Principal Lecturer in Psychology (Internationalisation and Employability) Address: Psychology Department, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU
Handbook of methodological approaches to community-based research: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, Jan 1, 2016
Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent profile analysis (LPA) are powerful techniques that enable... more Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent profile analysis (LPA) are powerful techniques that enable researchers to glean insights into “hidden” psychological experiences to create typologies and profiles to provide better-informed community-based policies and practice. These analytic methods have been used in a variety of domains, such as: psychosis symptomatology in the general population (Kibowski & Williams, 2012; Murphy, Shevlin, & Adamson, 2007; Shevlin, Murphy, Dorahy, & Adamson, 2007); substance abuse (Cleveland, Collins, Lanza, Greenberg, & Feinberg, 2010; James, McField, & Montgomery, 2013), peer victimization (Nylund, Bellmore, Nishina, & Graham, 2007), and anti-social/self-defeating behavior (Rosato & Baer, 2010). LCA and LPA are versatile methods of dealing with data of interest to community-based researchers in a deep and psychologically grounded way. This chapter will address the nuances of how and when to use LCA and LPA. Case studies of LCA and LPA will also be presented to illustrate the applicability of these techniques.
Objectives
There is a range of factors that could affect an undergraduate students’ progress in b... more Objectives There is a range of factors that could affect an undergraduate students’ progress in being able to identify and capitalise on their employability prospects. These factors could be influenced by how the students see themselves and their capabilities and the value of undertaking certain employability activities. Our research sought to explore how students perceived their employability and the factors underpinning such perceptions.
Method Undergraduate Social Sciences students took part. Perceptions of employability were obtained from two cohorts at the same university. Cohort 1 comprised 30 students across eight focus group interviews, which were conducted in 2013. Cohort 2 comprised 43 students across 11 focus groups with data collected in 2021.
Results Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to extract two major themes: (1) Having the right ‘equipment’ for successful employability and (2) Social ecological factors. The first theme included taking responsibility, having self-confidence and relevant skills, recognising that experience could be more important than knowledge, having a clear identity, being passionate about a field, and self-awareness. The second theme comprised three sub-themes: (1) Microsystem direct influences on a student’s employability, (2) Dysfunctional mesosystems when microsystems around student employability clash, and (3) Macrosystem indirect wider national social influences on employability.
Conclusions Implications for bolstering employability support include recognising the social ecologies surrounding students and the need for consistent messaging across microsystems that students are likely to encounter; more harmonious mesosystems should be created to help students to obtain more personalised, time-sensitive knowledge and skills to use on their employability journeys
Belief in a Just World (BJW) can be categorised into domains of how people view the fairness of t... more Belief in a Just World (BJW) can be categorised into domains of how people view the fairness of their immediate social worlds (Personal Belief in a Just World–PBJW) and the wider world (General Belief in a Just World–GBJW). We conducted two studies with 179 (Study 1) and 364 (Study 2) participants to examine differential relationships that PBJW and GBJW could have in directly predicting mental wellbeing and depression and indirectly via three mediators of perceived control, optimism, and gratitude. Path analyses examined how well data from each study fit 13 different models. Models 1 to 4 tested whether PBJW directly and indirectly via the three mediators predicted wellbeing (Model 1) and depression (Model 3) and if GBJW likewise directly and indirectly predicted wellbeing (Model 2) and depression (Model 4). These four models had the best supported statistical fit for either Study 1 or 2 relative to other models. In both studies when explaining the effect of PBJW on wellbeing and depression, perceived control was the strongest mediator, followed by optimism, and then gratitude. When examining the effect of GBJW on wellbeing and depression, only perceived control and optimism were significant mediators. These studies affirm the need to assess GBJW and PBJW as separate phenomena, rather than combining these constructs or omitting PBJW, as is sometimes done.
