Background. Help-seeking is a concept of growing interest in the context of psychosis and the move towards early intervention and community-based service models. Despite a preponderance of first episode studies in this field, help-seeking is also of clinical relevance to adults with more chronic psychosis in the face of spiralling patterns of relapse and diminished recovery. Recent research into attachment theory opens up new avenues for exploring aspects of relating in psychosis, including help-seeking in mental health service contexts. Methods. A systematic review of attachment and psychosis was carried out to critically assess the strength and nature of empirical support for this theory within a clinical context. A social-constructivist based grounded theory study of help-seeking and chronic psychosis was conducted amongst nine individuals in a long term rehabilitation service. This aimed to develop an experiential account and grounded theory of the processes shaping help-seeking for this clinical group. Study findings were reviewed against existing constructs of attachment style, service attachment, recovery style and beliefs about psychosis. Results. A grounded theory emerged from the study emphasising the importance of three domains; ‘beliefs about the self’, ‘beliefs about others’ and ‘service experience’, in dynamically shaping views to help-seeking and receiving, for those with chronic psychosis. Attachment theory and recovery coping style were seen as compatible with this model. Conclusions. Individuals with chronic psychosis may continue to experience difficulties with help-seeking and service engagement, even within supported service settings. An appreciation of the interpersonal significance of service interactions, and improved understanding in this area, may help services better anticipate, respond to and adjust their models of engaging for this important clinical group.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This is the keynote presentation delivered at The Sixth Conference on Problem-Based Learning in Finland: Constructing knowledge in information society, Tampere, 2006 June 6-7. Abstract: Finding information, especially accurate, timely, and relevant information, is increasingly important in nearly all human endeavors. Accordingly, numerous studies have examined the processes information seekers employ, as well as the strategies information providers use to meet their needs. Most models emphasize satisfaction or closure as the criterion for successful completion of an information search; thus the emphasis is on solving a specific problem. But often, information seeking is part of some larger process, which is invisible to the information provider and often unclear even to the seeker. Successful search may lead not so much to eliminating an existing, well-defined problem, as to delineating a new problem within a complex, ill-defined space. This paper examines information seeking from an inquiry, or problem-based perspective, and argues that the fields of information seeking and problem-based learning can benefit from closer dialogue.

During the last twenty years rapid developments in technology have led to changes in the way we work, play and learn. Technology has become an integral part of societyâ s everyday information environment. Children growing up during what has been called the technological or digital revolution have never known a world without instantaneous communication and easy access to vast quantities of information using multiple formats, text types, graphics and multimedia. For the â Net Generationâ (born after 1985) of users and consumers who are surrounded by information, technology is transparent and a part of their social, economic and educational landscape. The terms tech-savvy, web-savvy, Internet-savvy and com-puter-savvy are being used to describe young people in major educational policy documents and population studies worldwide. While educators recognise that their students have a different culture of use when using and seeking information delivered electronically, they struggle to come to terms with the changes the integration of technology brings to the teaching-learning environment. The implications for educators, teacher librarians and librarians being raised in current research on the information seeking of the Net Generation, is whether students have an intuitive/instinctive grasp of how to access and use elec-tronic information or is this just an illusion borne of familiarity with the technology? This paper presents a brief summary of the research and popular literature about the information seeking behavior of the Net Generation and outlines future research to be conducted as part of this thesis. It also proposes a leader-ship role for libraries and their personnel in designing programs to ensure that young people have ade-quate information skills that will enable them to use evolving technologies effectively and efficiently when searching for information.

This paper reports on an exploratory study that investigates the relationship between participants' learning style preferences and their perceptions of a professional workshop on collaboration and technology to support collaboration. The Learning Preference Scale-Students (LPSS) (Owens & Barnes, 1992) was administered to identify participants' learning style preferences as cooperative, competitive and/or individualized. Using cluster analysis two groups, or categories, of learning style preferences among the participants emerged. Group 1 showed a strong preference for the cooperative learning style, and Group 2 showed a strong preference for competitive and cooperative learning styles. Group 1 rated the workshop more positively than Group 2. However, Group 2 reported a larger increase in self-efficacy compared to those in Group 1 (18.9% vs. 6.0%). Both groups provided different suggestions regarding the content of the workshop. Group 1 suggested adding more discussions and group exercises, whereas Group 2 suggested adding explicit theory or rules to govern behavior. These findings indicate that learning styles should be considered as a potential variable that influences learning outcomes and preferences.

We propose a model of search term selection process based on our empirical study of professional searchers during the pre-online stage of the search process. The model characterizes the selection of search terms as the navigation of different discourses. Discourse refers to the way of talking and thinking about a certain topic; there often exists multiple, diverse discourses on the same topic. When selecting search terms, searchers appear to navigate a variety of discourses, i.e., they view the topic of a client's search request from the perspective of multiple discourse communities, and evaluate and synthesize differences and similarities among those discourses when selecting search terms. Six discourses emerged as sources of search terms in our study. These discourses are controlled vocabularies, documents and domains, the practice of indexing, clients' search requests, databases and the searchers' own search experience. Data further suggest that searchers navigate these discourses dynamically and have preferences for certain discourses. Conceptualizing the selection of search terms as a meeting place of different discourses provides new insights into the complex nature of the search term selection process. It emphasizes the multiplicity and complexity of the sources of search terms, the dynamic nature of the search term selection process, and the complex analysis and synthesis of differences and similarities among sources of search terms. It suggests that searchers may need to understand fundamental aspects of multiple discourses in order to select search terms.

