Showcasing health psychology postgraduate research: contemporary theory and methods

This article describes a conference workshop organised by the author which showcased the breadth of current postgraduate research within the area of Health Psychology

Psychology as a STEM discipline

Psychology is a science that contributes greatly to a number of other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Unfortunately, it is not often recognised as a STEM discipline. This discussion paper considers psychology’s membership as a STEM subject and the impact that it has had on our everyday lives. The author suggests that postgraduate students working on innovative, inter-disciplinary research can not only contribute to psychology’s standing, but can also help to communicate the value of what psychologists do. Reflections from the author’s experiences as a STEM Ambassador are also included, with reference to The University of Northampton’s unique STEM Steering Group and STEM Champions programme

Understanding drinking behaviour; affordances and an ecological approach to cognition

Alcohol misuse is a public health concern. Many social cognition models explain drinking behaviour using a limited representational model of cognition. Gibson’s Ecological approach does not require representation. Meaning exists at the interplay of brain, body and environment in terms of affordances. Contemporary ideas about Ecological psychology and affordances could be used to understand how individual-environment relations extend and constrain opportunities for consuming alcohol. This research programme comprised three studies: i. Affordances for Drinking Behaviour: A Non-Participant Observation Study in Licensed Premises. A functional, affordance-based approach was used to identify the array of affordances, or action opportunities, observed to be relevant to alcohol consumption in seven UK licensed premises. This study illustrated the normative and functional qualities of these drinking environments for drinking behaviour from the perspective of an independent observer. ii. Individual Perceptions of Alcohol-Related Affordances: Photo- Elicitation Interviews and Phenomenology. Twelve students viewed fifty photographs of a range of licensed premises, describing the function that occurrences had for their drinking behaviour. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis provided an insight into first-person drinking experiences, supporting the alcohol-related affordances identified by the first study and providing an insight into why these were taken up by participants. iii. Alcohol-Related Affordances and Group Subjectivities: A Q- Methodology Approach. 40 students participated in a Q-Methodology study which combined statements from the previous two studies. Four patterns of subjectivity were uncovered. Most participants were aware of alcohol-related affordances, but believed their drinking behaviour to be autonomous. Others were conscious of influences, but compliant to these effects. Some were unaware, acting unanimously with the group, while others were concerned with carrying out behaviour considerate for the context. The findings of this research programme have implications for psychology and, as a global theory of behaviour, provide a more robust theoretical perspective on behavioural determinants for a range of health behaviours

“I get that ball and I am running…like nothing else is there with me”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of rugby players’ experience of flow during game-play

Background: This research examines the flow experience of rugby players following game-play. A flow experience is when an individual becomes completely immersed in the task at hand, as the task is challenging enough to push the individual to perform at their optimum skill level. Limited research focuses on flow in competitive, team-based environments and the implications this has for team dynamics and wellbeing. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five rugby players from the Old Northamptonians rugby club and was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Participants’ accounts highlighted three main aspects of flow which appeared to be relevant to competitive gameplay. This included communication, which was dependent on player position and role; perception of control, which focused on gaming restrictions and mind set; and time distortion; which was dependent on experience and perception of in-game challenges. Discussion: These findings help explain how rugby players individually experience flow, as well as how coaches may experience a flow states at the same time, but have a different perception of the experience. This research has implications for helping to promote flow experiences and to encourage individuals to become more aware of when they are experiencing flow, both in rugby game-play and in other aspects of their lives

Assessing wellbeing: an evidence review

An evidence review was conducted to explore the effectiveness of wellbeing tools that assess the needs of patients, clients and service users in times of change. A focus was on the effectiveness of tools which support individual wellbeing and accurately identify change needs. This included measures that provide monitoring information to chart individual progress and those that can be used as a motivational tool. Recommendations will inform community-based health and wellbeing initiatives driven by First for Wellbeing

The sober rave project: investigating the acceptability and personal experiences of alcohol-free dance events

Our research is an innovative, European-wide collaborative investigation into the benefits of alcohol-free events, otherwise known as ‘sober raves’. Much of the existing behaviour work which focuses on preventing and regulating maladaptive alcohol misuse suggests individuals act rationally in choosing to consume alcohol. However, intentions and other cognitive mediators often fail to map onto actual behaviour and do not explain why individuals continue to carry out risky health-risk behaviours, despite being aware of the associated risks. Substance use is also often driven by the pursuit of pleasure, rather than by the avoidance of harms. For example, many young people get social pleasures from drinking alcohol, but due to limited alcohol-free socialising opportunities non-drinkers can feel stigmatised. Our research is focusing on the perceived acceptability, attitudes and perceptions of a range of alcohol-free events for young people across Europe. Following the first stage of this research project, we hope to explore how these types of events could be used as a means of reducing alcohol consumption in young people

