal resilience and positivity about the future developing towards the end of infant testing. Circular relationships, in which positive and negative processes fed into and influenced each other, were highlighted throughout.
The findings highlight important areas for development in clinical practice, including more targeted psychological support for women following an antenatal diagnosis, and the provision of timely information regarding mother-to-child transmission. Clinical implications from this study are discussed alongside suggestions for future research
Facebook and depression in late adolescence: Intensity of use, quality of interactions, and the role of self-definition and identity
Full text linkIn contemporary society, online Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook provide increasingly popular contexts within which late adolescent peer interactions and accompanying identity experiments can occur. Consequently, of increasing interest is exploring the impact of SNS use on psychological functioning in this age group. There is some evidence suggestive of a relationship between greater SNS use and increased depressive symptoms. However, findings are inconsistent, with a large body of literature also indicative of possible beneficial effects of SNS use on adolescent social and emotional adjustment. Therefore, as a means to address this divergence, the present study aims to investigate whether it is the quantity of use, including use of the site to connect with existing or new contacts, or the quality of Facebook interactions that might relate to depressive symptoms. Moreover, the present research attempts to identify for which late adolescents these associations are more likely to be a risk, drawing on constructs implicated in offline self-definition and identity development. One hundred and sixty-nine late adolescents (mean age 18.6 years) participated in this quantitative, cross-sectional study. Participants completed an online survey comprising self-report questionnaires validated by previous research assessing depressive symptoms, the intensity of Facebook use, strategy used to connect with peers on Facebook, self-reported quality of interactions on Facebook, and self-definition and identity variables; self-concept clarity (SCC), separation-individuation, and ego-identity commitment. Consistent with previous research, no relationship was found between the intensity of Facebook use, including number of Facebook friends, time spent on the site each day, perceived integration of the platform into daily life, and connection strategy and depressive symptoms. There was, however, evidence suggestive of a relationship between reports of feeling down following interactions on Facebook and increased depressive symptoms. Self-definition and identity variables were not found to moderate this relationship
Interoceptive Awareness and Self-Objectification in Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Full text linkThe cognitive model of BDD (Veale, 2004) proposes high levels of self-objectification (viewing and treating oneself as an object) as an important maintaining factor; however, to date this construct has not been empirically measured in this population. In addition, recent models of the self (Damasio, 2010) point towards the central role of interoceptive awareness (IA; the ability to identify bodily signals) in developing a sense of self. Low levels of IA have been associated to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of self-objectification and interoceptive awareness in patients with BDD.
Three groups of participants with BDD (n=14), anxiety (n=23), and non-clinical participants (n=23) completed a heartbeat detection task to measure levels of IA under two conditions: blank screen and while facing a mirror in order to also explore the impact of self-focus attention on IA. Levels of self-objectification and self-focussed attention were measured through self-report questionnaires. Statistical comparisons between groups indicated significantly lower levels of IA in the BDD group at blank screen only when compared to the non-clinical group. In the mirror condition the BDD group had significantly lower IA scores than both control groups. Furthermore, the BDD group reported significantly higher self-objectification than the non-clinical group, and there was a trend towards the group scoring at a higher level than the anxiety group. Across groups there was no significant relationship between levels of IA in either condition, and self-reported levels of self-objectification or self-focussed attention.
The results support the role of self-objectification in BDD and points towards the potential contribution of somatoperception. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings, the limitations of the methodology employed, and suggestions for future research are discussed
Open Access for REF2020 and Research Data Management: What do reaseachers need to know
No full textThis event took place on October 22d 2014, 12-4, Queen’s Building, Royal Holloway, University of London.
The recent changes in funders’ policies have placed a strong emphasis on wider accessibility of publicly funded research, by providing open access to research publications and ensuring accessibility and reuse of research data. This event focused on HEFCE’s open access policy for REF2020 and the best practice for research data management. The services and support available at Royal Holloway to help researchers meet the funders’ requirements and follow the best practice in the field were also introduced.
This event is funded by the EU-funded project “Facilitate Open Science Training for European Research” (FOSTER) http://www.fosteropenscience.eu
Anxiogenic behaviours and cognitions in parents of anxious children: Effects of a guided parent-delivered treatment programme.
Full text linkParent involvement in treatment programmes for child anxiety disorders aims to change the parental behaviours and cognitions implicated in the development and maintenance of childhood anxiety disorders. However, very few studies have included parental behaviours and cognitions as outcomes, and the methodological shortcomings of those that have, preclude clear conclusions. This study aimed to provide the first comprehensive examination of change in parental behaviours and cognitions after a guided parent-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) programme compared to a waitlist control. The association between change in parental behaviours and cognitions with child treatment outcome was also considered. Eighty-eight children aged 7 to 12 years old with a diagnosed anxiety disorder were randomised to either an 8-week guided parent-delivered CBT programme (n=41) or waitlist control group (n=47). None of the parents met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder. Observational measures of parental behaviours whilst their child completed an anxiety-provoking task were taken before and after the intervention. Parent expectations were also measured of their child’s and own response in the laboratory task, as well as for hypothetical situations that were ambiguous for whether or not they presented a threat. The treatment programme was not associated with greater change in parental behaviours compared to the waitlist control. After the treatment programme there was a change in specific parental cognitions, in that parents perceived themselves and their child to have more control in hypothetical threat ambiguous situations. Change in parental behaviour and cognition was not significantly associated with child treatment outcomes. The results suggest that guided parent-delivered CBT can increase parental self-efficacy in the management of child anxiety. However, the absence of any association of treatment with other parental cognitions or behaviours questions the salience of parental change in the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders
Delayed HIV testing in HIV-positive sub-Saharan Africans
Full text linkThere is evidence that some sub-Saharan African individuals suspect that they are HIV positive before diagnosis but delay being tested for HIV. This increases the likelihood of being diagnosed late (with a severely compromised immune system), a phenomenon that has been observed in sub-Saharan Africans diagnosed in the UK. Late diagnosis has negative personal and public health consequences. There is a lack of understanding of the psychological processes associated with delayed HIV-testing. This study used a Grounded Theory methodology. It aimed to produce a theoretical model to explain the psychological processes associated with delayed HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africans in the UK but also how these processes changed over time and contributed to the decision to test. Seven HIV-positive sub-Saharan African individuals from a London HIV clinic and one from a HIV charity were interviewed about their experiences. Analysis led to the development of a theoretical model of delayed HIV testing. This model consisted of three theoretical codes: moving in and out of uncertainty about HIV infection; preferring not to know HIV status; and making the decision to test for HIV. Participants' HIV risk perception fluctuated and was characterised by uncertainty. This, in combination with a preference to not know their HIV status due to a number of feared consequences of being HIV-positive, deterred them from testing. Participants' thoughts and feelings about knowing their HIV status changed over time. These changes were that they: wanted certainty, had hope of being HIV-negative and/or a hope for treatment and life and preparing for and accepting a potentially positive result. The findings can inform interventions to reduce delayed testing and suggest: a) intervening with ambivalence on an individual level and b) promoting awareness of HIV c) promoting the benefits of testing/costs of not testing at a population level. The findings are discussed in relation to existing research and theory. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed, as are clinical implications and suggestions for future research
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Royal Holloway? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!