NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: Heritage and Well-being: Creating Healthier Societies Through Heritage
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: The proposed research will explore how people’s experiences of and participation in heritage affects their well-being and mental health. Research into heritage and well-being is an emerging area of study, yet there is a significant gap in the understanding of how diverse heritage activities, including museums, heritage sites and community archaeological excavations in a range of cultural contexts shape individual and communal well-being. This research will comparatively analyse quantitative data from public participants from six diverse public heritage projects from developing and developed countries around the world (UK, USA and India) to access the impact of participation in heritage on well-being and the link to social, cultural, economic and political factors. This research will gain an understanding of the role that heritage can play in creating healthier societies, and seeks to provide the evidence of how different forms of public engagement with heritage can contribute to healthier and happier societies.


Research activity codes: 3.2 INTERVENTIONS TO ALTER PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Effortless control? Using pupillometry to assess effort expended to achieve a remarkable reduction in Stroop interference following a post-hypnotic suggestion for word blindness
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Decades of research has shown that reading words is automatic and unavoidable. Remarkably, it has been shown that word reading can be prevented following a post-hypnotic suggestion that words will be effortlessly perceived as gibberish, like words of a foreign language (known as the Word Blindness Suggestion Effect or WBSE). A possible account of the WBSE is that highly suggestible participants, in whom the effect is observed, are highly motivated to be good hypnotic subjects and therefore engage in more effortful control to prevent word reading. Alternatively, the WBSE might result from an effortless form of control which has been argued to be a key marker of responding to suggestions, but which also runs counter to extant models of cognitive control. Here the WBSE will be replicated whilst pupil size is recorded as an objective measure of effort to assess whether more or less effort is expended during task performance.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Judging overall mood of a crowd: how does the brain rapidly perceive an average emotion from multiple faces?
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: People often need to judge social information from multiple faces. Research suggests that people can rapidly perceive the average facial expression in a group of faces. This ability, known as ‘ensemble perception’, is crucial for responses to a crowd in a timely and effective manner, like when a security officer reacts to a terror act. Although a well-studied behaviour, little is known about how ensemble perception of faces is processed in the brain. Does the brain perceive the average emotion of a set of faces before perceiving single faces? How is perception of multiple faces related to that of a single face in the brain? This project will explore these by comparing electrical brain activities when participants are shown multiple faces or a single face. It will be the first attempt to identify the differences between the brain mechanisms for judging a single vs. a group of faces.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: The expression and perception of the left-cheek bias across the lifespan in autistic and non-autistic individuals
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: The right hemisphere is dominant for emotion processing, which typically leads to stronger emotional expression on the left side of the face. Moreover, humans intuitively emphasise their left cheek when expressing emotion, and turn their left cheek away when hiding emotion. This left-cheek bias has been studied extensively in an adult population. However, there has been no research on how the left-cheek bias shifts across the lifespan, nor on how this bias may differ in persons with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Right hemisphere dominance for emotion lessens with age, and is also reduced in ASD, which can produce poorer emotion perception and expression. Thus, the present study will examine how the left-cheek bias shifts across the lifespan in both a neurotypical and ASD sample. Results may open the door to future therapeutic interventions in persons with poorer emotion skills.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS;2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Virtual Nature, Real Benefit? Empirically testing whether experiencing nature through virtual reality improves physiological and psychological stress
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: First-hand experience of nature has been shown to improve health and wellbeing by reducing stress and facilitating cognitive restoration. More research is needed to understand what elements of nature experience provide these benefits; and whether these can be successfully recreated in a virtual world for people unable to access natural environments directly. The present study will evaluate: (1) whether a virtual reality (VR) nature environment can improve physiological and psychological measures of stress; (2) what level of sensory immersion (i.e. visual or multisensory) is required to elicit an effect; and (3) any traits that predispose an individual to a successful outcome or that are contraindications. By establishing whether and under circumstances nature VR can support wellbeing, it is hoped that the findings of this study will have direct application for individuals who are unable to experience natural environments first-hand due to ill health, disability, socio-economic or locational constraints.


