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Evidence-based long term interventions targeting acute mental health presentations for children and adolescents : systematic review
No full textBackground: Long term intervention services have proven to be effective in improving mental health (MH) outcomes and the quality of life for children and young people (CYP). Aim: To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of long-term interventions in improving MH outcomes for CYP, 0-17 years, presenting with MH conditions. Methods: A systematic search was carried out and the methodological quality of included long term MH intervention studies were assessed. Six databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles between January 2000 and September 2022. Results: We found 30 studies that reported on the effectiveness of a range of long-term MH interventions in the form of (i) group therapy, (ii) multisystemic behavior therapy, (iii) general services, (iv) integrated services, (v) psychotherapy, (vi) intensive intervention services, (vii) comprehensive collaborative care, (viii) parent training, and (ix) home outreach service. Among the included studies, seven were rated as high level of evidence based on the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) levels of evidence hierarchy scale and seven were of moderate quality evidence. Others were rated as lower-quality evidence. Among the studies providing high quality evidence, most were reported for group therapy, general services, and psychotherapy studies demonstrating beneficial effects. Conclusion: This systematic review provides evidence to demonstrate the benefits of a range of long-term interventions, in a range of settings, can be effective in improving MH outcomes for CYP and their families
J.K. Gibson-Graham
No full textJ.K. Gibson-Graham is the academic pseudonym of feminist economic geographers Katherine Gibson and Julie Graham. Writing under this authorial identity, the duo established the field of diverse economies, a theoretically-sophisticated feminist post-structuralist economic geography that transformed debates within, and well beyond, the discipline (Barnes and Christophers, 2018). Core to their approach was a consistent refusal of totalising discourses of economy, and particularly ‘capitalocentric’ representations of economy, a commitment to ‘reading for difference', and a methodological stance that looks for how the world we live in is always already more-than-capitalist
Connie's story : a tax professional's perspective
No full textThe NTCP provides a safe place for individual and small business taxpayers in need to fulfil their tax obligations and receive help in doing so when required. Adding to the complexity of the interactions with the eligible taxpayers are the circumstances that have led to them seeking our assistance. This may be a combination of financial, situational, or emotional issues. For example, a low level of financial literacy, mental health issues, domestic violence or a relationship breakdown, recently emigrated or incarcerated. Of significance is that without the NTCP these cases would remain outstanding as the profit sector of tax professionals would not engage these clients
How to initiate, develop and maintain a culture of innovation in a teaching team
No full textIntroduction/Background Increased attention to inclusive practices and recent challenges to health professional education, from COVID restrictions to generative AI, have highlighted the importance of innovative teaching and learning approaches. Creativity to innovate teaching and learning can be learned and needs to be cultivated as a team culture. Yet, some academics may feel ill-prepared to innovate their teaching approach, and others may feel less supported in developing novel ideas. This workshop will offer a guided process for teaching teams to become more innovative in their delivery of good quality teaching. Methods A 5-year evaluation of a highly structured community-engaged teaching program to teach Social Determinants of Health at Western Sydney University School of Medicine in 2014 found challenges in addressing ongoing students’ concerns. Program revision necessitated breaking parts of the mould to enable innovations. The process was compounded by two curriculum revisions, COVID restrictions, changes in casual academics, the need to adapt to several external requirements and accommodate ongoing inputs from students and community partners. Results/Evaluation We have evolved from conventional teaching approaches to a strong, generative teamwork for teaching innovations. We have gained a University Teaching Excellence Award in the gruelling first COVID year 2020; become a highly decorated team with Advance Higher Education Fellowships; published our works regularly; and best of all, obtained an ever increasingly positive student and peer feedback on our teaching effectiveness. Discussion Reflection of the 15-year journey of our teaching program revealed six keys to success in initiating, developing and maintaining a culture of innovation in a teaching team: identifying the impetus for change, breaking the ‘psychic prison’ for change, building a network of ‘partners in crime’, creating and nurturing creativity in a supportive environment, and building strength from evaluation and scholarship. We believe these keys are transferable to other health professional education teams
