Pat Dugard

Greater number of group identifications is associated with healthier behaviour: Evidence from a Scottish community sample

OBJECTIVES This paper investigates the interplay between group identification (i.e., the extent to which one has a sense of belonging to a social group, coupled with a sense of commonality with in-group members) and four types of health behaviour, namely physical exercise, smoking, drinking, and diet. Specifically, we propose a positive relationship between ones number of group identifications and healthy behaviour. DESIGN This study is based on the Scottish portion of the data obtained for Wave 1 of the two-wave cross-national Health in Groups project. Totally 1,824 patients from five Scottish general practitioner (GP) surgeries completed the Wave 1 questionnaire in their homes. METHODS Participants completed measures of group identification, group contact, health behaviours, and demographic variables. RESULTS Results demonstrate that the greater the number of social groups with which one identifies, the healthier ones behaviour on any of the four health dimensions considered. CONCLUSIONS We believe our results are due to the fact that group identification will generally (1) enhance ones sense of meaning in life, thereby leading one to take more care of oneself, (2) increase ones sense of responsibility towards other in-group members, thereby enhancing ones motivation to be healthy in order to fulfil those responsibilities, and (3) increase compliance with healthy group behavioural norms. Taken together, these processes amply overcompensate for the fact that some groups with which people may identify can actually prescribe unhealthy behaviours.

Clinical Normative Data for Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and Eating Disorder Inventory for DSM-5 Feeding and Eating Disorder Classifications: A Retrospective Study of Patients Formerly Diagnosed Via DSM-IV

Normative data for measures of eating disorder (ED) psychopathology provide a fundamental description of a presentation and a means to establish clinically significant change following an intervention. Clinical norms for the ED population are lacking and out of date following the publication of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) 5. This study aimed to show that scores from the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-q) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) differ across ED diagnosis groups and provide norm data for DSM-5 ED diagnoses. Patients (n = 932) presenting to an out-patient service over 5 years were retrospectively re-diagnosed based on DSM-5 criteria. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference on most subscale scores of the EDE-q and the EDI across diagnosis. Means, standard deviations and percentile ranks are presented by diagnosis. The norms detailed contribute to improving the accuracy with which scores are interpreted when using DSM-5 and aid with the assessment of clinically significant change following treatment.

Characteristics and rates of mental health problems among Indian and White adolescents in two English cities

BACKGROUND Sampling techniques for national surveys have constrained the statistical power in estimating prevalence rates of child mental health problems in minority ethnic groups. AIMS To establish the prevalence rates of mental health problems in ethnic Indian adolescents in England and compare these with matched White adolescents living in the same areas. METHOD A cross-sectional survey with oversampling of Indian adolescents aged 13-15 years of age. RESULTS The sample size was 2900 (71% response rate) with 1087 (37%) Indian and 414 (14%) White adolescents. Ethnically Indian adolescents had lower rates of all types of mental health problems (5% v. 13% and 21% v. 30% for abnormal Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire scores, respectively) and substance misuse (18% v. 57%, 5% v.15% and 6% v. 9% for regular alcohol, smoking and drug use, respectively), with the exception of eating disorders, compared with their White counterparts. The odds of an abnormal score on the mental health questionnaires were worse for White compared with Indian children irrespective of sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSIONS Factors relating to how Indian adolescents are parented or their social support networks may be influencing their mental health and may warrant further investigation.

The pain of low status: the relationship between subjective socio-economic status and analgesic prescriptions in a Scottish community sample.

There is a strong positive relationship between objective measures of socio-economic status (OSS) and general health. However, there is an increasing interest in the relationship between health and subjective socio-economic status (SSS), which describes one’s perceived rank in relation to the rest of the society, based on factors such as income, occupation and education. While the relationship between SSS and general health is well established, the relationship between SSS and pain has received little attention. Gathering both self-report questionnaire data and General Practitioner medical data from a large representative community sample in Scotland between 2012 and 2013 (N = 1824), we investigated the relationship between SSS and prescriptions for analgesic drugs. We found that higher levels of SSS significantly predicted lower odds of participants having been prescribed at least one analgesic drug in the previous six months. We obtained this result even after controlling for OSS-related variables (education, occupational status and geographical location) and demographic variables (age and gender). This suggests that, just like the relationship between SSS and general health, SSS has important effects on pain that go beyond the influence of OSS.

