Predictors of engaging in voluntary work during the COVID-19 pandemic: analyses of data from 31,890 adults in the UK

AIMS: As the COVID-19 pandemic has grown internationally, there has been an increased need for volunteers. This study aimed to identify the predictors of volunteering including demographic backgrounds, socio-economic characteristics, personality, and psychosocial factors. METHODS: Data were analysed from 31,890 adults in the UK COVID-19 Social Study run by the University College London – a longitudinal study focusing on the psychological and social experiences of adults living in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tetrachoric factor analysis was applied to identify latent categories of voluntary work. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identity predictors for volunteering and change in volunteering behaviours since before the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Three types of volunteering during the pandemic were identified as follows: formal volunteering, social action volunteering, and neighbourhood volunteering. Regression analysis showed that the pattern of voluntary work was structured by demographic backgrounds, socio-economic factors, personality, and psychosocial factors. CONCLUSION: The predictors of volunteering during the pandemic may be slightly different from other non-emergency period

Longitudinal associations between reading for pleasure and child maladjustment: Results from a propensity score matching analysis

RATIONALE: Reading for pleasure has been shown to have benefits for academic attainment and the development of empathy. Yet, whether reading for pleasure is linked with other aspects of children's development remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between reading for pleasure and children's psychological and behavioural adjustment at the onset of adolescence. METHOD: We analysed data from 8936 participants in the Millennium Cohort Study, Sweeps 4 (age 7) and 5 (age 11), and used propensity score matching methods to match children who read frequently with children with similar individual, social, familial, and behavioural characteristics who read less often. RESULTS: Daily reading for pleasure at age 7 was associated with lower levels of hyperactivity/inattention and better prosocial behaviour at age 11. These results for hyperactivity/inattention were replicated when analysing data specifically from children with a history of hyperactivity/inattention at age 7. Results also show that daily reading for pleasure was associated with lower levels of emotional problems. Results were robust to a range of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Daily reading for pleasure in childhood is independently associated with better behavioural adjustment at the onset of adolescence. Future studies could explore the potential benefit of interventions to encourage reading

Reading for pleasure in childhood and adolescent healthy behaviours: Longitudinal associations using the Millennium Cohort Study

Leading a heathy lifestyle in adolescence is vital to individual health in later life. Drawing upon various existing theories, this study hypothesised that engagement in reading for pleasure may enhance healthy behaviours amongst young people. Data were analysed from 11,180 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study and logistic regressions were used to examine the association between reading frequency at age 11 and health behaviours at age 14. Reading most days was associated with lower odds of trying a cigarette and alcohol and a higher likelihood of having two portions of fruit per day independent of confounding factors. However, spending more time reading was associated with less time spent engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Our findings suggest the importance of further studies exploring the potential health benefits of reading amongst young people

Do socio-demographic factors predict children's engagement in arts and culture? Comparisons of in-school and out-of-school participation in the Taking Part Survey

There is evidence on the health, social and developmental benefits of arts and cultural participation for young people. While there is a known social gradient across adult arts participation where socially advantaged individuals are more likely to engage in the arts, it remains unclear whether socio-economic factors also affect child participation either in school or out of school. This study analysed cross-sectional data from 1,986 children aged 11–15 in the Taking Part Survey interviewed from 2015–2018. It focused on three aspects of children‘s participation: (i) performing arts activities, (i) arts, crafts and design activities, and (iii) cultural and heritage engagement. Results show a social gradient across all three activities for out-of-school engagement, but not for in-school engagement. Arts and cultural activities provided by schools are therefore important to ensuring universal access to the arts amongst young people

Liquid-immersion laser micromachining of GaN grown on sapphire

Liquid-immersion nanosecond-pulsed laser micromachining is introduced as an efficient way for device isolation and rapid prototyping on GaN-on-sapphire wafer. Using deionized water as an ambient medium for laser micromachining, smooth trenches that are free from redeposition can be formed in the GaN layer. Coupled with the large difference between the ablation thresholds and ultraviolet absorption coefficients of GaN and sapphire, the GaN/sapphire interface can be left undamaged after the ablation process. This technique overcomes the limitation of heat accumulation in nanosecond-pulse regime, and offers a cost-effective alternative to ultrashort-pulse laser micromachining. In this report, the advantages offered by liquid immersion are elucidated in terms of improved heat conduction, increased plasma-induced recoil pressure due to water confinement, weakened plasma shielding effect in water, and the collapse of cavitation bubbles. Simulation results show that the reduced fluctuation of temperature profile over time in water could be correlated with the reduced redeposition of Ga from thermal decomposition at the trench sidewalls. © 2010 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 31 May 201

Interconnected alternating-current light-emitting diode arrays isolated by laser micromachining

The fabrication and operation of a monolithic InGaN alternating-current light-emitting diode (LED) based on the bridge rectifier design are demonstrated. The device consists of on-chip interconnected LED elements that have been isolated by direct-write laser micromachining, a powerful tool well-suited for rapid device prototyping. The effects of capacitors coupled to the dc path of the rectifier have been investigated. Although an increase of radiant flux can be achieved through capacitive voltage smoothening, the wall-plug efficiency drops as a result. The device can be applied to 12 Vrms lighting applications. © 2011 American Vacuum Society.published_or_final_versio

