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2025

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Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Potential Of Virtual Reality For Supporting Autistic Individuals In Interview And Recruitment Processes Through A Realist Review, Katie Edwards, Marius Varga, Michael Loizou Jan 2025

Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Potential Of Virtual Reality For Supporting Autistic Individuals In Interview And Recruitment Processes Through A Realist Review, Katie Edwards, Marius Varga, Michael Loizou

School of Nursing and Midwifery

The aim of this realist review was to systematically analyse the peer-reviewed academic literature, reports and blogs to determine: (1) the mechanisms and contexts by which recruitment and early employment experiences lead to poor outcomes for autistic adults, and (2) how a Virtual Reality (VR) intervention might lead to positive outcomes within the recruitment and early employment experiences for autistic adults. Throughout, we worked with a PPIE group of autistic people who were fully involved in the realist synthesis process. We identified challenges across the employment journey including limited vocational guidance and employment readiness support, exclusionary job descriptions, and traditional …

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The Moral Regime Of Midwifery Continuity Of Carer Implementation In England, Aimee Louise Middlemiss, Susan Channon, Julia Sanders, Heather Strange, Rebecca Milton, Sara Kenyon, Tina Prendeville, Susan Barry, Aled Jones Jan 2025

The Moral Regime Of Midwifery Continuity Of Carer Implementation In England, Aimee Louise Middlemiss, Susan Channon, Julia Sanders, Heather Strange, Rebecca Milton, Sara Kenyon, Tina Prendeville, Susan Barry, Aled Jones

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Since 2016, the National Health Service (NHS) in England has been aiming to implement midwifery continuity of carer (MCoC), a model of maternity care in which the same midwife or small group of midwives provides antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care for women, other birthing people and their babies. However, the implementation has faced significant difficulties. As part of a wider investigation into barriers to and facilitators of MCoC implementation, we carried out qualitative interviews with senior stakeholders involved in the implementation of MCoC at regional or national level in England. In this paper, we present an analysis of sociocultural values …

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A Multi-Center Comparative Analysis Of The G8-Score And Charlson Comorbidity Index As General Health Assessment Tools In Older Patients With Prostate Cancer, Brecht Chys, Philip R. Debruyne, Lore Decoster, Cindy Kenis, Hans Wildiers, Diederik Ponette, Steven Joniau Jan 2025

A Multi-Center Comparative Analysis Of The G8-Score And Charlson Comorbidity Index As General Health Assessment Tools In Older Patients With Prostate Cancer, Brecht Chys, Philip R. Debruyne, Lore Decoster, Cindy Kenis, Hans Wildiers, Diederik Ponette, Steven Joniau

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Introduction Frail and older patients who develop prostate cancer (PCa), are at risk of overtreatment. Multiple general health assessment (GHA) tools have been validated in oncology. we aim to validate and compare the performance of the G8 screening tool, age and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) as a predictor of overall survival (OS) in men older than 70 years with a newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Is it possible to identify a CCI cut-off indicative for frailty? Patients and methods Between 2009 and 2015, a national multicenter initiative on geriatric screening and GHA’s took place in Belgium. Baseline characteristics were collected on …

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Mapping The Process Of Engagement With Digital Health Interventions: A Cross-Case Synthesis, Madison Milne-Ives, Sophie R. Homer, Jackie Andrade, Edward Meinert Jan 2025

Mapping The Process Of Engagement With Digital Health Interventions: A Cross-Case Synthesis, Madison Milne-Ives, Sophie R. Homer, Jackie Andrade, Edward Meinert

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Objective: To map the associations between affective, cognitive, and behavioral components of engagement with digital health interventions to provide a framework to improve intervention design, evaluation, and impact. Patients and Methods: An exploratory multiple case study examined 3 studies evaluating a childhood obesity mobile application (NoObesity, data collection: from September 15, 2020 to June 23, 2021), a mental health conversational agent mobile application (Wysa, data collection: from December 13, 2022 to July 31, 2023), and a telephone-delivered conversational agent postsurgical assessment (Dora R1, data collection: from September 17, 2021 to January 31, 2022). Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews (NoObesity: n=15, …

