Prevalence and correlates of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among female US federal prison inmates

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have observed high prevalences of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among women entering US jails and state prisons (22%–47%). We sought to determine the prevalence among women incarcerated in 2 US female-only federal prisons. METHODS: Female inmates were recruited at 2 prisons (n = 624). Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire and provided self-collected first-catch urine and vaginal swab specimens. Specimens were tested for T. vaginalis DNA. RESULTS: Approximately 8.5% of participants at the first prison, and 8.3% at the second prison had a positive urine result, vaginal swab result or both, for a combined prevalence of 8.5%. Using positivity in either specimen as the reference standard, urine polymerase chain reaction had a sensitivity of 66.7% and vaginal swab polymerase chain reaction had a sensitivity of 84.4%. The only significant positive correlate of T. vaginalis infection was lower household income before arrest. Other variables nonsignificantly positively correlated with T. vaginalis were being employed at the time of arrest, having experienced sexual, physical, or emotional abuse by a family member, having a parent who had not had a drug or alcohol addiction, never exchanging sex for money or drugs, ever being pregnant, having abnormal vaginal bleeding/spotting, and having concurrent chlamydia or gonorrhea. CONCLUSIONS: Although not as high as in other studies of women entering US jails and state prisons, our observed T. vaginalis prevalence of 8.5% was much higher than in the general US population. Therefore, screening for T. vaginalis infection may be warranted at federal prison entry, as well as sexual health education during prison stay

Developing supervisory competence: Preliminary data on the impact of CBT supervision training

Clinical supervision is key to the delivery and governance of effective psychological work. We place increasing emphasis on the evidence base in our clinical decision making, and yet there is no comparable body of information to inform our supervisory practice. This is a serious problem for psychological therapists; there is an urgent need for theoretically driven and empirically evaluated approaches to supervision, and the training of such skills. This preliminary evaluation examined the impact of a 5-day training designed for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) supervisors new to the role. A within-subject, repeated-measures design was used to compare self-assessed supervision competencies over the course of training. Twenty-eight IAPT supervisors completed 5 days’ training based on the Supervision Competencies Framework and IAPT Supervision Guidance. Significant improvements were found in ratings of generic, specific, applied and meta-supervision competencies, as well as overall competency. This evaluation gives preliminary support for the impact of training on supervisory competencies. There are clear limitations, particularly the lack of objective measures and comparison training. Nevertheless, in the context of a very limited evidence base to date, the study contributes to a more robust approach to developing supervisory competence in clinical practice

Making Talk Work: Exploring the Teaching of Collaborative Talk

This thesis is the outcome of a PhD CASE Studentship funded by the ESRC and British Telecom. It presents an exploration into the teaching of collaborative talk. The study was conducted in three phases: exploratory, development and implementation. During the exploratory phase, observations and interviews were conducted in authentic workplace settings to gain an understanding of workplace collaboration and collaborative talk. During the development phase, a teaching unit for the teaching of collaborative talk at GCSE was devised, informed by understandings gleaned during the preceding phase. During the implementation phase, the teaching unit was taught by two teachers in their secondary English classrooms. Both participating classes were arranged into groups of 4: 8 groups in School 1 and 7 in School 2. For the duration of the 3 week teaching unit, groups were recorded via camera and audio recorder, and the data later synchronised. Both teachers wore an audio recorder to capture interactions with groups and the whole class. To complement the core data set, students were interviewed for their views on their learning. Student booklets provided a means of collecting both group and individual reflections and evaluative comments. The data was analysed to explore the development of students’ collaborative talk. The role of the teacher in implementing the teaching unit and supporting students’ development was also examined. The findings provide an insight into the realities of implementing successful collaborative talk in the ‘real’ secondary classroom. It contributes to conceptualisations of collaborative talk and its development. It makes links between the role of emotional engagement and dialogic interactions in supporting that development. It proposes teaching strategies which challenge perceived notions of ‘good’ talk and encourages the development of meta-language to support self-evaluation and the development of collaborative talk.ESRC and British Teleco

Inside Tallis : Reconstructing the Interiors of Tallis's London Street Views

This paper will examine how the physical reality behind Tallis’s illustrations can be illuminated to explore the commercial, domestic and social dimensions of Tallis’s London. It will explore the range of material culture available and how this can be used to analyse interior space, in particular through English Heritage’s Architectural Study Collection. Two preliminary case studies will investigate the future potential for looking behind the façades of early Victorian London

Overlaps and disjunctures : a cultural case study of a British Indian young woman’s experiences of Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorder diagnoses are characterised by a pattern of disordered eating behaviour alongside symptoms such as body dissatisfaction and preoccupation with food, weight or shape (APA in Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, DSM-5, APA, Washington, DC, 2013). Incidence rates for eating disorders have increased during the last 50 years. However, epidemiological studies have suggested that such trends may not be a true representation of the occurrence of these illnesses in the general population, with figures underestimated due to reduced help seeking and poor access to care, particularly amongst ethnic minorities. This case study explores the experiences of a young British Indian woman with bulimia nervosa. Arising from an in-depth semi-structured interview, analysed with interpretative phenomenological analysis, her narrative offers a critical lens onto how diverse fragments of cultural practices and meanings come together to produce the clinical category of ‘bulimia.’ It thereby offers an alternative portrait of relationships between eating disorders and ‘culture,’ one that goes beyond a framing of these illnesses as culture inscribed on the body. Interrogating relationships between culture and the development, expression and maintenance of bulimia is suggested to be key to forging culturally-sensitive understandings of this illness; this paper begins to provide the evidence base for the design and development of appropriate support services, thereby aiming to contribute to a reduction in health inequalities and barriers to treatment

Economic and humanistic burden of HPV-related disease in Indonesia:A qualitative analysis

The burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-related cancers and genital warts is increasing in developing countries, including Indonesia. The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the humanistic and economic burden of these HPV-related diseases in patients in Indonesia. In 2021, in-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with patients (N = 18) with HPV-related diseases and healthcare professionals (HCPs; N = 10) specialised in treating these patients. Interviews explored the physical, mental, social, and economic burden of HPV-related diseases. Patients emphasised the psychological and social burden of HPV-related diseases, which negatively impacted their mental state and close relationships. Treatment for HPV-related diseases was also associated with a substantial cost, which health insurance only partially alleviated. HCPs understood the physical negative impact of HPV-related diseases, but some understated patients’ social, psychological, and financial burden. This research underscores the substantial economic and humanistic burden of HPV-related diseases that could be prevented by vaccination. In addition, it highlights the need for novel interventions to reduce negative psychosocial consequences of HPV-related diseases in Indonesia. Increased HCP education of the broader humanistic impacts of HPV-related diseases may improve patient support and increase awareness for preventive strategy.</p