School of Applied Social Sciences

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/2086/1215

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 2485

Open Access
A 16-year overview of vasectomy and vasectomy reversal in the United Kingdom
(Elsevier, 2022-09-18) Wydera, Sandra; Wilson, Amanda D.
BACKGROUND There is no current research to explain the trends in vasectomy and vasectomy reversals in the United Kingdom, leaving little understanding of the social phenomena involved. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide an overview of vasectomy as a main method (or primary method) of contraception and vasectomy reversals among men in the United Kingdom aged >16 years. STUDY DESIGN Descriptive statistics were generated from the National Health Service's publicly accessible datasets from 2004/2005 to 2019/2020, including data from 1,621,105 men. RESULTS Although men are increasing their use of contraceptive services, the number of men having vasectomies and vasectomy reversals has decreased significantly. CONCLUSION The researchers propose that more rigorous techniques for capturing data are required to understand vasectomy in the United Kingdom. There is also an urgent need for research on vasectomy in the United Kingdom and globally, not only to explain the behavioral trends found in this study, but also to explain the global trend.
Metadata only
A bibliometric review of positive psychology and well-being research in Africa
(Frontiers, 2024-06-21) Wilson Fadiji, Angelina; Khumalo, Itumeleng P.; Wissing, Marié Philipina; Appiah, Richard
Positive Psychology rapidly developed into an influential field of study and intervention, initially situated in Psychology, and later becoming multidisciplinary. Research interest in the study of (psychological) well-being has gained global popularity, with increasing salience in Africa. Although the global trends of these developments are relatively well-known, a bibliometric analysis of positive psychology research in Africa was necessary to shed light on the present hotspots and trends and future trajectories in this region of the world. The data source of the present bibliometric analysis study was Scopus, from which Positive Psychology and well-being research literature from Africa between 1983 and 2023 were searched. Using biblioshiny and VOSviewer, the 622 extracted articles were analysed, from which findings about the current condition, research hotspots, and thematic developmental patterns could be made. Africa experienced an initial slow growth period from 1983 until 2005, after which a rapid growth in research productivity, relevance and impact was experienced. In this regard, the results show that the focal point of scientific productivity is South Africa, with the dominance of South African institutions, particularly the North-West University, from where most positive psychology research is produced and cited. Even with potential access to international journal, African researchers seem to prefer to place their publications in the regional journals such as Journal of Psychology in Africa and South African Journal of Psychology. The research reviewed tends to be characterised by more dominant thematic clusters of positive psychology, psychological well-being, and subjective well-being, with a focus on human individuals. An increasing concern for contextual factors and potential antecedents and dynamics of well-being is also observed. The findings provide a good map from which identification of future research priorities can be deduced. As such, we speculate that future positive psychology research in Africa ought to be concerned with the following: greater distribution and intercountry collaborations across the continent, questions of conceptual clarity of terms, better understanding of contextual factors which influence well-being, and well-being research embracing the complexity of bio-psycho-social-ecological well-being, and science concerned with health-promotion interventions.
Open Access
A Codebook-Guided Thematic Analysis of Government Policies on Leadership in Primary Schools, Supporting Novice Researchers Through the Research Journey
(20th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (QI2024), 2024-05-30) Sibley-White, Angela
This presentation will explore the challenge of analysing large amounts of qualitative data via the application of a codebook. The employment of a codebook is to support the use of a thematic analysis, as per Braun and Clarke's (2006, 2012, and 2019) framework, for a large dataset derived from participant interviews in a PhD study. The focus of the research was a critical evaluation of the impacts of Government neoliberal policies on leadership and experiences in primary schools, in the UK. A codebook supported the thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2019), providing a structured guide for identifying and categorising themes within the extensive interview data. Beyond its analytical use, the codebook was a valuable tool for the novice researcher, offering consistency throughout the lengthy research process. This dual role ensured a comprehensive exploration of the data and supported the researcher in navigating the complexities of thematic analysis. The paper therefore explores the ways in which integrating a codebook within a thematic analysis enhanced the methodological rigour, contributing to the reliability of findings, and making it an essential strategy for seasoned and novice researchers.
Metadata only
A service evaluation of more than 1 million self-funding adults attending a community weight management programme.
