bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Fun with Mum’: Using Video Interaction Guidance to enhance early relationships and diminish maternal postnatal depression
Authors: Rackett Penny , Macdonald Bridget
Published: January 2023

Aim:This study describes the implementation of a group intervention using Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) to decrease maternal postnatal depression and increase attunement and pleasure in mother-infant relationships.

Rationale:Interventions that focus on reducing maternal depression levels do not always have an impact on the relationship between mother and child. Yet depression can limit a parent’s emotional availability and thereby impair the child’s emotional, social, cognitive and physical development, in the long as well as in the short term. An intervention using VIG was designed to increase parental sensitivity and confidence.

Method:22 participants received the ‘Fun with Mum’ intervention in closed groups of six to eight mothers and infants. Individuals were referred by health visitors, midwives, family doctors or through the Family Support Service. Criteria for referral included a score of 10 or above on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a stated desire for support.

Findings:Pre- and post-intervention EPDS data was collected from 20 of the participants. Sixteen individuals reported a marked decrease in maternal depression. All 22 participants indicated positive change on individually defined targets. Qualitative analysis of targets showed the nature of change experienced. Feedback from mothers indicated improved mindfulness and enjoyment in the relationship with their infant. In addition to video work, organised activities and peer support were identified by mothers as crucial aspects of the intervention.

Conclusions:Group-based interventions using VIG can offer an effective approach to developing positive relationships between mothers and their infants in vulnerable circumstances.
All that glitters is not gold: Why randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are of limited value in judging the effectiveness of literacy interventions
Authors: Burden Robert
Published: January 2023

The main purpose of this paper is to stimulate discussion and more considered reflection about an issue that has largely gone unquestioned in dyslexia scholarship and research, namely, the application of randomised control trials as the gold standard against which all research studies should be measured. The presentation is unashamedly polemical in attacking the foundations upon which the case for RCT is built, whilst at the same time identifying some fundamental issues which must be tackled if the positivist approach is to meet its own criteria. A research report which claims to be the largest UK-based randomised control study of information and communications technology (ICT) to teach reading and spelling to children of school age is subsequently analysed with reference to these criteria and found to be lacking on a number of counts. The case is then made for the need to take into account recent perspectives on the complexity of the learning process and to consider alternative paradigms. In particular, an action research approach based within the critical paradigm is suggested as one helpful way forward and a form of illuminative evaluation applying the ‘Spare Wheel’ model is offered as a potentially helpful alternative.
The influence of sense of school belonging on Traveller students’ secondary school completion
Authors: Frehill Nicól , Dunsmuir Sandra
Published: January 2023

Aims:This study sought to investigate the relationship between school variables, background variables, sense of belonging and absenteeism in Traveller students in Irish secondary education aged 12 to 15 years.

Method:The study employed a wait list control design, recruiting 37 Traveller students and 41 non-Traveller students from three secondary schools in the west of Ireland. All participating pupils completed questionnaires designed to sample their emotional engagement with school such as the Belonging Scale, the School Connectedness Scale and the Sense of School Community Scale. Teachers who worked directly with the participating Traveller students completed the Affective Engagement Perspective Scale. School attendance records from each school were accessed to collect data about the absenteeism rates.

Findings:Differences between Traveller and non-Traveller participants were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-tests. In line with previous research, Traveller students had higher absenteeism compared to their non-Traveller peers. Overall non-Travellers had a greater sense of school community and connectedness. Multiple regression analysis examined the relationship between school, home and sense of school belonging variables on absenteeism. Results showed absenteeism was predicted by individual’s sense of school community, mother’s educational level and whether the individual was a Traveller or not.

Conclusions:Results are discussed in relation to educational practice, in particular the need for secondary schools to develop organisational structures and systems to target the promotion of sense of belonging in schools and to engage Traveller families. Implications for future research are examined.
Understanding the experiences of South Asian parents who have a child with autism
Authors: Theara Gurdip , Abbott David
Published: January 2023

This paper sought to investigate the experiences of South Asian parents living in the UK who have a child with autism. This had been identified as an under-represented cultural group by previous research in the field (Ravindran & Myers, 2012). Key ideas from sociocultural theory and intersectionality underpin the paper which is based on a study that aimed to explore how culture influenced parents’ construction and experience of their child’s autism.

