Cyberbullying is a relatively recent phenomenon originally coming to the forefront of the public agenda following a number of anecdotal accounts. It has been defined as “any behaviour performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others” (Tokunaga, 2010: 278). This study is designed to explore cyberbullying issues in school settings from the perspective of teaching professionals. This area is of consequence given that research focussing on face-to-face bullying has suggested that teaching professionals and school staff can have differing definitions and understandings of bullying behaviour and the high prevalence of unreported cyberbullying in schools. The participants in this research were Anti-Bullying Co-ordinators in eight schools in one Local Authority. The staff who participated were employed in a range of settings (Primary, Secondary, Middle and High schools). The views of teaching professionals were obtained using semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed using Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The results indicate that teaching professionals are beginning to develop an understanding of issues relating to cyberbullying and acknowledge the unique features of this type of behaviour. The findings also highlight that consideration has been given to the level of involvement schools should have when dealing with cyberbullying issues. Furthermore schools are aware of the impact of this type of behaviour and have employed a range of methods to prevent and intervene in cyberbullying. However schools still require additional support to understand how to respond to this phenomenon more comprehensively.

This thesis investigates gendered power relations, including violence, control and coercion, within teenage heterosexual relationships, and broader relationship cultures. It focusses on upper-middle class 14-16 year olds, whose sexualities – unlike those of working-class teenagers – are seldom seen as a social problem. It explores the interactions of romantic and sexual experiences with classed identities and social contexts, based on data generated within a large, high-performing state comprehensive in an affluent, ethnically homogenous (white) area of south-east England. The research, conducted in and outside school, used a mixed-methods approach, incorporating in-depth individual and paired interviews, and self-completion questionnaires. It draws on insights from feminist post-structural approaches to gender and sexualities, and is situated in relation to work that explores the negotiation of gender in “post-feminist” neoliberal societies. Despite (in some ways, because of) their privileged class positioning, these young people faced conflicting regulatory discourses. Heteronormative discourses, and gendered double standards, still shaped their (sexual) subjectivities. Sexuality was very public and visible, forming a claustrophobic regulatory framework restricting movements and choices, particularly girls’. But inequalities and violences were often obscured by powerful classed discourses of compulsory individuality, with young people compelled to perform an autonomous self even as they negotiated inescapably social networks of sexuality. These discourses could exacerbate inequalities, as participants denigrated others for vulnerability. A significant proportion of participants reported controlling, coercive or violent relationship experiences, but girls especially downplayed their importance. Girls shouldered the burden of emotion work, taking on responsibility for both their own and partners’ emotions. Sexual harassment and violence from peers were often regarded with resignation, and sometimes led to further victimisation from partners or peers. Policing of sexuality was bound up with classed prejudices and assumptions; participants’ performances of identity often rested on dissociation from the working class. Young middle-class people’s heterosexual subjectivities sat uneasily with educationally successful, future-oriented subjectivities; sexuality was an ever-lurking threat to becoming an educational and therefore classed success.

Being the victim of bullying is a problem for many children and young people, yet challenges in defining the term and methodological issues have made research findings difficult to compare (Pugh & Chitiyo, 2012). Nevertheless, there is agreement that certain factors at different ecological levels can raise or lower the likelihood of being bullied, and that children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) tend to be more vulnerable than their peers without ASD. The social impairments at the core of ASD have led to these children being termed “perfect victims” (Klin, Volkmar, & Sparrow, 2000, p. 6), although their developmental and behavioural profiles may mean that some bullying research conducted with typically developing peers is inappropriate for this group. Nevertheless, if left unaddressed, the problem of bullying may prevent inclusion in school and have serious negative effects on the child.The aim of the current study was to investigate prevalence, victim role, risk and protective factors for being bullied among children and young people with ASD, using a representative sample taken from the evaluation of Achievement for All (Humphrey et al., 2011). An embedded mixed methods design was used to permit a richer understanding of being bullied. For the risk and protection analyses there were 722 responses from teachers and 119 from parents concerning children with ASD. Teachers and parents completed a survey on bullying and wider outcome areas, with additional contextual data collected. Data were analysed using multiple regression, including a cumulative risk analysis. There were five focus pupils in the qualitative strand, and interviews were conducted with teachers, parents and pupils to investigate issues around being bullied. Thematic analysis was used to explore the interview data.Results indicated that children and young people with ASD were bullied more than other pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, although actual prevalence varied greatly according to the method of measurement. Children with ASD were more likely to be victims, although the proportion of bully-victims was higher than in the general population. A multiple regression analysis with bullying mean score as the dependent variable indicated that 43% of variance was attributable to the predictor variables in the teacher model, and 38% in the parent one. Risk factors were having higher levels of behaviour problems, being in Years 5, 7 and 10 (compared with Year 1), use of public/school transport to get to school, and being at School Action Plus; protective factors were increased positive relationships, attending a special school, and higher levels of parental engagement and confidence. Bullying rose according to the number risks to which a child was exposed, and the rise was exponential in the teacher model. Qualitative results allowed an exploration of the experience of bullying and processes contributing to vulnerability, with transition emerging as an additional concern. Implications and directions for future research are discussed in the context of these findings.

