The COVID-19 Own Risk Appraisal Scale (CORAS): development and validation in two samples from the United Kingdom

Perceived risk is an important determinant of the adoption of preventive behaviours. In this article, the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Own Risk Appraisal Scale (CORAS), including its development and validation in two samples in the United Kingdom, are described. The CORAS is a measure of perceived personal risk of contracting the disease, incorporating primarily intuitive with some analytic risk estimates. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on data from 470 participants in the United Kingdom who completed the CORAS, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours Index. Results showed that a unidimensional, six-item model fits the data well, with satisfactory fit indices, internal consistency and high item loadings onto the factor. We found no statistically significant differences by age, gender or ethnicity. The CORAS correlated positively with the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours Index, suggesting good concurrent validity

Socio-economic inequalities in social network, loneliness and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a focus on isolation and loneliness is important, especially as social distancing policies (which for some groups involve self-isolation or quarantine) are likely to accentuate these experiences and affect mental health. Aims: This study focuses on socio-economic inequalities in social network, loneliness and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Two-hundred and fourteen residents of Wandsworth, a South West London Borough in the United Kingdom completed an online cross-sectional survey on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. Data were analysed using independent samples t-tests and multiple regression. Results: Middle-aged people reported a less strong social network and more loneliness, anxiety and depression than younger people. People with a long-term health condition reported a less strong social network, more loneliness, more general practitioner (GP) and hospital visits, and poorer mental health than those with no long-term health conditions. People receiving State financial benefits reported less use of public spaces, a less strong social network, more loneliness, more GP and hospital visits and poorer mental health than those not receiving benefits. Greater neighbourhood identification was associated with a stronger social network and better mental health outcomes. Multiple regression analyses showed that, over and above loneliness, perceived personal risk of COVID-19 constitutes an additional precipitant for both depression and anxiety when controlling for other variables. Conclusion: As a novel stressor associated with the pandemic, the situational and involuntary perception of being at risk of COVID-19 may be stimulating anxiety and depressive symptomatology, which will need to be managed effectively as resurgences of the disease are predicted and communicated to the general public under growing mistrust and uncertainty

The Impact of Wine Tourism Involvement on Winery Owners' Identity Processes

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Tourism Planning & Development on 20/02/2020, available online: doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2020.1730945This paper examines how involvement in wine tourism has affected winery owners’ identity processes. Using Breakwell’s Identity Process Theory (IPT) as a conceptual framework, we investigate the extent to which place is a part of winery owners’ self-identities, thereby giving them senses of belonging, distinctiveness, continuity, and self-esteem. Simultaneously, we find that these senses and feelings influence winery owners’ perceptions of the benefits and dis-benefits of wine tourism development in their region. We also discover how personal involvement in tourism can strengthen or threaten winery owners’ identities and thereby affect their support or otherwise for wine tourism. Empirical evidence is provided via a sample of twenty-eight winery owners in Langhe, Italy, who have recently engaged in various tourism-related activities due to the continuous development of the local tourism industry. Our research recognises that place is an integral part of the identity process

British national identity and life satisfaction in ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom

This study examines British national identification in survey data from 226 Indians, Pakistanis, Black Caribbeans and Black Africans. Black participants reported stronger ethnic identification and more frequent ethnic discrimination; and Pakistanis reported higher religiosity and more frequent religious discrimination, but stronger British national identification. Uncertainty about the meaning and accessibility of British national identity and perceived ethnic discrimination were associated with decreased British national identification. British national identification was in turn positively associated with life satisfaction. Uncertainty about the meaning and significance of Britishness challenges its value to overall identity maintenance, making it less accessible to ethnic minorities

Misuse of derivatives : considerations for internal control

Derivatives are nowadays widely used globally both for speculative and hedging purposes. However, as experience shows, inadequate use of derivatives may cause severe problems and even bankruptcy of firms. Thus, it is essential to help organizations design a robust proactive governance and internal control structure, which will help to prevent new financial debacles and scandals when using derivatives. Taking into account the frequent use and the growing fraud caused by derivatives, the aim of the paper is to identify considerations for internal control important to ensure better governance of firms using derivatives. The main findings are based on an analysis of interviews that were conducted with experts directly or indirectly involved with derivatives from different European countries. The interviews were semistructured following the approach proposed by Patton (1990). An analysis of the data collected from the interviews was carried out using a thematic approach. The paper identifies and analyzes the main “sources” of derivatives misuse, including poor design and mis-categorization of instruments, convenience to blame derivatives, unsophisticated players, insufficient regulatory environment, poorly designed internal controls, inadequate communication, poor firm culture, etc. It also provides an extensive analysis of the main recommendation for internal control concerning awareness of derivatives design, the human aspects, regulations, communication, knowledge, and training. Sound internal controls could avoid new debacles without adding other restrictions to the market. Moreover, it provides recommendations for internal control important to ensure better governance of firms using derivatives.peer-reviewe

