Experiential Avoidance and Protective Factors Among Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity: An Exploratory Investigation

Children with medical complexity (CMC) have more than one intensive medical need or chronic illness. Primary caregivers of CMC experience consistent stress related to social isolation, financial strain, and high caregiving burden, often producing emotional distress (ED). This exploratory analysis aims to investigate the relationship between resilience and self-compassion, emotional distress (depression and anxiety) and experiential avoidance. It is hypothesized that experiential avoidance will have significant negative correlations with self-compassion and resilience. Online surveys were administered to twenty caregivers of CMC served by a pediatric Complex Care Program (CCP) in the Midwest. Caregivers were primarily female (95%), White (85%), non-Hispanic (80%). Caregivers completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), the Self Compassion Scale-Youth, the 4-item forms of the Emotional Distress-Depression and Emotional Distress-Anxiety surveys from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), and the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Data will be analyzed with descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations using Pearson’s R

Health and social care for older persons from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds : Australian policy and practice

Introduction In an increasingly globalised world, the challenges of meeting the health and social needs of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds is becoming increasingly important, with the World Health Organisation stating that designing for diversity is a primary characteristic of an age friendly city (World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). In Australia, the importance of meeting the needs of CALD older people has been recognised at all levels of government and is one of the features of the current proposed Australian Government aged care reforms (Chenoweth, Jeon, Goff & Burke, 2006; Commonwealth of Australia, 2012; Radermacher, Karunarathna, Grace & Feldman, 2011). This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of CALD ageing, building on an earlier scoping study of ageing and cultural diversity (Bartlett, Rao & Warburton, 2006) which included a comprehensive review of the literature (Rao, Warburton & Bartlett, 2006) and analysis of the implications for policy and practice (Warburton, Bartlett & Rao, 2009). In addition to consideration of the health and social needs of diverse groups, this paper reviews a range of other factors impacting upon the wellbeing of CALD older people, outlines selected innovation and good practice, and highlights areas for further research, policy and practice development. 「多元文化及语言背景长者的健康及护理：澳洲的政策与实践」 导言 在不断全球化的社会中，应付来自多元文化及语言（CALD）背景长者的健康及社会需要成为一大挑战，其重要性也越来越高。世界卫生组织指出要成为老龄友好型社会，首要条件是要设计多元化顾及不同需要（世界卫生组织［WHO］，2007）。澳洲政府上下一致认同满足多元文化及语言背景长者的需要之重要性，更把其作为现时所提议的长者护理改革中其中一个重点（肯诺恩斯，全，高夫与伯克，2006；澳洲联邦，2012；拉德马赫尔，卡鲁纳拉特纳，葛瑞丝与费尔德曼，2011）。此论文以较早前的老龄化与多元文化的概括研究为基础（芭特莉特，拉奥与沃伯顿，2006），探讨多元文化及语言背景人口老龄化所带来的挑战和机遇，同时包括全面的文献综述（拉奥，沃伯顿与芭特莉特，2006）和分析政策与实践的意涵（沃伯顿，芭特莉特与拉奥，2009）。除了涉及多元群组的健康和社会需要，此论文还包括一系列影响多元文化及语言背景长者的健康福祉的因素，概述当中的创新意念和优良的实践方法，并讨论日后研究、政策与实践的路向

Vulnerability report: inside the process of seeking asylum in Australia

This Report provides rare insights into the day to day realities of people seeking asylum to highlight the personal and human dimension of their plight.  This Report is the first of what will be an annual research contribution by Red Cross on key matters of social concern in Australia.This Vulnerability Report allows Red Cross and the wider community to hear about the nature and extent of vulnerability from the perspective of people seeking asylum. It helps us to understand the realities they face and to look for ways to ensure that, whether people return to their country of origin or are settled in Australia, they are supported during the time their application for asylum is processed.The five recommendations reached in the Report - with which UNHCR wholly concurs – provide a principled and sensible call for action.&nbsp

