1,720,998 research outputs found
Exploring resettlement stressors and help-seeking for mental health support with women from refugee backgrounds
Get PDFDespite the well-documented mental health risk factors for people with refugee backgrounds, there remain gaps in understanding resettlement stressors and barriers to help-seeking, and access to and use of mental health services for specific refugee communities in Australia. The overarching aim of this thesis was to explore resettlement stressors and barriers to help-seeking with women from two different refugee communities and to provide clinical implications for services working with these populations. This project was guided by postcolonial feminist theory, used a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, and was informed by Kleinman’s Explanatory Model (1978, 1980) and Andersen’s Model of Health Utilisation (Andersen & Newman, 1973). In exploring resettlement factors, the thesis also takes a Social Determinants of Health approach to understanding effects on health and wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of people, including women from the Afghan (Hazara) community with refugee backgrounds (study 1), women and men from the South Sudanese community with refugee backgrounds (study 2 & 3), and service providers working with women from refugee backgrounds in mental health services (study 4). Interview data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. In study 1, findings suggested that older women from the Afghan community may face multiple social and cultural barriers to help-seeking, including stigma regarding mental health, differences in cultural conceptualisations of mental health, racism, domestic violence, husbands acting as gatekeepers to help-seeking, language and communication difficulties, and informal help-seeking preferences. Initially, study 2 also had a focus on barriers to help-seeking, but participants instead prioritised speaking about resettlement stressors and challenges during interviews. As such, drawing on a CBPR framework, the second study explored these issues, with results indicating that dealing with practical concerns and resettlement stressors took precedence over accessing mental health services. In particular, results identified that concerns about the younger generation, racism and discrimination, social isolation, changing gender roles, and domestic violence were key factors in womens’ experiences in Australia and had ongoing effects on mental health. Stemming from the analysis of the same data, study 3 specifically discussed the impact of negative media and political depictions of the South Sudanese community on their psychological health and well-being. Participants discussed enduring experiences of racism and discrimination that had damaging effects on their sense of identity, mental health, and hope for the future in their resettlement country. Moreover, given the specific focus of media attention on South Sudanese youth, participants expressed considerable concern about the mental health and wellbeing of their children and future generations. Finally, study 4 focused on service providers’ perceptions of the social determinants of women with refugee background’s mental health and barriers to help-seeking. Barriers were identified as existing at the individual (language, gender), interpersonal (stigma, conceptualisation of mental health, isolation, racism), organisational (child protection, missed opportunity for service provision, lack of accessibility, expectations, differences in perception of need), and policy levels of the Social-Ecological Model. Overall, thesis results indicated that women from different refugee communities face barriers to help-seeking and enduring resettlement stressors at times long after arrival in Australia. However, accessing mental health services may be a low priority for some women, who may instead prioritise practical concerns. Results highlighted the complex intersections between gender, race, and refugee status faced by women with refugee backgrounds. These intersections created multiple challenges to resettlement, empowerment, and belonging within the broader Australian community. Participants from both communities described the way in which racism, patriarchy, language and communication barriers, economic disadvantages, and refugee status created enduring layers of inequality that structured the relative positions of women and men in their community and the broader Australian society. Implications and recommendations include more inclusive public policy, the inclusion of consideration of social determinants of health in mental health care, culturally responsive programs for women and men regarding domestic violence, and the involvement of community partners in research teams.Thesis (Combined MPsych (Clin) & PhD) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202
Mental Health Communication in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond
No full textMental health and illness have become the subject of increasing concern in Australia and worldwide, yet so far efforts to address this problem have led to little improvement. One reason may be because efforts have focused mainly on treating individuals rather than on addressing upstream social determinants. Furthermore, an aspect which has been relatively neglected in research to date is language use around mental health and what language is, or should be, used when discussing mental health. In this thesis, I investigate how the concept of mental health was discursively constructed in Australia during 2020 - the period of the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a time when the connection between mental health and social and economic conditions was made uniquely visible. Data was sourced from the print news media and an online mental health discussion forum; and data analysis was informed by the approach of critical discursive psychology. This thesis includes three published research studies, which are presented in Chapters 3, 4 and 5. In Study 1, I examined how the concept of mental health was discursively constructed in the print news media. Data was comprised of all articles published in seven major daily newspapers in 2020 which contained substantive discussion of mental health - a final dataset of 436 articles. I found that mental health was constructed using three main interpretative repertoires: (1) mental health is feeling happy or positive; (2) mental health is an individual resource (metaphor of ‘mental