news 2013

For the first time, a study has suggested that the position of grandparents in the British class system has a direct effect on which class their grandchildren belong to. It has long been accepted that parents' social standing has a strong influence on children's education, job prospects and earning power.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. The position of grandparents in the British class system has a direct effect on which class their grandchildren belong to, according to a new study by Durham and Oxford universities.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. One in five UK NHS staff report bullying by colleagues One in five UK NHS staff report bullying by colleagues, with almost half saying they have witnessed bullying, in the past six months, indicates research led by Durham University.

Researchers at the Universities of Liverpool and Warwick have shown that children in the UK have the highest number and longest duration of social , making them most at-risk for catching and transmitting infection. The team have, for the first time, mapped the daily networks of thousands of individuals to shed light on which groups may be at highest risk of contracting and spreading respiratory diseases.

A new study involving Oxford University researchers suggests that the migrant status of couples in Hong Kong is a key factor in their babies' birth weights. The study suggests that native couples have significantly lighter babies than parents who come from mainland China. Mainland Chinese mothers who give birth in Hong Kong are only half as likely to have low-weight children and just one-fifth as likely to have very low-weight children as Hong Kong-born couples.

A study of the experiences of cosmetic surgery tourists, led by the University of Leeds, challenges widely-held perceptions about the safety and motives of people travelling oversees for treatment. The two-year study, ‘Sun, Sea, Sand and Silicone’, is the first to use in-depth s, video and photo diaries and questionnaires to analyse cosmetic surgery tourism from the perspective of the patient’s experience.

Research suggests that it is Andy Murray's ability to manage goals, as well as his skill, drive and motivation that makes him such a successful athlete. Murray dropped out of the French Open after a back injury this year, missing out on his goal of playing in four grand slam finals in a row. But this decision has allowed him to recuperate in time for Wimbledon this month.

20 Jun 2013 The University of Manchester's social work degree programmes have become one of the first five higher education institutions (HEIs) to be endorsed by the College of Social Work. The College of Social Work has launched the endorsement scheme for higher education institutions aimed at providing a kite mark of quality to qualifying social work degree programmes.

A study suggests that money will continue to be wasted on research into social and psychological interventions unless the methods used by the researchers are fully reported in academic journals. Researchers from Oxford University and UCL (University College London) reviewed over 200 experiments across 40 of the leading journals in social and behavioural sciences (covering clinical psychology, criminology, education, and social work).

31 May 2013 A study by social scientists at The University of Manchester has revealed that Britain's most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods are also the healthiest. According to the team at the University's Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), diversity is associated with higher social cohesion and a greater tolerance of each other's differences.

Women who have mental health disorders around the time of birth are more likely to have previously experienced domestic violence, according to a study led by researchers from Kings College London and the University of Bristol and published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

PA 151/13 Toddlers living in socially-deprived areas are at the greatest risk of suffering a scald in the home, researchers at The University of Nottingham have found. The study, published in the journal Burns, showed that boys aged between one and two years old and those with multiple siblings were statistically more likely to suffer a hot water-related injury, while children born to mothers aged 40 years and over were at less risk than those with teenage mums.

Mathematicians, historians and geographers have worked together to crack codes used by MI9 to conceal information going in and out of prisoner of war camps across Europe during the Second World War. They give a fascinating insight into how the Allies were trying to engineer escapes from the camps, but also show the PoWs were passing on vital military intelligence to their commanders back in London.

A major new study carried out by experts from the University of Birmingham and Cardiff University found that women refugees living in the UK experienced worse physical and emotional health than men. The report, funded by The Nuffield Foundation and entitled Social Networks, social capital and refugee integration, noted: "Compelling evidence of a striking gender difference in emotional and physical health." It also found that "despite relatively high levels of pre-migration employment, women fare much worse than men in all types of employment, across all sweeps".

The School of Social Sciences has secured significant new funding for research in the field of children's social care. This funding (more than £0.5M) comprises three research grants awarded to academics in the School. The first of these is a large, four nation project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Light drinking during pregnancy is not linked to adverse behavioural or cognitive outcomes in childhood, suggests a new study published today. Authors of the study, from UCL Epidemiology & Public Health, collated data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a national study of infants born in the UK between 2000-2002, to assess whether light drinking (up to two units of alcohol per week) in pregnancy was linked to unfavourable developmental outcomes in 7-year-old children.

Too much social media activity may damage strong relationships, according to a new study by Dr Bernie Hogan of the Oxford Internet Institute. Researchers tested the theory of 'media multiplexity' (the ability to communicate via several channels), which was first developed in 2005. The theory suggests that there is a clear link between the number of media channels used to communicate, the frequency with which they are used and the strength of relationship ties.

PA 106/13 Mimicking the behaviour of mum and dad has long been considered a vital way in which children learn about the world around them. Now psychologists at The University of Nottingham have shown that copying unnecessary behaviour is more likely to be a social phenomenon than part of the practical process of acquiring new skills.

New research provides an insight into how groups of people tackle social dilemmas and effectively punish those engaging in anti-social behaviour. Neighbours playing loud music is an example of where a social dilemma can arise about who should tackle the wrong-doer if a whole group of people is affected.

Discharging mental health patients on community treatment orders after they have been involuntarily hospitalised may require them to be on long periods of compulsory treatment without any benefit for the patient, a new study has found. Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) have been controversial since their introduction in the UK in 2008.