Contribution of ‘Real Nappies for London’ to Local Authority waste prevention - 2012–2016

To help prevent disposable nappy (DN) solid waste, the ‘Women's Environmental Network’ (WEN) developed the 'Real Nappies for London' (RNfL) scheme. In partnership with Local Authorities (LA), RNfL promotes the use of real nappies (RN) within 9 Boroughs of London, preventing the use of 4,290 DNs per child, from new born to 2.5 years of age. The scheme issued a voucher to residents who registered, redeemable for the average value of £45 against the purchase of RN products. Over a period of 4 years from 2012 to 2016 RNfL issued 4,192 vouchers, of which 3,188 were redeemed, resulting in 3,145 tonnes of DN waste prevention. The 2012-2016 performance equated to a combined LA saving of £320,791 based on an average landfill tax of £84/t and disposal cost of £18/t across LAs in England. Cost to Las for RNfL voucher processing is £28,690(£9/voucher), achieving a cost effective ratio of 1:11. RNs are a valuable waste prevention tool working at the top of the waste hierarchy, in LAs. The resident network, built by the RNfL scheme, also provides a channel for LAs to communicate important waste messages to residents at low to no cost

Breaking through disciplinary barriers: Human-wildlife interactions and multispecies ethnography

One of the main challenges when integrating biological and social perspectives in primatology is overcoming interdisciplinary barriers. Unfamiliarity with subject-specific theory and language, distinct disciplinary-bound approaches to research, and academic boundaries aimed at ‘preserving the integrity’ of subject disci-plines can hinder developments in interdisciplinary research. With growing interest in how humans and other primates share landscapes, and recognition of the importance of combining biological and social information to do this effectively, the disparate use of terminology is becoming more evident. To tackle this problem, we dissect the meaning of what the biological sciences term studies in ‘human–wildlife conflict’ or more recent-ly ‘human–wildlife interactions’ and compare it to what anthropology terms ‘multispecies ethnography’. In the biological sciences, human–wildlife interactions are the actions resulting from people and wild animals sharing landscapes and resources, with outcomes ranging from being beneficial or harmful to one or both species. In the social sciences, human–nonhuman relationships have been explored on a philosophical, ana-lytical and empirical level. Building on previous work, we advocate viewing landscapes through an interdis-ciplinary ‘multispecies lens’ where humans are observed as one of multiple organisms which interact with other species to shape and create environments. To illustrate these interconnections we use the case study of coexistence between people of the Nalu ethnic group and Critically Endangered western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau, to demonstrate how biological and social research approaches can be complementary and can inform conservation initiatives at the human–primate interface. Finally, we discuss how combining perspectives from ethnoprimatology with those from multi-species ethnography can advance the study of ethnoprimatology to aid productive discourse and enhance future interdisciplinary research

Hyperactive gp130/STAT3-driven gastric tumourigenesis promotes submucosal tertiary lymphoid structure development

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) display phenotypic and functional characteristics of secondary lymphoid organs, and often develop in tissues affected by chronic inflammation, as well as in certain inflammation-associated cancers where they are prognostic of improved patient survival. However, the mechanisms that govern the development of tumour-associated TLSs remain ill-defined. Here, we observed tumour-associated TLSs in a preclinical mouse model (gp130F/F) of gastric cancer, where tumourigenesis is dependent on hyperactive STAT3 signalling through the common IL-6 family signalling receptor, gp130. Gastric tumourigenesis was associated with the development of B and T cell-rich submucosal lymphoid aggregates, containing CD21+ cellular networks and high endothelial venules. Temporally, TLS formation coincided with the development of gastric adenomas and induction of homeostatic chemokines including Cxcl13, Ccl19 and Ccl21. Reflecting the requirement of gp130-driven STAT3 signalling for gastric tumourigenesis, submucosal TLS development was also STAT3-dependent, but independent of the cytokine IL-17 which has been linked with lymphoid neogenesis in chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Interestingly, upregulated lymphoid chemokine expression and TLS formation were also observed in a chronic gastritis model induced by Helicobacter felis infection. Tumour-associated TLSs were also observed in patients with intestinal-type gastric cancer, and a gene signature linked with TLS development in gp130F/F mice was associated with advanced clinical disease, but was not prognostic of patient survival. Collectively, our in vivo data reveal that hyperactive gp130-STAT3 signalling closely links gastric tumourigenesis with lymphoid neogenesis, and while a TLS gene signature was associated with advanced gastric cancer in patients, it did not indicate a favourable prognosis