Now showing items 21-40 of 1153

    • Exploring local perspectives on flood risk: A participatory GIS approach for bridging the gap between modelled and perceived flood risk zones

      Bullen, James; Miles, Andrew; University of Chester; Transport for West Midlands (Elsevier, 2024-01-05)
      As cities continue to expand and climate change exacerbates flooding, development within flood risk zones becomes an increasingly pressing concern. Engineered solutions alone cannot fully address the risks to individuals and communities, especially when local officials and residents have conflicting understanding of the risk. Participatory GIS (PGIS) offers a unique opportunity to bridge this gap by engaging with communities to better understand their perceptions of flood risk. While PGIS has traditionally been used in developing nations as an alternative to numerical flood models, its potential for use in developed nations is largely unexplored. This paper presents a case study of survey-based PGIS conducted in Reading, a large town in Berkshire, UK. Findings suggest that local residents possess a surprisingly accurate understanding of flood risk zones, but discrepancies with modelled flood risk were also identified. These discrepancies may be due to issues with cartographic representation, but also raise concerns about the accuracy of numerical flood models. By examining local perceptions of flood risk, this study highlights the importance of considering community perspectives in flood risk management and offers valuable insights for practitioners seeking to bridge the gap between modelled and perceived flood risk zones.
    • Breaking the Boundaries Collective – A Manifesto for Relationship-based Practice

      Darley, Danica; Blundell, Peter; Cherry, Lisa; Wong, Jock; Wilson, Ann-Marie; Vaughan, Sarah; Vandenberghe, K.; Taylor, Bethan; Scott, K.; Ridgeway, T.; et al. (Taylor & Francis, 2024-02-23)
      We are a group of service users, professionals and services who began a project called Breaking the Boundaries Collective. This project advocates and campaigns for relationship-based practice (RBP). We offer resources and guidance for ways to achieve it. We encourage and foster discussions and debates on aspects of RBP that challenge hegemonic notions of professional boundaries.
    • An exploration of the ways in which person-centered counselors’ diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can challenge or support their practice

      Lewis, Megan; University of Chester (Taylor & Francis, 2023-12-22)
      Little or no research has been conducted to explore the experiences of counselors who have a diagnosis of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this research, therefore, was to explore and better understand the challenges and opportunities that a diagnosis of ADHD can present for these practitioners in order to inform counseling practice, supervision and training. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews to obtain data from three participants, who were all person-centered counselors with ADHD. This data was then analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, which revealed five Group Experiential Themes (GETs). Each of these themes helped to illustrate both the challenges that participants faced as a result of their ADHD, such as inattention, impulsive disclosures, and emotional dysregulation, as well as the opportunities that it presented such as heightened curiosity and greater unconditional positive regard. This research addressed a gap within the literature and serves to enhance understanding of the ways in which a counselor’s diagnosis of ADHD can impact person-centered practice. It is hoped that this understanding can encourage greater support and acceptance of counselors with ADHD within the profession.
    • Local Voice Framework Co-production Definition and Principles

      White, Holly; Ross, Kim; University of Chester
      This is a report handout which include the principles and definition of co-production. This should be considered alongside the Local Voices Framework Research Report 1.
    • Local Voices Research Report 1

      White, Holly; Ross, Kim; University of Chester
      This report presents the first stage of the Local Voices Framework project. Included in the report are findings from a systematic literature review that sought to explore existing definitions of co-production as well as a review of local projects which have included co-production. In addition to this, the report also includes findings from workshops and semi-structured interviews which have shaped a definition of co-production as well as 8 key principles.
    • Gambling, cryptocurrency, and financial trading app marketing in English Premier League football: A frequency analysis of in-game logos