The introduction of nurse prescribing will assist the government to deliver its agenda of providi... more The introduction of nurse prescribing will assist the government to deliver its agenda of providing patients with faster access to advice and health services. This study evaluated the knowledge base, self-rated knowledge and confidence, for a prescribing role, in a group of community nurses in Essex. A questionnaire was distributed to 183 community nurses recruited using a random, stratified method, and 110 nurses returned completed forms. Nurse prescribers in the sample were more confident and rated their knowledge more highly when compared with non-prescribing nurses. However, prescribers’ actual medication-related knowledge, relative to their high levels of confidence, was not confirmed with performance on case scenarios. In responses to the case scenarios, prescribers did not perform as well as non-prescribers on all five analysed scenarios. The overall assessment of the nurses’ response to the OTC case scenarios showed a poor performance when compared with prescription cases. T...
The integration of primary care nursing roles into single posts, closely associated with GPs, has... more The integration of primary care nursing roles into single posts, closely associated with GPs, has been advocated in the UK and in Europe. However, there has been little exploration of the benefits and difficulties of integrating roles in the UK. In this article, we assess three posts in inner London that combine health visiting and district nursing. Our findings indicate potential benefits in collaborative working with small general practices, as well as high job satisfaction in post-holders. However, these benefits, when weighed against consequences such as increased stress for the post-holders in managing two separate caseloads and increased costs for the nursing services, would need to be assessed in a larger-scale study. Our study suggests that other combinations of current, defined specialties in community nursing might capitalize on the benefits and diminish the negative consequences.
Handbook of methodological approaches to community-based research: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, Jan 1, 2016
Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent profile analysis (LPA) are powerful techniques that enable... more Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent profile analysis (LPA) are powerful techniques that enable researchers to glean insights into “hidden” psychological experiences to create typologies and profiles to provide better-informed community-based policies and practice. These analytic methods have been used in a variety of domains, such as: psychosis symptomatology in the general population (Kibowski & Williams, 2012; Murphy, Shevlin, & Adamson, 2007; Shevlin, Murphy, Dorahy, & Adamson, 2007); substance abuse (Cleveland, Collins, Lanza, Greenberg, & Feinberg, 2010; James, McField, & Montgomery, 2013), peer victimization (Nylund, Bellmore, Nishina, & Graham, 2007), and anti-social/self-defeating behavior (Rosato & Baer, 2010). LCA and LPA are versatile methods of dealing with data of interest to community-based researchers in a deep and psychologically grounded way. This chapter will address the nuances of how and when to use LCA and LPA. Case studies of LCA and LPA will also be presented to illustrate the applicability of these techniques.
Objectives
There is a range of factors that could affect an undergraduate students’ progress in b... more Objectives There is a range of factors that could affect an undergraduate students’ progress in being able to identify and capitalise on their employability prospects. These factors could be influenced by how the students see themselves and their capabilities and the value of undertaking certain employability activities. Our research sought to explore how students perceived their employability and the factors underpinning such perceptions.
Method Undergraduate Social Sciences students took part. Perceptions of employability were obtained from two cohorts at the same university. Cohort 1 comprised 30 students across eight focus group interviews, which were conducted in 2013. Cohort 2 comprised 43 students across 11 focus groups with data collected in 2021.
Results Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to extract two major themes: (1) Having the right ‘equipment’ for successful employability and (2) Social ecological factors. The first theme included taking responsibility, having self-confidence and relevant skills, recognising that experience could be more important than knowledge, having a clear identity, being passionate about a field, and self-awareness. The second theme comprised three sub-themes: (1) Microsystem direct influences on a student’s employability, (2) Dysfunctional mesosystems when microsystems around student employability clash, and (3) Macrosystem indirect wider national social influences on employability.
