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Issue 116 September 2020 Highlighting the racial inequality present within academia: PsyPAG’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement Rising to the challenge: Being an assistant psychologist during the Covid-19 global pandemic The role for psychology in the public health approach to youth violence Also in this issue: Green nudges: Applying behavioural economics to fight against climate change Introducing the Male Psychology Section, the ‘Glasgow Effect’ and the Male Psychology event
PsyPAG Quarterly goes electronic
PsyPag Quarterly is only available as a free-to-download PDF.
To access issues of PsyPAG Quarterly go to www.psypag.co.uk/the-quarterly/quarterly-back-issues/
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To keep up to date with PsyPAG news and information about the Quarterly join the JISCmail list open
to all psychology postgraduate students.
To join, visit www.psypag.co.uk and scroll down on the main page to find the link,
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This list is a fantastic resource for support and advice regarding your research, statistical advice
or postgraduate issues.
Issue 112 October 2019 Issue 111 June 2019
Dealing with the issue of student stress: Guest Author: Conducting research in a secure mental
Is mindfulness a solution? health setting
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in school: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate: Child influenza vaccination
Why are CU traits linked to poor academic outcomes? in England
More methods can result in more knowledge: Is there a synaesthetic personality profile?
Why psychology needs to use multi-method approaches
Also in this issue: Also in this issue:
Hints and tips for managing mental and physical health Cognition and religiosity: Who is most likely to believe?
conditions at academic conferences Improve your statistical inferences with this one neat
The 21st Annual Conference of the International Society trick: A brief review of the Improving Your Statistical
for Bipolar Disorders Inferences MOOC
www.psypag.co.ukContents Editors’ column Hannah Slack................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Chair’s Column Maddi Pownall............................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Editorial article Highlighting the racial inequality present within academia: PsyPAG’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement Hannah Slack, Alex Lloyd, Brad Kennedy & Josie Urquhart...................................................................................................... 5 Reflective Pieces Rising to the challenge: Being an assistant psychologist during the Covid-19 global pandemic Ada Dys, Holly Burton & Katie Emmison................................................................................................................................... 10 Managing Risk in Qualitative Interviews Chloe Chessell .............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Discussion Papers The role for psychology in the public health approach to youth violence Alex Lloyd...................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Personality and pathological demand avoidance – identifying areas for future research Sarah Potts ................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Green nudges: Applying behavioural economics to fight against climate change Mirela Zaneva & Tsvetomira Dumbalska.................................................................................................................................. 27 Mind the Brexit – addressing the discrimination literature gap in UK students Anastasia Vikhanova.................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Conference review 6th International Conference on Behavioral Addiction, Yokohama, Japan, Monday 17 June 2019 to Wednesday 19 June 2019 Filip Nuyens.................................................................................................................................................................................. 36 Introducing the Male Psychology Section, the ‘Glasgow Effect’ and the Male Psychology event Marek Nikolic ............................................................................................................................................................................... 39 Book review A futuristic exploration of our pursuit for happiness Reviewed by Anna Henschel....................................................................................................................................................... 42 PsyPAG Committee 2019/2020..................................................................................................................................................48 Issue 116 September 2020 1
Author name
Editorial
Hannah Slack
I
AM THRILLED to introduce the September Lives Matter movement. We begin by reaf-
2020 issue of the PsyPAG Quarterly. Tradi- firming PsyPAG’s message of inclusivity.
tionally, September marks the shift from We then highlight the ways in which racial
summer to autumn. As the seasons change, it inequality exists within both the education
is important that we take a moment to reflect and research facets of academia. Finally,
on just how far we have come in the past we discuss ways in which you can help to
few months. Back in March, new lockdown support students from Black Minority Ethnic
measures had thrown most of our plans (BME) backgrounds. In particular, we detail
into disarray and the anxiety brought on by ways in which we can support BME students
the constant uncertainty felt almost impos- by educating ourselves about their unique
sible to overcome. But despite our fears, struggles, reflecting on the impact of race in
we found a way to move forward. From the our own research, speaking up about racial
sheer number and range of submissions that inequality, and donating to anti-racism chari-
we have received over the past few months, ties. As an editorial team, we have always
it is clearly evident that our postgraduate worked to ensure that work published in the
community is incredibly resourceful, deter- Quarterly is inclusive. However, in this article,
mined and strong-willed. I commend every we announce an update to our operating
one of you that has battled with some form manual that will ensure that we challenge
of adversity during the pandemic and have work that perpetuates racist narratives and
chosen not to yield, but to adapt and move always check references to ensure they do
onward. Even if that progress is smaller than not endorse or support journals associated
you had originally hoped, every step forward with groups that promote racist agendas.
counts – no matter how small. We here at Our first submission comes from Ada
PsyPAG have also had to adapt our plans Dys, Holly Burton and Katie Emmison. The
in response to the pandemic. The PsyPAG authors reflect on their personal experi-
Annual Conference moved completely ences of working as assistant psychologists
online this year for the first time ever. We during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular,
greatly enjoyed seeing so many of you this article focuses on the challenges that
engaging with the conference presentations can come with delivering therapy from
on Twitter. You can find out more about the home, the impact of lockdown restrictions
conference in the Chair’s column overleaf. on career progression and their own mental
I hope you enjoy reading the articles in this wellbeing. The authors conclude that this
issue just as much as we have! experience has given them greater confi-
Sadly, we say goodbye to two of our editors dence in their ability to adapt to challenging
this issue, Alex Lloyd and Josie Urquhart. situations and has emphasised the impor-
Alex and Josie have been a crucial members tance of self-care at this difficult time. Next,
of the Quarterly editorial team. Huge thank we have a reflective piece written by Chloe
you to Alex and Josie for all the hard work Chessell. Chloe provides an insightful reflec-
and dedication you have both given to the tion on the challenges that she has faced
Quarterly. navigating the boundaries between her role
Our first article was written by the as a researcher and her previous experience
PsyPAG Quarterly Editorial Team. Here, as a clinician. To achieve this, Chloe employs
we outline our response to the Black a six-stage reflective cycle to explore issues
2 PsyPAG QuarterlyEditorial
Title
related to the management of sensitive infor- As we near the end of the issue, we have
mation when conducting qualitative inter- a series of reviews. Filip Nuyens describes his
views. Chloe ends her article by presenting experience at the 6th International Confer-
an action plan to help other researchers with ence on Behavioural Addiction in Yokohama,
managing this kind of sensitive information. Japan. Every year, the conference provides
Moving on, we have a discussion piece researchers within the field of behavioural
written by our very own Quarterly editor, Alex addictions with the opportunity to discuss
Lloyd, who provides an insightful discussion their research with like-minded peers from
into the role that psychology can play in around the world and learn about the latest,
informing the public health approach to cutting-edge discoveries within the field.
