Possible models of local news provision by radio in Scotland – a mixed methods study

Scotland does not have any public service radio on a local level, except for a few bulletins or programmes offered by BBC Radio Scotland on an opt-out basis. Scottish commercial radio stations do cover local issues but within brief hourly news bulletins, without any in-depth coverage, while community radio by and large lacks resources for any news coverage of its own. Through a review of the existing literature on the role of media in democracy, and in particular the role of local radio, interviews with stakeholders and experts and history, and focus groups with ordinary people, the present study formulates several possible solutions for future local news provision by radio in Scotland

Starting an undergraduate degree amid the COVID-19 pandemic:A mixed-method egocentric network study on student loneliness

Students who began their undergraduate university studies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (the 'COVID cohort'), may have been particularly at risk for experiencing increased loneliness. This study employed an exploratory egocentric network and mixed-methods approach to investigate the links between social networks and loneliness in the COVID cohort. Of sixty-one respondents meeting inclusion criteria for the study, fifty-eight first-year undergraduate students from the September 2020 intake at a large Scottish University provided egocentric network data via an online survey, as well as responses to three open-ended questions which were aimed at generating qualitative data about participants' experiences of starting university in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bivariate analyses suggest that having a larger social network, and higher satisfaction with that network, was associated with reduced loneliness. We additionally explored these associations in subsamples of students living on-campus and living off-campus. Our qualitative data adds valuable insight into the impact that pandemic-related social-distancing restrictions had on limiting students' opportunities for meeting their peers and forging meaningful social connections at university. Limitations of this study include a small sample size and an exploratory approach requiring further investigation and replication. However, in the context of universities continuing to use hybrid teaching models, this study provides useful initial insights, highlighting potential avenues for institutions to support students in developing social connections in the transition to higher education.</p

Evaluating mental health and wellbeing of postgraduate researchers:Prevalence and contributing factors

Abstract Introduction: Recent research has revealed high rates of mental health issues in postgraduate researchers (PGRs). Mental ill-health is a barrier to life satisfaction and academic success. More knowledge is necessary to understand the extent and origins of mental health problems of PGRs in the UK. Aims: To assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, subjective mental wellbeing, and suicide behaviours of PGRs in the UK, as well as to explore the factors that underpin these outcomes. Methods: An online survey (N=479) was used to measure the mental health outcomes, and assess the influence of demographic, trait and academic variables, and social support. Results: In this sample the prevalence of mental ill-health was high, while wellbeing was lower than in the general population. Female, non-binary and non-heterosexual PGRs had poorer mental health than their male and/or heterosexual counterparts. Researchers in the field of Arts had higher levels of wellbeing, while those in the 5th year of study or above were at a higher risk of suicidal behaviours. Resilience, adaptive perfectionism, social support and positive evaluations of progress and preparation, departmental climate, and supervisory relationship were associated with positive outcomes, while maladaptive perfectionism and workaholism were linked to the negative ones. Resilience and workaholism were the only variables that played a role in all mental health outcomes. Conclusions: The current paper contributes new knowledge about the PGR wellbeing, the prevalence of mental health symptoms, and some of the factors that shape them. Our findings imply that institutional efforts to improve PGR mental health and wellbeing should include a variety of strategies to promote equality, diversity, resilience, integration and work-life balance of PGRs

Starting an undergraduate degree amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-method egocentric network study on student loneliness

Students who began their undergraduate university studies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (the ‘COVID cohort’), may have been particularly at risk for experiencing increased loneliness. This study employed an exploratory egocentric network and mixed-methods approach to investigate the links between social networks and loneliness in the COVID cohort. Of sixty-one respondents meeting inclusion criteria for the study, fifty-eight first-year undergraduate students from the September 2020 intake at a large Scottish University provided egocentric network data via an online survey, as well as responses to three open-ended questions which were aimed at generating qualitative data about participants’ experiences of starting university in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bivariate analyses suggest that having a larger social network, and higher satisfaction with that network, was associated with reduced loneliness. We additionally explored these associations in subsamples of students living on-campus and living off-campus. Our qualitative data adds valuable insight into the impact that pandemic-related social-distancing restrictions had on limiting students’ opportunities for meeting their peers and forging meaningful social connections at university. Limitations of this study include a small sample size and an exploratory approach requiring further investigation and replication. However, in the context of universities continuing to use hybrid teaching models, this study provides useful initial insights, highlighting potential avenues for institutions to support students in developing social connections in the transition to higher education

The mental labyrinth of postgraduate research: a qualitative study of postgraduate mental health and wellbeing and the impact of the supervisory relationship