(Wiley, 2024-04-24) Toon, Josef; Bennett, Sarah-Elizabeth; Lavin, Jacquie; Pallister, Carolyn; Avery, Amanda
Scaled interventions are required to address levels of overweight and obesity and reduce health inequalities. Little data is available on the effectiveness of community weight management programmes for participants self-selecting to attend across different socio-economic backgrounds. This analysis investigates 3, 6, and 12-month outcomes of adults joining a real-life community weight management programme. Weight, attendance and Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) data from all fee-paying adults joining Slimming World in 2016 were collated. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to determine predictors of weight loss. Mean BMI of 1 094 676 adults (7.6% male) was 33.0 ± 6.4 kg/m. Mean % weight change at 3, 6, and 12 months was -5.0% ± 3.6%, -5.9% ± 5.2%, and -6.0% ± 5.8%. Those attending 75% sessions achieved greater weight loss with mean weight losses at 3, 6, and 12-months of 7.7% ± 3.3%, 11.3% ± 5.2%, and 14.1% ± 7.5%, respectively. Effect sizes from comparison of weight change between deprivation deciles were negligible, with similar outcomes in the most and least deprived deciles at 12-months (-5.7% ± 5.9% vs. -6.2% ± 5.9%). This service evaluation of more than 1 million adults attending a community weight management programme found they were able to achieve and/or maintain an average 6% weight loss at 12 months, with high attenders achieving >14% loss. Men and those with higher levels of deprivation were accessing the support and achieving significant weight losses. Slimming World as a real-life, scalable weight management programme is well placed to help adults manage their weight and address health inequalities.
Metadata only
A Service Evaluation of More Than 27 000 Adults Referred to a Community Weight Management Program: 24-Month Outcomes
(Sage, 2024-10-21) Toon, Josef; Bennett, Sarah-Elizabeth; Lavin, Jacquie; Pallister, Carolyn; Avery, Amanda
Background: Obesity has a significant impact on healthcare resources with limited accessible support available through the NHS. This service evaluation determines 24-month efficacy of referral to an open-group behavioral program by BMI category and socioeconomic status. Methods: This retrospective, longitudinal study examined weight outcomes of adults living in England referred by healthcare professionals to Slimming World during 2016 who recorded at least 1 weight change. Primary outcome was % weight change at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Socioeconomic status was measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Data from a post-referral questionnaire investigated self-reported changes in dietary and activity behaviors. Results: Twenty-seven thousand five hundred sixty (15.6% male) records were analyzed. Mean (SD) age and BMI on joining were 48.6 (14.80) years and 37.1 (6.31) kg/m2; 91.7% had a BMI > 30 kg/m2. Mean (SD) % weight change was −5.6 (3.79), −7.1 (5.71), −7.5 (6.88), and −7.3 (6.88) at 3, 6, 12, and 24-months, respectively. At 24- months, differences in weight loss between BMI category were significant, ranging from 0.29% (35-<40 vs 40+) to 1.33% (25-<30 vs 40+). For IMD quintile only comparisons against Q1 and Q2 were significant, ranging between 0.36% (Q2 vs Q3) to 0.94% (Q1 vs Q5). Five thousand eight hundred sixty-two (21.2%) completed the post-referral questionnaire. There were no BMI category effects on dietary behaviors but changes in physical activity behaviors were lower within the higher categories albeit effect sizes were small (all ges < 0.001). IMD quintile influenced changes for sugary drinks, watching TV and avoiding moderate activity although effect sizes were small (all ges < 0.01). Conclusion: Following 12-week referral to a commercial weight management organization, a mean weight loss of over 7% was reported at 24-months. Adults with higher BMIs and a greater level of deprivation can benefit from the practical support offered as part of the referral, supporting weight loss and weight loss maintenance albeit with some inequality.
Metadata only
A systematic review of the measurement properties of patient reported outcome measures used for adults with an ankle fracture
(Springer, 2019-12-17) McKeown, Rebecca; Ellard, David R.; Rabiu, Abdul-Rasheed; Karasouli, Eleni; Kearney, Rebecca S.