Mental health service use by adolescents of Indian and White origin

Background Despite the available epidemiological evidence on the prevalence of mental health problems in childhood and adolescence, there is limited knowledge on whether there are differences in the level of need and service utilisation by young ethnic minority groups. Methods Adolescents of 13–15 years from nine schools in two English cities in which children of Indian ethnicity were over-represented (n=2900), completed rating scales on different types of mental health problems, contacts with services and informal supports. Results Indian adolescents scored significantly lower on general mental health and depression symptoms. They were also less likely than White adolescents to self-report having mental health problems, even for a similar level of need. Among those with mental health scores within the clinical range, Indian adolescents were less likely to have visited specialist services. Instead, they were more likely to first approach family members, teachers or general practitioners. Conclusions Rather than a blanket approach being applied to policy and service planning to meet the needs of diverse communities of young people, more specific evidence needs to be gained about patterns of referrals of minority groups and their strategy of accessing supportive adults.

Students ' understandings of mental health and their preferred learning platforms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ understandings of mental health and their learning preferences, in order to provide guidance for developing targeted mental health education. Design/methodology/approach – A study-specific self-administered questionnaire was used at two English schools (n=980; ages 11-18), incorporating a combination of open-ended and fixed-choice items. Data were subject to content analysis, cross-tabulation of frequencies and statistical analyses. Findings – Overall, students understood mental health in terms of personal attributes or disorder, however older students were more likely to talk about relationships. Males were less likely to say they wanted to learn about mental health than females, believing they had no need to learn more. White students were also less interested in learning about mental health than Indian students. Overall, students said they would not use social media to learn, however Indian students were most likely to want to use it. Younger students preferred school-based learning to online. Research limitations/implications – The questionnaires were study specific and self-report. However interesting demographic variations in responses were found, worthy of further exploration. Social implications – Policymakers should consider targeted mental health interventions in schools and research the potential roles/barriers of the internet and social media. Long-term possible benefits relate to improved preventative strategies within schools. Originality/value – Previous research has focused on the delivery of mental health promotion/education in schools, whereas the current study drew on a large sample of students to understand how they define mental health for themselves, as well as how they prefer to learn about it.

Change in injecting behaviour among people treated for hepatitis C virus: The role of intimate partnerships

Injecting behaviour in people who inject drugs is the main risk factor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Psychosocial factors such as having a partner who injects drugs and living with other drug users have been associated with increases in injecting risk behaviour. This study aimed to investigate changes in injecting behaviour during treatment for HCV infection whilst exploring the role of psychosocial factors on patients’ injecting behaviour. Eradicate‐C was a single‐centred clinical trial (ISRCTN27564683) investigating the effectiveness of HCV treatment within the injecting drug‐using population between 2012 and 2017. A total of 94 participants completed up to 24 weeks of treatment, with social and behavioural measures taken at different intervals throughout treatment. Data for 84 participants were analysed retrospectively to explore mechanisms of potential behavioural changes which had occurred during treatment. Injecting frequency reduced significantly between baseline (week 1) and every 4‐weekly interval until week 26. Not being on opiate substitution therapy (OST) was associated with a statistically significant decrease in injecting frequency, χ2 (1) = 10.412, P = 0.001, as was having a partner who also used drugs, in particular when that partner was also on treatment for HCV infection, Z = −2.312, P = 0.021. Treating a hard‐to‐reach population for HCV infection is not only possible, but also bears health benefits beyond treatment of HCV alone. Enrolling couples on HCV treatment when partners are sero‐concordant has shown enhanced benefits for reduction in injecting behaviour. Implications for practice are discussed.