The effect of acculturation and harm beliefs on medication adherence on Middle Eastern hypertensive refugees and migrants in Australia

Background Different populations have different levels of acculturation, and beliefs about medications. Little is known about the differences between refugees and migrants regarding these various beliefs. Adherence to medications is influenced by many factors, including individuals’ characteristics, acculturation, and their perceptions about medications. Having a thorough understanding of these beliefs contributes to understanding medication adherence in refugee and migrant populations. Objectives To evaluate the differences between Middle Eastern refugees and migrants in Australia regarding acculturation, beliefs about medications, and medication adherence, and to evaluate the association of acculturation and beliefs about medications and natural remedies with medication adherence. Setting Participants were recruited from various community groups and English language learning centres in Australia. Arabic Facebook community groups were also used to recruit participants for this study. Method A total of 320 Middle Eastern refugees and migrants with hypertension completed Arabic or English versions of the general Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ)—harm scale, a question about beliefs in natural remedies, six items about acculturation and the Medication Adherence Questionnaire. Two models of multiple mediation were applied. The first model examined the role of acculturation, length of residency, beliefs about natural remedies, and harm beliefs as mediators between migration status and medication adherence. The second model identified the role of acculturation, and beliefs about natural remedies as mediators between migration status and medication harm beliefs. Main outcome measure Medication adherence, harm beliefs about medication, acculturation, and beliefs about natural remedies. In addition, the differences between refugees and migrants regarding these beliefs and medication adherence. Results Differences were found between refugees and migrants for medication adherence and medication beliefs. Refugees were likely to have more harm beliefs towards medicine and were less acculturated than migrants (p = 0.0001). They were also less likely to adhere to medications (p = 0.0001), and perceived natural remedies to be safer than Western medications (p = 0.0001). Perceiving medications as harmful substances, and beliefs in natural remedies were mediators in the relationship between migration status and medication adherence. Beliefs in natural remedies and acculturation were mediators in the relationship between migration status and harm beliefs. Conclusion Beliefs about medications and natural remedies, and acculturation in refugees and migrants need to be better understood to enhance medication adherence and potentially overall health outcomes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG part of Springer Nature

Young love: Romantic concerns and associated mental health issues among adolescent help-seekers

Over 50% of young people have dated by age 15. While romantic relationship concerns are a major reason for adolescent help-seeking from counselling services, we have a limited understanding of what types of relationship issues are most strongly related to mental health issues and suicide risk. This paper used records of 4019 counselling sessions with adolescents (10-18 years) seeking help from a national youth counselling service for a romantic relationship concern to: (i) explore what types and stage (pre, during, post) of romantic concerns adolescents seek help for; (ii) how they are associated with mental health problems, self-harm and suicide risk; and (iii) whether these associations differ by age and gender. In line with developmental-contextual theory, results suggest that concerns about the initiation of relationships are common in early adolescence, while concerns about maintaining and repairing relationships increase with age. Relationship breakups were the most common concern for both male and female adolescents and for all age groups (early, mid, late adolescence). Data relating to a range of mental health issues were available for approximately half of the sample. Post-relationship concerns (including breakups) were also more likely than pre-or during-relationship concerns to be associated with concurrent mental health issues (36.8%), self-harm (22.6%) and suicide (9.9%). Results draw on a staged developmental theory of adolescent romantic relationships to provide a comprehensive assessment of relationship stressors, highlighting post-relationship as a particularly vulnerable time for all stages of adolescence. These findings contribute to the development of targeted intervention and support programs

Organisational Connectedness and Well-being

The construct of organisational connectedness is proposed as a protective factor for well-being. Previous research has demonstrated a prospective link between a similar construct, school connectedness, and adolescent psychological well-being (Shochet, Dadds, Ham, & Montague, 2006). School and workplace environments share the characteristic of being primary extra-familial social contexts. The aims of the present study were (a) to develop the Psychological Sense of Organisational Membership scale (PSOM) by adapting Goodenow’s Psychological Sense of School Membership scale (PSSM; 1993) to the workplace context, and (b) to investigate the relationship of PSOM scores to measures of psychological well-being in an adult population. The PSOM and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) were administered to 125 employees at a disability services organisation. The data confirmed expected levels of relationship with both contextual workplace constructs and measures of psychological well-being. Correlations between the PSOM and psychological well-being measures were -.54 (depression), -.39 (anxiety), -.45 (stress), and -.53 (negative affect). Results were interpreted from belongingness, social-cognitive and self-psychology perspectives, and are consistent with a strong link between organisational connectedness and resilience

Depression and belongingness in general and workplace contexts : a cross-lagged longitudinal investigation