      Torrance, Jamie; Heath, Conor; Andrade, Maira; Newall, Philip; Swansea University; University of Chester; University of East London; University of Bristol; CQ University (Akadémiai Kiadó, 2023-11-27)
      The gamblification of UK football has resulted in a proliferation of in-game marketing associated with gambling and gambling-like products such as cryptocurrencies and financial trading apps. The English Premier League (EPL) has in response banned gambling logos on shirt-fronts from 2026 onward. This ban does not affect other types of marketing for gambling (e.g., sleeves and pitch-side hoardings), nor gambling-like products. This study therefore aimed to assess the ban's implied overall reduction of different types of marketing exposure. Methods: We performed a frequency analysis of logos associated with gambling, cryptocurrency, and financial trading across 10 broadcasts from the 2022/23 EPL season. For each relevant logo, we coded: the marketed product, associated brand, number of individual logos, logo location, logo duration, and whether harm-reduction content was present. Results: There were 20,941 relevant logos across the 10 broadcasts, of which 13,427 (64.1%) were for gambling only, 2,236 (10.7%) were for both gambling and cryptocurrency, 2,014 (9.6%) were for cryptocurrency only, 2,068 (9.9%) were for both cryptocurrency and financial trading, and 1,196 (5.7%) were for financial trading only. There were 1,075 shirt-front gambling-associated logos, representing 6.9% of all gambling-associated logos, and 5.1% of all logos combined. Pitch-side hoardings were the most frequent marketing location (52.3%), and 3.4% of logos contained harm-reduction content. Discussion & Conclusions: Brand logos associated with gambling, cryptocurrency, and financial trading are common within EPL broadcasts. Approximately 1 in 20 gambling and gambling-like logos are subject to the EPL's voluntary ban on shirt-front gambling sponsorship.
    • The role of prosocial behaviour, personality and general mental health in predicting emoji use and preference

      Carroll, Janine; University of Chester (SAGE Publications, 2023-12-07)
      Emojis are prevalent in text-based communication, but the factors that influence our use and preference emojis remains unclear. This study investigated how emoji use and preference could be explained by three factors; mental health, personality and prosocial behaviour. A questionnaire consisting of five measures was completed by 222 participants and both Pearson correlations and multiple regressions were conducted on the data. The results showed prosocial behaviour significantly related to frequency, attitudes and motivations towards emoji use as well as to positive emoji preference. Agreeableness related to the frequency of emoji use. Extraversion related to both positive and negative emoji preference while conscientiousness and emotional stability significantly related to negative emoji preference only. General mental health significantly related to negative emoji preference. The regressions found all of the factors identified in the correlations predicted emoji use and preference with the exception of extraversion. Further research is needed to explore how the impact of the emotions depicted by emojis on these factors and to investigate how emojis are used by people with specific mental health conditions
    • ‘Chances are you’re about to lose’: new independent Australian safer gambling messages tested in UK and USA bettor samples

      Newall, Philip; Torrance, Jamie; Russell, Alex M. T.; Rockloff, Matthew; Hing, Nerilee; Browne, Matthew; University of Bristol; Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, Sydney; University of Chester; Swansea University; CQUniversity (Taylor & Francis, 2023-11-21)
      Current industry-developed safer gambling messages such as ‘Take time to think’ and ‘Gamble responsibly’ have been criticized as ineffective slogans. As a result, Australia has recently introduced seven independently-developed safer gambling messages. The UK Government intends to introduce independently-developed messages from 2024 onwards, and this measure could be similarly appropriate for the US states where sports betting has been legalized and gambling advertising has become pervasive. Given this context, the current study recruited race and sports bettors from the UK and USA to elicit their perceptions of the seven Australian safer gambling messages. Participants (N = 1865) rated on a Likert-scale seven newly introduced messages and two existing ones (‘Take time to think’ and ‘Gamble responsibly’) using seven evaluative statements. Participants also reported their levels of problem gambling severity. For most statements in both jurisdictions, the new messages performed significantly better than the existing ones. Specifically, the new messages were deemed more attention grabbing, applicable on a personal level, helpful to gamblers, and more likely to encourage cutbacks in gambling. The message that included a specific call to action (‘What are you prepared to lose today? Set a deposit limit’) was one of the best performing messages. Interaction effects observed in relation to jurisdiction, age, gender, and problem gambling severity were generally small enough to counteract the argument that different populations might benefit from substantially different messages. These findings add to previous research on the independent design of effective safer gambling messages.
    • Resilience and mental toughness as predictors of anxiety, depression, and mental well-being

