Prayer, personality and purpose in life : an empirical enquiry among adolescents in the UK

The linkage between religion and purpose in life is a matter of theoretical interest within the two fields of empirical theology and psychology of religion. Empirical evidence for this linkage remains vulnerable according to the measures of religion and purpose in life employed. Conceptually prayer provides an interesting test of this linkage in light both of the personal nature of this religious activity and of the persistence of prayer among individuals who do not attend worship services. This study draws on data provided by 10,792 13- to 15- year-old students from five different parts of the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and London) to test the connection between prayer and purpose-in-life (assessed by an established single-item measure) after taking into account personal differences (age and sex), psychological differences (Eysenck’s three dimensional model of personality), and religious differences (affiliation, and worship attendance). The data demonstrate that prayer frequency adds additional prediction of enhanced levels of purpose in life among young people after taking all other variables into account, and that prayer frequency is a stronger predictor of purpose in life than religious affiliation or worship attendance

Intuitive eating : an emerging approach to eating behavior

Introduction: In an effort to treat obesity, health care professionals pursue, by means of dieting and exercise interventions, weight loss as a primary goal of treatment. Although in few cases these interventions induce shortterm moderate weight loss, in the long-term, the efficacy of these treatments is at least questionable. Weight-loss interventions based on restrictive diets may be associated to adverse health and well-being. In this regard, some researchers have considered shifting the focus of obesity treatment into a health-centered paradigm. Among the models derived from this new paradigm, Health at Every Size (HAES) is one of the most referenced. HAES has enhanced intuitive eating as a core component of the paradigm, which refers to the reliance on biological mechanisms to regulate food intake (i.e., internal hunger and satiety cues). Recently, intuitive eating has been winning recognition since it have been associated with numerous indices of physical and psychological well-being, and noteworthy, it have not been related to any adverse effects. Objective: The present paper reviews the concept of intuitive eating, as well as the existing evidence that upholds this emerging approach. Also, it discusses the implication of shifting the focus of dietetic interventions into a health-centered paradigm. Design: Narrative Review. Conclusions: Although it is certain there is a need to extend current research on health-centered interventions, this approach may be a more promising and realistic alternative to address overweight and obesity than the conventional weight-loss treatmentsIntroducción: Con la finalidad de tratar la obesidad, los profesionales en salud buscan, por medio de intervenciones dietéticas restrictivas y ejercicio, la pérdida de peso como objetivo principal del tratamiento. Aunque en algunos casos estas intervenciones inducen pérdida de peso a corto plazo, en el largo plazo la eficacia de estos tratamientos es, al menos, cuestionable. Investigaciones recientes han sugerido que los tratamientos dirigidos a la pérdida de peso basados en dietas restrictivas no resultan eficaces a largo plazo e incluso pueden comprometer la salud y el bienestar del paciente. En este sentido, algunos investigadores han considerado cambiar el enfoque del tratamiento de la obesidad a un paradigma centrado en la salud y no en la pérdida de peso. Entre los modelos derivados de este nuevo paradigma, Salud a Cualquier Talla (HAES, por sus siglas en inglés) es uno de los más referenciados. Como componente central de este paradigma se sitúa la ingesta intuitiva, la cual se refiere a la confianza en los mecanismos biológicos para regular la ingesta de alimentos (i.e., las señales internas de hambre y saciedad). Recientemente, la ingesta intuitiva ha ganado reconocimiento, pues se ha asociado a diversos parámetros de bienestar físico y psicológico, además, no se ha observado ningún efecto adverso en pacientes que la practican. Objetivo: El presente artículo revisa el concepto de la ingesta intuitiva, así como la evidencia que sustenta este nuevo enfoque. Además, se discute la implicación de cambiar el enfoque convencional de los tratamientos dietéticos a un paradigma centrado en la salud. Diseño: Revisión Narrativa Conclusiones: A pesar de la necesidad de ampliar la investigación de las intervenciones centradas en la salud, este enfoque podría ser una alternativa más prometedora y realista para el abordaje del sobrepeso y la obesidad que los tratamientos de pérdida de peso convencionale

Implicit religion, explicit religion and attitude toward substances : an empirical enquiry among 13- to 15-year-old adolescents