Background Ankle fractures are painful and debilitating injuries that pose a significant burden to society and healthcare systems. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are commonly used outcome measures in clinical trials of interventions for ankle fracture but there is little evidence on their validity and reliability. This systematic review aims to identify and appraise evidence for the measurement properties of ankle specific PROMs used in adults with an ankle fracture using Consensus Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instrument (COSMIN) methodology. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL online databases for evidence of measurement properties of ankle specific PROMs. Articles were included if they assessed or described the development of the PROM in adults with ankle fracture. Articles were ineligible if they used the PROM to assess the measurement properties of another instrument. Abstracts without full articles and conference proceedings were ineligible, as were articles that adapted the PROM under evaluation without any formal justification of the changes as part of a cross-cultural validation or translation process. Two reviewers completed the screening. To assess methodological quality we used COSMIN risk of bias checklist and summarised evidence using COSMIN quality criteria and a modified Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Two reviewers assessed the methodological quality and extracted the data for a sample of articles. Results The searches returned a total of 377 articles. From these, six articles were included after application of eligibility criteria. These articles evaluated three PROMs: A-FORM, OMAS and AAOS. The A-FORM had evidence of a robust development process within the patient population, however lacks post-formulation testing. The OMAS showed sufficient levels of reliability, internal consistency and construct validity. The AAOS showed low quality evidence of sufficient construct validity. Conclusions There is insufficient evidence to support the recommendation of a particular PROM for use in adult ankle fracture research based on COSMIN methodology. Further validation of these outcome measures is required in order to ensure PROMs used in this area are sufficiently valid and reliable to assess treatment effects. This would enable high quality, evidenced-based management of adults with ankle fracture.
Metadata only
A thematic analysis of the perceptions of reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance as a potential family planning method in the United Kingdom
(Sage, 2024-07-26) Wilson, Amanda D.; Gheorghe, Cristina M.; Slack, Olivia
Background: This exploratory study aimed to look into public perceptions of Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance (RISUG) as a family planning method in the United Kingdom (UK). It also aimed to discover if there were any sex differences in perceptions between males and females. Design: Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted, six with males and six with females, all residents of the UK. Methods: The audio data from the interviews then was transcribed for analysis. An inductive and a semantic thematic analysis was conducted on the data set. Results: Three main themes were constructed, including: (i) RISUG Hesitancy, (ii) Females perceived benefits of RISUG and (iii) Males perceived concerns regarding RISUG. Hesitancy was related to vaccination hesitancy, females wanted males to have more reproductive autonomy and males placed their concerns through the lens of ‘other’ males that their may be unintended side effects. Together these three themes represent both perceived risk and overall benefits of the method. However, while randomized control trails have been completed to standard for RISUG, males perceived concerns, suggesting a disconnect between the public’s perceptions and professionals understanding of trails. Conclusion: RISUG was perceived as a viable option for family planning in the future, however trust of the new contraceptive method will need to be fostered among the public in order to effectively transfer knowledge on the potential side effects and the standard of pre-market testing for these. Effective public health messages can result in better education of people concerning the new contraceptive method, including the risks and benefits. By using perceptions to inform health messages around RISUG, researchers and practitioners can learn from potential users how to best address misinformation or concerns, while at the same time building an evidence base for when new male methods reach the contraceptive market.
Metadata only
Abstraction, Belonging and Comfort in the Prison Classroom
(Sage, 2022-12-25) Little, Ross; Warr, Jason
Prison education, at the institutional and policy level, is too often about the use value of qualifications, rather than the exchange value inherent in the experience of learning. This article explores how abstract discussion can be used to resolve this problem by facilitating the production and exchange of pedagogical capital in a prison classroom. The development of pedagogical capital, a form of symbolic capital related to learning, enhanced the sense of belonging and comfort experienced by students. The classroom comprised learners from university and prison, participating in informal discussion emanating from abstract questions. Based on interviews with, and feedback and reflections from, students participating in an eight-week course located in a higher security Category B training prison in the midlands of England (‘HMP Lifer’), we discuss how pedagogical capital was produced and maintained. Firstly, it supported teachers to create a trustworthy learning space to discuss abstracted concepts and challenge each other – at an appropriate construal distance – without the discussion becoming too emotionally charged or exposing potential vulnerabilities. Secondly, it enabled students to use their own historical knowledge and experiences (narratives), creating a more equitable contributory space and reducing the risk of judgement. Thirdly, these elements combined to facilitate an iterative process of dialogical investment and exchange. The findings strongly suggest that the pedagogical approach was crucially important in creating a safe, trustworthy, equitable learning space in which students felt sufficiently at ease to exchange their thoughts and ideas as part of group discussion. We conclude that this pedagogical approach has wider implications for enhancing student resources, and fostering a sense of belonging in other, non-penal contexts, including higher education institutions.
