Trends in, and predictors of, anxiety and specific worries following colposcopy: a 12-month longitudinal study

Objective Little is known about which women are at greatest risk of adverse psychological after-effects following colposcopy. This study examined time trends in, and identified predictors of, anxiety and specific worries over 12 months. Methods Women attending two hospital-based colposcopy clinics for abnormal cervical cytology were invited to complete psychosocial questionnaires at 4, 8 and 12 months following colposcopy. General anxiety and screening-specific worries (about cervical cancer, having sex and future fertility) were measured. Generalised estimating equations were used to assess associations between socio-demographic, lifestyle and clinical variables and risk of psychological outcomes. Results Of 584 women initially recruited, 429, 343 and 303 completed questionnaires at 4, 8 and 12 months, respectively. Screening-specific worries declined significantly over time but were still relatively high at 12 months: 23%, 39% and 18% for worries about cervical cancer, fertility and having sex, respectively. Anxiety remained stable (20%) over time. Risks of cervical cancer worry and anxiety were both almost double in women without private health insurance (cervical cancer worry: OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.25–2.61; anxiety: OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.20–2.84). Younger women (<40 years) had higher risk of fertility worries. Non-Irish women had higher risk of anxiety (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.13–4.01). Conclusions Screening-specific worries declined over time but anxiety remained stable. Notable proportions of women still reported adverse outcomes 12 months following colposcopy, with predictors varying between outcomes. Women in socio-demographically vulnerable groups were at greatest risk of adverse psychological outcomes. This information could inform development of interventions to alleviate psychological distress post-colposcopy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Towards Multispecies Interaction Environments: Extending Accessibility to Canine Users

In this paper we discuss the role of mobility assistance dogs in human society and the challenges they face when operating in human environments. We present the findings of an ethnographic study at a training facility as well as the findings of early evaluations of canine-friendly switches. We discuss how the species-specific implementation of core interaction design principles could inform the design of interaction environments that better support these skilled workers

Bridging the ivory tower gap: translating evidence-based research on healthier ageing for public audiences using the Five Pillars for Ageing Well educational model

The academic language of evidence-based research on ageing well can feel distant from the lived experiences of older people contending with cost-of-living challenges or caring responsibilities. An ‘Ivory Tower’ gap acts as a barrier to educating older people about lifestyle changes that promote healthier ageing. Since 2019, the Ageing Well Public Talk Series (AWPTS) team at The Open University (OU) in the United Kingdom (UK) has pioneered a collaborative, co-produced approach to addressing this gap. Structured around the Five Pillars for Ageing Well (nutrition, hydration, physical activity, social and cognitive stimulation), AWPTS is an evidence-based educational model which translates current research from the field of ageing into ‘bitesized’ information easily manageable by its target audiences. Over the past three years, an ongoing series of public talks based around the Five Pillars were delivered by the AWPTS team in the UK and worldwide. The AWPTS along with a portfolio of free resources (podcasts, short films, short accessible articles, short online OpenLearn courses and other resources) were accessed by over 80,000 people globally. The AWPTS team built a network of stakeholder health and voluntary organisations and members of the public across the UK. This paper describes how this public health educational intervention continues to develop and evolve post Covid-19. Through feedback and reflection, we outline the impact of the AWPTS on individuals and communities who have engaged with the Five Pillars learning model, and how this model can be expanded to promote sustained behaviour change around healthier ageing at a societal level

Disseminating early years research: an illustrative case study

Purpose – This paper aims to outline a knowledge translation (KT) case study undertaken as part of a multi-component research programme aimed at evaluating new parenting supports in the earliest years. The study aimed to: explore the influencing factors relating to research use in an early years context; and to use the findings, at least in part, to execute an integrated KT plan – to promote stakeholder engagement, greater research visibility and to enhance the understanding of findings emerging from the research programme. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-methods study was embedded within a large-scale, longitudinal research programme. In the present study, a national survey (n = 162) was administered to stakeholders working with children and families throughout Ireland. A series of oneto- one interviews were also undertaken (n = 37) to amplify the survey findings. Also, one focus group was carried out with parents (n = 8) and one with members of the research team (n = 3). Several dissemination strategies were concurrently developed, executed and evaluated, based partly on survey and interview findings and guided by the knowledge translation planning template (Barwick, 2008; 2013; 2019). Findings – The main factors influencing the dissemination of evidence, as identified by the stakeholders – were: a lack of resources; an under-developed understanding of research use and dissemination; insufficient collaboration and communication; and conflicting stakeholder priorities. Despite these challenges, the research programme was found to benefit from a multi-component KT plan to achieve the outlined dissemination goals. Practical implications – The KT planning process allowed the research team to be more accountable, introspective and to work more efficiently. This helped increase the likelihood of more targeted and successful dissemination of the research findings, delivering a better return on research investment. Originality/value – This is the first study of its kind (to our knowledge) to provide important insights for stakeholders in Ireland and elsewhere about how to improve the dissemination process. Effective KT planning can ultimately help to bridge the research-policy-practice gap and enable the effective translation of high-quality evidence in the early years’ sector to enhance outcomes for families in the shorter and longer-term