      Naden, Emma; Schepman, Astrid; Bilton, Gareth; Rodway, Paul; University of Chester (PAGEPress, 2023-10-09)
      To examine how strongly the attributes of resilience and mental toughness predicted levels of anxiety, depression, and mental well-being, a quantitative online survey of 281 adults was employed. The survey was conducted in the United Kingdom (April to June 2021) using opportunity sampling. Resilience, mental toughness, and mental well-being were measured by the 10-item Connor-Davidson resilience scale, the 10-item mental toughness questionnaire, and the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale, respectively. In addition, the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) measured anxiety and depression, and the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to measure depression. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze which attribute was the strongest predictor of mental health. Mental toughness was found to be a significantly stronger predictor of well-being (β=0.54) than resilience (β=0.21), of anxiety (β=-0.70 versus 0.02, respectively), of HADS depression (β=-0.52 versus -0.15), and of PHQ-9 depression (β=-0.62 versus -0.09). We propose that mental toughness may predict well-being more strongly than resilience because it is a broader construct, incorporating proactive traits that enhance well-being. The findings suggest that training and interventions that enhance mental toughness in non-clinical populations may be more effective at promoting mental well-being and reducing anxiety and depression than those that enhance resilience. Further research is required to test these practical implications and to clarify why mental toughness is a stronger predictor than resilience for positive mental health.
    • Responding well to Spiritual Abuse: practice implications for counselling and psychotherapy

      Oakley, Lisa; Kinmond, Kathryn; Blundell, Peter; University of Chester; Birmingham City University; Liverpool John Moores University (Taylor & Francis, 2024-02-22)
      This paper presents the findings of a survey exploring people’s understandings and experiences of Spiritual Abuse (SA) in a Christian faith context. The online survey was completed by 1591 individuals from the UK, 1002 of whom identified as having experienced SA. Inclusion criteria were: membership of the Christian faith, being or having been, a Church attender or member of a Christian organisation and to have heard of the term SA. Participants detailed the features of an effective response to disclosures of SA and many of these are directly relevant to counselling and psychotherapy practice. Additionally, the research findings echo repeated calls in previous research for the necessity to include discussions of religion and faith in initial training and continuing professional development for counsellors and psychotherapists. Finally, the paper suggests a next step would be the establishment of a network of counsellors with training and knowledge about SA.
    • Missing People and Fragmented Stories: Painting Holistic Pictures through Single Pen Portrait Analysis (SPPA)

      Blundell, Peter; Oakley, Lisa; Liverpool John Moores University; University of Chester (Taylor & Francis, 2023-11-18)
      A pen portrait is an analytical technique for analysing, condensing, and depicting qualitative data from participants that can also incorporate themes or patterns. Pen portraits are a useful qualitative analytical technique that has not been adequately explored. A review of the use of pen portraits indicates that researchers have employed them in different ways across a variety of disciplines. These studies do not provide sufficient detail to enable researchers to understand the analytical process or undertake pen portraits and therefore be able to apply this. This scarcity of detail makes it difficult to engage with pen portraits as a trustworthy form of qualitative analysis. This paper outlines the authors’ approach called Single Pen Portrait Analysis (SPPA). This qualitative analytical technique was used by both authors, to overcome the issue of fragmented people or experience during their initial analysis. This paper describes ways that researchers could identify SPPA as a useful approach for answering their research question, and then details a step-by-step guide for completing this type of analysis. This guide is offered alongside two worked examples from the authors’ doctoral research projects to help researchers apply this analytical technique in practice. A tentative critical analysis of SPPA is offered. Finally, there is an argument for qualitative researchers to access the untapped potential of pen portraits by creatively engaging with them.
    • Gambling, cryptocurrency, and financial trading sponsorship in high-level men's soccer leagues: An update for the 2023/2024 season

