Nadia Wager

The effect on ambulatory blood pressure of working under favourably and unfavourably perceived supervisors

Aims: To investigate the role played by employees’ perceptions of their supervisors’ interactional styles as a possible source of workplace stress that may be associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates from cardiovascular disorders in workers in the lower strata of organisational hierarchies. Methods: A controlled, quasi-experimental, field study of female healthcare assistants. Allocation to the experimental and control groups was based on participants’ responses to a supervisor interactional style questionnaire. Experimental participants (n = 13) reported working under two divergently perceived supervisors at the same workplace, on different days. The control group (n = 15) worked either under one supervisor, or two similarly perceived supervisors. Ambulatory blood pressure was recorded every 30 minutes, over a 12 hour period for three days. Results: The control group showed a 3 mm Hg difference in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a non-significant difference in diastolic blood pressure (DBP; mean difference 1 mm Hg) between the two supervisor conditions. The experimental group showed significantly higher SBP (15 mm Hg) and DBP (7 mm Hg) when working under a less favoured compared to a favoured supervisor. The degree of divergence in perceptions of supervisors shows a significant positive relation with the difference in blood pressure between the two workdays. Divergence in perceptions of interpersonal fairness is the strongest predictor of difference in blood pressure. Conclusion: An unfavourably perceived supervisor is a potent workplace stressor, which might have a clinically significant impact on supervisees’ cardiovascular functioning.

Respondents' experiences of completing a retrospective web-based, sexual trauma survey: does a history of sexual victimization equate with risk for harm?

This study investigated respondents’ experiences of completing a retrospective web-based survey exploring sexual revictimization. The original survey provided a link to a separate mixed-methods survey assessing the impact of participation. Of the original 481 respondents, 234 completed this follow-up survey. Eighty percent were female and 52% reported histories of sexual victimization (SV). Newman, Willard, Sinclair, and Kaloupek’s (2001) Reactions to Research Participation Questionnaire was adapted to suit this web-based design, and several open-ended questions were included. The statistical analysis revealed that those who experienced SV reported higher levels of distress and personal benefit and were less likely to be inconvenienced by participation. However, higher levels of benefit did not always compensate for greater levels of distress, particularly for those with more recent and more extensive histories of SV. The thematic analysis of the qualitative responses is discussed and suggestions are offered for the design of more ethically sensitive research protocols and practices.

Sexual Revictimization: Double Betrayal and the Risk Associated with Dissociative Amnesia

This study aimed to identify new treatment targets in order to develop more empirically informed initiatives to prevent sexual revictimization. A retrospective Web-based survey employing a mixed-methods design attracted a self-selecting sample of 481 community respondents, 183 of whom indicated a history of childhood sexual abuse. Seventy-four percent were females whose ages ranged from 16 to 69 years (mean = 31.2 years). Betrayal trauma referred to CSA committed by a trusted perpetrator (often caregivers). Disclosure experiences in childhood were reported though open-dialogue boxes. Double betrayal referred to high-betrayal trauma being combined with a negative response to a disclosure. This was associated with both higher incidences of prior psychogenic amnesia for CSA and sexual revictimization in later life. The findings have implications for educating the guardians of children about the prevalence and implications of CSA as well as the importance of early recognition and appropriate responding.

Psychogenic amnesia for childhood sexual abuse and risk for sexual revictimisation in both adolescence and adulthood

This study was an investigation of the additional risk conferred by the experience of psychogenic amnesia for memories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the likelihood of becoming a victim of sexual assault in later life. A total of 210 community respondents completed a retrospective web-based trauma survey. The majority of respondents were female (74.3%) and their ages ranged from 16 to 65 years, with a mean age of 33 years. Chi-squared analysis revealed that survivors of CSA demonstrated significantly greater risk (58%, χ2 = 44.461, p = 0.0005) of experiencing sexual assault in adolescence in comparison with their non-abused counterparts (13%). Furthermore, survivors who reported having been amnesic for their abuse-related memories demonstrated a higher rate of adolescent revictimisation (86%) than survivors who had retained continuous memories of their victimisation (48%, χ2 = 8.626, p = 0.003). Overall, once-amnesic survivors of CSA demonstrated 6.6 times the risk of sexual assault and an eight-fold risk for rape during adolescence in comparison with their non-abused counterparts. It is proposed that the elevated risk conferred by amnesia for CSA might be mediated by two distinct pathways, both of which are associated with the use of dissociation as a defence mechanism.

Understanding children’s non-disclosure of child sexual assault: implications for assisting parents and teachers to become effective guardians

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine adult survivors’ of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) retrospective reflections on their motives for not disclosing their abuse. The aim was to identify factors that might facilitate early disclosure in order to both enhance the future safety of young people who have experienced sexual victimisation and to offer a means of reducing the numbers of future victims. Design/methodology/approach – This was a retrospective web-based, mixed-methods survey which was completed by 183 adult survivors of CSA. The data presented here is in relation to answers offered in response to an open-ended question which were thematically analysed. Findings – In all, 75 per cent of the survivors of CSA indicated that they had not told anyone of the abuse whilst they were a child. Analysis of the responses revealed five barriers to disclosure which included: a lack of opportunity, normality/ambiguity of the situation, embarrassment, concern for others and a sense of hopelessness. Addit...

Circles South East’s programme for non-offending partners of child sex offenders: A preliminary outcome evaluation

This report presents the protocol and preliminary findings from an outcome evaluation study of the Circle South East’s Non-Offending Partner Programme ‘Breaking the Cycle’. The aims of the programme are to inform, empower and support the non-offending partner of a person who has been convicted of a sexual offence against a child, and to assess the risk posed to, and the non-offending partner’s ability to protect, his/her child(ren). The data presented here relates the findings from the 14 partners who both completed the programme and the psychometric measures related to the evaluation for the period between February 2012 and August 2014.

Restorative justice in cases of sexual violence: Exploring the views of the public and survivors

This study aimed to fill a gap in the debate regarding the application of restorative justice (RJ) conferencing to sexual offences. This gap is currently characterized by absence of views expressed by survivors of sexual violence (Wager, 2013). The debate has largely occurred in an ‘empirical vacuum’ (McGlynn et al., 2012) and without the necessary consultation. This study consisted of a web-based survey of 121 community members, 40 of whom identified themselves as survivors of sexual violence. The findings indicate that both survivors and non-survivors of sexual violence express positive attitudes towards the use of restorative justice in these cases.

Decreasing incidence of nasal adenocarcinoma in Wycombe woodworkers

The association between adenocarcinoma of the ethmoid sinuses and woodworkers was identified in the 1960s. Working conditions were poor, and epidemiological studies suggested the carcinogenic agent was hardwood dust created during furniture production. The objectives of this article were to describe the declining incidence of this disease in High Wycombe woodworkers between 1965 and 2012 and to explore the potential reasons for this occurrence.