Rumination, cognitive-behavioural avoidance and depression in an Australian clinical sample

The study re-investigated the factor structure of the Cognitive-Behavioural Avoidance Scale (Ottenbreit & Dobson, 2004). The study then investigated the relationship between avoid-ance, rumination and depression in terms of gender, age, life events and unique variance using the reinvestigated scale to measure cognitive-behavioural avoidance. Participants con-sisted of 158 severely depressed and anxious inpatients; there were 75 men (mean age of 49.9 years) and 83 females (mean age of 44.6 years). Participants completed the Cognitive-Behavioural Avoidance Scale; the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; Brief COPE; The Ways of Coping Questionnaire – Escape – Avoidance Scale and the Response Styles Ques-tionnaire – Rumination Scale. The Cognitive-Behavioural Avoidance Scale was a valid instrument for measurement of avoidance in this sample but, after factor analysis, it differed in its' subscale structure from the original published version. Females had higher scores on all constructs; overall use of rumination decreases with age but there were different results for the three constructs when age by gender was examined; interpersonal life events were important for all participants and avoidance did contribute unique variance to the construct of depression

The relationship sabotage scale: an evaluation of factor analyses and constructive validity

Background: Some individuals are no longer entering romantic relationships, others move through relationships too quickly searching for “the one” and making quick assessments of their romantic partners, while others stay in their relationships but “check out” or do not work on their issues. These are conclusions from two studies: (1) an interview with psychologists who specialise in relationship therapy, and (2) an analysis of individuals’ lived experiences of relationships. The concept of relationship sabotage can explain these phenomena. However, presently, there is no instrument to conceptualise and empirically measure how people continue to employ self-defeating attitudes and behaviors in (and out) of relationships to impede success, or withdraw effort, and justify failure. Methods and Results: A series of three studies (involving a total of 1365 English speaking individuals of diverse gender orientation, sexual orientation, and cultural background, with relationship sabotage experience) were conceptualized for the current project to fill the need for scale development and to build empirical evidence on the topic of self-sabotage in romantic relationships. The scale was developed over two studies using exploratory factor analysis and one-congeneric model analyses. The third study, using confirmatory factor analysis, confirmed the final structure for the Relationship Sabotage Scale (RSS), which contains 12 items and three factors: defensiveness, trust difficulty, and lack of relationship skills. Constructive validity analyses were also conducted. Conclusion: The RSS is a brief scale that provides conclusive information about individual patterns in relationships. Findings using this scale can offer explanations regarding the reasons that individuals engage in destructive behaviours from one relationship to the next. Investigations should continue to test a model for sabotage in romantic relationships using the developed scale and other factors such as relationship diferences and insecure attachment. More specifically, this measure can be used to understand mediator constructs of relational outcomes within the attachment framework to explain relationship dissolution and work towards relationship maintenance

Increasing Accessibility to Academic Support in Higher Education for Diverse Student Cohorts

Academic support at Australian universities has become an important aspect of higher education, as student cohorts continue to diversify, and universities need to ensure the students’ success and the institutions’ reputations. Often, students in need do not access academic support services and little is known about what influences students’ decisions to seek academic support. This small-scale qualitative study aims to clarify why students (do not) engage in support and what could be changed to make services more accessible and engaging. Semi-structured interviews revealed that the promotion of services needs to be improved and public stigma about seeking academic help should be addressed to normalise accessing academic support services at university. A high standard of ease of use and the opportunity to participate in support in various modes (e.g. online, face-to-face, peer learning, individual learning) contribute to the helpfulness and the overall positive perception of academic support services

Learning Strategies, Performance Indicators and University Students Satisfaction: what can psychosocial variables tell us?

The research papers collected in University Student Satisfaction: What can Psychosocial Variables Tell Us? are pioneering contributions to understanding what leads to student satisfaction in a university setting. The papers provide insights into: Why students persevere with their studies Self-efficacy and coping styles that students engage in, The role that locus of control, self-efficacy and trait hope play in student satisfaction, Time management issues, Study and employment management. These investigations result in significant research findings and highlight some of the issues that confront students and what areas could be a focus to improve student satisfaction during their time at tertiary institutions

Increasing accessibility to academic support in higher education for diverse student cohorts