youth violence. Alex highlights an approach Marek Nikolic discusses his experience at the
to tackling youth violence that begins with Male Psychology event in Glasgow. The event
identifying the scope of the behaviour, deter- featured thought-provoking discussions into
mining protective and risk factors for the gender bias and toxic masculinity. Finally,
behaviour, implementing interventions to we have a book review by Anna Henschel
mitigate risk factors and finally, upscaling on the literary classic, Flowers for Algernon
interventions identified to be effective. by Daniel Keyes. Anna explores the ways
Following this is a discussion piece from in which the novel’s themes of empathy,
Sarah Potts who provides an overview of the research ethics and the blind pursuit for
current research into Pathological Demand scientific progress are particularly relevant
Avoidance. Sarah highlights a prevalent to psychologists.
debate on whether Pathological Demand Thank you to all our authors for their
Avoidance is actually a subset of autism or insightful contributions. The scope of the
a separate condition in its own right. Sarah submissions we regularly receive is what
concludes her article by discussing avenues makes the PsyPAG Quarterly such an excellent
for future research. reflection of the UK postgraduate commu-
Our next discussion article is by Mirela nity. We would also like to thank our readers
Zaneva & Tsvetomira Dumbalska. The for their support and hope you will consider
authors discuss how behavioural interven- contributing an article to our publication.
tions can be used in the fight against climate
change by prompting individuals to make
more environmentally friendly choices. Hannah Slack
The authors highlight the how the positive Twitter: @HannahRSlack
impact of these interventions can be maxim- hannah.slack@nottingham.ac.uk
ised and outline avenues for future research. On behalf of the PsyPAG Quarterly
The final discussion piece in this issue is Editorial Team
written by Anastasia Vikhanova and offers
an insight into the impact of discrimina-
tion on student migrants’ mental health. PsyPAG Quarterly Editorial Team 2019–2020
Anastasia discusses the influence of Brexit Brad Kennedy
and Covid-19 in increasing the reported Hannah Slack
discrimination against this population. The Josie Urquhart
article concludes by outlining how Anastasia Alex Lloyd
intends to explore this topic in greater detail Email: quarterly@psypag.co.uk
through her research. We look forward to Twitter: @PsyPAGQuarterly
seeing the results!
Issue 116 September 2020 3Author name
Chair’s Column
Maddi Pownall
Welcome!
I
HOPE EVERYONE is keeping as well as Awards! The winners will be announced
can be. A lot has happened since my last mid-August and we’ll share the results on
Chair’s Column: We launched our Covid-19 our Twitter page and JISC mailing list.
micro-grant scheme, celebrated the winners I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all
of our annual PsyPAG awards (including our the new PsyPAG representatives joining us.
brand-new Practitioner Psychologist Trainee We have over 25 vacancies in our last elec-
Award) and had our first ever Virtual Annual tion and were blown away with the number
Conference! of applicants. Welcome to the PsyPAG Team
The conference welcomed over 500 and please get in touch with any ideas,
online delegates, showcasing over 55 posters comments, suggestions, or just to have a chat!
and virtual papers, and five excellent inter- Finally, a huge thank you to our outgoing
active workshops. It was a great success and reps. You have made my first year as Chair
a wonderful example of what can happen so rewarding and fun, it has been a pleasure
when you combine teamwork, innovation, to work with you. A special thank-you to
and resilience. I’m so proud of how every- my right hand (wo)man, Cat Talbot, who is
thing turned out and would like to thank the leaving PsyPAG after four years of various rep
University of Leeds Conference Committee and Core Committee positions. Thank you
for helping to make the conference happen. for everything.