Conclusions Implications for bolstering employability support include recognising the social ecologies surrounding students and the need for consistent messaging across microsystems that students are likely to encounter; more harmonious mesosystems should be created to help students to obtain more personalised, time-sensitive knowledge and skills to use on their employability journeys
Belief in a Just World (BJW) can be categorised into domains of how people view the fairness of t... more Belief in a Just World (BJW) can be categorised into domains of how people view the fairness of their immediate social worlds (Personal Belief in a Just World–PBJW) and the wider world (General Belief in a Just World–GBJW). We conducted two studies with 179 (Study 1) and 364 (Study 2) participants to examine differential relationships that PBJW and GBJW could have in directly predicting mental wellbeing and depression and indirectly via three mediators of perceived control, optimism, and gratitude. Path analyses examined how well data from each study fit 13 different models. Models 1 to 4 tested whether PBJW directly and indirectly via the three mediators predicted wellbeing (Model 1) and depression (Model 3) and if GBJW likewise directly and indirectly predicted wellbeing (Model 2) and depression (Model 4). These four models had the best supported statistical fit for either Study 1 or 2 relative to other models. In both studies when explaining the effect of PBJW on wellbeing and depression, perceived control was the strongest mediator, followed by optimism, and then gratitude. When examining the effect of GBJW on wellbeing and depression, only perceived control and optimism were significant mediators. These studies affirm the need to assess GBJW and PBJW as separate phenomena, rather than combining these constructs or omitting PBJW, as is sometimes done.
The introduction of nurse prescribing will assist the government to deliver its agenda of providi... more The introduction of nurse prescribing will assist the government to deliver its agenda of providing patients with faster access to advice and health services. This study evaluated the knowledge base, self-rated knowledge and confidence, for a prescribing role, in a group of community nurses in Essex. A questionnaire was distributed to 183 community nurses recruited using a random, stratified method, and 110 nurses returned completed forms. Nurse prescribers in the sample were more confident and rated their knowledge more highly when compared with non-prescribing nurses. However, prescribers’ actual medication-related knowledge, relative to their high levels of confidence, was not confirmed with performance on case scenarios. In responses to the case scenarios, prescribers did not perform as well as non-prescribers on all five analysed scenarios. The overall assessment of the nurses’ response to the OTC case scenarios showed a poor performance when compared with prescription cases. T...
The integration of primary care nursing roles into single posts, closely associated with GPs, has... more The integration of primary care nursing roles into single posts, closely associated with GPs, has been advocated in the UK and in Europe. However, there has been little exploration of the benefits and difficulties of integrating roles in the UK. In this article, we assess three posts in inner London that combine health visiting and district nursing. Our findings indicate potential benefits in collaborative working with small general practices, as well as high job satisfaction in post-holders. However, these benefits, when weighed against consequences such as increased stress for the post-holders in managing two separate caseloads and increased costs for the nursing services, would need to be assessed in a larger-scale study. Our study suggests that other combinations of current, defined specialties in community nursing might capitalize on the benefits and diminish the negative consequences.
Video games provide opportunities for positive psychological experiences such as flow-like phenom... more Video games provide opportunities for positive psychological experiences such as flow-like phenomena during play and general happiness that could be associated with gaming achievements. However, research has shown that specific features of game play may be associated with problematic behaviour associated with addiction-like experiences. The study was aimed at analysing whether certain structural characteristics of video games, flow, and global happiness could be predictive of video game addiction. A total of 110 video game players were surveyed about a game they had recently played by using a 24-item checklist of structural characteristics, an adapted Flow State Scale, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, and the Game Addiction Scale. The study revealed decreases in general happiness had the strongest role in predicting increases in gaming addiction. One of the nine factors of the flow experience was a significant predictor of gaming addiction - perceptions of time being altered duri...
This study aimed to explore nursing students&... more This study aimed to explore nursing students' experiences of caring for older people in practice and to examine the factors that affected their perceptions of working with these patients. A qualitative research design was used and data were collected by focus groups. Participants entered clinical placements early in their course with clear caring values, which formed a central part of their decision to enter nursing. However, early encounters and observations in the practice setting challenged these ideals. Positive learning environments should be developed that enable students to retain clear caring values and to realise the potential of caring practice while reconciling its demands.
This title is an introductory text for all nursing and healthcare students coming to research met... more This title is an introductory text for all nursing and healthcare students coming to research methods for the first time. The book includes coverage of the main research methods topics and provides guidance on how to understand and apply research techniques.