      Torrance, Jamie; HEATH, CONOR; Newall, Philip; University of Chester; Swansea University; Birmingham City University; University of Bristol (Mary Ann Liebert, 2023-11-02)
    • Reinvestigating the U.S. Consumption Function: A Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lags Approach

      Ebadi, Esmaeil; Are, Wasiu; Gulf University for Science and Technology; University of Chester (De Gruyter, 2023-11-08)
      This article examines the asymmetric aspect of U.S. consumption using disaggregated quarterly consumption expenditure data, including durables, nondurables, and services from 1994 to 2019. We apply a novel nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag analysis considering a regime-switching mechanism and find that U.S. consumers behave differently during economic upturns and downturns, with asymmetry existing for the consumption of durables (in the long run) and services (in both the short and long-run), but not for nondurables. Since services account for more than 40% of U.S. aggregate output, the slow adjustment toward equilibrium and the elasticity less than unity proves that services are more of a necessity than a luxury for U.S. consumers. The results indicate that the consumption of services is the primary determinant of U.S. consumer behavior, and monetary policy has a limited effect on U.S. consumption.
    • Measuring authentic living from internal and external perspectives: A novel measure of self-authenticity

      Cartwright, Tim; Hulbert-Williams, Lee; Evans, Gemma; Hulbert-Williams, Nick; University of Chester (Elsevier, 2023-10-10)
      Self-authenticity refers to knowing and being oneself despite societal expectations, a concept closely related to values-based therapeutic interventions. Authentic living is currently measured using three validated psycho- metric scales; however these have limitations including issues with length, theoretical instability, and lack of measurement invariance testing. The present study sought to develop a novel measure of self-authenticity to resolve these limitations, and to provide further empirical evidence as to the structure of self-authenticity. Using a large sample, split into two subsamples, the novel Self-Authenticity Measure (SAM) was developed and found to be reliable. We present evidence of convergent and concurrent validity, as well as a degree of incremental validity over one of the previously developed authenticity scales. Furthermore, construct validity and (config- ural) measurement invariance were demonstrated through confirmatory factor analysis. Thus, though the measure was initially developed for use with sexual-minority groups, it appears to function similarly in a het- erosexual sample. Self-authenticity correlated with constructs related to psychological flexibility, suggesting that therapeutic techniques based on valued living could increase self-authenticity in individuals. The SAM affords researchers the opportunity to measure self-authenticity from internal (knowing and being oneself) and external (being oneself around others) perspectives. Further testing of measurement invariance is recommended.
    • The Intimate Socialities of Going Carbon Neutral

      Collins, Rebecca; University of Chester (Wiley, 2023-11-17)
      This paper argues that the generation of social intimacy is critical to enabling acts of environmental care. By interrogating the intimate socialities of a group of young people who grew up in a village community committed to carbon reduction, I untangle the influence of everyday intimacies on everyday (un)sustainabilities, particularly in relation to the popular but uncritical positioning of young people as ’sustainability saviours’. I problematise assumptions that young people’s social intimacies are a straight-forward enabler of lifestyle change aligned with sustainability by highlighting the fluidity of intimacies and associated senses of trust throughout young adulthood. I argue further that capitalising on this fluidity might in fact amplify bottom-up environmental care if young people can move readily between networked spaces of trust and support. Drawing from scholarship on friendship, family and community intimacies and the substantial literature on households as crucibles for more sustainable living, I suggest there is considerable reconciliation work demanded at a personal level in order to live comfortably within the everyday intimacies of social life at the same time as committing to individual environmental action. These arguments advance debates around the optimal social drivers of more sustainable lifestyles, at the same time as sounding a cautionary note in relation to the too-easy emplacement of responsibility for driving change at the feet of young people.
    • Predicting Adolescents’ Intentions to Support Victims of Bullying from Expected Reactions of Friends versus Peers