Research activity codes: 3.2 INTERVENTIONS TO ALTER PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Problem gambling among university students: A longitudinal exploration in the student- post-student transition stage
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Recent reports from the Gambling commission highlight the growing problem of student gambling in UK. Student gamblig is acknowledged as a serious issue world over attracting significant research attention. Students who are problem gamblers end up facing significant personal challenges once they leave their student life. Further, moderate risk student gamblers may increase thier gambling activities and may trip into a problem gambling stage. However, little research exist to understant the problems, coping strategies, life-challenges of student gamblers in their life transition phase where they complete their studies and move into a new life. This transition phase is extremely important as this is the phase where student gamblers come to face the reality of life and are often decoupled from the society in which they were embedded in thier student life. Through a longitudinal desing we attempt to understnad how student gamblers navigate this crucial stage in thier lives.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Child Friendly Justice in Mental Health Settings
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Children who are being detained in hospitals under the provisions of the Mental Health Act (MHA)1983 have the right to be provided with an explanation of their legal status including details of which section they are subject to, the effect of the detention and their rights to apply for review of their continued detention. In 2017-18 1177 young people were detained under the MHA, an increase of 12% on the previous year. 199 young people were detained on adult wards and large numbers were detained more than 50km from their home. The aim of this project is to involve these children directly in the research, and rescue them from silence and exclusion, in order to examine the extent to which young people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 felt that they had received appropriate information and were aware that they had rights in relation to their detention.


Research activity codes: 8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Chatbots and the shaping of mental health recovery
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Recovery is ubiquitous and the main paradigm in mental health policy and practice. At the same time, no-one can agree on what recovery means and it remains a vague concept which defies definitional consensus. It is also political. Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) add further important dimensions and dynamics to these matters. AI based chatbots are increasingly being used in the mental health field yet very little attention is being paid to how they relate to the concept of mental health recovery. The proposed study therefore asks: To what extent are chatbots both shaped by, and shaping, the concept of mental health recovery? We will undertake interviews with 30 users of mental health chatbots and invite a selection of these to undertake follow-up focus groups. We will discuss findings with service users and providers and ask what the relationship should look like between artificial intelligence and mental health recovery.


Research activity codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: The psychological impact of documenting historical trauma
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Addressing the long-term psychological impact of historical trauma (from war, colonisation, dictatorship) is not possible without accounting for the additional distress generated by lack of justice. Many survivors (e.g. post-conflict) remain preoccupied with justice long after the traumatic events themselves draw to a close, but psychologists rarely investigate the collective health impact of injustice. The present work is the first to examine the intergenerational impact of one transitional justice mechanism (trauma documenting) on: a) wellbeing, and b) relationships with the perpetrating group. The present research is interdisciplinary and collective-focused in recognition of the socio-political and collective nature of historical trauma. Study 1 will explore the psychological consequences of participating in documenting trauma, and Study 2, the psychological consequences of intergenerational trauma knowledge transfer. Results will develop a toolkit and inform: i) psychological interventions supporting survivors, and ii) political and legal decisions on implementing transitional justice after mass human rights violations.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Morality and Mental Well-being within Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning Programs for British Young People
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Contemporary Britain is concerned with the state of young people’s mental well-being. Animal assisted therapies and learning programs are growing in popularity at a phenomenal rate. This anthropological research project investigates equine assisted interventions in order to learn about British morality in relation to young people’s mental well-being. Three research questions will be addressed through fourteen months of ethnographic research. 1) Equine assisted therapies and learning programs (EATL) draw participants’ attention towards the embodied, interactive nature of thoughts, moods and dispositions. How might we understand the ethical processes underway during these encounters with horses? 2) EATL programs matter in different ways to those invested and engaged within them (staff/volunteers/teachers/parents/funders). How can we understand the interplay between the different economic and ethical value schemes involved? 3) Why are EATL programs so popular now, and what can this tell us about British attitudes towards young people and mental well-being?