This thesis examines prisoners’ experiences of imprisonment. Initially, some of the challenges that prisoners face during imprisonment are considered, of which bullying represents a prominent feature. A systematic review of literature exploring bullying within prisons is presented, with emphasis on the nature and prevalence of bullying and the characteristics of those involved. High rates of bullying within prisons are reported, with prisoners tending to have experience in both perpetration and victimisation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; Snaith & Zigmond, 1994) is suggested as a useful tool for measuring psychological wellbeing within prisoners. The measure is investigated in terms of its reliability and validity. Finally, an empirical research study exploring the influence of perceived safety and social support on the psychological wellbeing of prisoners in open conditions is described. The study employed a mixed-method design, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results revealed relatively low levels of anxiety and depression among prisoners with high levels of perceived safety. There were some significant differences in social support according to levels of anxiety and depression but prisoners’ concerns about trust and fear of being moved back to closed conditions limited the degree to which they sought support from relationships within prison.

Email is, in the early part of the 21st century, an integral part of organisational life. Its centrality has resulted in it being more than a mere organisational process. Rather, email represents a vehicle by which organisational culture develops. Using concepts of “email communities” and “insider-outsider social habitus” statuses, this phenomenon is explored through evocative ethnography and is found to be both benign and malign. Issues of alternative hierarchies, bullying, inclusion and exclusion emerge. These issues are characterised by a lack of awareness of the effects of their actions on the part of protagonists. Because the protagonists’ actions are not usually deliberate, those suffering the effects doubt the validity of their experiences and feelings. From the organisational perspective, official notions of organisational culture and organisational values are compromised or even rendered irrelevant. This in turn compromises the honesty and integrity of organisations in respect of the ways in which they present themselves to their employees and the outside world. Organisations, however, are largely unaware of these effects as the insider-outsider social habitus concept does not engage with the structural culture-as-an-entity understanding favoured by organisations. Remedies, examined within the compass of organisational learning and knowledge management are explored, with a need for remedies within both concepts being found to be necessary, together with a need for emotional intelligence.

Traveller communities form a distinctive and ever-growing group of home-educators in England. This thesis examines the reasons why Traveller families take up Elective Home Education (EHE). Although there is a substantial research literature about the difficulties Travellers experience in school, there is limited research on Traveller families’ experiences of EHE. The aim of my research was to explore the reasons why Traveller children are home-educated and to illuminate issues of educational inequality that lie therein. I wish to inform current understandings of the education system, as experienced by a marginalised community and to work towards making this system more socially just. This study considers equality issues in education for Traveller children within two educational spaces, mainstream school and EHE, by documenting the rarely-heard accounts of a sample of Traveller families. I interviewed 11 different Traveller families and the main professionals responsible for EHE in one particular Local Authority in England. Critical Race Theory (CRT) provided an appropriate theoretical framework for this study. CRT focuses on concepts of racism and inequality as well as providing methodological approaches such as storytelling and counter-stories to give voice to Traveller families. I found that although many Traveller families were satisfied with home-education as preferable to mainstream school, they were all compelled to take it up, rather than adopting it as a positive and desirable choice. Racism, bullying and discrimination in school were commonly cited reasons for the uptake of EHE. EHE was chosen by my Traveller families as a safe educational space. My study reveals how current education systems do not facilitate the opportunities which many Traveller families desire for their children’s success. Wide-spread racism still denies many Traveller children equitable educational opportunities. This study’s findings will, it is hoped, inform new understandings of racism and education to address these inequalities.

