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John Mallett

Bio: John Mallett is an academic researcher from Ulster University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social work & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 51 publications receiving 892 citations.


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TL;DR: Investigation of the effectiveness of recent social therapeutic interventions to reduce loneliness in older people found three studies reporting on new technologies and one on a group work intervention identified significant reductions in loneliness.
Abstract: Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of recent social therapeutic interventions to reduce loneliness in older people. Method: To examine this matter, a literature review, using seven databases, was undertaken using search terms relating to the themes of ageing, loneliness and social support. A total of 17 relevant studies relating to loneliness interventions were analysed. Results: Three studies reporting on new technologies and one on a group work intervention identified significant reductions in loneliness.Conclusion: Further research into interventions using new technologies to reduce loneliness in older people is recommended.

149 citations

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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how the Demand Control-Support (D-C-S) model applied in a well-defined occupational group and found that it accounted for 26, 6, and 8% of the variance in job satisfaction, psychological distress and burnout, respectively, among 166 academics in a UK university.
Abstract: The Demand-Control (D-C) (Karasek, 1979) and the Demand-Control-Support (D-C-S) (Johnson & Hall, 1988; Johnson, Hall, & Theorell, 1989; Karasek & Theorell, 1990) models of work stress suggest that jobs with high demands and low control (and low support) are stressful. In line with the support in the literature for context-specificity in occupational stress research (Sparks & Cooper, 1999) and the limited and even contradictory support for interaction effects, the main aim of the present study was to examine how the D-C-S model applied in a well-defined occupational group. Using hierarchical regression analyses, and controlling for negative affect, the D-C-S model accounted for 26%, 6%, and 8% of the variance in job satisfaction, psychological distress and burnout, respectively, among 166 academics in a UK university. No two-way or three-way interactive effects were evident, but additive effects of job demands and control on psychological well-being and of job demands and support on both burnout and job satisfaction were shown, corroborating research showing that high job strain is linked to ill health and job dissatisfaction in this homogenous occupational sample. It is recommended that, in future, research includes more variables that are specific to a particular occupation.

116 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A questionnaire to measure young people's attitudes to breastfeeding using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) proved to be reliable, and preliminary analysis provided strong support for the predictive power of the TPB.
Abstract: Background The focus of this study was to design and pilot a questionnaire to measure young people's attitudes to breastfeeding using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). This is intended for subsequent use in a large-scale attitude survey, which in turn will inform the design of a breastfeeding intervention programme with adolescents. Methods The first three phases of a research programme employing the theory are described: belief elicitation, questionnaire development and a pilot study. Firstly, an elicitation study to identify the modal salient beliefs underlying young peoples' motivations to breastfeed, using six semi-structured focus groups with 48 young people, was performed. Secondly, the measurement instrument was constructed, incorporating all the key theoretical constructs and both direct and belief-based measures. The questionnaire was then piloted on a sample of 121 female and male schoolchildren to identify and assess the relative importance of the determinants of breastfeeding intention. Results The questionnaire proved to be reliable, and preliminary analysis provided strong support for the predictive power of the TPB. Conclusions Some key issues involved in the operationalization of the theory are highlighted, which may be of interest to researchers involved in the design of TPB questionnaires for use in other intervention programmes.

104 citations

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TL;DR: Findings indicating that adverse events in childhood may be causally related to subsequent psychosis are supported and repeated recommendations concerning routine enquiry about adverse experiences in childhood receive support.
Abstract: Numerous studies of both clinical and large-scale population based samples have demonstrated that adverse childhood events are risk factors for subsequent psychosis. This study assessed the relationships between adverse childhood events and auditory and visual hallucinatory experiences. The study analysed data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication conducted in the US that assessed (all before age 16) rape, sexual assault and physical assault. Psychosis symptomatology was represented by lifetime experience of auditory and visual hallucinations. Control variables included gender, age, urbanity, ethnicity, marital status, education, employment status, alcohol dependence and drug dependence. All three adverse events were significantly related to both types of hallucinations. Those who had been raped as children were 3.3 times more likely to have experienced visual hallucinations and 3.5 times more likely to have experienced auditory hallucinations compared to those who had not been raped in childhood. Both rape and physical assault significantly predicted visual and auditory hallucinations. A significant dose–response relationship was also found. Previous findings indicating that adverse events in childhood may be causally related to subsequent psychosis are supported. The psychological and biological mechanisms underlying the relationship are already the subject of investigation. Repeated recommendations concerning routine enquiry about adverse experiences in childhood in order to facilitate comprehensive formulations and appropriate treatment, also receive support from these findings.

71 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19.
Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers' wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

64 citations


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TL;DR: It is shown that childhood adversity is strongly associated with increased risk for psychosis and population attributable risk was 33% (16%–47%).
Abstract: Evidence suggests that adverse experiences in childhood are associated with psychosis. To examine the association between childhood adversity and trauma (sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, neglect, parental death, and bullying) and psychosis outcome, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Web of Science were searched from January 1980 through November 2011. We included prospective cohort studies, large-scale cross-sectional studies investigating the association between childhood adversity and psychotic symptoms or illness, case-control studies comparing the prevalence of adverse events between psychotic patients and controls using dichotomous or continuous measures, and case-control studies comparing the prevalence of psychotic symptoms between exposed and nonexposed subjects using dichotomous or continuous measures of adversity and psychosis. The analysis included 18 case-control studies (n = 2048 psychotic patients and 1856 nonpsychiatric controls), 10 prospective and quasi-prospective studies (n = 41 803) and 8 population-based cross-sectional studies (n = 35 546). There were significant associations between adversity and psychosis across all research designs, with an overall effect of OR = 2.78 (95% CI = 2.34–3.31). The integration of the case-control studies indicated that patients with psychosis were 2.72 times more likely to have been exposed to childhood adversity than controls (95% CI = 1.90–3.88). The association between childhood adversity and psychosis was also significant in population-based cross-sectional studies (OR = 2.99 [95% CI = 2.12–4.20]) as well as in prospective and quasi-prospective studies (OR = 2.75 [95% CI = 2.17–3.47]). The estimated population attributable risk was 33% (16%–47%). These findings indicate that childhood adversity is strongly associated with increased risk for psychosis.

1,893 citations

17 Oct 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the evidence and the gaps in the published work in terms of prevalence, risk and protective factors, and interventions to prevent and treat childhood and adolescent mental health problems.
Abstract: This article suggests that while mental health problems affect 10—20% of children and adolescents worldwide, the mental health needs of children and adolescents are neglected, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. The authors review the evidence and the gaps in the published work in terms of prevalence, risk and protective factors, and interventions to prevent and treat childhood and adolescent mental health problems.

1,088 citations