Engaging psychology students in clinical placements in dementia care

In the coming decades, as the population ages, meeting the needs of people with dementia will present considerable challenges to the health and social sector in Australia. Currently, health workforce shortages, preferences to work with other patient populations, and limited attractive career pathways have resulted in problems with the quality of care for people with dementia, which will only worsen unless health professionals can be engaged to work in the sector. Initial attempts by an education provider to create clinical placement opportunities for psychology students had generated little interest with students. In an attempt to understand barriers to participation and improve student engagement, we undertook formative research utilising a social marketing approach to develop an understanding of how participation of students in an aged and dementia care placement could be improved

Understanding carers\u27 lived experience of stigma: the voice of families with a child on the autism spectrum

Existing research suggests that there are several unique challenges associated with caring for a child on the autism spectrum. Despite a growing evidence base regarding autism spectrum disorders and their increasing prevalence, children on the autism spectrum and their families continue to perceive stigmatisation from various sources throughout the community. These perceptions of stigma can profoundly impact the quality of life of these children and their carers alike. This exploratory study sought to investigate carers\u27 perceptions of stigma in caring for a child with high functioning autism. Fifteen carers from Sydney and the South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia, participated in semi-structured interviews regarding their caring experiences and any perceived encounters with stigma. Four domains of stigmatising experiences were identified: (i) lack of knowledge, (ii) judgement, (iii) rejection and (iv) lack of support. These domains were each reported to exist in four main contexts: (i) school, (ii) public, (iii) family and (iv) friends. These domains and contexts established a framework which provided a detailed account of how and where carers felt stigmatised, including the suggestion of a stigmatising pathway through the four domains. The main contexts in which stigma was perceived also appeared to be related, with those carers who experienced stigma in one context being more likely to report similar experiences in other contexts. Any attempts to empower carers in the face of stigmatisation should therefore consider each of these domains, the pathway that connects them and the relationship between different social contexts. Through identifying this pathway, supportive services can be acutely aware of how carers may perceive potentially stigmatising experiences and therefore provide appropriate interventions or support for the relevant stage of the pathway

Parent\u27s conception and experience of calling in child rearing: A qualitative analysis

The concept of calling has evolved from a religiously oriented description of occupation to an integrated, broad, and multidimensional construct that is associated with optimal vocational outcomes, personal fulfillment and meaning, and contribution to the greater good. This article investigates the relevance of calling in the parental domain and explores the experience of calling in child rearing. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, 11 qualitative, semistructured interviews were conducted with mothers and fathers. Different parents were interviewed at three distinct developmental time points in their child(ren)\u27s lives: while their child was an infant (\u3c2 \u3eyears), while their children were of primary school age (aged 4-12), and when their children were in their late teens or early 20s and were more or less independent (\u3e17 years). Parents of both genders and across the range of ages showed strong similarity in their definitions and experiences of calling-oriented child rearing. Parents\u27 definitions and experiences were also consistent with the conception and experience of calling in previous research. Cultural concerns related to free will and religion are discussed. This research demonstrates that the concept of calling is relevant in child rearing and that the sense of calling may also be associated with optimal outcomes in this domain. Recommendations for future research include the need to develop a measure of calling in child rearing and the usefulness of targeted interventions aimed at enhancing the sense of calling in parents

Purpose in life and well-being: the relationship between purpose in life, hope, coping, and inward sensitivity among first-year university students

The present study investigated the relationship between purpose in life, hope, coping, and spiritual sensitivity among a sample of 166 first year psychology students. Family support and hopefulness predicted strong purpose in life. Inward sensitivity, together with agency thinking as part of hopefulness, notably increased the predictive variance of strong purpose in life. Positive correlations were also found between all variables, as well as low indications of suicidal ideation. These findings, particularly that for inward sensitivity, are able to contribute to programs that personally support first-year university students, especially in the early months of this experience

Parents\u27 subjective sense of calling in childrearing: Measurement, development and initial findings

The construct of calling has received substantial recent attention in vocational research. This article reports on the development of a scale designed to measure parents’ subjective sense of calling in the childrearing role. Using exploratory, parallel, and confirmatory factor analysis, two studies revealed a three-factor, eleven item scale that measured calling in childrearing. Reliability findings are reported, as are convergent and discriminant validity. Parental subjective sense of calling in childrearing was positively associated with authoritative parenting style, importance of parenting, pleasure of parenting, parenting satisfaction, presence of meaning in life, satisfaction with life, savouring, and positive affect. The construct was negatively related to age, income, and the sense that parenting is a burden. Calling in childrearing is similar to calling in vocation, and appears related to optimal outcomes for those who possess it

New wine new wineskins: revisiting Catholic sacramentality through the eyes of a child\u27s spiritual being

This theoretical paper discusses the spirituality of childhood within the context of Catholic sacramentality, specifically the childÿs experience of the Sacrament of Eucharist. The authors argue that readiness for a childÿs reception of the Eucharist needs to take into account the spiritual being of the child, as well as the childÿs cognitive capacity to grasp the meaning of the Eucharist. Future research directions arising from this theoretical paper are discussed in the conclusion

Families living with autism spectrum disorder: roles and responsibilities of adolescent sisters

There is currently a limited understanding of adolescent sibling relationships where Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is present. This research gap remains despite preliminary findings suggesting that neurotypically developing (NTD) siblings undertake extra caregiving responsibilities and experience differential treatment from family members. Using a Family Systems approach, this qualitative study investigated NTD adolescent sisters\u27 roles and responsibilities for their younger adolescent brother with ASD from the perspectives of 11 family members (including NTD sisters, brothers with ASD, mothers, and fathers). Findings indicate the sisters undertook various caregiving roles and responsibilities, particularly at school, which had both positive and negative influences on the family system. Additionally, sisters perceived they undertook unfair household responsibilities, received reduced parental attention, and desired both distance from and engagement with their families. These perceptions varied amongst other family members. Implications of these findings and strategies for best supporting adolescent NTD siblings are discussed

A measure of spiritual sensitivity for children

Spirituality is an essential influence in a child\u27s development. However, an age-appropriate measure of child\u27s spiritual sensitivity is not currently available in the literature. This paper describes the development of a measure of children\u27s spiritual sensitivity, the Spiritual Sensitivity Scale for Children (SSSC). Statistical analyses identified two semantically meaningful and psychometrically reliable clusters, titled Outward Focus and Inward Reflective Focus. Significant relationships were also found between spiritual sensitivity, self-esteem and hopefulness. These findings suggested that the SSSC provides a robust indication of the strength of a child\u27s spirituality as well as a useful companion measure alongside other measures of mental and emotional well-being