Research activity codes: 5.8 COMPLEMENTARY
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: AVATAR-assisted therapy to reduce the power of the eating disorder voice in anorexia nervosa: collaborative development and feasibility testing
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Anorexia nervosa is one of the most difficult psychiatric disorders to treat and it is characterised by disturbing and persistent thoughts about the need to avoid food. These thoughts are easily recognised by patients and often labelled as “eating disorder voice”. We will develop and test AVATAR therapy for anorexia nervosa to reduce the power of the eating disorder voice. This therapy will be adapted from AVATAR therapy for distressing voices in psychosis (Craig et al 2018). Two workshops involving clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience of eating disorders will be held to co-produce the newly adapted form of AVATAR therapy for anorexia nervosa. This approach will be tested in a case series of 15 patients and quantitative and qualitative measures will be collected. If AVATAR therapy proves acceptable to patients, then funding will be sought for a randomised controlled trial to test its efficacy.


Research activity codes: 5.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Implicit Attitudes towards Autism in the British Press
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Autism affects about 1% of the population and costs the UK economy over £32bn a year. Feeling accepted is crucial for the successful integration of autistic people in education, work and society, and can impact significantly on their mental health. How accepting is British society towards autism? This project will investigate implicit attitudes and biases towards autism through the lens of the press, which reflects and, more importantly, constructs public views. It will employ a powerful synergy of corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis methodologies to examine how the British press uses language to portray autism. We will analyse lexical and grammatical choices made to refer to autism and related terms, and consider how autism portrayals have changed over time and how they differ between tabloids vs broadsheets or left- vs right-leaning newspapers. Our findings will have important implications for policies aiming to promote autism acceptance in the UK.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Depression Stigma and Labor Supply
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: We provide evidence on how stigma associated with depression affects labour market behaviors. First, we measure the extent of stigma as well as people’s beliefs about the extent of stigma associated with depression. This allows us to identify misperceptions about the extent of stigma associated with depression. Subsequently, we study how a simple informational treatment which highlights lower levels of actual stigma compared to own perceptions, changes people’s willingness to work in teams, where other team members learn about the respondent’s depression.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Hidden hardship: everyday experiences, copying strategies, and barriers to wellbeing in rural Britain
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Rural poverty is a problem in the UK - 17% of rural households in England are experiencing relative poverty after housing costs - yet it is often hidden by tourism and wealthier neighbours. Urban areas have been the dominant focus in social science research on UK poverty, however, responses to urban poverty are not directly translatable to rural contexts. Specific attention therefore needs to be given to people’s experiences of rural poverty. This research uses a participatory methodology to understand people’s experiences of hidden hardship in the rural North Cotswolds, Gloucestershire. It will investigate people’s hardship journeys, coping strategies and navigation of barriers to improved wellbeing. By gaining understanding of people’s everyday lived experiences of rural hardship, this research will inform public understanding of rural hardship through a travelling exhibition, and inform voluntary sector and governmental responses to rural hardship through tailored resources including a policy report.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Supporting autistic students through university using a collaborative participatory research approach
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Despite various academic and personal strengths, autistic university students are at high risk of dropping out of their studies, resulting in low employment rates and unfavourable job conditions for autistic individuals. Previous studies suggest a mismatch between the actual support needs of autistic students and the support available at university. To address this mismatch, unlike previous studies where autistic students served mainly as study participants, the proposed research includes autistic students and community members as equal partners throughout the research process. Unlike other studies, non-autistic students will also participate as research partners to examine the attitudes towards autistic students on campus. The participatory groups will develop two questionnaires to identify the support needs of autistic and non-autistic students. The questionnaires will then be administered to a wider population of autistic (n = +100) and non-autistic students (n = +100) which will inform future intervention support programmes for autistic university students.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Psychological processes and spatial representations modulating habitual and goal-directed navigation
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Contradictory predictions can be made about the effects of experience on learning in a navigable environment. Repeated experience should stamp in habitual navigation (e.g. following learned routes), but also should endow navigators with a detailed cognitive map that can support flexible behaviour (e.g. taking shortcuts). Applying reinforcement learning algorithms to navigation has gone some way to reconciling these competing ideas, but it remains unclear what psychological processes determine whether people remain goal-directed or become habitual in their navigation. Through a series of online experiments, we aim to evaluate whether or not a map-like representation of the environment is required to support goal-directed navigation, and whether engaging in a spatial working memory task prevents a shift from goal-directed to habitual behaviour. We will disseminate our findings through journals and conferences, and make our online tasks free to use for any researcher – providing a legacy beyond the lifetime of the project.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Irregular Migration and the Governance of Mental Health: A study of camp-based communities on the Spanish Islands of Gran Canarias
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: How do we look after the mental health of refugees and migrants? This project interrogates the international organisations' capacity to co-operate with one another and with other regional, national, and local actors to address adequately the mental health needs of migrants and refugees. The main objective of this research is to enhance our awareness and understanding of impact that inter-organisational networks have on the mental health of refugees and migrants. The empirical focus of the project is on three communities of irregular migrants originating from Africa and living temporarily in camps on three Spanish islands – Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura. The project focuses on the migrants and refugees themselves and relies on ethnographic research to investigate the migrants' own experience of mental healthcare services provided in camp sites by international organisations as well as the impact that these services have on migrants' mental health outcomes.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Provision of Mental Health Psycho-Social Support Training to Facilitate Two-Wave Survey on the Impact of Trauma among Conflict-Afflicted Populations in South Sudan
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: This study examines the impact of trauma on violent and peaceful behaviours of conflict-afflicted communities in South Sudan. The research is based on a large-scale, multi-site “Impact of Trauma Survey”. We have secured a partnership agreement with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a local non-governmental organisation, whose staff will act as enumerators to field the survey. Due to a 52% funding deferral as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, we are applying for this grant to cover a shortfall to enable delivery of the survey. The grant will be used to facilitate high-quality training for 12 CRS enumerators in survey skills and Mental Health Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS), to be delivered by a local expert in trauma therapy and counselling. This training is vital for the ethical delivery of the Impact of Trauma Survey and to ensure holistic follow-up support is provided to participants in both the immediate and long-term.


