Search

As the world begins to take stock of the impact of Covid-19, this paper provides a critical review of the role of mutual aid groups in the UK community response. Drawing on inter-views with community members and selective case studies, this position paper considers what forms of social capital impact on availability of mutual aid support in the community response to Covid-19. Based on our own experiences and Covid-19 specific research, we found that communities with social capital have been among the most organised in providing formal mutual aid, and sometimes this has extended to supporting the more marginalised and disadvantaged communities. The phenomenon of collective resilience in the pandemic, and in particular the activities of mutual aid groups as described in this paper, testify to the relevance of key concepts in social and community psychology. Without psychological ‘groupness’ there would be no adaptive community response. Further research is needed to better understand the role that social capital played in both the individual and community resilience of those offering and receiving mutual aid. This is of particular importance, given that communities lacking social capital are more vulnerable to social exclusion, in a global context where societal inequalities are widening. Whilst appreciating the limitations of social capital (particularly that it does not explain the new group relationships and forms of solidarity that have emerged), we argue that developing social capital, particularly bridging and linking social capital, can help to build community resilience and promote inclusions in communities bearing the collective economic and societal burden of the pandemic.

Background: Terrorist incidents lead to a range of mental health outcomes for people affected, sometimes extending years after the event. Secondary stressors can exacerbate them, and social support can provide mitigation and aid recovery. There is a need to better understand distress and mitigating factors among survivors of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. Aims: We explored three questions. First, what experiences of distress did participants report? Second, how might secondary stressors have influenced participants' psychosocial recoveries? Third, what part has social support played in the relationships between distress and participants' recovery trajectories? Method We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of a convenience sample of survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing (N = 84) in January 2021 (3 years 8 months post-incident), and a longitudinal study of the same participants' scores on mental health measures over 3 years from September 2017. Results: Survivors' mental well-being scores in early 2021 were significantly lower than general population norms. Longitudinal follow-up provided evidence of enduring distress. Secondary stressors, specifically disruptions to close relationships, were associated with greater post-event distress and slower recovery. We found an indirect relationship between identifying with, and receiving support from, others present at the event and mental well-being >3 years later. Conclusions: The Arena attack has had an enduring impact on mental health, even in survivors who had a mild response to the event. The quality of close relationships is pivotal to long-term outcome. Constructive support from family and friends, and people with shared experiences, are key to social cure processes that facilitate coping and recovery.

Inspired by early “click” studies investigating the online processing of constituency boundaries in language (e.g., Fodor & Bever, 1965), Cohn et al. (2014) used ERPs to probe the structure and processing of visual narratives. Sequentially presented images (panels of comics without text) were interrupted (or not) by blank panels occurring either within or between putative narrative constituents. ERP responses obtained with this paradigm included anterior negativities and posterior positivities which could be argued to resemble previously observed effects related to the processing of linguistic constituency. In our ongoing developmental ERP studies of the processing of abstract hierarchical structure across cognitive domains, we developed and tested an auditory paradigm with analogous between/within constituent interruptions of naturalistic speech which accompanied short animated movies. Auditory analogues of the blank panel interruptions from the Cohn et al. comics study here took the form of prolonged pauses (1600 ms) inserted into spoken sentences (versus pauses with natural duration, 400 ms). Pauses were inserted within a first clause (WC1), within a second clause (WC2), or between clauses (BC). ERP data from eight children (10-12 yrs) are presented here. The previously reported visual narrative ERP responses in Cohn et al.’s study with adult participants appear to replicate in our auditory sentence paradigm. The comparison of prolonged pauses at WC1 with prolonged pauses at BC indicated a late negativity over centro-parietal sites. This was consistent with the late negativity for the comparison of visual interruptions at corresponding positions (though less frontal on the scalp). Similarly, we found a late biphasic response (anterior negativity and parietal positivity) to prolonged pauses at WC2 compared to prolonged pauses at BC, and a parietal positivity to prolonged pauses at WC2 compared to prolonged pauses at WC1. Statistical analyses showed a main effe, https://lnu.se/forskning/forskningsprojekt/doktorandprojekt-sprakbearbetning-domangenerell-eller-domanspecifik

Background Much of the psychosocial care people receive after major incidents and disasters is informal and is provided by families, friends, peer groups and wider social networks. Terrorist attacks have increased in recent years. Therefore, there is a need to better understand and facilitate the informal social support given to survivors. Aims We addressed three questions. First, what is the nature of any informal support-seeking and provision for people who experienced the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack? Second, who provided support, and what makes it helpful? Third, to what extent do support groups based on shared experience of the attack operate as springboards to recovery? Method Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of 18 physically non-injured survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing, registered at the NHS Manchester Resilience Hub. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed. Results Participants often felt constrained from sharing their feelings with friends and families, who were perceived as unable to understand their experiences. They described a variety of forms of helpful informal social support, including social validation, which was a feature of support provided by others based on shared experience. For many participants, accessing groups based on shared experience was an important factor in their coping and recovery, and was a springboard to personal growth. Conclusions We recommend that people who respond to survivors' psychosocial and mental healthcare needs after emergencies and major incidents should facilitate interventions for survivors and their social networks that maximise the benefits of shared experience and social validation.

Background Distress after major incidents is widespread among survivors. The great majority do not meet the criteria for mental health disorders and rely on psychosocial care provided by their informal networks and official response services. There is a need to better understand their experiences of distress and psychosocial care needs. Aims The aims of our study were to enhance understanding of the experience of distress among people present at the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, identify their experiences of psychosocial care after the incident and learn how to better deliver and target effective psychosocial care following major incidents. Method We conducted a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 18 physically non-injured survivors of the Manchester Arena attack, who registered with the NHS Manchester Resilience Hub. Results Distress was ubiquitous, with long-lasting health and social consequences. Initial reluctance to seek help from services was also common. Early and open access to authoritative sources of information and emotional support, and organised events for survivors, were viewed as helpful interventions. Inappropriate forms of psychosocial and mental healthcare were common and potent stressors that affected coping and recovery. Conclusions This paper extends our understanding of how people react to major events. Provision for the large group of people who are distressed and require psychosocial care may be inadequate after many incidents. There is a substantial agenda for developing awareness of people's needs for psychosocial interventions, and training practitioners to deliver them. The findings have substantial implications for policy and service design.