scholarly journals A REVIEW STUDY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING SUICIDE AMONG SOUTH ASIANS IN THE UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-31
Author(s):  
Ubaid Rehman ◽  
Alamgeer Khan ◽  
Muhammad Jawad ◽  
Saima Sarir ◽  
Seema Zubair

Purpose of the study: A systematic review of studies on factors in the suicide of South Asians in the UK was reviewed to enhance understanding by aggregating those factors contributing to suicide in this diverse group. Methodology: Digital databases PsycArticles, PsycINFO, PubMed, JSTOR, Science Direct, Web of sciences, and Google Scholar, were searched from 1990 to 2018 and, six studies were included for the review. Main Findings: Factors like cultural conflict, mental health issues, family relationships, and religious & other social aspects influence suicide in South Asians in the UK. Also, better family contact, culturally sensitive interventions & services, and educational pamphlets could support preventive strategies. Applications of this study: Future research needs to concentrate on the reasons behind high rates of suicide in social class 1 and disaggregation of factors in sub-groups of South Asians in the UK to support the development of sound preventive strategies. Novelty/Originality of this study: First study ever to aggregate factors in the suicide of South Asians in the UK.  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba X Realpe Rojas ◽  
Nicola Mills ◽  
Lucy Beasant ◽  
Sarah Douglas ◽  
Lorcan Kenny ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 lockdown was a set of nationwide public health restrictions in force on the UK from March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Co-occurring anxiety and depression in autistic people placed them at heightened risk of potential adverse mental health due to the lockdown. Furthermore, the impact of current and future public health measures on autistic people’s willingness to take part in autism research was unknown. We carried out in-depth interviews with 31 autistic adults exploring their experiences of the COVID-19 lockdown and how the pandemic may affect future research participation. Transcripts were analysed thematically within a critical realism framework. Participants identified positive aspects of lockdown such as enjoying the lack of social pressures and using their well-developed skills for dealing with uncertainty. Autistic people also shared challenges of adjusting to lockdown, e.g., rapid change in daily routines. While hopeful about the freedom gained from easing restrictions, participants were concerned about the inconsistent communication and application of rules during the transition out of lockdown which may exacerbate already rising mental health issues among autistic people. The participants viewed research participation and engagement with increased relevance during the pandemic and welcomed efforts to conduct research using online methods of communication. The COVID-19 lockdown had a varied effect in the lives and routines of autistic people. However, healthcare providers and researchers need to be mindful of rising mental health issues during the pandemic, especially for people who were already vulnerable. The response to the pandemic may have offered opportunities for innovation in research processes enabling more autistic people to engage with research and making studies more inclusive.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Pegram ◽  
Charlotte Woolley ◽  
Dave C. Brodbelt ◽  
David B. Church ◽  
Dan G. O’Neill

AbstractThe Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide, therefore it is important to have reliable evidence on the general health issues of the breed. Using anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass Programme, this study aimed to explore the relative risk to common disorders in the Labrador Retriever. The clinical records of a random sample of dogs were reviewed to extract the most definitive diagnoses for all disorders recorded during 2016. A list of disorders was generated, including the 30 most common disorders in Labrador Retrievers and the 30 most common disorders in non-Labrador Retrievers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to report the odds of each of these disorders in 1462 (6.6%) Labrador Retrievers compared with 20,786 (93.4%) non-Labrador Retrievers. At a specific-level of diagnostic precision, after accounting for confounding, Labrador Retrievers had significantly increased odds of 12/35 (34.3%) disorders compared to non-Labrador Retrievers; osteoarthritis (OR 2.83) had the highest odds. Conversely, Labrador Retrievers had reduced odds of 7/35 (20.0%) disorders; patellar luxation (OR 0.18) had the lowest odds. This study provides useful information about breed-specific disorder predispositions and protections, which future research could evaluate further to produce definitive guidance for Labrador Retriever breeders and owners.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad (Behdad) Jamshidi ◽  
Sobhan Roshani ◽  
Jakub Talla ◽  
Ali Lalbakhsh ◽  
Zdeněk Peroutka ◽  
...  

