Exploring the views and experiences of callers to the PANDA Post and Antenatal Depression Association Australian National Perinatal Depression Helpline: A cross-sectional survey

Background Anxiety and depression are common in the perinatal period. Telephone interventions, including telephone peer support and counselling, have been developed to support those experiencing perinatal mental illness. PANDA Post and Antenatal Depression Association provides support to women and men experiencing perinatal mental illness via the Australian National Perinatal Depression Helpline, encompassing both volunteer peer support and professional counselling. This study aimed to explore the experiences of callers to the Helpline. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used. All new callers from 1st May to 30th September 2013 were invited to participate. The survey, adapted from a previous survey of PANDA callers, included 23 questions using Likert-type scales, demographic and open-ended questions. Thematic network analysis was undertaken for responses to open-ended questions. Results 124 responses were received (124/405; 30 % response). The majority of callers had called the Helpline regarding themselves (90 %), with over one third (33 %) of all callers seeking crisis support and help. Ninety-nine per cent of respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that staff and/or volunteers understood their concerns, and 97 % ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that overall PANDA had helped them. Callers described the PANDA service as uniquely tailored to the perinatal period, providing accessible, non-judgemental understanding and support, with a global theme from open-ended comments describing PANDA as ‘a safe space to be heard and receive support without judgement’. Recommendations for service changes included increased hours of availability. Conclusions Callers reported positive experiences of accessing support from the PANDA National Perinatal Depression Helpline. The Helpline was described as an accessible and acceptable telephone support for individuals experiencing perinatal mental illness. Recommendations for changes to the service included an increase in hours of operation to enable greater responsiveness at times of need, reduced waiting times, and access to continuity with the same volunteer and/or telephone counsellor. The findings of the study will be useful in informing future service provision, review, and implementation

Analisis Pengelompokan dan Hubungan Kekerabatan Spesies Anggrek Phalaenopsis Berdasarkan Kunci Determinasi Fenotipik dan Marka Molekuler RAPD

Hubungan kekerabatan antara 19 anggrek phalaenopsis dianalisis menggunakan random amplified polymorphic DNA pada tingkat molekuler dan secara fenotipik menggunakan kunci determinasi dari Sweet. Dendrogram kekerabatan anggrek phalaenopsis tersebut diperoleh dari 300 pola pita DNA dan 27 karakter fenotipik. Hubungan kekerabatan secara genetik dianalisis menggunakan koefisien kemiripan Dice dan jarak genetik secara fenotipik menggunakan koefisien Dist. Korelasi antara keduanya dianalisis menggunakan statistik Mantel dengan prosedur MXCOMP pada program NTSYS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan hubungan kekerabatan berdasarkan koefisien kemiripan Dice adalah 0,24-0,66 (jarak genetik antara 0,34-0,76), sedangkan jarak taksonomi berdasarkan koefisien Dist adalah 1,42-0,08. Nilai korelasi antara matriks kemiripan dan matriks jarak adalah kecil yaitu -0,38, dengan nilai koefisien determinasi R2 = 0,15. Nilai koefisien determinasi yang kecil menunjukkan bahwa hanya 15% data morfologi dapat digunakan untuk mengestimasi kemiripan genetiknya. Hasil analisis komponen utama menunjukkan terdapat 231 pita yang berperan dalam pengelompokan secara terpisah 19 spesies anggrek phalaenopsis, namun tidak dapat mengidentifikasi pita spesifik untuk karakter atau genotip tertentu

Immigrant and non-immigrant women's experiences of maternity care: A systematic and comparative review of studies in five countries

Background: Understanding immigrant women’s experiences of maternity care is critical if receiving country care systems are to respond appropriately to increasing global migration. This systematic review aimed to compare what we know about immigrant and non-immigrant women’s experiences of maternity care. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, Health Star, Embase and PsychInfo were searched for the period 1989–2012. First, we retrieved population-based studies of women’s experiences of maternity care (n = 12). For countries with identified population studies, studies focused specifically on immigrant women’s experiences of care were also retrieved (n = 22). For all included studies, we extracted available data on experiences of care and undertook a descriptive comparison. Results: What immigrant and non-immigrant women want from maternity care proved similar: safe, high quality, attentive and individualised care, with adequate information and support. Immigrant women were less positive about their care than non-immigrant women. Communication problems and lack of familiarity with care systems impacted negatively on immigrant women’s experiences, as did perceptions of discrimination and care which was not kind or respectful. Conclusion: Few differences were found in what immigrant and non-immigrant women want from maternity care. The challenge for health systems is to address the barriers immigrant women face by improving communication,increasing women’s understanding of care provision and reducing discrimination

A collision model for safety evaluation of autonomous intelligent cruise control

This paper describes a general framework for safety evaluation of autonomous intelligent cruise control in rear-end collisions. Using data and specifications from prototype devices, two collision models are developed. One model considers a train of four cars, one of which is equipped with autonomous intelligent cruise control. This model considers the car in front and two cars following the equipped car. In the second model, none of the cars is equipped with the device. Each model can predict the possibility of rear-end collision between cars under various conditions by calculating the remaining distance between cars after the front car brakes. Comparing the two collision models allows one to evaluate the effectiveness of autonomous intelligent cruise control in preventing collisions. The models are then subjected to Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the probability of collision. Based on crash probabilities, an expected value is calculated for the number of cars involved in any collision. It is found that given the model assumptions, while equipping a car with autonomous intelligent cruise control can significantly reduce the probability of the collision with the car ahead, it may adversely affect the situation for the following cars.<br/