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“I'M Pregnant, What Do I Do?”: Exploring How People Having Abortions In Britain Find And Use Online Sources Of Information, The Sacha Study Team, Rosa Mackay, Rachel Scott, Maria Lewandowska, Rebecca Meiksin, Natasha Salaria, Patricia A. Lohr, Sharon Cameron, Melissa Palmer, Rebecca S. French, Kaye Wellings, Annette Aronsson, Paula Baraitser, Caroline Free, Louise Keogh, Clare Murphy, Wendy Norman, Jennifer Reiter, Jill Shawe, Sally Sheldon, Geoffrey Wong Jan 2025

“I'M Pregnant, What Do I Do?”: Exploring How People Having Abortions In Britain Find And Use Online Sources Of Information, The Sacha Study Team, Rosa Mackay, Rachel Scott, Maria Lewandowska, Rebecca Meiksin, Natasha Salaria, Patricia A. Lohr, Sharon Cameron, Melissa Palmer, Rebecca S. French, Kaye Wellings, Annette Aronsson, Paula Baraitser, Caroline Free, Louise Keogh, Clare Murphy, Wendy Norman, Jennifer Reiter, Jill Shawe, Sally Sheldon, Geoffrey Wong

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Accurate, timely, and supportive information is important for high-quality abortion care. Limited research explores how people find and use online sources of information (OSI) during the abortion process, particularly in Britain. Understanding experiences of using OSI is important for the development of person-centered services and resources. Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data from 41 semi-structured interviews carried out in 2021/2022 with people who had recent experience of abortion in Britain. Results: Using OSI was common amongst participants. Our analysis generated four distinct motivations for doing so. People used OSI to find information about accessing abortion services. …

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A Retrospective Records Review Comparing The Care Of Patients Who Either Avoided Or Were Admitted To An Icu Following A Ward-Based Deterioration Event, J. Ede, H. Pickworth, B. Kent, P. Watkinson, R. Endacott Jan 2025

A Retrospective Records Review Comparing The Care Of Patients Who Either Avoided Or Were Admitted To An Icu Following A Ward-Based Deterioration Event, J. Ede, H. Pickworth, B. Kent, P. Watkinson, R. Endacott

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Objectives: To identify escalation success factors documented in care records of patients who triggered an Early Warning Score ≥ 7 in the ward, avoided an Intensive Care Unit admission and survived and compare these with ward patients who triggered an Early Warning Score ≥ 7, went to intensive care and died during their admission. Methods: A multi-site, retrospective records review was conducted on 340 survivors and 50 non-survivors who were either admitted to, or who avoided intensive care. Results: Non-survivors of deterioration tended to be older, earlier into their hospital admission, and had a greater number of co-morbidities at the …

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The Use Of Tele-Music Interventions In Supportive Cancer Care: A Systematic Review, Lore Mertens, Laura Tack, Tom Boterberg, Jörg Fachner, Leonardo Muller-Rodriguez, Marte Vandeweyer, Sofie Demasure, Marianne Hanssens, Tine Loyson, Laurence Goethals, Isabelle Kindts, Hannelore Denys, Patricia Schofield, Mohammad Najlah, Philip R. Debruyne Jan 2025

The Use Of Tele-Music Interventions In Supportive Cancer Care: A Systematic Review, Lore Mertens, Laura Tack, Tom Boterberg, Jörg Fachner, Leonardo Muller-Rodriguez, Marte Vandeweyer, Sofie Demasure, Marianne Hanssens, Tine Loyson, Laurence Goethals, Isabelle Kindts, Hannelore Denys, Patricia Schofield, Mohammad Najlah, Philip R. Debruyne