Warnings are intended to improve safety (decreasing injury, illness and loss) by communicating the presence and nature of a potential hazard and encouraging behaviour that will minimise or avoid a negative outcome. Warnings can be seen as representations of risk, therefore it is likely that an individual’s attitude towards risk, their risk-taking propensity, may affect the way they perceive warnings. Establishing this relationship has important practical implications. If high risk-taking propensity can predict non-compliance, then attempts may be made to increase compliance within high risk-takers by tailoring warnings to such individuals. This thesis aims to explore empirically the relationship between measures of risk-taking propensity and warnings, with potential application to the prevention of hazardous behaviours. Study One investigated the potential relationship between risk-taking propensity and warning perception using an exploratory approach. The results confirmed that various measures of risk-taking propensity predicted warning perceptions, in particular on intentions to comply with the warnings. Studies Two and Three revealed that the relationship between risk-taking and warning perception is domain specific to a certain extent and that it is stronger when contextual information about a hazard is provided. Study Four explored potential underlying mechanisms and revealed that while the mental simulation of positive outcomes of non-compliance was found to be influential, anticipated regret significantly mediated the relationship between risk-taking propensity and intended compliance. Study Five attempted to minimise the discrepancy between high and low risk-takers through warning design manipulation. Despite a strong effect of sensation seeking on intended compliance the warning manipulations implemented had no effect on warning perceptions. This thesis offers a significant contribution to the literature, by establishing empirically the effect of risk propensity on warnings perception and by providing insight into the theoretical underpinnings of this relationship.

INTRODUCTION Since the expansion of the EU, several hundred thousand people from Eastern European countries have migrated to the UK, the majority of whom are Polish. Although no studies examining utilisation of mental health services by Polish workers in the UK could be found, research suggests that their knowledge of how to access health services is low, while rates of emergency psychiatric treatment are relatively high. The broader migrant literature suggests that migrants can perceive a cultural mismatch between themselves and services, find it difficult to access services due to logistical barriers, and often prefer to seek help from other sources. The current study sought to explore Polish migrants' responses to distress, with a focus on views about accessing psychological services. METHODS A cultural psychology framework using Charmaz's social constructionist method of grounded theory was adopted in the design of the research. Field work was conducted within the Polish community, and semi-structured interviews took place with Polish community members and key informants. Utilising data from a range of sources allowed for triangulation of the data, and credibility was further enhanced by member checking. Data were analysed using guidelines outlined by Charmaz supported by NVivo software. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Participants' responses to distress were congruent with their sense of identity and the norms of the social groups with which they identified. Polish cultural values emphasising family closeness, traditional gender roles and discomfort with difference influenced participants' help-seeking strategies. The majority of participants preferred to seek help from a close inner circle of family and friends, at least in the first instance. Participants from working class rural backgrounds appeared to adhere more strongly to traditional values and often saw psychological services as irrelevant to them, whereas seeing a therapist was viewed as fashionable for those from urban, middle-class social groups. Disappointment with Scottish primary care services led to reluctance to approach the NHS for help with emotional difficulties, while those who were satisfied with their treatment were open to this possibility. Private services were preferred in Poland, which could result in preferences for seeking help from private Polish therapists in Scotland. This may also allow problems to be contained within the broader Polish community in line with Polish cultural values. CONCLUSIONS Clinical psychology services in Scotland may not be well-placed to meet the needs of Polish migrant workers. NHS services should attempt to be more responsive to the needs of migrant groups in order that they are not discouraged from seeking help if required. Furthermore, it may be helpful to find ways of working with other organisations which migrants feel more comfortable approaching.

Working with others within an organization can have a variety of positive effects, and the benefits of collaboration have been discussed in various disciplines. In information science, interest in collaborative information seeking, including collaborative information seeking by students in an online learning environment is expanding. This study was aimed at understanding graduate students' collaborative information seeking behaviors through the process of a group project, including factors that affected students' perceptions of collaborative work and their difficulties during the collaborative process. The research was based on Yue and He's model, which describes information users' collaborative communication and information behaviors, and Kuhlthau's model, which describes users' individual information seeking behaviors. The participants were 43 students enrolled in a master's level course delivered primarily online. The students were required to work together in groups to complete a research project. Data were collected through a background survey, behavior survey, and online communication texts and analyzed using descriptive statistics, statistical tests, and content analyses. The results showed significant changes in collaborative and information seeking behaviors and perceptions across three stages of the project during the semester. Theoretical, practical, and methodological implications for future research are discussed.

Although the scientific study of forgiveness has flourished in recent years, little is known about transgressors when seeking forgiveness, particularly regarding how they respond when their request for forgiveness is denied. The present thesis reviews the literature related to how transgressors might react to a denied request for forgiveness and factors that likely influence their response. In two studies, interactions between sex and responses to requested forgiveness, and interactions between two personality variables (agreeableness and neuroticism) and responses to requested forgiveness were examined. Generally, when people refuse or even partially refuse a bid for forgiveness, it is considered by the requestor to be a wrong perpetrated by the original victim. Even after considering the hurtfulness and severity of that wrong, there were differences in the degree to which original offenders held unforgiveness, experienced positive emotions, and forgave the original victim, depending on how starkly the original victim denied the request.