Abstract COVID-19 is by now one of the deadliest public health issues that as per the last announcement of the World Health Organization up to January 21, 2021, has infected more than 108,904,983 people and claimed more than 2,398,339 lives worldwide. Although different vaccines have proved and distributed one after another, several new mutated viruses have been detected, such as the new COVID-19 variant detected in the UK. Since new variants can spread so faster than the previous one and many other strains may come, it is necessary to focus on the effective methods that are able to predict the spreading trends quickly. Regarding the considerable progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI), utilizing AI-based techniques with a concentration on Deep Learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML), which can forecast complex trends like epidemiological issues, are proposed to conquer the problems existing in statistical or conventional techniques. In this respect, the present paper reviews the recent peer-reviewed published articles and preprint reports about solutions that could efficiently address COVID-19 spread with a focus on the state-of-the-art and AI-based methods. The results revealed that methods under discussion in this paper have had significant potentials to predict epidemic diseases like COVID-19 as well as its mutations; however, there are still weaknesses and drawbacks that fall in the domain of future research and scientific endeavors.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Budzynski-Seymour ◽  
James Steele ◽  
Michelle Jones

Physical activity (PA) is considered essential to overall health yet it is consistently reported that children are failing to meet the recommended levels. Due to the bidirectional relationship between affective states and PA, affective responses are a potential predictor to long term engagement. Since late March 2020 the UK government enforced ‘lockdown’ measures to help control the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19); however, this has impacted children’s PA. Using online resources at home to support PA is now common. The primary aim of this research was to investigate the use of the Change4Life 10-minute Shake Ups to support PA by examining the effects of Disney branding upon children’s (n=32) post activity affective responses and perceived exertion. The secondary was to investigate the effect of the lockdown on PA habits. Children had similar positive affective responses and perceived effort to activities; however, branding was considered to be a key contributing factor based upon qualitative feedback from parents. Children’s PA levels dropped slightly since ‘lockdown’ was imposed; though online resources have been utilised to support PA. The use of immersive elements such as characters and narrative in PA sessions, as well as utilising online resources during ‘lockdown’ appear potentially promising for future research.


Author(s):  
Sam A. Hardy ◽  
David C. Dollahite ◽  
Chayce R. Baldwin

The purpose of this chapter is to review research on the role of religion in moral development within the family. We first present a model of the processes involved. Parent or family religiosity is the most distal predictor and affects moral development through its influence on parenting as well as child or adolescent religiosity. Additionally, parenting affects moral development directly, but also through its influence on child or adolescent religiosity. In other words, parent or family religiosity dynamically interconnects with parenting styles and practices, and with family relationships, and these in turn influence moral development directly as well as through child or adolescent religiosity. We also discuss how these processes might vary across faith traditions and cultures, and point to directions for future research.


Author(s):  
Emilia Marie Wersig ◽  
Kevin Wilson-Smith

AbstractThis interpretative phenomenological analysis explores aid workers’ understanding of identity and belonging through the transition from working in humanitarian aid to returning home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who had returned to the UK after working in recently founded non-governmental organisations in Northern France between 2016 and 2019. Analysis of interview data identified four superordinate themes: (1) shared humanitarian identity, (2) limits and borders, (3) holding on to humanitarian identity and (4) redefining belonging and identity. Aid workers’ belonging in humanitarian work settings is rooted in shared moral values and being able to fulfil a clearly defined role. Upon returning, aid workers struggled to reintegrate, manifesting as denial of having left humanitarian work, re-creation of the social setting and moral demarcation. Participants formed a new sense of belonging through redefining their social in-group. The study sheds light on a previously unexplored area of research, specifically characterised through the closeness of the international humanitarian setting and participants’ homes. Findings suggest organisations can assist aid workers’ re-entry by supporting professional distance in the field, and through opportunities that allow to sustain moral values post-mission. Future research should focus on the role of peer support in the re-entry process and the re-entry experiences of aid workers returning from comparable settings further afield (e.g. Greece).


