Music therapy in Austria:A national survey study on the professional situation of music therapists

In 2018, the Music Therapy Research Centre Vienna (WZMF) conducted a national survey of the professional situation of music therapists in Austria. Following a previous survey from 2011, this study aimed to provide current data and to illustrate changes in the professional field. Since 2009, music therapy in Austria has been regulated by the Music Therapy Act. All working music therapists must be registered and therefore constitute a homogeneous group, which enables systematic research in the field.An invitation to take part in an online survey was sent to all 405 music therapists who were registered in October 2018. The survey covered the music therapists’ current working situation including workplace, hours of work per week, fields of work as well as legal and financial issues.With a response rate of 73.8 % (299 people), the results offer representative data from 380 workplaces. In general, the findings show an increase in music therapy services, which are offered most frequently for children and adolescents with developmental or behavioural problems (22.5 %) and for adults with mental health problems (21.5 %).The high response rate means that the results provide representative data for the situa­tion of music therapists in Austria. Beyond that, this data may also be used as a reference to support professional development internationallyDas Wiener Zentrum für Musiktherapie­Forschung (WZMF) führte 2018 eine österreich­weite Berufsgruppenerhebung unter Musiktherapeut.innen durch. In Anlehnung an eine bereits 2011 durchgeführte Befragung, bestand das Ziel vorliegender Studie da­rin, Entwicklungen im Berufsfeld aufzuzeigen und aktuelle Daten bereitzustellen. Da Musiktherapie in Österreich seit 2009 durch ein eigenes Berufsgesetz geregelt wird, das für die Berufsausübung eine Registrierung voraussetzt, liegt eine homogene und gut zu beforschende Berufsgruppe vor.Alle 405 in Österreich eingetragenen Musiktherapeut.innen (Stand: Oktober 2018) wurden per Email kontaktiert und mittels Online­Fragebogen nach ihrer aktuellen beruflichen Situation hinsichtlich Arbeitsstellen und Arbeitsfeldern sowie rechtlichen und finanziellen Rahmenbedingungen befragt.Die Umfrage erzielte einen Rücklauf von 73,8 % (299 Personen) und erfasste Infor­mationen zu 380 Arbeitsstellen. Die zwei Hauptarbeitsfelder waren Kinder und Ju­gendliche mit Entwicklungs­/Verhaltensauffälligkeiten (22,5 %) sowie Erwachsene mit psychischen Erkrankungen (21,5 %). Im Vergleich mit früheren Erhebungen zeigten die Ergebnisse insgesamt einen Zuwachs an musiktherapeutischer Versorgung.Die hohe Rücklaufquote ermöglicht repräsentative Aussagen zur Situation von Mu­siktherapeut.innen in Österreich und die Daten können auch über den nationalen Kontext hinausreichend als Referenzzahlen berufspolitische Arbeit unterstützen

Migration detention, mental health, and its relations to torture: A scoping review

Migration detention may have a negative impact on the mental health of detainees. One factor may be experiences of torture or cruel, degrading, or inhuman treatment. However, there have been few systematic attempts to map these experiences. This scoping review aimed to explore global evidence of torture in migration detention and its impact on mental health. It asks whether the negative impact of migration detention is linked to detainees being survivors of torture prior to detention or if torture might happen within detention centers. Eligibility criteria included migration-related detention and torture experienced either in the country of origin, on the migration route, or within detention, and reporting mental health-related measures. Participants had to be detained or formerly detained refugees, asylum seekers or migrants. Six databases were searched for studies published until 2020 (PsycINFO, IBSS, PubMed, PTSDPubs, Medline (Ovid), ProQuestDiss and DIGNITY). In total, 26 articles were selected for in-depth review. Reporting symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorder, they showed that independently from the geographical place, severe mental health symptoms prevail for asylum seekers in immigration detention – especially if they are survivors of torture. Studies emphasize the deterioration of existing mental health conditions and the emergence of new symptoms of psychological distress. This scoping review indicates that the harmful effect of migration detention might arise from the exposure of violations that form torturing environments and might amount to torture.

