Social problem-solving skills and mental health: a comparison of undergraduate cohorts

Problem Solving Skills is clearly indicated as a graduate attribute at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and many other Australian Universities. This study was cross-sectional in design and aimed to compare perceived social problem solving skills and mental health variables between undergraduate year levels. Previous research has shown that first year university students are more likely to indicate signs of depression than students‘ in latter years. Research has also found that groups with higher education have indicated more positive problem solving appraisal. Finally, there is considerable research that has linked poorer problem solving appraisal with higher levels of depression and anxiety. An online test battery was administered to 464 undergraduate students from the USQ. The Problem Solving Inventory, Form B (PSI-B; Heppner, 1988) measured perceived problem-solving ability, and is comprised of three subscales; Problem Solving Confidence, Approach Avoidance and Personal Control.The other measure was the shortened version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21;Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) and measured mental health variables (Depression, Anxiety and Stress). Participants were divided into year level (i.e. first, second or third year), and a one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant difference between the groups on any of the problem solving or mental health variables. Given that the USQ has a large mature age student population, students were re-analysed with one-way ANOVA according to age (under 21, 21-29, 30-39 and 40 and over years). Significant differences were found where the two older groups had a more positive problem appraisal than the two younger groups. The two older groups also indicated less depression and anxiety symptoms than the two younger groups. It is suggested that problem solving therapy programs specifically targeting younger students may be worth considerin

The Viva Voce as an authentic assessment for clinical psychology students

Mental health consumers in Australia have a basic right of access to high quality mental health assessment and treatment. Given that universities are the entry point to the training process, they have a responsibility to train high quality clinicians. Clinical psychology is the sub-disciple of psychology with specialist training in mental health assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. There has been a call for clinical psychology programs to move training and assessment away from purely a theoretical base to one that integrates theory with practice. In 2008, the University of Southern Queensland developed a viva voce for a course on adult psychopathology. The viva voce is an Objective Structured Clinical Examination, modeled closely on the one used by the Royal College of Australian and New Zealand Psychiatrists. This paper outlines the development of this innovation to assessment and gives directions for future research and evaluation

Body image as a predictor of nonsuicidal self-injury in women: a longitudinal study

Objectives: To determine whether Body Image Dissatisfaction (BID) predicted NonSuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) cross-sectionally and longitudinally, independent of comorbidity between NSSI and Disordered Eating (DE). Another aim was to determine whether BID could predict number of NSSI methods present. Method: Adult females completed measures of NSSI and DE (n = 283); and a longitudinal sample (n = 106) completed these measures again one year later. Results: BID was a small yet significant predictor of NSSI both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Poorer BID significantly explained a greater number of NSSI methods cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Conclusions: BID explains unique variance in NSSI (including increased number of methods), and is not a function of comorbidity with DE. This has the potential to influence theory, as well as inform early intervention initiatives for BID in females. Further research is required to determine other variables implicated in this relationship, as well as whether these findings are applicable to other groups such as adolescents and males

Recommendations and practices for holistic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment and optimal referral patterns in emergency department presentations: a scoping review protocol

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory condition that causes persistent respiratory symptoms and decline in lung function over many years. This chronic disease significantly affects health-related quality of life and is known to contribute to frequent emergency department (ED) presentations. Multidimensional management of these patients, including interconnecting health disciplinarians will allow holistic care provision in the ED. The purpose of this scoping review is to synthesise current evidence on holistic management and assessment, and referral practices stemming from acute COPD presentation in the ED. Specifically, to determine: (1) What are the known causal factors associated with COPD ED presentations and (2) Is there an identified connection with appropriate healthcare professional assessment within ED presentations and reported referral pathways? Methods and analysis The iterative stages of the Arskey and O'Malley, and Levac advanced scoping review framework informs this review. Using published and unpublished studies in English, a three-tiered search strategy will be applied. After duplicates are removed, screen 1 (title and abstract) and screen 2 (full-text) will be conducted by two independent reviewers to determine eligibility of articles. Disputes will be settled through discussion or by using a third reviewer. A data collection tool developed by the authors will inform the data extraction process. Schematic tabular format of results with a narrative summary will depict how the results link with the scoping review objectives. Categorisation of results will be narrowed down as key conceptual findings and will align with the strategic intent of this review. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was not required for this study. A multidisciplinary team of authors will participate in dissemination activities (publications, reports, conference presentations, framework development)