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5870
Author(s):  
Philipp Kruse

Social Entrepreneurship (SE) describes a new entrepreneurial form combining the generation of financial and social value. In recent years, research interest in SE increased in various disciplines with a particular focus on the characteristics of social enterprises. Whereas a clear-cut definition of SE is yet to be found, there is evidence that culture and economy affect and shape features of SE activity. In addition, sector-dependent differences are supposed. Building on Institutional Theory and employing a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, this study sheds light on the existence of international and inter-sector differences by examining 161 UK and Indian social enterprises. A content analysis and analyses of variance were employed and yielded similarities as well as several significant differences on an international and inter-sector level, e.g., regarding innovativeness and the generation of revenue. The current study contributes to a more nuanced picture of the SE landscape by comparing social enterprise characteristics in a developed and a developing country on the one hand and different sectors on the other hand. Furthermore, I highlight the benefits of jointly applying qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Future research should pay more attention to the innate heterogeneity among social enterprises and further consolidate and extend these findings.


Author(s):  
Neville A. Stanton ◽  
James W. Brown ◽  
Kirsten M. A. Revell ◽  
Jisun Kim ◽  
Joy Richardson ◽  
...  

AbstractDesign of appropriate interaction and human–machine interfaces for the handover of control between vehicle automation and human driver is critical to the success of automated vehicles. Problems in this interfacing between the vehicle and driver have led, in some cases, to collisions and fatalities. In this project, Operator Event Sequence Diagrams (OESDs) were used to design the handover activities to and from vehicle automation. Previous work undertaken in driving simulators has shown that the OESDs can be used to anticipate the likely activities of drivers during the handover of vehicle control. Three such studies showed that there was a strong correlation between the activities drivers represented in OESDs and those observed from videos of drivers in the handover process, in driving simulators. For the current study, OESDs were constructed during the design of the interaction and interfaces for the handover of control to and from vehicle automation. Videos of drivers during the handover were taken on motorways in the UK and compared with the predictions from the OESDs. As before, there were strong correlations between those activities anticipated in the OESDs and those observed during the handover of vehicle control from automation to the human driver. This means that OESDs can be used with some confidence as part of the vehicle automation design process, although validity generalisation remains an important goal for future research.


Author(s):  
Stefan Koehn ◽  
Farzad Amirabdollahian

The Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) research instrument has been extensively used to investigate the perceived benefits and barriers of exercise in a range of settings. In order to examine theoretical contentions and translate the findings, it is imperative to implement measurement tools that operationalize the constructs in an accurate and reliable way. The original validation of the EBBS proposed a nine-factor structure for the research tool, examined the EBBS factor structure, and suggested that various factors are important for the testing of the perception of exercise benefits and barriers, whereas a few items and factors may not be vital. The current study conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using hierarchical testing in 565 participants from the northwest region of the United Kingdom, the results of which provided evidence for a four-factor structure of the benefits measure, with the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.943, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.933, and root means square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.051, namely life enhancement, physical performance, psychological outlook, and social interaction, as well as a two-factor structure of the barrier measures, with the CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.931, and RMSEA = 0.063, including exercise milieu and time expenditure. Our findings showed that for a six-factor correlated model, the CFI = 0.930, TLI = 0.919, and RMSEA = 0.046. The multi-group CFA provided support for gender invariance. The results indicated that after three decades of the original validation of the EBBS, many of the core factors and items are still relevant for the assessment of higher-order factors; however, the 26-item concise tool proposed in the current study displays a better parsimony in comparison with the original 43-item questionnaire. Overall, the current study provides support for a reliable, cross-culturally valid EBBS within the UK adult population, however, it proposes a shorter and more concise version compared with the original tool, and gives direction for future research to focus on the content validity for assessing the perception of the barriers to physical activity.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Waldron ◽  
Inger Burnett-Zeigler ◽  
Victoria Wee ◽  
Yiukee Warren Ng ◽  
Linda J. Koenig ◽  
...  

Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms at higher rates than their male counterparts and more often than HIV-unaffected women. These mental health issues affect not only the well-being and quality of life of WLWH, but have implications for HIV management and transmission prevention. Despite these ramifications, WLWH are under-treated for mental health concerns and they are underrepresented in the mental health treatment literature. In this review, we illustrate the unique mental health issues faced by WLWH such as a high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse histories, caregiving stress, and elevated internalized stigma as well as myriad barriers to care. We examine the feasibility and outcomes of mental health interventions that have been tested in WLWH including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and supportive counseling. Future research is required to address individual and systemic barriers to mental health care for WLWH.


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