While poverty is widely accepted to be an inherently multi-dimensional concept, it has proved ver... more While poverty is widely accepted to be an inherently multi-dimensional concept, it has proved very difficult to develop measures that both capture this multi-dimensionality and facilitate comparison of trends over time. Structural equation modelling appears to offer a solution to this conundrum and is used to exploit the British Household Panel Study to create a multi-dimensional measure of poverty. The analysis reveals that the decline in poverty in Britain between 1991 and 2003 was driven by falls in material deprivation, but more especially by reduced financial stress, particularly during the early 1990s. The limitations and potential of the new approach are critically discussed.
What’s best for someone’s well-being – to be spiritual OR to be religious OR both… OR neither?
Th... more What’s best for someone’s well-being – to be spiritual OR to be religious OR both… OR neither? This seminar is aimed at provoking thought and generating discussion concerning the role of spirituality in our lives, with a view to sculpting a coherent and empirically-based understanding of how spiritual development and well-being could be connected. I will present findings from several empirical projects that set out to examine what it means to be more spiritually focused so that we can then craft a sense of purpose and meaning. This process may come through the adoption of a religious set of beliefs or it may emerge through the adoption of spiritually based traditions; alternatively, it may also come through the negation of religion or spiritual teachings and instead a process of ‘deconversion’ away from the religious/spiritual teachings of one’s childhood/adolescence. Regardless of what belief system is adopted, the embracing of a new set of beliefs (and, at times, a new spiritual/religious/secular community) could help to effect a sense of belonging and connectedness with others. Drawing from: (1) a qualitative study of spirituality in recovery from addiction and (2) through examination of an in-depth mixed methods analyses of identity development among those who convert to a religion and (3) through qualitative enquiry about how a sample of women who convert to Islam are able to cope, I hope to be able to thread together these potentially disparate studies to show how spiritual meaning and purpose can emerge through community connectivity. Overall, I would like to propose (by turning to findings from another allied collaborative study into the psychology of purpose) that one’s well-being can be enhanced by turning to transpersonal purpose as a motivator. In so doing, a spiritual awakening of being more transpersonal in one’s orientation could aid in moving away from habitual modes of thinking of ‘self’ and ‘other’ but rather could benefit from moving towards ways of having ‘we’ and ‘us’ at its very heart.
Objectives:
With Islam being one of the world's fastest growing religions, there is an increasing... more Objectives: With Islam being one of the world's fastest growing religions, there is an increasing amount of women who convert to Islam, which can impact on their wellbeing and quality of life. This present study was aimed at exploring the lived experiences of women who had converted to Islam and how they coped with the psycho-social challenges of doing so. Design: A qualitative design was used. Methods: Interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to understand the perceptions and meaning-making of four British Muslim women and their experiences of conversion to Islam. We focused on the impact conversion had on their psychological wellbeing. Results: Findings were that psychological wellbeing was impacted after conversion with some benefits and some hardships. Transitions of identity, amount of support received from others, perceptions of God and the self, practising Islam and their meaning of life, all contributed to converts’ psychological wellbeing. Overall, participants believed that their choice to convert was positive in relation to their psychological wellbeing. Conclusions: We outline implications for clinical practice as the bulk of psychotherapeutic training, therapies and interventions tends to have a secular orientation; we have shown that an understanding of different religious beliefs/spiritual practices used by clients can minimise misunderstandings between therapists and clients, especially in the case of conversion. There are also implications towards faith communities in organising programmes for converts and converts' families to aid in the conversion process.
Objectives:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a well-known, widely available recovery programme. Altho... more Objectives: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a well-known, widely available recovery programme. Although the programme has been in use for many decades, there has been limited qualitative research into the spiritual focus of AA, which many adherents see as the cornerstone of their recovery. This study was aimed at examining how those recovering from alcoholism through AA view their spiritual development before and after joining AA and the extent to which they believed spirituality helped them to maintain sobriety. Design: The study involved a qualitative design. Methods: Interviews were conducted with four men recovering from alcoholism and data were examined using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants needed to have been sober for more than a year, sponsoring at least one AA member, and had at least one spiritual experience while in recovery. Results: Analyses uncovered three superordinate themes - ‘Trust’, ‘Self-Awareness’ and ‘Community’ - and 10 subordinate themes. Four subordinate themes were chosen for deeper analysis and discussion - ‘Higher Power’, ‘Cleansing and Maintaining’, ‘Realisations and Revelations’, and ‘Giving Back’. This study has shown that spirituality was perceived by participants as pivotal to recovery. Participants viewed AA recovery as having had a spiritual impact for becoming and staying sober. The cultivation of a spiritual focus also appears to have helped the participants with their attitude towards themselves and relationships with others. Conclusions: Implications for addiction recovery programmes are discussed, particularly with enhancing spiritually focused behaviours, including self-awareness, humility, prayer and meditation, identification with others’ experiences, and willingness to provide service.