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Objectives: This systematic review seeks to provide an in-depth overview of current research on tele-music interventions in supportive cancer care and identifies key areas where further research is warranted. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across four electronic databases (Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed) without any data restrictions and according to the PRISMA guidelines. The primary outcome measure was the effect of tele-music interventions on psychosocial functioning. Results: Of the 2.043 articles initially identified, nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected for qualitative analysis. Among the music interventions, considerable variation was observed regarding delivery format and …

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Il-1 Signal Inhibition In Alcohol-Related Hepatitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Canakinumab, Nikhil Vergis, Vishal Patel, Karolina Bogdanowicz, Justyna Czyzewska-Khan, Rosemary Keshinro, Francesca Fiorentino, Emily Day, Paul Middleton, Stephen Atkinson, Thomas Tranah, Mary Cross, Daphne Babalis, Neil Foster, Emma Lord, Alberto Quaglia, Josephine Lloyd, Robert Goldin, William Rosenberg, Richard Parker, Paul Richardson, Steven Masson, Gavin Whitehouse, Cyril Sieberhagan, David Patch, Nikolai Naoumov, Ashwin Dhanda, Ewan Forrest, Mark Thursz Jan 2025

Il-1 Signal Inhibition In Alcohol-Related Hepatitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Canakinumab, Nikhil Vergis, Vishal Patel, Karolina Bogdanowicz, Justyna Czyzewska-Khan, Rosemary Keshinro, Francesca Fiorentino, Emily Day, Paul Middleton, Stephen Atkinson, Thomas Tranah, Mary Cross, Daphne Babalis, Neil Foster, Emma Lord, Alberto Quaglia, Josephine Lloyd, Robert Goldin, William Rosenberg, Richard Parker, Paul Richardson, Steven Masson, Gavin Whitehouse, Cyril Sieberhagan, David Patch, Nikolai Naoumov, Ashwin Dhanda, Ewan Forrest, Mark Thursz

Peninsula Medical School

Background and Aims: Short-term mortality in alcohol-related hepatitis (AH) is high, and no current therapy results in durable benefit. A role for interleukin (IL)-1β has been demonstrated in the pathogenesis of alcohol-induced steatohepatitis. This study explored the safety and efficacy of canakinumab (CAN), a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-1β, in the treatment of patients with AH. Methods: Participants with biopsy-confirmed AH and discriminant function ≥32 but Model for End-Stage Liver Disease ≤27 were randomly allocated 1:1 to receive either CAN 3 mg/kg or placebo (PBO). Liver biopsies were taken before and 28 days after treatment. The primary endpoint was the overall …

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A Mapping Review Of Studies Exploring The Barriers And Facilitators To A Dementia Diagnosis Through An Intersectionality Lens, Ben Hicks, Katherine Wheatley, Emma Porter, Nicolas Farina, Sube Banerjee Jan 2025

A Mapping Review Of Studies Exploring The Barriers And Facilitators To A Dementia Diagnosis Through An Intersectionality Lens, Ben Hicks, Katherine Wheatley, Emma Porter, Nicolas Farina, Sube Banerjee

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundPromoting a ‘timely’ diagnosis is a global policy directive.AimsThis review adopts an intersectional approach, visually mapping the existing literature to highlight gaps in the evidence base on barriers and facilitators to dementia diagnosis.MethodA systematic approach was undertaken, following the PRISMA guidelines, updating previous reviews. The literature search was conducted on PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete and Scopus. In line with mapping review methodology, we report the current state of the literature by describing the number of studies that outline barriers and facilitators to seeking help for a dementia diagnosis, split by social categorisation.ResultsOn the 7 June 2024, a total of 45 …

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The Management Of Dietary Fiber Intake In Children With Chronic Kidney Disease - Clinical Practice Recommendations From The Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce., An Desloovere, Nonnie Polderman, José Renken-Terhaerdt, Vanessa Shaw, Caroline Anderson, Larry A. Greenbaum, Christina L. Nelms, Leila Qizalbash, Stella Stabouli, Jetta Tuokkola, Bradley A. Warady, Johan Vande Walle, Fabio Paglialonga, Rukshana Shroff, Evelien Snauwaert Jan 2025

