Neil Stewart Coulson

University of Nottingham | Notts · Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing

Purpose: to comprehensively describe the intervention planning process for the Tinnitus E-Programme 2.0, an internet-based cognitive behavioural intervention for tinnitus. Method: theory-, evidence-, and person-based approaches to intervention development were used. In Phase 1, quantitative systematic reviews were used to identify potentially effe...

Objective To (i) assess the delivery, accessibility, usability, acceptability, and adherence, and (ii) identify suitable outcome measures, for a mobile-enhanced multimedia educational programme (m2Hear) in first-time hearing aid users. Design A prospective, single-centre feasibility study. Study sample First-time hearing aid users (n = 59), recru...

Objectives: To explore users’ reactions to and expectations of the Tinnitus E-Programme 2.0, a digital cognitive behavioural intervention for tinnitus, and to identify contextual factors and mechanisms of action that may influence user engagement with the intervention. Design: Qualitative interview study. Methods: Think-aloud and semi-structured in...

BACKGROUND Effective help for depression and anxiety only reaches a small proportion of those who might benefit from it. The scale of the problem suggests a role for effective, safe public health online services delivered directly to the public. One model is Big White Wall, which offers peer support at low cost. Since these interventions are delive...

Background Effective help for depression and anxiety reaches a small proportion of people who might benefit from it. The scale of the problem suggests the need for effective, safe web-based public health services delivered directly to the public. One model, the Big White Wall (BWW), offers peer support at low cost. As these interventions are delive...

Background: Superusers, defined as the 1% of users who write a large number of posts, play critical roles in online health communities (OHCs), catalyzing engagement and influencing other users’ self-care. Their unique online behavior is key to sustaining activity in OHCs and making them flourish. Our previous work showed the presence of 20 to 30 su...

Objective: This paper describes the development of a novel mobile health (mHealth) educational intervention, called m2Hear, designed for first-time hearing aid users based on previously developed educational multimedia videos, or reusable learning objects (RLOs), branded C2Hear. Design: The development of m2Hear used theoretical and ecologically v...

Aim To determine the feasibility of conducting a definitive randomized control trial (RCT) to answer the question of whether an MRI diagnosis can negatively influence psychosocial and disability outcomes in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) treated by physiotherapy in Saudi Arabia. Methods In a feasibility RCT in Riyadh City from 01/03/201...

BACKGROUND Superusers, defined as the 1% of users who write a large number of posts, play critical roles in online health communities (OHCs), catalyzing engagement and influencing other users’ self-care. Their unique online behavior is key to sustaining activity in OHCs and making them flourish. Our previous work showed the presence of 20 to 30 sup...

Understanding of emotional adjustment after stroke is limited. Under one-third of stroke survivors reporting emotional problems receive support. The aim of this study was to explore the process of emotional adjustment post-stroke and investigate the role played by participation in an online stroke community. We applied thematic analysis to 124 rele...

BACKGROUND Knowledge of hearing aids in adults living with hearing loss is highly variable, resulting in suboptimal or non-use. This issue can be addressed by the provision of high-quality educational information. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the everyday experiences of first-time hearing aid users toward a newly developed theoretically informed...

Background: Adults living with hearing loss have highly variable knowledge of hearing aids, resulting in suboptimal use or nonuse. This issue can be addressed by the provision of high-quality educational resources. Objective: This study aims to assess the everyday experiences of first-time hearing aid users when using a newly developed, theoreti...

Purpose Internet-based interventions have the potential to reduce the disparity in access to psychological therapy that people with tinnitus currently experience. One example is the Tinnitus E-Programme, which, although freely available online, has not yet been formally evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate past, current, and new use...

Background/Aims Among stroke survivors, post-stroke fatigue is highly prevalent, ranging from 25% to 85% and has a significant impact on their quality of life. The available literature on post-stroke fatigue is still rudimentary, especially from middle-eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, which is a country with a complex health care system and...

This study examined the relationship between susceptibility to drug-related online peer influence on Facebook and offline alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among emerging adults (18-24 years) enrolled at the university level in Barbados and England. A cross-national comparative, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed with sample...

Huntington’s disease is a fatal late-onset genetic illness that causes motor, cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Individuals considering genetic testing may benefit from online social support. This study investigates how genetic testing is discussed within health forums. A total of 337 messages written by 58 individuals were analysed using deduct...

Self-harm is a critical public health issue, with strikingly low rates of attendance to clinical services. By offering support, anonymity, and open discussions, online communities hold useful insights into the factors which influence help-seeking behavior. We explore the perceptions of clinical services in three self-harm online communities to unde...

Objective: This research aimed to evaluate the content of the Social Participation Restrictions Questionnaire (SPaRQ) in terms of its relevance, clarity, comprehensiveness, acceptability to adults with hearing loss, and responsiveness. Design: Cognitive interviews and a subject matter expert survey were conducted. The interview data were analysed u...

As the number of online support forums continues to grow and the amount of user-generated content increases, analysing forum messages can provide researchers and others working in health-related fields with important new insights into the needs, opinions and experiences of individuals who use them. There has been a lack of guidance regarding how to...