Belongingness has been linked to depression. Prior studies have been cross-sectional with few addressing distinct belongingness contexts. This study used structural equation modelling to investigate cross-lagged longitudinal relationships between general belonging, workplace belonging and depressive symptoms in a community sample of 221 working adults measured at two time points three months apart. Measures were: Sense of Belonging Instrument-Psychological (SOBI-P); Psychological Sense of Organizational Membership (PSOM); Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21); Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). General belonging was predicted more strongly by depressive symptoms than by baseline general belonging, suggesting that depressive symptoms not only linger but also influence future belongingness cognitions. Neither general nor workplace belonging longitudinally predicted depressive symptoms, however cross-sectional correlations were substantial. The concurrent path between general belongingness and depressive symptoms was strong. Results are consistent with daily process studies suggesting that reduced belongingness precipitates a rapid increase in depressive symptoms which influence longer term belongingness cognitions. Congruent with interpersonal descriptions of depression such as the social-cognitive interpersonal process model, results further suggest that belongingness cognitions are the proximal antecedent of a depressive response. Practitioners should monitor both a general sense of belonging as well as perceived relational value cues in specific contexts

Developing a model of links between general and workplace belongingness and depressive symptoms

Given the high prevalence of depression in the community there is urgent need to understand the interpersonal predictors of this disorder. Data from large community samples indicates that a diminished sense of belonging appears to be the most salient and immediate antecedent of a rapid depressive response. Belongingness in the workplace is also very important and associated with depressive symptoms over and above associations attributable to general or community belongingness. Finally it appears that the personality factor of interpersonal sensitivity moderates the relationship between belongingness and depressive symptoms. Results have extensive future implications for the prevention and treatment of depression

The link between belongingness and depressive symptoms: An exploration in the workplace interpersonal context

Interpersonal factors are crucial to a deepened understanding of depression. Belongingness, also referred to as connectedness, has been established as a strong risk/protective factor for depressive symptoms. To elucidate this link it may be beneficial to investigate the relative importance of specific psychosocial contexts as belongingness foci. Here we investigate the construct of workplace belongingness. Employees at a disability services organisation (N = 125) completed measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, workplace belongingness and organisational commitment. Psychometric analyses, including Horn's parallel analyses, indicate that workplace belongingness is a unitary, robust and measurable construct. Correlational data indicate a substantial relationship with depressive symptoms (r = −.54) and anxiety symptoms (r = −.39). The difference between these correlations was statistically significant, supporting the particular importance of belongingness cognitions to the etiology of depression. Multiple regression analyses support the hypothesis that workplace belongingness mediates the relationship between affective organisational commitment and depressive symptoms. It is likely that workplaces have the potential to foster environments that are intrinsically less depressogenic by facilitating workplace belongingness. From a clinical perspective, cognitions regarding the workplace psychosocial context appear to be highly salient to individual psychological health, and hence warrant substantial attention

Paternal postnatal depressive symptoms, infant sleeping and feeding behaviors, and rigid parental regulation: a correlational study

Paternal postnatal depression (PND) is now recognized as a serious and prevalent problem, associated with poorer well-being and functioning of all family members. Aspects of infant temperament, sleeping and feeding perceived by parents as problematic are associated with maternal PND, however, less is known about paternal PND. This study investigated depressive symptoms (Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS)) in 219 fathers of infants aged from 1 to 24 weeks (median 7.0 weeks). Infant predictor variables were sleeping problems, feeding problems and both mother and father reported temperament. Control variables were partner’s support, other support and life events. Rigidity of parenting beliefs regarding infant regulation was also measured as a potential moderating factor. Infant feeding difficulties were associated with paternal depressive symptoms, subsuming the variance associated with both sleep problems and temperament. This relationship was not moderated by regulation beliefs. It was concluded that infant feeding is important to fathers. Fathers of infants with feeding difficulties may not be able to fulfill their idealized construction of involved fatherhood. Role incongruence may have an etiological role in paternal PND

Road crash risk after Whiplash Associated Disorder

The future on-road safety of drivers affected by Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD), the most common soft-tissue injury suffered in a traffic crash, has not been extensively explored. We obtained an anonymised file of 4280 insurance claimants with WAD and, as controls, 1116 claimants with comparably severe soft-tissue injuries who are considered to be at no increased risk than the general population. Their demographic information, road user type and traffic crash records both prior and subsequent to the traffic incident in which the injury occurred, the index crash, were obtained. Rates of subsequent crash involvement in these two groups were then compared, adjusting for age, sex, road user type and prior crash experience. The risk of a subsequent crash in the WAD group relative to controls was 1.14 (95% confidence interval, 0.87–1.48). To allow for differentially altered driving exposure after index crash we distributed a brief survey asking about changes in driving habits after a traffic crash involving injury via physiotherapy clinics and online through the electronic newsletter of a local motoring organisation. The survey yielded responses from 113 drivers who had experienced WAD in a traffic crash and 53 with other soft tissue injuries. There were no differences on average between the groups in their prior driving levels or their percentage change therein at one, three or six months after injury. There was thus no evidence that drivers with WAD are at any higher safety risk than drivers with other types of relatively minor post-crash soft tissue injury