Longitudinal falls data in Parkinson’s disease: feasibility of fall diaries and effect of attrition

Background: Identifying causes of falls for people with Parkinson’s disease has met with limited success. Prospective falls measurement using the “gold standard” approach is challenging. This paper examines the process and outcomes associated with longitudinal falls reporting in this population. Methods: Participants were recruited from ICICLE-GAIT (a collaborative study with ICICLE-PD; an incident cohort study). Monthly falls diaries were examined over 48 months for accuracy of data and rate of attrition. To further inform analysis, characteristics of participants with 36-month completed diaries were compared with those who did not complete diaries. Results: One hundred and twenty-one participants were included at baseline. By 12 months, falls diary data had reduced to 107 participants; to 81 participants by 36 months; and to 59 participants by 48 months. Key reasons for diary attrition were withdrawal from ICICLE-gait (n = 16) (13.2%), and noncompliance (n = 11) (9.1%). The only significant difference between the completed and non-completed diary groups was age at 36 months, with older participants being more likely to send in diaries. Conclusions: Prospective falls data is feasible to collect over the long term. Attrition rates are high; however, participants retained in the study are overall representative of the total falls diary cohort

Impact of a Student-Athlete Career Preparation Program on Athlete Alumni Affinity

Previous research has indicated the majority of athlete alumni do not give charitable donations to their alma mater or athletics department. With over 4 million former National Collegiate Athletic Association student-athletes, these athlete alumni should have an inherent affinity for their athletics department. The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between a student-athlete career preparation program (“Career Program”) and athlete alumni affinity for the athletics department. This study uses the theoretical framework of Social Exchange Theory to examine if an athlete alumni’s affinity for their athletics department increases when they receive support for their career launch. The quantitative quasi-experimental study had two groups of athlete alumni, career program varsity athlete alumni and non-career program varsity athlete alumni, who graduated from one large, public university at the Football Championship Subdivision level. The intervention of the Career Program was provided to one group of athlete alumni. An athlete alumni affinity questionnaire was developed and administered to both groups. The questionnaire received a low response rate with 71 respondents. The Pearson chi-squared test did not show a relationship between athlete alumni affinity and the Career Program. There was no statistical difference indicated between the two groups for the five latent variables of (a) career preparedness, (b) communication, (c) connection, (d) student-athlete experience, and (e) undergraduate experience. Two athlete alumni affinity statements did show significance, and they were related to student-athletes developing a LinkedIn profile and professional resume

Exploring the benefits and challenges of volunteering: Participatory action research with people with lived experience of mental illness

Volunteering is associated with a range of health and employability benefits. However, there is limited evidence of the collective experience of volunteering for people recovering from mental illness. This thesis presents a participatory action research project in collaboration with a group of ten working age adults comprising four men and six women of white British ethnicity, predominantly Scottish and all living in the same Scottish city. All had lived experience of mental illness; many had significant experience of volunteering and all were actively engaged at the time of the research in unpaid volunteering in the community through personal choice as part of their recovery journey. The aim of the project was to hear about the benefits and challenges of volunteering including the positives and negatives of sociopolitical and welfare systems that support people with lived experience of mental illness to volunteer, with a view to producing something through action that would be of benefit to the group and/or the wider community. Participants took part in a preliminary interview and attended a series of five participatory action research groups. Thematic data analysis of the interviews was carried out by the researcher. Data generation and analysis of the PAR groups was combined and followed Freire’s (1970, p. 80; p. 104) process of “problem posing” and “conscientization” or critical consciousness raising where participants by asking critical questions about their situation recognised the potential for transformation. Data analysis of the PAR groups was collaborative, iterative, cumulative and coconstructed with themes revisited and revised by participants. Findings revealed factors that supported and hindered a positive volunteering experience including challenges from the socio-political impact of welfare reform. Participants produced a briefing paper to inform newly devolved powers supporting the Social Security (Scotland) Bill to support change at policy level and resolve the problem of mandatory volunteering in Scotland. This project has generated a new understanding of the experience of volunteering for people with lived experience of mental illness proposing an original theory of five conditions for successful volunteering that are necessary to support recovery namely: readiness and support to volunteer; synergy between volunteer and experience to ensure volunteering is meaningful; flexibility to stay well; opportunity to meet needs for identity and connectedness; and opportunity for influence and activism. Findings have also highlighted the negative effects of neoliberal welfare policies on the experience of volunteering for out-of-work disabled welfare recipients; demonstrated how PAR contributes to positive socio-political change with findings supporting Scottish Government policy development; and exposed how at a practice level the hegemony of paid work dominating occupational therapy vocational services limits an understanding of volunteering to one viewed solely through a work lens, with limited critique

