Papers by Yael Ilan-clarke
Purpose – Current government policy aims to tackle youth antisocial behaviour and its psychologic... more Purpose – Current government policy aims to tackle youth antisocial behaviour and its psychological and social impacts. Given an increased likelihood that young victims of crime are also likely to engage in aggressive or deviant behaviour and to have psychological and social difficulties, interventions are needed which access vulnerable youth with adverse lifestyles to increase well-being and reduce offending. The current project utilised a hospital emergency department (ED) as an appropriate location to identify and interact with youth victims of violent crime; to support key lifestyle risk and mental health difficulties; and build resilience. The purpose of this paper is to use a youth work paradigm, to target vulnerable youth in a health setting at a crisis point where intervention may have a higher chance of uptake. Design/methodology/approach – The study applied a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design. Using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire and the " What Do You Think " component of the ASSET risk assessment, data were collected from 120 youth aged 12-20, at baseline with 66 youth who successfully completed the programme with assessments at baseline and follow-up, at an average of 14 weeks. Findings – There was significant reduction in both psychological problems and lifestyle risk at follow-up. Research limitations/implications – These findings support the government initiative to intervene in youth violence in healthcare settings. Challenges revolve around increasing participation and greater formalisation of the intervention. Originality/value – The youth work led violence intervention in the ED is successfully tackling psychological problems and lifestyle risk following injury.
Attachment frameworks are increasingly used to understand human development and used by social wo... more Attachment frameworks are increasingly used to understand human development and used by social workers in care planning for children and young people in care. To date, there have been few assessment tools that social workers can use easily and therefore little sustained use of attachment assessment by practitioners in residential care. This paper describes the use of the Attachment Style Interview (ASI) for adolescents and the Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ) self-report in a pilot study of young people in residential care in the UK and Isle of Man. The aim was to test these relatively new measures in practice contexts administered by practitioners, and to determine rates of insecure and disorganised attachment style to compare with other studies. Results show around half of the young people had disorganised (or mixed) attachment styles using either measure, with avoidant attachment styles more common than anxious ones. Secure style was rare. There was some difference in young person and carer ratings, with young people rating slightly less disorganised style and more anxious style, but simplified classifications were similar. The implications for assessing attachment style in residential care to improve identification of interpersonal risk and aid with care planning are discussed.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009
Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely used throughout the UK and the... more Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely used throughout the UK and the Western world. CAM is commonly used for children and the decision-making process to use CAM is affected by numerous factors. Most research on CAM use lacks a theoretical framework and is largely based on bivariate statistics. The aim of this review was to identify a conceptual model which could be used to explain the decision-making process in parental choice of CAM.
RIASSUNTO Il concetto di ambiente condiviso e non condiviso nell'infanzia è usato ampiamente... more RIASSUNTO Il concetto di ambiente condiviso e non condiviso nell'infanzia è usato ampiamente negli studi genetici sul comportamento umano per stimare le differenze non spiegabili in base all'ereditarietà. Tuttavia il contenuto di tali esperienze, condivise o non condivise, è raramente analizzato in dettaglio, o studiato mediante un approccio psicosociale e psicodinamico sullo sviluppo del bambino a completamento dell'approccio genetico. Lo studio qui presentato ha analizzato dettagliatamente la storia di ...
Journal of Public Mental Health, 2013
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ Youth violence victimisation impacts on health, mental health and future risk ... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ Youth violence victimisation impacts on health, mental health and future risk trajectories. A London hospital emergency department (ED) outreach youth service provides a unique intervention opportunity to support adolescents involved in violence. The purpose of this paper is to describe the set-up of the service. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Young people (YP) targeted were aged 12-18, from two London boroughs and attended ED with injuries from a violent incident. They were referred to Oasis youth workers for a mentoring/youth work intervention. Lifestyle and symptom scales were used to assess risk profile. Hospital staff questionnaires determined service awareness in the first six months, and interviews/focus group identified potential barriers to service uptake. Findings ‐ By 12 months, the service was operating smoothly. Of the first 505 YP attending ED, a third were referred, a third ineligible and a third non-contactable/refused. Detailed analysis of the first 30 attending found most were male (87 per cent), equal White or Black ethnicity (40 per cent) with 20 per cent "Other" ethnicities, with only a third living with both biological parents. This was similar to the full population attending. Nearly half (49 per cent) had been assaulted, 30 per cent had injuries self-generated through poor anger management, the remainder injured in fighting. Over half (57 per cent) had disorder, mostly behavioural, correlated with lifestyle risk scores. Barriers to service use/implementation included YP mistrust and fear of reprisals, problems with service visibility in the busy hospital environment and ineffective staff communication with YP, all countered during the running of the service. Gauging outcome at follow-up is the second evaluation stage. Originality/value ‐ The youth violence project is an important initiative for intervention in youth violence.
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Papers by Yael Ilan-clarke