Exhibiting Creative Geographies

This open access book provides a detailed example of arts-based knowledge translation from start to finish for any scholar interested in communicating research findings through art. Firmly grounded in the GeoHumanities, a field at the intersection of cultural geography and the arts, this book explores the theory and practice of research exhibitions. Commencing with an overview of arts in health and art-science collaborations, this book also explores the concept of ‘affective knowledge translation’. In doing so, it describes the creative co-production, staging, and evaluation of the Finding Home exhibition which toured Australia during 2021. As a demonstration of the power of art to engage audiences, raise awareness of social issues, communicate lived experience, and extend the reach of cultural geographic research, this book is relevant to academics from any discipline who are keen to increase the societal impact of their work

Exhibiting Creative Geographies

This open access book provides a detailed example of arts-based knowledge translation from start to finish for any scholar interested in communicating research findings through art. Firmly grounded in the GeoHumanities, a field at the intersection of cultural geography and the arts, this book explores the theory and practice of research exhibitions. Commencing with an overview of arts in health and art-science collaborations, this book also explores the concept of ‘affective knowledge translation’. In doing so, it describes the creative co-production, staging, and evaluation of the Finding Home exhibition which toured Australia during 2021. As a demonstration of the power of art to engage audiences, raise awareness of social issues, communicate lived experience, and extend the reach of cultural geographic research, this book is relevant to academics from any discipline who are keen to increase the societal impact of their work

Efficacy of treatments for depression in children and adolescents

Depression is a highly complex mental disorder that for many years was believed to be absent in children and adolescents. It is now accepted that depression not only exists in this age group, but also is a major mental health problem (Weller & Weller, 2000a). Research suggests that the prevalence of depression in Australian children and adolescents is around 14% (Boyd, Kostanski, Gullone, Ollendick, & Shek, 2000). As depression appears to be highly prevalent, it is essential that efficacious treatments are identified, and that effective treatment strategies are established that best alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. In light of this need, this article details the criteria used to identify depression in children and adolescents, and examines the available evidence for the use of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of depression in children and adolescents.C

Evolution and the Study of Human Behaviour: A Primer for the Scientist–Practitioner

The theory of evolution has transformed biology from a largely descriptive science to a causal one. However, few psychologists have a thorough understanding of evolution. As a result, psychologists tend not to consider evolutionary explanations for the phenomena they investigate, or they present flawed evolutionary arguments that violate fundamental principles of evolutionary theory. The primary objective of this article is to outline the basic principles of evolution as they relate to the study of behaviour in general. The article then goes on to demonstrate the application of evolutionary theory to the study of human behaviour in particular, and concludes with a discussion of problems that can occur when evolutionary theory is applied incorrectly.C

Coping and resilience in farming families affected by drought

Objectives: The present study was a qualitative investigation of the impact of drought on rural families of southern New South Wales, Australia, with particular emphasis on the concept of resilience in times of stress. The aim was to provide insight, from a psychological perspective, into the experiences of rural farmers in a time of adversity, and to identify the coping resources utilized by these farming families. Method: Participants were 11 members of five families from Blighty, a small farming town in the Riverina district, experiencing drought and decreased water allocation to their local area. Family members were interviewed on two separate occasions at their farms. Results: Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that a wide range of coping strategies were being utilized by these families from problem-focussed coping, optimism and positive appraisal to less adaptive strategies such as cognitive dissonance, denial and avoidance of negative social influences. A significant finding was the discovery of a range of collective coping strategies used by the families in this study and the reliance on social capital as an adaptive resource. There were signs, however, that social cohesion of this community had become compromised due to competition for resources. Conclusion: The adaptive coping mechanisms traditionally employed by these farming families are starting to weaken and urgent work to enhance the individual coping strategies of farmers is needed. Furthermore, Government needs to recognise the importance of social capital as a coping resource that will enable farming families to adapt and survive drought conditions into the future. Providing financial assistance to support current community initiatives and collective coping strategies may prove more beneficial to farmers than allocating inadequate amounts of funding to individual farming families