      Marx, Hedda; Boulton, Michael J.; Macaulay, Peter J. R.; University of Chester; University of Derby (IOS Press, 2023-10-24)
      Given the crucial role of bystanders in combating bullying in schools, there is a need to understand the reasons why children may or may not intervene on behalf of a victimised peer. The aim of the present study was to explore the association between children’s expectations of general peer reactions versus the reactions of their friends on three subtypes of victim support: consoling the victim, addressing the bully, and getting adult help. A sample of 630 students (297 girls; 333 boys, Mage = 12.5) from three public secondary schools in Germany completed a 30-item questionnaire measuring expected peer reactions, expected friend reactions, past victim support experiences, and intentions to support victims. Results revealed the more influential role of expected reactions of friends over general peers in predicting victim support with expected negative consequences from friends reducing children’s willingness to engage in victim helping, irrespective of the three sub-types of support studied. Expected negative outcomes from peers were also found to significantly affect students’ intentions to approach a teacher for help. Boys were found to be more concerned about their friends’ and peers’ reactions to victim support than girls. The findings are discussed in relation to bystanders’ willingness to offer victim support and associated practical implications for addressing the widespread problem of bullying in schools.
    • Therapeutic Residential Interventions for Harmful Sexual Behaviour - A Theory of Change

      Madoc-Jones, Iolo; Gallagher, Kevin N. (University of ChesterWrexham Glyndwr University, 2023-06)
      The numbers of children who are removed from their families and looked after by the state is rising in the UK. Whilst approximately 90% of these are eventually placed in foster care, the remainder are a very diverse population with complex needs that often require care delivered in a residential setting, usually with therapeutic input and purpose. Some of these young people will have extensive experiences of trauma and abuse and will have engaged in Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB). Therapeutic residential interventions to meet the needs of this group come at an especially high cost to the public purse, but despite this, outcomes for this group of looked after children are statistically poor. This is across primary and mental health, employment, education, housing and welfare, and offending measures. In this context identifying and promoting good practice is important but a challenge in this regard is assessing the effectiveness of residential interventions when there are so many confounding and competing variables in play. The individual pathway into residential care means that young people have very different starting points and needs; young people might receive a range of different therapies and interventions during their time in care; there are often ongoing and dynamic forces in the wider system around a young person; and continuation of resources or timing of moves might be driven by economic reasons rather than need or the precepts of good practice. Conversely, theory-based approaches offer a potential route to defining and evaluating practice by shifting the focus from ‘what works’ to required activities and how these are expected to work. In response, this study draws on the field of theory led evaluation, specifically Mayne’s (2001) Contribution Analysis (CA) to create a Theory of Change (ToC) to explain how capacity, opportunity and motivation to change behaviour can be promoted in therapeutic residential settings for children and young people who have engaged in HSB Drawing on interviews with service providers and adult males who received interventions, it providers an account of the activities and processes that are considered to have generative potential in terms of promoting good outcomes in therapeutic residential settings for boys who have engaged in HSB. Haigh’s (2013) ‘quintessences’ (attachment, containment, open communication, participation and agency) and Kennard’s (1998) ‘common features of a therapeutic community’ emerge as key theoretical frameworks to understand data from staff and former resident interviews. Within the ToC that is finally developed there is a focus on the role, relevance and contribution of relationships to better outcomes and how structures and processes can be used to underpin therapeutic change. This is the first time that a model like this has been created to describe and navigate a therapeutic residential journey. The model provides the foundation stage for theory-based evaluation of such services and for further iterations and adaptation for use in other complex relational systems and interventions.
    • Having a Positive Attitude or Doing Good Deeds? An Experimental Investigation of Poker Players’ Responses to the Gambling Fallacies Measure