In-depth interviews were carried out with nine parents and the data was analysed using the Corbin and Strauss (2008) grounded theory model. The main finding was that parents’ construction of autism privileged ‘medical model perspectives’ and this was largely underpinned by cultural values and beliefs. This is turn had a significant impact on how they responded to their child’s autism label and how they worked with professionals. This paper reflects on how Educational Psychologists can use these insights to better support and understand the needs of South Asian families who have a child with autism.
Identifying principles and practice for supervision in an Educational Psychology Service
Authors: Ayres Jane , Clarke Annabel , Large Jon
Published: January 2023

Aims:It has been suggested that ‘Supervision is central to the delivery of high quality psychological services’ (Dunsmuir & Leadbetter, 2010, p.2). This paper identifies key principles and practice necessary to make this a reality in an Educational Psychology Service (EPS).

Method/Rationale:One service’s supervision approach for Educational Psychologists (EPs), Trainee Educational Psychologists (TEPs) and other professionals is explored.

Findings:Factors identified as being necessary for effective supervision include: a high profile for supervision; protected supervision time; a service policy for supervision; ongoing supervision training for all EPs; supervision for supervisors; an EPS Supervision Strategy Group; and ongoing evaluation of supervision practice.

Limitations:Challenges around maintaining and developing supervision are explored, along with some planned future developments.

Conclusions:Issues that may be helpful for colleagues to consider and debate further are raised.
Educational psychologists’ experience of taking part in group supervision: A phenomenological study
Authors: Rawlings Emma , Cowell Naina
Published: January 2023

Aim:The aim of this study was to explore the experience of educational psychologists (EPs) undertaking group supervision.

Rationale:Against a rapidly changing educational and political landscape, the authors anticipated that group supervision across the children’s workforce would become an area of rapid growth.

Method:Eight practising EPs, experienced in participating in group supervision were interviewed. A qualitative design was adopted using semi-structured interviews as the research method and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as the research methodology.

Findings:This study found that the experience of EPs in group supervision could be described as a multilayered phenomenon where the PURPOSE and PROCESS of group supervision and the PERSONAL NEEDS met by group supervision (the three P’s of group supervision), interacted simultaneously. The theoretical transferability rather than generalisability of the findings was discussed in relation to understanding the experience of educational psychologists taking part in group supervision. Implications of the findings in relation Educational Psychology Services are offered.
Facilitators and barriers of co-production of services with children and young people within education, health and care services
Authors: Boswell Naomi , Woods Kevin
Published: January 2023

Aim:This systematic review of research studies published between 2014 and 2019 explores facilitators and barriers to successful co-production and its application to practice.

Rationale:Through legislation, ‘co-production’ underpins practice to promote social justice for children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). Yet little is known about how to engage in co-production successfully.

Method:Through systematic searching of research databases, a total of 21 papers was found, seven of which met inclusion criteria and were found to be of at least medium level methodological quality and relevance.

Findings:The included research papers highlight the importance of leadership support for co-production to enable CYP to really ‘be heard’, as well as practical considerations around transport and support to attend co-production meetings. Creative methods chosen by CYP, flexibility to the needs of CYP and valuing CYP’s time and views were significant factors in creating change through co-production.

Implications:A lack of funding, commitment and awareness by leaders and organisations to ensure that CYP can participate over time, often however, led to unsustainable co-production endeavours.

Limitations:A significant gap was identified within the co-production of Education services, with the majority of research papers developing co-production and social justice practice within Health and Social Care organisations.

Conclusions:Implications for development of practice and further research are considered.
An exploration of the use of low-level behaviour management systems in secondary schools: Using student views, psychology and social justice to guide educational psychology practice
Authors: Hampton Liz , Ramoutar Lata
Published: January 2023

Aim:The aim of this paper is to consider the use of current low-level behaviour management systems in secondary schools and how educational psychologists can best work alongside these systems. It does this by combining a psychological discussion about low-level behaviour management systems with the findings from a mixed methods research project conducted with ten trainee educational psychologists (TEPs) who gathered the views of 155 secondary school students on the low-level behaviour management systems used in their schools.

Rationale:Articles in the media have increasingly reported parents’ and professionals’ concerns with behaviour management that involves removal from lessons and periods of isolation. In November 2019, a motion was proposed to the Association of Educational Psychologists Annual General Meeting that educational psychologists (EPs) should be working with schools to reduce the number of exclusions and change the practice of punitive low-level behaviour management systems towards more relational based systems.

Findings:The discussion proposed that low-level behaviour management systems do not sit comfortably with EPs’ understanding of behaviour change, social justice and ethical practice. The results of the group research project indicated that students perceive their peers to be more disruptive than themselves. Whilst they perceive unfairness and inconsistency in the application of whole school behaviour management systems they do not strongly disagree with their use.