The Management Of Dietary Fiber Intake In Children With Chronic Kidney Disease - Clinical Practice Recommendations From The Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce., An Desloovere, Nonnie Polderman, José Renken-Terhaerdt, Vanessa Shaw, Caroline Anderson, Larry A. Greenbaum, Christina L. Nelms, Leila Qizalbash, Stella Stabouli, Jetta Tuokkola, Bradley A. Warady, Johan Vande Walle, Fabio Paglialonga, Rukshana Shroff, Evelien Snauwaert

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The benefits of dietary fiber are widely accepted. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of children fail to meet the recommended intake of dietary fiber. Achieving adequate fiber intake is especially challenging in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). An international team of pediatric renal dietitians and pediatric nephrologists from the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce (PRNT) has developed clinical practice recommendations (CPRs) for the dietary intake of fiber in children and adolescents with CKD. In this CPR paper, we propose a definition of fiber, provide advice on the requirements and assessment of fiber intake, and offer practical guidance on optimizing dietary fiber …

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Physiologic And Structural Characterization Of Desisobutyryl-Ciclesonide, A Selective Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator In Newborn Rats., Juliann D. Jaumotte, Nathalie El Khoury, Charles K. Min, Jiefei Wang, Caroline Madigan, Antalya Jano, Robin J. Russo Kobylski, Laura A. Solt, Rutu S. Dhavan, Kelly L. Short, Tianhua Lei, Uma Chandran, Timothy J. Cole, Ann Paula Monaghan-Nichols, Venkatesh Sampath, René Houtman, Kendall W. Nettles, Donald B. Defranco Jan 2025

Physiologic And Structural Characterization Of Desisobutyryl-Ciclesonide, A Selective Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator In Newborn Rats., Juliann D. Jaumotte, Nathalie El Khoury, Charles K. Min, Jiefei Wang, Caroline Madigan, Antalya Jano, Robin J. Russo Kobylski, Laura A. Solt, Rutu S. Dhavan, Kelly L. Short, Tianhua Lei, Uma Chandran, Timothy J. Cole, Ann Paula Monaghan-Nichols, Venkatesh Sampath, René Houtman, Kendall W. Nettles, Donald B. Defranco

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the most prevalent chronic lung disease of prematurity, is often treated with glucocorticoids (GCs) such as dexamethasone (DEX), but their use is encumbered with several adverse somatic, metabolic, and neurologic effects. We previously reported that systemic delivery of the GC prodrug ciclesonide (CIC) in neonatal rats activated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transcriptional responses in lung but did not trigger multiple adverse effects caused by DEX. To determine whether limited systemic metabolism of CIC was solely responsible for its enhanced safety profile, we treated neonatal rats with its active metabolite desisobutyryl-ciclesonide (Des-CIC). DEX but not Des-CIC caused a reduction in …

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Reducing Marine Plastic Pollution: Critical Assessment Of The Potential To Develop A Civil Liability And Compensation Mechanism Under The Law Of The Sea Convention, Alexandra Leaton Jan 2025

Reducing Marine Plastic Pollution: Critical Assessment Of The Potential To Develop A Civil Liability And Compensation Mechanism Under The Law Of The Sea Convention, Alexandra Leaton

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

Plastic pollution has had a detrimental global impact, particularly in the marine environment, due to its mobility, longevity, and tendency to be difficult to retrieve. The situation has worsened because of the increased production and consumption of plastics and the fact that pollution occurs throughout the entirety of plastics’ production and lifecycle. Its pathways/vectors to the marine environment are diffuse and complex. The combined environmental, social, and potential health impacts of plastics have resulted in the development of over 40 international legal and other regulatory mechanisms, although inconsistent implementation has resulted in a fragmented framework with gaps and overlaps. The …