A wealth of research evidence has been accumulating over the last two decades, highlighting the association of childhood trauma and psychosis. The literature review evaluates empirical evidence and builds upon the previous literature reviews in this area. In addition, the literature review examines the theoretical bases and the underlying psychological factors that contribute to the relationship between childhood trauma and psychosis. It concluded that despite a large body of literature on the association between childhood trauma and psychosis, there is a paucity of empirical research which investigates other forms of childhood trauma, such as, bullying. The empirical paper investigates whether ‘anxiety’, ‘depression’, ‘interpersonal sensitivity’, and/or negative beliefs would mediate the relationship between childhood bullying and paranoid thinking in people with psychosis. Data were collected through self-report measures on demographics, childhood bullying (‘direct aggression’, ‘indirect aggression’), ‘anxiety’, ‘depression’, ‘interpersonal sensitivity’, ‘other-self negative beliefs’, ‘self-self negative beliefs’, ‘self-other negative beliefs’, and paranoid thinking (‘ideas of social reference’, ‘persecution’). A significant association was found between childhood bullying and paranoid thinking. ‘Interpersonal sensitivity’ was found to mediate the relationship between childhood bullying (‘direct aggression’, ‘indirect aggression’) and ‘ideas of social reference’, indicating the importance of the Rejection Sensitivity Model in the understanding of paranoid thinking in victims of childhood bullying. Clinical and research implications, as well as, directions for future research are highlighted.

This thesis investigates bullying and negative behaviour among chefs working in commercial kitchens. The idea for this study arose due to evidence from the hospitality industry and amongst chefs in particular which suggested that negative behaviour and bullying were widely accepted practices. However, much of this evidence has been either anecdotal from media reporting or based on small scale studies.The industry has also complained about high labour turnover and the need for a trained workforce. Therefore, this study examines the behaviours to which chefs are exposed and if negative behaviours cause them to leave the industry.This thesis has used a questionnaire to measure responses from chefs who were either in training in catering colleges or working in the industry. Questionnaires were distributed to first year student chefs (n = 202), final year student chefs (n = 153) and working chefs (n = 304). Working chefs and final year student chefs were given questionnaires that included a behavioural method of measuring bullying, known as the NAQ-R, a self labelling method of measuring bullying and items about kitchen specific behaviours. Working chefs and final year student chefs were also asked about positive aspects of work and job satisfaction. First year student chefs were also given a personality instrument as well as being asked their opinions of kitchen specific behaviours. The findings suggest chefs’ exposure to regular bullying was in line with another major UK study (Hoel, 2002). However, occasional bullying was much higher. An examination of industry specific behaviours revealed that chefs tolerate a range of behaviours from verbal abuse on the one hand to physical and sexual abuse on the other. There were also positive aspects about the freedom of work and job satisfaction but this study was unable to find any evidence as to what made chefs stay in the industryThe study found that as student chefs become socialised into their role they were more likely to tolerate negative work behaviours and could identify reasons for their use although, this did not mean that they necessarily agreed with them. In fact, as the working chef sample was very different in ethnicity, gender and nationality from the student sample it could mean that due to negative behaviours on graduation students may not work as chefs.