Limitations:The authors posit that current low-level behaviour management systems have a more serious impact on students with additional needs or those from vulnerable backgrounds, however a limitation of the study was the inability to differentiate between the views of students with additional needs to those without. We suggest that future research should seek to capture the perspectives of students with additional needs and/or those who have experienced exclusion as a result of the processes of low-level behaviour management systems.

Conclusion:Despite students’ perception of unfairness and inconsistency in the application of whole school behaviour management systems, they do not strongly disagree with their use. EPs should work alongside school leaders to consider ways to protect vulnerable pupils from the negative impact through promoting more relational approaches.
Reflections on the use of Video Enhanced Reflective Practice to enhance a trainee educational psychologist’s attuned interactions in supervision
Authors: Strong Emily , Soni Anita
Published: January 2023

This article reflects on my use of Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP), as a trainee educational psychologist (TEP), to further develop my interactions, level of attunement and confidence to express my psychological opinion with my placement supervisor, within the context of supervision. The project consisted of three cycles of VERP using edited clips from video recordings of three supervision sessions judged to demonstrate ‘better than usual’ interactions, which were reviewed with a VERP guider (the second author). My overall learning goal focused on further strengthening my confidence to express psychological perspectives in supervision, with specific targets identified relating to how I facilitated an equal partnership, shared alternative perspectives, and co-constructed formulations. After three shared reviews, my baseline ratings for all collaboratively agreed learning goals were met. With guidance from the VERP guider, I reflected on how I became more present in supervision sessions, allowed myself thinking time, and received, contributed, and extended my views and hypotheses more confidently. I also noticed and accepted praise more readily which seemed to result in greater confidence and attunement, both in further supervision sessions and other aspects of professional practice. This reflective account outlines the process and outcomes of the project before considering the strengths and limitations of using VERP to facilitate the professional development of TEPs, using the supervisory relationship as a vehicle for development.
Learning in lockdown: A small-scale qualitative study exploring the experiences of autistic young people in Scotland
Authors: McCorkell Linzi , Lobo Lindsay
Published: January 2023

Aim:This study aims to hear the voices of autistic learners to investigate the meaning they made of their learning experiences during the lockdown period of school closures necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly, what were the factors that contributed to positive engagement in remote digital learning, and were there any challenges?

Method/Rationale:Three mainstream secondary schools in Scotland were asked to identify pupils who they perceived to have demonstrated increased engagement with learning via virtual means. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven pupils, ranging from S1 – S3 (Years 8 - 10 in England and Wales) during lockdown, to ask about their experiences of learning at home.

Findings:Thematic analysis identified six key themes – life at home, technology, working independently, curriculum, adult support and peer support – involving key elements that supported the young people’s engagement. Although all the participants identified supportive elements, aspects of remote learning that presented challenge to engagement were also expressed. These emerged under the same themes.

Limitations:The sample size was small and allowed exploration rather than generalisation. The research is based on pupil voice and not triangulated with additional quantitative or qualitative measures.

Conclusions:The study explored autistic young people’s experiences of learning during lockdown and found, consistent with prior literature, how tasks are mediated online and the nature of adult contact to support this, were key to supporting engagement in learning. Flexibility and control over a goal-directed timetable was also important. Reflections suggest planning implications for schools and educational psychologists, particularly as remote learning remains a key tenet for curricular delivery and development.
What causes procrastination and what might help reduce it? The views of post-16 students, teachers and educational psychologists
Authors: McGlinchey Caomhán
Published: January 2023

Aims and rationale

This study aimed to increase understanding of academic procrastination (AP), as well as indicating strategies which might reduce it.

Methods

During phase one, semi-structured interviews were carried out with post-16 students (N=20). Template analysis (TA) was then used to analyse the interview transcripts. General themes were derived which formed the basis of phase two surveys, which were completed by post-16 students (N=343), teachers (N=52), and educational psychologists (EPs, N=43). Quantitative methods, including the Hochberg’s GT2 and the Games-Howell procedure, were then employed to compare the mean responses of each group on the survey items.

Findings and implications

Support for the constructs making up temporal motivation theory (TMT) was found among all three groups of respondents. However, the respondents also agreed with items relating to additional themes which emerged during phase one, such as emotion, and the role of the teacher. Similarly, support for TMT was observed when it came to strategies aimed at tackling procrastination. Again, the role of emotion was highlighted, as were potential issues with designing and implementing an intervention. Nevertheless, strategies were suggested which are outlined in the discussion, and arranged in relation to each of the themes addressed in the surveys.

Limitations

Sample sizes were relatively small, and convenience sampling reduced the likelihood of obtaining a random sample. Template analysis was carried out by one researcher, increasing the likelihood of subjective interpretation.