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“Fish In Different Water, To Survive Or To Thrive?” Understanding Direct-Entry Pre-Sessional Chinese Students’ Learning Experiences During Covid-19 And Its Aftermath, Lingyuan Osgathorpe Jan 2025

“Fish In Different Water, To Survive Or To Thrive?” Understanding Direct-Entry Pre-Sessional Chinese Students’ Learning Experiences During Covid-19 And Its Aftermath, Lingyuan Osgathorpe

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis explores the learning experiences of direct-entry pre-sessional Chinese students in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, using Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework. Through the metaphor of students as "fish in different water", the research examines how these learners navigate and adapt to new educational environments that often starkly contrast with their prior experiences.The study employs a two-stage semi-structured interview process with student participants, first in China during their online pre-sessional courses and later in the UK during their degree programmes. All interviews were conducted in Mandarin Chinese to ensure linguistic and cultural accessibility. Additionally, expert interviews …

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The Idealised And The Profane Nun: The Image Of The Nun At The Fin-De-Siècle And Into The 1930s., Shannon Lewis Jan 2025

The Idealised And The Profane Nun: The Image Of The Nun At The Fin-De-Siècle And Into The 1930s., Shannon Lewis

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis examines the representation of nuns from the Fin-de-Siècle into the 1930s, in the popular medium of postcards, in art during the Modernist period, and throughout the early development of film. The thesis demonstrates how secularisation, rapid technological development, and political discourse during the selected era impacted the image of the nun. The images selected will be reviewed in the light of Christian iconography, highlighting how the nun is represented and understood as a cultural construct, rather than the reality of the nun. Imagery of nuns from this era seems to fall into two categories of idealisation and/or profanation …

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You Can Do A Lot And You Don't Have To Be Scared: Learning Outside The Classroom In Alternative Provision: An Ethnographic Study, Exploring Student Behaviour And Relationships In Varied Environmental Contexts, Kelly Davis Jan 2025

You Can Do A Lot And You Don't Have To Be Scared: Learning Outside The Classroom In Alternative Provision: An Ethnographic Study, Exploring Student Behaviour And Relationships In Varied Environmental Contexts, Kelly Davis

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The most recent school exclusion data for England continues to demonstrate an alarming increase in both suspensions and permanent exclusions in schools across England (Prescott, 2024). In the academic year 2022-2023 there were 786,961 suspensions, the highest recorded annual number of suspensions in England (Department for Education, 2024). Permanent exclusions rose to 9,376 in the academic year 2022-2023, also the highest number of annual permanent exclusions recorded to date in England (Department for Education, 2024). The most recent termly statistics for Autumn 2024 show that both suspensions and permanent exclusions are continuing to rise, with 2023-2024 annual statistics anticipated to …

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Nurturing The Event: A Trauma-Informed Psychosocial Analysis Of Conversions To Christianity And Desistance From Crime, Alex Beaumont Jan 2025

Nurturing The Event: A Trauma-Informed Psychosocial Analysis Of Conversions To Christianity And Desistance From Crime, Alex Beaumont

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate the role prison chaplaincy and faith-based organisations play in supporting new Christian converts across HMPPS establishments. Drawing on research data from 11 in-depth narrative interviews with formerly incarcerated individuals, many of whom were long-term desisters or still in the desistance process (18 months post-release), this thesis provides a psychoanalytic interpretation of the relationship between early childhood development, traumatic events, and spiritual transformations in prison. Data was gathered using Hollway and Jefferson’s (2001) Free Association Narrative Interview Method (FANIM), which applies psychoanalytic principles to explore subjectivity beyond surface-level descriptions of self and identity. …

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Experiences And Understandings Of Multiculturalism In Mainstream Primary Schools In Southwest England, Suparna Bagchi Jan 2025

Experiences And Understandings Of Multiculturalism In Mainstream Primary Schools In Southwest England, Suparna Bagchi

