Protecting Against Predators: An Exploratory Study on the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People in Ireland

The sexual exploitation of children is a profoundly damaging human rights violation that has serious, immediate and long-term physical, mental, emotional and social health consequences for the victims. Yet according to Beckett and Pearce (2018) there is 'a continuing societal discomfort around accepting that the sexual exploitation of children can affect any child and, as such is a problem that affects all of us'. This scoping study seeks to confront this discomfort by gleaning insights into the issue of the sexual exploitation of children and young people in Ireland.University College Dublin FoundationCommunity Foundation of Irelan

Advice for Athletes During Covid-19

This document aims to provide psychological support and guidance for athletes during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Since 23 March, lockdown in the United Kingdom has meant extreme changes and athletes have been forced to significantly alter their training and competition routines. These changes can lead to feelings of anxiety, frustration, and anger for some, and this guidance aims to help alleviate these emotions. The Covid-19 lockdown can be called a non-normative transition* (c.f.2) in sport, this means that it was unexpected and could not be prepared for. This can make it more difficult to manage, and have negative consequences for mental health and psychological wellbeing. This Covid-19 transition will be overwhelming for some – posing many questions around the uncertainty of how long the lockdown period will last, the effect of lockdown on long-term goals for training and competition, and further doubts about what the transition process of emerging from lockdown will look like. We will offer psychological advice to help you deal effectively with the Covid-19 transition, and to place you in a better position to deal with the psychological and behavioural challenges the current situation poses, regardless of when, and if, you return to sport. Three key priorities have been identified which have been shown to be critical for managing transitions, such as the Covid-19 transition

Supporting Youth Athletes During Covid-19

This document aims to provide psychological guidance for parents and guardians of youth athletes during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Since lockdown (on 23 March 2020), and the subsequent emergence from lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK), youth athletes have been forced to significantly change their training, with the cancellation of formal training sessions and reintegration with social distancing. Throughout this time competitive sport was suspended, and in this transition phase, it is still unclear when all competitions will commence. These changes for some can lead to feelings of anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty. We offer psychological guidance to help parents and guardians maintain their own wellbeing, and support their children in their return to competitive sport. Three key priorities have been identified as critical for supporting youth athletes in managing the Covid-19 transition. These include: 1. Self-management for parents and guardians 2. Navigating uncertainty 3. Motivation and goal settin

Supporting Youth Athletes During Covid-19

This document aims to provide psychological guidance for parents and guardians of youth athletes during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Since lockdown (on 23 March 2020), and the subsequent emergence from lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK), youth athletes have been forced to significantly change their training, with the cancellation of formal training sessions and reintegration with social distancing. Throughout this time competitive sport was suspended, and in this transition phase, it is still unclear when all competitions will commence. These changes for some can lead to feelings of anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty. We offer psychological guidance to help parents and guardians maintain their own wellbeing, and support their children in their return to competitive sport. Three key priorities have been identified as critical for supporting youth athletes in managing the Covid-19 transition. These include: 1. Self-management for parents and guardians 2. Navigating uncertainty 3. Motivation and goal settin

40Hz Auditory Stimulation and Naturalistic Soundscapes for the Treatment and Management of Alzheimer’s Disease poster shared at the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium, April 2023

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, associated with memory loss, behaviour changes and physical impacts (Whitewell, 2018). It is the most common form of dementia. Reliable treatments to slow its progression are in high demand and 40Hz sensory stimulation may offer a solution. Humans with AD and mouse models of the disease exhibit lower gamma oscillations which are important for multiple areas of cognition (McDermott et al., 2018). Studies show that auditory and visual 40Hz stimulation elicit greater gamma oscillations in mice with AD pathology and alleviates symptoms (Martoerall et al., 2019; Olsen, 2021;Traikapi & Konstantinou, 2021). In humans, pilot studies have shown 40Hz sound stimulation to improve cognitive deficits (Figure 1) in mild to moderate AD patients (Clements-Cortes et al., 2016). Studies indicate that greater volumes elicit greater gamma oscillations compared to lower (Schadow et al., 2007). Figure 1: Change in SLUMS Scores (from Clements-Cortes et al., 2016). SLUMS = St. Louis University Mental Status Test, measuring cognitive deficits Immersive soundscapes such as forest and beach sounds present calming and therapeutic effects in and out of care homes (Cheng & Sabran, 2022; Houben et al., 2019; Voisin et al., 2021). Combining soundscapes and 40Hz sound stimulation may be beneficial to AD management as studies show sounds and music can help patients remember long- term memories and balance the sound stimulation. Literature Gap There is limited research on the effects of stimulation volume and on including 40Hz sound in combination with soundscapes and how this can be effective in the treatment and management of AD. Early investigation and optimisation of different stimulation protocols on gamma oscillations and on participant perceptions can be carried out in healthy older adults, prior to their administration to people with AD

The effect of sport for LIFE: all island in children from low socio-economic status: a clustered randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background School-based interventions offer the opportunity to increase physical activity, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and nutritional behaviours, yet methodological limitations hinder current research, particularly among under-represented children from low socio-economic status (SES). The aim was to determine the effect of a 12-week physical activity programme, Sport for LIFE: All Island (SFL:AI), on physical activity levels, HRQOL, and nutritional attitudes and behaviours in children of low SES across the island of Ireland. Methods A 2 (groups) × 4 (data collection points) clustered randomised controlled trial was conducted comprising an intervention group who received SFL:AI for 12 weeks, and a waiting-list control condition. In total 740 children (381 boys, 359 girls) aged 8–9 years (mean = 8.7; SD = .50) from 27 schools across four regions of Ireland (Ulster, Leinster, Connacht and Munster) took part. Physical activity was measured by accelerometers, and children completed a validated questionnaire at baseline, mid (i.e. 6-weeks), post-intervention (i.e. 12 weeks) and follow-up (i.e. 3 months post-intervention). Results No significant interaction effects for the intervention were found on any of the study outcomes. Main effects were reported for physical well-being, parental relations and autonomy and financial resources, as well as sweetened beverages, environment and intake, and attitude to vegetables. However, these changes were not statistically attributable to the intervention. Conclusions It remains unclear if school-based physical activity interventions can improve HRQOL through physical activity with children from low SES. Logistical and methodological considerations are outlined to explore the null effect of the programme, and to provide suggestions for future research and practice. Trial registration Trial registration number: ISRCTN76261698. Name of registry: ICRCTN. Date of registration: 23/08/2017. Date of enrolment: September 2014

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London