wealth’); and (3) mental health is an individual responsibility (metaphor of ‘mental fitness’). An ideological dilemma was observed between individual versus societal responsibility for mental health. In Study 2, I examined how advice about mental health was discursively constructed in the print news media during 2020, using the same data set as Study 1. I identified three main interpretative repertoires – (1) negative emotions are a risk to mental health and must be managed; (2) risky emotions should be managed by being controlled; and (3) risky emotions should be managed by being released. In Study 3, I examined constructions of mental health using data from an online mental health discussion forum. This data set was chosen as it allowed consideration of the research aims and objectives of this thesis from a different perspective to the previous two studies, namely the attitudes and understandings of the public concerning mental health. Data was comprised of all posts to a thread relating to mental health and coping during the pandemic, a total of 1,687 posts. I found that mental health was constructed using two main interpretative repertoires: (1) mental health/coping as the result of individual behaviours of ‘self-care’; and (2) mental health/coping as the result of external circumstances. An ideological dilemma was noted to occur between these two repertoires, and therefore much of the analysis focused on how participants negotiated this dilemma and related issues of accountability. Overall, the findings of this thesis demonstrate that, even amid the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dominant construction of mental health across all studies was that mental health is an individual state which is the responsibility of individuals to achieve and maintain through strategies of self-management and self-care. There is therefore a need to re-frame future mental health communications to increase awareness of the social determinants of mental health; as well as for action to address upstream determinants.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202
Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers
Get PDFThis thesis examines the application and effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for both individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their primary caregivers. Emerging research shows that conventional MBIs can be effective in providing relief from mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. However, questions remain regarding the effectiveness of MBIs across the lifespan of autistic individuals, the perception of MBIs among these individuals and their families, and the most effective way to disseminate MBIs to this population. MBIs are attracting increasing attention in ASD research, partly because they cultivate an awareness and non-judgemental attitude towards difficult thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations: aspects that are challenging for those with ASD, given their difficulties in sensory processing and emotional regulation. Issues with both access and affordability of mental health care have also been noted by this cohort. In this context, eHealth—the use of technology in mental health care—offers promise as a flexible service delivery option. To date, however, little research has explored eHealth as a mental health tool for ASD. This thesis presents three studies, the first being a high-quality meta-analysis of 10 controlled and quasi-experimental studies (Nparticipants = 574) which evaluated mental health and wellbeing outcomes for autistic children and adults and their caregivers following MBI participation. Positive small to large effects (g range = 0.39 to 0.87) were reported by autistic adults and caregivers. The mental health benefits of MBI reported by autistic children were smaller in magnitude (g range = 0.22 to 0.43). These findings were, however, limited by the methodological quality of included studies. The small group of studies, which primarily involved caregivers, also precludes the ability to generalise the findings to the broader ASD population. A second study, a qualitative meta-synthesis of the mindfulness intervention literature for ASD, provides further context to these meta-analytic findings. Based on 10 studies (Nparticipants = 224), key themes focusing on the facilitators and barriers to mindfulness training were identified. Overall, individuals reported improved self-awareness and self-regulation with MBI. The group-based therapy format also provided a supportive environment and motivated participants to practise. However, home practice was seen as a key barrier. Equally problematic was the time commitment required for therapy combined with the demands of managing a child’s ASD behaviours. An intervention study, based on the findings of Studies 1 and 2, was then trialled to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of, a commercially available smartphone application based on mindfulness principles, Smiling Mind, for individuals affected by ASD. Distraction and boredom were key obstacles to app use reported by these children, while caregivers noted competing time commitments as a barrier to ongoing use. Participant interviews did, however, highlight positive attitudes to the use of Smiling Mind. That said, app use tended to be directed towards meeting specific goals, such as helping to promote better sleep for their child rather than the development of mindfulness skills per se. In combination, the findings of these three studies suggest that MBI, particularly when offered via eHealth, has potential as a flexible method for improving the general wellbeing of autistic individuals and their caregivers. Despite an increased interest in mindfulness approaches, however, research on its application with ASD remains preliminary. Ultimately, significant methodological refinements are still needed to develop a robust picture of the application and effectiveness of MBI and its flexible delivery in this population.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202
Gender and Race as Social Practice in Leadership: The Management of Intersecting Identities among Women with Marginalised Backgrounds
No full textThe significant increase in the number of women joining the workforce in recent decades represents considerable progress towards gender equality. However, despite the growing presence of women in leadership roles, there are few critical psychological studies focused on understanding the unique obstacles and experiences encountered by women in these positions, especially women with culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) backgrounds and, in the context of Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This research was guided by the conceptual lens of intersectionality and informed by the critical perspectives of social constructionism, feminism, social psychology and race studies (the latter two both taking an explicitly critical approach). The program of research in this thesis comprises a published critical literature review, as well as two empirical studies (the first published and the second submitted to a journal). The critical review of the literature explored research spanning 20 years to consider under-representation of culturally diverse women in positions of leadership. This published literature review found that most of the research underscores the paucity of culturally diverse women in the leadership literature. Where there is such literature, research has described the distinct challenges women with CARM backgrounds encounter as they strive for leadership roles (and also once they become leaders) and provided some insight into their perspectives on their roles and engagement in leadership. This study also highlighted the need for a more nuanced approach to the understanding of how culturally diverse women navigate and make sense of their leadership experiences. In the second and third studies, research was conducted with a methodological approach drawn predominantly from the insights of discursive psychology and the critical discourse analytic approach developed by Margaret Wetherell. The empirical data consisted of a corpus of publicly accessible speeches made during the ‘Women in Leadership’ series convened from 2010 to 2017 by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. In the second study, I analysed the data to explore the ways in which women portray themselves as leaders. This published research examined intersectionality as a social action, rather than a purely theoretical concept. In this approach, intersectionality is grounded in empirical data to explore the prominent identities which women foregrounded. In the third study, I examined the data corpus to explore the discursive representations of leadership by asking: What do women with CARM backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women talk about when they talk about leadership? Altogether, this research project evidenced: • How women with CARM backgrounds and First Nations women remain on the margins of social psychological studies and leadership literature; • How women with CARM backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women represent themselves as leaders, what key identities emerge, and how they use these identities as strategic resources; and • How leadership is constructed and understood in culturally and socially situated ways, such as collectivism. This research enriches the academic literature by bringing forth a diverse range of perspectives and narratives that have been historically under-represented in leadership studies. It challenges the homogeneity of leadership research and encourages scholars to consider the experiences of leaders from diverse racial and gender backgrounds. Furthermore, this thesis highlights the importance of applying an intersectional lens to leadership studies. This work recognises that women with CARM backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face unique challenges and experiences due to the intersection of gender and race that together challenge traditional leadership theories and calls for the development of more inclusive leadership models. This could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of leadership in multicultural and global contexts.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
A discursive analysis of media representations of belonging in Australia.
Get PDFIn the past decade arguments concerning who can claim belonging in Australia, and fears surrounding border security, have been at the forefront of Australian political and media debates - particularly in relation to unauthorized asylum seekers arriving by boat. Previous literature focusing on these issues has suggested two key reasons for heightened anxieties over claims to belonging: 1) a growing awareness and recognition of the fact of Indigenous sovereignty and its challenge to the sovereignty of the white Australian nation-state and 2) the fact that refugees and asylum seekers seeking asylum in Australia also challenge the sovereignty of the Australian nation-state by highlighting the porous nature of borders and by challenging the ability of the Australian government to maintain control over a supposedly homogenous and ‘desirable’ population. Thus previous research has indicated that both Indigenous Australians and refugees and asylum seekers present fundamental challenges to the sovereignty of the Australian nation-state. Furthermore, it has been suggested that in response to these challenges the Australian nation has become increasingly invested in ensuring the control, regulation, and possibly exclusion of these two groups of people. In order to further examine the ways in which control and exclusion are perpetuated by white (i.e., dominant group) institutions in Australia, this thesis employs a critical discursive analytic approach to analyze the representation of Indigenous Australians and asylum seekers and refugees in the mainstream news media. More specifically, the analysis draws upon the work of Aileen Moreton-Robinson in relation to whiteness studies, and Giorgio Agamben and his conceptualization of the state of exception, to examine the ‘techniques of exclusion’ available to the nation-state as it attempts to produce a particular concept of (white) belonging, and to justify border security policies. The analytic chapters examine mainstream news media representations of the claims made by Indigenous Australians to their land through the vehicle of native title, the representation of asylum seekers arriving by boat aboard the Oceanic Viking and the Jaya Lestari 5, the ongoing criminalization of Indigenous Australians in relation to the ‘Aurukun rape case’ and the ‘gang of 49’, and the coverage of refugees and crime in Australia in relation to issues surrounding refugees from Sudan in late 2007. Specifically, the findings indicate:
A persistent representation of Indigenous Australian claims to land solely in terms of economic discourses rather than as an issue of rights.
