Psychological capital (PsyCap), which is a resource that comprises positive individual characteristics, has not previously been investigated in relation to the experience of bullying. The role of psychological capital and social support in relation to the impact of bullying at work was investigated in a quantitative survey of 2068 employees from a range of UK organizations. A resource model of bullying and health, with PsyCap and social support as potential mediators, was proposed and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). Based on previous research we expected that both PsyCap and social support would mediate the impact of bullying. The model was tested with outcomes of both ill-being and well-being, and shown to be a good fit for the data. We concluded that both PsyCap and social support separately mediated the impact of bullying; however, it is their joint contribution that should be noted. The study indicates the value of PsyCap in relation to bullying, health and well-being in the workplace, and supports the inclusion of psychological capital and social support in more comprehensive models of bullying at work.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore benefit finding in cancer carers taking account of timeline and care recipient, in relation to burden of care, perceived stress, optimism, resilience, self efficacy, perceived support and psychological distress. Methods: A cohort sequential survey was conducted with a group of 842 female cancer carers who were caring for a spouse, a parent or a child. A stress-coping model of benefit finding was proposed and tested. Results: Analysis supported the stress-coping model for global benefit finding and also the multidimensional model of benefit finding and identified important differences on outcome measures depending on care recipient and timeline. Conclusions: This study concludes that a focus on benefit finding interventions may be useful in the area, but that a developmental approach taking into account the relationship between carer and the carer recipient is required.

Maternal blood folate concentrations during pregnancy have been previously linked with DNA methylation patterns, but this has been done predominantly through observational studies. We showed recently in an epigenetic analysis of the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) of folic acid supplementation specifically in the second and third trimesters (the EpiFASSTT trial) that methylation at some imprinted genes was altered in cord blood samples in response to treatment. Here, we report on epigenome-wide screening using the Illumina EPIC array (~ 850,000 sites) in these same samples (n = 86). The top-ranked differentially methylated promoter region (DMR) showed a gain in methylation with folic acid (FA) and was located upstream of the imprint regulator ZFP57. Differences in methylation in cord blood between placebo and folic acid treatment groups at this DMR were verified using pyrosequencing. The DMR also gains methylation in maternal blood in response to FA supplementation. We also found evidence of differential methylation at this region in an independent RCT cohort, the AFAST trial. By altering methylation at this region in two model systems in vitro, we further demonstrated that it was associated with ZFP57 transcription levels. These results strengthen the link between folic acid supplementation during later pregnancy and epigenetic changes and identify a novel mechanism for regulation of ZFP57. This trial was registered 15 May 2013 at www.isrctn.com as ISRCTN19917787.