Affective attributions for psychological well-being: Pre-existing biases predict attributions of control, responsibility and credit.

Objectives: Previous research has identified a hierarchy of attributions for negative but preventable health outcomes (e.g. HIV/AIDS), from control, through responsibility, to blame, which becomes increasingly reliant upon subjective biases. This study investigated whether attributions of control, responsibility and credit for a positive outcome followed a comparably influenced systematic sequence. Design: A vignette-based questionnaire design was implemented. Primary outcome variables were scores on measures of attributions of control, responsibility and credit in response to the positive outcome described in a vignette. Additional variables were measured in order to investigate the reliance of attributions on pre-existing affective, behavioural, and attitudinal biases. Methods: Following their reading of a vignette describing an active pursuit of well-being, a self-selected sample of 144 adults completed online questionnaires measuring attributions of control, responsibility and credit. Measures of happiness, social acceptance, behaviour change, mental health locus of control, and just world beliefs were also completed. Results: Attributions of credit were significantly greater than those of control (p<.001) or responsibility (p<.001), whereas control and responsibility did not differ significantly. Happiness and mental health locus of control uniquely predicted attributions of control (ps<.05) and responsibility (ps<.005), whereas happiness (p=.002) and behaviour change (p=.049) uniquely predicted attributions of credit. Although a hierarchy for positive attributions was evidenced, findings suggest that biases, which deviate from systematic cognitive processing, are inherent to attributional reasoning. Conclusions: Future research is warranted to advance theories of positive attribution processes, with anticipated research impact for informing public policy and promoting observable behaviours that characterise psychological well-being

Differences in older and younger adults' perceptions of psychological well-being in later life.

Current and future population increases in those aged 65 years and over have led to considerable research focusing on the implications of an ageing population for health, social and general care provision. A frequent focus of such research is on how initiatives and interventions for older people serve to enhance their psychological well-being. However, no studies have directly compared the actual reported well-being of older people to the perceptions of their well-being by future providers and policy-makers. In the current study, older people (65-88 years) and university students (18-25 years) completed measures of mental well-being, autonomy and purpose in life with the latter group asked to respond from the imagined perspective of a ‘prototypical’ older person. Results showed significantly higher levels of actual than perceived well-being on all three measures. Findings highlight the necessity of consultation and needs assessment when planning, implementing and evaluating well-being interventions designed to benefit older people

Differences in older and younger adults' perceptions of psychological well-being in later life.

Current and future population increases in those aged 65 years and over have led to considerable research focusing on the implications of an ageing population for health, social and general care provision. A frequent focus of such research is on how initiatives and interventions for older people serve to enhance their psychological well-being. However, no studies have directly compared the actual reported well-being of older people to the perceptions of their well-being by future providers and policy-makers. In the current study, older people (65-88 years) and university students (18-25 years) completed measures of mental well-being, autonomy and purpose in life with the latter group asked to respond from the imagined perspective of a ‘prototypical’ older person. Results showed significantly higher levels of actual than perceived well-being on all three measures. Findings highlight the necessity of consultation and needs assessment when planning, implementing and evaluating well-being interventions designed to benefit older people

A Q-method investigation of individual value priorities in subjective well-being: understanding what makes well-being matter.

Objectives: The current investigation aimed to inform theory by exploring the question: How do individual value-priorities influence participants’ constructions of personal well-being? Design: The study employed Q Methodology, which assembles a comprehensive concourse of literature-informed viewpoints, operationalised as numbered qualitative statements for objective quantitative analysis. Q Method provided the ability to operationalise and integrate complex subjective values, facilitating subsequent interpretative analysis of how values influence subjective well-being. Methods: An opportunity sample of 30 participants (12 male, 18 female; 19-66 years), ranked 60 value statements according to subjective importance on a 13-point forced choice distribution grid ranging from -6 (most unimportant) to +6 (most important). Data were subjected to factor analysis and factor extraction using principle component analysis with Varimax rotation. Data sets loading on separate factors with an Eigenvalue of .06 or above were merged to form holistic factor arrays, each subjected to holistic interpretive analyses. Results: Thirteen participants (8 male 5 female), loaded significantly on five factors, (factors 1,2 and 3; three loadings), (factors 4 and 5; two loadings), accounting for 53% of the sample variance. Holistic analyses identified five themes: Exploring Life through my Choices; Faith Family Acceptance and Balance; Keeping Family Close and Embracing Life; Finding Positive Meaning in the World; Being True to Myself and Defining my Boundaries. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that individual values have a significant influence on subsequent development of subjective constructs of personal well-being. These constructs do not conform to components associated with one distinct domain of well-being, but incorporate dynamic, interactive components from multiple domains

Benefits to University Students Through Volunteering in a Health Context: A New Model

Individual interviews explored 50 British University students’ accounts of sustained volunteering within health settings and a model was developed using grounded theory. Phase one – ‘Getting involved’ – outlines ‘motives and catalysts’ for students starting to volunteer wherein altruistic motives of compassion for others are juxtaposed with perceptions of enhanced employability. Phase two – ‘Maintaining commitment’ – includes three components (‘Making connections’, ‘Developing resilience’ and ‘Keeping the balance’), which represent important aspects of continuing volunteering participation. Phase three – ‘Reaping the rewards’ – focuses on the benefits of volunteering including self-development. Our findings have implications for the training and support of student volunteers

Promoting students' psychological well-being through volunteering: What works and why?

