European Survey Data on Attitudes to Equality and Human Rights Technical Paper. Research Series

This report maps the data available on attitudes to equality and human rights issues in Ireland collected in European surveys over the period 2000 to 2018. These surveys provide a rich source of evidence for researchers and policymakers in Ireland. We identify a total of 1,509 relevant questions from a search of over 125 attitude surveys. These questions are categorised according to the groups and topics addressed. We find that attitudes towards minority ethnic/nationality groups, gender/gender roles and social welfare recipients are the most widely covered. Questions on attitudes towards religious minorities, age groups/ageism, family status, disability and sexual orientation are much less common. Moreover, while the frequency of attitude questions relating to sexual orientation has increased over the period, questions on age and disability groups have declined. Within these equality groups the surveys cover a range of topics including social distance, social contact, tolerance and policy preferences

Parents' verbal communication and childhood anxiety: a systematic review

Parents’ verbal communication to their child, particularly the expression of fear-relevant information (e.g., attributions of threat to the environment), is considered to play a key role in children’s fears and anxiety. This review considers the extent to which parental verbal communication is associated with child anxiety by examining research that has employed objective observational methods. Using a systematic search strategy, we identified 15 studies that addressed this question. These studies provided some evidence that particular fear-relevant features of parental verbal communication are associated with child anxiety under certain conditions. However, the scope for drawing reliable, general conclusions was limited by extensive methodological variation between studies, particularly in terms of the features of parental verbal communication examined and the context in which communication took place, how child anxiety was measured, and inconsistent consideration of factors that may moderate the verbal communication–child anxiety relationship. We discuss ways in which future research can contribute to this developing evidence base and reduce further methodological inconsistency so as to inform interventions for children with anxiety problems

Barriers and facilitators to parents seeking and accessing professional support for anxiety disorders in children: qualitative interview study

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health disorders experienced by children, but only a minority of these children access professional help. Understanding the difficulties parents face seeking support for child anxiety disorders could inform targeted interventions to improve treatment access. The aims of the study were to identify barriers and facilitators to seeking and accessing professional support for child anxiety disorders, and ways to minimise these barriers. A qualitative interview study was conducted with parents of 16 children (aged 7–11 years) with anxiety disorders identified through screening in schools. Barriers and facilitators were identified in relation to four distinct stages in the help-seeking process: parents recognising the anxiety difficulty, parents recognising the need for professional support, parents contacting professionals, and families receiving professional support. Barriers and facilitators at each stage related to the child’s difficulties, the role of the parent, and parent perceptions of professionals and services. Findings illustrate the need (1) for readily available tools to help parents and professionals identify clinically significant anxiety in children, (2) to ensure that families and professionals can easily access guidance on the help-seeking process and available support, and (3) to ensure existing services offer sufficient provision for less severe difficulties that incorporates direct support for parents

Origin and integration: a study of migrants in the 2016 Irish Census. ESRI Report June 2020.

Many migrant groups have higher educational attainment but higher unemployment levels, according to a new ESRI study

Barriers to and facilitators of the identification, management and referral of childhood anxiety disorders in primary care: A survey of general practitioners in England

Objectives: Although anxiety disorders are the most common emotional disorders in childhood and are associated with a broad range of negative outcomes, only a minority of affected children receive professional support. In the UK, General Practitioners(GPs) are seen as "gate-keepers" to mental health services. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which GPs experience barriers and facilitators to identifying, managing and accessing specialist services for these disorders, as well as factors associated with GPs’ confidence. Design & setting: Cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire in primary care, addressing identification, management and access to specialist services for children(under 12 years) with anxiety disorders. Participants: 971 GPs in England. Primary outcomes: The primary outcomes for this research was the extent to which GPs felt confident a)identifying and b)managing anxiety disorders in children. Results: Only 51% and 13% of GPs felt confident identifying and managing child anxiety disorders respectively. A minority believed that their training in identification(21%) and management(10%) was adequate. Time restrictions inhibited identification and management, and long waiting times was a barrier to accessing specialist services. Being female(Ex(B)=1.4,95%CI 1.1-1.9) and being in a less deprived practice(Ex(B)=1.1,95%CI 1-1.1) was associated with higher confidence identifying childhood anxiety disorders. Being a parent of a child over the age of 5(Ex(B)=2,95%CI 1.1-3.5) and being in a less deprived practice(Ex(B)=1.1,95%CI 1-1.2) was associated with higher confidence in management. Receipt of psychiatric or paediatric training was not significantly associated with GP confidence. Conclusions: GPs believe they have a role in identifying and managing childhood anxiety disorders, however their confidence appears to be related to their personal experience and the context in which they work, rather than their training, highlighting the need to strengthen GP training and facilitate access to resources and services to enable them to support children with these common but debilitating conditions. Funding: This work was supported by grant a National Institute for Health Research ‘Research Professorship’ to CC (NIHR-RP-2014-04-018). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health