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The present study is an exploration of teachers’, parents’ and students’ experiences and understandings of multiculturalism in four mainstream primary schools situated in a predominantly White location in Southwest England. It adopts qualitative methodology under a single case study design underpinned by a sociocultural theoretical framework. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews conducted virtually with adult participants, students’ classroom activities and field notes supplemented by photographs of classroom and corridor displays. Study findings suggest strong support among participants for incorporating multicultural components in school teaching and learning. Findings also suggest varying levels of accessibility, knowledge and availability of resources around …

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Exploring Inclusive Education And Listening In Relation To Children's Experiences And Teachers' Perspectives, Ramazan Merk Jan 2025

Exploring Inclusive Education And Listening In Relation To Children's Experiences And Teachers' Perspectives, Ramazan Merk

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis addressed the field of inclusive education and the importance of listening from the perspectives of both children and teachers. Drawing on experiences in pre-school and reception classrooms in England, I explored the essence of inclusive education and effective implementation strategies to meet the needs of children, including those with diverse needs. Emphasis was placed on the necessity for teachers to acknowledge and address each child's individual needs when developing early years learning environments. Moreover, the study underlined the important role of active listening in promoting communication and understanding between teachers and children as a cornerstone of inclusive pedagogy. …

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Reassembling Anti-Oppressive Teaching Practices In Professionally Qualifying Youth And Community Work Education, Christine Smith Jan 2025

Reassembling Anti-Oppressive Teaching Practices In Professionally Qualifying Youth And Community Work Education, Christine Smith

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

New and continuing formations of oppression remains a contemporary 21st Century challenge compounded by a fracturing of democratic structures that give rise to intolerance of difference and threaten social bonds. The big questions about the type of society we want to live in, what it means to be human, and the role of education are questions that are increasingly alienated from everyday lived experiences and a collective commitment to shape a fairer and more socially just world. Thus, the scale of challenges underscores a need to think differently about how Anti-Oppressive Practice (AOP) in professionally qualifying youth and community education …

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Elevated Co2 Increases The Canopy Temperature Of Mature Quercus Robur (Pedunculate Oak), William Hagan Brown, Emanuel Gloor, Ralph Fyfe, A. Rob Mackenzie, Nicholas J. Harper, Peter Ganderton, Kris Hart, Giulio Curioni, Susan Quick, Scott J. Davidson, Emily Yetton, Jen L. Diehl, Sophie Fauset Jan 2025

Elevated Co2 Increases The Canopy Temperature Of Mature Quercus Robur (Pedunculate Oak), William Hagan Brown, Emanuel Gloor, Ralph Fyfe, A. Rob Mackenzie, Nicholas J. Harper, Peter Ganderton, Kris Hart, Giulio Curioni, Susan Quick, Scott J. Davidson, Emily Yetton, Jen L. Diehl, Sophie Fauset

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The canopy thermal response of natural forests to elevated CO2 (eCO2) is an understudied biophysical feedback in the global climate system. We investigated the effects of eCO2 (150 μmol mol−1 above ambient) on canopy temperature (Tcan) dynamics of mature (> 175 years) Quercus robur (oak) at the Birmingham Institute for Forest Research Free Air CO2 Enrichment (BIFoR-FACE) facility in Staffordshire, England, during the growing seasons of 2021, 2022 and 2023. We employed long-term, high-frequency thermal infrared (TIR) imaging to measure Tcan. Our results show that daily maximum oak Tcan …

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The Comparison Of Human And Machine Performance In Object Recognition, Gokcek Kul Jan 2025

The Comparison Of Human And Machine Performance In Object Recognition, Gokcek Kul

School of Psychology Theses

Deep learning algorithms have advanced significantly due to better hardware and large training sets, with some claiming they now match or exceed human performance. Recent findings indicate improvements in robustness against Out-Of-Distribution benchmark sets and alignment with human categorisation behaviour. This thesis evaluates various machine learning models to ensure a fair comparison with human performance using principles from comparative psychology. Chapter 2 introduces a psychologically grounded framework for comparing human and machine object categorisation performance, focusing on different presentation times and task complexities. The results indicate that while recent machine learning models have reached or exceeded human performance under optimised …