All of the conference content was hosted
on @PsyPAG2020 and will remain on the Keep well,
Twitter page until next year’s conference,
so there’s still time to check out the papers. Maddi Pownall
The recent excitement doesn’t end there. PsyPAG Chair
I’m really pleased to share that PsyPAG has Twitter: @PsyPAG; @maddi_pow
recently been officially shortlisted for the chair@psypag.co.uk
Best Postgraduate Experience Initiative
in the FindAUniversity National Annual
4 PsyPAG QuarterlyTitle
Editorial article
Highlighting the racial inequality present
within academia: PsyPAG’s response to the
Black Lives Matter movement
Hannah Slack, Alex Lloyd, Brad Kennedy &
Josie Urquhart
I
N RESPONSE to the Black Lives Matter Noden et al. (2014) examined UCAS admis-
movement, we would like to take this sions data for 2008. After controlling for
opportunity to reaffirm PsyPAG’s message degree subject, gender and social class, it was
of inclusivity. Regardless of race, gender, found that BME applicants to Russell Group
sexuality or background, every student regis- universities were less likely to receive an
tered on a UK postgraduate psychology offer than white applicants with equivalent
course is automatically a member of the A-level qualifications. This suggests that indi-
PsyPAG community. As a national organi- viduals from BME backgrounds face greater
sation, PsyPAG represents the needs and difficulties in accessing higher education in
opinions of all postgraduate psychologists comparison to their white peers. This racial
within the British Psychological Society and inequality is not only evident at the admis-
the wider academic sphere. This message sions stage but also appears to play a role in
of inclusivity is echoed by the PsyPAG Quar- predicting students’ final degree classifica-
terly Editorial Team. Through our use of tion. For example, at one UK university, 64
a double-blinded review process, we aim to per cent of white students were awarded
ensure that every article that we receive is a First or 2:1 degree classification in 2014 to
evaluated purely on the basis of its merit, 2015 in comparison to 49 per cent of BME
irrespective of the individual characteristics students (Smith, 2017). This is despite BME
of the author. In addition to reiterating our students only accounting for 16 per cent of
message of inclusivity, we also want to use our the total student population at the university,
platform to bring awareness to the unique compared to white students who formed 84
challenges faced by students from Black and per cent of the student population. The
Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds within disparity in degree classifications was found
academia and the ways in which you can help to exist across all the degree subjects and
to support BME students. persisted even after controlling for students’
prior qualifications. This suggests that BME
Education students are disadvantaged in terms of
Higher education equips students with the educational attainment. As a result, it has
skills necessary to discover their talents, been found that BME students are 5 to 15
improve their job prospects, and obtain per cent less likely to be employed compared
a higher social status (Chan, 2016). However, to white students six months after gradua-
previous literature suggests that access to tion (Zwysen & Longhi, 2016).
higher education is often restricted for indi-
viduals from BME backgrounds. For instance,
Issue 116 September 2020 5Hannah Slack, Alex Lloyd, Brad Kennedy & Josie Urquhart Research Unfortunately, the racial disparity in Academic institutions are designed to provide the journal system has led to a number a shared space where individuals with different of high-profile cases where poor quality theoretical perspectives and experiences can science promoting racial stereotypes have work collaboratively in the pursuit of further passed the peer review system. Retraction knowledge. However, this goal is ultimately Watch, a website that monitors published undermined when the perspectives of people papers that are subsequently removed of colour (POC) are absent from the discus- from journals due to spurious findings, has sion. Roberts et al. (2020) examined 26,380 tracked the retraction of a paper previously articles published in the journals, Cognition, published in Psychological Science. The paper Cognitive Psychology, Child Development, Develop- made a number of claims based on a flawed mental Psychology, the Journal of Personality and measure of IQ that fed into racist narra- Social Psychology, and the Personality and Social tives, which, once raised to the authors, lead Psychological Bulletin between the years of 1974 them to request their paper be retracted. and 2018. It was found that only five per cent The Editor-in-Chief has subsequently made of publications reported the impact of race a statement apologising for the publica- on their experimental results. This means that tion of the article and highlighting that these publications ignore the unique experi- researchers at all steps of the publication ences of POC. Additionally, it was found that, process – whether authors, reviewers or out of 1745 editorial board members, 76 per editors – should consider the political impli- cent were white, 10 per cent were POC, and cations of research. This provides one way 14 per cent did not disclose their race. Journal that members of the postgraduate commu- editors hold a powerful role within research nity can support anti-racism in their work, as they decide which articles are published and we encourage our readers to consider (Young et al., 2008). Roberts et al. (2020) how their research might impact POC. reported that possessing a higher number More insidiously, there are some groups of white editorial board members predicted that actively seek to promote racist narratives. a lower number of publications that discussed Journals that are funded by individuals with the impact of participants’ race on the experi- links to white nationalist groups routinely mental results. In addition, out of all 1093 publish research that promotes unscientific first authors of publications that reported the links between race and IQ (Saini, 2018). impact of participants’ race on the experi- Authors that regularly publish in these jour- mental results, 63 per cent were white, 23 nals, and occasionally more mainstream jour- per cent were POCs, and 14 per cent did not nals (e.g. see here), often reference this small disclose their race. These findings suggest that circle of research and subsequently inflate the white perspective on the impact of race metrics associated with citation score (Saini, in psychology is overrepresented within the 2019). Recognising that these outlets exist is literature. Furthermore, Roberts et al. (2020) important to combat the spread of unscien- found that the race of the author predicted tific work used to spread damaging ideologies. the proportion of POC amongst the partici- pants. This suggests that the results of the Ways to help published articles will disproportionately 1. Learn reflect the experiences of white individuals as The first step towards offering appropriate opposed to the experiences of POC. Overall, support to individuals from BME back- this suggests that the racial identities of those grounds is to educate yourself about their involved in the creation of psychological unique history, culture, and experiences. research influences the extent to which the Below are some free online courses and impact of race on psychology is investigated other resources that you can use to learn within academic research. more. 6 PsyPAG Quarterly
PsyPAG’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement
■ Yale University Course on African The petitions listed above are merely
American History a starting point. Here, you can find a list
■ University of Exeter Course on British of a further 301 anti-racism petitions. In
Imperialism addition to signing petitions, you can also
■ Anti-Racism Online Resources contact your local MP. This resource contains
(articles/books/podcasts/films) template letters that you can send to MPs to
■ More Anti-Racism Online Resources demand change. To find out who your local
MP is and how to contact them, use this
2. Reflect resource.
Once you have learned about the experi-
ences of individuals from BME backgrounds, 4. Donate
it is important to reflect on that knowledge If you are able to do so, a great way to help
and consider the impact of race on your own support individuals from BME backgrounds
research. Quantitative psychologists tend is to donate to anti-racism charities. Some
to adopt a positivist epistemology (Michell, UK anti-racism charities include:
2003). A positivist epistemology claims that ■ 100 Black Men of London – London-based
there is only one objective truth about the charity that aims to support young
nature of the world. Hence, it is believed black people through education and
that quantitative psychologists study universal mentoring.
constructs that are experienced in exactly the ■ Access UK – National charity providing
same way by all individuals, regardless of the career services for BME youth.
unique characteristics and experiences of the ■ BTEG – National charity aiming to end
individual (Burman, 1997). However, previous racial inequality through education
literature has shown that cognitive processes, and employment. Their Routes2Suc-
such as face processing, voice perception, and cess campaign aims to raise the educa-
the organisation of autobiographical memo- tional attainment of 10 to 25-year-olds
ries can differ according to an individual’s race from BME backgrounds by linking young
and culture (Perrachione et al., 2010; Quinn people with role model mentors.
et al., 2019; Wang, 2019). Therefore, this rein- ■ Generating Genius – London-based
forces the need to acknowledge the way in charity which aims to support BME
which the race of participants may impact the students in gaining places to study STEM
results of our own research. subjects at top universities and develop
careers in STEM.
