Understanding how British Pakistani women speak about resilience through the lens of the Resilience Portfolio Model

The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the way British Pakistani women speak about resilience during the Covid-19 adversity. It draws upon in-depth narrative interviews with 13 British Pakistani women, aged between 38 to 69. The analysis is grounded in the Resilience Portfolio Model developed by Grych and colleagues. The Resilience Portfolio Model proposes that each individual has a unique “portfolio” of strengths and protective factors which consists of ‘assets’ (regulatory strengths, interpersonal strengths, and meaning-making strengths) and resources available to individuals. Just like many people across the globe, women were impacted by the pandemic in different ways, nevertheless, they maintained resilience through regulatory behaviours of walking and enjoying nature, engaging in praying and reading of the Quran. Women invested in positive relationships that supported the development of social capital within their community and allowed them to connect with others in meaningful and reciprocal ways. Their religious beliefs and identity was not only key in their ability to make sense of the pandemic, but promoted a sense of belonging which enabled them to engage with their community resources. Findings show that women’s assets worked in tandem with their resources to promote their overall wellbeing during the Covid-19 adversity. This highlights the need for practitioners to combine individual ‘strengths’ and community resources when developing preventative and responsive interventions for ethnic minority women who have experienced adversity and for policy initiatives to consider recreational resources that help to minimise isolation in ethnic minority communities

Metacognitive Monitoring in Written Communication: Improving Reflective Practice

Educational programs aimed at developing metacognitive skills usually focus on students, neglecting the development of teachers by teaching metacognitively aware instructional methods. The effectiveness of such development programs is well-established, but there is a gap between research findings and their application in schools. A framework for a training program was developed in the context of an international partnership project aimed at enhancing the metacognitive abilities of both children and teachers. The final form of classroom activities was developed at the country level using action research methods with the involvement of teachers. After implementing a 3-week educational program involving 35 experimental and 19 control groups from Romanian public schools, a comparison of pre- and post-test scores indicated a significant increase in the number of children in the experimental group with improved efficiency in metacognitive monitoring in reading. Teachers’ metacognitive awareness significantly improved after the Teacher Training Program, as indicated by a comparison of the pre- and post-training results of the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Teachers (MAIT). No correlation was found between teachers’ development scores (as expressed by differences between pre- and post-intervention MAIT results) and the number of students from their classes whose progress in metacognitive monitoring significantly increased. The cyclical process of the action research methodology proved to be useful for increasing the efficiency of the intervention program. However, due to methodological limitations, the results are primarily interpretable within a local context. The results confirm expert recommendations aimed at integrating the targeted development of metacognitive teaching skills into both pre-service and in-service teacher training programs

Social support in the perinatal period: a feminist exploration of asylum seeker and refugee women’s experiences and suggestions for change

Asylum seeking and refugee women in the UK face significant challenges to their perinatal wellbeing, with high levels of maternal mortality and morbidity experiencing multiple disadvantages and inequalities due to their immigration status, gender, migration experience and minoritised ethnic status. These women can lack social support and improving the level of social support available to women who experience multiple disadvantages can be a way of improving their perinatal experiences and wellbeing. There are, however, currently no studies which explore this in the context of asylum seeking and refugee women in the UK. A feminist-informed study was undertaken aiming to explore asylum seeker and refugee women’s experiences of social support in the perinatal period and their suggestions for change. A critical interpretative synthesis was undertaken to explore existing literature on perinatal social support for asylum seeking and refugee women in a European context. From this, two empirical studies, underpinned by feminist social constructionist epistemology were undertaken to explore asylum seeking and refugee women’s experiences of perinatal social support in the UK and the ways they felt this support could be improved. Women with lived experience, and staff and volunteers who supported them, were interviewed using feminist semi-structured interviews (n=22), then for study 2, four focus groups, including a member checking group (n=11) were undertaken. Findings from the studies identified key issues around needing social support to access statutory services and overcome challenges to meet basic needs. The role and nature of networks of support were discussed, getting support right to meet women’s needs, and who provides support and how. Midwives were considered central to provide support and knowledge and communication. These results fit with the ethics of care, placing women’s experiences within the socio-political context of the immigration system and current healthcare provision, focusing on ideas of the careless state, the voluntary sector and the creation of caring communities, systemic carelessness in maternity care, promiscuous care and gender and care. The research marks a unique contribution to knowledge being the first study, using a feminist-informed approach, to explore UK based asylum seeking and refugee women’s experiences and perceptions of social support and their suggestions for change

