AN EXAMINATION OF MEAT CONSUMPTION AS A PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR AND ITS WEAK CORRELATION TO DELAY DISCOUNTING

This study presented meat consumption as an environmentally relevant behavior (ERB) and examined how the delay to an environmental loss might affect peoples’ decisions to eat meat. Participants completed a delay discounting survey where they selected what percentage of meat they would eliminate from their diet based on varying delays to rising sea levels flooding of their neighborhood. After watching a brief educational video, participants completed the survey a second time to examine whether the video had any influence on discounting rates in the post-survey. Participants also completed the 27-Item Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ; Kirby & Marakovic, 1996) in order to compare individuals’ monetary discounting rates to their environmental discounting rates. Data were analyzed using calculations of area under the curve (AUC) and Mazur’s (1987) hyperbolic discounting equation. Results showed that the average percentage of meat that people chose to eliminate from their diets decreased as a function of the delay to the environmental loss, the educational video was effective in reducing environmental discounting rates, and discounting rates for monetary outcomes were positively and significantly correlated with discounting rates for environmental outcomes. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed

Living with and caring for dementia : the effects of a novel intervention on quality of life in a case series

Background: Dementia is associated with several modifiable risk factors including physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and social engagement. Caregiver burden is common among dementia carers and may be reduced with educational and emotional support. In partnership with the Sphere Memory and Rehabilitation Team (SMaRT), a private cognitive health provider in the East Riding of Yorkshire, we implemented a novel ‘Psychosocial Intervention for Dementia’ (PID) programme. Aims: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the SMaRT PID, to improve quality of life (QoL) for people living with dementia and their carers, in a pragmatic case-series. A secondary aim of this study was to explore the effects of the national lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on QoL. Methods: Six individuals (age 81.5 ± 7 years [y]) living with dementia and their carers completed the SMaRT PID, combining the physical and educational training stimuli delivered in a social setting, once weekly, over six weeks. Physical capacity, QoL, and carer burden were measured at baseline and on completion of the intervention. Semi- structured interviews explored the participants’ detailed perceptions of their QoL. Additionally, six individuals living with dementia (aged 76.4 ± 5.6 y) and their spousal carers completed semi-structured telephone interviews and QoL questionnaires during the first COVID-19 lockdown between April and May 2020. Results: Two of the physical tests (Berg Balance Scale and grip strength) revealed improvements or maintenance in four participants (~66%). There were no consistent changes on any other outcome measure following participation in the SMaRT PID. Analysis of results emphasised the importance of emotional support during the period of lockdown. Discussion: This case-series highlights the potential value of a locally delivered, combined intervention. However, a more personalised training programme may be more beneficial to people living with dementia based on the individual variability of symptoms. Overall, emotional support appears to be paramount for maintaining QoL for people living with dementia and their carers, particularly in the face of a global pandemic

Using a Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to Assessing the Impact of ICTs in Development

This paper describes the sustainable livelihoods framework as a useful tool in assessing the contribution of ICTs to development projects. Assessing the role of ICTs in development can be difficult because they are so multifaceted, and because the effect of ICT use is often indirect. This paper argues that applying the sustainable livelihood frameworks in assessment can help to broaden their scope in a manageable way and prove more analytically rigorous than other available methods. The example of an impact assessment of a Colombian telecentre is used to demonstrate how such an approach can be applied

How do parent-child interactions predict and maintain depression in childhood and adolescence? A critical review of the literature

Background and Objective: Negative parent-child interaction patterns have been linked to youth depression, with a causal influence being assumed. However, the majority of empirical studies examining this issue have used self-report methods to assess parent-child relationships, which cannot capture the temporal dynamics of dyadic interactions and may be subject to reporting bias. This review considers the association between parent-child interactions and youth depression with a specific focus on observational methodology. Method: A literature search was conducted including studies that investigated the association between observed parent-child interactions and youth depressive symptomology. Literature was obtained using database searches, citation searches and screening of recent reviews. Results and Conclusion: Maternal disengagement, reduced adolescent autonomy granting, adolescent maladaptive emotion regulation, parental suppression of adolescent positivity and incongruent parent-child communication styles were relatively consistently related to youth depression. Nonetheless, there were conflicting findings and several studies demonstrated little or no contribution of parent-child interaction factors to youth depression. Overall, the evidence suggests that causal influences are likely to be modest. The majority of studies relate to maternal versus paternal interactions. Furthermore, the factors that mediate the association between parent-child interactions and youth depression remain largely unknown. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed

Telecentres, access and development : experience and lessons from Uganda and South Africa

Co-published with ITDG Publishing and Fountai

Examining the impact of trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy on perinatal mental health outcomes among survivors of intimate partner violence (the PATH study): Protocol for a feasibility study

