This version is available at https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/52750/ Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for any profitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the Strathprints administrator: strathprints@strath.ac.ukThe Strathprints institutional repository (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk) is a digital archive of University of Strathclyde research outputs. It has been developed to disseminate open access research outputs, expose data about those outputs, and enable the management and persistent access to Strathclyde's intellectual output. Protection Motivation Theory and Social Distancing Behaviour in Response to a Simulated Infectious Disease EpidemicEpidemics of respiratory infectious disease remain one of the most serious health risks facing the population. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., hand-washing or wearing face masks)can have a significant impact on the course of an infectious disease epidemic. The current study investigated whether protection motivation theory (PMT) is a useful framework for understanding social distancing behaviour (i.e. the tendency to reduce social contacts) in response to a simulated infectious disease epidemic. There were 230 participants (109 males, 121 females, mean age 32.4 years) from the general population who completed self-report measures assessing the components of PMT (Milne, Orbell & Sheeran, 2002). In addition, participants completed a computer game which simulated an infectious disease epidemic in order to provide a measure of social distancing behaviour (Maharaj, McCaldin & Kleczkowski, 2011). The regression analyses revealed that none of the PMT variables were significant predictors of social distancing behaviour during the simulation task. However, fear ( = .218, p<.001), responseefficacy ( = .175, p<.01) and self-efficacy ( = 0.251, p < 0001) were all significant predictors of intention to engage in social distancing behaviour. Overall, the PMT variables (and demographic factors) explain 21.2% of the variance in intention. The findings demonstrated that PMT was a useful framework for understanding intention to engage in social distancing behaviour, but not actual behaviour during the simulated epidemic. These findings may reflect an intentionbehaviour gap in relation to social distancing behaviour.

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BackgroundStudies of social distancing during epidemics have found that the strength of the response can have a decisive impact on the outcome. In previous work we developed a model of social distancing driven by individuals’ risk attitude, a parameter which determines the extent to which social contacts are reduced in response to a given infection level. We showed by simulation that a strong response, driven by a highly cautious risk attitude, can quickly suppress an epidemic. However, a moderately cautious risk attitude gives weak control and, by prolonging the epidemic without reducing its impact, may yield a worse outcome than doing nothing. In real societies, social distancing may arise spontaneously from individual choices rather than being imposed centrally. There is little data available about this as opportunistic data collection during epidemics is difficult. Our study uses a simulated epidemic in a computer game setting to measure the social distancing response.MethodsTwo hundred thirty participants played a computer game simulating an epidemic on a spatial network. The player controls one individual in a population of 2500 (with others controlled by computer) and decides how many others to contact each day. To mimic real-world trade-offs, the player is motivated to make contact by being rewarded with points, while simultaneously being deterred by the threat of infection. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding psychological measures of health protection motivation. Finally, simulations were used to compare the experimentally-observed response to epidemics with no response.ResultsParticipants reduced contacts in response to infection in a manner consistent with our model of social distancing. The experimentally observed response was too weak to halt epidemics quickly, resulting in a somewhat reduced attack rate and a substantially reduced peak attack rate, but longer duration and fewer social contacts, compared to no response. Little correlation was observed between participants’ risk attitudes and the psychological measures.ConclusionsOur cognitive model of social distancing matches responses to a simulated epidemic. If these responses indicate real world behaviour, spontaneous social distancing can be expected to reduce peak attack rates. However, additional measures are needed if it is important to stop an epidemic quickly.

Background: As 'Blueprints' evidence-based programmes, such as Functional Family Therapy (FFT), originating from the United States, are increasingly implemented in Social Work services, the importance of assessing their effectiveness in a UK context is crucial. To do this, it is not always practical for services to commission randomised control trials or quasi-experimental control trials. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Added Value Score has been shown to have utility in the evaluation of intervention programmes by controlling for regression to the mean, attenuation and the shifting nature of most childhood psychopathology. Method: The SDQ Added Value Score was used to assess the effectiveness of FFT in two local authorities in Scotland. One hundred and sixty-four families who had finished FFT completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Outcome Questionnaire and the Client Outcome Measure at pre-and postintervention. Results: Both parents' and adolescents' average psychosocial distress scores significantly decreased on all measures after FFT and many of the scores postintervention fell to a range equivalent with the general population. Furthermore, calculation of the SDQ Added Value Score indicated that adolescents' mean total difficulties scores were lower following FFT than what would have been expected had this intervention not been received, producing an effect size that compares favourably to other interventions. Conclusions: Functional Family Therapy has been identified as an effective intervention for improving the psychosocial functioning of high-risk adolescents and their families. Key Practitioner Message• Social work services are increasingly implementing evidence-based 'Blueprints US' programmes, such as Functional Family Therapy (FFT), into community settings.• FFT was evaluated using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Added Value Score in two local authorities in Scotland and produced significant decreases in parents' and referred adolescents' mean psychosocial distress scores.• FFT within a Social Work system has the ability to provide support for adolescents with high levels of clinical difficulties and their families in order to improve family well-being.• The FFT model involves working with the whole family to reduce defensive communication patterns, increase supportive interactions, promote supervision and improve effective discipline by parents.

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