The effects of social support, job control, participative decision making practices, and locus of control upon the relationship between occupational stress and psychological well-being have been well discussed and researched. In order to synthesize these areas of research, a 1-month follow-up study of 244 accountants was conducted. The results indicated complex interactions between stressors, locus of control, and social support or job autonomy in predicting psychological well-being, controlling for initial measures of well-being. These interactions reveal that an internal locus of control, and social support/job autonomy synergistically buffer the effects of stressors upon well-being

BackgroundThere is a political drive in the UK to use assistive technologies such as telehealth and telecare as an innovative and efficient approach to healthcare delivery. However, the success of implementation of such services remains dependent on the ability to engage the wider population to adopt these services. It has been widely acknowledged that low acceptance of technology, forms a key barrier to adoption although findings been mixed. Further, it remains unclear what, if any barriers exist between patients and how these compare to those who have declined or withdrawn from using these technologies. This research aims to address this gap focusing on the UK based Cambridgeshire Community Services Assistive Telehealth and Telecare service, an integrated model of telehealth and telecare.MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted between 1st February 2014 and 1st December 2014, to explore the views and experiences of ‘users’ and ‘non-users’ using this service. ‘Users’ were defined as patients who used the service (N = 28) with ‘non-users’ defined as either referred patients who had declined the service before allocation (N = 3) or had withdrawn after using the ATT service (N = 9). Data were analysed using the Framework Method.ResultsThis study revealed that there are a range of barriers and facilitators that impact on the decision to adopt and continue to engage with this type of service. Having a positive attitude and a perceived need that could be met by the ATT equipment were influential factors in the decision to adopt and engage in using the service. Engagement of the service centred on ‘usability’, ‘usefulness of equipment’, and ‘threat to identity and independence’.ConclusionsThe paper described the influential role of referrers in decision-making and the need to engage with such agencies on a strategic level. The findings also revealed that reassurance from the onset was paramount to continued engagement, particularly in older patients who appeared to have more negative feelings towards technology. In addition, there is a clear need for continued product development and innovation to not only increase usability and functionality of equipment but also to motivate other sections of the population who could benefit from such services. Uncovering these factors has important policy implications in how services can improve access and patient support through the application of assistive technology which could in turn reduce unnecessary cost and burden on overstretched health services.

Tests of the influence of affective psychological well-being on stressors, locus of control, and social support in a 1-month follow-up study of 210 male and 34 female British accountants is reported. There was a marginally significant association between the level of psychological symptoms and subsequent reports of intensity of quantitative workload stressors. A significant interaction between psychological symptoms and a measure of depression-enthusiasm was found to predict subsequent locus of control. The results indicate a differential pattern of associations between aspects of affective well-being and subsequent reports of social support. The results also indicate that initially more frequent stressors are associated with subsequently less intense stressors of the same type. The findings highlight the dynamic and reciprocal nature of the occupational stress process

BackgroundNHS Health Checks is a national risk assessment prevention programme for all individuals aged 40-74 that reside in England. Through the systematic assessment of an individual’s ten year disease risk, this programme aims to provide early identification and subsequent management of this risk. However, there is limited evidence on how socio-demographic factors impact on uptake and what influence the invitation method has on uptake to this programme.MethodsNHS Health Check data from April 2013 to March 2014 was analysed (N = 50,485) for all 30 GP Practices in Luton, a culturally diverse town in England, UK. Data was collected for age, ethnicity, uptake (attendance and non attendance) and invitation method (letter written, verbal face-to-face, telephone). Actual usage of NHS Health Checks was determined for each ethnic group of the population and compared using Chi-square analysis.ResultsThe overall uptake rate for Luton was 44 %, markedly lower that the set target of 50–75 %. The findings revealed a variation of uptake in relation to age, gender, level of deprivation. Ethnicity and gender variations were also found, with ‘White British’ ‘Black Caribbean’ and ‘Indian’ patients most likely to take up a NHS Health Check.However, patients from ‘Any Other White Background’ and ‘Black African’ were significantly less likely to uptake an NHS Health Check compared to all other ethnic groups. Ethnicity and gender differences were also noted in relation to invitation method.ConclusionsThe findings revealed that different invitation methods were effective for different ethnic and gender groups. Therefore, it is suggested that established protocols of invitation are specifically designed for maximizing the response rate for each population group. Future research should now focus on uncovering the barriers to uptake in particular culturally diverse population groups to determine how public health teams can better engage with these communities.

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To access the diversity of the population who define themselves as having been cyberstalked and to assess the levels of anxiety and trauma that victims reported. Participants who were self-defined cyberstalking victims (N = 353) were asked to complete an online survey, which consisted of items relating to the experience of offline harassment and cyberstalking, general anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Participants were also asked to report on the type of relationship they had with the harasser, changes in working life, relationships, finance and third parties subsequent to the experience of being stalked. Overall, the findings revealed that victims of harassment may suffer high levels of psychological distress as a consequence of the experience, with victims of cyberstalking experiencing psychological effects which are broadly comparable to the symptoms seen in PTSD, leaving the victim experiencing feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt. In addition, as with other research on the effects of adverse experiences on mental health outcomes, the respondents of the survey reported much higher levels of psychological distress than levels that have been reported in the general population. It is suggested that both offline and cyberstalking victims suffer comparable high levels of psychological distress as a consequence of the experience and, despite the wide variation in individual experience and reactions to being cyberstalked, this study was able to determine patterns of psychological distress which were comparable to the symptoms associated with PTSD. Individuals displaying symptoms of PTSD find themselves experiencing adverse effects in major domains of life activity, such as social relations and occupational activities.