Health Psychology - 2nd edition

What are the processes that lead to illness and, inversely, to health and wellness? How can healthcare systems be improved to help prevent and manage illness? What are the primary political and lifestyle factors that can contribute to the promotion of public health and wellbeing? Part of the Palgrave Insights in Psychology series, this straight-forward text provides a well-rounded introduction to the topic of health psychology and delivers an overview of the key issues within the discipline. Readers can expect to learn about the various sub-disciplines that comprise this interdisciplinary area of psychology such as sociology, medicine and politics. Written for those who would like to gain a general understanding of the profession and discipline of the subject, this book introduces the main disorders at the heart of health psychology's focus such chronic illness, cancer, pain, stress, smoking cessation and weight loss. Further, Rodham examines the behavioural factors and wider political processes that affect the psychology of health, illness and healthcare in society. This title stands as part of the Insights series edited by Nigel Holt and Rob Lewis, containing well-rounded, quick guides to the cornerstone theories, main topics and theoretical perspectives of their subjects and are useful for pre-undergraduate students looking to find incisive introductions to subjects that they may be considering for undergraduate study or those looking for helpful preparatory reading for undergraduate modules in the prospective subject

Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: An online survey of members

Background: A growing number of online communities have been established to support those who self-harm. However, little is known about the therapeutic affordances arising from engagement with these communities and resulting outcomes. Objective: To explore the presence of therapeutic affordances as reported by members of self-harm online support communities. Methods: In total, 94 respondents (aged 13 to 63 years, M=23.5 years; 94% female) completed an online survey exploring their experiences of engaging with a self-harm online support community. Respondents varied in terms of how long they had been accessing an online community, with 22.3% less than 1 year, 39.4% 1-2 years, 13.8% 2-3 years and 24.5% more than 3 years. Responses were analysed using deductive thematic analysis. Results: The results of our analysis describe each of the 5 therapeutic affordances that were present in the data, namely: 1) “connection”, the ability to make contact with others who self-harm for the purposes of mutual support and in so doing reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation; 2) adaptation”, that is, how use of online support varies in relation to the personal circumstances of the individual user; 3) “exploration” that is, the ability to learn about self-harm and learn about strategies to reduce or stop self-harming behaviour; 4) “narration”, that is, the ability to share experiences as well as read about the experiences of others; and 5) “self-presentation”, that is, how and what users present about themselves to others in the online community. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that engagement with self-harm online support communities may confer a range of therapeutic benefits for some users which may serve to minimise the psycho-social burden of self-harm and promote positive coping strategies. In addition, the online nature of the support available may be helpful to those who are unable to access face-to-face support

Co-creation of information leaflets to meet the support needs of people living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) through innovative use of wiki technology

Objective: People living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) experience frustration with the lack of knowledge and understanding of CRPS as a pain condition. We report on our attempt to address this issue. Method: People living with CRPS taking part in a larger study were invited to co-construct a CRPS wiki page that addressed the areas in which they had experienced the most difficulty. A blank wiki page was set up for participants to populate with issues they felt needed to be raised and addressed. Results: Participants failed to engage with the wiki technology. We modified our procedure and completed an inductive analysis of a sister-forum which participants were using as part of the larger study. Six issues of importance were identified. We used the discussion forum threads to populate the themes. Due to a continued lack of engagement with the wiki technology, the team decided to create a suite of leaflets which were piloted with delegates at a CRPS patient conference. Conclusions: Future work should be mindful of the extent to which patients are able and willing to share their experiences through such technology. Striking the balance between patient-endorsed and researcher-driven co-creation of such material is imperative

The Irreversible Loss of a Decomposition Pathway Marks the Single Origin of an Ectomycorrhizal Symbiosis

Microbial symbioses have evolved repeatedly across the tree of life, but the genetic changes underlying transitions to symbiosis are largely unknown, especially for eukaryotic microbial symbionts. We used the genus Amanita, an iconic group of mushroom-forming fungi engaged in ectomycorrhizal symbioses with plants, to identify both the origins and potential genetic changes maintaining the stability of this mutualism. A multi-gene phylogeny reveals one origin of the symbiosis within Amanita, with a single transition from saprotrophic decomposition of dead organic matter to biotrophic dependence on host plants for carbon. Associated with this transition are the losses of two cellulase genes, each of which plays a critical role in extracellular decomposition of organic matter. However a third gene, which acts at later stages in cellulose decomposition, is retained by many, but not all, ectomycorrhizal species. Experiments confirm that symbiotic Amanita species have lost the ability to grow on complex organic matter and have therefore lost the capacity to live in forest soils without carbon supplied by a host plant. Irreversible losses of decomposition pathways are likely to play key roles in the evolutionary stability of these ubiquitous mutualisms.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Parenting Young People with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: An Analysis of the Process of Parental Online Communication

Introduction: Parenting a young person with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is associated with high levels of parental distress and numerous emotional, informational and practical challenges. To meet these challenges, parents seek others undergoing similar experiences, both in face-to-face and online forums. Objectives: The objective of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis of online forum data to explore the process of parental forum communication regarding parenting a young person with CRPS in online spaces. Methods: A total of 107 forum posts relating to parenting a young person with CRPS were collected from 39 users across two public forums. Data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Results: Findings identified two themes: “The informal rules of exchanging and receiving network support” and “Parents positioning themselves as experts”. The first theme highlighted the varied nature of support sought and provided by parents in addition to social rules associated with the negotiation of this support. The second theme represented an understanding of how parents presented themselves as experts in their young person’s pain, both in relation to fellow parents and healthcare professionals. Conclusions: This study provided a novel insight into support and communicational exchanges between parents of young people with CRPS on online public forums. Findings identified the perceived usefulness of online spaces in terms of parents of young people with CRPS seeking and providing support. Further research can helpfully investigate how we might implement online peer mentoring to improve support further for parents

Engagement in a newly launched online support community for complex regional pain syndrome: membership growth, header analysis and introductory messages

Several studies have investigated forum engagement, with a small but growing body of research focusing on the number of people using a forum (membership growth), how they use it (header analysis) and how they introduce themselves (introductory messages). Most studies use established forums and little is known about newly launched forums. This study examines engagement in a newly launched forum for complex regional pain syndrome. Results showed that membership growth occurred in bursts that were closely linked to promotional strategies. Header analysis showed the forum was used throughout the day, evening and night, with a focus on providing support as well as receiving it. Introductory messages took the form of disease stories with six themes: personal details, precipitating event, symptoms, treatment, living with CRPS, and reasons for joining. Implications and areas for future research are discussed

Men, rheumatoid arthritis, psychosocial impact and self-management: A narrative review.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease affecting fewer men than women. We systematically reviewed the literature on impact and self-management of RA men. Twenty eight papers were included, and grouped into two categories: Psychosocial impact of RA; and Coping and self-management. This review finds gender differences relating to quality of life; work; distress; self-management; coping; and support. We conclude there is a dearth of literature focussing on RA men only, and mixed gender studies include insufficient men to draw strong conclusions about men. Thus, further research is needed to understand the support needs of men with RA in depth