A systematic literature review of the career choice of helping professionals who have experienced cumulative harm as a result of adverse childhood experiences

The pervasive effects of cumulative harm resulting from adverse childhood experiences influence all aspects of an individual’s life course. Research highlights a relationship between early trauma and career choice; however, there is a dearth of research pertaining specifically to cumulative harm and the influence on career choice in the helping professions. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the associations of cumulative harm and childhood trauma on career decision making in people in the helping professions. A search was conducted across databases between February 1990 and February 2019 relevant to searches combining three areas of interest: (a) 'childhood trauma', (b) 'career choice', and (c) 'helping professionals'. Database searches and further manual searches yielded a total of 208 articles, and 28 studies satisfied all inclusion criteria. Only studies that were peer-reviewed and published between February 1990 and February 2019 were included. The evidence from the review indicated that family of origin dysfunction, parentification, individual characteristics, and traits developed through adversity, and experiential motivations were associated with the career choice in the helping professions. Further research is required to explore different professional cohorts and the utility of life themes as both a source of data for research and reflexive practice in helping professionals

Australian Indigenous model of mental healthcare based on transdiagnostic cognitive–behavioural therapy co-designed with the Indigenous community: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background A four- to seven-fold increase in the prevalence of current mood, anxiety, substance use and any mental disorders in Indigenous adults compared with non-Indigenous Australians has been reported. A lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder was 23.9%. High rates of comorbid mental disorders indicated a transdiagnostic approach to treatment might be most appropri- ate. The effectiveness of psychological treatment for Indigenous Australians and adjunct Indigenous spiritual and cultural healing has not previously been evaluated in controlled clinical trials. Aims This project aims to develop, deliver and evaluate the effectiveness of an Indigenous model of mental healthcare (IMMHC). Trial registration: ANZCTR Registration Number: ACTRN12618001746224 and World Health Organization Universal Trial Number: U1111-1222-5849. Method The IMMHC will be based on transdiagnostic cognitive–behav- iour therapy co-designed with the Indigenous community to ensure it is socially and culturally appropriate for Indigenous Australians. The IMMHC will be evaluated in a randomised con- trolled trial with 110 Indigenous adults diagnosed with a current diagnosis of depression. The primary outcome will be the severity of depression symptoms as determined by changes in Beck Depression Inventory-II score at 6 months post-interven- tion. Secondary outcomes include anxiety, substance use disorder and quality of life. Outcomes will be assessed at base- line, 6 months post-intervention and 12 months post- intervention. Results The study design adheres to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement recommendations and CONSORT extensions for pilot trials. We followed the Standard Protocol Items for Randomised Trials statement recommenda- tions in writing the trial protocol. Conclusions This study will likely benefit participants, as well as collaborating Aboriginal Medical Services and health organisations. The transdiagnostic IMMHC has the potential to have a substantial impact on health services delivery in the Indigenous health sector

Common mental disorders among Indigenous people living in regional, remote and metropolitan Australia: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To determine, using face-to-face diagnostic interviews, the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) in a cohort of adult Indigenous Australians, the cultural acceptability of the interviews, the rates of comorbid CMD and concordance with psychiatrists’ diagnoses. Design: Cross-sectional study July 2014–November 2016. Psychologists conducted Structured Clinical Interviews for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) (n=544). Psychiatrists interviewed a subsample (n=78). Setting: Four Aboriginal Medical Services and the general community located in urban, regional and remote areas of Southern Queensland and two Aboriginal Reserves located in New South Wales. Participants: Indigenous Australian adults. Outcome measures: Cultural acceptability of SCID-I interviews, standardised rates of CMD, comorbid CMD and concordance with psychiatrist diagnoses. Results: Participants reported that the SCID-I interviews were generally culturally acceptable. Standardised rates (95% CI) of current mood, anxiety, substance use and any mental disorder were 16.2% (12.2% to 20.2%), 29.2% (24.2% to 34.1%), 12.4% (8.8% to 16.1%) and 42.2% (38.8% to 47.7%), respectively—6.7-fold, 3.8-fold, 6.9- fold and 4.2-fold higher, respectively, than those of the Australian population. Differences between this Indigenous cohort and the Australian population were less marked for 12-month (2.4-fold) and lifetime prevalence (1.3-fold). Comorbid mental disorder was threefold to fourfold higher. In subgroups living on traditional lands in Indigenous reserves and in remote areas, the rate was half that of those living in mainstream communities. Moderate-to- good concordance with psychiatrist diagnoses was found. Conclusions: The prevalence of current CMD in this Indigenous population is substantially higher than previous estimates. The lower relative rates of non-current disorders are consistent with underdiagnosis of previous events. The lower rates among Reserve and remote area residents point to the importance of Indigenous peoples’ connection to their traditional lands and culture, and a potentially important protective factor. A larger study with random sampling is required to determine the population prevalence of CMD in Indigenous Australians