Postgraduate research students (PGRs) experience disproportionately high levels of psychological distress. Many factors contribute to this poor mental wellbeing and relate to each other in complex and dynamic ways. However, the relationship between PGRs and their supervisor(s) is known to strongly affect the wellbeing of the former. This study explores the mental health and wellbeing of PGRs with a focus on the role of the student—supervisor relationship. Using combined qualitative data from a large survey of PGRs and focus groups and reflexive thematic analysis, we found that PGRs experience the overarching process of obtaining a research degree as a mental labyrinth. Three constituent themes were identified: (1) inequity in navigating the labyrinth, (2) the labyrinth as a place of uncertainty and isolation, and (3) supervisors as labyrinth guides, not mental care providers. The results suggest that significant inequities exist which contribute to poorer mental wellbeing in particular subgroups of PGRs, both in general and specifically in relation to the supervisory relationship. Experiences of loneliness and ambiguity around progress were also identified as being detrimental to mental health. Furthermore, although supervisors can be a vital source of support and have a positive influence on PGR mental health, students recognise supervisors cannot reasonably be expected to act as professional mental health care providers and institutions must do more to provide equitable access to mental health support services

Priorities and directions for future research on student mental health within Scottish Higher Education Institutions : a scoping review protocol

Background: While research on student mental health has flourished in recent years, studies within the Scottish context remain limited. It is important that we seek to understand what is currently known about student mental health in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Scotland given its unique educational and socio-political context and health and social care system to guide and advance future research. To date, a scoping review which maps the available literature has yet to be conducted. Here, we outline the protocol for a scoping review on student mental health in HEIs in Scotland. Methods: This protocol outlines the process of conducting a scoping review of primary research concerning student mental health in HEIs in Scotland. The Joanna Briggs Institute guidance on best practice for conducting a scoping review will be utilised throughout. A systematic search of appropriate databases will be conducted which will allow for a two-step screening process and data charting. Inclusion criteria for this review dictates that eligible studies will: (1) include a population aged 16 years plus, (2) include the term ‘mental health', (3) include data collected within Scotland, (4) be primary research, (4) be published post-2003 and (5) be published in English. Discussion: The findings of the scoping review outlined in this protocol will be used to inform any immediate actions that can be taken to support better student mental health in Scotland as well as guide future research in the area. This review will help build guidance on how to strengthen the evidence base on student mental health in Scotland for students, educational providers, academics and mental health practitioners with the aim of raising awareness and improving research, policy and practice

When linearity prevails over hierarchy in syntax

Hierarchical structure has been cherished as a grammatical universal. We use experimental methods to show where linear order is also a relevant syntactic relation. An identical methodology and design were used across six research sites on South Slavic languages. Experimental results show that in certain configurations, grammatical production can in fact favor linear order over hierarchical structure. However, these findings are limited to coordinate structures and distinct from the kind of production errors found with comparable configurations such as “attraction” errors. The results demonstrate that agreement morphology may be computed in a series of steps, one of which is partly independent from syntactic hierarchy

The prospective relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK

Aim: Mental wellbeing in the UK seems to have deteriorated significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rates of loneliness, life satisfaction and psychological distress taking longer to return to the pre-pandemic levels than elsewhere. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about the interactions between these outcomes, or the factors that played a role in the rates of change. The current study aims to address this gap by simultaneously investigating changes in loneliness, life satisfaction and psychological distress in the UK from pre-pandemic levels to those between April and November 2020, while critically assessing the role of a range of social ecological influencing factors. Subject and Methods: Longitudinal data from Understanding Society (N=3475) were used to explore the changes in loneliness, life satisfaction and psychological distress from pre-pandemic levels (2017-2019) through November 2020, the interactions between these outcomes, and the role of individual, social, community and geographic factors in the rates of change, using multivariate latent growth curve model. Results: Loneliness, life satisfaction and psychological distress deteriorated minimally between April and November 2020, compared to the pre-pandemic levels (2017–2019), while the rate of change in each outcome influenced the rates of change in the other two. Key individual (age, gender, physical health), social (number of friends and similarity to them), and environmental (neighbourhood quality) variables influenced baseline scores and the rates of change. Conclusion: Considering significant dynamic associations between loneliness, life satisfaction and psychological distress, we argue that interventions to tackle any one of the outcomes may have beneficial effects on others, while highlighting malleable factors and individual and community-level interventions to tackle loneliness

Jelena Milicev's Quick Files

The Quick Files feature was discontinued and it’s files were migrated into this Project on March 11, 2022. The file URL’s will still resolve properly, and the Quick Files logs are available in the Project’s Recent Activity