Nicky Lambert

Enjoyable learning: The role of humour, games, and fun activities in nursing and midwifery education

Education that captures the attention of students is an essential aspect of promoting meaningful, active learning. Rather than standing at the front of a group of learners simply speaking about a topic, teachers have the opportunity of livening up their teaching with humour, games, and other fun activities. This article critically evaluates the benefits and limitations of humour within nursing education as well as the use of games and fun activities as teaching strategies. Examples of various games and interactive activities are also provided.

Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate students’ health-related lifestyles and to identify barriers and social determinants of healthier lifestyles. Methods: An online survey, two focus groups and three in-depth interviews across 2014/2015. A stratified by school size and random sample (n = 468) of university students answered a 67-item questionnaire comprising six scales: Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity, Rapid Eating and Activity Assessment for Patients–Short Version, CAGE, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale short version, and ad hoc scale for drug use/misuse. Stratified by gender, χ2 tests were run to test associations/estimate risks and three multivariate Logistic Regression models were adjusted. A thematic approach guided the analysis of qualitative data. Results: A total of 60% of the respondents were insufficiently physically active, 47% had an unbalanced diet and 30% had low mental wellbeing. Alcohol drinkers versus abstinent were almost equally distributed. A total of 42% of alcohol drinkers reported getting drunk at least once a month. Smokers accounted for 16% of the respondents. Identified risk factors for suboptimal physical activity were as follows: being a woman, not using the university gym and smoking. Risk factors for unbalanced diet were low mental wellbeing and drug use. Poor mental wellbeing was predicted by unbalanced diet, not feeling like shopping and cooking frequently, and a lack of help-seeking behaviour in cases of distress. Qualitative analysis revealed seven thematic categories: transition to new life, university environment and systems, finances, academic pressure, health promotion on campus and recommendations. Conclusion: This study provides robust evidence that the health-related lifestyles of the student population are worrying and suggests that the trend in chronic diseases associated with unhealthy lifestyles sustained over years might be unlikely to change in future generations. University students’ health-related lifestyle is a concern. Nine out of the identified 10 predictors of problematic physical activity, nutrition and mental wellbeing, were environmental/societal or institutional barriers. Universities must expand corporate responsibilities to include the promotion of health as part of their core values.

Exploring the experiences of trainee mental health workers: moving from theory to practice

Purpose The Trainee Mental Health Worker (TMHW) Programme is an initiative developed collaboratively between Middlesex University and local NHS Mental Health Trusts in response to national workforce requirements for flexible clinical personnel. The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of this new category of mental health workers and to address the feedback given by previous cohorts of TMHWs. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study comprised of three focus groups who met over their year-long training. In total, 20 participants self-selected from a population of 60 TMHWs, and their expectations of the TMHW role prior to starting the programme and following each of two practice placements were explored. Findings The thematic analysis identified five domains: identity, career strategy, functioning in the system, status and responsibility; the TMHWs demonstrated notable changes in their attitude and behaviour as they progressed. The findings demonstrate the challenges of integrating a new type of workforce into the rigid systems of the health care service. Research limitations/implications Focus groups by their nature are not always representative, and this programme is limited in its number of students. Practical implications This study has led to a greater understanding of the experiences of trainees across a variety of clinical settings. Social implications The results from this study will assist employing trusts in recruitment and retention by helping them to understand this phenomenon and the role itself. Originality/value This study’s value lies in the insight it offers into the experience of a new kind of worker moving from novice status to practitioner outside the constraint of a professional registration.

Women ageing solo in Ireland: An exploratory study of women’s perspectives on relationship status and future care needs

This study explores the impact of relationship status for women in Ireland who are ageing ‘solo’ and their perspectives on relationship status and their future care needs. Solo women were defined as those over 55 years who identify with long-term, non-partnered relationship status and have not had children. In-depth qualitative interviews with 10 women were used to gather data on how participants responded to their solo status. Voice-relational method was used to analyse the data and we report on three themes relating to social work. Firstly, participants experienced social stigma related to their status as solo women; secondly, their resistance and resilience in response and thirdly, the anticipated challenges and experiences of solo ageing in relation to meeting their care and support needs. Whilst conducted in Ireland, further research in this area is important to identify how social policy is inclusive for marginalised populations in ageing in similar contexts. Our findings suggest the need for increased professional awareness of women ageing solo when undertaking assessment and designing women’s person-centred support.

‘Outside the Original Remit’: Co-production in UK mental health research, lessons from the field

The aim of this discursive paper was to explore the development of co-production and service user involvement in UK university-based mental health research and to offer practical recommendations for practitioners co-producing research with service users and survivors, informed by an overview of the key literature on co-production in mental health and from a critical reflection on applied research through the medium of a case study. The paper is co-written by a mental health nurse academic and a service user/survivor researcher academic. The authors argue that the implications of co-production for mental health research remain underexplored, but that both the practitioner and service user/survivor researcher experience and perspective of co-production in research can provide practical reflections to inform developing research practice. The theories and values of emancipatory research can provide a framework from which both practitioners and service users can work together on a research project, in a way that requires reflection on process and power dynamics. The authors conclude that whilst co-produced investigations can offer unique opportunities for advancing emancipatory and applied research in mental health, practitioner researchers need to be more radical in their consideration of power in the research process.

Going solo: Findings from a survey of women aging without a partner and who do not have children

ABSTRACT Greater longevity in the UK population has led to the increasing diversity of women experiencing aging in a multitude of ways. Internationally, gender inequalities in aging are still relatively invisible within both government policy and everyday life for particular groups of women. This article explores the concept of women growing older “solo”—by which we mean women who find themselves nonpartnered and aging without children as they move into later life. We report on the findings from a mixed-methods survey of 76 solo women in the UK aged 50 years and over, used to provide a broader overview of the issues and challenges they face as they move into later life. Qualitative data from the survey captured respondents’ perspectives about the links between their relationships status and well-being in later life and highlighted specific cumulative disadvantages emerging for some women as a result of their solo lifestyles. We discuss two key themes that were identified, “solo-loneliness” and “meaningful futures,” in conjunction with the relevant literature and make suggestions for future research within gender and aging studies that could enhance more positive approaches to solo lifestyles.