Alexandra Burton

Alexandra Burton
University College London | UCL · Department of Behavioural Science and Health

PhD

About

126
Publications
12,893
Reads
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1,668
Citations
Introduction
Currently working on: Covid-19 Social Study - Understanding the psychological and social impact of the pandemic and SHAPER-PND study - Scaling-up Health-Arts Programmes: Implementation and Effectiveness Research

Publications

Publications (126)
Article
Full-text available
Background Younger people are more likely to report cybercrime than older people. As older people spend more time online, this may change. If similarly exposed, risk factors including social isolation and poor health could make older adults disproportionally susceptible. We aimed to explore whether cybercrime risks and their predictors vary between...
Article
Full-text available
Background Social distancing restrictions and the suspension of in-person treatment and support contributed to an increase in postnatal depression during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Creative health interventions can help to alleviate anxiety and depression, with studies showing that singing is particularly effective for suppor...
Preprint
Full-text available
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected known dementia risk factors and cognition in older adults. We invited adults with mild cognitive concerns without dementia, aged ≥60 years participating in a randomised controlled trial of a psychosocial, secondary dementia prevention intervention, to complete a co-designed, semi-structured qualitative surv...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Older adults under-report cybercrime, despite being more likely than younger people to experience repeat victimisation, financial loss and more severe emotional consequences. Considering vulnerabilities more common in old age, we sought to identify, and consider ways to address, barriers that older people experience when reporting cyber...
Article
Full-text available
Background Only a third of people with dementia receive a diagnosis and post-diagnostic support. An eight session, manualised, modular post-diagnostic support system (New Interventions for Independence in Dementia Study (NIDUS) – family), delivered remotely by non-clinical facilitators is the first scalable intervention to improve personalised goal...
Article
Full-text available
Background The sudden introduction of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant lifestyle changes for the UK population. People living with physical disabilities were deemed to be at greater risk of complications following COVID-19 infection and were subjected to stricter social distancing guidelines. B...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Social distancing restrictions and the suspension of in-person treatment and support contributed to an increase in postnatal depression during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Creative health interventions can help to alleviate anxiety and depression, with studies showing that singing is particularly effective for suppor...
Article
Background Social prescribing involves connecting individuals to community groups and activities, often to support their mental health and well-being. It has received increasing support in recent years across the NHS. There is a strong evidence base for the benefits of different types of community activities, including exercise groups, arts groups...
Article
Full-text available
Frailty describes a health state related to ageing where people become less resilient to health challenges and more likely to have adverse outcomes if they become unwell. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are known to have poor health, with research suggesting that many become frail at a younger age than the general population. Previous resear...
Article
Background UK policy for complex and long-term health conditions including dementia has recommended that specialist nursing intervention is offered across the trajectory of the condition, but there is a lack of agreement regarding the skills and competencies that specialist nurses are expected to possess. Admiral Nurses are the largest UK group of...
Preprint
Background: Only a third of people with dementia receive both a diagnosis and post-diagnostic support. A new eight session, manualised, modular post-diagnostic support system (NIDUS (New Interventions for Independence in Dementia Study) – family), delivered remotely by non-clinical facilitators is the first scalable intervention to improve personal...
Preprint
We aimed to explore feelings and changes in perception among people co-producing and viewing a photography exhibition created with people living with memory problems, who were participating in the APPLE-Tree (Active Prevention in People at risk of dementia throughLifestyle, bEhaviour change and Technology to build REsiliEnce) study, evaluating a li...
Article
Background Evidence that brings together the attributes, specialist knowledge, skills, and competencies required by specialist dementia nurses to fulfil their role is currently lacking, making it difficult to assess the effectiveness of specialist nurse‐led interventions. We systematically reviewed the evidence for specialist dementia nursing to de...
Article
Background This talk will explore how benefits of remote interventions can be realised for older people with cognitive impairments alongside risk mitigation, drawing on a realist review of how and in what circumstances older people become victims of cybercrime. We aimed to identify factors leading to older adults' victimisation, and review theory a...
Article
Background Nearly half of people aged 60+ experience memory impairments that infer an increased risk of dementia. The UK APPLE‐Tree (Active Prevention in People at risk of dementia through Lifestyle, bEhaviour change and Technology to build REsiliEnce) trial is evaluating a secondary dementia prevention intervention for people at increased dementia...
Article
Full-text available
Background There is a burgeoning evidence-base that demonstrates the positive impact of the arts on our health, wellbeing, and health behaviors. However, very few studies have focused on how to optimize the implementation of these activities for different sociocultural contexts. Due to the increasing interest in scaling effective arts interventions...
