The adaptation of cognitive behavioural therapy for adult Maori clients with depression: A pilot study

A semistructured cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme for depression was adapted for use with Maori adult clients with depression. Adaptations were developed in consultation with an advisory group consisting of Maori clinical psychologists and kaumatua with experience working in mental health services. The programme was piloted with 2 participants who were clients of a Maori mental health service. The programme builds on a more traditional CBT treatment programme by integrating concepts such as whakatauki, whanaungatanga, whanau involvement, and whakapapa into the therapeutic context. Despite limitations the results demonstrate considerable promise. Depressive symptoms increased substantially in both cases and both clients reflected positively on the adaptations incorporated into therapy

Adolescent stress: a multi-ethnic Asian perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine gender and ethnic differences in adolescent stress in a non–Western context; multi-ethnic Malaysia. A Malay language version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire was administered to 300 adolescents aged from 13 to 17 years (Mean = 14.4 years). There were no statistically significant differences between genders or the three ethnic groups (Chinese, Indian, and Malay) across the 10 subscales. There was a significant gender x ethnicity interaction for the school performance subscale with Indian boys reporting significantly higher stress. Gender and ethnic differences were evident at the item level with boys reporting higher stress than girls on 12% of the items. For 27 (47%) of the items on the scale the most frequent response was not at all stressful (or irrelevant to me). Discussion highlights the importance of further research on adolescent stress in the Asian context and acknowledges that Western cultural understandings of stress are not necessarily or inevitably the same as that found in Asian cultures

A Framework for Building Technological Learning: Evidence from the New Zealand Dairy Industry

One aspect of the process of technology adoption is technological learning (TL), the way farmers gather information and turn it into knowledge. In a study of the New Zealand dairy industry, researchers examined the factors that affect TL. Findings suggest that the speed with which farmers engage in TL is influenced by the efficiency of the innovation system, the maturity of the farm system, and the individual characteristics of the farmer. The article presents a model demonstrating how these three sets of factors may affect TL that can be used by Extension agents to help them develop a strategy for engaging farmers in TL

Perfectionism and achievement goal orientations in adolescent school students

Perfectionism has been shown to predict individual differences in achievement goal orientations in university students, but research on perfectionism and goal orientations in school students is still very limited. Investigating 584 adolescent school students in a cross-sectional correlational design, the present study examined how self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism predicted students’ goal orientations. Multiple regression analyses showed that, when the overlap between the different goal orientations was controlled for, self-oriented perfectionism positively predicted mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goal orientations whereas socially prescribed perfectionism positively predicted performance-approach orientation. The present findings indicate that perfectionism predicts individual differences in adolescent school students’ achievement goal orientations, but different forms of perfectionism are associated with different patterns of goal orientations

Psychological dimensions of retirement.

The chapters that follow examine the character of, and issues relating to, western retirement experiences. As our populations age, issues relating to the nature of retirement are of growing importance. Population ageing is a global issue. For instance, Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, & Mather (2011) report that currently one-fifth of the Japanese population is aged over 65 and estimated to increase to one-third of the population by 2040. Based on Bogomolny’s (2004) calculations, by 2025, there will 2 workers in Japan for every person over 65. By 2030 to 2040, 20% of the United States population (i.e., 70 million people), will be aged over 65 (Conrad Glass & Flynn, 2000; Jacobsen, Kent, Lee & Mather, 2011). A drop in the number of workers per government funded beneficiaries from 3.3. to 2.2 has also been predicted (Social Security Board of Trustees, 2008). Many European countries will have similarly high proportions of their population aged over 65 (Heyma, 2004) with concomitant dependency ratios, as will Australia and New Zealand (Kippen, 2002; Statistics New Zealand, 2012). In the 1970s and 1980s there was a trend toward early retirement, however this began to be reversed in many countries in the 1990s. Participation rates in most OECD countries for older workers (50-64 years) have increased to an average of 63% in 2008. Some countries have seen considerable increases in participation rates for these workers (e.g. New Zealand, Netherlands) and in even older workers (65-69 years) (OECD, 2011). Along with the increasing expansion of working lives has come an evolution of the pathways to retirement. Retirement is no longer necessarily a “clean break” from the workforce, with many researchers arguing that the transition from work to retirement is now “blurred”. Retirement is not a single discrete event but can be viewed as an individual process, where for many paid employment still plays a significant role well into the “third age”. The changing nature of retirement over the past few decades highlights the need to continually reassess how we conceptualise it in the literature and how it impacts on the individual, organisations and society. This book seeks to address some of the psychological dimensions of retirement prominent in the literature. The initial chapter of this book outlines a number of definitions pertinent to the topic of retirement. This is followed by an examination of issues that affect retirement decisions. Next, psychological wellbeing and physical health issues are examined in relation to retirement. The final chapters examine the interplay between work and retirement, the role of leisure in retirement, the experiences of women, and the sources and role of social support in retirement

Imaging and impact of myocardial fibrosis in aortic stenosis

Aortic stenosis is characterized both by progressive valve narrowing and the left ventricular remodeling response that ensues. The only effective treatment is aortic valve replacement, which is usually recommended in patients with severe stenosis and evidence of left ventricular decompensation. At present, left ventricular decompensation is most frequently identified by the development of typical symptoms or a marked reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction <50%. However, there is growing interest in using the assessment of myocardial fibrosis as an earlier and more objective marker of left ventricular decompensation, particularly in asymptomatic patients, where guidelines currently rely on non- randomized data and expert consensus. Myocardial fibrosis has major functional consequences, is the key pathological process driving left ventricular decompensation, and can be divided into 2 categories. Replacement fibrosis is irreversible and identified using late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance, while diffuse fibrosis occurs earlier, is potentially reversible, and can be quantified with cardiac magnetic resonance T1 mapping techniques. There is a substantial body of observational data in this field, but there is now a need for randomized clinical trials of myocardial imaging in aortic stenosis to optimize patient management. This review will discuss the role that myocardial fibrosis plays in aortic stenosis, how it can be imaged, and how these approaches might be used to track myocardial health and improve the timing of aortic valve replacement

Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study

A41 Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study In: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2017, 12(Suppl 1): A4