A qualitative study of the perceptions and experiences of participants and healthcare professionals in the DiRECT-Australia type 2 diabetes remission service
No full textBackground: The UK Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) study was replicated in an Australian primary care setting. This qualitative study aimed to explore and understand the perceptions and experiences of both participants and healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in the DiRECT-Australia Type 2 Diabetes Remission Service. Methods: All participants and HCPs delivering the service were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews via online videoconferencing. The interview guides explored perceptions and experiences in DiRECT-Australia, covering aspects such as barriers and facilitators to recruitment and participation, motivations and challenges across service phases, adequacy of support provided and the overall acceptability of the service. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Eight DiRECT-Australia participants and six HCPs (three general practitioners, two practice nurses and one dietitian) participated. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) Enablers and barriers to recruitment and continuous participation in DiRECT-Australia; (2) Motivators and overcoming barriers across the total diet replacement, food reintroduction and weight maintenance phases; (3) Importance of participant-HCP interactions and continuous support; (4) Acceptance and long-term need for DiRECT-Australia. Adherence to total diet replacement was less challenging than anticipated by participants. Transitioning to the food reintroduction phase was difficult but overcome through HCP support. DiRECT-Australia was well accepted by both participants and HCPs, and participants expressed willingness to continue with the service, if provided on a long-term basis. Conclusions: Both participants and HCPs were highly interested in the new diabetes remission service set up in an Australian primary care setting. The acceptability of DiRECT-Australia was underscored by participants emphasising the effectiveness of the service in achieving significant weight loss and diabetes remission. There is a need for long-term and wider implementation of the service to ensure that anyone with recent onset type 2 diabetes is offered the best possible chance to achieve remission
Introduction
No full textThis book arose out of an online “Container Technologies Workshop” held in March 2021, but its origins go back further. In June 2018, Marie-Luise Angerer and Noam Gramlich had convened a workshop in Potsdam on “Feminist speculations with strange bedfellows,” whose presentations formed the basis of their collection Feministisches Spekulieren: Genealogien, Narrationen, Zeitlichkeiten (Angerer and Gramlich 2020) that included Gramlich’s original translation of Ursula Le Guin’s The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. This short essay, which reimagines both the history of technology and writing science fiction as centered around bags rather than weapons, had in the meantime been reprinted, with a new introduction provided by Donna Haraway (Le Guin 2019). The idea was to continue exploring carrier bag theory at a symposium that Zoë Sofoulis would address in Potsdam in 2020. But like so many events planned for that year, this was cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online “Container Technologies Workshop” was subsequently held via Zoom over three days in March 2021, where contributors presented draft versions of the chapters found below. The overarching theme was for everyone to make some reference to the essay “Container Technologies” (Chapter 1), originally published in the feminist philosophy journal Hypatia (Sofia 2000). Participants invited to the 2021 work-shop by Marie-Luise Angerer and Zoë Soloulis included some of Marie Luise’s current postgraduates, some of Zoë’s former postgraduates (now in senior academic positions), and other people whose work was salient to the topic. As Zoë outlines in her retrospective (Chapter 2), Ingrid Richardson, Meredith Jones, and Dinesh Wadiwel were integral to the project’s pre-history in the mid-2000s, which included a research institute seminar and a national conference panel
Intimate partner violence, suicide and self-harm in Sri Lanka : analysis of national data