The present thesis explores main issues regarding school bullying, based firstly on an extensive literature and research review, and secondly on a research study which took place within a period of two academic years, in Nicosia, Cyprus. The study aimed to explore and compare bullying experiences among pupils with learning difficulties (LDs) and typically developing (TD) pupils as match controls, and identify whether learning disabled pupils are bullied on a higher frequency or severity compared to their non-disabled peers. Types of bullying (verbal, physical, and particularly relational) and several factors underpinning these, were investigated. The study also aimed to explore school staff’s views and experiences regarding bullying, and to examine gender and age issues regarding the experiences of the sample in bullying. In addition, it aimed to examine bullying mental health effects on the victims, with a particular focus on its relational type. Lastly, a survey with 620 pupils from the sample schools, aged 9 to 12 years, was conducted to investigate the nature of bullying across the whole population of pupils in these schools at these ages. The sample included six primary inclusive schools located in Nicosia, a number of pupils who participated in the bullying survey (n=620), 12 pupils with LDs and 12 TD pupils aged 9 to 12 years as the main focus groups, and six head teachers and 37 teachers from the sample schools. The data collection tools included the Life in School Questionnaire (LIS) to examine generally the bullying experiences of the samples, the Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales to examine involvement in physical and verbal bullying, and specifically involvement in relational aggressive incidents and mental health effects on the victims. Also, semistructured interviews were conducted to explore in depth the samples’ experiences regarding bullying in their schools. The results showed that similar numbers of pupils with and without LDs reported victimization and generally no statistically significant differences were found when comparing the two focus groups. The interviews, on the other hand, identified interesting factors underpinning the LD pupils’ victimization were identified, and important data regarding bullying in Cypriot primary schools were collected.

This study arises from two contextualised problems faced by the students at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) of a small university in Sri Lanka. These problems are: students’ lecture comprehension difficulties and limited oral language proficiency in their second language (i.e. English). The ideas developed in this study are based on the argument that dialogic lecturer student interaction, which enables students to take a more active role in discussions compared to the use of recitation scripts (questions-answers evaluations) developed in non-dialogic interactions, is likely to be beneficial for students’ content and language development. Although there have been studies at primary level, there has so far been little research into dialogic interaction in tertiary-level L1 Science classes, and none yet carried out in the L2 context. Therefore, this study investigates the extent of dialogic interaction practised at FAS, in conjunction with a thorough consideration of the factors that influence interaction between lecturers and students. This study, involving 30 students and 4 lecturers, was undertaken as a pioneer study in this context in Asia by analysing L2 lectures given at FAS. Data were collected from lecturer and student questionnaires, lecturer interviews, student group interviews, observations of 24 lectures and audio recordings. Of the observed lectures, a total of 12 from Biotechnology, Animal Physiology, Physics and Statistics were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an analytical framework, which was especially designed to analyse the FAS lecture discourse. This framework was also used to locate these lectures on a scale from monologic to dialogic. The study revealed the complexity of the perception-practice dynamic, and the multi-faceted sub-set of factors which influenced students’ and lecturers’ behaviour in class, and their perception of that behaviour. Students’ lecture comprehension problems and classroom interaction were influenced by their language proficiency, though the students considered the lecturers’ lecture delivery style to be more important than their own language proficiency. In this study it was revealed that a culturally embedded behaviour perpetuated by senior students, known as ragging (a kind of bullying), restricted the classroom interaction of the students. In terms of lecture delivery style, of all the observed lectures only two contained some interactional episodes in addition to monologic segments, while the others were found to be highly or mostly monologic. Students were also found not to be cooperating with lecturers in classroom interaction, despite stating a preference for learning through interaction. The students asked only very few questions in all the observed lectures, and answered in a limited number of lectures. The lecturers asked more knowledge testing questions than any other kind, while there were only a few concept development questions – the type which can help develop dialogic interaction. Overall, this investigation, which demonstrates the importance of combining studies of perception with detailed analysis of the discourse itself, indicates limited lecturer student interaction as well as a clear lack of dialogic interaction in English-medium Science lectures at this particular university. In addition, it is argued that the innovative analytical framework designed to analyse the lectures delivered in the English Medium Instruction (EMI) context of the present study can be useful for other lectures which are commonly delivered as monologic in both L1 and L2 contexts. Finally, it also stresses the importance of investigating the influence of cultural and behavioural factors, such as ragging, on classroom learning.

