Yes / A higher sense of belonging has been shown to be associated with general wellbeing among students and its benefits are known to relate to academic and post-academic successes. Yet, we know little about newly enrolled students’ lived experience that links sense of belonging and wellbeing. This small-scale qualitative study (n = 8) showed that an interplay of factors including academic, social, surroundings, and personal space influence new students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing at university and within the discipline. Specifically, our findings revealed that undergraduate and postgraduate (home and international) students have different experiences depending on demographic characteristics such as age, gender as well as socio-economic factors. Further details revealed that enhanced student support is needed to ensure that different groups of students’ needs are addressed in an inclusive manner. / Echo360s E3 Tech grants

The thesis looks firstly at creativity and the creative process, approaching the subject from a whole range of different viewpoints, such as the psychological, philosophical, biographical and anthropological angles. Following from this there is an exploration of the ways in which creativity way be awakened and unfolded. Special attention is given to the conditions and situations that are likely to encourage creative development and to the blocks and difficulties that inhibit its expression. Particular reference is made, on the one hand, to art education and to the art, leisure, and teaching student, and on the other hand, to art therapy and the psychiatric patient. The themes of the individual and the community are explored in a complementary way in the final two chapters. The thesis emphasizes the viewpoint of the student and the patient, but since these people do not exist in a vacuum, this involves looking also at the teacher, the therapist and society. With reference to the psychiatric field, other specific questions arise, for example: How may creative opportunities assist the healing process? What are the reciprocal influences of art and mental illness? Throughout the thesis the term 'art' is used in the visual sense, but references are made to creativity in other fields where parallel conclusions apply. The emphasis has been placed on the adult, but the subject of 'Creativity and the Teaching Student' involves some references to child art and 'Creativity and the Community' involves all ages.

This is a study of military psychiatry in the Second World War. Focusing on the British Army, it recounts how the military came to employ psychiatrists to revise recruitment procedures and to treat psychiatric casualties. The research has shown that psychiatry was a valued specialty and that psychiatrists were given considerable power and independence. For example, psychiatrists reformed personnel selection and placed intelligence testing at the centre of the military selection of personnel. Psychiatrists argued that by eliminating the 'dull and backward' the tests would help improve efficiency, hygiene, discipline and morale, reduce psychiatric casualties and establish that the Army was run in a meritocratic way. However, it is probable that intelligence testing made it less likely that working-class men would receive commissions. Still, the Army had no consistent military doctrine about what the psychiatrists should be aiming for -to return as many psychiatric casualties to combatant duties as was possible or to discharge men who had found it impossible to adapt to military life. In the initial stages of the war, the majority of casualties were treated in civilian hospitals in Britain, where most were discharged. This was partly because the majority were regarded as constitutional neurotics. When psychiatrists treated soldiers near the front line most were retained in some capacity. The decision on whether to evacuate patients was influenced by multiple factors including the patients' military experience and the doctors' commitment to treatment or selection. Back in Britain, service patients were increasingly more likely to be treated in military hospitals such as Northfield -famous for the 'Northfield experiments'. These provided an alternative model of military psychiatry in which psychiatric intervention refocused away from individuals and their histories and onto social relationships, and where the psychiatrists' values were realigned with the military rather than with civilian general medicine.

Previous research on female street sex workers (FSSWs) has primarily concentrated on the stigmatisation of women's involvement in the sex industry particularly with reference to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The response of the criminal justice system to the regulation of the illegal aspects of women's engagement in street sex work has also been criticised. However, the impact of street sex work on the health and wellbeing of these women requires further research. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and needs of female street sex workers in relation to their own health and wellbeing. The study used a qualitative mixed methods approach that included analysis of three sets of data: visual data, secondary data and primary data. There were 10 FSSWs recruited for the primary data sample. The epistemological position underpinning this study is social constructivism and a feminist paradigm has informed the conduct of the research process and data analysis. The theoretical application of Bourdieu's framework of habitus, capital and field has provided the lens through which to explore the socially constructed experiences of FSSWs health and wellbeing. Findings from this study revealed that FSSWs experienced poor physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. They faced limited life choices and often felt discriminated against by the agencies and institutions that should have offered support. The women spoke of their personal histories especially traumatic life events in childhood consisting of sexual abuse, neglect, loss, rejection as well as intimate partner violence in adult life. The loss of their children to social services, housing difficulties and addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine were also significant in contributing to social exclusion and their multiple positions of vulnerability. This study contributes to the body of work on women's health and wellbeing. In particular, it adds to our understanding of the lived experiences of women involved in street sex work. A key public health priority should be the development of policies and systems to provide quality services to support the health, safety and wellbeing of FSSWs.