Doctoral students’ access to non-academic support for mental health

Increased doctoral student numbers has led to a growth in studies dedicated to doctoral experience. These studies have raised a range of mental health concerns around workload, supervision processes and student well-being. Despite these challenges being well documented, few studies have looked at doctoral student’s experiences of accessing non-academic support services. This article presents the findings of a mixed-method study to investigate doctoral experiences of non-academic support, conducted at one British university with a large postgraduate research population. Drawing on focus groups and a student survey, the article concludes that many doctoral students are not accessing institutional support when they could benefit from it, with many turning to external support mechanisms including family, personal doctor and online resources. Five institutional recommendations are proposed to develop improved dedicated doctoral student mental health support: clear signposting, online self-help, workshops, parity of support and supervisor training

Haematological malignancy: are we measuring what is important to patients? A systematic review of quality of life instruments

© 2018 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.The wide range of health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQoL) instruments used in haematology makes it challenging for haematologists and other care team members in practice to select, use and understand the scoring system and finally interpret the results. The main objectives of this study were to: (a) provide a comprehensive list of quality‐of‐life issues important to patients suffering from haematological malignancies, identified through the literature; (b) provide a list of health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQoL) instruments used in haematological malignancies in both daily clinical practice and research; and (c) evaluate the relevance and comprehensibility of the identified instruments in haematological malignancies. Systematic literature review of two databases, followed by addition of articles by manual searching, was carried out. The articles focusing on the primary studies, which have used semi‐structured/structured interviews or surveys to identify issues important to HM patients, and other studies describing the results of testing measurement properties, such as reliability, validity and responsiveness of the instruments currently used to evaluate the HRQoL in different HMs, were included. Fifty‐seven studies reported development and validation of 30 HRQoL instruments, which have been used in haematology. Twenty‐four studies were identified using qualitative methods to report HRQoL issues and symptoms from a patient's perspective. No identified instrument captured all the issues identified from the qualitative studies. None of the instruments reviewed appeared to have been developed for use in clinical practice and specifically for patients with HM, except MyPOS. Furthermore, measurement properties were established, largely, in clinical trial scenarios. There is a need for development of a new HRQoL instrument entirely based on involvement of patients with haematological malignancies.Peer reviewe

The impact of gambling problems on families

Summarises the available research about how gambling problems affect family relationships and family members, how families cope with gambling problems, and the assessment and therapy options available to the family members of people with gambling problems. Summary Gambling problems can have severe personal consequences, including financial hardship, emotional difficulties, social impacts, employment difficulties and legal problems. They can also have significant impacts on families and communities. It has been estimated that the gambling problem of one Australian negatively affects at least seven other people. The impact of gambling problems on families has received relatively little research attention. Although most available information is based on intimate partners and children, gambling problems can also affect extended family members such as parents, grandparents and siblings. This discussion paper summarises the available research about how gambling problems affect family relationships and family members, how families cope with gambling problems, and the assessment and therapy options available to the family members of people with gambling problems

Two Professionally Led Choir Programs: Empowering People with Dementia and Their Care Partners

Educational Objectives Identify the benefits of participation in a community-based choir for persons with dementia (PwD) and their care partners. 1. Describe the work of the choirs to show the potential of living well with dementia. 2. Identify the ways in which the choirs address stigma and social isolation. 3. Highlight lessons learne

The impact of culture and sociological and psychological issues on Muslim patients with breast cancer in Pakistan

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Cancer Nursing, 32(4), 2009. The final published article is available from the link below.Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in Muslim women in Pakistan. The impact of the initial diagnosis, culture, religion, and psychosocial and psychological aspects of the disease is not well established. This qualitative study examined the experience and coping strategies used by patients with breast cancer in relation to its impact on their physical, mental health, religious, and family issues. Thirty patients with breast cancer were interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The patient's experience of breast cancer focused on the range of emotions felt throughout the illness trajectory, the importance of religion and family support on coping strategies used to manage the adverse effects of chemotherapy, and also the financial concerns. This is the first study to examine Pakistani Muslim women's views on the lived experience of breast cancer. This article provides clarification of the voiced experiences of women with breast cancer. The data not only highlight the role of religion and family support as essential coping strategies but also emphasize the issues of isolation, aggression, and anger as common responses to chemotherapy. Unique features of this study are women's need to seek spiritual support for their illness and the overriding innate characteristic of maternal responsibility. These cultural features require further analysis and research