Background Almost 80% of people have low back pain at least once in their life. Clinical guidelines emphasize the use of conservative physiotherapy and the importance of staying active. While the psychological factors predicting poor recovery following surgical intervention are understood, the psychosocial factors associated with poor outcomes foll...

Background: Self-management support can improve health and reduce health care utilization by people with long-term conditions. Online communities for people with long-term conditions have the potential to influence health, usage of health care resources, and facilitate illness self-management. Only recently, however, has evidence been reported on...

BACKGROUND Tinnitus is a common symptom that can affect an individual’s quality of life, requiring psychological support that is not readily accessible. Internet-based interventions have the potential to reduce the disparity in access to psychological support that people with tinnitus currently experience. One example is the Tinnitus E-Programme, w...

Background: A growing number of online communities have been established to support those who self-harm. However, little is known about the therapeutic affordances arising from engagement with these communities and resulting outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the presence of therapeutic affordances as reported by members o...

Protocol withdrawn, it is out of date and does not meet current Cochrane methodological standards.

Regardless of geography or income, effective help for depression and anxiety only reaches a small proportion of those who might benefit from it. The scale of the problem suggests a role for effective, safe, anonymised public health driven online services such as Big White Wall which offers immediate peer support at low cost. Objectives: Using RE-AI...

’They aren’t all like that’: Perceptions of clinical services, as told by self- harm e-communities

Purpose: People affected by neuromuscular disorders can experience adverse psychosocial consequences and difficulties accessing information and support. Online support groups provide new opportunities for peer support. The aim of this study was to understand how contributors used the message board function of a newly available neuromuscular disorde...

BACKGROUND Regardless of geography or income, effective help for depression and anxiety only reaches a small proportion of those who might benefit from it. The scale of the problem suggests a role for effective, safe, anonymized public health–driven Web-based services such as Big White Wall (BWW), which offer immediate peer support at low cost. OB...

In the early days of the Internet limited interaction existed between websites and individual users and as a result individuals were largely confined to searching for and reading health-related information. Searching for health-related information remains commonplace (i.e. in 2016, 51% searched for health information online in the UK, ONS, 2016). I...

Objective: To identify and describe the activities performed by online support community moderators. Methods: A total of 790 messages were downloaded for analysis. Messages were written by 59 moderators from 6 forums that represent a diverse range of conditions (arthritis, complex regional pain syndrome, Crohn's disease, depression, diabetes and...

Long-term health risks associated with unhealthy lifestyles present a significant current and future burden for healthcare providers. Adolescence represents a critical time for intervention, as habits formed during this period can persist throughout adult life. Given the prevalence of gaming as an entertainment medium amongst adolescents, and subse...

When designing behavior change interventions it is fundamental to gain an in-depth understanding of both the target behavior(s), and the issues surrounding the implementation, adherence, and acceptance of the intervention among its target population. The chapter discusses these design issues and presents a case study from an EU-funded project (Gran...

This paper identifies preliminary evidence that personality-based frameworks may help counter some of the conflicts that arise from current diagnostic measures. Adoption of such models may also help guide future intervention developments toward more successful recovery outcomes.

Several studies have investigated forum engagement, with a small but growing body of research focussing on the number of people using a forum (membership growth), how they use it (header analysis) and how they introduce themselves (introductory messages). Most studies use established forums and little is known about newly launched forums. This stud...

Background: The Internet has provided women living with endometriosis new opportunities to seek support online. Online support groups may provide a range of therapeutic affordances that may benefit these women. Objective: To examine the presence of therapeutic affordances as perceived by women who use endometriosis online support groups. Method...

Objective: Self-help interventions are followed by people independently with minimal or no therapist contact. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of self-help interventions for adults with chronic tinnitus and systematically identify the self-help techniques used. Design: Systematic review and application of health psychology taxonomies...

Objective: In recent years, there has been an increase in the application of behavioural models, such as social cognition models, to the promotion of hearing health. Despite this, there exists a well-developed body of literature that suggests such models may fail to consistently explain reliable amounts of variability in human behaviours. Design:...

Background: Sleepio is a proven digital sleep improvement program based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Users have the option to join an online community that includes weekly expert discussions, peer-to-peer discussion forums, and personal message walls. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct an online survey to (1) explore the...

Background: Sleepio is a proven digital sleep improvement program based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Users have the option to join an online community that includes weekly expert discussions, peer-to-peer discussion forums, and personal message walls. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct an online survey to (1) explore the...

Background: Tinnitus is a common medical symptom that can affect an individual's emotional and functional quality of life. Psychological therapies are acknowledged as beneficial to people with tinnitus; however, such therapies are not always readily accessible. With their global reach, automated Internet-based interventions have the potential to r...

Objective: This study explored the psychosocial experiences of adults with hearing loss using the self-regulatory model as a theoretical framework. The primary components of the model, namely cognitive representations, emotional representations, and coping responses, were examined. Design: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Th...

Background: Tinnitus is a common medical symptom that can affect an individual’s emotional and functional quality of life. Psychological therapies are acknowledged as beneficial to people with tinnitus, however, they are not always readily accessible. With their global reach, internet-based interventions have the potential to reduce the disparity i...