Preprint
Full-text available
Frailty describes a health state related to ageing where people become less resilient to health challenges and more likely to have adverse outcomes if they become unwell. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are known to have poor health, with research suggesting that many become frail at a younger age than the general population. Previous resear...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background The sudden introduction of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant lifestyle changes for the UK population. People living with physical disabilities were deemed to be at greater risk of complications following COVID-19 infection and were subjected to stricter social distancing guidelines. B...
Article
Full-text available
The visual is an underutilised modality through which to investigate experiences of memory loss in older people. We describe a visual ethnography with older adults experiencing subjective or objective memory loss, receiving a cognitive wellbeing group intervention designed to prevent cognitive decline and dementia (APPLE-Tree programme). We aimed t...
Article
Full-text available
Background Postnatal depression (PND) affects over 12% of mothers, with numbers rising during COVID-19. Singing groups can support mothers with PND; however, online delivery has never been evaluated. SHAPER-PNDO, a single-arm clinical trial, evaluated the feasibility, clinical efficacy, and well-being outcomes of a 6-week online version of Breathe...
Article
Purpose of review: Dementia policy priorities recommend that people who are living with dementia and their family should have access to support and interventions delivered by dementia specialists, including specialist nurses. However, specialist dementia nursing models and role-related competencies are not clearly defined. We systematically review...
Preprint
The visual is an underutilised modality through which to investigate experiences of memory loss in older people. We describe a visual ethnography with older adults experiencing subjective or objective memory loss, receiving a cognitive wellbeing group intervention designed to prevent cognitive decline and dementia (APPLE-Tree programme). We aimed t...
Article
Full-text available
Aims: There are concerns that the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including employment inactivity and job loss, will have consequences for the UK population's health and wellbeing. However, there is limited qualitative research into how financial adversity contributes to poor health outcomes in this context. This study aimed to explore...
Article
Full-text available
While much research has focused on challenges that younger and older people have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to the capacity for resilience among these groups. We therefore explored positive psychological experiences and coping behaviours that protected mental health and well-being. Participants were 40 young...
Article
Full-text available
Background Increased numbers of domestic abuse cases were reported at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people experiencing abuse faced barriers to seeking support with service closures affecting the sector. Available evidence suggests women are overrepresented in the reported cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and we aimed to learn m...
Article
Full-text available
People experiencing homelessness (PEH) faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes to accommodation availability, societal restrictions impacting access to essentials like food, and services moving to online and remote access. This in-depth qualitative research aims to add to the existing, but limited research exploring...
Preprint
This study describes the causes and frequency of different types of discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic using mixed methods. Quantitative data on seven types of discrimination were collected from adults in the UCL Covid-19 Social Study in July 2020 and July 2021 (N=15,154). From those reporting discrimination in July 2020, qualitative thema...
Preprint
Full-text available
This study describes the causes and frequency of different types of discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic using mixed methods. Quantitative data on seven types of discrimination were collected from adults in the UCL Covid-19 Social Study in July 2020 and July 2021 (N = 15,154). From those reporting discrimination in July 2020, qualitative the...
Article
Background Gender-based violence is an important public health issue that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Survivors often face barriers when seeking support for mental health and wellbeing and some find therapeutic value in creative arts. We aimed to explore how women with experiences of abuse used art during the pandemic to support...
Article
Background People experiencing homelessness faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes to accommodation availability, societal restrictions impacting access to essentials like food, and services moving to remote access. There is a paucity of in-depth qualitative research exploring how the pandemic affected this populati...
Preprint
People experiencing homelessness (PEH) faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes to accommodation availability, societal restrictions impacting access to essentials like food, and services moving to online and re-mote access. This in-depth qualitative research aims to add to the existing, but limited research exploring...
Article
Full-text available
Background People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) are subject to distinct socio-structural inequalities that can expose them to high risks of COVID-19 transmission and related health and social complications. In response to COVID-19 mitigation strategies, these vulnerabilities are being experienced in the context of adapted drug treatment service provision...
Article
Full-text available
Background Large-scale trials of multidomain interventions show that modifying lifestyle and psychological risk factors can slow cognitive decline. We aim to determine if a lower intensity, personally tailored secondary dementia prevention programme for older people with subjective or mild objective memory decline, informed by behaviour change theo...
Article
Full-text available
Background Postnatal depression (PND) affects 13% of new mothers, with numbers rising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this prevalence, many women have difficulty with or hesitancy towards accessing pharmacological and/or psychological interventions. Group-based mother-baby activities, however, have a good uptake, with singing improving matern...