The emergence of social media tools and the enthusiasm by which young people have embraced theses tools as one of their primary modes of interaction is well documented in many current studies. The over-arching focus of this study considers what impacts if any the influence of social media is having on the behaviour of young people. Drawing on findings and insights gained through the delivery of the HUWY project, this study of the attitudes and perceptions of young people was grounded in an in-depth and critical review of academic and practice based literature. Following from this and guided by it, the primary research consisted of a series of seven focus groups working with young people aged between fourteen and sixteen years of age. The study was conducted in a variety of urban and rural locations across Ireland. An approach incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data was used in order to analyse the results. Core themes of Internet Use, Behaviour and Online Risk where used throughout the study and were framed by including social identity theory. The findings indicate that the use of social media tools have both positive and negative impacts on the social behaviour of young people. There is a need for a deeper understanding of the impacts of social media usage on the behaviour of young people and a more nuanced and multi-faceted response by youth work professionals. The study concludes by identifying some of the challenges that face young people, parents and professionals with regard to the increasing popularity of on line tools and in doing so there is a need to foreground the voices of young people.

There is a body of research that emphasises the role that peers can have in either fuelling or preventing bullying behaviour. Bystanders typically reinforce bullying by joining in or passively watching (O’Connell, Pepler and Craig 1999). Social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner 1979) states that within a social group individuals are motivated to maintain a positive social identity and do so by adhering to group norms. Therefore, if bullying is normative within a group pupils are more likely to join in or passively watch (Duffy and Nesdale 2008; Gini 2006). This study evaluates the effectiveness of ‘Defeat Bullying’ (NSPCC 2007), a five week whole class anti-bullying curriculum. The overall aim of the curriculum was to create an anti-bullying group norm within the class. A pre-test, post-test non-equivalent groups quasi experimental design was employed, with an eight week follow up. Pupils aged 9-10 (year 5) from three schools in a predominately rural Local Authority (LA) in Yorkshire participated in the study (n = 69). School 1 received the intervention, School 2 received the intervention plus parental involvement and School 3 was the control group. Pupils’ reported levels of bullying, attitudes towards bullying and knowledge of how to intervene in bullying situations were measured. Questionnaires regarding the pupils’ difficult and prosocial behaviour were completed by the teachers. The impact of parental involvement on the effectiveness of the intervention was also explored. ‘Defeat Bullying’ (NSPCC 2007) did not have a statistically significant effect on any of the factors measured, which suggests there was no overall effect on the group norms regarding bullying. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between School 1 and School 2 who received the intervention plus parental involvement. Possible reasons for the non significant results and the implications of this are discussed. The likelihood of changing group norms through the delivery of an anti-bullying curriculum is considered. The study raises questions in terms of whether or not parental involvement is important in anti-bullying interventions and if so what type of parental involvement is the most effective.

Bullying is a serious problem for many adolescents, and one that can have detrimental effects on normal developmental processes, as chronic and severe bullying can obstruct the fulfilment of essential psychological needs. However, there are currently few targeted interventions available for chronic and severe bullying cases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Red Balloon Learner Centres (RBLC) which are a full time personal and academic recovery programme for bullied adolescents. A mixed-methodology was utilised, and quantitative outcome measures included: depression, anxiety and trauma symptoms, self-esteem and academic engagement and self-concept. The study was non equivalent groups design (NEGD) and incorporated a comparison group of bullied adolescents from Hertfordshire local authority (LA). The aim was to compare the recovery process between groups over time by taking an initial baseline measure, and conducting follow-up assessments every three months. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in outcome variables over time, but there were no significant differences between groups at six month follow-up on any outcome variable. Both groups reported similar recovery themes that related to need fulfilment in the areas of safety and security, control, belonging and self-esteem. Recovery is not just the absence of internalising symptomology, but constructive fulfilment of needs. Social needs were felt to be most affected by chronic and severe bullying and most difficult to fulfil constructively. It is recommended that interventions for chronically and severely bullied adolescents should enable constructive need fulfilment, which may involve changes to the ethos and culture of schools, collaborative therapeutic intervention and targeted skill building.