‘Empowering connections’: developing a coach mentoring framework

Mentoring has often been advocated as a method of harnessing the influential power of experience through guidance, observation, and reflective practice, allowing coaches to become better equipped to deal with the uncertain nature of coaching. Although much of the discourse on mentoring is set in a positive light, it continues to lack conceptual clarity, with no current universal definition available. Aligned to this, specific research into the programme at the heart of this study, also highlights the need for both wider, and more contextual research. Therefore, with this research being conducted into an established programme, broadly pragmatic research methods were adopted to ensure the research was sensitive to the social, historical and political context of the enquiry. The purpose of study one was to investigate the mentoring process from the mentee’s perspective. Employing a questionnaire, the results of the study indicated a lack of clarity and understanding of the role of the mentor/mentee relationship in supporting coaching practice. Hence, building on the outcome of study one, study two interviewed four key managers within The FA with responsibility for mentoring to explore how they conceptualized the role of mentors in supporting coach development. The outcome of this study indicated an emphasis on ensuring mentors build healthy rapport with mentees to help provide clarity and understanding of the mentors role in supporting the grassroots coach. Clearly, a conceptual gap appeared to exist between what mentees were experiencing and what The FA were aiming to deliver. Consequently, study three created and presented an applied mentoring framework to support mentors in defining their role and help mentees understand the mentor/mentee relationship. Using a Delphi Study approach, the mentoring framework was shared with an independent panel of mentoring experts who provided constructive critical feedback to shape and help develop the mentoring process in context. As a consequence of this research, the mentoring framework is now employed by the FA to support the delivery of the national FA mentoring programme. To support the research and findings further, a reflexive thread, and my own personal narrative is highlighted via the text, sketches and doodles to help the reader navigate my thoughts, reflections, and experiences on this research journey

Digital Versus Paper-Based Consent from the UK NHS Perspective: A Micro-costing Analysis.

The paper-based consent pathway can be associated with missing information, error, and inadequate patient comprehension. Digital consent addresses some of these limitations. However, limited research has been conducted to understand relative costs and consequences associated with adopting digital consent pathways. The aim of this study was to compare the relative costs of digital consent pathways with paper-based consent pathways in UK National Health Service (NHS) clinical practice. A micro-costing study was conducted from the UK NHS perspective. Multi-stakeholder involvement contributed to understanding how the paper-based consent pathway varies by department and hospital setting. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify the key cost drivers and scenario analyses explored the effect of consent timing and hospital digital readiness. Potential advantages and disadvantages of digital consent were also considered, such as possible impacts associated with consent-related litigation. The cost per consent episode is approximately £0.90 more expensive when completed on paper. The ordering or printing of paper consent forms, and the transportation of forms to storage and back to clinic are process steps that would not be necessary with digital consent. Sensitivity and scenario analyses indicated consultation duration had the greatest impact on the relative costs of both pathways. Per litigation claim prevented, an average of £201,590 could be saved. Digital consent is potentially cost saving for the NHS. Consent for elective procedures is recommended in advance of the day of surgery, and digital consent used in this scenario demonstrated the greatest savings. Consultation duration was estimated to have the greatest impact on the relative costs of both pathways, which should be a focus of further investigation. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. The Author(s).

