Longitudinal study of migrant workers in the East of England (Interim Report)

Claudia Schneider and Deborah Holman of the Public Policy Consultancy Group (PPCG) in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University were commissioned by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) to conduct a longitudinal study of migrant workers1 in the region. The study is for three years from January 2008 and is part funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). Focusing on the perspective of migrant workers in the Eastern region (Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambs, Herts, Essex and Beds.) we were asked to study: factors that influence decisions on coming to and length of stay in the UK; barriers to full participation in the regional economy; and, barriers to social inclusion in the local community; how these change over time and whether public policy has an influential role on these decisions. For this first interim report, we have particularly focused on initial data in relation to the length of stay question for migrant workers. At this stage there is no explicit connection to a review of public policy change (although the economic climate is a feature of some of our participants’ reflections as is the consequences of EU membership). A preliminary consideration of the UK public policy context will be included in the second interim report and a final detailed examination of policy initiatives (UK, EU and countries of origin) in the contex

Different Behavioral Experiences Produce Distinctive Parallel Changes in, and Correlate With, Frontal Cortex and Hippocampal Global Post-translational Histone Levels.

While it is clear that behavioral experience modulates epigenetic profiles, it is less evident how the nature of that experience influences outcomes and whether epigenetic/genetic biomarkers could be extracted to classify different types of behavioral experience. To begin to address this question, male and female mice were subjected to either a Fixed Interval (FI) schedule of food reward, or a single episode of forced swim followed by restraint stress, or no explicit behavioral experience after which global expression levels of two activating (H3K9ac and H3K4me3) and two repressive (H3K9me2 and H3k27me3) post-translational histone modifications (PTHMs), were measured in hippocampus (HIPP) and frontal cortex (FC). The specific nature of the behavioral experience differentiated profiles of PTHMs in a sex- and brain region-dependent manner, with all 4 PTHMs changing in parallel in response to different behavioral experiences. These different behavioral experiences also modified the pattern of correlations of PTHMs both within and across FC and HIPP. Unexpectedly, highly robust correlations were found between global PTHM levels and behavioral performances, suggesting that global PTHMs may provide a higher-order pattern recognition function. Further efforts are needed to determine the generality of such findings and what characteristics of behavioral experience are critical for modulating PTHM responses

Developmental Lead and/or Prenatal Stress Exposures Followed by Different Types of Behavioral Experience Result in the Divergence of Brain Epigenetic Profiles in a Sex, Brain Region, and Time-Dependent Manner: Implications for Neurotoxicology.

Over a lifetime, early developmental exposures to neurocognitive risk factors, such as lead (Pb) exposures and prenatal stress (PS), will be followed by multiple varied behavioral experiences. Pb, PS and behavioral experience can each influence brain epigenetic profiles. Our recent studies show a greater level of complexity, however, as all three factors interact within each sex to generate differential adult variation in global post-translational histone modifications (PTHMs), which may result in fundamentally different consequences for life-long learning and behavioral function. We have reported that PTHM profiles differ by sex, brain region and time point of measurement following developmental exposures to Pb±PS, resulting in different profiles for each unique combination of these parameters. Imposing differing behavioral experience following developmental Pb±PS results in additional divergence of PTHM profiles, again in a sex, brain region and time-dependent manner, further increasing complexity. Such findings underscore the need to link highly localized and variable epigenetic changes along single genes to the highly-integrated brain functional connectome that is ultimately responsible for governing behavioral function. Here we advance the idea that increased understanding may be achieved through iterative reductionist and holistic approaches. Implications for experimental design of animal studies of developmental exposures to neurotoxicants include the necessity of a \u27no behavioral experience\u27 group, given that epigenetic changes in response to behavioral testing can confound effects of the neurotoxicant itself. They also suggest the potential utility of the inclusion of salient behavioral experiences as a potential effect modifier in epidemiological studies