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health problem, impacting the health and quality of life of survivors worldwide. The trauma of IPV is associated with a high incidence of mental illness, namely depressive and anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Moreover, literature endorses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions as a gold standard for those with symptomatology consistent with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and PTSD. However, efficacy has not been evaluated among a population of pregnant survivors of IPV. Objective: We present the protocol that will be used to explore the efficacy of trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy on maternal and child health outcomes for pregnant women with PTSD, depression, or anxiety symptomatology resulting from IPV. A secondary aim will be to test the validity and feasibility of study methodology to support the successful implementation of a full-scale randomized controlled trial. Methods: The Promoting Attachment Through Healing (PATH) study will use a mixed-methods approach grounded in an intersectional feminist framework to explore the effectiveness of trauma-informed CBT for pregnant survivors of IPV. Study participants will be recruited through the hospital-based Perinatal Mental Health Clinic (London, Ontario, Canada). A feasibility sample of 20 pregnant women (cohort 1) will be selected to engage in an eight-session antenatal CBT intervention facilitated by the program\u27s perinatal clinical nurse specialist, with evaluation at baseline, at two months postpartum (intervention and online questionnaire), and at six and twelve months postpartum (online questionnaire only). Concurrently, we will conduct a retrospective audit of 100 medical charts (cohort 2; 50 charts of perinatal women who received CBT and 50 charts of women who did not receive perinatal CBT) from the past five years. The efficacy of the intervention will be based on a reduction of mental illness symptomatology, improved maternal-infant attachment, maternal coping, and maternal quality of life. Additionally, the feasibility of the protocol and acceptability of the intervention from the women\u27s perspective will be examined. Inductive content analysis of all qualitative data will be used to determine common themes. Additionally, descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency and dispersion, will be computed for all continuous variables. Alternatively, frequency tables will be constructed for all categorical variables. Results: The work reported here is in the proposal phase. Once the protocol is implemented, we will report the results in a follow-up paper. Participant recruitment for cohort 1 has started and we have finished data collection for cohort 2. It is anticipated that the results will be available by the end of 2018. Conclusions: Findings will assess the acceptability of the study methodology and protocol for a full-scale randomized controlled trial. Furthermore, if CBT is proven effective for pregnant survivors of IPV, this intervention could be readily adopted by health care and social support services, thereby contributing to an improved standard of care for this unique population

The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) : development and UK validation

Background There is increasing international interest in the concept of mental well-being and its contribution to all aspects of human life. Demand for instruments to monitor mental well-being at a population level and evaluate mental health promotion initiatives is growing. This article describes the development and validation of a new scale, comprised only of positively worded items relating to different aspects of positive mental health: the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Methods WEMWBS was developed by an expert panel drawing on current academic literature, qualitative research with focus groups, and psychometric testing of an existing scale. It was validated on a student and representative population sample. Content validity was assessed by reviewing the frequency of complete responses and the distribution of responses to each item. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the scale measured a single construct. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity was explored in terms of correlations between WEMWBS and other scales and by testing whether the scale discriminated between population groups in line with pre-specified hypotheses. Test-retest reliability was assessed at one week using intra-class correlation coefficients. Susceptibility to bias was measured using the Balanced Inventory of Desired Responding. Results WEMWBS showed good content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the single factor hypothesis. A Cronbach's alpha score of 0.89 (student sample) and 0.91 (population sample) suggests some item redundancy in the scale. WEMWBS showed high correlations with other mental health and well-being scales and lower correlations with scales measuring overall health. Its distribution was near normal and the scale did not show ceiling effects in a population sample. It discriminated between population groups in a way that is largely consistent with the results of other population surveys. Test-retest reliability at one week was high (0.83). Social desirability bias was lower or similar to that of other comparable scales. Conclusion WEMWBS is a measure of mental well-being focusing entirely on positive aspects of mental health. As a short and psychometrically robust scale, with no ceiling effects in a population sample, it offers promise as a tool for monitoring mental well-being at a population level. Whilst WEMWBS should appeal to those evaluating mental health promotion initiatives, it is important that the scale's sensitivity to change is established before it is recommended in this context

Negotiating Health and Life: Syrian Refugees and The Politics of Access in Lebanon.

In the context of ongoing armed conflicts in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, it is vital to foster nuanced understandings of the relationship between health, violence, and everyday life in the Middle East and North Africa. In this article, we explore how healthcare access interacts with humanitarian bureaucracy and refugees' daily experiences of exile. What are the stakes involved with accessing clinical services in humanitarian situations? How do local conditions structure access to healthcare? Building on the concept of “therapeutic geographies,” we argue for the integration of local socio-political context and situated knowledge into understandings of humanitarian healthcare systems. Using evidence gathered from participant observation among Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, we demonstrate how procedures developed to facilitate care—such as refugee registration and insurance contracting—can interact with other factors to simultaneously prevent and/or disincentivize refugees' accessing healthcare services and expose them to structural violence. Drawing on two interconnected ethnographic encounters in a Palestinian refugee camp and in a Lebanese public hospital, we demonstrate how interactions surrounding the clinical encounter reveal the social, political, and logistical complexities of healthcare access. Moreover, rather than hospital visits representing discrete encounters with the Lebanese state, we contend that they reveal important moments in an ongoing process of negotiation and navigation within and through the constraints and uncertainties that shape refugee life. As a result, we advocate for the incorporation of situated forms of knowledge into humanitarian healthcare practices and the development of an understanding of healthcare access as nested in the larger experience of everyday refugee life