      Newall, Philip; Torrance, Jamie; University of Bristol; University of Chester; Swansea University (University of California Press, 2023-10-18)
      Gambling fallacies are irrational beliefs about how gambling works, which are common among disordered gamblers, and measured by questionnaires such as the Gambling Fallacies Measure (GFM). Less is known about the potentially rational cognitions of some skilled gamblers, such as professional poker players. The present research experimentally manipulated item 5 from the GFM, “A positive attitude or doing good deeds increases your likelihood of winning money when gambling”, by comparing two new versions focusing only on a “positive attitude” or “doing good deeds” to the original version (control). Item 5 is scored so that “disagree” is the non-fallacious correct answer, but it was hypothesized that the words “a positive attitude” might increase rates of poker players selecting “agree” in a non-fallacious manner. Online experiments were conducted on samples of professional poker players (N = 379), and a broad sample of poker players with no inclusion criteria (N = 1,510). Participants’ responses to item 5 were associated with the rest of their GFM scores (GFM-9). Participants in both samples were more likely to disagree with the good deeds version, and less likely to disagree with the positive attitude version, compared to control. In comparison to the other conditions, good deeds responses were most strongly associated with GFM-9 scores among professionals, while positive attitude responses were least strongly associated with GFM-9 scores among the broad sample. The good deeds version of item 5 has advantageous measurement properties among professional poker players. New approaches are needed to better understand the potentially rational cognitions of skilled gamblers.
    • Temporal tensions in young adults’ efforts towards influencing institutional climate action

      Collins, Rebecca; Hunt, Tamara; Cox, Jade; University of Chester; Chester Youth Climate Action Network; Cheshire West & Chester Council (Taylor & Francis, 2023-11-16)
      In this Viewpoint we draw attention to an overlooked tension at the intersection of young adults’ and older adults’ everyday life-world temporalities, and argue that this tension presents a considerable intergenerational challenge for the enabling of young people’s agency for climate action. We articulate the often-cyclical nature of young people’s everyday temporalities, especially for those within formal education systems based on year-on-year ‘progression’, highlighting both the benefits of such cyclical opportunities for involvement in climate action and challenges inherent to the necessary ‘moving on’ at the end of each cycle. We contrast these inherently forward-moving (annual) cycles with the protracted, often non-linear chains of decision-making and action that characterise, first, the (older adult-led) systems upon which youth-led pro-environmental action seeks to have an impact, and second, the (also older adult-led) structures – of funding, coordination, legitimacy-making, and other forms of ‘resource’ – that enable and support youth-led initiatives. By narrating our ongoing negotiation of these tensions, we look afresh at the idea of intergenerational relations for climate action, not through the more typical lens of age-based generational identity (and their synergies or tensions), but through the lived temporalities of younger and older adults, with their contrasting orientations to and responsibilities towards the levers of meaningful action.
    • Family carer experiences of hospice care at home: qualitative findings from a mixed methods realist evaluation

      Abrahamson, Vanessa; Wilson, Patricia; Barclay, Stephen; Brigden, Charlotte; Gage, Heather; Greene, Kay; Hashem, Ferhana; Mikelyte, Rasa; Rees-Roberts, Melanie; Silsbury, Graham; et al. (SAGE Publications, 2023-10-21)
      Background: Hospice-at-home aims to enable patients approaching end-of-life to die at home and support their carers. A wide range of different service models exists but synthesised evidence on how best to support family carers to provide sustainable end-of -life care at home is limited. Aim: To explore what works best to promote family carers’ experiences of hospice-at-home. Design: Realist evaluation with mixed methods. This paper focuses on qualitative interviews with carers (to gain their perspective and as proxy for patients) and service providers from twelve case study sites in England. Interviews were coded and programme theories were refined by the research team including two public members. Setting/participants: Interviews with carers (involved daily) of patients admitted to hospice-at-home services (n=58) and hospice-at-home staff (n=78). Results: Post bereavement, 76.4% of carers thought that they had received as much help and support as they needed and most carers (75.8%) rated the help and support as excellent or outstanding. Of six final programme theories capturing key factors relevant to providing optimum services, those directly relevant to carer experiences were: integration and co-ordination of services; knowledge, skills and ethos of hospice staff; volunteer roles; support directed at the patient–carer dyad. Conclusions: Carers in hospice-at-home services identified care to be of a higher quality than generic community services. Hospice staff were perceived as having ‘time to care’, communicated well and were comfortable with dying and death. Hands-on care was particularly valued in the period close to death.