Associations between neighbourhood deprivation and engagement in arts, culture and heritage: evidence from two nationally-representative samples

Background: Previous research has shown the benefits of arts and cultural engagement for physical, mental and social wellbeing. This engagement is socially and geographically patterned. Yet it remains unclear whether place-based attributes are associated with engagement behaviour independent of individual factors. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to robustly disentangle associations between geographical deprivation and arts engagement from the individual socio-demographic factors that tend to correlate with residential locations. Methods: Two different samples drawn from two representative surveys of adults living in England were compared – Understanding Society Wave 2 (2010/12) (N = 14,782) and Taking Part survey (2010/11) (N = 4575). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to investigate the association between neighbourhood deprivation (20% most deprived vs 20% least deprived) and arts engagement (arts participation, cultural attendance and museums and heritage engagement). Results: Higher levels of neighbourhood deprivation were associated with lower arts, culture and heritage engagement independent of individuals’ demographic backgrounds, socio-economic characteristics and regional locations. When exploring subcategories of deprivation, similar results were obtained across deprivation domains. Results were also consistent when using more distinct categories of deprivation (i.e. 10% most deprived vs 10% least deprived) and when comparing people living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods with those living in the 40% medium-deprived areas. Conclusion: This study is the first to apply a robust PSM technique to examine the association between neighbourhood deprivation and arts engagement using two nationally-representative samples. Results show that neighbourhood deprivation may act as a barrier that could prevent people from engaging in the arts, which in turn may exacerbate social and health inequalities. This highlights the importance of place-based schemes that focus on increasing individual motivation and capacity to engage in arts and cultural activities, especially in areas of high deprivation

Associations between community cultural engagement and life satisfaction, mental distress and mental health functioning using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS): are associations moderated by area deprivation?

OBJECTIVES: The association between community cultural engagement and mental health and well-being is well established. However, little is known about whether such associations are influenced by area characteristics. This study therefore examined whether the association between engagement in community cultural assets (attendance at cultural events, visiting museums and heritage sites) and subsequent well-being (life satisfaction, mental distress and mental health functioning) is moderated by neighbourhood deprivation. DESIGN: Data were drawn from Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study waves 2 and 5. Participating households’ addresses were geocoded into statistical neighbourhood zones categorised according to their level of area deprivation. SETTING: General population. PARTICIPANTS: UK general adult population, with a total sample of 14 783. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Life satisfaction was measured with a seven-point scale (1: completely unsatisfied to 7: completely satisfied). Mental distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire 12. Mental health functioning was measured using 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). RESULTS: Using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, we found that engagement in cultural assets was consistently and positively associated with subsequent life satisfaction and mental health functioning and negatively associated with mental distress. Importantly, such associations were independent of individuals’ demographic background, socioeconomic characteristics and regional location. The results also show that relationships between engagement in community cultural assets and well-being were stronger in more deprived areas. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that engagement in community cultural assets is associated with better well-being, with some evidence that individuals in areas of high deprivation potentially may benefit more from these engagements. Given that causal mechanisms were not tested, causal claims cannot be generated from the results. However, the results suggest that place-based funding schemes that involve investment in areas of higher deprivation to improve engagement rates should be explored further to see if they can help promote better well-being among residents

Rates and predictors of uptake of mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of 26,720 adults in the UK in lockdown

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put a great strain on people's mental health. A growing number of studies have shown worsening mental health measures globally during the pandemic. However, there is a lack of empirical study on how people support their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine a number of formal and informal mental health support. Further, it explored factors that might be associated with the use of different types mental health support. METHODS: Data from 26,720 adults in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study were analysed between 13th April 2020 and 3rd July 2020. Data were analysed using logistic and Poisson regression models. RESULTS: About 45% of people reported talking to friends or family members to support their mental health, 43% engaging in self-care activities, 20% taking medication, 9% speaking to mental health professionals, 8% talking to a GP or other health professional, and another 8% using helpline or online services. Gender, education, living status, loneliness, pre-existing mental health conditions, general depression and anxiety, coping and personality were found to be associated with the use of mental health support. CONCLUSION: While the negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are inevitable, people can play an active role in managing their mental health. Understanding the patterns and predictors of various kinds of mental health support during the pandemic is crucial for future service planning and delivery through recognising potential barriers to mental health care faced by certain groups

Does arts and cultural engagement vary geographically? Evidence from the UK household longitudinal study

Objectives: Previous studies have shown the beneficial impacts of arts participation and cultural engagement on health outcomes. However, this engagement is socially patterned and is also possibly influenced by geographical factors. / Study design: The aim of this study was to examine the association between geographical factors (spatial setting and neighbourhood characteristics) and arts and cultural engagement amongst adults in the UK. / Methods: Data analysed were from Understanding Society Wave 2 (2010/12) with a total sample size of 26,215. Logistic and ordinal regression was used to identify geographical predictors for the patterns of the engagement. / Results: Our results show that there are geographical differences in participation independent of individual demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. In particular, there was more evidence for differences in the participation based on neighbourhood characteristics (e.g. level of area deprivation). We also found some interactions between individual and geographical factors for cultural engagement but not for arts participation. / Conclusions: This study reveals a geographical and individual socio-economic gradient in arts and cultural engagement. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, improving access to arts and cultural programmes geographically may potentially help to reduce health inequalities