Background: There are concerns over the low proportion of young people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA] who regularly participate in physical activity [PA] (Al-Hazzaa, 2004; Al-Hazzaa, et al., 2011). Schools have a unique opportunity to promote PA and provide adequate PA opportunities for young people via the formal/informal curriculum, school sports programmes, and out-of-hours PA (Dobbins et al., 2009). However, implementing effective PA promotion programmes in schools is a challenge and requires consideration of a range of factors. In Saudi Arabia context, the secondary boys school PE programme comprises two main elements: 1) the PE curriculum which is compulsory for all students and includes one 45 minute PE lesson per week; 2) the extra-curricular programme which is optional and comprises the Internal Physical Activity Programme (IPAP) and the External Physical Activity Programme (EPAP). The IPAP activities occur during breaks between lessons whilst the EPAP takes place after school. Both are delivered by PE teachers. Research Aims The aims of this study were: 1) To investigate the nature and extent of the promotion of PA in boys secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. 2) To explore physical education teachers perspectives on the promotion of PA in boys secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. 3) To identify the factors that influence the promotion of PA in boys secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework for the study was based on Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1997) which presumes that PA behaviour is influenced by: personal characteristics; behavioural factors; and environmental factors. In addition, the Active School model (Cale, 1997; Cale & Harrris, 2005) was utilised as a conceptual framework, guiding the investigation of PA promotion within schools and the analysis of data. Methodology In order to investigate the research questions, a two phased mixed method (Creswell, 2009) research project was carried out. Phase one involved a detailed survey questionnaire, informed by the Active School model, which was designed to gather information about PE teachers policies, practices and views with respect to the promotion of PA. The questionnaire s validity was enhanced via a number of Saudi experts who confirmed its appropriateness for use in the Saudi context. Moreover, a pilot study was undertaken to obtain valuable feedback relating to the format, content and clarity of both the survey questionnaire and interview schedule before the main study. The questionnaire was distributed to all secondary boys schools in Riyadh in KSA (N=181 schools). The response rate was 52%. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 was employed in the analysis of the data. Phase two involved semi-structured interviews. Prior to conducting these, the interview schedule was piloted at one secondary school. Six PE teachers drawn from the survey sample were interviewed and the interview data were then transcribed and analysed using MAXQD10 software. Research Findings The survey revealed that two thirds of the secondary boys schools had a plan or policy for the promotion of PA, and almost 70% of PE teachers thought that their school significantly contributed to the promotion of PA. Games activities (e.g. football) dominated the PE curriculum, and the majority of schools also organised inter-school games competitions (e.g. league). In contrast, exercise and fitness-related activities (e.g. circuit training) were less common within the schools PE curricula. The PE curriculum was viewed by the teachers as the most important avenue to promote PA, followed by the IPAP and EPAP (95%, 91% and 73% respectively). Sports/activity facilities varied between schools, particularly in terms of indoor facilities, and over half of the PE teachers considered their indoor and outdoor facilities to be inadequate for promoting PA (54% and 57% respectively). The vast majority (90.3%) of the schools did not offer PA opportunities to parents/families. Furthermore, three quarters of the teachers expressed a need for professional development specifically in the area of PA promotion. On a positive note, headteachers and local PE supervisors were reported to be supportive of efforts to promote PA in the schools and provided support for both the IPAP and EPAP. All PE teachers, who were interviewed, considered the time allocated to PE programme to be insufficient for promoting PA amongst pupils. Further, some teachers viewed PE lessons as time off from serious school subjects and entertaining time . Most teachers reported that parents considered PE as unimportant and/or playtime . Discussion/Conclusion PE teachers views on role of schools in the promotion of PA were generally positive. The ways in which the teachers practiced the promotion of PA varied and maybe have been due to their narrow understanding of the whole school approach to PA promotion. The teachers focused on the PE curriculum and the PE extra-curricular programmes as the main avenues through which to promote PA within their schools, and gave less attention to other avenues such as the whole school environment. Almost all of the teachers had a sporting philosophy for PE leading them to privilege competitive sports. Although the teachers reported to have support from head teachers and local PE supervisors, many schools were not as conducive to PA promotion as they could be due to the narrow range of physical opportunities on offer, and the teachers lack of relevant professional development, the limited sports facilities and the insufficient maintenance of these. In addition, the status of, and time allocated to PE were found to be an issue influencing the promotion of PA in schools. It was concluded that actions could be taken to broaden PA promotion within Saudi schools. For example, policy update and development for PA promotion could be improved to address clothing and changing, traffic/transport, and playground bullying; establish links with outside sports agencies and professionals; and increase PA opportunities before or after school, or at weekends. The findings suggest that if the descriptor comprehensive which is widely used to distinguish whole school approaches from curriculum-only models of PA promotion is to be fully realised, schools need to make a clear and explicit effort to promote PA within the social/cultural environment. Further that research is needed on the social and cultural values, norms and perspectives affecting PA promotion in schools.