Musik als Krisenprävention im Corona-Lockdown: Erkenntnisse aus einem musiktherapeutischen Projekt in Österreich

From April 20, 2020 to April 20, 2021 a preventive music therapy offer was made available free of charge on the website lieblingslied.at with the aim of making a contribution to psychosocial prevention in times of COVID-19-related social distancing in Austria. After individual users had registered, they were each connected to a music therapist or music therapy student who, at an agreed time, played a favourite song of the users’ choices and then talked with them about it. The music-sociological research accompanying this project provided valuable information about this new format of music therapy and how people deal with music in times of social crisis. The participants showed a high level of awareness of the potentially mood-regulating effects of music, and they emphasized the connecting and strengthening element of listening to music together with someone. The potential of a low-threshold preventive-therapeutic music offer, which can also be used without physical co-presence, was confirmed in the consistently positive feedback from the participants. Although the service was widely publicized in newspapers and on the radio, the participation of therapy seekers remained below expectations. The project primarily addressed a particularly music-interested, highly educated audience.From April 20, 2020 to April 20, 2021 a preventive music therapy offer was made available free of charge on the website lieblingslied.at with the aim of making a contribution to psychosocial prevention in times of COVID-19-related social distancing in Austria. After individual users had registered, they were each connected to a music therapist or music therapy student who, at an agreed time, played a favourite song of the users’ choices and then talked with them about it. The music-sociological research accompanying this project provided valuable information about this new format of music therapy and how people deal with music in times of social crisis. The participants showed a high level of awareness of the potentially mood-regulating effects of music, and they emphasized the connecting and strengthening element of listening to music together with someone. The potential of a low-threshold preventive-therapeutic music offer, which can also be used without physical co-presence, was confirmed in the consistently positive feedback from the participants. Although the service was widely publicized in newspapers and on the radio, the participation of therapy seekers remained below expectations. The project primarily addressed a particularly music-interested, highly educated audience.From April 20, 2020 to April 20, 2021 a preventive music therapy offer was made available free of charge on the website lieblingslied.at with the aim of making a contribution to psychosocial prevention in times of COVID-19-related social distancing in Austria. After individual users had registered, they were each connected to a music therapist or music therapy student who, at an agreed time, played a favourite song of the users’ choices and then talked with them about it. The music-sociological research accompanying this project provided valuable information about this new format of music therapy and how people deal with music in times of social crisis. The participants showed a high level of awareness of the potentially mood-regulating effects of music, and they emphasized the connecting and strengthening element of listening to music together with someone. The potential of a low-threshold preventive-therapeutic music offer, which can also be used without physical co-presence, was confirmed in the consistently positive feedback from the participants. Although the service was widely publicized in newspapers and on the radio, the participation of therapy seekers remained below expectations. The project primarily addressed a particularly music-interested, highly educated audience.From April 20, 2020 to April 20, 2021 a preventive music therapy offer was made available free of charge on the website lieblingslied.at with the aim of making a contribution to psychosocial prevention in times of COVID-19-related social distancing in Austria. After individual users had registered, they were each connected to a music therapist or music therapy student who, at an agreed time, played a favourite song of the users’ choices and then talked with them about it. The music-sociological research accompanying this project provided valuable information about this new format of music therapy and how people deal with music in times of social crisis. The participants showed a high level of awareness of the potentially mood-regulating effects of music, and they emphasized the connecting and strengthening element of listening to music together with someone. The potential of a low-threshold preventive-therapeutic music offer, which can also be used without physical co-presence, was confirmed in the consistently positive feedback from the participants. Although the service was widely publicized in newspapers and on the radio, the participation of therapy seekers remained below expectations. The project primarily addressed a particularly music-interested, highly educated audience

Addressing the Gender Gap in Distinguished Speakers at Professional Ecology Conferences

Keynote and plenary speakers at professional conferences serve as highly visible role models for early-career scientists and provide recognition of scientific excellence. This recognition may be particularly important for women, who are underrepresented in senior positions in the biological sciences. To evaluate whether conferences fulfill this potential, we examined distinguished speakers at North American ecology conferences between 2000 and 2015 and compared these data with the percentage of women ecologists at diverse career stages. We found that 15%–35% (x = 28%, n = 809) of the distinguished speakers were women, which is significantly lower than the percentage of female ecology graduate students (x = 55%, n = 26,802) but consistent with the percentage of women in assistant- and associate-faculty positions. We recommend that conference organizers institute policies to enhance speaker gender balance, to provide support for speakers with family responsibilities, and to actively monitor gender-related trends in their societies to achieve the equitable representation of women in distinguished speaking roles

Addressing the Gender Gap in Distinguished Speakers at Professional Ecology Conferences

Keynote and plenary speakers at professional conferences serve as highly visible role models for early-career scientists and provide recognition of scientific excellence. This recognition may be particularly important for women, who are underrepresented in senior positions in the biological sciences. To evaluate whether conferences fulfill this potential, we examined distinguished speakers at North American ecology conferences between 2000 and 2015 and compared these data with the percentage of women ecologists at diverse career stages. We found that 15%–35% (x = 28%, n = 809) of the distinguished speakers were women, which is significantly lower than the percentage of female ecology graduate students (x = 55%, n = 26,802) but consistent with the percentage of women in assistant- and associate-faculty positions. We recommend that conference organizers institute policies to enhance speaker gender balance, to provide support for speakers with family responsibilities, and to actively monitor gender-related trends in their societies to achieve the equitable representation of women in distinguished speaking roles