Background The Health Companion App is being developed as a user interface and “gateway” for teenagers to interact with a multi-technology system comprising wearable sensors, garments, a serious game, and other services, designed to help promote and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviours to prevent obesity in 13-16 year olds across Europe.** The de...

This article discusses the preliminary processes in developing and validating a measure of susceptibility to online peer influence involving sexual risk taking behaviours in emerging adults on the social networking site Facebook. The Susceptibility to Online Peer Influence – Sexual Risk Scale (SOPI-SRS) was developed through a sequence of steps, in...

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating illness characterised by unexplained pain that is disproportionate to any initiating event. Individuals living with CRPS can become socially isolated, and online support communities may provide them with an increased support network through which they can access support at any time. However, m...

Little is known about the varying patterns of member engagement within inflammatory bowel disease online support groups. The aim of the study was, therefore, to compare posters and lurkers (i.e., those who read messages but choose not to post) in terms of engagement and motives for accessing online groups as well as to explore reasons why lurkers d...

Whilst the popularity of health-related peer-to-peer web-based support shows no sign of diminishing, comparatively little is known about the factors associated with engagement in alternative web-based types of support (e.g. chat rooms, discussion forums, social networking sites). In this study, 147 patients living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (I...

Little is known about the varying patterns of member engagement within inflammatory bowel disease online support groups. The aim of the study was, therefore, to compare posters and lurkers (i.e., those who read messages but choose not to post) in terms of engagement and motives for accessing online groups as well as to explore reasons why lurkers d...

The feasibility of conducting a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of scoliosis-specific exercises (SSEs) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is uncertain. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting a large, multicentre trial of SSE treat...

The results show that hearing loss can lead to participation difficulties in various social domains, including work, friendship and family. Most of the interviewees with hearing loss successfully participated in some social domains, but struggled in other social domains. This was particularly problematic when they struggled in the social domains th...

Objective: People living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) experience frustration with the lack of knowledge and understanding of CRPS as a pain condition. We report on our attempt to address this issue. Methods: People living with CRPS taking part in a larger study were invited to co-construct a CRPS wiki page that addressed the areas...

Unhealthy alimentary behaviours and physical inactivity habits are key risk factors for major non communicable diseases. Several researches demonstrate that juvenile obesity can lead to serious medical conditions, pathologies and have important psycho-social consequences. PEGASO is a multidisciplinary project aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles a...

Using online discussion forums can have a positive impact on psychological well-being through development of shared group identity and validation of thoughts, feelings and experiences. This may be particularly beneficial to people with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), who often become socially isolated, lack mobility and face threats to their...

Background: The paper aims to examine the association between the susceptibility to online peer influence on Facebook and the attitudes and offline behaviours of students as it relates to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use over the past 12 months. Methods: A summated rating scale was developed which investigated the extent to which a student’s onli...

Research suggests that the uptake of cervical screening by women with intellectual disabilities (commonly known as learning disabilities within UK policy frameworks, practice areas and health services) is poor compared to women without intellectual disabilities. The present study explored learning disability nurses' experiences of supporting women...

Obesity is a major clinical problem for individuals and health care systems worldwide, alarmingly fuelled by body mass excess in the juvenile age. In spite of its multi-factorial origin, unhealthy lifestyles relative to alimentary behaviours and physical activity habits play a major causative role. Thus, an important preventive action of this condi...

Background: In recent years there has been an exponential growth in the number of people accessing online discussion forums for information, advice and support in relation to a range of both acute and chronic health issues. However, there has been little attention given to exploring the role of alcohol-related forums in the United Kingdom. Methods:...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a common, chronic condition which affects women living with the condition both physically and psychologically. Social support may be beneficial to sufferers in coping with chronic conditions and the Internet is becoming a common place for accessing social support and information. The aim of this study was to consider th...

This chapter begins by tracing the author's interest in health psychology right back to his undergraduate days at the University of St Andrews, and then provides a brief note on his PhD research. It traces his first journey into cyberspace that proved to be a true turning point in his academic and research career. The author developed a number of s...

To explore how participation in an online support community may impact upon the experience of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An online survey. Study participants recruited through 35 IBD online communities. A total of 249 males and females aged 16-69 years, living with either Crohn's disease (65.9%) or ulcerative colitis (26.1%) or awaiting form...

The aim of this study was to examine the views of moderators across a diverse and geographically broad range of online support groups about their moderator experiences and to explore both the personal benefits as well as challenges involved. Thirty-three patient moderators completed an online questionnaire which included a series of open-ended ques...

Objective: The Internet provides an opportunity for individuals with HIV/AIDS to obtain support and information in a timely and convenient manner. The present study examines the psychological effects of online support group use for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Methods: A total of 340 HIV positive online support group users completed an onli...

Little is known about the role that online support communities play in the lives of women faced with permanent involuntary childlessness. To understand the experiences of these women, this study conducted a thematic analysis of messages downloaded from an online community for permanent involuntary childlessness. Four central themes were identified:...