Conclusion

Temporal motivation theory provides a useful – but not entirely comprehensive – theoretical model for understanding academic procrastination (AP) among post-16 students in the UK. Students, teachers and EPs have useful insights into why AP occurs, and each group believes that practical strategies may help to overcome it.
Late onset mood problems: A positive approach
Authors: Oldfield Marie , Clarke Chris
Published: January 2023

This study investigated the role of Sense of Coherence (SoC) in late onset mood problems. The results suggested that SoC should be considered when formulating late onset mood problems and highlighted the need for further research investigating the application of positive psychology to older people.
Neuropsychological profiles of older people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): Are research criteria clinically useful?
Authors: Dimcovic Nada , Shanahan Niamh
Published: January 2023

We analysed test results of 85 patients who underwent full-scale neuropsychological assessment carried out to help with differential diagnosis between age related decline and an early stage of dementia. Four subgroups were identified: pure amnestic (MCI-PA), amnestic with multiple impairments (MCI-MI), nonamnestic (MCI-NA) and worried well (WW). All groups appeared to function within the average range on Wechsler’s tasks (WTAR & WASI), whereas memory tests distinguished those with and without memory impairment. Other tests that discriminated well between WW and other groups were RBANS Total Scale Score, Block Design and D-KEFS Letter fluency test. The lowest functioning group were amnestic MCI with multiple impairments followed by non-amnestic MCI. We suggest that the profiles of the three groups might inform about different stages of cognitive decline and indicate different aetiologies. We also discuss the clinical usefulness of the applied tests with particular attention to tests most sensitive to early signs of dementia.
Just how challenging can older people be? Part 2: Making the case for specialist services for risky and aggressive behaviour
Authors: Stewart Inga , Knight Caroline , Johnson Chrissie
Published: January 2023

Objectives:The myth that elderly patients are not challenging permeates the image of older adult services, yet a growing literature suggests aggressive behaviour amongst this population exists. The Overt Aggression Scale-Modified for Neurorehabilitation (OAS-MNR) is a means of measuring aggressive behaviour amongst people with acquired brain injury (ABI) and similarities in ABI and elderly patients indicate that the OAS-MNR may be useful within the latter. The utility of the OAS-MNR was evaluated.

Method:All overt aggression over three months was recorded using the OAS-MNR, including the frequency, severity and antecedents to aggression as well as staff interventions in an in-patient setting.

Results:The data captured 2753 episodes of aggression, adding to the prevalence literature. Indeed, the severity of aggression was comparable with ABI populations. Physical aggression against others was most frequently observed, followed by verbal aggression. The majority of the incidents followed agitation or distress, no obvious antecedent, or a direct verbal prompt. Staff predominantly responded with ‘less intrusive’ interventions. These data are also considered according to neurological versus forensic groups of patients.

Conclusion:It is suggested that the OAS-MNR could be used effectively to guide service provision for with valuable feedback to patients, staff, relatives and purchasers.
A case study of Adaptive Interaction: A new approach to communicating with people with advanced dementia
Authors: Ellis Maggie P. , Astell Arlene J.
Published: January 2023

This article originally appeared as a chapter in S. Zeedyk (Ed.) (2008),Promoting Social Interaction for Individuals with Communicative Impairments: Making Contact. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Permission to republish in the PSIGE newsletter was received from the publisher.
Research Prize Winner – Older peoples’ attitudes to mental illness
Authors: Quinn Kathryn M.
Published: January 2023

Despite the prevalence of mental health problems in later life, older people markedly underutilise mental health services. A greater awareness of factors influencing older peoples’ attitudes to mental illness may therefore improve awareness and treatment of mental disorders in this population. This study used a mixed methodology approach to explore and compare older peoples’ attitudes to mental illness in a sample of clinical and non-clinical participants. Results indicated that, similar to younger people, older people endorsed a range of positive and negative attitudes to mental illness. However, when attitudes to mental illness were considered within the context of ageing and experience a more complex pattern of results emerged. While negative attitudes to mental illness were associated with negative attitudes to ageing across the entire sample, clinical participants (and those with prior experience of mental illness) reported more positive attitudes to mental illness and more negative attitudes to ageing than non-clinical participants, for whom the reverse was true. Attitudes were also differentially related to health-behaviour outcomes. The results suggest that attitudes to mental illness and ageing may be linked and mediated by personal experience and capacity for psychological self-regulation in the face of age-associated adversity.
Reviewing diagnostic procedures in a Younger People with Dementia Team
Authors: Green Paul
Published: January 2023