No full textThere is increasing evidence from South Asia and internationally that intimate partner violence (IPV) is strongly associated with self-harm, however its association with suicide and self-harm has not been extensively examined, nor has this relationship been explored at a national level. Using national datasets, area-level variation in IPV, suicide and self-harm in Sri Lanka were examined. In addition, the association between individual level exposure to past-year IPV and non-fatal self-harm by any household member were explored in a series of multi-level logistic regression models, adjusting for age. Similar patterns in the distribution of suicide and IPV were found, with higher rates evident in post-conflict districts, specifically Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu. Experience of past year IPV and its various forms were strongly associated with household-level self-harm in the past year (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.83 95% CI 2.27-6.46). A similar magnitude was found for physical/sexual abuse (AOR 5.17 95% CI 2.95-9.05) and psychological abuse (AOR 4.64 95% CI 2.50- 7.00). A dose-response association was also evident for frequency of abuse, with an increasing risk of household-level self-harm for women reporting abuse 'less often' (AOR 2.95 95% CI 1.46-5.92), and abuse experienced 'daily, weekly, or monthly' (AOR 4.83 95% CI 2.59-9.00), compared to no abuse. This study contributes to a growing body of evidence on the relationship between IPV and suicidal behaviour in South Asia. Addressing IPV and its various forms should be a priority for suicide prevention in Sri Lanka, alongside traumainformed approaches in post-conflict settings
Saving the World: How Forests Inspired Global Efforts to Stop Climate Change from 1770 to the Present
No full textSaving the World tells the forgotten history of climatic botany, the idea that forests are essential for creating and recycling rain. Long before the spectre of global warming, societies recognised that deforestation caused drastic climate shifts - as early as 1770, concerns over deforestation spurred legislation to combat human-induced climate change. Across the twentieth century, climatic botany experienced fluctuating fortunes, influenced by technological advancements and evolving meteorological theories. Remarkably, contemporary scientists are rediscovering the crucial role of forests in rainfall recycling, unaware of the long history of climatic botany. This enlightening exploration is essential reading for anyone passionate about conserving the world's forests and preserving our climate for future generations
Investigating the role of phenylalanine residues for amyloid formation of the neuropeptide neurokinin B
No full textNeurokinin B (NKB) is a tachykinin peptide that has diverse roles in biology, including in human reproductive development. Cellular processing of this peptide is thought to involve formation of a dense core vesicle during transit through the regulated secretory pathway. The ability of NKB to rapidly form an amyloid can contribute to formation of the secretory granule but features that support amyloid formation of NKB are not well understood. NKB contains a diphenylalanine sequence well recognised as an important motif for self-assembly of other peptides including amyloid β. Using mutations of the diphenylalanine motif we show that this motif in NKB is necessary for amyloid formation, and it is the unique combination of aromaticity and hydrophobicity of phenylalanine that is crucial for aggregation. Using disulfide cross-linking we propose that phenylalanine at sequence position 6 is important for stabilising inter-sheet interactions in the NKB amyloid fibril. Although having a highly conserved sequence, the NKB peptide from zebrafish only contains a single phenylalanine and does not fibrillise as extensively as mammalian NKB. Analysis of self-assembly of NKB-like peptides from different species may help in elucidating their biological roles. Taken together, this work shows that mammalian NKB has evolved, within only 10 residues, a sequence optimised for rapid self-assembly, whilst also containing residues for metal-binding, receptor binding and receptor discrimination
[In Press] A person-centred investigation of the associations between actual and perceived physical fitness among youth with intellectual disabilities
No full textThe main objective of this person-centred study was to identify profiles of actual and perceived physical fitness among a sample of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Participants were 377 youth (60.4% boys) with mild (49.6%) to moderate (50.4%) ID recruited in Australia and Canada. Latent profile analyses revealed five profiles: (1) Underestimation of Average Physical Fitness (5.5% of the sample); (2) Moderate
Overestimation of Low Physical Fitness (17.7%), (3) Moderate Underestimation of Average Physical Fitness (31.3%); (4) High Overestimation of Average Physical Fitness (28.3%); and (5) Moderate Underestimation of High Physical Fitness with an Accurate Estimation of Average Flexibility (17.2%). Profiles 1, 2, and 3 relatives to Profiles 4 and 5 included younger participants, more participants with moderate levels of ID, and
participants with a higher body mass index. Additionally, profiles 1 and 3 also included a higher proportion of youth pursuing externally-driven motives and less frequently involved in sports outside of the school. In sum, our findings showed that the tendency of youth with ID to rely on upward or downward-lateral social comparisons may have resulted in a depreciation or overestimation of their low levels of physical fitness