Objectives: The study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the motives and experiences of university student volunteers who engage in volunteering to understand how they manage and sustain their volunteering, and how volunteering affects their well-being. Design: The study utilised semi-structured interviews consisting of a series of open questions, permitting flexibility and in-depth discussion. . Methods: Participants were a purposive sample of 45 university student volunteers aged 18 years or over and studying at British universities. Participants were volunteering or had undertaken regular voluntary work relating to chronic illness, psychological difficulties or disability within the twelve months prior to the interview. Using grounded theory a three phase model was developed which comprises five themes capturing key elements of the development and maintenance of student volunteering. Results: Phase one - 'Getting involved' outlines the 'Motives and catalysts' for students starting to volunteer. Phase two - 'Maintaining commitment' includes three themes ('Making connections' 'Developing resilience' and 'Keeping the balance'), which represent important components of sustained volunteering participation. Phase three - 'Reaping the rewards' focuses on the benefits of volunteering identified by participants around self-development and employability. We discuss our findings in relation to how successful volunteering enhances key components of psychological well-being and facilitates ‘flourishing’ among student volunteers. Conclusions: The findings provide valuable insight into the initiation and maintenance of student volunteering. Further, they have implications for educational institutes such as universities involved in initiatives which include the training, mentoring and support of student volunteers, as well as promoting their well-being

East Midlands Research into Ageing Network (EMRAN) Discussion Paper Series

Academic geriatric medicine in Leicester . There has never been a better time to consider joining us. We have recently appointed a Professor in Geriatric Medicine, alongside Tom Robinson in stroke and Victoria Haunton, who has just joined as a Senior Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine. We have fantastic opportunities to support students in their academic pursuits through a well-established intercalated BSc programme, and routes on through such as ACF posts, and a successful track-record in delivering higher degrees leading to ACL post. We collaborate strongly with Health Sciences, including academic primary care. See below for more detail on our existing academic set-up. Leicester Academy for the Study of Ageing We are also collaborating on a grander scale, through a joint academic venture focusing on ageing, the ‘Leicester Academy for the Study of Ageing’ (LASA), which involves the local health service providers (acute and community), De Montfort University; University of Leicester; Leicester City Council; Leicestershire County Council and Leicester Age UK. Professors Jayne Brown and Simon Conroy jointly Chair LASA and have recently been joined by two further Chairs, Professors Kay de Vries and Bertha Ochieng. Karen Harrison Dening has also recently been appointed an Honorary Chair. LASA aims to improve outcomes for older people and those that care for them that takes a person-centred, whole system perspective. Our research will take a global perspective, but will seek to maximise benefits for the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, including building capacity. We are undertaking applied, translational, interdisciplinary research, focused on older people, which will deliver research outcomes that address domains from: physical/medical; functional ability, cognitive/psychological; social or environmental factors. LASA also seeks to support commissioners and providers alike for advice on how to improve care for older people, whether by research, education or service delivery. Examples of recent research projects include: ‘Local History Café’ project specifically undertaking an evaluation on loneliness and social isolation; ‘Better Visits’ project focused on improving visiting for family members of people with dementia resident in care homes; and a study on health issues for older LGBT people in Leicester. Clinical Geriatric Medicine in Leicester We have developed a service which recognises the complexity of managing frail older people at the interface (acute care, emergency care and links with community services). There are presently 17 consultant geriatricians supported by existing multidisciplinary teams, including the largest complement of Advance Nurse Practitioners in the country. Together we deliver Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment to frail older people with urgent care needs in acute and community settings. The acute and emergency frailty units – Leicester Royal Infirmary This development aims at delivering Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment to frail older people in the acute setting. Patients are screened for frailty in the Emergency Department and then undergo a multidisciplinary assessment including a consultant geriatrician, before being triaged to the most appropriate setting. This might include admission to in-patient care in the acute or community setting, intermediate care (residential or home based), or occasionally other specialist care (e.g. cardiorespiratory). Our new emergency department is the county’s first frail friendly build and includes fantastic facilities aimed at promoting early recovering and reducing the risk of hospital associated harms. There is also a daily liaison service jointly run with the psychogeriatricians (FOPAL); we have been examining geriatric outreach to oncology and surgery as part of an NIHR funded study. We are home to the Acute Frailty Network, and those interested in service developments at the national scale would be welcome to get involved. Orthogeriatrics There are now dedicated hip fracture wards and joint care with anaesthetists, orthopaedic surgeons and geriatricians. There are also consultants in metabolic bone disease that run clinics. Community work Community work will consist of reviewing patients in clinic who have been triaged to return to the community setting following an acute assessment described above. Additionally, primary care colleagues refer to outpatients for sub-acute reviews. You will work closely with local GPs with support from consultants to deliver post-acute, subacute, intermediate and rehabilitation care services. Stroke Medicine 24/7 thrombolysis and TIA services. The latter is considered one of the best in the UK and along with the high standard of vascular surgery locally means one of the best performances regarding carotid intervention

