SWUC Plymouth 2018 Talk abstracts
A qualitative study of the perception of the concept of the ‘friend zone’ amongst millennials Chris Grundy University of the West of England Objectives/purpose This qualitative study hopes to obtain insight into the experience of the 'friend zone' and how it is viewed in society now that it has gained an increasingly recognisable moniker. Design Young adult participants (age range: 21-35) are asked to undertake a story completion task involving a story where one of two people has been ‘friend-zoned’. The obtained stories are subjected to thematic analysis in order to delineate themes implicated in these relationships. Background Whilst there have been some studies on the phenomenon of one person wanting more from a relationship than the other, there appear to be none specifically looking into the concept of the ‘friend zone’. This qualitative study obtains insight into this experience and how it is viewed in society now that it has gained an increasingly recognisable moniker. Methods 40 young adult participants (age range: 21-35) are asked to undertake a story completion task via social media involving a story where one of two people has been ‘friend-zoned’. The obtained stories are subjected to thematic analysis in order to delineate themes implicated in these relationships. Methodological issues pertaining to story completion and its suitability for the research question at hand are also discussed. Ethical considerations were made and implemented in line with the British Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics and Conduct. Results The project is currently collecting data. Conclusions The project is currently collecting data. Project Supervisor Miltos Hadjiosif Keywords friend zone, cross-sex friendship
Acquired Brain injury and the experience of impaired insight. David Bennett Plymouth University Objectives/purpose This main objective of this study is to gain an understanding of the phenomenological experience of individuals with a high level of cognitive functioning and intelligence but an impaired level of insight. Design The study was done through semi-structured interview with participants. Data was analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Background Diagnostic, medical, and rehabilitative advancement has increased the prognosis of independence in survivors of ABI. However, does a high level of cognitive functioning and intelligence mask an impaired insight into an individual’s impairment and how does this relate to an individual’s capacity. Methods Participants (n=4) were all service users of Headway Somerset who had a diagnosed acquired brain injury. Participants were selected by case workers within Headway Somerset due to their high cognitive functioning. All participants and their case workers completed the BADS-DEX insight questionnaire to determine a quantified impairment of insight. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results The data has undergone preliminary analysis and several themes have emerged across participants; a physical – neurological hierarchy, a past/future tension, an anomic present, and a poverty of information. Conclusions The data is currently in the analysis process but early indications are that there are commonalities in the experience of the individuals, all of whom have insight impairments. All have a neurological physiological basis for impairment but additional factors such as the sharing of clinical information and a sense of powerlessness, among other factors, play a role in post ABI insight impairment. Project Supervisor Dr Alyson Norman Keywords ABI, insight, impairment, IPA
An investigation into the effects of cannabis on anxiety and appetite hormones in individuals with problematic eating behaviour Leah Fawaz, Mariella Henderson, Aiko Chang and Ewa Placher University of Exeter Objectives/purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of smoking cannabis on appetite hormones, body perceptions, and anxiety measures. Design The study aims to recruit 80 frequent cannabis smokers in a mixed-measures design. Background Cannabis has been found to increase appetite and reduce chronic stress, depression and nausea. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rates compared to any other psychiatric disorder. Effective treatments for eating disorders are limited. Whilst some anecdotal evidence exists, the use of cannabis in the treatment of eating disorders has not been fully explored. Methods Each participant’s appetite hormones will be measured prior and post smoking cannabis, via saliva testing. Several questionnaires, both subjective and objective measures, will be used to assess problematic eating behaviour (PEB), body perception and anxiety scores, along with a dot-probe test to identify attentional biases towards food. Results It is predicted that cannabis will both reduce anxiety and increase appetite. Specifically, leptin and ghrelin levels should increase after smoking. It is also expected that individuals with high PEB scores would exhibit avoidance behaviour towards food-related stimuli before smoking, but this would reduce after smoking cannabis. Conclusions This work may potentially have implications for the future development of pharmacotherapies for eating disorders. Project Supervisor Professor Celia Morgan Keywords problematic eating behaviour, cannabis, leptin, ghrelin
Anxiety in paediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: a prevalence study and evaluation of screening tools. Rebecca Read University of Bath Objectives/purpose This study aims to identify the prevalence of anxiety disorders in adolescents with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), and evaluate the accuracy of clinical anxiety screening tools. Design Diagnostic interviews are being conducted using a cross-sectional epidemiological design. Background Research has demonstrated that children and adolescents with CFS/ME are at risk of suffering comorbid anxiety disorders, which could interfere with treatment and recovery. However, mental health screening in this population has largely relied on questionnaires, which do not determine whether participants fulfil diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorder, and may be confounded by overlapping symptoms of CFS/ME and anxiety. Methods 89 12- to-18-year-olds have been recruited from a specialist paediatric CFS/ME service, with recruitment ongoing. Participants are being interviewed using the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS), a semi-structured psychiatric interview of established validity and reliability. Participants’ K-SADS outcomes were compared to their responses on the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), an anxiety screening questionnaire used in paediatric CFS/ME services. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess for sensitivity and specificity of the SCAS. Results A preliminary analysis found that approximately 35% of participants met criteria for a DSM-5 defined anxiety disorder, with social anxiety, phobic, and generalised anxiety disorders being the most prevalent. The accuracy of the SCAS in detecting different types of anxiety ranged from poor to good, overall having fair accuracy in detecting any anxiety. Conclusions A large proportion of young people with CFS/ME also experience comorbid anxiety disorders, suggesting that specialist services should be equipped to manage psychological problems. Current clinical screening tools are only fairly accurate at detecting overall anxiety, implying that more sophisticated measures are required. Project Supervisor Dr Richard Joiner and Dr Maria Loades Keywords CFS/ME, anxiety, prevalence, epidemiology
Are mixed-race couples spontaneously perceived as less ‘natural’ than same- race couples ? Kanekwa Nzimba University of Bristol Objectives/purpose To investigate how mixed-race romantic couples are evaluated by observers of different racial backgrounds. Design The experiment had a 2 (primes: same-race vs. mixed-race) x 2 (target images: natural vs. artificial) x 2 (participant race: Black vs. White) mixed factorial design. Background Recently, psychologists have become concerned with how we evaluate social interactions involving multiple strangers; a phenomenon known as people-watching. It has been suggested that in dyadic interactions (those involving two people), third-party observers often use the dyad's racial composition to evaluate them. For instance, some studies have reported that images of interracial couples are spontaneously evaluated negatively. Until now however, research on racial prejudice at a dyadic level has largely been based in America. Thus, it remains unclear whether such studies are generalisable to Europe-based countries with different migration and racial patterns. Methods A sequential priming task was used to investigate whether black and white participants at a British University have implicit biased attitudes towards mixed-race couples. Participants were primed with either same-race (e.g. a white couple) or mixed-race couples (e.g a black man dating a white woman) before they were asked to categorise natural or man-made artefacts. Results It was predicted that on average, same race couples would elicit quicker categorisation times for images displaying natural entities than mixed-race couples. Conclusions The findings promise to help us better understand how positive mixed-race interactions are evaluated by observers of different racial backgrounds. Project Supervisor Dr. Susanne Quadflieg Keywords interracial couples, racial prejudice, sequential priming
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