Metadata only
Academic and Career Expectations of Ethnic Minority Youth in Hong Kong
(Sage, 2014-10-07) Cheung, F.; Lai, Beatrice P. Y.; Wu, Anise M. S.; Ku, Lisbeth
Based on social-cognitive career theory (SCCT), we explore how ethnic identity, parental occupation, efficacy in learning Chinese, and learning experience relate to ethnic minority adolescents’ academic and career expectations. The participants are 632 Southeast Asian adolescents in Hong Kong. In accordance with SCCT, structural equation modeling results show that ethnic identity is related to learning experience, which in turn is associated with efficacy in learning Chinese. Efficacy in learning Chinese significantly predicts the adolescents’ academic and career expectations, but parental occupation does not. Testing of alternative models also shows that ethnic identity is directly related to the two outcome expectations. We discuss the implications and limitations of the study in the context of extending SCCT to a more interdependent culture and assessing factors that contribute to outcome expectations of ethnic minority groups.
Open Access
Academic Hit Lists and Victimisation: Scoping a research agenda on victimisation and cyberbullying in academia and science
(2018-05-15) McKie, Ruth E.
One of the most unexplored areas in emotions and criminal justice falls under the issues of well-being, cyberbullying and academia. Drawing on both personal experiences and anecdotes from others, this presentation scopes out what are the potential implications of cyberbullying, twitter trolling, and criticisms against academic freedom experienced by the climate science and environmental sociology community. Academic hit lists such as the ‘Professor Watch List,’ to which I have myself been added, along with the abuse experienced via twitter trolls, can have significant implications for personal well-being and the development of academic knowledge. Moreover, it can have implications on the work of academics and scientists. For instance, climate scientists have reported they under-estimate the impacts of climate change in fear of continued misinformation campaigns and demonisation of themselves and work (Brysse et al., 2013). Consequently, the examination of academic and scientist experiences of victimisation online, in the media, and at events, is an important area in criminological study that needs further examination.
Open Access
Acceptance, Grief and Adaptation amongst Caregivers of Partners with Acquired Brain Injury: An Interpretative Phenomenological Enquiry
(Taylor and Francis, 2020-10-12) Lond, Benjamin; Williamson, I. R.
Purpose: Families provide vital support to relatives with brain injury yet shoulder significant stress and anxiety with little help threatening family cohesion and rehabilitative outcomes. This paper analyses the accounts of people caring for a long-term partner with brain injury to identify coping mechanisms and support systems that enhanced well-being. Materials and method: This study used semi-structured interviews with eight participants and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Three themes are reported— ‘moving through denial toward acceptance’; ‘confronting and managing ambiguous loss’; and ‘becoming an expert carer’. Theme one describes participants’ struggles to accept the longevity of brain injury and use of strenuous care practices to deny or fight disability; this proved counterproductive and was later remedied by individuals embracing change and making adaptations. Theme two reports how participants split their partners’ identities -before and after brain injury- to help grieve for the marital relationships they lost. Theme three looks at participants’ development of self-reliant attitudes to caregiving due to perceived limited state help, while embracing peer support that enhanced information and emotion-based coping. Conclusions: Findings support therapeutic practices that help family members confront the permanence of brain injury, and target feelings of complex and unresolved grief. Future research proposals are discussed.
Metadata only
Access to data and NHS privatisation: reducing public accountability
(Policy Press, 2019-08) Ruane, Sally
Recent decades, shaped by powerful neoliberal forces, have witnessed a significant encroachment on the UK state sector with privatisation advancing over many social and economic sectors. The extension of private sector involvement has implications for the effective public accountability of UK ‘public’ services. This chapter examines, through case studies drawn from the past ten or fifteen years, selected aspects of this diminished accountability. The three case studies concern the availability of data in relation to different dimensions of privatisation in the NHS: performance data in the provision of care when NHS-funded care is provided by private companies; financial and ownership details in infrastructure procurement; and technical data allowing an assessment of the character and implications of proposals in the policy process.
Metadata only
Accountability, Legitimacy and Discretion: Applying Criminology in Professional Practice.
(Sage, 2008) Canton, Robert; Eadie, T.
