An exploration into the parental experience of Emotionally Based School Non Attendance in young people: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

School refusal, school phobia, school anxiety and emotionally based school non-attendance are all interchangeable terms used to describe children who experience high levels of distress and anxiety that prevents them from going to school. Emotionally Based School Non Attendance (EBSNA) in young people is a complex and multifactorial condition which can be a symptom of an underlying mental health disorder (McShane & Rey, 2001). This study explored the experiences of parents of young people aged 13-15 years old who present with EBSNA, who no longer attend mainstream school and who attend an alternative educational provision. Interviews were conducted with five parents and transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), leading to four superordinate themes: ‘It turns your life upside down’; Power and the battle to be heard; Loss and fear and Retrospective clarity. These themes captured the far-reaching effects on parents which impacted on relationships within the family, their own mental health and poor relationships between home and school. Parents shared their concern for their child’s future and described the need to understand the origins of their child’s condition. Implications for Educational Psychologists (EPs) and other professional agencies suggest that it is important to increase our understanding and awareness of the parental experience and consider ways of improving the quality of parental and professional relationships

An exploration into the parental experience of Emotionally Based School Non Attendance in young people

School refusal, school phobia, school anxiety and emotionally based school non-attendance are all interchangeable terms used to describe children who experience high levels of distress and anxiety that prevents them from going to school. Emotionally Based School Non Attendance (EBSNA) in young people is a complex and multifactorial condition which can be a symptom of an underlying mental health disorder (McShane & Rey, 2001). This study explored the experiences of parents of young people aged 13-15 years old who present with EBSNA, who no longer attend mainstream school and who attend an alternative educational provision. Interviews were conducted with five parents and transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), leading to four superordinate themes: ‘It turns your life upside down’; Power and the battle to be heard; Loss and fear and Retrospective clarity. These themes captured the far-reaching effects on parents which impacted on relationships within the family, their own mental health and poor relationships between home and school. Parents shared their concern for their child’s future and described the need to understand the origins of their child’s condition. Implications for Educational Psychologists (EPs) and other professional agencies suggest that it is important to increase our understanding and awareness of the parental experience and consider ways of improving the quality of parental and professional relationships

Multiple identities: the civic function of architectural education in Europe.

Architectural education asks students to look beyond the confines of the studio to embrace global cultures, politics, and social contexts critically. Through making, digital interventions, drawing and critical analysis, architectural practices reveal complex narratives of the contexts they emerge from, reflecting multiple identities of place, heritage, and culture. This special edition of Charrette marks the 10th Biennial Congress of EURAU, (European Research in Architecture & Urbanism). EURAU is a network of schools and researchers in Architecture and Urbanism, which meets biannually in a conference to share their insights and concerns. EURAU's main objective is to establish these meetings as a place of debate and discussion of contemporary discourses in Architecture, City and Town Planning. This is a committed action organised by the Universities and contributes to the Europe 2020 Strategy towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive society. First initiated by the French Ministry of Culture in 2004, EURAU has convened regularly and continues to grow

Professionalism: Informal Consultations about Skin Diseases

Introduction: “Informal consultation” refers to informal self-referral to clinicians for medical advice. This questionnaire-based study explores non-dermatology doctors’ experiences with informal consultations on skin diseases. Method: A 13-item questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2020, involving a convenience sample of doctors from a district general hospital. Doctors working in the dermatology department were excluded from the questionnaire. The numerical data derived from the questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics, and free text data were analysed using content analysis. Results: The questionnaire response rate was 29/33 (88%), consisting of 27 doctors-in-training and two medical consultants. Twenty-four of 29 (83%) respondents reported that they were asked to provide dermatological advice outside of healthcare settings. The main source of self-referrals was first-degree relatives, as reported by 23/29 (79%) respondents. Twenty-five of 29 (86%) did not document the advice provided. Conclusions: Non-dermatology doctors encounter informal consultations on skin diseases. These requests put a burden on the work–life balance of clinicians involved, and there are risks associated with mismanaging such requests. Doctors in training would benefit from support and guidance from their supervisors on how to navigate this professionalism issue safely

Direct health care costs of treating seasonal affective disorder: a comparison of light therapy and fluoxetine.

