An exploration of the relationship between adverse events on the farm and suicidal ideation in farmers

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110577
Author(s):  
Laura Phalp ◽  
Rhiannon Corcoran ◽  
Catrin Eames ◽  
Aarun Naik

Background: The risk of suicide for agricultural workers in parts of the United Kingdom (UK) is almost twice the national average. Existing literature has suggested that adverse farming events, where failure is determined by uncontrollable and unpredictable forces, may be to blame. Yet, the impact of such events on farmer suicidality has not been explicitly explored. Aims: The present paper therefore aimed to investigate the relationship between adverse farming events and suicidal ideation in farmers. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire battery was disseminated between July 2018 and February 2019, and completed by 170 adult farmers. Results: Over a 12-month period, 88.8% reported that they had experienced an adverse farming event and 32.9% said that they had experienced suicidal thoughts. Correlational analysis revealed a relationship between these variables. Conclusions: The high prevalence of suicidal ideation within farmers demonstrates a critical need for intervention. Likewise, the prevalence of adverse farming events suggests that interventions need to be appropriately tailored, with greater understanding about the impact of such events on the mental wellbeing of farmers.

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Osinachi Akanwa Ekeagwu ◽  
Stanley Idika Ukpai

Due to the growing elderly population in the United Kingdom, there is increasing demand for formal carers. Research suggests that elderly care may be associated with adverse impacts, however not much is known about migrants who constitute a considerable proportion of formal carers. Given that migrants already face peculiar challenges related to cultural assimilation and social integration, it becomes necessary to investigate the impact of a burdensome yet well sought job among them. This study therefore aimed to investigate the impact (burden and benefit) of elderly social care among migrant carers. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used and data obtained through snowball sampling using web-based questionnaires. Majority of participants (51.6%) confirmed that the choice of the job was financially motivated, even though most (63.3%) experienced stress. Apparently, the perceived stress was related to frustrations stemming from their skills not being fully utilised, but unrelated to gender, prior experience and cultural background. Nevertheless, 66.7% remained happy to recommend their job to others. The inherent caregiver burden should be recognised and addressed by all parties involved including the carers, employers and policy makers. Although the avoidance of caregiver burden entirely may be impossible, there should be room for decreasing this impact and providing respite for those already affected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-75
Author(s):  
Ernesto Rosario- Hernández ◽  
Lillian V. Rovira Millán ◽  
Stephanie Vega Vélez ◽  
Rosael Zeno- Santi ◽  
Pamela Farinacci García ◽  
...  

There is evidence of the effects of exposure to workplace bullying on victims who may manifest symptoms of depression, anxiety, burnout, somatization, sleep difficulties, and posttraumatic stress; however, few studies have examined the impact of workplace bullying on suicidal ideation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and suicidal ideation and how feelings of defeat and entrapment mediate this relationship. Also, it was intended to examine how rumination moderates this relationship. As a framework, it was used the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicide Behavior (IMV) in which has been integrated several theoretical models of suicide. A total of 898 employed subjects participated in this cross-sectional design study. To examine the hypotheses, PLS-SEM model was used using the SMART-PLS program. Exposure to workplace bullying,defeat and entrapment were positively and significantly related to suicidal ideation. Meanwhile,feelings of defeat and entrapment mediated the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and suicidal ideation and rumination moderated the relation between exposure to workplace bullying and feelings defeat. The results of the present study have both theoretical and practical implications, among which we can mention that results support and expand the IMV model of suicidal behavior. The exposure to workplace bullying brings a challenge for the psychologists in the occupational health context, and human resources practitioners in the management of this phenomenon in organizations to prevent it and in a worst case scenario, to respond in an effective manner due to its individual and organizational impact.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Quinn-Scoggins ◽  
Rebecca Cannings-John ◽  
Yvonne Moriarty ◽  
Victoria Whitelock ◽  
Katriina L. Whitaker ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Bowman ◽  
Kin On Kwok ◽  
Rozlyn Redd ◽  
Yuanyuan Yi ◽  
Helen Ward ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Given the public health responses to previous respiratory disease pandemics, and in the absence of treatments and vaccines, the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic relies on population engagement in nonpharmaceutical interventions. This engagement is largely driven by risk perception, anxiety levels, and knowledge, as well as by historical exposure to disease outbreaks, government responses, and cultural factors. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to compare psychobehavioral responses in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Comparable cross-sectional surveys were administered to adults in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom during the early phase of the epidemic in each setting. Explanatory variables included demographics, risk perception, knowledge of COVID-19, anxiety level, and preventive behaviors. Responses were weighted according to census data. Logistic regression models, including effect modification to quantify setting differences, were used to assess the association between the explanatory variables and the adoption of social distancing measures. RESULTS Data from 3431 complete responses (Hong Kong, 1663; United Kingdom, 1768) were analyzed. Perceived severity of symptoms differed by setting, with weighted percentages of 96.8% for Hong Kong (1621/1663) and 19.9% for the United Kingdom (366/1768). A large proportion of respondents were abnormally or borderline anxious (Hong Kong: 1077/1603, 60.0%; United Kingdom: 812/1768, 46.5%) and regarded direct contact with infected individuals as the transmission route of COVID-19 (Hong Kong: 94.0%-98.5%; United Kingdom: 69.2%-93.5%; all percentages weighted), with Hong Kong identifying additional routes. Hong Kong reported high levels of adoption of various social distancing measures (Hong Kong: 32.6%-93.7%; United Kingdom: 17.6%-59.0%) and mask-wearing (Hong Kong: 98.8% (1647/1663); United Kingdom: 3.1% (53/1768)). The impact of perceived severity of symptoms and perceived ease of transmission of COVID-19 on the adoption of social distancing measures varied by setting. In Hong Kong, these factors had no impact, whereas in the United Kingdom, those who perceived their symptom severity as “high” were more likely to adopt social distancing (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] 1.58-3.01), and those who perceived transmission as “easy” were prone to adopt both general social distancing (aOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.57-2.55) and contact avoidance (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.41-2.30). The impact of anxiety on adopting social distancing did not vary by setting. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that health officials should ascertain baseline levels of risk perception and knowledge in populations, as well as prior sensitization to infectious disease outbreaks, during the development of mitigation strategies. Risk should be communicated through suitable media channels—and trust should be maintained—while early intervention remains the cornerstone of effective outbreak response.