Open Access
Accounting for the gendered nature of ‘collateral consequences’ of a criminal record
(Routledge, 2022-10-25) Collett, Nicola
This chapter will provide an original contribution to our understanding of women’s experience of criminal justice by critically discussing the lifelong harm of attaining a criminal record. Whilst these so-called ‘collateral consequences’ of a criminal record are receiving increased attention this is still an under-discussed and under-researched issue in European jurisdictions, particularly in England and Wales. Furthermore, the gendered nature of such consequences has, until now, not been explored. 1 The chapter will first provide a summary of how a criminal record can create additional barriers for women who have had interactions with the criminal justice system (CJS). Secondly, in light of these barriers, the chapter will critically examine how criminal record practices systematically reproduce inequality and exacerbate the marginalisation of women. Finally, it will highlight how disclosure can be particularly harmful to women who, at the time of their interaction with the CJS, were experiencing other harmful events such as abuse, exploitation or neglect. This chapter is a timely addition as it lays the foundations for a critical conversation on the importance of gender when exploring the nuances of criminal record experiences, enriching and developing the field as it continues to grow.
Open Access
Achieving Digital Maturity in Prisons: A Study on Organizational Digital Readiness – a Gateway to Innovation
(2022-06-14) Knight, Victoria; Van De Steene, Steven; Riesdorf, Bianca
This presentation outlines the findings of a global digital maturity survey in prison services
Open Access
Achieving Digital Maturity in Prisons: A Study on the Organisational Readiness to Support the Inmates Digital Journey
(2022-04-04) Knight, Victoria; Van De Steene, Steven; Riesdorf, Bianca
This presentation outlines the findings of the global digital maturity survey in prison settings.
Metadata only
Achromatic Vision
(Spatial Vision, 2004) Scase, M. O.
Metadata only
Acquiescence and opposition: the Private Finance Initiative in the NHS
(Policy Press, 2000) Ruane, Sally
Metadata only
Action Choice and Outcome Congruency Independently Affect Intentional Binding and Feeling of Control Judgments
(Frontiers Media SA, 2018-04-11) Barlas, Zeynep; Kopp, Stefan
Sense of agency (SoA) refers to the subjective experience that one is in control of their actions and the consequences of these actions. The SoA is a complex phenomenon, influenced by a weighted combination of various prospective (pre-movement) and retrospective (post-movement) processes and factors related to action choice, action selection fluency, action-outcome associations and higher-level inferences. In the current study, we examined the effect of the congruency between actions and outcomes in a context where the choice-level of actions was varied from 1 to 4. The actions consisted of right, left, up and down key presses while the outcomes were visual representations of the actions (i.e., right, left, up and down-pointing arrowheads). Participants performed either an instructed action or freely selected an action among two, three, or four alternatives. Each action randomly produced either a congruent or an incongruent outcome, depending on the matching between the direction of the key press and the direction of the outcome arrowhead. Participants estimated the delay between their actions and the observed outcomes and reported their feeling of control (FoC) over the outcomes. Interval estimations were used as an indirect measure of the SoA to quantify the intentional binding effect, which refers to the perceived temporal attraction between voluntary actions and their outcomes. The results showed that both intentional binding and FoC were enhanced as the choice-level was increased from 1 to 4. Additionally, intentional binding and FoC over the outcomes were stronger when actions produced congruent compared to incongruent outcomes. These results provide additional evidence that both intentional binding and FoC are sensitive to the number of action alternatives and the congruency between actions and their outcomes. Importantly, the current study suggests that these prospective and retrospective cues might independently influence intentional binding and FoC judgments.
Open Access
Activating semantic knowledge during spoken words and environmental sounds: Evidence from the visual world paradigm
(Wiley, 2019-12-22) Toon, Josef; Kukona, Anuenue
Two visual world experiments investigated the activation of semantically related concepts during the processing of environmental sounds and spoken words. Participants heard environmental sounds such as barking or spoken words such as “puppy” while viewing visual arrays with objects such as a bone (semantically related competitor) and candle (unrelated distractor). In Experiment 1, a puppy (target) was also included in the visual array; in Experiment 2, it was not. During both types of auditory stimuli, competitors were fixated significantly more than distractors, supporting the co-activation of semantically related concepts in both cases; comparisons of the two types of auditory stimuli also revealed significantly greater effects with environmental sounds than spoken words. We discuss implications of these results for theories of semantic knowledge.

Browse

Browsing School of Applied Social Sciences by Title

Results Per Page

Sort Options