A recent research tradition has employed Bailey’s (1997, 1998) notion of implicit religion to explore the ways in which Christian believing in the UK may be persisting in spite of declining levels of church attendance. Working within this framework the first aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of implicit religion, operationalized as attachment to traditional Christian rites of passage, among young people living within the UK. The second aim of this study, following the analytic model proposed by Francis (2013a, 2013b) exploring the psychological functions served by explicit religion and implicit religion, is to test the hypothesis that explicit religiosity (operationalized as church attendance) and implicit religiosity (operationalized as attachment to Christian rites of passage) are both associated with proscriptive attitudes toward substances among young people. Data provided by a sample of 12,252 13- to 15- year-old young people support this hypothesis

Christian affiliation, Christian practice, and attitudes to religious diversity : a quantitative analysis among 13- to 15-year-old female students in the UK

Within the context of the “Young People’s Attitudes to Religious Diversity” project at the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, this study examines the association between self-assigned Christian affiliation, self-reported Christian practice, and attitudes towards religious diversity among a sample of 5,748 13- to 15-year-old female students attending schools in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The two hypotheses being tested are that, among female students, nominal Christians do not differ in their attitudes towards religious diversity from unaffiliated students and that church attendance leads to less tolerance of other religious groups. The data partly support the first hypothesis but not the second. Churchgoing Christian female students are more interested in and more tolerant of other religious groups. The data also draw attention to the perceived importance of religious education in schools for shaping views on religion and on religious diversity among unaffiliated students, nominal Christians, and practising Christians. Both the Christian churches and religious education in school seem to have an important part to play in nurturing a tolerant and inclusive religiously diverse society in the UK

Understanding Unique Factors of Social Isolation and Loneliness of Military Veterans: A Delphi Study

Social isolation and loneliness are recognised societal issues, and it is estimated that between 5% and 18% of adults in the United Kingdom feel that they are ‘often’ or ‘always’ lonely (Co-Op Foundation and The Red Cross, 2016; Office for National Statistics, 2018). Furthermore, social isolation and loneliness are highlighted as being central to the narratives of military veterans, and the Armed Forces Community (Kiernan et al., 2018; Stapleton, 2018; Wilson, Hill, & Kiernan, 2018). This study aimed to gather expert consensus relating to the cause, impact and ways to tackle social isolation and loneliness of military veterans. It builds on previous research conducted by the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research, Northumbria University which highlighted that military veterans can experience social isolation and loneliness in a ‘unique’ way (Kiernan et al., 2018; Wilson, Hill & Kiernan, 2018). This ‘uniqueness’ is due to military-related intrinsic and extrinsic factors including number of transitions, military-related trauma such as limb loss, physical health and mobility, and losing touch with comrades (Kiernan et al., 2018; SSAFA, 2017; Stapleton, 2018; Wilson et al., 2018). Using the Delphi method (Helmer-Hirschberg, 1967) to gather expert consensus of military veterans’ social isolation and loneliness, this study aimed to: • Further explore the concept that veterans are considered as being ‘unique’ to adults to the general population, and other members of the armed forces community in their experiences of social isolation and loneliness. • Consider whether older veterans are ‘unique’ to younger veterans in their experiences of social isolation and loneliness. • Examine perceived factors leading to social isolation and loneliness of veterans. • Identify perceptions of how to tackle veterans’ social isolation and loneliness

Assessing peer and parental influence on the religious attitudes and attendance of young churchgoers : exploring the Australian National Church Life Survey

Drawing on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey, this study was designed to assess peer and parental influence on frequency of church attendance, attitude toward church, and attitude toward Christianity among a sample of 6,256 young churchgoers between the ages of 8 and 14 years, attending a range of denominations, including Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Pentecostal, and other Protestant Churches. The data indicated the power of parental example on frequency of church attendance. Frequent attendance among young churchgoers occurred when both parents attend as well. Parental influence worked differently on shaping attitude toward church. The most positive attitude was found among young churchgoers who had the opportunity to talk about God with their parents and who did not feel that their parents made them go to church. Young churchgoers responded to parental encouragement better than to parental pressure. Although peer influence within the church did not make much contribution to frequency of attendance, it made a contribution to shaping positive attitude toward church

