Contemporary interventions tackling complex issues: exploring pathways from online mental health forums to personal resilience

This paper identifies and examines pathways in which online mental health forums assist in building personal resilience and address the mental ill-health of rural residents. We use a resilience theory to develop a Theoretical Resilience Framework and apply it to empirical qualitative data deriving from three of Australia’s online mental health forums as well as interviews with forum users. Using thematic analysis and an abductive approach to generating new knowledge, we develop a logic model illustrating links between factors influencing personal resilience, factors acting upon resilience, and intermediate and long-term outcomes that online mental health forums have on their users. Our study demonstrates that online forums can provide ongoing and timely services to those in need, and they support the adaptive capacity of individuals to cope with stressors and a variety of challenges they face. Embedded in a rural setting, the paper adds understanding to the role of technology and online forums in addressing geographical isolation. Ultimately, our work helps to develop new sources of knowledge about rural resilience and supporting mental health service provision in rural places

Preventing suicide by young people

Introduction In 2013, 2,522 people died by suicide in Australia. Twenty-two of these were children aged 5- 14 years, 148 were adolescents aged 15-19 years, and a further 200 were young people aged 20-24 years. Although the suicide rate for children and adolescents is lower than that for some older age groups, suicide is the leading cause of death in children and young people. Suicide has immense effects on the families, friends, and communities of people who die by suicide, causing long lasting grief and guilt. Arguably, these effects are even greater when the person who died by suicide is young. It is estimated that suicide costs the Australian economy more than $17 billion per year. Researchers and policy makers recognise that suicide is preventable, yet suicide rates have changed little in the past 10 years. This discussion paper aims to focus a spotlight on the unique experience of young people. It does this by providing a critical analysis of existing policy and evidence based responses relevant to young people

"Beat your habit, not your kid": a public relations case study of a child abuse prevention campaign directed toward substance abusers

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Oklahoma, 1995Includes bibliographical references.This is a case study of a public relations campaign which addresses a social problem through the parameters of a public relations method. The campaign titled, "Beat your habit, not your kid" addresses the connection between substance abuse and child abuse / neglect. The campaign used a series of brochures, posters, newspaper ads and radio spots to encourage those affected by substance abuse / neglect to call a statewide 1-800 number manned by professionals from the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, genetic studies indicate that alcoholism tends to run in families and that a genetic vulnerability for alcohol exists. In addition, there are many similarities between families plagued by substance abuse and child maltreatment. The campaign analyzes the effectiveness of James Grunig's two-way symmetrical model by measuring the number of calls to Reachout as a result of the components used

Effective Self-Management for Early Career Researchers in the Natural and Life Sciences

Early career researchers (ECRs) are faced with a range of competing pressures in academia, making self-management key to building a successful career. The Organization for Human Brain Mapping undertook a group effort to gather helpful advice for ECRs in self-management. Keywords: ECRs; career development; early career researchers; mentoring; networking; self-managemen

What Australian students say about transition to secondary school. Final report

Life Education Australia\u27s Being Healthy Being Active project involved the collection of student voice related to the concept of school transition and the move from primary to secondary school. Students from around Australia participated in 82 focus groups, or student forums, to discuss their own positive experiences, as well as perceived needs and challenges related to their move to secondary school. Section One of this report is a literature review and environmental scan on student transition from primary to secondary school. Section Two describes the methods used to design and administer the Student Forums. This includes a description of the target population and sampling methods as well as the details of the achieved sample: 82 forums with 444 students across 15 schools. Section Three outlines the findings of the Student Forums. Section Four offers conclusions and recommendations to inform the next stage of the project, designing a suite of resources and training for teachers aimed at assisting students with the transition from primary to secondary school

Facilitating prosociality through technology: Design to promote digital volunteerism

Volunteerism covers many activities involving no financial rewards for volunteers but which contribute to the common good. There is existing work in designing technology for volunteerism in HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) and related disciplines that focuses on motivation to improve performance, but it does not account for volunteer wellbeing. Here, I investigate digital volunteerism in three case studies with a focus on volunteer motivation, engagement, and wellbeing. My research involved volunteers and others in the volunteering context to generate recommendations for a volunteer-centric design for digital volunteerism. The thesis has three aims: 1. To investigate motivational aspects critical for enhancing digital volunteers’ experiences 2. To identify digital platform attributes linked to volunteer wellbeing 3. To create guidelines for effectively supporting volunteer engagement in digital volunteering platforms In the first case study I investigate the design of a chat widget for volunteers working in an organisation with a view to develop a design that improves their workflow and wellbeing. The second case study investigates the needs, motivations, and wellbeing of volunteers who help medical students improve their medical communication skills. An initial mixed-methods study was followed by an experiment comparing two design strategies to improve volunteer relatedness; an important indicator of wellbeing. The third case study looks into volunteer needs, experiences, motivations, and wellbeing with a focus on volunteer identity and meaning-making on a science-based research platform. I then analyse my findings from these case studies using the lens of care ethics to derive critical insights for design. The key contributions of this thesis are design strategies and critical insights, and a volunteer-centric design framework to enhance the motivation, wellbeing and engagement of digital volunteers

The Benefits of Unexpected Informal Customer Support from Vendors in Online Communities

Virtual communities not only allow customers to share ideas and help each other, but also provide new venues for vendors to manage customer relationships. Two studies are presented showing how two companies, one in the software industry and one in the airline industry, have successfully enhanced their relationship with customers by strategically participating in virtual communities. Both companies have gained benefits in the forms of customer loyalty, increased customer satisfaction, and less support calls. Our research suggests that companies designate employees to spend a few hours each week to monitor relevant virtual communities. This enables the company to develop an intimate yet informal relationship with customers. Lessons learned from this type of informal support are: the vendor employees need to clearly identify their positions, the support should be unofficial, and the community should not be used as another marketing channel

Reflections

This publication explores the journey of the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa since its inception.Founded in 2005, the initiative plays an active role in encouraging open, informed dialogue about issues of public importance through innovative and collaborative processes. It supports individuals and groups to participate in matters that affect them in order to demand fair treatment, delivery of services, and accountability from their leaders and institutions. The Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa awards grants, develops its own programs, and promotes debate on issues of public importance

Ad hoc transient communities::towards fostering knowledge sharing in learning networks

Berlanga, A. J., Sloep, P. B., Kester, L., Brouns, F., Van Rosmalen, P., & Koper, R. (2008). Ad hoc transient communities: towards fostering knowledge sharing in Learning Networks. International Journal of Learning Technology, 3(4), 443-458.Sociability is conducive to learning effectiveness and efficiency. Sociability does not emerge easily in Learning Networks. This paper argues that so-called ad hoc transient communities will help the emergence of sociability in Learning Networks. Ad hoc transient communities are relatively small, temporal and goal-directed communities that support voluntary, emergent, informal knowledge sharing. The paper examines various theories, management policies and technological prerequisites that underpin their proper functioning. Venues for future research, both conceptual and empirical are discussed.The work on this publication has been sponsored by the TENCompetence Integrated Project that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning. Contract 027087 [http://www.tencompetence.org

Evaluating persuasive user interfaces for online help-seeking for domestic violence

The research addresses persuasiveness of user-interface design on Domestic Violence prevention websites to influence users (especially survivors of domestic abuse and violence) towards a desired target behaviour to safely seek help online. In addition, the research also investigates the use of Persuasive Technologies in help seeking and recommends user designs guidelines for easy and quick access to critical information and intervention services