We have so much in common: Does shared variance between emotion-related constructs account for relationships with self-injury?

Background: Emotion regulation, distress tolerance, experiential avoidance, and both positive and negative affect have all been linked to NSSI. These constructs are proposed to be distinct; however, they share conceptual similarities. For example, some people may regulate emotions by avoiding stressful situations, conflating emotion regulation and avoidance. We tested if constructs linked with NSSI (when studied in isolation), remain significant correlates of NSSI when considered alongside related constructs (with which they may share variance). Method: University students (n = 487, M = 21.36, SD = 2.48, 74% female, 40% with lived experience of self-injury) completed well-validated self-report measures of NSSI, difficulties with emotion regulation, distress tolerance, experiential avoidance, emotional reactivity, positive and negative affect, and alexithymia. Results: As predicted, emotion-related constructs were generally highly correlated. Additionally, with the exception of lack of emotional awareness, all constructs were significantly associated with NSSI in bivariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, associations were substantially attenuated. Positive affect, distress tolerance, and experiential avoidance were negatively associated with NSSI, and limited emotion regulation strategies was positively associated with NSSI. No other constructs were uniquely associated with NSSI and exploratory factor analyses indicated that all constructs loaded onto a single factor Limitations: Cross-sectional design rules out temporal sequencing. Conclusion: Findings raise the possibility that associations between some emotion-related constructs (e.g., alexithymia) and NSSI may reflect variance shared with other emotion-related constructs. If true, this will have important theoretical, clinical, and measurement implications for NSSI research

Associations between non-suicidal self-injury and experiential avoidance: A systematic review and Robust Bayesian Meta-analysis

Objectives: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the intentional and deliberate damage to an individual's own body tissue without the intent to suicide. Individuals who have higher self-reported levels of experiential avoidance are more likely to report a history of NSSI. The current study systematically reviewed the literature and meta-analysed studies assessing associations between experiential avoidance and self-injury. Method: An extensive review was conducted of several databases (including ProQuest, Joanna Briggs, Web of Science, PsychArticles, PubMed, Scopus, and Ovid). Nineteen articles (two dissertations) met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review and 14 were analysed in a Robust Bayesian Meta-analysis. This review was registered through PROSPERO (CRD42020198041). Results: There was a small to medium, pooled effect size (d = 0.48, 95 % Credibility Interval 0.00–0.85). There was strong evidence for this effect size (Bayes Factor = 12.16), although there was considerable heterogeneity between studies (τ =0.68, 95 % CI [0.44, 0.1.05]). The analysis testing whether these findings may be due to publication bias was inconclusive (Bayes Factor = 2.45). Limitations: The majority of studies included were cross-sectional, in English, and most studies were of university students. While some studies reported on recency/frequency of NSSI there was not enough data to conduct meta-analysis. Conclusion: These results suggest there is a robust association between history of NSSI and experiential avoidance. However, as most studies operationalise avoidance as a unidimensional construct, it is not clear which aspects of avoidance differentiate individuals with and without a history of NSSI

Remembering the River: The Retrieval of Rome's Forgotten Relationship with the Tiber

Ever since its founding, Rome has been vulnerable to the swelling waters of its Tiber River. This river was so important to the city that it was a defining character in Rome’s history for over two thousand years. However, this river-city relationship would be suddenly severed in the late 19th century as Rome was declared the Italian capital. And, with the creation of the capital, came the creation of the river walls. While this new infrastructure safeguarded the city from future flooding, it razed the relationship between the city and its river. It lost its use as a commercial trade route, transportation system and leisure landscape, and before long the Tiber was forgotten. This thesis proposes a design intervention at Rome’s historic river-city site, the Porto di Ripetta. Once the physical and symbolic gateway to the city, the Ripetta is presently the most disconnected site along the Tiber River. Not only does the proposed project aim to synergistically unite a series of complex archaeological layers from antiquity to present-day, it also aspires to reconnect the city to its historical relationship with its river, introduce another layer within Rome’s transportation network, and expand the city’s cultural agenda along its underutilized continuous corridor. The introduction of river-based programme is logical when created within a series of design solutions that both recognize and address the temporal nature of the riverscape. Through in-depth historical analysis, this thesis examines the complexities of the Tiber River’s existence and analyzes its sociological, physical and political importance to the Eternal City. This understanding of the Tiber River’s unique qualities reveals tangible opportunities for new public spaces connected the potential of the Tiber as part of an expanded network of new public transportation, leisure landscapes, and cultural institutions

The organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos affects form deprivation myopia

PURPOSE. The effects of the anticholinesterase organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) on the refractive development of the eye were examined. Form deprivation was used to induce eye growth to address the previously reported relationship between organophosphate pesticide use and the incidence of myopia. METHODS. Chickens, a well-established animal model for experimental myopia and organophosphate neurotoxicity, were dosed with chlorpyrifos (3 mg/kg per day, orally, from day 2 to day 9 after hatching) or corn oil vehicle (VEH) with or without monocular form deprivation (MFD) over the same period. The set of dependent measures included the refractive state of each eye measured using retinoscopy, axial dimensions determined with A-scan ultrasound, and intraocular pressure. RESULTS. Dosing with CPF yielded an inhibition of 35% butyrylcholinesterase in plasma and 45% acetylcholinesterase in brain. MFD resulted in a significant degree of myopia in form-deprived eyes resulting from significant lengthening of the vitreal chamber of the eye. CPF significantly reduced the effect of MFD, resulting in less myopic eyes (mean refraction: VEH-MFD = -16.2 ± 2.3 diopters; CPF-MFD = - 11.1 ± 1.8 diopters) with significantly shorter vitreal chambers. Nonoccluded eyes were, on average, slightly hyperopic. Treatment with CPF for 1 week in the absence of MFD led to no significant change in ocular dimensions or refraction relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS. The use of form deprivation as a challenge suggests that CPF treatment interferes with the visual regulation of eye growth

Teaching a Doctoral Course in Consultation: The Parallel Team Process

A parallel team model of teaching consultation is presented. The model highlights experiential group counseling theory, techniques, and Yalom’s (1995) identified group therapeutic factors. The goal was to increase the students’ awareness and knowledge of consultation skills and teamwork in order to model and teach the same skills. The parallel interaction between the consultant and consultee teams is illustrated during the consultation stages of entry, problem/strength identification (diagnosis), intervention, and evaluation. The learning experience stimulated ideas for teaching consultation and the parallel team process

Moving beyond methodising theory in preparing for the profession

For those preparing for outdoor education and related professions, formal theory has an important role to play in terms of informing professional practice and understandings of teaching-learning dynamics. Despite this, surprisingly little is understood about how pre-service outdoor educators (POEs) view and engage with it in their preparation courses. Drawing on findings of a case study in an Australian outdoor education teacher education (OETE) course, this article explores POE theory engagement focussing on a problematic tendency to methodise formal theory, that is, to treat theories as formula for action. The authors argue that this tendency is concerning because it ignores the complexity and problematic nature of both theory-practice relationships and outdoor education pedagogy. The discussion highlights contributing factors and implications for OETE, especially with respect to enabling aspiring outdoor educators in tertiary courses to move beyond methodising theory as they enter the outdoor profession

Nazi Punks Folk Off: Leisure, Nationalism, Cultural Identity and the Consumption of Metal and Folk Music

Far-right activists have attempted to infiltrate and use popular music scenes to propagate their racialised ideologies. This paper explores attempts by the far right to co-opt two particular music scenes: black metal and English folk. Discourse tracing is used to explore online debates about boundaries, belonging and exclusion in the two scenes, and to compare such online debates with ethnographic work and previous research. It is argued that both scenes have differently resisted the far right through the policing of boundaries and communicative choices, but both scenes are compromised by their relationship to myths of whiteness and the instrumentality of the pop music industry