The South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust’s Younger People with Dementia Team provides specialist support to clients of the Memory Monitoring Service who are under the age of 65. This paper describes the rationale for a new diagnostic pathway (Figure 1) which was developed following the discovery that two of these clients had been inaccurately diagnosed with dementia. The factors which can lead to misdiagnosis, especially in younger adults, are explored and a case study is included to illustrate how this issue was resolved for one particular client. Practitioners need to consider the possibility that cognitive impairment may arise from psychopathology, trauma or depression and a multidisciplinary approach to the issue of diagnosis is required if such difficulties are to be correctly identified. A robust protocol for thorough assessment and effective collaboration between the disciplines of psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychology and nursing is, therefore, essential.
Research in progress: Inappropriate sexual behaviour and dementia: An exploration of staff experiences
Authors: Hayward Laura E. , Robertson Noelle , Knight Caroline
Published: January 2023

The following abstract relates to research recently submitted as part of a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Leicester. It was awarded ethical approval in April 2008 by the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Ethics Committee 2.
Inappropriate sexual behaviour observed within an older adult service: The use of the St Andrew’s Sexual Behaviour Assessment (SASBA) in formulation, intervention and outcome
Authors: Stewart Inga , Knight Caroline , Alderman Nick , Hayward Laura
Published: January 2023

Inappropriate sexual behaviour (ISB) within older adult populations is arguably overlooked within the literature in comparison to other challenging behaviour such as aggression, yet the impact on service users and staff is equally disruptive and demanding. Additionally, there can be stigma attached to ISB. Inconsistencies in terminology and lack of measurement tools for ISB limit the degree to which such behaviour can be identified, reported and managed and as a result prevalence rates vary considerably.

The St Andrew’s Sexual Behaviour Assessment (SASBA: Knight et al., 2008), based on the Overt Aggression Scale – Modified for Neurorehabilitation (OAS-MNR: Alderman et al., 1997), was conceived to increase knowledge and understanding about ISB, provide clinical information to inform treatment, and make available a means of enabling appropriate, open discussion about the subject. The scale allows continuous observations of four categories of ISB, each with four levels of severity, which were developed with reference to relevant literature.

Information captured using the SASBA has been demonstrated to meaningfully contribute to a formulation about ISB, which can underpin the design of an appropriate intervention, and to measure outcome. Field data using SASBA has led to further insight about the nature of ISB within older adult populations. Clinical uses of the scale are outlined and the associated benefits and limitations are discussed.
Cognitive tests to predict referral for a driving assessment in people with dementia
Authors: Lincoln Nadina B. , Bouman Walter P. , Radford Kathryrn A.
Published: January 2023

Objective:Previous work by Lincoln and colleagues (2006) led to the development of a cognitive test battery for predicting safety to drive in people with dementia. The aim of the current study was to check the accuracy of this battery in an independent cohort of patients with dementia.

Methods:65 participants (age range 59 to 88, mean=75.2, SD=6.8) with dementia who were still driving were recruited. They were assessed on cognitive tests including measures of concentration, executive function, visuospatial perception, verbal recognition memory, and speed of information processing. Patients were then assessed on the Nottingham Neurological Driving Assessment by an Approved Driving Instructor who was blind to the cognitive test results.

Results:13 participants were unsafe and 52 safe to drive. Using a cut-off of >0 to indicate safety to drive, the original predictive equations correctly classified 49 (75.3 per cent) of the 65 participants.

Conclusions:A lower proportion of participants were found to be unsafe on the road than in previous studies. Despite this, the previously identified equation predicted safety to drive in most patients. We suggest that the cognitive test battery might be used in routine clinical practice for identifying those patients with dementia who would benefit from an on-road assessment.
Supervision of older adult placements in one region: Perspectives of three clinical tutors
Authors: Milne Derek , Marrinan Theresa , Ormrod John
Published: January 2023

To glimpse clinical psychology supervision within older adult placements, we summarise the authors’ experience of attending mid-placement meetings with the supervisors in one English region. To clarify these experiences, we used the supervision ‘platform’ and a key chapter, drawn from experiences in the US (Duffy & Morales, 1997). These provided the basis for an informal, semi-structured interview. This approach mimics the ‘aggregate study’ method used by Ellis et al. (1996), being a way to characterise a typical supervision paper. In turn, we found the method helpful in trying to characterise the supervision provided over the past year by approximately 10 local supervisors. As a result, we thought that the US profile outlined by Duffy and Morales (1997) fitted closely with our reflections on the local provision of older adult supervision. For example, it appeared to us that a distinctive feature of the older adult placements was the exceptional complexity of the clinical context. This seems to require considerable versatility and commitment of the trainees, with the implication that supervision needs to be particularly effective.
Personality disorder in later life – a pilot treatment group
Authors: Kemp Elizabeth
Published: January 2023

‘Why don’t we have the full service – 4.5 days? We have the same difficulties for longer and we have less resources to help us. Why not aim for the sky? Maybe not in my lifetime, but it is needed.’