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“The True Me”: Unravelling The Dual Narrative Of Borderline Personality Disorder And Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Robin Iliffe-Lewis Jan 2025

“The True Me”: Unravelling The Dual Narrative Of Borderline Personality Disorder And Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Robin Iliffe-Lewis

School of Psychology Theses

Purpose: There is growing recognition that some individuals who receive a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are later diagnosed with autism. However, existing literature on this topic remains limited. This study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals diagnosed with BPD prior to autism, how they made sense of these diagnoses, navigated clinical systems, and learnt to manage the complex challenges associated with this diagnostic sequence.Methods: Thirteen (6 male, 6 female, 1 non-binary) adult participants took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their diagnostic journeys. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop a nuanced understanding of their experiences.Results: Three themes …

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Developing New Memory Tests In Alzheimer’S Disease: A Development And Initial Pilot Study., Áine Maguire Jan 2025

Developing New Memory Tests In Alzheimer’S Disease: A Development And Initial Pilot Study., Áine Maguire

School of Psychology Theses

Objective: This development and pilot study aimed to create and assess the utility and feasibility of using three new computerised memory tests of semantic interference during learning, short-term visual memory binding, and cross-modal associative memory binding with people with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Method: The new memory tests were evaluated as potential diagnostic and staging tests in AD using a sample of older adults: 15 with a clinical diagnosis of AD, mean age 70.80±5.41 years; 14 with positive AD biomarkers but no known cognitive impairment (preclinical AD), mean age 70.60±4.49 years; and 15 healthy controls (HCs), mean age 69.60 ±7.38 years. …

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Exploring Individuals’ Experiences Of Working With Probation Who Have Personality Disorder: A Community-Based Participatory Action Research Approach., Nikki Morfey Jan 2025

Exploring Individuals’ Experiences Of Working With Probation Who Have Personality Disorder: A Community-Based Participatory Action Research Approach., Nikki Morfey

School of Psychology Theses

Utilizing a Community-Based Participatory Action Research approach, semi-structured interviews were used to explore seven individuals’ experiences of working with Probation who self-identified as screening into the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the data resulted in the construction of six Group Experiential Themes. Findings reflect participant confusion with the Personality Disorder label in light of feeling it was imposed without discussion, speaking to their experiences of the power dynamic in the probation relationship. Participants described being reduced to a case to be managed, with no space to be seen as a person, and a gap between …

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The Experiences Of Systemic Invalidation In Chronic Pain Care Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Individuals: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study, Claira Moro Jan 2025

The Experiences Of Systemic Invalidation In Chronic Pain Care Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Individuals: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study, Claira Moro

School of Psychology Theses

This study explored the lived experiences of individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities living with chronic pain and prescribed pain-relief medication. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, eight participants were recruited from a single primary care network in England. Two Group Experiential Themes were developed. This paper reports one: From dismissed to disengaged: the trauma of seeking help, with three sub-themes: (1) “Being fobbed off” – dismissal across healthcare and benefit systems; (2) “It just seemed horrible to me, to take it off me” – pain relief as withdrawn, stigmatised, or conditional; and (3) “Do I want to poke the bear?” – disengagement …

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“We've Just Kind Of Woven In All These Different Ways Of Keeping Him Close By” A Narrative Analysis Of How Children And Their Surviving Parent Co-Construct Continuing Bonds Following Parental Death, Miriam Summers Jan 2025

“We've Just Kind Of Woven In All These Different Ways Of Keeping Him Close By” A Narrative Analysis Of How Children And Their Surviving Parent Co-Construct Continuing Bonds Following Parental Death, Miriam Summers