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in people with intellectual disabilities: Examining incidence, risk factors, quality of care and related complications. A population-based matched cohort study

Aims People with intellectual disabilities are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but there are currently gaps in our understanding related to risk of new onset, care of T2DM and complications. Methods We examined electronic health-record data from Jan 2010 to May 2022 in 189,172 people with intellectual disabilities and 306,697 age, sex and family practice matched controls. We estimated incidence rates per 1,000-person-years, incidence rate ratios (IRRs), risk factors for T2DM (odds ratio, OR), indicators of quality of care and complications (hazard ratio, HR). Results Incidence of T2DM in people with intellectual disabilities was 3.74 compared to 2.21 per 1,000 person-years in controls. After allowing for the younger age of T2DM onset in intellectual disabilities, the adjusted IRR was 6.91 (95 % CI 5.81–8.22). Impaired mobility was associated with T2DM incidence in people with intellectual disabilities (OR = 7.72, 5.87–10.15). People with intellectual disabilities received blood tests for HbA1c and cholesterol, and eye and foot examinations less often; and had a 12 % higher risk of developing macrovascular complications. Conclusions People with intellectual disabilities are at increased risk of T2DM at younger ages, have specific risk factors, experience inequities in care and are at risk for macrovascular complications

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Predictive CyberSecurity: Enhancing Threat Forecasting and Vulnerability Management

The rise in sophisticated cyber threats demands advanced cybersecurity methods that surpass traditional rule-based approaches. This study explores the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance predictive cybersecurity, enabling more accurate threat forecasting and effective vulnerability management. The research assesses various AI modelssuch as neural networks, decision trees, and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) in their ability to predict cyber threats. Employing a quantitative methodology, the study utilizes historical data from cybersecurity sources, threat intelligence feeds, vulnerability logs, and incident reports. Key performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and Receiver Operating Characteristic - Area Under the Curve (ROC-AUC), were used to test, validate, and train the AI models. Neural networks emerged as the most accurate, achieving 93% accuracy, particularly excelling in identifying phishing attacks and zero-day vulnerabilities. SVM models also performed well, minimizing false positives and increasing detection rates, while decision trees proved computationally efficient and easily interpretable in simpler cybersecurity scenarios. The findings underscore the superiority of AI models over traditional methods, offering dynamic solutions for evolving cyber threats. This research contributes to the field by demonstrating the extensive potential of AI in predictive cybersecurity, providing actionable insights for organizations implementing AI-driven threat detection and vulnerability management

Moving Beyond the Impasse: Importation, Deprivation, and Difference in Prisons

This theoretical article uses an intersectionality lens to show that, together, the importation and deprivation models can act as an important theoretical tool for understanding the lives of incarcerated people who deviate from the expected population of young, white, able-bodied, hearing males. We use examples from the lives of incarcerated d/Deaf people and incarcerated women to introduce a pain-difference continuum, where the extent to which someone differs from what is ‘expected' in prison correlates with the types of pains/deprivations they experience. We acknowledge the impact of imported oppression and coin the term “imported coping,” where people utilize pre-existing strategies to navigate prison's pains

Conversations across international divides: children learning through empathy about climate change

Primary school curricula often largely avoid the climate crisis, and teachers feel ill-equipped to teach it. In the secondary school curriculum, the climate crisis is generally addressed only in specific subjects such as science or geography. Our own and others’ research indicates that children are curious about climate change and become less anxious when they feel agentic in facing its effects. The challenges of everyday life for children in parts of the world severely affected by the rapidly changing climate are seldom included in educational contexts. This article reports on a project that linked a school in a UK town with a school on a Fijian island to explore a holistic approach to understanding the impacts of climate change. The children aged 9 to 11 built friendships across the globe through film messages, email, written letters, and drawings. As part of getting to know one another, the children asked and answered questions about their lives. Those questions and other creative activities revealed children’s interests and priorities and the extent of their local and global knowledge and enabled us to consider a personalised approach to climate justice. By co-creating and exchanging their stories the children could begin to understand the social and emotional impacts as well as the science of climate change. We discuss the role of empathy in children’s learning about climate change, and consider how connections across international divides can be facilitated