Rory Coulter’s research while affiliated with University College London and other places

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Publications (4)


Figure 3. Volunteering and mental distress (GHQ-12).
Descriptive statistics of volunteering frequency and mental health/wellbeing. Descriptive Statistics of Volunteering Frequency and Mental Health/Wellbeing
Relationships between Volunteering, Neighbourhood Deprivation and Mental Wellbeing across Four British Birth Cohorts: Evidence from 10 Years of the UK Household Longitudinal Study
  • Article
  • Full-text available

January 2022

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83 Reads

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10 Citations

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Rory Coulter

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Volunteering is associated with greater mental, physical and social wellbeing. However, less is known about whether the health benefits of volunteering vary with two sets of factors known to shape population health and health-related behaviours: (1) age and birth cohort, and (2) place of residence. This study examined how these factors influence the relationship between volunteering and self-reported mental health using five waves of data from Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) enriched with information on neighbourhood deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015). Two self-reported mental health and wellbeing outcomes were examined: mental distress (GHQ-12) and health-related quality of life (SF-12). The sample was stratified by cohort: pre-1945 (born before 1945), Baby Boomers (born 1945–1964), Gen X (born 1965–1979), and Millennials (born from 1980). Fixed-effects regressions revealed that volunteering was associated with reduced levels of mental distress and greater levels of health-related quality of life in older generations, but not amongst younger generations. No moderating effect of area deprivation was found. This study suggests that generational social attitudes and changes in how volunteering is portrayed and delivered could influence not only whether people volunteer, but also whether doing so bolsters health.

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Associations between neighbourhood deprivation and engagement in arts, culture and heritage: evidence from two nationally-representative samples

September 2021

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82 Reads

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14 Citations

BMC Public Health

Background Previous research has shown the benefits of arts and cultural engagement for physical, mental and social wellbeing. This engagement is socially and geographically patterned. Yet it remains unclear whether place-based attributes are associated with engagement behaviour independent of individual factors. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to robustly disentangle associations between geographical deprivation and arts engagement from the individual socio-demographic factors that tend to correlate with residential locations. Methods Two different samples drawn from two representative surveys of adults living in England were compared – Understanding Society Wave 2 (2010/12) ( N = 14,782) and Taking Part survey (2010/11) ( N = 4575). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to investigate the association between neighbourhood deprivation (20% most deprived vs 20% least deprived) and arts engagement (arts participation, cultural attendance and museums and heritage engagement). Results Higher levels of neighbourhood deprivation were associated with lower arts, culture and heritage engagement independent of individuals’ demographic backgrounds, socio-economic characteristics and regional locations. When exploring subcategories of deprivation, similar results were obtained across deprivation domains. Results were also consistent when using more distinct categories of deprivation (i.e. 10% most deprived vs 10% least deprived) and when comparing people living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods with those living in the 40% medium-deprived areas. Conclusion This study is the first to apply a robust PSM technique to examine the association between neighbourhood deprivation and arts engagement using two nationally-representative samples. Results show that neighbourhood deprivation may act as a barrier that could prevent people from engaging in the arts, which in turn may exacerbate social and health inequalities. This highlights the importance of place-based schemes that focus on increasing individual motivation and capacity to engage in arts and cultural activities, especially in areas of high deprivation.


Figure 1 Association between cultural attendance and mental distress by levels of area deprivation. Data: UKHLS, waves 2 and 5. Estimates are derived from an OLS regression model including an interaction term (cultural attendance*IMD). IMD, Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Figure 2 Association between cultural attendance and mental health functioning by levels of area deprivation. Data: UKHLS, waves 2 and 5. Estimates are derived from an OLS regression model including an interaction term (cultural attendance*IMD). IMD, Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Figure 3 Association between museum and heritage engagement and mental health functioning by levels of area deprivation. data: UKHLS, waves 2 and 5. Estimates are derived from an OLS regression model including an interaction term (museum and heritage engagement*IMD). IMD, Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Descriptive statistics of the unweighted and weighted samples
Associations between community cultural engagement and life satisfaction, mental distress and mental health functioning using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS): are associations moderated by area deprivation?