“I just filled out a form” Experiences of Doctoral Students with Disabilities, Long-term Health Conditions and/or Additional Study Needs

This paper reports on an empirical study at a public university in the UK. The project explored the lived experiences of doctoral students with disabilities, long-term health conditions and/or additional study needs. Taking a critical disability studies lens, we investigated how students perceive the university’s social and institutional structures. We used a mixed methods methodology using a survey and semi-structured interviews and adopted a reflexive thematic analysis to discover emerging themes. Three main themes were identified from the students’ data, namely, diversity in disability identity, the impact of supervisors’ attitudes (disclosure, emotional, institutional) and barriers to study. We argue that universities are implicitly organised around the needs of non-disabled, ‘normative’ students, hence perpetuating disadvantage and stigma. The paper makes suggestions for changes to institutions and processes to equitably support disabled doctoral students

Co-abuse of opiates and benzodiazepines.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and pattern of benzodiazepine dependency in a sample of Irish drug users who used both benzodiazepines and opiates, and to compare these with other drug users who did not take benzodiazepines, in order to identify key differences between them. A questionnaire was compiled to achieve this aim, and it was administered to 63 patients admitted consecutively to an inpatient drug treatment unit. The prevalence of benzodiazepine dependency was found to be 54%. In analysing key differences, it was found that patients dependent on both opiates and benzodiazepines were significantly older and had been admitted for methadone stabilisation. They had generally used heroin longer and benzodiazepines more frequently, and tended to use more drugs in general. They were also found to be more psychologically vulnerable, as in many cases they were significantly more likely to have described a past experience of depression and a past episode of deliberate self-harm

The opiate epidemic in Dublin: are we over the worst?

The opiate epidemic in Dublin peaked in 1983 and this paper reports on more recent information from the Jervis Street Drug Centre showing a decline in the number of first attenders for opiate misuse at the Centre from 451 in 1983 to 116 in 1985. However, there were 109 first attenders in the first six months for 1986. Twenty-one per cent of opiate attenders had been using drugs for seven or more years prior to their first contact for treatment at the Centre in 1984, the majority of whom were self-referred. A high proportion of opiate users (85%) attending for treatment in 1984 had needle marks, indicating the preference in Dublin for injecting rather than for sniffing or smoking heroin. Sixty-five per cent who admitted heroin misuse in 1984 were unemployed. While the overall drop in the numbers contacting the service for treatment for the first time for opiate misuse since 1983 is to be welcomed, there is need for concern at the rise in the number of first contacts during the first six months of 1986 and at the major health hazard that may result from infection by the HIV virus responsible for AIDS. In a sample of 398 intravenous opiate users, 27% were positive for the virus

The opiate epidemic in Dublin 1979-1983.

In order to study the problem of heroin abuse in Dublin the Medico-Social Research Board and the National Drug Advisory Centre (Jervis Street Drug Centre) collaborated on a study of some of the characteristics of patients who had received treatment at the centre during the five-year period 1979-1983 inclusive. Jervis Street has been in existence since 1970 and provides confidential and free treatment. The following information was abstracted from patients' records for the years 1979-1983. During those years a total of 2,057 patients made first contact with the Jervis Street Drug Centre. Of those, 1,440 attended because of the abuse of opiates, primarily heroin with the numbers of males exceeding the number of females by three to one for the years of the study. The number of attenders increased during these five years from 294 in 1979 to 1,314 in 1983. This trend confirms the fears of an alarming increase in the abuse of opiates in Dublin since 1979. There is also a trend towards younger age of attenders over the five years. In comparison between heroin users and an age and sex standardised control population in north central Dublin, the heroin users were less likely to socialise, were less influenced by family and had a much poorer educational and employment record. They were also more likely to smoke and smoke heavily and less likely to drink. However they were also more likely to have been arrested for a variety of offences and to have lost one or both parents through death than their counterparts in the control group. Dublin north and south inner city has seen the greatest increase in drug abuse in the five-year period, however the spread across all areas of the city proves the problem is by no means confined to the inner city region