The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review

Objective To determine if and which types of organisational interventions conducted in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in healthcare are effective on mental health and wellbeing. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six scientific databases, assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies using QATQS and grouped them into six organisational intervention types for narrative synthesis. Only controlled studies with at least one follow-up were eligible. Results We identified 22 studies (23 articles) mainly conducted in hospitals with 16 studies rated of strong or moderate methodological quality. More than two thirds (68%) of the studies reported improvements in at least one primary outcome (mental wellbeing, burnout, stress, symptoms of depression or anxiety), most consistently in burnout with eleven out of thirteen studies. We found a strong level of evidence for the intervention type “Job and task modifications” and a moderate level of evidence for the types “Flexible work and scheduling” and “Changes in the physical work environment”. For all other types, the level of evidence was insufficient. We found no studies conducted with an independent SME, however five studies with SMEs attached to a larger organisational structure. The effectiveness of workplace mental health interventions in these SMEs was mixed. Conclusion Organisational interventions in healthcare workers can be effective in improving mental health, especially in reducing burnout. Intervention types where the change in the work environment constitutes the intervention had the highest level of evidence. More research is needed for SMEs and for healthcare workers other than hospital-based physicians and nurses

Children with anxiety disorders in primary care: the views of general practitioners II (CADPC II)

This dataset was generated to examine the extent to which GPs experience barriers and facilitators to identifying, managing and accessing specialist services for these disorders, as well as factors associated with GPs� confidence. It contains a cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire in primary care, addressing identification, management and access to specialist services for children (under 12 years) with anxiety disorders, using a five point Likert scale. Some demographic information was provided by GPs. The participants were 971 GPs in England

Association between electronic cigarette use and tobacco cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Aim: This systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies aimed to explore whether electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use by adolescents who had never smoked conventional tobacco cigarettes (tobacco cigarettes) at baseline was associated with subsequent initiation of tobacco cigarette smoking. The analysis included studies based in Europe and North America. Methods: This study followed all the principles of a systematic review and meta-analysis. A key word search identified peer-reviewed literature published between 1 January 2005 and 2 October 2019 from seven bibliographic databases and one search engine. Using a predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria two authors independently screened abstracts, and subsequently, full text papers. Eligible papers were quality assessed and scored by two authors. Included papers had data on population characteristics, exposure and outcome measures extracted into an adapted Cochrane Data Extraction Form. Statistical analysis was preceded by a feasibility assessment, and included a pairwise random effects meta-analysis, and sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Findings: From an initial 6,619 studies, 14 unique studies in 21 papers were identified. Overall, the studies populations were between 13 and 19 years at baseline. Nine of the 14 unique longitudinal studies with follow-up periods between 4 and 24 months were eligible for inclusion in a meta-analysis of the association between ever use of e-cigarettes and subsequent initiation of tobacco cigarette use. Based on primary study adjusted odds ratios, our meta-analysis calculated a 4.06 (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.00-5.48) times higher odds of initiating tobacco cigarette smoking for those who had ever used e-cigarettes at baseline, although the odds ratio was reduced slightly (to 3.71 times odds, 95%CI: 2.83-4. 86) when only the four high-quality studies were included. The initial meta-analysis model had a moderate to high statistical heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis restricted to high-quality studies had a low to moderate statistical heterogeneity.Conclusion: The systematic review found that e-cigarette use was associated with initiation of tobacco cigarette smoking among adolescents in Europe and North America, identifying a potentially serious public health harm. Given the widespread availability and use of e-cigarettes, this study further supports urgent action by policymakers to prevent their use by adolescents to reduce direct harms in this vulnerable population group, as well as to protect gains in reducing tobacco cigarette initiation.</jats:p