Women post-recession: moving towards insecurity

After the recession, the rise in casual and precarious contracts is entrenching gender inequality in the UK

Integrating a sense of coherence into the neonatal environment

Background: Family centred care (FCC) is currently a valued philosophy within neonatal care; an approach that places the parents at the heart of all decision-making and engagement in the care of their infant. However, to date, there is a lack of clarity regarding the definition of FCC and limited evidence of FCCs effectiveness in relation to parental, infant or staff outcomes. Discussion: In this paper we present a new perspective to neonatal care based on Aaron Antonovksy’s Sense of Coherence (SOC) theory of well-being and positive health. Whilst the SOC was originally conceptualised as a psychological-based construct, the SOCs three underpinning concepts of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness provide a theoretical lens through which to consider and reflect upon meaningful care provision in this particular care environment. By drawing on available FCC research, we consider how the SOC concepts considered from both a parental and professional perspective need to be addressed. The debate offered in this paper is not presented to reduce the importance or significance of FCC within neonatal care, but, rather, how consideration of the SOC offers the basis through which meaningful and effective FCC may be delivered. Practice based implications contextualised within the SOC constructs are also detailed. Summary: Consideration of the SOC constructs from both a parental and professional perspective need to be addressed in FCC provision. Service delivery and care practices need to be comprehensible, meaningful and manageable in order to achieve and promote positive well-being and health for all concerned

Workplace Violence in Chinese Hospitals: The Effects of Healthcare Disturbance on the Psychological Well-Being of Chinese Healthcare Workers

Healthcare disturbance is a form of workplace violence against healthcare workers perpetrated by patients, their relatives, and gangs hired by them. It is a prevalent phenomenon in China, where evidence suggests that it impacts on the job satisfaction of healthcare workers. This study aims to examine the relationship between healthcare disturbance, surface acting as a response to emotional labour, and depressive symptoms in Chinese healthcare workers. The study adopted a cross-sectional design and used an online survey methodology. Data were collected from 418 doctors and nurses from one hospital in China. The results showed that frequency of healthcare disturbance was positively related to surface acting and depressive symptoms, respectively; surface acting was also positively related to depression, while deep acting showed no effect on symptoms of depression. Furthermore, surface acting in response to emotional labour mediated the relationship between healthcare disturbance and depressive symptoms. The results highlight the importance of preventing healthcare disturbance and of training healthcare staff in strategies for managing emotional demands in reducing depressive symptoms in Chinese healthcare staff

Activism, arenas and accounts in conflicts over tobacco control

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical and empirical insights into the effective use of external accounts by social activists in conflict arenas in order to bring about change. Design/methodology/approach - This paper presents a longitudinal case study of Action on Smoking and Health UK (ASH) and their use of external accounts and other activist practices during the period 1999-2010. The authors explore these practices from the perspective of one organisation engaged in conflict arenas concerning the (un)acceptability of tobacco production, consumption and governance. The authors conduct the exploration based upon a dynamic conflict arena framework that attends to the range of external accounting and activist practices, tactical intentions and states of conflict used by ASH to confront the tobacco industry and bring about change in tobacco governance. Findings - The study identifies the use of a diverse range of external accounts and other activist practices. This assemblage of practices was used to confront, counter-act and to co-operate with actors engaged in tobacco-related conflicts. The evidence suggests that the deployment of different types of external accounts by ASH was aligned to the context of the particular conflict arena involved, and was influenced by the strategy and engagement tactics of the activists and other actors, as well as power dynamics and acceptability of the tobacco governance in the conflict arena. Whilst ASH used different external accounts in specific episodes of activism, these individual accounts also contributed to an emerging holistic account of the unacceptable consequences of tobacco production, consumption and governance. Originality/value - This study provides new theoretical and empirical insights into how external accounts can contribute to the problematisation of governance and development of social and environmental change agendas. The dynamic conflict arena framework developed in this paper creates new visibilities and possibilities for developing external accounting practices and for researching this fast-developing area of social and environmental accounting.PostprintPeer reviewe

Effect of vasopressin 1b receptor blockade on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response of chronically stressed rats to a heterotypic stressor

Exposure to chronic restraint (CR) modifies the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis response to subsequent acute stressors with adaptation of the response to a homotypic and sensitization of the response to a heterotypic stressor. Since vasopressin (AVP) activity has been reported to change during chronic stress, we investigated whether this was an important factor in HPA facilitation. We therefore tested whether vasopressin 1b receptor (AVPR1B) blockade altered the ACTH and corticosterone response to heterotypic stressors following CR stress. Adult male rats were exposed to CR, single restraint, or were left undisturbed in the home cage. Twenty-four hours after the last restraint, rats were injected with either a AVPR1B antagonist (Org, 30 mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle (5% mulgofen in saline, 0.2/kg, s.c.) and then exposed to either restraint, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or white noise. CR resulted in the adaptation of the ACTH and corticosterone response to restraint and this effect was not prevented by pretreatment with Org. Although we found no effect of CR on LPS-induced ACTH and corticosterone secretion, both repeated and single episodes of restraint induced the sensitization of the ACTH, but not corticosterone response to acute noise. Pretreatment with Org reduced the exaggerated ACTH response to noise after both single and repeated exposure to restraint

What Impact Does Accreditation Have on Workplaces? A Qualitative Study to Explore the Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals About the Process of Accreditation

Aim: This study seeks to explore the emerging psychosocial risks of healthcare accreditation in workplaces and to understandhealthcare professionals’ perceptions about work demands and the unexpected consequences such accreditation had placed uponthem.Methods: Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted with a variety of healthcareprofessionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals. The study was conducted in three publichospitals and a network of primary healthcare centers in the United Arab Emirates. Interviews and focus group discussions weretranscribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.Results: The results have shown that a number of psychosocial risks were prevalent during the course of accreditation. Healthcareprofessionals faced increased work demands during such a process including increased working hours, increased working pace,perceived time pressure, and conflicted information. Such demands were perceived to influence their health and their families andpatients’ care. In contrast, teamwork and co-worker support were vital to mitigate the effect of such demands.Implications: This study has identified emerging risks during the process of accreditation. Findings show that the process ofaccreditation increases work-related risks before the inspection visit. These findings have significant implications in understatingthe way accreditation processes increase psychosocial risks; they also consolidate the idea that appropriate systems and supportfor HCPs should be a priority when planning for accreditation

Analysis of data on the certificate of advanced graduate specialization program as collected by means of questionnaire

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Fossil Pine Pollen Size‐Frequencies In Heart Lake Sediments, Oakland County, Michigan

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141941/1/ajb214884.pd