3. Speak up ■ Show Racism the Red Card – The
Another key way that you can help support UK’s leading anti-racism educational
individuals from BME backgrounds is to charity. They use educational workshops,
use your voice and speak up against racial training sessions, multimedia packages,
inequality. Here are four petitions directly and other resources to tackle racism in
related to eradicating racial inequality in society.
education: ■ Stephen Lawrence Trust – National
■ Require universities to educate staff and charity which aims support BME youth in
students on unconscious bias. overcoming barriers to educational and
■ Make white privilege and systemic employment success.
racism a compulsory part of the British ■ The Amos Bursary – National charity that
education course. aims to support young males from BME
■ Include Black British History in the backgrounds to achieve their academic
national education curriculum and career goals through a mentorship
■ Battle racism by updating GCSE reading programme.
lists
Issue 116 September 2020 7Hannah Slack, Alex Lloyd, Brad Kennedy & Josie Urquhart
■ The Runnymede Trust – The Runny- Conclusion
mede Trust is the UK’s leading inde- Compared to white students, students from
pendent race equality think tank. They BME backgrounds are disadvantaged in
generate intelligence to challenge race both their access to higher education and
inequality in Britain through research, their academic attainment once at univer-
network building, leading debate, and sity. Additionally, the overrepresentation
policy engagement. of white individuals on journal editorial
boards, as first authors and as participants
Our Action has been argued to minimise the influence
As an editorial team, we are committed to of POC’s experiences in informing the devel-
taking active steps to enact our anti-racism opment of psychological research. We can
stance. Our editors have always worked to support BME students by further educating
ensure that work published in the Quarterly ourselves about their struggles, reflecting on
is inclusive and we will now be embedding the impact of race in our own research,
this within our operating manual. As such, speaking up about racial inequality, and
the PsyPAG Quarterly Editorial Manual (used donating to anti-racism charities. Moving
by editors during their term on the PsyPAG forward, PsyPAG will continue to use our
Quarterly) will be updated to include guid- platform to amplify the voices of BME post-
ance on challenging work that perpetuates graduate psychologists and bring awareness
racist narratives. We will also be including to the specific challenges that they face.
a requirement for Editors to check refer-
ences to ensure they do not endorse, or Authors
support journals associated with groups that Hannah Slack, Alex Lloyd,
promote racist agendas. Brad Kennedy & Josie Urquhart
8 PsyPAG QuarterlyPsyPAG’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement
References
Burman, E. (1997). Minding the gap: Positivism, Saini, A. (2018). Racism is creeping back into main-
psychology, and the politics of qualitative stream science – we have to stop it, The Guardian.
methods. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4), 785–801. Retrieved from: www.theguardian.com/
doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02461.x commentisfree/2018/jan/22/eugenics-racism-
Chan, R.Y. (2016). Understanding the purpose of mainstream-science
higher education: An analysis of the economic Saini, A. (2019). Superior: The return of race science.
and social benefits for completing a college Beacon Press: Massachusetts
degree. Journal of Education Policy, Planning and Smith, S. (2017). Exploring the black and minority
Administration, 6(5), 1–40. ethnic (BME) student attainment gap: What did
Michell, J. (2003). The quantitative imperative: Posi- it tell us? Actions to address home BME under-
tivism, naïve realism and the place of qualitative graduate students’ degree attainment. Journal
methods in psychology. Theory & Psychology, 13(1), of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 5(1).
5-31. doi:10.1177%2F0959354303013001758 doi:10.14297/jpaap.v5i1.239
Noden, P., Shiner, M. & Modood, T. (2014). Univer- Wang, Q. (2019). Culture in the organization of auto-
sity offer rates for candidates from different biographical memory. In Mace, J.K. (Ed.), The
ethnic categories. Oxford Review of Education, organization and structure of autobiographical
40(3), 349–369. doi:10.1080/03054985.2014.91 memory (pp.72–92). New York: Oxford Univer-
1724 sity Press.
Perrachione, T.K., Chiao, J.Y., Wong, P.C.M. (2010). Young, N.S., Ioannidis, J.P. & Al-Ubaydli, O. (2008).
Asymmetric cultural effects on perceptual exper- Why current publication practices may distort
tise underlie an own-race bias for voices. Cognition, science. PLoS Medicine, 5(10), e201. doi:10.1371/
114, 42–55. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2009.08.012 journal.pmed.0050201
Quinn, P.C., Lee, K., Pascalis, O. (2019). Face Zwysen, W. & Longhi, S. (2016). Labour market
processing in infancy and beyond: The disadvantage of ethnic minority British gradu-
case of social categories. Annual Review ates: university choice, parental background or
of Psychology, 70, 165–189. doi:10.1146/ neighbourhood? Institute for Social and Economic
annurev-psych-010418-102753 Research, 2.