Group member, 2008.
A process of counteracting forces: A grounded theory investigation of group therapy with older adults
Authors: Heath Julia
Published: January 2023

There is a scarcity of research into group therapy with older adults that explores participants’ experiences and underlying processes. This study aimed to investigate and explore participants’ experiences of group therapy and the processes occurring, with a view to producing a localised theory. A grounded theory methodology was used and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight older adults who had previously participated in group therapy. The data were subjected to grounded theory analysis that produced a core category of ‘Counteracting Forces’. Within this, the three main sub-categories were Group Process, Individual Process, and Societal Process. For each process a counteracting force is believed to operate. Overall the findings add new insight by incorporating participants’ outside experiences into the group processes, highlighting how group processes lead to individual change and specifically focusing on emotions. By incorporating societal processes, the findings are also given a contextual basis.
Using Terror Management Theory to understand the existential threat of dementia
Authors: Cheston Richard
Published: January 2023

This paper sets out an argument for understanding the subjective experience of people with dementia in terms of Terror Management Theory (TMT). This theory is a broad and detailed account derived from experimental psychological research of the way in which material that represents an existential threat to psychological equanimity triggers a range of social and personal defences. These responses are mediated by levels of self-esteem and include the process of mnemic neglect in which threatening material is processed less efficiently and recalled less thoroughly. Using TMT to understand the responses of people with dementia has a range of clinical implications.

Judith:I just wonder where it’s all going to end, that’s my fear …

Janet:Whenit’s going to end?

Judith:Whereit’s going to end, where am I going to end up, just before the end, you know.

Janet:Oh, I see you mean, I talk about death…

Judith:Yeah

Janet: …to my family and I think the only thing that I’m frightened of is the unknown and that is death to me.

Judith:and after that. Oh, no I’m worried about what comes just before [laughs] it could be years before, couldn’t it?

Janet:It could be tomorrow

Robert:Is it the dying that?

Judith:I don’t feel that at all, no, because we all go through that, no I’m not frightened about that, no. It’s not really my religion to say it at all, but I don’t know if there’s anything else and I’m not going to worry about that right now, you know.

Facilitator:So what is the frightening, when you say about the future?

Judith:Being, being useless, you know.

Janet:Yes.

Judith:Not having all my faculties, I dread that, I dread that, its as if I’m going to come to it one morning, perhaps, you know and think ‘Oh my godfathers, what’s left?’, I really worry about that … so I’m quite happy in a situation unless I chose to sort of sit there and think. And it’s when I think about that, that the curtain comes down.

From Cheston (2004).
A second model of psychotherapy for older people in Scotland: The first national cohort of IPT practitioners who are older adult specialists
Authors: Wilson Jacqueline , Thomson Pauline
Published: January 2023

This article aims to describe a unique Scottish training initiative in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for older adult staff organised by the Psychological Interventions Team within NHS Education for Scotland (NES). The team was set up in 2010 by the Scottish Government Health Department with the aim of assisting health boards to increase access to psychological therapies by 2014 to meet a HEAT target. Provision of training for the older adult mental health specialty in psychological therapies had been set as a Government priority area along with Alcohol, Trauma and Forensic services. The results of the evaluation of the older adult IPT training is described, as is the Learning Network which has now been set up to consolidate learning post-course and to stimulate discussions around cases, research and training for the future.
High socio-economic status and conversion from mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary study
Authors: Orchard Anna V. , Hiskey Syd , Andrews Leanne
Published: January 2023

Objectives:Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is thought to be a prodromal phase to dementia. The majority of individuals with MCI eventually develop dementia, however, almost one-third do not and some even revert back to normal functioning. Understanding factors associated with conversion is, therefore, important.

The study explored whether high socio-economic status (SES) among individuals seen within an Essex-based memory clinic differentially affected whether they remained in the MCI range or converted to dementia, at one-year follow-up.

Method:Forty individuals aged 65 years and over, given a diagnosis of MCI at initial assessment and subsequently reassessed one year later, were included. Individuals’ SES was retrospectively rated according to postcode.

Results:Chi square analyses failed to find a significant difference between the conversion rates of those with low and high SES. However, just 15 per cent of the sample were classified within the lowest two SES categories.