Academic support at Australian universities has become an important aspect of higher education, as student cohorts continue to diversify, and universities need to ensure the students’ success and the institutions’ reputations. Often, students in need do not access academic support services and little is known about what influences students’ decisions to seek academic support. This small-scale qualitative study aims to clarify why students (do not) engage in support and what could be changed to make services more accessible and engaging. Semi-structured interviews revealed that the promotion of services needs to be improved and public stigma about seeking academic help should be addressed to normalise accessing academic support services at university. A high standard of ease of use and the opportunity to participate in support in various modes (e.g. online, face-to-face, peer learning, individual learning) contribute to the helpfulness and the overall positive perception of academic support services

The extended nervous system: affect regulation, somatic and social change processes associated with mindful parenting

Background: A theoretical model of mindful parenting has the potential to succinctly summarise its various change processes. The primary aim of this study was to investigate some of the change processes associated with mindful parenting, namely, the affect regulation, somatic and social change processes. A secondary aim was to verify whether clinical insights are consistent with the change processes identified in a systematic review of mindful parenting. Method: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse semi-structured interviews with four Australian clinicians delivering Mindful Parenting (MP) programs. The clinicians had extensive personal meditation practice. This qualitative study is part of a mixed methods study, which commenced with a quantitative systematic review. Results: Six higher-order themes identified as change processes included reflective functioning, attachment, cognitive, affective, somatic and social change processes. Conclusion: The anchor is a new theoretical model summarising the change processes associated with mindful parenting. The mother portrayed as the extended nervous system for the infant is a neologism that also has not been previously mentioned in the literature. Given the limitations with the small sample and potential bias with interpretation, the anchor is a starting point to developing a theoretical model of mindful parenting. Future research with larger sample sizes and objective measures is needed to confirm whether the anchor is a reasonable summary of the change processes

Transgender experience of mental healthcare in Australia

Emerging global research suggests that transgender people experience poorer physical and mental health outcomes, as well as higher rates of discrimination in healthcare settings. To explore this in an Australian context, a qualitative research project was undertaken to explore the helpful and unhelpful therapy experiences of six transgender Australians. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, four master themes emerged from the interview data, two of which are explored in depth. The research brings valuable insight into working towards positive outcomes with transgender clients with suggestions for changes in clinical practice for mental healthcare providers, education, training and future research

Exploring the transformative effects of flow on children's liminality and trauma

The process of creating art seems to be a healing as much as an expressive practice for children. Not only are art activities recognized as a necessity for children’s cognitive development, but also as a voice to express the trauma of their distressing experiences. The following article is based on art making as an effective trauma intervention therapy, adding to previous knowledge of childhood trauma and liminality for teachers and health community services. In our diverse, fast changing, challenging times, we need to encourage reflecting and utilising social justice in professionalism to achieve lasting changes in society. Therefore, the authors investigated the concept of “liminality” (a phase of change, transition and transformation) as a framework for understanding how the process of art making soothes “childhood trauma.” Recent research has revealed that the beneficial effects of drawing are due to children entering a time and phase of liminality. Emotions and states such as despair, depression and fear, accompanied by intuitive knowledge, memory, resilience and wellness might be experienced. This leads to an integrative process: while children are drawing, they are completely engaged in a non-verbal activity which needs their total involvement, concentration, imagination and creativity. The healing effect of drawing while in the flow, which helps children with trauma, has been translated from research findings into a poem. This unique contribution to the literature on art therapy’s transformative effects summarizes the results of the above study

Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to identify variables related to academic help seeking in higher education

Universities admit and enrol increasingly diverse student cohorts with varying academic entry standards. To increase student success, universities offer academic support to students, however, often students do not engage in or access this academic support. Building on the Theory of Planned Behavior and a comprehensive literature review, this study aims to identify personality variables, background variables and variables related to the Theory of Planned Behavior that can predict academic help seeking in higher education to inform the design of engaging and accessible academic support. Quantitative data were collected via an online survey across a range of different disciplines and undergraduate year levels at an Australian university. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that public stigma, self-stigma, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, gender and the Theory of Planned Behavior variables perceived behavioural control, subjective norm and attitude towards help seeking play a role in predicting intentions to seek academic help, and academic help-seeking behaviour. Findings indicate that 20% of the variance of help-seeking intentions but only 5.7% of the variance of academic help seeking could be explained. Findings are discussed as to how they can inform interventions to increase help-seeking intentions and behaviour. Finally, this study explores how to overcome the present intention-behaviour gap