Roberts, S.O., Bareket-Shavit, C., Dollins, F.A. et
al. (2020). Racial inequality in psycholog-
ical research: Trends of the past and recom-
mendations for the future. Perspectives on
Psychological Science, 1745691620927709.
doi:10.1177%2F1745691620927709
Issue 116 September 2020 9Reflective pieces
Rising to the challenge:
Being an assistant psychologist during the
Covid-19 global pandemic
Ada Dys, Holly Burton & Katie Emmison
Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has impacted the role of many assistant psychologists (APs) in the UK.
Whilst some have adapted service delivery, others have been faced with deployment or re-deployment. Many
APs have faced unique and unprecedented challenges, experiences, and stressors which have not yet been
captured. It has been highlighted that exploring such experiences are key to informing future preventative
strategies and practice. Reflection is an integral part of practicing psychology and enables a practitioner to
develop a better understanding of their experiences and consider what they could do differently in the future.
This article presents reflective accounts from three APs working during the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing
on areas pertinent to clinical psychology.
T
HE CORONAVIRUS disease 2019 past experiences, thus giving them the
(Covid-19) pandemic has had opportunity to consider what they might
a profound impact on the roles of many do differently in the future (Thompson
assistant psychologists (APs). For some, & Pascal, 2012). The following reflections
imposed restrictions have meant adapting aim to capture the experiences of three APs
service delivery, whilst others have faced working during the Covid-19 pandemic,
deployment or re-deployment beyond the focusing specifically on areas pertinent to
scope of their current job specification (BPS, the profession of clinical psychology (CP).
2020). As a result, many APs have been faced
with unique and unprecedented stressors How has your role and service been
and challenges, which has opened a valuable impacted?
opportunity for reflection and the revalua- KE – Covid-19 has completely transformed
tion of the effectiveness of current practices my role in the Memory Assessment Service
and strategies. (MAS) and resulted in re-deployment.
In line with this, front-line staff have been As we were unable to offer face-to-face
identified as a specific group of interest for appointments, and with many of our clients
post Covid-19 research priorities (Holmes requiring cognitive assessments and expe-
et al., 2020). Holmes et al. (2020) high- riencing difficulties accessing technology,
light that identifying and understanding the remote appointments were not a suitable
mechanisms utilised by this group to miti- substitute. With a large proportion of our
gate stress induced by the pandemic will be client group shielding until they feel safe,
key in informing and facilitating the imple- it is uncertain when the service will resume
mentation of preventative strategies and and continues to run currently with skeleton
practice. Such information can be obtained staff. My re-deployment resulted in joining
through reflective accounts, reflective prac- the Integrated Mental Health Response Hub
tice is a process that enables a practitioner which is a new phone-based support service
to develop a better understanding of their for individuals in crisis.
10 PsyPAG QuarterlyBeing an assistant psychologist during the Covid-19 global pandemic
AD – For our community-based service lacked awareness for each other’s roles and
supporting adults with mild-moderate mental responsibilities, which has meant APs being
health difficulties, Covid-19 has resulted in mistakenly thought of as qualified staff on
the suspension of face-to-face support and a number of occasions. I have found it frus-
a shift to homeworking. The first few weeks trating when others have not understood
were chaotic; many of our clients opted the restrictions in place which ensure APs
out of therapy due to childcare commit- work within their competence. Over time
ments and our referrals were suspended as I have become increasingly more confident
we couldn’t safely process enrolment paper- in declining calls that are not appropriate
work. We spent a large portion of time navi- for me to take, explaining why this was, and
gating the administrative side of our service providing a brief summary of calls that I am
and considering what adaptations were able to take to colleagues.
needed for safe and competent delivery of
therapy from our homes. Due to this service AD – For the first few weeks of homeworking
exclusively supporting individuals who are I experienced anxiety and frustration; I had
unemployed, I have found that many are only been in my first AP role for three
experiencing digital poverty and are unable months and had begun finding my feet, only
to engage in video therapy, therefore tele- for Covid-19 to add an extra layer of worry
phone therapy has been our only option and invite my imposter syndrome to resur-
posing its own unique challenges. face. I did not feel that I had the adequate
skills to deliver therapy remotely and needed
How has your therapeutic practice been a new skillset. Positively, I quickly discovered
impacted? that my anxieties were unfounded: I have
HB – I have found delivering therapy from found the transition relatively painless and
home difficult as I feel my personal and have managed to adapt to this mode of
professional boundaries have been chal- delivery relatively quickly. Upon reflection,
lenged at times. Although I wear head- I feel that this would not have been possible
phones when delivering therapy, I have without being proactive in researching
found this isn’t always enough to muffle the different techniques and delivery modes.
noises of my partner walking up the stairs I feel that researching and sharing learning
or children playing outside our house. I’ve with peers has enabled me to find effective
found that these noises during therapy have solutions to aid understanding of psycho-
provided opportunities for my clients to ask logical concepts, such as the use of metaphor
personal questions regarding my family and and videos to supplement understanding.
living situation. Although these were asked Being transparent with clients about having
with good intentions, I feel this has chal- no prior experience of delivering remote
lenged my boundaries and at times made me therapy and reviewing the process regu-
feel uncomfortable as I typically refrain from larly has helped me mitigate the impact of
sharing my personal life with clients unless imposter syndrome and grow in confidence.
giving relevant examples to normalise their
experiences. This aspect has provoked me to How has your personal and professional
reflect on my own boundaries and why these development and career progression
are so important to me, and I have grown in been impacted?
confidence and now feel more comfortable AD – I initially thought that working from
in redirecting conversation and reinforcing home would entail the loss of valuable
comfortable boundaries. opportunities to learn and develop profes-
sionally. Nonetheless, reduced client contact
KE – I was given limited information and meant that I had more time to engage in
training in my role. At times staff have regular continuous professional develop-
Issue 116 September 2020 11Ada Dys, Holly Burton & Katie Emmison
ment (CPD) beyond my allocated two hours tant. I found it challenging working along-
a week. I have engaged in weekly reflective side a team as a temporary member of staff
CPD sessions with peers which has consisted as I found this made the job more isolating,
of identifying a research article exploring an however supervision has allowed me to feel
area of common interest and reflecting on that I am still part of a team and maintain
the learning. This has proved invaluable in social relationships. Prior to Covid-19 I rarely
updating my knowledge of evidence-based met with fellow APs, but we are now a more
approaches. I have also found there to be cohesive group meeting weekly online due
an increase in free online learning oppor- to the removal of logistical and practical
tunities due to Covid-19, such as webinars, barriers and increased use of online plat-
which otherwise would not have been avail- forms. I have used supervision to explore
able. Switching to remote delivery has also my emotions, and whilst there has not always
furthered my learning; as the client and been a practical solution, being able to share
I were not in the same room, I have felt more this with somebody has felt beneficial in itself.
comfortable following scripts in manuals
whilst explaining new concepts or tech- HB – Supporting clients throughout
niques for the first time without impacting a pandemic has been an emotive experi-
the therapeutic relationship. ence, whilst I typically haven’t experienced
what my clients are sharing with me, in this
HB – As interviews for the Doctorate of instance, we are all experiencing Covid-19
Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) switched to and navigating a ‘new normal’ together. Clin-
online videocalls, I grew anxious and frus- ical and peer supervision have been useful
trated as I felt this was an additional chal- outlets to discuss and share my experiences,
lenge to overcome. I questioned how I could and it has been comforting to know that my
prepare with CPD events cancelled and colleagues have experienced similar strug-
began roping in my peers and supervisor gles and how these have been overcome.
to complete mock video interviews with me. The change from sharing an office with my
Although I initially found this uncomfort- supervisor to receiving telephone supervi-
able and struggled to take it seriously due to sion was initially challenging because I felt
knowing them, I did find that my confidence, pressured to make the most of my one-hour.
eye contact, and knowledge of the platform I felt as though I needed to keep a list of
increased. My experience of interviewing was questions to ask over the phone to ensure
overall positive, and I found panel members that I didn’t miss anything that I would
were accommodating and understanding of have previously asked face-to-face as they
circumstances, which was reassuring. I was occurred. My supervisor has been extremely
grateful to receive an offer to study and empathetic and supportive throughout and
I am over the moon to have this opportunity, has given me a safe environment to reflect
however telling my family over Facetime was on my experiences and overcome barriers to
not what I had planned! I’m still unsure how delivering therapy.
the pandemic will impact placements begin-
ning in September, but I am grateful to have How have you managed your own
progressed in my career during Covid-19. wellbeing?
AD – My wellbeing suffered initially because
How has supervision been impacted, and I struggled with fluctuating motivation, sleep
what impact has supervision had on you? and feeling entrapped. Routine, socialisa-
KE – Clinical and peer supervision have been tion and regular yoga classes are important
invaluable and have provided me with some to my self-care and it was important to main-
normality in the working day and helped tain these as much as possible. Regular video
me realise that my own wellbeing is impor- calls with family and friends, and practicing
12 PsyPAG QuarterlyBeing an assistant psychologist during the Covid-19 global pandemic
self-compassion, gratitude and patience have sometimes felt intimidating, these have gone
helped me mitigate these challenges. I have better than expected in many cases and using
also dedicated the increased time at home a little creativity can reduce many barriers.
to commit more time to indoor gardening, Also, compassion to yourself and others can
reading, and yoga which have not only main- go a long way during difficult times, and it
tained by wellbeing during lockdown, but is okay to let others know that you are strug-
have built resilience. gling or feeling out of your depth.
HB – As a community-based AP pre-Covid-19, AD – My understanding of ‘self-care’ prior to
I found that my drive home became my Covid-19 was superficial, and more of a buzz
protected time to process and reflect on the term that I believed I had to mention to be
day, so that when I arrived home, I could successful in the CP profession. In reality,
leave work stresses at the door. In the however, I frequently took my wellbeing
absence of this, I have struggled to adapt and for granted and from what I have come to
differentiate between work and home-life learn, engaged in experiential avoidance.
whilst working from home and feeling as Being faced with this experience, however,
though boundaries have been challenged. has provided me with the opportunity to
More recently, I have begun taking a walk reflect on my practices and revaluate the
and reflecting after my last client of the day significance of self-care to me, both person-
and have found this helpful. ally and professionally. I have now developed
practices that have proved to be a key buffer
What will you take from this experience? against the many stressors posed by Covid-19
whilst fostering my resilience.
HB – I previously relied on worksheets to aid
understanding of psychological concepts, Authors
however I have now expanded my collection Ada Dys
and use of metaphor, which I will continue Assistant Psychologist,
to use in practice. Although I have found the Innovating Minds
absence of non-verbal communication (e.g. ada@innovatingmindscic.com
body language) challenging when delivering
remote therapy, I am much more confident Holly Burton
and comfortable now in relying on auditory Senior Assistant Psychologist
cues (e.g. changes in tone) and word choice Innovating Minds
to indicate true emotions. I’ve recognised holly@innovatingmindscic.com
that I am capable of adapting my therapeutic
approach and I’m grateful that my clients Katie Emmison
have demonstrated flexibility and resilience. Senior Assistant Psychologist
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS
KE – I have learnt that I am incredibly Foundation Trust
adaptable. Whilst new styles of working have katie.emmison@nhft.nhs.uk
References
British Psychology Society. (2020). Guidance for Thompson, N. & Pascal, J. (2012). Developing criti-
aspiring psychologists and their supervisors during cally reflective practice. Reflective Practice, 13(2),
Covid-19. Leicester: British Psychological Society. 311–325. doi:10.1080/14623943.2012.657795
Holmes, E.A., O’Connor, R.C., Perry, V.H. et al.
(2020). Multidisciplinary research priorities
for the Covid-19 pandemic: A call for action
for mental health science. The Lancet Psychiatry.
doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30168-1).
Issue 116 September 2020 13Reflective Article
Managing risk in qualitative interviews
Chloe Chessell
Content Acknowledgement
This article includes discussions of sensitive topics such as suicide and self-harm.
During my PhD, I have faced challenges navigating the boundaries between my role as a researcher and
my previous experience as a clinician. In this article, I have applied Gibb’s (1988) six-stage reflective cycle
to explore issues related to the management of risk information (i.e. suicidal ideation, self-harm) which
I encountered during my PhD research (specifically when conducting qualitative interviews with parents of
children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). On the basis of this reflection, I present an action plan to
assist researchers in managing risks that become apparent within research contexts.
Introduction My PhD research
My Clinical Background I am now conducting a PhD to establish how
I
TRAINED AS a Psychological Wellbeing to support parents of children with Obsessive
Practitioner (PWP) in 2016 to 2017. Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to help their
The role of a PWP involves conducting children overcome their difficulties. OCD
low-intensity, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a mental health disorder characterised
(CBT) informed assessment and treatment by obsessions (intrusive, unwanted thoughts,
of individuals with common mental health images or urges which cause distress/anxiety)
problems (e.g. anxiety and depression, Rich- and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviours/
ards & Whyte, 2011). A core responsibility mental acts performed to alleviate distress/
involves assessing and managing risk infor- anxiety caused by the obsession, or to
mation, including risk to self (e.g. suicidal prevent a feared outcome; American Psycho-
ideation, self-harm); risk to/from others logical Association – APA, 2013) and typi-
(e.g. violence to/from others); and safe- cally onsets between the ages of 7.5 and
guarding concerns (e.g. neglect of depend- 12.5 years old (Geller et al., 1998). CBT is
ents) at each appointment (Richards & an effective psychological treatment for chil-
Whyte, 2011). PWP’s follow clear guidance dren with OCD, and often involves children
on what information to elicit, dependent being exposed to their obsessions whilst
on the risk an individual presents with refraining from engaging in compulsions,
(Richards & Whyte, 2011). For example, if however access to CBT for children with
suicidal ideation is present, a PWP would be OCD is limited (Waite & Williams, 2009).
expected to gather information on the indi- A form of CBT which can be delivered via
viduals’ intent to act on their thoughts, any parents may be a cost-effective alternative to
plans or actions towards ending their life, traditional CBT, and may help to increase
and any protective factors which stop the access to psychological support for families
individual from ending their life (Richards (Creswell et al., 2017). Minimal research has
& Whyte, 2011). examined parents’ experiences of parenting
a pre-adolescent child with OCD, or parents’
14 PsyPAG QuarterlyManaging risk in qualitative interviews
views towards parent involvement in CBT between my role as a researcher and my
for children with OCD. To address this, safeguarding role as a PWP. As a researcher,
I conducted qualitative interviews with 22 I was aware I had a responsibility to protect
parents of 16 children (aged 7 to 14 years individuals from harm, however my primary
old) who have experienced OCD, to explore role was to obtain information relevant to
parents’ experiences of parenting their the research questions. This differs from my
child, and their views towards parent involve- role as a PWP, where an in-depth risk assess-
ment in CBT. ment and management plan would be the
priority of an appointment if a parent raised
Aims such risk concerns. The discrepancy between
This article will reflect on my experi- these roles resulted in me feeling uncer-
ence of managing risk information which tain about how much information to gather
I encountered during these interviews, in regarding the individuals’ safety, and when
light of my experience as a PWP. I have would be an appropriate time to elicit this,
used Gibbs’ (1988) six-stage reflective cycle whilst still meeting the study’s research aims.
to facilitate this process. Ethical approval This often resulted in me feeling I was being
was obtained from the University of Reading pulled in two different directions, as if I were
and NHS Research Ethics Committees to in the centre of a game of tug-of-war.
conduct this research, and participants
provided informed consent for anonymised 3. Evaluation
quotes to be used in research outputs. Resulting from this discrepancy, I found it
hard to navigate the remainder of the inter-
1. Description view. Specifically, I was uncertain whether
I conducted qualitative interviews with to prioritise the research questions or to
parents of children with OCD either face-to- conduct a full risk assessment to ensure
face at the University of Reading or via the individuals’ safety. I often found myself
telephone. A risk management protocol was switching between these competing demands
developed prior to commencing the study, and in some cases, this led to conducting
detailing the actions to be taken if risk infor- risk assessments midway through interviews.
mation was identified. This included seeking This disrupted the flow of the interview for
support from the study supervisors (who are me and the participant, and made it harder
experienced Clinical Psychologists), and to focus on the research questions. However,
if necessary, sharing this information with conducting a risk assessment felt vital and
relevant professionals (e.g. GP). Parents meant I was able to ensure individuals’ safety.
were reminded of the limits to confidenti- Below is an example of how I found myself
ality before starting the interview. During the switching between these competing demands.
interviews, many parents discussed scenarios
where the parent and/or child had potential I: mm, mhm, okay, so it sounds like then in
to cause harm to themselves and/or others. terms of her personal safety she has been
This commonly included parents’ sharing cutting herself in the past, but the last time
information about their child’s suicidal idea- was three weeks ago, [P: yeah] and she has
tion or self-harming behaviour, or parents’ recently written a letter about ways to kill
disclosing the use of physical restraint with herself but you don’t feel she is currently
their child. acting on any plans or taking any actions
to ending her life [P: no, no] okay, so
2. Feelings you have not got any immediate concerns
Each time a parent discussed a situation about her safety? [P: no] Okay. Okay and
where there was a potential threat to an indi- I guess, what would you say are the main
viduals’ safety, I felt an instant discrepancy challenges of parenting a child with OCD?
Issue 116 September 2020 15Chloe Chessell
4. Analysis enced challenges knowing the boundaries
There are similarities between the skills of a researcher’s role when risk information
required for qualitative interviewing and is disclosed. However, these challenges were
clinical work, including empathy and active eased by researchers reminding themselves
listening (Corey et al., 2003). These simi- of their role ‘as a researcher’ and passing
larities can result in challenges managing the any risk information onto another profes-
boundaries between research and clinical sional (e.g. safeguarding lead) as specified
work, especially when researching sensitive in their risk management protocol. These
topics (e.g. mental health, Corey et al., 2003). discussions helped to normalise my experi-
This concept of ‘blurred boundaries’ fits with ences of conducting this research and, high-
my personal experience of conducting this lighted the importance of perceiving my role
research (Dickson-Swift et al., 2006, p.835). ‘as a researcher’ to help reduce personal
As a PWP, there are clear expectations of responsibility for managing risk information.
my role to assess and manage risk informa-
tion (Richards & Whyte, 2011). However, 5. Conclusions
the role of a researcher is less well defined Reflecting on my experience of managing
in this situation. Although researchers have risk information whilst interviewing parents
a responsibility to protect participants from highlighted the importance of using research
harm (British Psychological Society, 2014), meetings to discuss the level of information
there are no standardised guidelines on to elicit if risk information was disclosed,
how researchers should manage individuals’ and when to explore this during the inter-
safety, and this often relies on research- view, with my supervisors. It was suggested
er’s judgement. This lack of definition I keep a record of any risk which I encounter
resulted in me being pulled towards my PWP during the interviews and explore this in
instinct to ensure safeguarding needs were detail at the end of the interview. This could
met, as I was aware of the potential adverse then be discussed with my supervisors to
effects of failing to adequately assess an indi- decide whether a healthcare professional
viduals’ safety. Perhaps if I were not a PWP, should be informed. This approach enabled
I would have felt less personal responsibility me to protect individuals from harm, whilst
to conduct a thorough risk assessment. adhering to my role as a researcher. To reduce
Informed consent is also important to my uncertainty surrounding the detail of
consider. For this research, parents consented information to elicit further, it would have
to discuss their experiences of parenting been useful to create a table outlining the
their child and their views towards parent specific types of risk which could arise (e.g.
involvement in CBT. Although as a researcher suicidal ideation) and the level of informa-
I have a responsibility to share informa- tion I should gather in each of these situa-
tion about risk of harm, and parents were tions. Below is an example of how I applied
informed such information may be passed the suggestions from my supervisors to
onto a healthcare professional, participants adhere to my role as a researcher.
may not be looking for an intervention and
thorough risk assessment/management by I: Okay, thank you so much for sharing
the researcher goes beyond what the partici- your experiences and your views. Just
pant has consented to. Thus, it is crucial to before we finish I just wanted to check in
balance protecting individuals from harm on some of the stuff that you said about
and ensuring this does not exceed the [child’s name] kind of rage, I know you
boundaries of informed consent. To under- mentioned he can be quite explosive and
stand my experiences further, I consulted there was an incident where he threat-
with other mental health researchers. It was ened one of his siblings, has that kind of
clear other researchers have also experi- been managed or?
16 PsyPAG QuarterlyManaging risk in qualitative interviews
6. Action Plan ■ Gather information to enable the research
On the basis of my reflections, I have formu- team to decide whether a relevant profes-
lated an action plan which I will follow, sional needs to be informed about the
and which can be adapted for use by other risk information obtained.
researchers in situations where risk informa- ■ Ensure participants are made aware if
tion could arise. their information is to be passed on to
another professional, outline the rationale
Step 1: Prior to commencing the research for doing this and discuss any concerns
■ The BPS (2014) advocate the importance the participant may have. (Note. in some
of researchers identifying and mitigating cases, even if the participant refuses
possible risks of harm to participants. for their information to be shared with
Thus, identify the potential risk infor- another professional, the researcher may
mation (e.g. risk to self, risk to/from have a duty of care to do so).
others) which could be disclosed. If your
research team does not involve individuals Step 3: After the interviews
with clinical qualifications (e.g. Clinical ■ Monitor your risk management protocol
Psychologists), liaise with such individuals to ensure it is fit for purpose. Discuss
to obtain their views/guidance. any challenges you have faced with your
■ Develop a risk management protocol research team and consider how to over-
outlining the actions you will take (i.e. come these.
contacting a local safeguarding lead, and
ensure you have the necessary contact Overall Conclusions
details) if particular circumstances arise Utilising Gibb’s (1988) six-stage reflective
(e.g. concerns about abusive behaviour). cycle, I have reflected on my experience of
■ Consider the experience of the the challenges of managing risk information
researcher(s) conducting the research within my PhD research. I used these reflec-
(i.e. have they managed risk informa- tions to inform an action plan that enables
tion before? do they have any concerns me to both ensure research participants
about how to manage risk information (and their families) are safe while main-
which may arise?) and develop additional taining an appropriate role as a researcher.
resources as required. For example,
develop a table outlining the specific risks Acknowledgements:
which could arise (e.g. self-harm) and This study was supervised by Professor Kate
document the level of information that Harvey (University of Reading) Dr Brynjar
should be elicited for each of these risks. Halldorsson (University of Oxford) and
Professor Cathy Creswell (University of
Step 2: During the interviews Oxford), alongside support from Dr Alice
■ Remind the participant of the limits Farrington (Berkshire Healthcare NHS
of confidentiality and procedures for Foundation Trust).
managing information that requires
confidentiality to be broken prior to Correspondence
starting to interview. Chloe Chessell
■ Record any risk information which arises PhD Student,
during the interview. School of Psychology and Clinical Language
■ Acknowledge with the participant that Sciences, University of Reading
you will discuss this information in more c.l.chessell@pgr.reading.ac.uk
detail at the end of the interview (if
appropriate), ensuring they have time at
the end of the interview to do this.
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