Preprint
Background: An increase of domestic abuse cases was reported at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many people living with abuse facing additional barriers to seeking support. Available evidence suggests women are overrepresented in the reported cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and we aimed to learn more about how their lives were imp...
Preprint
While much research has focused on challenges that younger and older people have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to the capacity for resilience among these groups. We therefore explored positive psychological experiences and coping behaviours that protected mental health and well-being. Participants were 40 young...
Article
Full-text available
Background Apathy is frequent and persistent in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), associated with poor prognosis and carer distress; yet our knowledge of risk factors remains limited. Aims To identify risk factors associated with apathy incidence and progression in AD over time. Methods We systematically reviewed evidence based on longitudinal studies as...
Article
Full-text available
There is a dearth of qualitative research exploring how freelancers working in the cultural industries have been affected during COVID-19. In particular, there is a lack of research exploring how socioeconomic and psychosocial adversities may have changed or evolved, and how these changes have been perceived and subjectively experienced by freelanc...
Article
Full-text available
Background: There is a scarcity of research concerning what it is about arts engagement that may activate causal mechanisms leading to effects on health and wellbeing: their active ingredients. Further, the limited studies that do exist have tended to be relevant to specific contexts and types of art forms. The aim of this study was to carry out a...
Preprint
Background: Arts-based groups may be beneficial for the wellbeing of women who have experienced gender-based violence, and we sought to outline available evidence on this topic. Methods: We conducted a scoping literature review of peer reviewed and grey literature published in English from 2000-2021. We also conducted manual searches of appropriate...
Preprint
AimsThere are concerns that the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including employment inactivity and job loss, will have consequences for the population's wellbeing. However, there is limited qualitative research into how financial hardship contributes to poor health outcomes in this context. This study aimed to explore factors affecting...
Article
Full-text available
Background Confidence in the central UK Government has declined since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while this may be linked to specific government actions to curb the spread of the virus, understanding is still incomplete. Examining public opinion is important, as research suggests that low confidence in government increases the exte...
Article
Full-text available
BACKGROUND: There is a scarcity of research concerning what it is about arts engagement that may activate causal mechanisms leading to effects on health and wellbeing: their active ingredients. Further, the limited studies that do exist have tended to be relevant to specific contexts and types of art forms. The aim of this study was to carry out a...
Article
Full-text available
When followed, there is evidence that social distancing measures play a major role in reducing the transmission of viruses such as COVID-19. However, not all individuals follow the guidance. We explored barriers and facilitators to compliance with UK social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic through semi-structured interviews with 1...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Around one in ten people who contract COVID-19 report persistent symptoms or 'long COVID'. Impaired mental health and well-being is commonly reported, including anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. However, there is limited in-depth research exploring why mental health and well-being are affected in people experiencing long...
Article
Full-text available
Background Community and cultural engagement can support recovery, help symptom management and increase social connections for people with lived experience of mental health conditions. However, research suggests that people with mental health conditions experience significant barriers to participation. The aim of this study was to explore barriers...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Research on the benefits of 'arts' interventions to improve individuals' physical, social and psychological well-being is growing, but evidence on implementation and scale-up into health and social care systems is lacking. This protocol reports the SHAPER-Implement programme (Scale-up of Health-Arts Programmes Effectiveness-Implement...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Adolescents and young adults have been greatly affected by quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, but little is understood about how restrictions have affected their well-being, mental health, and social life. We therefore aimed to learn more about how UK quarantine measures affected the social lives, mental health and well-be...
Article
Full-text available
Many people living with dementia choose to remain in their own homes, supported by home‐care workers, who provide care that is specified in care plans. We explored how care plans of clients living with dementia, compared with ethnographic observations of home care they received. In a secondary, reflexive thematic analysis, we reviewed care plans fo...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) are subject to distinct socio-structural inequalities that can expose them to high risks of COVID-19 transmission and related health and social complications. In response to COVID-19 mitigation strategies, these vulnerabilities are being experienced in the context of adapted drug treatment service provisio...
Article
Full-text available
There are concerns that the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19, including unemployment and financial insecurity, are having adverse effects on the mental wellbeing of the population. One group particularly vulnerable to socioeconomic adversity during this period are those employed freelance within the cultural industry. Many workers in the sect...
Article
Background: There is a scarcity of research concerning what it is about arts engagement that may activate causal mechanisms leading to effects on health and wellbeing outcomes: their active ingredients. Further, the limited studies that do exist have tended to be relevant to specific contexts and types of art forms. The aim of this study was to car...