Objective. To compare the direct mental health care costs between individuals with Seasonal Affective Disorder randomized to either fluoxetine or light therapy. Methods. Data from the CANSAD study was used. CANSAD was an 8-week multicentre double-blind study that randomized participants to receive either light therapy plus placebo capsules or placebo light therapy plus fluoxetine. Participants were aged 18-65 who met criteria for major depressive episodes with a seasonal (winter) pattern. Mental health care service use was collected for each subject for 4 weeks prior to the start of treatment and for 4 weeks prior to the end of treatment. All direct mental health care services costs were analysed, including inpatient and outpatient services, investigations, and medications. Results. The difference in mental health costs was significantly higher after treatment for the light therapy group compared to the medication group-a difference of $111.25 (z = -3.77, P = 0.000). However, when the amortized cost of the light box was taken into the account, the groups were switched with the fluoxetine group incurring greater direct care costs-a difference of$75.41 (z = -2.635, P = 0.008). Conclusion. The results suggest that individuals treated with medication had significantly less mental health care cost after-treatment compared to those treated with light therapy

Weekly and daily tooth brushing by care staff reduces gingivitis and calculus in racing greyhounds

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Dental disease affects many dogs worldwide and is believed to be particularly problematic for racing greyhounds. It costs the industry and rehoming charities financially and likely causes unnecessary suffering to a large number of dogs. The risk factors for dental disease in this population are debated, and the best methods to overcome it are relatively unresearched. We carried out a trial in which 160 racing greyhounds were divided into three groups. The staff looking after them either brushed their teeth daily, weekly or never, for a period of two months. An experimenter measured the dog’s level of calculus (hardened dental plaque) and gingivitis (gum inflammation) at the start, and again after two months. We found that both weekly and daily brushing resulted in significant reductions in calculus, but for gingivitis only daily brushing resulted in a significant reduction. The effects, however, were not noticeable on the front incisor teeth. Since the staff implementing the routine reported a minimal time commitment and positive experiences, we suggest that daily brushing is recommended for racing greyhounds, and that emphasis is placed on brushing all teeth groups. Similar trials need to be conducted with retired greyhounds since these have been shown to present particularly high levels of periodontal disease. ABSTRACT: Periodontal disease is one of the most common conditions affecting dogs worldwide and is reported to be particularly prevalent in racing greyhounds. A range of potential risk factors have been hypothesised. Previous research has suggested that regular tooth brushing can reduce both calculus and gingivitis, but the frequency required is unclear. Here, we report a controlled blinded in situ trial, in which kennel staff brushed 160 racing greyhounds’ teeth (living at six kennel establishments), either weekly, daily or never over a two-month period. All of the visible teeth were scored for calculus and gingivitis, using previously validated scales. We calculated average scores for each of the three teeth groups and overall whole mouth scores, averaging the teeth groups. Changes were compared to the baseline. After two months, the total calculus scores (controlling for baseline) were significantly different in the three treatment groups, (F((2,129)) = 10.76, p < 0.001) with both weekly and daily brushing resulting in significant reductions. Gingivitis was also significantly different between groups (F((2,128)) = 4.57, p = 0.012), but in this case, only daily brushing resulted in a significant reduction. Although the dogs in different kennels varied significantly in their levels of both calculus (F((5,129)) = 8.64, p < 0.001) and gingivitis (F((5,128)) = 3.51 p = 0.005), the intervention was similarly effective in all of the establishments. The teeth groups varied, and the incisors were not significantly affected by the treatment. Since the trainers implementing the routine, reported a minimal time commitment and positive experiences, we suggest that daily brushing is recommended for racing greyhounds, and that any instructions or demonstrations should include attention to all teeth groups including the incisors. Similar trials need to be conducted with retired greyhounds since these have been shown to present particularly high levels of periodontal disease