By its nature, building maintenance requires an ability to respond to a demand that is random in time, random in nature and random in location. This in turn creates complex operational and logistical problems for management, specially if the property complex is large. The objective of this research is to assess the scope for and effectiveness of quantitative modelling, and the prediction of the outcome of alternative management action (policy), to assist in the management of building maintenance complexes of the size of a hospital. Both building and engineering equipments are encompassed within the study as appropriate. The research issues are split into three related phases; a demand study; a defect reduction study; and a maintenance management model. 1- The maintenance demand study: Based upon general statistics obtained, attempts have been made to identify and quantify both the major problems areas (in terms of cost and frequency of maintenance activities), and the nature and cause of the demand for maintenance. They have revealed no coherent picture in that the demand from wards and buildings seems independent of the patient throughput and the age of buildings. The demand for maintenance, for the main trades involved, has been estimated and used in the simulation models mentioned in below. 2- Demand reduction model: Accepting the current demand situation for maintenance, it was proposed to identify what is the cause of the demand and what possible actions could reduce the demand: Possibly through design modification, changes in materials used, change in practice of service/building user, development of Preventive Maintenance 'PM' or inspection system for component. Despite considerable effort, it proved not possible to progress this aspect of the study and the reasons are discussed. 3- Maintenance management models: Simulation models to the maintenance activities within the hospital has been developed using, Extended Control and Simulation Language, ECSLPLUS, to model the maintenance policies, and assessing any changes in operating procedures. The advantage of modelling is that the magnitude and nature of changes can be assessed and contemplated prior to any actual change in operating procedures. This is generally recognised as being most valuable. For specific problems and areas of operation identified, development of specific methods of deployments have been attempted. For instance, 'recieving one job at a time'; 'recieving a batch of jobs at a time'; and 'delaying non-urgent jobs and grouping them in time'. A number of maintenance management policies have been assessed using the above models, these are: 'Previewing' and 'not previewing' most of the defects before repair to identify the required resources; 'employing extra part-time tradesmen during the busy days'; 'working 7 days instead of 5 days a week'; 'no sickness policy'; and 'employing multi-skilled tradesmen option'. These models should be capable of indicating to management the gains and consequances, in terms of measures of interest to them such as the workforce and manhours required to meet the demand for maintenance per trade, changing operating practice, customs and timescales. That is, their decision variables.

The sale of electrically assisted bicycles (‘e-bikes’) is growing at a rapid rate across Europe. Whereas market data is available describing sales trends, there is limited understanding of the experience of early adopters of e-bike technology. This paper investigates the motives for e-bike purchase, rider experience and perceived impact on mobility, health and wellbeing through in-depth interviews with e-bike owners in the Netherlands and the UK. Findings revealed that the motive for purchasing e-bikes was often to allow maintenance of cycling against a backdrop of changing individual or household circumstances. E-bikes also provided new opportunities for people who would not otherwise consider conventional cycling. Perceptions of travel behaviour change revealed that e-biking was replacing conventional cycling but was also replacing journeys that would have been made by car. There was also a perception that e-biking has increased, or at least allowed participants to maintain, some form of physical activity and had benefitted personal wellbeing. Technological, social and environmental barriers to e-biking were identified. These included weight of bicycle, battery life, purchase price, social stigma and limitations of cycle infrastructure provision. Additional research is necessary to quantify actual levels of mode substitution and new journey generation among new e-bike owners and the impact of e-biking on promoting physical health and mental wellbeing.

Introduktion: År 2022 befann sig minst 100 miljoner människor på flykt. Asylsökande och flyktingar som tvingats fly har många gånger utsatts för traumatiska händelser. Flykten innebär stora livomställningar som påverkar individens aktivitet, identitet, känsla av kompetens samt hälsa och välbefinnande. Syfte: Beskriva aktivitet och delaktighet i vardagen hos asylsökande och flyktingar. Metod: Scoping review användes för att besvara syftet. Datainsamling gjordes genom litteratursökning i databaser samt genom manuell sökning. Sökord som användes var refugee or refugees or asylum seeker or asylum seekers or forced migrant or forced migrants or displaced, occupational participation or occupational engagement or participation, activity or occupation. Inklusionskriterier var artiklar på svenska och engelska, publicerade 2010 – 2023. Grå litteratur och andra litteraturstudier exkluderades. Totalt inkluderades 17 artiklar. Resultat: Studien resulterade i två huvudkategorier: Asylsökande och flyktingars aktivitetsidentitet och Kontexters betydelse för aktivitet och delaktighet. Ett genomgående tema i studien framkom: Ovisshet inför framtiden. Resultatet indikerar på att asylsökande och flyktingar utsätts för aktivitetsberövning, aktivitetsobalans och förändringar i individens aktivitetsidentitet samt aktivitetsförmåga. Individens aktivitet och delaktighet påverkas av kontextuella faktorer. Slutsats: Asylsökande och flyktingar begränsas i sin aktivitet och delaktighet i vardagen. Resultatet indikerar på att delaktighet i och möjlighet till meningsfulla och nödvändiga aktiviteter är av betydelse för hälsa och välbefinnande. / Introduction: Year 2022, around 100 million people were estimated to be on the run. Asylum seekers and refugees who are forced to flee their home country may have been exposed to traumatic events. The flights results in lifestyle changes that affect the individual’s activity, identity, sense of capacity, health and well-being.  Aim: Describe activity and participation in everyday life of asylum seekers and refugees. Method: A scoping review was used. Data collection was carried out through literature search in databases and by manual search. Keywords used were refugee or refugees or asylum seeker or asylum seekers or forced migrant or forced migrants or displaced, occupational participation or occupational engagement or participation, activity or occupation. Inclusion criteria were articles in Swedish and English, published 2010 – 2023. Grey literature and other literature reviews were excluded. A total of 17 articles were included. Results: The study resulted in two main categories: Asylum seekers and refugees activity identity and The importance of contexts for activity and participation. An overarching theme emerged: Uncertainty about the future. The results indicate that asylum seekers and refugees are exposed to activity deprivation, activity imbalance and changes in the individual’s activity identity and ability. The individual’s activity and participation are influenced by contextual factors. Conclusions: Asylum seekers and refugees are limited in their activity and participation in everyday life. The result indicates that participation in and opportunity to meaningful and necessary activities is important for health and well-being.