Preparation of Australian and Spanish nursing students for intimate partner violence

Objective: Throughout the world intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant issue and it is important that nurses contribute to policy development, as well as to the nursing care of families. Nurses are uniquely positioned to identify, and support women experiencing IPV. For them to contribute to policy development, they need firstly to develop a better understanding of the issue and to their role in addressing it. This study explored and compared perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of IPV of nursing students in Australia and Spain. Methods: Students from all levels of the nursing programs in both countries participated in focus groups and a follow up survey exploring their understanding of, and attitudes towards IPV. The data from the focus groups was analysed thematically and the quantitative data from the survey statistically. Results: Spanish nursing students had significantly more positive/comprehensive views about the role nurses have in managing IPV, had a stronger view about the nurses’ role and that they were more prepared. Although the Australian and Spanish participants were not identical, for example, the Australian sample was predominantly female and over the age of 35, these factors do not explain why the difference. The study was only undertaken in one Australian University and one Spanish university so results cannot be generalised to either country. Conclusions: The findings suggest that there may be much more that could be done to prepare nurses to deal with issues of IPV and to take a lead role in recommending policy changes worldwide

Common mental disorders among Indigenous people living in regional, remote and metropolitan Australia: a cross-sectional study

Objective To determine, using face-to-face diagnostic interviews, the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) in a cohort of adult Indigenous Australians, the cultural acceptability of the interviews, the rates of comorbid CMD and concordance with psychiatrists' diagnoses. Design Cross-sectional study July 2014–November 2016. Psychologists conducted Structured Clinical Interviews for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) (n=544). Psychiatrists interviewed a subsample (n=78). Setting Four Aboriginal Medical Services and the general community located in urban, regional and remote areas of Southern Queensland and two Aboriginal Reserves located in New South Wales. Participants Indigenous Australian adults. Outcome measures Cultural acceptability of SCID-I interviews, standardised rates of CMD, comorbid CMD and concordance with psychiatrist diagnoses. Results Participants reported that the SCID-I interviews were generally culturally acceptable. Standardised rates (95% CI) of current mood, anxiety, substance use and any mental disorder were 16.2% (12.2% to 20.2%), 29.2% (24.2% to 34.1%), 12.4% (8.8% to 16.1%) and 42.2% (38.8% to 47.7%), respectively—6.7-fold, 3.8-fold, 6.9-fold and 4.2-fold higher, respectively, than those of the Australian population. Differences between this Indigenous cohort and the Australian population were less marked for 12-month (2.4-fold) and lifetime prevalence (1.3-fold). Comorbid mental disorder was threefold to fourfold higher. In subgroups living on traditional lands in Indigenous reserves and in remote areas, the rate was half that of those living in mainstream communities. Moderate-to-good concordance with psychiatrist diagnoses was found. Conclusions The prevalence of current CMD in this Indigenous population is substantially higher than previous estimates. The lower relative rates of non-current disorders are consistent with underdiagnosis of previous events. The lower rates among Reserve and remote area residents point to the importance of Indigenous peoples' connection to their traditional lands and culture, and a potentially important protective factor. A larger study with random sampling is required to determine the population prevalence of CMD in Indigenous Australians