There are gaps in the empirical literature around how people's health and well-being can be affec... more There are gaps in the empirical literature around how people's health and well-being can be affected by using a variety of art forms to cope with ongoing physical and/or mental health problems. Such evidence could help inform the personalisation agenda in the health and social care arena. The main aim of this work has been to assess the provision of a programme funded by Warwickshire County Council and being piloted in four sites over a 12-week period from January to March 2011, with a view to establishing a sustainable Arts and Health programme. The health and well-being of participants have been assessed with standardised measures of well-being and quality of life at various points during the piloting of the programme, as well as analysis of drop-in sessions being held after the pilot sessions have been conducted. In this study, we have used a mixed-methods approach and have complemented the collection of quantitative data with idiographic perspectives from interviews with key stakeholders to glean unique and shared perceptions of the programme. The presentation will give a synopsis of the salient quantitative and qualitative data obtained, along with reflections on the challenges experienced in setting up this programme and in studying its utility and impact.
Uploads
There is a range of factors that could affect an undergraduate students’ progress in being able to identify and capitalise on their employability prospects. These factors could be influenced by how the students see themselves and their capabilities and the value of undertaking certain employability activities. Our research sought to explore how students perceived their employability and the factors underpinning such perceptions.
Method
Undergraduate Social Sciences students took part. Perceptions of employability were obtained from two cohorts at the same university. Cohort 1 comprised 30 students across eight focus group interviews, which were conducted in 2013. Cohort 2 comprised 43 students across 11 focus groups with data collected in 2021.
Results
Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to extract two major themes: (1) Having the right ‘equipment’ for successful employability and (2) Social ecological factors. The first theme included taking responsibility, having self-confidence and relevant skills, recognising that experience could be more important than knowledge, having a clear identity, being passionate about a field, and self-awareness. The second theme comprised three sub-themes: (1) Microsystem direct influences on a student’s employability, (2) Dysfunctional mesosystems when microsystems around student employability clash, and (3) Macrosystem indirect wider national social influences on employability.
Conclusions
Implications for bolstering employability support include recognising the social ecologies surrounding students and the need for consistent messaging across microsystems that students are likely to encounter; more harmonious mesosystems should be created to help students to obtain more personalised, time-sensitive knowledge and skills to use on their employability journeys
There is a range of factors that could affect an undergraduate students’ progress in being able to identify and capitalise on their employability prospects. These factors could be influenced by how the students see themselves and their capabilities and the value of undertaking certain employability activities. Our research sought to explore how students perceived their employability and the factors underpinning such perceptions.
Method
Undergraduate Social Sciences students took part. Perceptions of employability were obtained from two cohorts at the same university. Cohort 1 comprised 30 students across eight focus group interviews, which were conducted in 2013. Cohort 2 comprised 43 students across 11 focus groups with data collected in 2021.
Results
Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to extract two major themes: (1) Having the right ‘equipment’ for successful employability and (2) Social ecological factors. The first theme included taking responsibility, having self-confidence and relevant skills, recognising that experience could be more important than knowledge, having a clear identity, being passionate about a field, and self-awareness. The second theme comprised three sub-themes: (1) Microsystem direct influences on a student’s employability, (2) Dysfunctional mesosystems when microsystems around student employability clash, and (3) Macrosystem indirect wider national social influences on employability.