Aim The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) on the lives of young people and identify factors that promote resilience to mental health difficulties within this population. Methods The study used a mixed methods approach. Results from the analysis of data from a longitudinal population-based birth cohort, the Avon longitudinal Study of Parents and Children {n=6,902) were synthesised with qualitative data from a purposive sample of 11 young people with clinically diagnosed DCD aged 11 to 16 years. Findings from the qualitative study highlighted areas that were important in the lives of the young people interviewed. These areas, such as the importance of friendship groups, bullying and a positive sense of self, were added to the final analytical model as explanatory mediators in the relationship between DCD and mental health difficulties. Findings In total, 123 young people (1.8% of the eligible cohort aged seven years), met all four diagnostic criteria for DCD using strict (5th centile) cut-offs (severe DCD). In addition, 346 young people met wider inclusion criteria (15th centile of a motor test and activity of daily living scales) and were defined as having moderate or severe DCD. These young people with moderate or severe DCD had increased odds of difficulties in attention, short-term memory, social communication, non-verbal skills, reading and spelling. They also had increased odds of self-reported depression, odds ratio: 2.08 (95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.36 to 3.19) and parent reported mental health difficulties, odds ratio: 4.23 (95% Cl 3.10 to 5.77) at age nine to ten years. The young people interviewed did not see themselves as disabled. Factors that increased a positive sense of self were inclusion in friendship groups, information that helped them understand their difficulties and being understood by parents and teachers. These findings were mirrored in the quantitative analysis which showed that the odds of mental health difficulties reduced after accounting for social communication difficulties, bullying, lower verbal intelligence and self-esteem. Conclusions Developmental Coordination Disorder is a common developmental disorder in childhood. The difficulties seen in these young people are complex and assessment needs to be multidisciplinary and consider neurological causes of poor motor coordination, the presence of coexisting developmental difficulties and associated mental health difficulties. Due to the high prevalence of the condition, ongoing one-to-one therapeutic interventions are not feasible. School based interventions, using therapists as trainers, working within a socio-medical model of disability, could work to promote resilience within the individual and improve the acceptance of differences in abilities within the school.

Background Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a common problem among adolescents in Ireland and internationally. However, large scale population-based studies of adolescent self-harm and its correlates have been lacking. Method Data were obtained from a cross-sectional school-based study conducted in Ireland (n=3,881) and in six other centres of the Child and Adolescent Self-harm in Europe (CASE) study. Across all 7 centres over 30,000 adolescents participated. Data were gathered on lifestyle, self-harm thoughts and behaviour, life events, psychological characteristics and support available. Results The factors associated with DSH among Irish adolescents differed by gender, but among both genders drug use and knowing a friend who had engaged in self-harm were associated with DSH. Among Irish boys, strong associations were found between bullying and poor mental health and DSH. In the international CASE sample, increased history of self-harm thoughts and acts was associated with greater depression, anxiety and impulsivity, lower self esteem and increased prevalence of negative life events. Mediating effects of emotion-oriented coping on associations between mental health factors and DSH was found for both genders and between problem-oriented coping and mental health factors for girls. Self-harm thoughts were common among resilient adolescents exposed to suicidal behaviour of others. Vulnerability factors among exposed boys were drug use and anxiety. Among girls, drug use, bullying and abuse were vulnerability factors, while resilience was associated with self-esteem and problem-oriented coping. Conclusion These findings can aid in the identification of young people at risk of self-harm in the school setting and highlight the importance of mental health, peer-related and lifestyle factors in the development of DSH. Findings relating to the importance of positive coping skills can inform positive mental health programmes. Knowledge of the factors associated with positive adaptation among at-risk adolescents can inform prevention efforts among this group.