Development of a synthetic wrist impact surrogate for sports applications

Wrist injuries are common in snowboarding. Snowboarding wrist protectors are available, but there is limited research on their effectiveness. Previous research has explored tests for assessing the performance of wrist protectors, including bend tests and impact tests. BS EN ISO 20320:2020 was recently published as a standard for snowboarding wrist protectors. Performance testing of wrist protection typically use a wrist surrogate. The surrogate in BS EN ISO 20320:2020 consists of a simple representation of a hand and forearm, made from stiff materials and connected with a hinge joint. It is expected that a wrist surrogate utilising soft tissue simulants, rather than just stiff materials, would give a better prediction of human response under impact. Two styles of wrist protector, short and long, were chosen for testing with a developed compliant surrogate and an equivalent stiff one. A compliant surrogate with a 3 mm thick silicone outer layer and a stiff core was developed for use in a bend test for wrist protectors. Adding silicone to the surrogate increased the measured stiffness of both protectors. Finite element modelling and experiments were then used to inform the thickness of the soft tissue simulant on the palm of a wrist surrogate intended for impact testing. Impact tests against BS EN ISO 20320:2020 were conducted to determine the ability of the protector’s palmar region to limit force, and the effect of introducing an anvil shaped like a hand, and compliance in the form of a layer of silicone. Both protectors' palmar regions were better at limiting force when impacted on an anvil shaped more like a hand, and further so, when adding a silicone layer to the anvil. A compliant surrogate with a 7 mm thick silicone layer over the palmar side of the hand, and a 3 mm thickness elsewhere, was then developed for use in a pendulum impact test, which tested the entire protector. Adding compliance to the surrogate reduced the peak force and increased the time to reach this peak. This PhD project has demonstrated that testing with a biofidelic wrist surrogate can affect the measured performance of wrist protectors. Future work could further develop the biofidelity of the surrogate, such as by including a bone simulant, instrumentation and adding stiffness to the joint, to further our knowledge of wrist injury mechanisms and the effectiveness of wrist protectors

Freedom of religion and freedom of religious clothing and symbols in school : exploring the impact of church schools in a religiously diverse society [monographic series]

The Young People’s Attitudes to Religious Diversity Project was established to compare the attitudes of students (13- to 15-years of age) educated within the state-maintained sector in church schools (Catholic, Anglican, joint Anglican and Catholic) and in schools without a religious foundation. Data provided by 2,385 students recruited from England, Wales and London who self-identified as either ‘no religion’ or as Christian demonstrated that personal factors (especially sex), psychological factors (especially psychoticism) and religious factors (especially personal prayer) were all significantly related to attitude toward freedom of religious clothing and symbols in school. After controlling for sex and for individual differences in personality and in religiosity, students attending church schools hold neither a more positive nor a less positive attitude toward freedom of religious clothing and symbols in school (according to various religious traditions), compared with students attending schools without a religious foundation

Dimensions of personality and preferred ways of coping : an empirical enquiry among rural Anglican clergy

The present study was designed to test the thesis that preferred ways of coping assessed by the Ways of Coping (Revised) Checklist are related to two major dimensions of personality proposed by Eysenck, extraversion and neuroticism. Data provided by 613 Anglican clergy serving in rural ministry in England demonstrated that: two ways of coping were significantly correlated with both extraversion and neuroticism (escape-avoidance, and self-controlling); two ways of coping were significantly correlated with neuroticism (accepting responsibility, and confronting); three ways of coping were significantly correlated with extraversion (planful problem solving, seeking social support, and positive reappraisal); and one way of coping was independent of both neuroticism and extraversion (distancing). The implications of these findings are discussed for three fields: the connection between personality and ways of coping; the construct validity of the measures proposed by the Ways of Coping (Revised) Checklist; and the role of personality in predicting and interpreting individual differences in clergy behaviours and work-related psychological health

Does religious education as an examination subject work to promote community cohesion? An empirical enquiry among 14- to 15-year-old adolescents in England and Wales

This study begins by examining the way in which, in both England and Wales, Religious Education has become implicated in political discussion regarding the role of education in promoting community cohesion. The relationship between taking Religious Education as an examination subject and attitude towards religious diversity (as an affective indicator of community cohesion) is then explored among 3052 14- to 15-year-old students. After controlling for contextual factors (school type and geographical location), personal factors (sex and age), psychological factors (psychoticism, neuroticism and extraversion) and religious factors (Christian affiliation, worship attendance, personal prayer and belief in God), a small but significant positive association was found between taking Religious Education as an examination subject and attitude towards religious diversity. This finding may be interpreted as supporting the view that Religious Education works to promote community cohesion, although the wider debate that the community cohesion agenda has generated among religious educators needs further exploration