Kompleksni in večplastni procesi sprejemanja odločitev o dolžini bivanja: Evropski državljani iz držav A8 in A2 v Združenem kraljestvu

This article focuses on post-2004 migration to the UK from A8 and A2 countries and discusses the complex, multi-layered and bounded nature of migrants’ decision making on length of stay. It argues that the maximisation of economic benefits is only one factor amongst many which influences decision making. Following a ‘bounded rationality’ approach the article considers the following three dimensions of decision making: perception of environment, goals and normative principles. Data from a longitudinal study of migrant workers in the East of England will be used to illustrate migrants’ decisions on length of stay. The study combined a mixed methods approach with a longitudinal panel approach and the article will present findings from three phases of semi-structured interviews (a core group of 30 A8/ A2 citizens over three years) and two surveys (161 participants in year 1 of which 61 responded in year 2). The article concludes that the maximisation of economic benefits is only part of a complex bundle of factors which influence decisions on length of stay. A positive perception of the wider social situation in the UK (influenced partly by participants’ transnational experience), a strong goal orientation (in the context of personal life and education) and strong normative principles (reflected in aspirations, de- termination, resilience and a certain flexibility regarding notions of identity and belonging) have been highlighted as important factors in decision making processes on length of stay.Članek se osredotoča na migracijo v Združeno kraljestvo iz držav A8 in A2 po letu 2004 in govori o kompleksni, večplastni in omejeni naravi odločanja migrantov o dolžini bivanja. Trdi, da je maksimizacija ekonomskih koristi le en dejavnik me mnogimi, ki vplivajo na sprejemanje odločitev. Članek sledi pristopu ‚omejene racionalnosti‘ [bounded rationality] in tehta naslednje tri dimenzije sprejemanja odločitev: dojemanje okolja, cilje in normativna načela. Za ilustracijo odločanj migrantov o dolžini bivanja bodo uporabljeni podatki iz longitudinalne študije delavcev migrantov v vzhodni Angliji. Študija kombinira pristop mešanih metod z longitudinalnim panelnim pristopom, članek pa bo predstavil izsledke iz treh faz polstrukturiranih intervjujih (osnovna skupina 30 državljanov držav A8/A2 v obdobju treh let) in dveh raziskav (161 sodelujočih v prvem letu, od katerih jih je 61 odgovorilo v letu 2). Članek ugotavlja, da je maksimizacija ekonomskih koristi le del kompleksnega snopa dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na odločitev o dolžini bivanja. Pozitivno dojemanje širše družbene situacije v Združenem kraljestvu (na katero delno vplivajo transnacionalne izkušnje udeležencev), močna usmerjenost k ciljem (v kontekstu zasebnega življenja in izobrazbe) in močna normativna načela (ki se odražajo v težnjah, odločnosti, odpornosti in določeni meri fleksibilnosti kar se tiče identitete in pripadanja) so bili označeni kot pomembni dejavniki pri procesu sprejemanja odločitev o dolžini bivanja

The impact of national and international financial crises on mental health and well-being: a systematic review

Background: Evidence suggests that financial crises and poor mental health are reciprocally related, butno systematic review has been conducted to synthesise the existing literature on the impact of nationaland international financial crises on population-level mental health and well-being.Aims: The aim of this study was to systematically review the available literature on the global impactof financial crises on mental health and well-being outcomes.Methods: After registration on PROSPERO, a systematic search was conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE,Wiley, and Web of Science for papers published until 21 November 2022. Following the PreferredReporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, 98 papers were identifiedas meeting eligibility criteria. Included studies were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool(MMAT) and results were presented in a formal narrative synthesis.Results: Our findings show that financial crises are significantly associated with well-being andoccurrence of psychological conditions. Several socio-demographic, cultural, and country-specificcharacteristics played a crucial role in the prevention of population mental health decline in periods offinancial crises.Conclusions: Based on the findings of this review, evidence-based recommendations were developedto guide the design of policy actions that protect population mental health during and after financialcrises