Dysphoria and hopelessness following battering: The role of perceived control, coping, and self-esteem

Coping, perceived control, dysphoria, hopelessness, and self-esteem in a sample of 100 battered women were assessed. Participants reported dysphoria and low self-esteem, but not hopelessness. High perceived control over current abuse and greater use of drugs, behavioral disengagement, denial, and self-blame as coping mechanisms were associated with increased dysphoria and low self-esteem. High expectations for control over future abuse were associated with decreased dysphoria and hopelessness and increased self-esteem. After controlling for the effects of abuse severity and low self-esteem, self-blame was a unique contributor to dysphoria and high expectations for control of future abuse were unique contributors to hopelessness. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for clinical intervention with battered women

Identifying suicide and self-harm research priorities in North West England: a Delphi study

Background: Understanding and effectively managing self-harm and suicide requires collaborative research between stakeholders focused on shared priorities. Aims: To develop a consensus about suicide and self-harm research priorities in the North-West of England using the Delphi method. Method: Items for the Delphi survey were generated through group discussions at a workshop with 88 stakeholders and subsequent thematic analysis of key themes. Forty-four participants who were experts-by-experience, researchers, and clinicians based within health services including third sector organisations completed the Delphi survey. Results: A three-round survey reached consensus on 55 research priority items identifying key priorities in each of the following groups: offenders, children and young people, self-harm in community settings, and crisis care in the community. Limitation: The pool of delegates at the workshop and subsequent self-selection into the Delphi may have introduced bias into the study. Conclusion: The current paper highlights specific actionable priorities were identified in four areas that can be used to inform research efforts and future policy and practice, based on shared areas of perceived importance and concern. Future work is needed to confirm the significance of these priority areas, including the use of evidence synthesis approaches to ascertain the extent to which these priorities have already been investigated and where gaps in understanding remain

Understanding students’ motivation towards proactive career behaviours through goal-setting theory and the job demands–resources model

The graduate labour market is highly competitive but little is known about why students vary in their development of employability. This study contributes to the literature by applying goal-setting theory and the job demands–resources model to investigate how motivational processes influence students’ proactive career behaviours. We tested four hypotheses using structural equation modelling and moderation/mediation analysis using a nested model approach; 432 undergraduates from 21 UK universities participated in this cross-sectional study. The results showed that students higher in mastery approach had greater perceived employability mediated by two proactive career behaviours (skill development and network building). Students’ career goal commitment was associated with all four proactive career behaviours (career planning, skill development, career consultation and network building). Students’ academic and employment workloads did not negatively impact their proactive career behaviours. University tutors and career services should therefore encourage students to set challenging career goals that reflect mastery approach

Changes in total and functional bacterial genera following biochar application to planted soil

Biochar has the recognized potential to sequester carbon, facilitate contaminant amelioration and enhance agricul-tural crop yield. Different types of biochar have different impacts on ecosystems, and those that are produced locally, relative to where they will be used, are considered more sustainable. It is important, therefore, to determine how the locally produced biochars affect total and functional microbial communities, especially in agronomic contexts. In this study we tested the hypotheses that biochar augmentation would: (1) increase plant yield; and (2) differentially affect total and functional microbial community composition and structure in bulk vs. rhizosphere (Trifolium pratense) soils. Triplicate randomised seedling cells of a 5% (w/w) mixture of sandy clay loam soil (26% clay, 21% silt and 53% sand), with/without locally-produced mixed broadleaf forestry biochar, and with/without 0.1 g clover seeds, were sampled destructively at 2-week intervals for 8 weeks post clover germination. Microbial DNA of bulk and T. pratense rhizos-phere soils were analysed with next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed a statistically significant increase in plant biomass in response to biochar addition correlating to increased abundances of Armati-monadetes and Bacteroidetes specifically in the rhizosphere. Although no significant change in overall alpha diversity was observed, significant changes in abundance at the genus level were recorded particularly in the presence of biochar for a number of recognised nitrogen-fixing and plant growth-promoting bacteria, including those capable of indole acetic acid (IAA) production, plant disease suppression and degradation of toxic compounds. We conclude that although overall soil diversity may not be affected by biochar addition, key genera associated with soil health and nitrogen fixation, such as Pseudoxanthomonas, Variovorax, Pseudonocardia, Devosia, Lysobacter and Hydrogeno-phaga, increased and facilitated plant growth

Self-harm in women in midlife: rates, precipitating problems, and outcomes following hospital presentations in the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England

Background: Suicide in women in the UK is highest in those in midlife. Characteristics associated with self-harm are also known to differ from men in this age-group. Given the unique changes in biological, social, and economic risk factors typically experienced by women in midlife, more detailed information is needed to inform care. Aim: To investigate rates, characteristics, and outcomes of self-harm in women in midlife compared to younger women and identify differences within the midlife age-group. Method: Data on women aged 40-59 years from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England from 2003 to 2016 were used, including mortality follow-up to 2019. Data were collected via specialist assessments or directly from emergency department records. Trends were assessed using negative binomial regression models. Comparative analysis used chi-square tests of association. Self-harm repetition and suicide mortality analyses used Cox proportional hazards models. Results: The self-harm rate in midlife women was 435 per 100,000 population and was relatively stable over time (incident rate ratio [IRR] 0.99, p<0.01). Midlife women reported more problems around finances, alcohol use, along with physical and mental health problems. Within-group comparisons showed suicide was more common in older women in midlife (Hazard Ratio [HR] 2.20, p<0.01). Intensity of clinical care, as measured by psychosocial assessment and psychiatric inpatient admission, also increased with age. Conclusion: Addressing issues relating to finances, mental health and alcohol misuse, alongside the social and biological transitions associated with midlife, may help to reduce self-harm in women during this period. Alcohol misuse was important across all stages of midlife, whereas physical health problems and experiencing bereavement increased with age. Despite receiving more intensive follow-up care, the suicide risk in older midlife women was elevated, perhaps indicating the need for more targeted support. Awareness of these potential vulnerabilities may help inform clinicians’ risk formulation and safety planning