Conclusions
Implications for bolstering employability support include recognising the social ecologies surrounding students and the need for consistent messaging across microsystems that students are likely to encounter; more harmonious mesosystems should be created to help students to obtain more personalised, time-sensitive knowledge and skills to use on their employability journeys
This seminar is aimed at provoking thought and generating discussion concerning the role of spirituality in our lives, with a view to sculpting a coherent and empirically-based understanding of how spiritual development and well-being could be connected.
I will present findings from several empirical projects that set out to examine what it means to be more spiritually focused so that we can then craft a sense of purpose and meaning. This process may come through the adoption of a religious set of beliefs or it may emerge through the adoption of spiritually based traditions; alternatively, it may also come through the negation of religion or spiritual teachings and instead a process of ‘deconversion’ away from the religious/spiritual teachings of one’s childhood/adolescence. Regardless of what belief system is adopted, the embracing of a new set of beliefs (and, at times, a new spiritual/religious/secular community) could help to effect a sense of belonging and connectedness with others.
Drawing from: (1) a qualitative study of spirituality in recovery from addiction and (2) through examination of an in-depth mixed methods analyses of identity development among those who convert to a religion and (3) through qualitative enquiry about how a sample of women who convert to Islam are able to cope, I hope to be able to thread together these potentially disparate studies to show how spiritual meaning and purpose can emerge through community connectivity.
Overall, I would like to propose (by turning to findings from another allied collaborative study into the psychology of purpose) that one’s well-being can be enhanced by turning to transpersonal purpose as a motivator. In so doing, a spiritual awakening of being more transpersonal in one’s orientation could aid in moving away from habitual modes of thinking of ‘self’ and ‘other’ but rather could benefit from moving towards ways of having ‘we’ and ‘us’ at its very heart.
With Islam being one of the world's fastest growing religions, there is an increasing amount of women who convert to Islam, which can impact on their wellbeing and quality of life. This present study was aimed at exploring the lived experiences of women who had converted to Islam and how they coped with the psycho-social challenges of doing so.
Design:
A qualitative design was used.
Methods:
Interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to understand the perceptions and meaning-making of four British Muslim women and their experiences of conversion to Islam. We focused on the impact conversion had on their psychological wellbeing.
Results:
Findings were that psychological wellbeing was impacted after conversion with some benefits and some hardships. Transitions of identity, amount of support received from others, perceptions of God and the self, practising Islam and their meaning of life, all contributed to converts’ psychological wellbeing. Overall, participants believed that their choice to convert was positive in relation to their psychological wellbeing.
Conclusions:
We outline implications for clinical practice as the bulk of psychotherapeutic training, therapies and interventions tends to have a secular orientation; we have shown that an understanding of different religious beliefs/spiritual practices used by clients can minimise misunderstandings between therapists and clients, especially in the case of conversion. There are also implications towards faith communities in organising programmes for converts and converts' families to aid in the conversion process.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a well-known, widely available recovery programme. Although the programme has been in use for many decades, there has been limited qualitative research into the spiritual focus of AA, which many adherents see as the cornerstone of their recovery. This study was aimed at examining how those recovering from alcoholism through AA view their spiritual development before and after joining AA and the extent to which they believed spirituality helped them to maintain sobriety.
Design:
The study involved a qualitative design.
Methods:
Interviews were conducted with four men recovering from alcoholism and data were examined using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants needed to have been sober for more than a year, sponsoring at least one AA member, and had at least one spiritual experience while in recovery.
Results:
Analyses uncovered three superordinate themes - ‘Trust’, ‘Self-Awareness’ and ‘Community’ - and 10 subordinate themes. Four subordinate themes were chosen for deeper analysis and discussion - ‘Higher Power’, ‘Cleansing and Maintaining’, ‘Realisations and Revelations’, and ‘Giving Back’. This study has shown that spirituality was perceived by participants as pivotal to recovery. Participants viewed AA recovery as having had a spiritual impact for becoming and staying sober. The cultivation of a spiritual focus also appears to have helped the participants with their attitude towards themselves and relationships with others.
Conclusions:
Implications for addiction recovery programmes are discussed, particularly with enhancing spiritually focused behaviours, including self-awareness, humility, prayer and meditation, identification with others’ experiences, and willingness to provide service.