Research activity codes: 8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Artificial intelligence and public (dis-)trust? A case study on using artificial intelligence in mental health services
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) could improve access to mental health services through effective triage and support. However, research shows that practitioners are reluctant to use or trust such tools, citing concerns including validity, confidence and legal liability; whereas patients’ perspectives are often assumed, or ignored altogether. Therefore, potential improvements in mental healthcare from revolutionary AI developments risk being lost due to a lack of trust. Further, while the importance of establishing ‘public trust’ in AI is repeatedly highlighted by policymakers, precisely what is meant by this phrase is unclear. In partnership with the mental health charity, Hafal, our case-study project seeks to address these knowledge gaps. Participatory research involving surveys and interviews with service-users and therapists will establish an in-depth understanding of their trust concerns for AI in mental health services; explore how these can be resolved to improve the trustworthiness of AI; and make best practice recommendations in this context.


Research activity codes: 8.4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (HEALTH SERVICES)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Intergenerational cycles of violence: the effects of war on intimate partner violence
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: Conflict has long-lasting effects on its populations. It is suggested that trauma can be a trigger for unstable mental health and violent behaviour. Yet, the extent to which events trigger domestic violence and how they may lead to intergenerational cycles of violence remains less understood. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioural disorder that can develop due to exposure to a traumatic event, such as warfare, and PTSD is, in turn, positively associated with aggression perpetration (Shorey et al, 2012). In this research, I will examine how the heterogeneous exposure to violence during the most recent largest conflict in Europe, the Croatian War of Independence and Bosnian War, affected patterns of intimate partner violence decades after. With an emerging war in Ukraine, the importance of understanding the long-term gendered consequences of exposure to conflict becomes ever more crucial.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH