Telling stories of 21st Century welfare: the UK Coalition Government and the neo-liberal discourse of worklessness and dependency’ Critical Social Policy

Policy documents are a useful source for understanding the privileging of particular ideological and policy preferences (Scrase and Ockwell, 2010) and how the language and imagery may help to construct society’s assumptions, values and beliefs. This article examines how the UK Coalition government’s 2010 Green Paper, 21st Century Welfare, and the White Paper, Universal Credit: Welfare that Works, assist in constructing a discourse about social security that favours a renewal and deepening of neo-liberalization in the context of threats to its hegemony. The documents marginalize the structural aspects of persistent unemployment and poverty by transforming these into individual pathologies of benefit dependency and worklessness. The consequence is that familiar neo-liberal policy measures favouring the intensification of punitive conditionality and economic rationality can be portrayed as new and innovative solutions to address Britain’s supposedly broken society and restore economic competitiveness.

The effects and side-effects of statistics education: Psychology students’ (mis-)conceptions of probability

In three studies we looked at two typical misconceptions of probability: the representativeness heuristic, and the equiprobability bias. The literature on statistics education predicts that some typical errors and biases (e.g., the equiprobability bias) increase with education, whereas others decrease. This is in contrast with reasoning theorists’ prediction who propose that education reduces misconceptions in general. They also predict that students with higher cognitive ability and higher need for cognition are less susceptible to biases. In Experiments 1 and 2 we found that the equiprobability bias increased with statistics education, and it was negatively correlated with students’ cognitive abilities. The representativeness heuristic was mostly unaffected by education, and it was also unrelated to cognitive abilities. In Experiment 3 we demonstrated through an instruction manipulation (by asking participants to think logically vs. rely on their intuitions) that the reason for these differences was that these biases originated in different cognitive processes.

Stress, Positive Psychology and the National Student Survey

The aim was to explore the predictive ability of sources of stress and a range of dispositional and coping behaviours on student satisfaction and motivation. Most research exploring sources of stress and coping in students construes stress as psychological distress, with little attempt to consider positive experiences of stress. A questionnaire was administered to 120 first-year UK psychology students. Questions were asked which measured sources of stress when rated as likely to contribute to distress (a hassle) and likely to help one achieve (an uplift). The sources of stress were amended from the UK National Student Survey (NSS, 2011). Support, control, self-efficacy, personality and coping style were also measured, along with their potential affect on
course satisfaction, motivation and feeling part of a learning community. The sources of stress likely to lead to distress were more often significant than sources of stress likely to lead to positive, eustress states. Ironically,
factors one would consider would help students, such as the university support facilities, only did so when rated as a hassle, not as an uplift. Published university league tables draw heavily on student course satisfaction but this negatively correlated with intellectual motivation and feeling part of a learning
community. This suggests course satisfaction alone reveals an incomplete picture of the student experience. Course educators need to consider how course experiences contribute not just to potential distress but to
potential eustress. Teaching quality, effective support and work-life balance are key to student satisfaction and motivation. How educators interact with their students and the opportunities they create in and outside the class to promote peer support are likely to enhance satisfaction and motivation.

Children’s Views Matter Too! A Pilot Project Assessing Children’s and Adolescents’ Experiences of Clinical Psychology Services

This pilot study explored the experiences and understanding of clinical psychology practices and services of children and adolescents attending clinical psychology outpatient appointments. Fifteen young participants took part in the study. A content analysis indicated that young children and adolescents have an appropriate understanding of the role of the clinical psychologist, with older children commenting on the uniqueness and value of the therapeutic relationship. Attendance was rated as positive and helpful with regards to difficulties across all ages; however, many children were not consulted with at the point of referral and many did not know why they were attending. Implications for assessing children's and adolescents’ experiences of clinical psychology services are discussed.