Conclusion:This preliminary study suggests that high SES does not reduce the rate of conversion from MCI to dementia. Moreover, individuals with low SES were poorly represented within the sample.
Considerations in differential diagnosis in behavioural-variant Frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Garfoot Vanessa
Published: January 2023

‘If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck.’

(James Whitby Riley, 1849–1916)
Attitudinal change towards working with older adults: An evaluation of a training workshop for IAPT staff
Authors: Meleady Jane , Patterson Tom
Published: January 2023

The aim of the present service evaluation was to investigate the effectiveness of a two-day Core Training Workshop in influencing IAPT staff’s attitudes both to working therapeutically with older adults, and to personal expectations of ageing. This was a questionnaire based service evaluation. Participants were 25 IAPT clinical practitioners, composed of both High Intensity Therapists (N=10) and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (N=15), including both trainees (N=3) and qualified therapists (N=22). The number of years participants had been working as a qualified therapist ranged from 0 to 6 (M=2.4). Dependent t-tests showed a significantly more positive attitude towards working with older people upon completion of the workshop. Participants also displayed an increase in positive attitudes towards personal ageing across time. The significant changes observed suggest that the workshop was effective in promoting positive attitudes towards working therapeutically with older people and towards personal aging. The findings are of value given the current ambition within the Department of Health to increase access for older people to IAPT services.
An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis investigation into service user and service provider views on dementia services
Authors: Asquith Ian
Published: January 2023

Since the person-centred care revolution, social psychological factors that contribute to the cognitive decline have been recognised. Increasingly, having an understanding of the person with dementia’s experience is now seen as an important element of care. One approach that has been neglected in the research is whether the person-centred care revolution has resulted in a change in attitudes from the service providers. This research investigated the attitudes of service users and service providers towards dementia services using an interpretive phenomenological analysis. The analysis suggests that service user themes included personal understanding of the illness, staff members, nature of support and limitations to services. Service provider themes focused on appropriate staff members, approach to dementia, personalisation, support and constraints to provision. The discussion outlines the similarities in the themes, practical implications, limitations and the direction of future research.
The experiences of service users and their significant others in a rural memory clinic
Authors: Dickenson Jennifer , Cheffey Jo , Harrison Mark
Published: January 2023

We examined the experiences of service users and their significant others following assessment at the Tiverton Memory Clinic in a rural district hospital in mid-Devon. This report is a service development evaluation to highlight areas of practice where quality could be maintained and improved.
Broadening horizons: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for older people experiencing depression
Authors: Keohane Peter
Published: January 2023

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an integrative psychological approach linking mindful meditation with cognitive therapy. It has a strong evidence base in treating recurrent depression. However, limited research has been completed with older people. The present study evaluates one adapted, community based MBCT group (N=8) in a partial replication of Smith, Graham and Senthinathan (2007). Levels of depression, psychological distress and mindfulness were assessed on a single case basis using standardised measures. Responses from an anonymous client satisfaction questionnaire provided qualitative data for thematic analysis. Significant and reliable reductions in depression and distress were found in two of the four analysed participants. Little change in mindfulness was observed. Thematic analysis illustrated aspects of adapted MBCT that participants found helpful and less helpful, and recommendations for further adaptation were generated. This study builds on previous research advocating MBCT for older people and discusses the theoretical and clinical implications for future service provision.
Formulating with staff teams around behaviour that challenges in people with dementia
Authors: Tew Victoria
Published: January 2023

This article will discuss the use of formulating with staff teams that work with people with dementia who are behaving in ways perceived as challenging. I developed an interest in formulation meetings whilst on placement in an older adult service in Nottinghamshire as part of my doctoral training. Here, I will offer thoughts on the use of systemic theory in formulation meetings in dementia services, whilst comparing this to the main approach used in the area, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Health care staff informal feedback on ‘consultation level’ formulation sessions and group reflective practice sessions
Authors: Smith Angela
Published: January 2023

This article seeks to build on the earlier article in this newsletter by Victoria Tew regarding formulation in teams, and the consistent references made to consultation level input being provided across the Trent region. This article will discuss the informal qualitative feedback received from a small group of health care professionals (HCPs) from a Mental Heath Service for Older People (MHSOP) with regards to the use of formulation sessions provided on a consultation basis and reflective practice groups in a newly-developed clinical psychology service in a rural area. I hope it will assist in demonstrating the power of asking for feedback and highlighting to higher management, and consequently commissioners, the content of that feedback as a contribution of evidence for the input that can be provided by clinical psychology to be seen as integral in revisions of service delivery within our area.
Dementia Service User Involvement in the FPOP Dementia Workstream papers on the Early Stages Dementia Care Pathway
Authors: Litherland Rachael , Guss Reinhard
Published: January 2023