Article
Full-text available
Background and objectives We engaged people living with dementia, family carers and health and social care professionals in co-designing two dementia care interventions: for family carers and people living with dementia (New Interventions for Independence in Dementia Study (NIDUS)-family and home-care workers (NIDUS-professional training programme)...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Largescale trials of multi-domain interventions show that modifying lifestyle and psychological risk factors can slow cognitive decline. We aim to determine if a lower intensity, personally tailored secondary dementia prevention programme for older people with subjective or mild objective memory decline, informed by behaviour change theo...
Article
Full-text available
Background Parents have faced unique challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including mobility constraints, isolation measures, working from home, and the closure of schools and childcare facilities. There is presently a lack of in-depth qualitative research exploring how these changes have affected parents’ mental heal...
Article
Full-text available
Background Most people living with dementia want to remain living in their own homes and are supported to do so by family carers. No interventions have consistently demonstrated improvements to people with dementia’s life quality, functioning, or other indices of living as well as possible with dementia. We have co-produced, with health and social...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose The aim of this ethnographic study was to investigate how homecare workers support or inhibit independence in people living with dementia. Methods We undertook 100 h of participant observations with homecare workers (n = 16) supporting people living with dementia (n = 17); and 82 qualitative interviews with people living with dementia (n =...
Article
Background: Dementia rarely travels alone. In the UK, almost 8 in every 10 people with dementia have another chronic condition. Long-term conditions require continuous management in primary care, including support for self-management. Tailoring physical health care plans to account for dementia is vital and requires skill and confidence from healt...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Postnatal depression (PND) affects approximately 13% of new mothers. Community-based activities are sought after by many mothers, especially mothers that prefer not to access pharmacological or psychological interventions. Singing has shown positive effects in maternal mood and mother-child bonding. The Scaling-Up Health-Arts Program...
Preprint
Background: There is a scarcity of research concerning what it is about arts engagement that may activate causal mechanisms leading to effects on health and wellbeing outcomes: their active ingredients. Further, the limited studies that do exist have tended to be relevant to specific contexts and types of art forms. The aim of this study was to car...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: People using maternity services in the United Kingdom (UK) have faced significant changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing regulations. We focused on the experiences of pregnant women using UK maternity services during the pandemic and the impact of social distancing rules on their mental health and wellbeing. M...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Around one in 10 people who have COVID-19 report persistent symptoms or "long Covid". Impaired mental health and wellbeing is commonly reported including anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. There is however, limited in-depth research exploring why mental health and wellbeing have been impacted among people experiencing long...
Preprint
There is a dearth of qualitative research exploring how freelancers working in the cultural industries have been affected during COVID-19. In particular, there is a lack of research exploring how socioeconomic and psychosocial adversities may have changed or evolved, and how these changes have been experienced. This study builds on qualitative inte...
Preprint
Objectives When followed, there is evidence that social distancing measures play a major role in reducing the transmission of viruses such as COVID-19. However, not all individuals follow the guidance. This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to compliance with United Kingdom social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.Me...
Article
Full-text available
Background People with mental health conditions have been identified as particularly vulnerable to poor mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, why this population have faced these adverse effects, how they have experienced them and how they have coped remains under-explored. Aims To explore how the COVID-19...
Article
Full-text available
Background Homecare workers carry out complex work with people living with dementia, while under-supported, undervalued and undertrained. In this ethnographic study, we explore the skills, training and support needs of homecare workers supporting people living with dementia. Research Design and Methods We conducted 82 interviews with people living...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Parents have faced unique challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including mobility constraints, isolation measures, working from home, and the closure of schools and childcare facilities. There is presently a lack of in-depth qualitative research exploring how these changes have affected parents mental healt...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Adolescents and young adults have been greatly affected by quarantine measures during the coronavirus-19 pandemic. Quantitative evidence suggests that many young people have struggled with their mental health throughout “lockdown”, but little is understood about the qualitative impact of social distancing restrictions on mental health, w...
Preprint
Full-text available
Confidence in the central UK Government has declined since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while this may be linked to specific government actions to curb the spread of the virus, understanding is still incomplete. Examining public opinion is important, as research suggests that low confidence in government increases the extent of non-c...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background Dementia rarely travels alone. In the UK, almost 8 in every 10 people with dementia have another chronic condition. Due to the impact of dementia on important self-management processes, partnership working across the care network at home and primary care is required to manage both cognitive and physical health. Trust is integral to this...
Preprint
Full-text available
Aims: Non-healthcare keyworkers face distinct occupational vulnerabilities that have received little consideration within broader debates about ‘essential’ work and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the impact of the pandemic on the working lives and mental health and wellbeing of no...