1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Sheel

Dividend policies of hotel and lodging firms are often constrained by various restrictive debt covenants. Such restrictions are imposed by institutional lenders as protective measures, especially when the financial and operating leverage trends in a specific industry group are very high. Given such restrictions and constrained dividend payouts, the question of “dividend relevance” has special importance for firms in the hotel and lodging industry. This research is a cross-sectional analysis of the dividend/return relationship for hotel and lodging firms in three major G7 markets, namely, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. Although empirical findings suggest a positive nonlinear dividend/return relationship for hotel and lodging firms in these countries, they also reveal the presence of distinct country-specific effects in the above relationship. As such, the nature of the relationship between dividend yields and common equity returns for hotel and lodging firms is better understood from a global perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Daffern ◽  
Kelly Balmer ◽  
Jude Brereton

The Covid-19 induced United Kingdom-wide lockdown in 2020 saw choirs face a unique situation of trying to continue without being able to meet in-person. Live networked simultaneous music-making for large groups of singers is not possible, so other “virtual choir” activities were explored. A cross sectional online survey of 3948 choir members and facilitators from across the United Kingdom was conducted, with qualitative analysis of open text questions, to investigate which virtual choir solutions have been employed, how choir members and facilitators experience these in comparison to an “in-person” choir, and whether the limitations and opportunities of virtual choir solutions shed light on the value of the experience of group singing as a whole. Three virtual choir models were employed: Multi-track, whereby individuals record a solo which is mixed into a choral soundtrack; Live streamed, where individuals take part in sessions streamed live over social media; Live tele-conferencing, for spoken interaction and/or singing using tele-conferencing software. Six themes were identified in the open text responses: Participation Practicalities, encompassing reactions to logistics of virtual models; Choir Continuity, reflecting the responsibility felt to maintain choir activities somehow; Wellbeing, with lockdown highlighting to many the importance of in-person choirs to their sense of wellbeing; Social Aspects, reflecting a sense of community and social identity; Musical Elements, whereby the value of musical experience shifted with the virtual models; Co-creation through Singing, with an overwhelming sense of loss of the embodied experience of singing together in real-time, which is unattainable from existing virtual choir models. The experiences, activities and reflections of choir singers during lockdown present a unique perspective to understand what makes group singing a meaningful experience for many. Co-creation through Singing needs further investigation to understand the impact of its absence on virtual choirs being able re-create the benefits of in-person choirs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-798
Author(s):  
Nina Kirk ◽  
Sara Fritzell ◽  
Bo Burström

Lone mothers face higher risk of poor self-rated health (SRH) than coupled mothers, partly explained by financial strain, non-employment, and welfare context. Comparing the United Kingdom and Sweden, we sought to determine how the economic crisis of 2008 affected the inequality in lone and coupled mothers SRH and what socioeconomic factors impacted this. Survey data was divided into periods corresponding to before, during, and after the economic crisis. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic factors. Financial strain explained 70%–80% of the excess risk for poor health among Swedish lone mothers and 40% of those in the United Kingdom. Controlling for background and socioeconomic factors eliminated the health inequality among Swedish mothers. In the United Kingdom this inequality remained and may reflect the impact of social mechanisms such as stigma. Converse to what was expected, we did not observe significant variation over time in factors affecting SRH, nor did we find conclusive evidence of the impact of the economic crisis on the SRH of lone mothers. Factors that may account for these counterintuitive results, including retrenchment of the Swedish welfare state, economic lag, and reduction in overall inequality in health, are discussed.


Author(s):  
Cathy Gormley-Heenan ◽  
Mark Sandford

This chapter examines the relationship between the UK Parliament and the devolved legislatures established in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It first considers the impact of devolution on parliamentary sovereignty before discussing the establishment and development of the devolved parliaments in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It then describes the key features of those devolved institutions and the way in which Parliament's interactions with them have evolved since their inception, as well as the division of powers between the United Kingdom and devolved governments. It shows that the influence of Parliament on devolution in the UK has so far been marginal, and that these subtle changes in practices at Westminster point to Parliament as an increasing reflection of wider shifts in public attitudes about the relationships between the territories of the United Kingdom, especially after the Brexit referendum.


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