September 2021

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107 Reads

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13 Citations

BMJ Open

Objectives The association between community cultural engagement and mental health and well-being is well established. However, little is known about whether such associations are influenced by area characteristics. This study therefore examined whether the association between engagement in community cultural assets (attendance at cultural events, visiting museums and heritage sites) and subsequent well-being (life satisfaction, mental distress and mental health functioning) is moderated by neighbourhood deprivation. Design Data were drawn from Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study waves 2 and 5. Participating households’ addresses were geocoded into statistical neighbourhood zones categorised according to their level of area deprivation. Setting General population. Participants UK general adult population, with a total sample of 14 783. Main outcome measures Life satisfaction was measured with a seven-point scale (1: completely unsatisfied to 7: completely satisfied). Mental distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire 12. Mental health functioning was measured using 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results Using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, we found that engagement in cultural assets was consistently and positively associated with subsequent life satisfaction and mental health functioning and negatively associated with mental distress. Importantly, such associations were independent of individuals’ demographic background, socioeconomic characteristics and regional location. The results also show that relationships between engagement in community cultural assets and well-being were stronger in more deprived areas. Conclusions This study shows that engagement in community cultural assets is associated with better well-being, with some evidence that individuals in areas of high deprivation potentially may benefit more from these engagements. Given that causal mechanisms were not tested, causal claims cannot be generated from the results. However, the results suggest that place-based funding schemes that involve investment in areas of higher deprivation to improve engagement rates should be explored further to see if they can help promote better well-being among residents.


Figure 1 Comparison of Zoopla listings per local authority with 2011 census PRS mobility rates.
Figure 2 Zoopla listings as percentage of census moves across England and Wales.
Figure 3 Percentage of Zoopla records matched to LCR
Summary of matching efficacy
Linking consumer datasets to chart residential moves in private rental housing in England and Wales

With sufficient preparation for purpose, consumer datasets may be used alongside conventional statistical sources to provide more granular and frequently updated estimates of housing market conditions than are otherwise available. Here we describe linkage of Zoopla rental market listings and Linked Consumer Register data to establish the pattern of residential moves in England and Wales between 2014-2019.

Citations (3)


... Some studies show that volunteering can improve the quality of life of older adults [16,17]. A cohort research in the UK showed that volunteering was associated with improved HRQoL and that older adults were more positively affected by volunteering than younger adults in terms of their health [18]. However, most previous studies about volunteering were about social activities common in Western countries, with few addressing the Asian sociocultural context. ...

Reference:

Gender difference in the association between volunteering and health-related quality of life among hearing-impaired older adults in China
Relationships between Volunteering, Neighbourhood Deprivation and Mental Wellbeing across Four British Birth Cohorts: Evidence from 10 Years of the UK Household Longitudinal Study

... 77 Although the picture is more mixed in the arts, white identifying people are more likely to engage in arts activity 78 and research shows that areas of high deprivation are less likely to participate in the arts. 79 It is no surprise then that leaders of dance for Parkinson's programmes are trying to actively find ways to achieve more diversity. 80 For Dance for PD in New York, this has included hiring Spanish and Mandarin-speaking instructors and fundraising to provide microgrants to underserved communities to start their own dance groups. ...

Associations between neighbourhood deprivation and engagement in arts, culture and heritage: evidence from two nationally-representative samples

BMC Public Health

... According to Hei Wan Mak's summary, cultural participation is associated with improved well-being, reduced loneliness, and increased socialisation. Focusing on the relationship between poverty and the role of cultural participation, he found that, in more deprived areas, cultural participation was more conducive to enhancing the subjective well-being of residents [39]. ...

Associations between community cultural engagement and life satisfaction, mental distress and mental health functioning using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS): are associations moderated by area deprivation?

BMJ Open