‘A prisoner of the self’: A thematic analysis exploring the reasons for reduced engagement in sport and exercise activities among female undergraduates

Objectives: Despite the positive effects of sport/exercise participation on well-being, engagement in these activities among female undergraduates decreases during the period of their studies. The study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the reasons for such decline and potential effects on well-being. Design: Semi-structured interviews were employed, consisting of a series of open questions, permitting flexibility and in-depth discussion. Methods: Participants were a purposive sample of 12 female university students aged between 18-25 years, studying at a British University. Participants had not engaged in sport or exercise activities for at least six weeks prior to interview. Using thematic analysis, four super-ordinate themes emerged, capturing key contributors to the reductions in sport/ exercise behaviours among female undergraduates. Results: Theme One - ‘You are your own worst enemy’ focuses on the cognitions that disable female sport/exercise participation. Theme Two – ‘The Social Spectrum’ captures a contradiction between senses of social isolation vs. support in male-dominated sporting/exercise environments. Theme Three - ‘Man, I feel like a woman’ explores the societal demands experienced by young women to maintain their physical femininity, whilst pursuing activities that might jeopardise this. Finally, Theme Four - ‘Coming of age’ focuses on how emergent responsibilities in the context of university life temporarily over-ride the priority of sport/exercise participation. Conclusions: The findings provide valuable insight into the inter-related reasons for declines in sport/exercise participation among a sample of female university students. We discuss our findings in terms of their implications for national campaigns and universities promoting such participation as key to psychological well-being

"Running alone can be a race": An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experiences of amateur runners who use wrist-based technology

Objectives: The study explored the experiences of runners who use wrist-based technology, their motives for maintaining running and any role of the technology in that maintenance. Design: The study utilised a qualitative, phenomenological approach in the form of semi-structured interviews, facilitating in-depth discussion and flexibility. Participants were additionally invited to supplement their verbal data with self-captured visual images. Methods: Participants were a purposive sample of ten participants, who were regular runners and users of wrist-based technology. Verbal data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), with visual images used to highlight key experiences. Results: Emergent themes are presented as elements of a three-element, dynamic model in which each element captures beneficial and potentially negative effects of technology on the experience and maintenance of running. Element 1 outlines the role of technology of ‘Reifying running through data capture.’ Element 2 ‘Setting targets and achieving goals’ reflects the importance of motivation and goals setting in the maintenance of running and the subsequent confirmation of success afforded by technology. Element 3 ‘Enablement of competition’ focuses on the function of technology in facilitating self-comparison and comparison to others. Each element of the model contributes to the maintenance of running by providing focus and purpose. However, potentially negative effects of technology use on well-being were also identified within and across elements, including obsessive behaviour and over-exertion. Conclusions: The findings provide insight into the previously unexplored experiences of runners who use wrist-based technology. However, they also have implications for both users and technology developers, in discouraging negative effects on well-being

The Role of Balanced Time Perspective on Student Well-being and Mental Health: A Mixed-Methods Study

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This two-phase mixed-methods study examined the effects of Time Perspective (TP) and Balanced Time Perspective (BTP) on the subjective well-being (SWB), and psychological health of first year undergraduates. Phase 1 used repeated measures to assess the effects of TP on SWB and psychological distress. Excessive or insufficient use of certain TP orientations was related to, and could predict SWB and resilience. Psychological problems were associated with a Past-Negative and Present-Fatalist bias. Moreover, high BTP was associated with resilience to psychological problems and enhanced SWB. Phase 2 involved qualitative interview analysis with six Phase 1 participants. Two themes emerged, including ‘Growing from negative past experiences’ and ‘The importance of positive future goals’. Resilience and SWB are increasingly important aspects of the student experience and TP offers additional understanding of these areas. Interventions focused on developing a BTP, may potentially enhance student SWB and offer preventative mental illness strategies