A Panic Attack, the Wrestle Within

a post by Annabella Hagen for the World of Psychology blog

Samantha felt overwhelmed by her school assignments, her relationships, and her job. She often felt like she was walking a tightrope while holding a pole that contained all of her “should” and “must” type of thoughts. “It’s not a matter of if, but when I’ll fall and crash!” she’d repeat.

She would imagine placing her thoughts and feelings in a bottle and shutting the lid tightly. “I place them there so I can cope,” she would declare.

She recognized her panic attack cycle: stress, anxiety, tension build up, and suppress until it shatters. Then starting all over again. She hated her panic attacks, but said she always felt better after experiencing one.

• Do Samantha’s struggles sound familiar?
• Do you wish you could extinguish anxiety from your life?#
• Do you believe you can “control” what happens in your body?
• Is suppressing, stopping, ignoring, or fighting your emotions and sensations giving you temporary relief but not the long-lasting results you want?

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Gendered costs of austerity: The effects of welfare regime and government policies on employment across the OECD, 2000–13

an article by  Sidita Kushi (Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA) and Ian P. McManus (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK)
published in International Labour Review Volume 157 Number 4 (December 2018)

Abstract

This article proposes a thorough analysis of the gendered impact of government policies applied during the Great Recession on unemployment across 28 OECD countries following an empirical estimation using random effects modelling with data from 2000 to 2013 to test the influence of welfare systems.

Results point to a significant effect of welfare regime even beyond the crisis, primarily through social expenditure levels and public sector employment dynamics, which mainly affect women.

The detailed policy analysis highlights the need to look for alternatives to austerity policies, and the authors conclude with some suggestions in that regard.

Full text (PDF 31pp)

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Work of the past, work of the future

a column by David Autor for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal

Labour markets in US cities today are vastly more educated and skill-intensive than they were 50 years ago, but urban non-college workers now perform much less skilled work than they did.

This column shows that automation and international trade have eliminated many of the mid-skilled non-college jobs that were disproportionately based in cities.

This has contributed to a secular fall in real non-college wages.

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Taking stock of skills and education in Brexit Britain

a post by Kathleen Henehan for the Resolution Foundation blog

The skills and qualifications held by the British workforce have come under increased scrutiny lately, tied as they are to the Brexit-related migration debate. Some have argued that ‘turning off the tap’ of migrant labour will cause immediate, and substantial, recruitment difficulties for firms. Others maintain that reduced levels of migration could compel educators and employers to put renewed focus on upskilling UK-based workers.

Regardless of whether you view Brexit as a skills-related challenge, or an opportunity, now seems a good time to stock of where Britain is on educational attainment, and where we might be heading.

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A Brief Guide to Carrying out Capacity Assessments

a paper published by 39 Essex Chambers

A: Introduction

1. This purpose of this document is to provide for social workers and those working in front-line clinical settings a brief overview of the law and principles relating to the assessment of capacity. Its focus is on
   (a) how to apply the MCA 2005 principles when assessing capacity; and
   (b) how to record your assessment, primarily in the context of health and welfare decisions.
   [My purpose in reproducing this is so that individuals can be aware of the law and how it might affect them in different situations.
   Keenly aware that I called for help with a neighbour who, in my opinion, was incapable of making a rational decision and got very politely told by paramedics and police that I could not make that judgement!]
   
2. This document cannot take the place of legal advice. In any case of doubt as to the principles or procedures to apply, it is always necessary to consult your legal department. In particular, if it appears that the person in question is subject to undue influence or coercion, it is always vital to consult your legal department as soon as possible to consider whether and how their interests are to be secured.
   
3. The courts have now considered questions of capacity on many occasions, sometimes giving guidance as to how the Act should be applied in general terms, and sometimes applying the Act to particular factual scenarios.
   
4. We give in this guide references to the key cases throughout, with hyperlinks to the case comments in the database maintained by the editors of the 39 Essex Chambers Mental Capacity Law Report. However, we give these references in footnotes for those who want to read further: the key information is contained in the body of the Guide, in language which is hopefully not as legalistic as that sometimes adopted by the courts.

The full text of the guidance (PDF 28pp) is here

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Living on a knife edge: the responses of people with physical health conditions to changes in disability benefits

an article by Jessica Saffer and Lizette Nolte (University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK) and Simon Duffy (Centre for Welfare Reform, Sheffield, UK) published in Disability & Society Volume 33 Issue 10 (2018)

Abstract

This article documents the experiences of people with a physical health condition or disability who have experienced a loss of or change in disability benefits under the welfare reform programme in the United Kingdom. A theoretical model was constructed using in-depth interviews and grounded theory methods.

The findings show that participants experienced the benefits system as dehumanising, and felt that they lived in a judgemental and invalidating society, where they were perceived as ‘scroungers’ and faced discrimination from others. These experiences negatively affected their mental and physical health and well-being. They also negatively affected participants’ identity, leading to experiences of shame, hopelessness and social isolation.

However, many participants attempted to resist these negative impacts (e.g. through seeking support or taking political action). The findings demonstrate the significant impact of benefit changes on well-being and identity, thus highlighting important implications for claimants, and staff in healthcare, the benefits system and government.

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Gender differences and individual, household, and workplace characteristics: Regional geographies of extended working lives

an article by Nicola Shelton, Jenny Head, Paola Zaninotto, Gareth Hagger‐Johnson and Emily Murray (UCL, London, UK) and Ewan Carr (King's College, London, UK) published in Population, Space and Place Volume 25 Issue 2 (March 2019)

Abstract

Increasing labour market participation among older workers is embedded in government policy in the United Kingdom and many other industrialised countries with rises in the state pension age in response to increasing life expectancy.

Despite this, many workers stop working before state pension age with around a 20% reduction in the proportion of adults in work between ages 50 and 60 in 2011 in England and Wales. This paper considers the risk of remaining in work by region and gender between 2001 and 2011 for adults aged 40–49 in 2001.

Men had significantly higher risk of extended working in the East Midlands (1.4×) East of England (1.5×), South East (1.6×), and South West (1.6×) compared with the North East. Women in all regions apart from London and Wales had significantly higher risk of extended working compared with the North East: ranging from 1.15 times in the North West and West Midlands to 1.6 times in the South West.

Adjustment for nonemployment‐related socio‐economic status, housing tenure, qualifications, and car ownership, and employment status in 2001 attenuated all significant regional differences in extended working in men and in women in most regions.

Workplace characteristics attenuated most of the remaining regional differences in women: women working in larger employers in 2001 or working at distances of 200 km or more, abroad or from home, had lower risk of remaining in work, whereas access to a car and higher working hours increased risk. Policies to increase qualifications and skills among older adults are recommended.

Full text (PDF 10pp)

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