School of Psychology Theses

Continuing bonds research has predominantly focused on adults and considered from an individualistic perspective; consequently, little is known about how such bonds may be developed relationally within families. This study aimed to explore how parentally bereaved children and their parent/caregiver co-construct continuing bonds. Eight families were recruited, and parent/caregivers and their children were interviewed together. Narrative analysis explored semantic themes and interactional processes. The findings highlighted that continuing bonds are co-constructed through regular joint remembering, family acts of remembrance, joint connecting through objects and shared interpretations of signs from the deceased. Constructive interactional processes included collaboration, agreement and sharing positive …

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A Community-Based Participatory Action Research Project Exploring The Experiences Of Suicidal Distress For Autistic Adults: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Kyah Sisulu, Emily Hustwick, Philippa Wood, Bethany George, Lealah Hewitt-Johns Jan 2025

A Community-Based Participatory Action Research Project Exploring The Experiences Of Suicidal Distress For Autistic Adults: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Kyah Sisulu, Emily Hustwick, Philippa Wood, Bethany George, Lealah Hewitt-Johns

School of Psychology Theses

Background: Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged 15–29 (WHO, 2021). Autistic individuals experience elevated rates of mental health difficulties, often linked to stigma, discrimination, and a lack of appropriate support (Botha & Frost, 2020; Hedley et al., 2018). They are significantly more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviours than the general population (Hirvikoski et al., 2016). Despite this, limited research has explored autistic adults’ lived experiences of suicidal distress. Calls from autistic advocates highlight the need for inclusive, co-produced research to avoid perpetuating harm (Pellicano et al., 2014; Kapp et al., 2013).Aims: This study …

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Considering Behaviour In Genetic Sampling – A Case Study With Grey Seals, Kathryn Wiltshire Jan 2025

Considering Behaviour In Genetic Sampling – A Case Study With Grey Seals, Kathryn Wiltshire

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Genetic variations are increasingly linked to intra-specific behavioural variations. Advancing our knowledge of behavioural genetics could make screening populations for genetic polymorphisms associated with behavioural variations possible. Genetic-behaviour links have been increasingly discovered in terrestrial mammals, but there are few comparable studies in marine mammals. Developing efficient and cost-effective genetic sampling techniques is essential to allow more studies on behavioural genetics in lesser researched marine mammals. This study explores the potential of a sampling technique, still in its infancy in marine mammal studies, that has potential to cause minimal stress to the animals. Buccal swabs were tested in a group …

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Effects Of Host-Derived Probiotics On The Growth Performance And Health Of Tilapia And Carp, Sherilyn Abarra Jan 2025

Effects Of Host-Derived Probiotics On The Growth Performance And Health Of Tilapia And Carp, Sherilyn Abarra

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

To address the need for well-characterised probiotic strains for tilapia and carp aquaculture, this study investigated the isolation, characterisation, and application of host-derived candidate probiotics from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio), and their influence on growth, feed utilisation, intestinal integrity and microbiome, and mucosal health of the host.A total of 263 intestinal bacterial isolates were screened in vitro for antagonism against Aeromonas hydrophila and Streptococcus iniae. The top 31 isolates with inhibitory effects underwent screening against three further fish pathogens and were assessed for haemolytic activity and extracellular enzyme production in …

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Factors Affecting The Integration Of Dental Services Into Health And Social Care For People With Complex Needs, Afsha Musa, Joelle Booth, Hannah Wheat, Robert Witton, Martha Paisi Jan 2025

Factors Affecting The Integration Of Dental Services Into Health And Social Care For People With Complex Needs, Afsha Musa, Joelle Booth, Hannah Wheat, Robert Witton, Martha Paisi

Peninsula Dental School

Background: People with complex social and medical needs require a high level of support and face multiple barriers in accessing health and social care services. With limited access to dental care, their high oral health needs go largely unaddressed. Integration of oral healthcare into primary care, alongside improved cross-sector working, has been advocated to bring together services across the system to achieve oral health equity. Aim: To explore the factors affecting integration of dental services into health and social care for people with complex needs. Methods: A qualitative research study was undertaken across two sites in the southwest of England, …

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