A ten year retrospective audit of clinical psychology referrals within a paediatric CF team

Objective: This retrospective audit was undertaken to explore the nature of referrals made by the paediatric CF team to the Clinical Psychologist over a period of 10 years. The aim of the audit was to identify patterns or trends related to difficulties referred by the team.
Methods: A database consisting of all referrals received over a ten year period from 2001-2010 was created. A coding template was then created by KR and AC, which allowed for the categorisation of referrals into three main themes: Mood disturbance; CF related events; and non-CF related events. The same coding template was used to categorise referrals to the adult CF service. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data.
Results: Over the ten year period, 106 young people with CF were referred to psychology, representing 266 referrals. On average, a referral was made every two weeks. The most common reason for referral was for CF related events (i.e. adherence, living everyday life with CF). Referrals were found to increase with age. Both genders were equally likely to be referred, with females being re-referred most frequently, indicating increased psychological morbidity. The majority of referrals (79%) were repeat referrals, indicating that psychology input is focused upon a small number of young people but over a period of time. In a typical year (09-10), only 16% of all young people with CF were able to access psychology services. Conclusion: This audit identified patterns related to inequality of access, gender differences, and the identification of common concerns across age groups. The audit also highlighted areas where early intervention and training efforts could be targeted.

A ten year audit of clinical psychology referrals in the regional Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit in Northern Ireland

Objectives: A retrospective audit was conducted into Clinical Psychology referrals made by the adult cystic fibrosis (CF) team over a ten year period from 2001-2010. The aim of the audit was to examine the psychological difficulties referred to Clinical Psychology and identify any trends.
Methods: A database of all referrals received over a ten year period was created. A coding template was created by KR and AC which allowed for the categorisation of referrals into three main themes: Mood disturbance, CF related events and non-CF related events. The same coding template was used to categorise referrals to the children’s CF service. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data.
Results: In 2009/10, 11% of the adult CF population in Northern Ireland were referred to Clinical Psychology. In the past 10 years there were 200 referrals and 105 adults who accessed Clinical Psychology services. The majority of referrals (67%) were re-referrals (range 2-7). More females were referred and they were also more likely to be referred repeatedly The main reason for referral was anxiety. Depression, adherence and end of life/transplant issues also accounted for a large proportion of referrals. A small proportion of referrals were due to non CF related events. There were age and gender differences in the reasons for referral.
Conclusion: A minority of CF patients attending the regional unit were referred to Clinical Psychology. Those who accessed the services appear to be at increased risk of psychological morbidity as re-referral rates are high. The gender difference in referral and re-referral rates may reflect a difference in psychological morbidity or males not accessing services.

Agency or Dependency?: The Mixed Peppers Theatre Arts Training Project for young people with disabilities

This article provides a reflection on my past practice as Creative Director of The Mixed Peppers Theatre Arts Training Programme. Drawing upon discourses of Disability Studies it considers how this ostensibly emancipatory project that sought to provide access to theatre activity for young people with physical disabilities living in Northern Ireland was flawed, and was eventually disbanded, partly due to a failure on the part of its non-disabled leadership to address imbalances of power in its relationship with its young disabled constituency. The article is framed within a survey of recent debates that focus upon the historical lack of a sustained, indigenous, disability-led theatre activity in Northern Ireland and the recent efforts by non-disabled professional arts practitioners to establish such activity in the region. It offers, as an exemplar to current discussion, an analysis of how the choice and agency of the young members of The Mixed Peppers were compromised by the well-meaning but potentially oppressive practices of its leadership. It questions whether the project was unduly influenced by parental desire to see their disabled children `normalized' in a high-profile theatrical production. Finally, it considers how The Mixed Peppers' institutional situation, as a project controlled and administered by a disability charity, was implicated in the premature demise of the initiative.

Longitudinal study of interpersonal dependency in female twins

Interpersonal dependence is thought to be important in a number of physical and psychological disorders. There are several developmental theories that suggest environmental influences in childhood are important.

Citizenship and Structured Dependency: the implications of policy design for senior political power

This paper argues that the structured dependency thesis must be extended to incorporate political power. It outlines a political framework of analysis with which to identify who gains and who loses from social policy. I argue that public policy for older people is a product not only of social structures but also of political decision-making. The Schneider and Ingram (1993) ‘ target populations’ model is used to investigate how the social construction of groups as dependent equates with lower levels of influence on policy making. In United Kingdom and European research, older people are identified as politically quiescent, but conversely in the United States seniors are viewed as one of the most influential and cohesive interest groups in the political culture. Why are American seniors perceived as politically powerful, while older people in Europe are viewed as dependent and politically weak? This paper applies the ‘target populations’ model to senior policy in the Republic of Ireland to investigate how theoretical work in the United States may be used to identify the significance of senior power in policy development. I conclude that research must recognise the connections between power, politics and social constructions to investigate how state policies can influence the likelihood that seniors will resist structured dependency using political means.