Business Ethics: The Promise of Neuroscience

Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience research portend well for furthering understanding of many of the fundamental questions in the field of business ethics, both normative and empirical. This article provides an overview of neuroscience methodology and brain structures, and explores the areas in which neuroscience research has contributed findings of value to business ethics, as well as suggesting areas for future research. Neuroscience research is especially capable of providing insight into individual reactions to ethical issues, while also raising challenging normative questions about the nature of moral responsibility, autonomy, intent, and free will. This article also provides a brief summary of the papers included in this special issue, attesting to the richness of scholarly inquiry linking neuroscience and business ethics. We conclude that neuroscience offers considerable promise to the field of business ethics, but we caution against overpromise

Lessons learned from applying established cut-off values of questionnaires to detect somatic symptom disorders in primary care: a cross-sectional study

IntroductionBased on two diagnostic accuracy studies in high-prevalence settings, two distinctly different combinations of cut-off values have been recommended to identify persons at risk for somatic symptom disorder (SSD) with the combination of the Patient-Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) and the Somatic Symptom Disorder—B Criteria Scale (SSD-12). We investigated whether the reported sensitivity and specificity of both recommended cut-off combinations are transferable to primary care.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, 420 unselected adult primary care patients completed PHQ-15 and SSD-12. Patients scoring ≥9 and ≥ 23 (recommended cut-off combination #1) or ≥ 8 and ≥ 13 (recommended cut-off combination #2) were considered test-positive for SSD, respectively. To assess the validity of the reported sensitivity and specificity in different low- to high-prevalence settings, we compared correspondingly expected proportions of test positives to the proportion observed in our sample.ResultsBased on combination #1, 38 participants (9%) were found to be test positive, far fewer than expected, based on the reported values for sensitivity and specificity (expected minimum frequency 30% with a true prevalence ≥1%). This can only be explained by a lower sensitivity and higher specificity in primary care. For combination #2, 98 participants (23%) were test positive, a finding consistent with a true prevalence of SSD of 15% or lower.DiscussionOur analyzes strongly suggest that the sensitivity and specificity estimates reported for combination #1 are not applicable to unselected primary care patients and that the cut-off for the SSD (≥23) is too strict. Cut-off combination #2 seems more applicable but still needs to be tested in studies that compare screening findings by questionnaires with validated diagnostic interviews as reference standards in primary care populations

Teaching open and reproducible scholarship: a critical review of the evidence base for current pedagogical methods and their outcomes

In recent years, the scientific community has called for improvements in the credibility, robustness and reproducibility of research, characterized by increased interest and promotion of open and transparent research practices. While progress has been positive, there is a lack of consideration about how this approach can be embedded into undergraduate and postgraduate research training. Specifically, a critical overview of the literature which investigates how integrating open and reproducible science may influence student outcomes is needed. In this paper, we provide the first critical review of literature surrounding the integration of open and reproducible scholarship into teaching and learning and its associated outcomes in students. Our review highlighted how embedding open and reproducible scholarship appears to be associated with (i) students' scientific literacies (i.e. students’ understanding of open research, consumption of science and the development of transferable skills); (ii) student engagement (i.e. motivation and engagement with learning, collaboration and engagement in open research) and (iii) students' attitudes towards science (i.e. trust in science and confidence in research findings). However, our review also identified a need for more robust and rigorous methods within pedagogical research, including more interventional and experimental evaluations of teaching practice. We discuss implications for teaching and learning scholarship

Teaching open and reproducible scholarship: A critical review of the evidence base for current pedagogical methods and their outcomes

In recent years, the scientific community has called for improvements in the credibility, robustness and reproducibility of research, characterized by increased interest and promotion of open and transparent research practices. While progress has been positive, there is a lack of consideration about how this approach can be embedded into undergraduate and postgraduate research training. Specifically, a critical overview of the literature which investigates how integrating open and reproducible science may influence student outcomes is needed. In this paper, we provide the first critical review of literature surrounding the integration of open and reproducible scholarship into teaching and learning and its associated outcomes in students. Our review highlighted how embedding open and reproducible scholarship appears to be associated with (i) students' scientific literacies (i.e. students’ understanding of open research, consumption of science and the development of transferable skills); (ii) student engagement (i.e. motivation and engagement with learning, collaboration and engagement in open research) and (iii) students' attitudes towards science (i.e. trust in science and confidence in research findings). However, our review also identified a need for more robust and rigorous methods within pedagogical research, including more interventional and experimental evaluations of teaching practice. We discuss implications for teaching and learning scholarship