Promoting the psychosocial function of young adults through psychiatric residential rehabilitation: A qualitive evaluation of the making a significant change (MASC) program

This research evaluated the Making a Significant Change (MASC) program - the only residential psychosocial rehabilitation program for young adults in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The program provides intensive support and rehabilitation services to young people aged 16 to 24 years who have a mental illness and are at risk of developing further mental health disabilities. This evaluation aimed to establish a holistic view of the program with a focus on the process descriptive data for key stakeholders in the service so that the impact of intervention approaches could be gauged.C

Issues in rural adolescent mental health in Australia

The mental health of adolescents living in rural Australia has received little research attention. In this article, the extant literature on rural adolescent mental health in Australia is reviewed. Given the lack of literature on this topic, the review is centered on a vignette presented at the beginning of the article. The case represented by the vignette is that of a young Australian growing up in a rural area. The issues raised – including the nature of mental health issues for rural adolescents and barriers to seeking professional help – are then discussed in terms of the available literature. The article concludes with a future focus for research efforts in the area of rural adolescent mental health.C

Climate anxiety as posthuman knowledge

The American Psychological Association defines climate or eco-anxiety as a chronic fear of environmental doom (APA, 2017). This paper, instead, theorises climate anxiety as an emergent form of posthuman knowledge, albeit one that is dominated by vulnerability rather than affirmation. Put this way, the cultivation of ethical relationality holds potential for transforming this vulnerability and alleviating climate anxiety. Prefaced by a strategic representation of early earth-writing by humanistic geographers, the article critically reviews interdisciplinary articulations of world views which constitute a challenge to clinical understandings of climate anxiety by reimagining the purpose and mode of psychological intervention for futures of earthly well-being

Detection and management of eating disorders by general practitioners in regional Australia

The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of eating disorders in primary care in the Ballarat region and to highlight the role of GPs in the detection and management of eating disorders in regional Australia. We used anonymous data previously collated by the Ballarat and District Division of General Practice on the prevalence of eating disorders and patterns of referral of eating disorder patients among GPs in their Division. Over half of GPs surveyed indicated that they treat patients with eating disorders within their practice rather than referring patients to other services. In referring on, GPs were more likely to refer to mental health professionals and dietitians. A notable finding was that these regional GPs were more likely to refer to metropolitan specialist services than local hospitals if their patients required an admission. GPs in regional Australia do significant work to detect and manage patients with clinical eating disorders in the absence of locally-based, specialist services. In this context, we recommend the establishment of linkage partnerships between GPs and mental health practitioners to facilitate early intervention for rural and regional eating disorder patients. Further research into the current treatment practices of regional GPs is also needed to ascertain their specific training needs with respect to this patient population.C

Australian rural adolescents’ experiences of accessing psychological help for a mental health problem

Objective: This study aims to explore Australian rural adolescents’ experiences of accessing help for a mental health problem in the context of their rural communities. Design and setting: A qualitative research design was used whereby university students who had sought help for a mental health problem during their adolescence were interviewed about their experiences. Interviews were conducted face-to-face at the university. Main outcome measures: A semi-structured interview schedule was designed around the study’s main research questions. Audio-taped interviews were transcribed and thematically coded using a constant comparative method. Participants: Participants were first-year undergraduate psychology students between the ages of 17 and 21 years who sought help for a mental health issue during their adolescence and who at that time resided in a rural area. Results: Participants highlighted various barriers to seeking help for mental health problems in the context of a rural community, including: social visibility, lack of anonymity, a culture of self-reliance, and social stigma of mental illness. Participants’ access to help was primarily school-based, and participants expressed a preference for supportive counselling over structured interventions. Characteristics of school-based helpers that made them approachable included: ‘caring’, ‘nonjudgemental’, ‘genuine’, ‘young’, and able to maintain confidentiality. Conclusions: The findings support previous research that reveals barriers to help seeking for mental health problems that are unique to the culture of rural communities. The study raises questions about the merit of delivery of primary mental health care to young people via GPs alone and suggests that school-based counsellors be considered as the first step in a young person’s access to mental health care.C