Converging paradigms for environmental health theory and practice.

Converging themes from the fields of environmental health, ecology and health, and human ecology highlight opportunities for innovation and advancement in environmental health theory and practice. In this commentary we outline the role of research and applied programs that integrate biophysical and social sciences with environmental health practice in order to address deficiencies in each field when taken on its own. New opportunities for environmental health protection and promotion are outlined based on the three converging themes: integrated approaches to research and policy, methodological acknowledgment of the synergies between the social and biophysical environments, and incorporation of core ecosystem principles into research and practice. These converging themes are discussed in relation to their implications for new types of intervention to achieve health gains across different spatial and temporal scales at the interface between biophysical and social environments

‘I put my “police head” on’: Coping strategies for working with sexual offending material

This paper explores the coping strategies of UK Police staff who are exposed to sexual offence material (SOM). Eleven Police staff completed a questionnaire then took part in semi-structured interviews. Themes were identified using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). This paper explores the theme ‘Coping strategies for working directly with material’, focusing on the most common strategies employed: ‘Detachment’, ‘Avoidance’, and ‘Process-driven’ approaches. Links between coping and different features of SOM are examined, including victim characteristics and audio content. The impact of organisational factors which make coping strategies more or less effective are also explored, along with potential sources of support

The Uncertainties of Claudian's 'De Raptu Proserpinae'

This article explores uncertainty in Claudian’s late Antique Latin epic, the 'De Raptu Proserpinae'. It first focusses upon the areas of artistic provisionality, rhetorical inconsistency, and indeterminacy, and then compares and contrasts Claudian’s political poetry. It suggests that the mythological 'De Raptu' can be read as an acknowledgment of, and detached reflection upon, the uncertainties Claudian would have been familiar with as one involved in politics and as a client poet

Understanding the experiences of police personnel who are exposed to sexual offence material

The programme of research holistically explored the experiences of Police officers and civilian Police staff whose role involves exposure to Sexual Offence Material (SOM). Study one comprised qualitative questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 11 participants. Use of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology ensured each participant’s unique experience was explored in depth. In study two, a survey was created using the emergent themes from study one and was completed by 384 Police personnel respondents. Qualitative responses were thematically analysed, and the quantitative data was subject to correlational analysis and analysis of variance. Factor analysis identified the factor structure of concepts such as adverse impact, coping strategies, motivation and role choice. Multiple regression analysis identified factors predictive of adverse personal impact and overall difficulty levels. Study three involved piloting the self-assessment tool ‘Impact of Sexual Offence Material Exposure’ (ISOME). The pilot involved 349 respondents. The findings of the programme of research provide substantial new knowledge about the impact of working with SOM, and the coping strategies, organisational factors and operational issues which can either exacerbate or protect against this impact. Findings relating to the impact of negative coping beliefs, parental status, and having personally been a victim of sexual abuse all contribute to trauma theory, by identifying key risk factors for traumatic stress following sexual trauma exposure. The finding that avoidance-based coping is predictive of higher levels of traumatic stress and detachment-based coping is linked to lower levels of traumatic stress adds to coping theory around the consequences of using passive and active coping strategies. The findings of the research can be directly applied to practice and a broad range of recommendations for organisational policy have been made

Supporting students with Tourette syndrome in secondary school: a survey of staff views

Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition involving involuntary movements and sounds (tics) and is thought to affect as many as 1% of school aged children. Some young people with Tourette syndrome experience educational difficulties and social difficulties. Current clinical guidelines suggest educators can play an important role in maximising learning potential and reducing the negative impact of this condition on students’ social adjustment. Secondary school staff (N = 63) with responsibilities for special educational needs or disabilities completed a survey about support strategies for students with Tourette syndrome. Participants were first asked to suggest potentially helpful strategies and then rated how easily 17 recommended strategies could be implemented in school. The survey participants suggested a range of support strategies that were categorised as (1) promoting knowledge and understanding in school, (2) helping the student to cope with his/her tics, (3) supporting the student’s learning and (4) providing social and emotional support. All the recommended support strategies were rated as being easy to implement (or already in place) by the majority of respondents (e.g., increasing staff awareness and regular communication with home). The strategies that were identified as being least easy to implement were those requiring extra staff input (support from teaching assistants and individual/small group working). Additional challenges to providing support were also identified by the participants (e.g., getting input from outside agencies)

Military veterans with mental health problems: a protocol for a systematic review to identify whether they have an additional risk of contact with criminal justice systems compared with other veterans groups

BACKGROUND: There is concern that some veterans of armed forces, in particular those with mental health, drug or alcohol problems, experience difficulty returning to a civilian way of life and may subsequently come into contact with criminal justice services and imprisonment. The aim of this review is to examine whether military veterans with mental health problems, including substance use, have an additional risk of contact with criminal justice systems when compared with veterans who do not have such problems. The review will also seek to identify veterans' views and experiences on their contact with criminal justice services, what contributed to or influenced their contact and whether there are any differences, including international and temporal, in incidence, contact type, veteran type, their presenting health needs and reported experiences. METHODS/DESIGN: In this review we will adopt a methodological model similar to that previously used by other researchers when reviewing intervention studies. The model, which we will use as a framework for conducting a review of observational and qualitative studies, consists of two parallel synthesis stages within the review process; one for quantitative research and the other for qualitative research. The third stage involves a cross study synthesis, enabling a deeper understanding of the results of the quantitative synthesis. A range of electronic databases, including MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, will be systematically searched, from 1939 to present day, using a broad range of search terms that cover four key concepts: mental health, military veterans, substance misuse, and criminal justice. Studies will be screened against topic specific inclusion/exclusion criteria and then against a smaller subset of design specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data will be extracted for those studies that meet the inclusion criteria, and all eligible studies will be critically appraised. Included studies, both quantitative and qualitative, will then undergo stage-specific analysis and synthesis. The final stage will combine the findings of both syntheses to enable new understandings of why, how, and by how much, military veterans with mental health problems, including problematic drug and alcohol use, come into contact with the criminal justice system

The Ground Fell Away: An Autobiographical Study of Surviving a Fall From Height

This paper explores the first author’s experience of surviving a fall from height, as preparation for a small-scale phenomenological study with other fall survivors. In May 2018, I fell 20 ft (6.1m) from a mountain path and sustained multiple serious injuries. By exploring the experience using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the trauma surrounding the fall itself, and reflect on the experience of sharing personal trauma verbally and in writing. Five superordinate themes were established from the data: “Through the medical machine”; “Identity”; “Support systems”; “Coping” and “Aftermath.

Shapeshifters: Self-organising systems, migration and repetition at the intersection of folk and popular dance

This lecture demonstration works across practice and theory to explore how the migration of movement from popular and folk dance, into improvisation and choreography, are self-organising systems that generate new understandings and iterations of what can be considered folk dance