An ongoing representation of asylum seekers arriving by boat as inherently criminal, unlawful, non-genuine, and undesirable – representations that justify their exclusion from the nation.
A pervasive criminalization of Indigenous Australians and refugees, and a lack of contextual information provided by the mainstream news media in relation to issues of concern to these marginalized groups.
The thesis concludes by examining the similarities and differences between representations of these two groups of people, and considers the implications of this research for community media forms in a globalized world, as well as for ongoing attempts to recognize Indigenous sovereignty and to advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 201
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Exploring psychological wellbeing in actors: a qualitative study of professionals and students
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the psychological wellbeing (PWB) of professional and student actors in Australia. The research comprised 35 in-depth interviews and used thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis to analyse the data. Various checks of methodological rigour were used throughout. The findings are presented in four related papers investigating, respectively: a) how student and professional actors define PWB, b) what factors underpin and impact the PWB of professional actors, c) what factors underpin and impact the PWB of student actors and d) what support student and professional actors need to maintain and/or enhance their PWB. In Paper 1, results presented include the difficulty of defining PWB, the importance of self-awareness, self-regard and accepting and navigating one’s internal world, PWB as an activity and coping strategies. Findings suggested that participants’ definition of PWB was grounded in their identity as actors. Implications for care included being alert for help-seeking difficulties, along with ensuring actors have appropriate tools for managing PWB. In Paper 2, two categories were established pertaining to professional actors’ PWB: environmental and personal factors. Environmental factors concerned the use of power in the acting industry, precarious lifestyle, uniqueness, engagement, complex relationships and self-care. Personal factors were drive, strengths, viewing acting as a calling, a precarious internal world and self-reflection. Key findings suggested actors experience a range of threats to PWB, as well as experiences which facilitate it. There were clinical implications suggesting actors are vulnerable to depression, generalised anxiety symptoms, vicarious trauma and perfectionism. Paper 3 explored PWB in student actors. Findings clustered into three domains: the conservatoire (environmental/cultural factors), acting training (process factors) and student qualities (individual factors). Influences on students’ PWB were complex personal relationships, workload, uncertainty, perfectionism, strengths, mental health difficulties, identity de-stabilisation, growth and feeling exposed. Practical implications included building mental health literacy, increasing students’ feelings of competence, fostering the ability to tolerate stress and uncertainty and employing a specialist clinician within the conservatoire. Paper 4 explored what support student and professional actors need to maintain and/or enhance PWB. Key recommendations for students included mental health resources, an embedded clinician, alterations to the course structure, examining the role of staff, connecting with the wider community, broadening students’ identities, creating a professional network and practical resources. In the professional cohort, areas of support included practical resources, connectedness, changing the social perception of actors, life outside acting and industry functioning. The key finding across both cohorts was the need for multi-level, contextually sensitive support for actors across their careers. The thesis concludes with a discussion comprising, firstly, an overview of findings and the contribution of the research to the broader literature and to knowledge about professional and student actors’ PWB. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed, including a clinician’s guide to areas of concern developed from the research. Service delivery for actors, including non- traditional models of care, is explored and the limitations of the research are highlighted. Areas for future endeavour are noted throughout and the chapter concludes with some final thoughts on working with actors to maintain and enhance PWB in light of broader issues facing the acting industry in Australia.Thesis (Ph.D.) (Research by Publication) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2018
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