Initial Feasibility of a Woman-Focused Intervention for Pregnant African-American Women

African-American women who use crack are vulnerable to HIV because of the complex social circumstances in which they live. Drug-abuse treatment for these women during pregnancy may provide time for changing risk behaviors. This paper examines the initial 6-month feasibility of a women-focused HIV intervention, the Women's CoOp, adapted for pregnant women, relative to treatment-as-usual among 59 pregnant African-American women enrolled in drug-abuse treatment. At treatment entry, the women were largely homeless, unemployed, practicing unsafe sex, and involved in violence. Results indicated marked reductions in homelessness, use of cocaine and illegal drugs, involvement in physical violence, and an increase in knowledge of HIV from baseline to 6-month followup for both conditions. Findings suggest that the Women's CoOp intervention could be successfully adapted to treat this hard-to-reach population. Future studies should examine the efficacy of the pregnancy-adapted Women's CoOp for women not enrolled in drug-abuse treatment

Direct Health Care Costs of Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Comparison of Light Therapy and Fluoxetine

Objective. To compare the direct mental health care costs between individuals with Seasonal Affective Disorder randomized to either fluoxetine or light therapy. Methods. Data from the CANSAD study was used. CANSAD was an 8-week multicentre double-blind study that randomized participants to receive either light therapy plus placebo capsules or placebo light therapy plus fluoxetine. Participants were aged 18–65 who met criteria for major depressive episodes with a seasonal (winter) pattern. Mental health care service use was collected for each subject for 4 weeks prior to the start of treatment and for 4 weeks prior to the end of treatment. All direct mental health care services costs were analysed, including inpatient and outpatient services, investigations, and medications. Results. The difference in mental health costs was significantly higher after treatment for the light therapy group compared to the medication group—a difference of $111.25 (z = −3.77, P = 0.000). However, when the amortized cost of the light box was taken into the account, the groups were switched with the fluoxetine group incurring greater direct care costs—a difference of$75.41 (z = −2.635, P = 0.008). Conclusion. The results suggest that individuals treated with medication had significantly less mental health care cost after-treatment compared to those treated with light therapy

The Future of Leisure Studies in Research Universities: Administrators\u27 Perspectives

This article summarizes the content of a three-day administrative summit held at Zion Ponderosa Resort in southern Utah in late September 2010. Department chairs, heads, and deans representing 13 universities across North America offering leisure studies doctoral degrees, master\u27s degrees, and undergraduate professional preparation degrees gathered to entertain eight multifaceted questions pertaining to their future. The questions were generated by a Delphi Process, and responses to the questions were recorded and analyzed following the summit by a team of doctoral students and professors from the University of Utah. The article concludes with a brief discussion of an administrator\u27s responsibility in leading leisure studies departments in times of fiscal austerity, and recommending a to-do list to ensure the future of leisure studies in public research universities

Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women in Cape Town, South Africa: Drug Use, Sexual Behavior, and the Need for Comprehensive Services

The multiple risks associated with methamphetamine use are of serious concern for women. These risks and consequences are magnified during pregnancy. This secondary analysis of a parent study compared 26 pregnant to 356 nonpregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa, on selected demographic, psychosocial, and HIV-risk domains to identify their treatment service needs. Proportionally, more pregnant than nonpregnant women are using methamphetamine, P = .01, although a very high rate of women used methamphetamine. Women reported similar monthly rates of sexual intercourse, but pregnant women were significantly less likely to report condom use, P < .0001, maintaining their risky behavior. Both groups reported elevated Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale CES-D means, suggesting a need for depression treatment. Results demonstrate a pervasive need for women's comprehensive treatment, regardless of pregnancy status. Moreover, findings support the urgent need for women-focused and pregnancy-specific treatment services for methamphetamine use. Finally, a job-skills training/employment component focus is suggested