This article will describe an innovative approach to involving people with dementia in contributing to and shaping the FPOP Dementia Workstream’s series of papers to inform best practice across the early/moderate dementia care pathways.
Human rights and dementia: Who benefits?
Authors: Butchard Sarah
Published: January 2023

As the population ages there will be an increasing number of people living with dementia in society. Whilst the search for a cure is essential, there is acknowledgement that an effective way of treating the underlying causes of dementia is not yet obtainable. In the meantime, providing support and services to people with dementia that enables them to live meaningful lives is both a moral imperative and an economic necessity. Whilst an increasing number of people with dementia are not only carrying on with life but leading the way in demonstrating that you can have dementia and still live purposeful independent lives, there are a group of people who require additional support as their dementia progresses. We all hope that when we come into contact with care services they will treat us in a compassionate and respectful way that maintains our dignity, but as recent scandals at Winterbourne View and Mid-Staffordshire have highlighted, this is not always the case. This paper will outline some of the potential benefits of applying a human rights based approach to dementia care for people living with dementia, the services supporting them and the staff working in these services.
The Existential Synapse: Reductionism, Heidegger and Neurophysiology
Authors: King-Spooner Simon
Published: January 2023

One interpretation of recent discoveries in the microphysiology of our nervous and hormonal systems is that they give ever stronger and more detailed support for reductionist explanations of psychological functioning - that is, that they have progressively filled out and substantiated the picture that human functioning is rooted in the straightforwardly causal processes of molecular chemistry and physics. But it can be argued that an alternative interpretation fits the facts better - that the functioning of molecules in our nervous and endocrine systems only makes sense when taken in the context of the existential, language-culture-meaning-rooted framework within which we live: as Heidegger put it, that ‘everything we call our bodiliness, down to the last muscle fibre and down to the most hidden molecule of hormones, belongs essentially to existing’. Recent work on the laying down of long-term memory invites a critical comparison of these diametrically (and philosophically) opposed interpretations.
How the Industrial Fatigue (later Health) Research Board Developed Psychology, 1919 – 1939
Authors: Stansfield Frederic
Published: January 2023

Implications of the Industrial Fatigue (later Health) Research Board for the development of British occupational psychology are examined using archival material. The Board arose from research in the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War. From 1921 it was responsible to the Medical Research Council. The Board set up a small scientific committee for Industrial Psychology, of which C. L. Burt, T. H. Pear, C. S. Sherrington and F. C. Bartlett were long-serving members, influencing the funding and evaluation of research. Studies of vocational guidance were encouraged, during the 1920s in conjunction with the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. Other interests included accident proneness, neurosis in industry, rest pauses and noise. Results were published in a series of Government reports. In the 1930s, funded research increasingly emphasised theory and was based in universities, including Bartlett’s Psychological Laboratory at Cambridge. Weakening of links with employers and labour interests after the 1921 re-organization was a less fortunate development.
Social Psychology (1955–1975): An Alternative View
Authors: Duncan David C.
Published: January 2023

In the period under review social psychology was riven with controversy as to what were its basic philosophies, central concerns, and permissible techniques of research and data collection. The latest evidence suggests that this strife continues. This paper reviews the divergent views and suggests that a solution may be found in a professional future.
Abnormal Psychology: Unresolved Ontological and Epistemological Contestation
Authors: Pilgrim David
Published: January 2023

During the 20thcentury, the range of behavioural deviations from societal norms that came within the jurisdiction of mental health practitioners extended well beyond the original focus in the Victorian period of lunacy. At the same time, the ontological and epistemological basis of that extension became contested in a number of ways. This article takes stock of that legacy of contestation at the beginning of the 21stcentury by setting the Victorian tradition of ‘medical naturalism’, a form of naïve realism, against the positions justified by critical realism and radical constructivism. These two ongoing challenges suggest that scientific incrementalism promised by medical naturalism was doomed to failure.
A computer simulation of Meinong’s (1902)Objektivstage of object perception
Authors: Smith Derek J.
Published: January 2023

One of the cornerstones of Meinong’s (1902) philosophy was that mental representations of discrete external objects (Gegenstände) were not always the true objects of perceptual judgment. Instead, he proposed a brief but important transitional stage of perception during which a particularObjektiv, or ‘object of judgment’, emerges which incorporates but does not totally equate to the literal contents of the sensory field. This presentation supports Meinong’s analysis using computer simulation data obtained fromKonrad, a general purpose artificial intelligence testbed.