Community Pathways of Aboriginal Youth Leaders: Report

The study Community Pathways of Aboriginal Youth Leaders focuses upon twelve young Aboriginal men and women who have been identified as leaders and role models by their communities. The research emerged out of a desire to understand better the role and impact of the school system on the lives of Aboriginal children and youth... There was a sense among the research group that one approach that had potential as a starting point to address the topic was to examine the lives of young Aboriginals who had become leaders, referred to by some as “champions”... Thus, it was decided that the purpose of this exploratory research project would be to examine the pathways taken by young Aboriginal role models and leaders, “champions.” It was expected that each life story, or “pathway,” would be unique, but it was also anticipated that there would be some aspects of the stories which could provide some insights into how Aboriginal youth leaders emerge, particularly with respect to family, community and educational settings

Who Cares and does it matter for the labour market? A longitudinal analysis of the labour force status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous carers

Indigenous Australians experience higher rates of severe or profound disability than other Australians, and the gap in rates of disability between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians increases with age. The relativelyhigh rates of disability among the Indigenous population corresponds with heavy caring burdens. It has been well established that carers of a person with a disability have lower rates of paid employment than dononcarers. However, relatively little is known about the effect of caring on the employment rates of Indigenous carers and virtually nothing about the effect of caring on changes in labour force status. This paper uses the recently released Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset to, for the first time, describe the labour market dynamics of Indigenous and non-Indigenous carers, and the extent to which these differ from the dynamics of thosewho are not carers. By exploiting the longitudinal nature of the data, we can examine how labour force status changes in association with starting as a carer and exiting from caring. Employment probabilities and labour force transitions are analysed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. The analysis raises questions about how caring decisions are made within households and the extent to which the costs of caring may differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous households

Family factors and risk behavior in adolescent dating relationships: Heterosocial competence as a mediator between interparental conflict and dating violence

A growing body of literature has suggested that associations between interparental conflict and adolescent dating violence emerge in part due to social learning. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying links between interparental conflict and adolescent dating violence are not well understood. Theoretical rationales provided by researchers working with adolescents, as well as empirical evidence from studies with adult populations, suggest that heterosocial competence is a key social learning component associated with a risk for intimate partner violence. The purpose of the present study was to examine heterosocial competence as a mediating variable in the intergenerational transmission of violence. Participants included 172 adolescents recruited from two public high schools. Results indicated that conflict properties of interparental conflict did not predict adolescent dating violence but that interparental conflict resolution predicted adolescents' heterosocial competence and use of adaptive conflict resolution strategies within their most recent dating relationship. However, the hypothesized mediational relationships were not supported given that only a small proportion of variance in adolescent dating conflict was accounted for by heterosocial competence. Findings highlight important patterns of adolescent dating violence within a diverse public high school student population, further the literature regarding recurrence of violence across generations, provide measurement information about a new measure of adolescent heterosocial competence, and offer preliminary information about associations between heterosocial competence and conflict within intimate partnerships

Physiotherapy management of functional movement disorders: the patient perspective

PURPOSE: People with functional movement disorders (FMD) are commonly seen in neurology clinics. Despite a recent increase in research, no standardised treatment pathway across the UK exists. Currently only a few qualitative studies in FMD with a focus on psychological aspects and diagnosis have been published. This study aimed to understand people with FMD perceptions of their physiotherapy treatment. METHOD: Qualitative web-based interviews were conducted with seven participants and an interpretive phenomenological approach was used to identify themes from the data. RESULTS: Four themes were identified; 1) my brain, mind and body are all me, 2) physiotherapy; what helps and what doesn't, 3) what recovery is to me, and 4) barriers to treatment. Participants desired a combination of psychological and physical approaches, which were holistic, individualised, and delivered by experienced physiotherapists. Limited availability and funding of specialist treatments were barriers to recovery. CONCLUSION: Holistic management combining psychological and physiological systems seems to be crucial for effective management of FMD. Large variations in physiotherapy treatment exist across the UK. It is hoped that increasing the understanding, amongst healthcare professionals will lead to the development of timely and appropriate pathways for patients that otherwise find themselves lost between medical specialities.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONPatients report more positive experiences when a combined and detailed psychological and physiological explanation to their symptoms is given.An individualised approach working with the patient on activities they find challenging is more preferable than group exercise or impairment based (e.g., strengthening/stretching) treatments.Having a physiotherapist who is experienced in treating functional movement disorders or prepared to learn and understand them helped with adherence to treatment