The purpose of this essay is to explore how the application of the Alexander Technique, as taught from the point of view of the Interactive Teaching Method (ITM), can be of benefit in performance preparation as well as in the enhancement of the musician’s practice and performance in general. Although the specific performance described in this paper was for violin, the argument is made that the exploration and methods of practice would be of benefit to any musician. This paper describes the experience of a study of the Alexander Technique. Information is provided about the Alexander Technique, its origins, principles and practices. The application of Alexander’s work to violin playing in general is discussed, and specifically to the preparation for the performance of Sonata Duodecima by Isabella Leonarda. / <p>Isabella Leonarda: Sonata Duodecima Opus 16</p><p>Elizabeth Jackquet De La Guerre: Sonata No 1 in D minor for Violin &amp; Cembalo</p><p>Antonio Bonparti: Invention No 1 in A major (from 12 Inventions for Violin)</p><p>Baroque Violin: Aingeala De Búrca</p><p>Cembalo: Mayumi Kamata</p><p>The sounding part has been archived.</p><p></p>

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased two percent from 2012–2014 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018) and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has considered ASD to be a major health concern. The demands of caring for a child with developmental disabilities, including ASD can be overwhelming and the caregivers are experiencing heightened levels of stress in comparison to rearing typically developing children (Argumedes, Lanovaz, & Larivée, 2017; Lindo, Kliemann, Combes, & Frank, 2017). There is a need for more family support to implement more effective coping strategies to deal with the maladaptive functioning of the child with ASD (Hall, & Graff, 2011). The WE C.A.R.E. 2 Program is a nine-week evidence-based community pilot program that will provide an inclusive opportunity with additional family support and effective coping strategies e.g., breathing techniques, yoga postures and positive coping cognitions (e.g., positive self-talk and reappraisals) to decrease the stress levels of caregivers and promote healthy behaviors and healthy child development with the support and training from trained facilitators and a network of caregivers. This individualized plan will tailor to the needs of each dyad to create the necessary mechanisms of change (behavior, cognition, physiological, and sensory modulation) among the children and adults in the yoga group. The professional collaboration of different disciplines (occupational therapy, yoga therapist and teacher) will provide the appropriate modifications to the environment and provide the necessary input for the “just right” experience for a positive outcome.

<p>Social housing residents’ lived experiences and understandings of their neighbourhood and home are key factors influencing their health and wellbeing, but remain under-examined in the urban redevelopment literature. This thesis investigates the ways in which people living in Toronto’s Regent Park, Canada’s oldest and largest social housing development undergoing “neighbourhood revitalization,” experience their community and respond to neighbourhood stigma. Drawing on Lamont’s (2009) destigmatization practices concept, the aim of this study was to understand “neighbourhood revitalization” as a place destigmatization strategy that may influence the ways in which residents engage in personal destigmatization practices as well as affect their perceived health and wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 Regent Park residents and NVivo 9 software was used for data analysis. Findings show that participants utilize various counter-narratives as destigmatization practices that challenge dominant narratives and stereotypical representations of their neighbourhood. However, since re-housing in revitalized buildings, participants’ narratives describing their neighbourhood have changed and may further stigmatize some Regent Park residents. Counter-narratives may be implicitly linked to resiliency and wellbeing, while place destigmatization through revitalization was strongly associated to residents’ perceived improvements in health and wellbeing. The findings of this thesis may contribute to the developing literature on the impacts of urban redevelopment on residents’ health and wellbeing.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)