The construction of ethnic identity: insights from identity process theory

Ethnicity has received much empirical and theoretical attention in the social sciences. Yet, it has scarcely been explored in terms of its relationship with the motivational principles of identity. Here it is argued that there is much heuristic and predictive value in applying identity process theory (IPT), a socio-psychological model of identity threat, to the substantive literature on ethnicity. The paper explores the potential psychological benefits of ethnic identification. Key theoretical strands from anthropology and sociology, such as the ‘relational self’ in ethnic identification, are discussed in relation to IPT. The intergroup dimension of ethnic identification is explored through the discussion of ethnic 'boundaries'. Finally, the paper discusses the construct of 'hybridization' in relation to social psychology. This paper attempts to reconcile psychological and sociological perspectives on ethnic identification, advocating a multi-methodological approach. Key theoretical points are outlined in the form of testable hypotheses which are open to empirical exploration

The Puzzle of the Flyby Anomaly

Close planetary flybys are frequently employed as a technique to place spacecraft on extreme solar system trajectories that would otherwise require much larger booster vehicles or may not even be feasible when relying solely on chemical propulsion. The theoretical description of the flybys, referred to as gravity assists, is well established. However, there seems to be a lack of understanding of the physical processes occurring during these dynamical events. Radio-metric tracking data received from a number of spacecraft that experienced an Earth gravity assist indicate the presence of an unexpected energy change that happened during the flyby and cannot be explained by the standard methods of modern astrodynamics. This puzzling behavior of several spacecraft has become known as the flyby anomaly. We present the summary of the recent anomalous observations and discuss possible ways to resolve this puzzle.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication by Space Science Review

HIV stigma in UK press reporting of a case of intentional HIV transmission

The UK has set itself the ambitious target of zero new HIV transmissions by 2030. HIV stigma is a significant barrier to achieving this target. Media reporting plays an important role in shaping social representations of HIV and of stigma. Between 2016 and 2018, the media in the UK reported on the Daryll Rowe case – the first criminal prosecution for intentional transmission of HIV in the UK. This article examines the way that UK newspapers reported this case, which may have exacerbated HIV stigma. Using Nexis, 178 UK newspaper articles were extracted and subjected to qualitative thematic analysis through a social constructionist lens. Informed by social representations theory, the analysis yielded three discursive themes: (1) Representing the perpetrator through HIV-focussed metaphors; (2) Constructing volitional ambiguity; and (3) Anchoring the lived experience of HIV to misery and death. UK newspapers constructed an ‘evil vs victimhood’ dichotomy in relation to Rowe and the men infected with HIV, respectively. This article argues that news coverage of the Rowe story constructs HIV in ways that are inconsistent with public health messaging. Reporting failed to note innovations in HIV treatment and prevention but instead disseminated stigmatising social representations of HIV. This is important because stigma impedes effective HIV prevention, engagement with HIV care and ultimately our ability to achieve the zero-infections target

Europe - a default or a dream? European identity formation among Bulgarian and English children

This is the authors' accepted version of an article published in Ethnicities, 2014. http://online.sagepub.com/10.1177/1468796812465722This article examines the formation of European identity among children in two very different countries: the traditionally Eurosceptic United Kingdom and the enthusiastic EU newcomer, Bulgaria. The paper revisits existing debates about the relationships between European identity, knowledge and the political and historical context, paying particular attention to the meanings attached to Europe. It demonstrates that children who identify as European are more likely to see Europe in geographic terms, which facilitates the perception of the European identity as ‘default’. In contrast, children who refuse to describe themselves as European see Europe as an exclusive political entity, associated with high standards and distant elites. These perceptions are significantly more common among Bulgarian children, who often depict Europe as a dream, and perceive the European identity as an ideal they aspire to reach. The article also shows how ethnicity and the images of Europe influence the relationship between national and European identities