State of practice in portfolio management : a comprehensive survey

There has been an increase in the practice of managing multiple projects as the number of megaprojects has decreased and firms try to manage a larger number of smaller projects. The use of portfolio management is growing in the industry to allow firms to maximize the use of their limited resources. This paper reports on the outcome of a comprehensive survey, which was supported by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) and a team of 17 experts from various firms. The survey focused on identifying contemporary portfolio management practices by asking 28 questions on five topics: firm information, makeup of a portfolio, current practices, performance metrics, and implementation. The survey was designed to give an insight into what successful owners and contractors have done in implementing portfolio management. It was found that owners approach portfolio management differently from contractors. Owners generally establish strategic business objectives and select projects and form their portfolios using their available resources. On the other hand, contractors try to win projects and follow their clients’ regulations; however, they still need portfolio management to efficiently manage their projects. A major emphasis of this research effort was the list of performance metrics used in portfolio management. Owners who successfully implemented portfolio management within their firms have practiced the use of a formal project prioritization system in a portfolio. All of these firms use dashboards with performance metrics to show the performance of a portfolio. The Main indicators found on current dashboards include cost, schedule, safety, and overall success of the portfolio.Non UBCUnreviewedFacult

Peer supporters' experiences on an Australian perinatal mental health helpline

Perinatal mental health is an important public health issue, and peer support is a potentially important strategy for emotional well-being in the perinatal period. PANDA Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia provides support to individuals impacted by perinatal mental health issues via the National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline. Callers receive peer support from volunteers and counselling from paid professional staff. The views and experiences of PANDA peer support volunteers have not previously been studied. We conducted two focus groups and an online survey to explore the experiences of women providing volunteer peer support on the Helpline. Data collection took place in October and November 2013. Two social theories were used in framing and addressing the study aims and in interpreting our findings: the Empathy–Altruism Hypothesis, and the Helper Therapy Principle. All PANDA volunteers were invited to participate (n = 40). Eight volunteers attended a focus group, and 11 survey responses were received. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. All survey respondents ‘strongly agreed’ that they felt positive about being part of PANDA. Thematic analysis of data from focus groups and open-ended survey responses identified the following themes: motivated to help others, supported to support callers, helping to make a difference and emotional impacts for volunteers. Respondents described a strong desire to support others experiencing emotional distress as a motivator to volunteer. Although perinatal peer support services are designed to benefit those who receive support, this study suggests volunteers may also experience personal benefits from the role

‘I need help’: Reasons new and re-engaging callers contact the PANDA—Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia National Helpline

In Australia, the PANDA —Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia National Helpline (the Helpline) offers support to callers impacted by emotional health challenges in the perinatal period. Callers receive counselling from professional staff and peer support from volunteers. An understanding of factors that contribute to callers’ experiences of emotional distress, as well as potential barriers and facilitators to help‐seeking, can be used to inform future service design and delivery. A caller intake form is completed by Helpline staff when an individual contacts the service for the first time, or re‐engages after a period of non‐contact. We analysed all intake forms of individuals calling about their own emotional wellbeing from the middle month of each season in 2014: January, April, July, and October. Content analysis was undertaken, focusing on caller profile, patterns of help‐seeking, and reasons for caller engagement. Of the 365 calls, the majority were from women (n = 358, 98%) who were pregnant (n = 59, 16%) or had a child ≤12 months of age (n = 241, 75%). Many were seeking support regarding depression (n = 186, 51%) or anxiety (n = 162, 44%), with a number seeking help for both (n = 71, 20%). Almost a third were identified as being ‘at risk’, including a number who were experiencing thoughts of suicide or self‐harm. Complex interrelating factors contributed to callers’ emotional distress, including: stressful life events; pregnancy, birthing and parenting experiences; social isolation; and histories of mental health difficulties. Significant numbers of parents experience emotional health challenges in the perinatal period, but many do not receive adequate treatment. Complex factors contribute to callers’ distress, highlighting the need for health professionals to undertake thorough psychosocial assessments during the perinatal period so those that need additional support are identified, and appropriate care provided. Telephone Helplines like PANDA s assist overcoming barriers to care and provide specialised perinatal mental health support to families

Breastfeeding peer support by telephone in the RUBY randomised controlled trial: A qualitative exploration of volunteers' experiences.

BackgroundThere is growing evidence that peer support programs may be effective in supporting breastfeeding mothers. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) (the RUBY study) that tested peer support in the Australian context found that infants of first-time mothers who received proactive telephone peer support were more likely to be receiving breastmilk at six months of age.MethodsThis qualitative sub-study of the RUBY RCT explores the experiences and views of peer volunteers who delivered the intervention. Focus groups were conducted with 17 peers from the RUBY RCT between November 2015 and March 2016. All had provided peer support to at least one mother.ResultsWe found that volunteers identified strongly with the mothers' need for support when establishing breastfeeding. Key components of the support were strengthening the mothers' self-belief through affirmation and sharing experiential knowledge. Volunteers found the role rewarding and personally therapeutic although some women reported challenges initiating and maintaining contact with some mothers. Data were analysed using a hybrid approach to thematic analysis combining inductive and deductive techniques.ConclusionsBreastfeeding peer support programs are reliant on recruitment of motivated volunteers who can provide empathetic mother-to-mother support. This study provides important information regarding volunteers' experiences that may support the upscaling of breastfeeding peer support for new mothers.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN 12612001024831